The fallen tree that I'm resting against gives me a decent view of the clearing below. Sarge is somewhere to the west of my position, taking care of his own job. The group below picked a good spot to wait, and it's obvious they are waiting. Two of their members were down the road to the east of the clearing, just past the curve in the road. The two night elves took care of them without a sound.

Another member of their group was posted farther west on the road. Sarge told me the man has been handled. He managed to take him down before he could raise the alarm. That was one part of the plan I've been most worried about.

My mind was racing when I was closer to the bandits. As I started to slip through the woods, I activated battle tempo. This skill lets me work with my allies in a fight without getting in each other's way. It has the added benefit of making my mind focus on just what's important. All the added information that would normally be distracting is pushed to the back of my mind. Everything else is appearing to me faster and clearer than I thought possible.

Sarge, can you get near Thea without being seen? Thea and Vaunea are bound near a bulky evergreen tree. Thea's hands are bound behind her and I can see a bruise forming on her face. Vaunea is wrapped in heavy chains around her chest. The way she has quit pulling against then tells me she can't break free. There are four of the bandits sitting in the shade near them, and one of which keeps staring at Thea. That fucker needs to die.

"Can't get close without being seen. There are too many eyes looking that direction. Should I try to get close to Jacob instead?" I glance over to Jacob where Thrasher is still working him over. I want to wince as I hear Thrasher's fist connect with Jacob's face with a wet crunching sound. He may be a thug, but he knows how to inflict pain on a person. He also seems to have some skill at it because Jacob is still awake, even after being beat for who knows how long.

Yeah, get as close as you can. On the signal, take the big bastard down. If you can get Jacob free, great. If you can't, circle around and cause some chaos. I feel Sarge giving me a mental nod as he slips through the trees. Thea seems to be almost relaxed now. Sarge passed along enough information to reassure her. Her eyes are scanning the trees, and I'm pretty sure she is looking for me.

I slip the safety off my AR as I scan over the men and women below. Battle tempo is letting me ignore them as people and just see targets. Twenty four enemies below, most are lounging around not paying much attention. A rustling sound from behind causes me to turn my head.

When I had slipped up onto the camp, I nearly tripped over one of the bandits. He stepped into the trees in order to relieve himself. When we first saw each other, he froze. That was his last mistake. The rustling I had heard was his body sliding down the gentle incline.

His sightless eyes are still staring into the sky. He still looks surprised, his mouth hanging open. I take off my hat and rest in on his face, at least now I don't have to look at it. It adds the benefit of making my silhouette smaller and harder to see. I like the hat Jacob gave me, but it's not the best choice for sneaking up on a camp.

As I turn back to the group below, I know I don't have much time. The man behind me has already been gone a while, and I'm sure someone will start to wonder where he is. I focus on the bandits, picking my targets.

Sarge's mana sight lets me separate the spell-casters from the rest. Three of them are sitting off to the side away from the group. I don't know what spells they know, but they need to go first. After them, the next problem are ranged fighters. Two of the group are carrying crossbows, but they don't worry me much. The one who is bothering me is the woman standing by herself and holding a longbow. Her eyes are searching the treeline, and I haven't seen her relax.

She seems more alert than the rest of the group, and it's almost like she knows that there is going to be trouble. I'm about to make my move when she turns to Thrasher. She shakes her head and walks over to the taller man as he continues to beat Jacob.

"I thought you said his friends would be here soon? Seems to me that your information was wrong." Her voice carries in the clearing and I see the rest of the group start paying attention. Thrasher stops his assault on Jacob and turns to face the woman with a scowl on his face.

"Trust me, they will be here. You didn't see the way his friend looked at the elf. The idiot actually cares for her. So he will come running to catch up." Thrasher starts to turn back around when the woman grabs his arm and makes him look at her.

"You told us that a rich mark was coming this way. We grabbed these people because of you! If you are lying, it's not going to go well for you." She glances over at Jacob with a look of disgust. "If I find out that you used us to get your own revenge, what you do to him will look like a picnic! Do you understand me!?" Thrasher glares at the shorter woman for a long moment. While the two are having their argument, I realize my time is running out. One of the others in the group has started asking why Stanner is taking so long.

Sarge, if you can, take out the bow woman as well. It's about to kick off. I shift my sights to the spell-casters of the group. Battle tempo is helping steady my breathing and heartbeat. Just as Thrasher opens his mouth to reply to the woman, my finger takes the last of the slack out of the trigger. The silence charm on my rifle completely nullifies the sound of the shot. What it doesn't do is get rid of the crack when the round breaks the sound barrier.

The group below me turns towards the sharp crack, even as the first spell-caster's head snaps back. My second shot spatters the second spell-caster's brain onto the third face. Before he can wipe his face clean, he is down as well. As the third and final spell-casters fall, I hear the woman with the bow scream.

"IT'S A FUCKING AMBUSH! MOVE YOU FUCKERS!" Her voice snaps the group out of their stupor. In a mad rush, everyone starts to scramble into the trees. I swing the barrel of my rifle around to drop as many as I can before they do.

To the right, I hear Thrasher curse and Sarge's loud bark. I ignore it to focus on the people slipping into the trees. Three more drop before they reach the edge of the trees. Thea and Vaunea are struggling against their bonds again. I briefly glance over at them before scanning the trees again.

A loud cry of pain causes me to look to the left. One of the bandits stumbles out of the trees, clutching his chest. When he falls, I move my focus back to the treeline.

There are still ranged attackers below me. Until the two men with crossbows and the woman with a longbow are gone, I can't afford to break cover. The last thing I need to do is catch an arrow because I got in too much of a rush. If I do, the odds say I'll end up with an arrow in me. From behind a large moss covered rock, I see the end of one of the crossbows.

Gotcha! Three rounds into the stone makes the man break cover. He sprints towards better cover as fast as he can. It doesn't do him any good as my shot catches him center mass. He takes two more stumbling steps before he falls. When he tries to push himself to his feet, I put two more rounds into him. Finally, he lays still. If he's not dead, he is at least down.

"It doesn't have to be like this!" I hear the woman with the bow yell from behind a thick tree. The tip of her bow is just barely visible on one side of the tree. The slimmest line of her hip pokes out from the other side.

"You made that choice when you ambushed my people!" As I yell, I start to move, sliding back behind the fallen tree. As soon as I'm sure I'm out of sight, I start to shift to my right. I use the trees and brushes to my advantage to stay out of sight as I circle the group. There was no way I could stay in my position after yelling. I'm sure the woman has clocked my position, and possibly the other man with the crossbow.

"We weren't going to hurt them, you know!" I see the woman moving again as I slip into my new spot behind a low rock. She picks a tree closer to the road with a decent view of the fallen tree I'm behind. A loud yell echoes through the trees and makes me smile. She whips her head from my old spot to the sound and I see her getting angry.

"How many people do you have out there anyway!? I'm sure I have more!" She shifts behind the tree and levels her bow at my old spot. Behind her, I see the second man with the crossbow follow her lead. He slips out from behind his own tree to creep forward. I take an extra second to steady my shot before pulling the trigger. The second crossbow man falls to the ground in a heap. His body falls like a puppet with its strings cut.

"You may have more, but I think mine are better! You shouldn't have touched my people!" I'm moving again as the words leave my lips. There is a brief second where I'm exposed between trees. I slam into the trunk of the tree at full speed, narrowly avoiding the arrow she sent my direction.

Fuck! She is good. The arrow she fired is quivering in the tree beside the one I'm hiding behind. I see a glimmer of red on the fetching of the arrow. When I glance down at my arm, I see a thin cut on my sleeve. Blood is seeping slowly through the fabric as it trickles down my arm.

Motherfucker! Just couldn't keep your mouth shut, could you. Lightning step! The world blurs as I dart through the trees faster than anyone's eyes can follow. When I come to a stop, I'm a good twenty yards from where I started. I peek around the tree and see the woman scanning the trees again.

Fuck, how did she know I moved? I'm getting ready to move again when I hear Sarge in my head.

"Boss, Jacob is loose and in the trees. He is ok, but he's not moving anytime soon. I'm going for Thea and Vaunea now." I see Sarge break cover at the same time the woman below starts to move. Her bow is tracking Sarge as he darts between the trees.

"NO!" I fire off three quick rounds at her and she dives for cover. Before she can recover, I start to run towards her. I fire almost continuously to keep her behind cover. When I am almost to her, the bolt on my rifle locks backward.

"JIM!" Thea's voice distracts me for a split second as I'm slamming a new magazine home. As I twist my body to look at her, a sharp burning pain in my left hand causes me to drop my rifle. I dive behind cover as my rifle falls at the end of my sling. Looking down, I am shocked to see half of an arrow sticking through my hand. The rest is a splintered mess where it struck the receiver on my rifle and shattered.

"Ha! Guess you do bleed, huh. I was starting to worry. No one's caused me this much trouble in a long time." The woman below is sounding smug and it's pissing me off. I use my right hand to flip the sling over my head. The way the rifle slaps me is distracting and I need to focus.

"Your men bleed pretty good too!" I grit my teeth as I grip the shaft of the arrow. This is going to suck! I have to bite back a scream as I pull the arrow free from my hand. The burning sensation inside my hand tells me there are splinters of the wood still embedded in my flesh.

Boss! Are you ok!?" My right hand reaches under my armor to rip a length of my shirt off. It is stained red almost immediately as I work to bind my left hand quickly.

I'm alright, just banged up a little. Don't go into the open again. She is good with that fucking bow.

"Maybe, but I know how to make you hurt." I peek around the tree to see her swinging her bow towards Thea. My mind goes blank even as my body starts to move. A wordless yell escapes my throat as I charge the woman.

She spins to face me, her eyes wide as I charge her. I see the bowstring start to release in slow motion. Temporal grace! The world slows as I run. My feet push off the ground hard as my body slips to the right. The arrow passes by so close I feel the fetching sting my cheek. The woman's eyes are wide as my shoulder connects with her chest.

The world's time snaps back to normal as the two of us crash to the ground. Before she has a chance to recover, I slam my injured hand into her face. A knee slams into my groin, causing my body to quake with pain. She tries to scramble away as I struggle to pull her back towards me.

"Let go of me, fucker!" Her hands scramble for her belt where a dagger is sheathed. I let her go as I pull one of the Arkansas toothpicks from my back. Her eyes go wide as I reverse the grip and lunge at her. I feel a burning pain in my thigh as my body slams into hers.

Her eyes are wide as she stares into mine. She looks down at her chest where the handle of my blade protrudes. Her mouth opens and shuts rapidly like she is trying to speak. I give the blade a twist, feeling her ribs break under the blade.

"Damn." Her voice is barely a whisper as the light fades from her eyes. I force myself off her as I hear a snapping sound behind me. Two of the bandits are advancing on me as I try to back away.

"Fuck!" Looking down, I see the grip of her blade still sticking from my upper thigh. Blood is flowing freely as I force myself back. The two men pause as they realize I'm facing them. My hand scrambles for my pistol while they are hesitating. When they see me moving, they dive behind a nearby rock. Even if they don't know what a pistol is, they seem to realize it works like my rifle. Or maybe they are just scared.

I know I don't have much time as I'm bleeding too heavily. If I don't end this quickly, I'm going to bleed out before Thea can help me. The rock they are behind offers too much cover for me to try and shoot through. So I reach for the grenade pouch on my chest instead. I know they are closer than I would like. By my quick calculation, I'm still inside the blast zone.

My left hand fumbles with the ring for a long second before it pulls free. I eye the rock one last time before I toss the grenade high. It hits the ground behind the rock and starts to roll towards it.

Yes! I force my body to move, scrambling behind the nearest tree. I'm barely behind it when I hear a thunderous boom. Bits of stone and bloody soil start to rain down around me.

"What the fuck!?" I scramble to pull myself to my feet as I'm yelling. I barely get to my feet when I collapse. "Fuck!" Somehow in my mad dash the blade has been ripped free from my leg. My hands clamp onto the gushing wound to try and slow it.

"Jim!" Shiva's voice pulls my attention from my leg for a second. She is sprinting down the open road towards me. My head whips around to scan the treeline behind me.

"Shiva, wait!" I force myself to my feet, ignoring the pain and blood gushing from my leg. I can't let her get hurt because of me, I can't let that happen. "It's not safe! Get to cover!" She ignores my screams as she charges straight for me.

"The area is secured." The voice on my left nearly makes me jump out of my skin. I turn my head to see the male night elf standing beside me calmly.

Fuck, he moves quietly, I never even heard him. What the fuck is his name? I should have asked before the fight. I realize my mind is starting to wonder, and I recognize it as a sign of blood loss. I'm really starting to get annoyed that I recognize the feeling so easily.

Before I can respond to him, Shiva crashes into me. Her body forces me to the ground as her hand starts to tear at my armor. For a second, I think she is trying to strip me down. I'm about to yell at her that this isn't the right time when she rips the tourniquet free.

Oh, that's what she was grabbing for. She loops it around my thigh and starts to yell loud enough to make me wince.

"THEA! GET YOUR ASS OVER HERE! JIM IS DYING, AGAIN!" The night elf raises an eyebrow at me as Shiva forces me to lay back. I turn my head to face him as I see the female slip through the trees to stand beside him.

"Again?" The look he is giving me is definitely curious, almost like I'm something to be examined and studied.

"I cut the high elf free. You are going to need a healer for that wound." The female night elf's voice almost sounds bored as she speaks. I get the feeling that she doesn't care if I live or die. Not that I can blame her, as far as she knows I'm just another slaver.

"Thanks, are you sure the area is secure?" The male nods to me as he looks around. Shiva is still cursing and I can hear Thea running towards me. Right now, I'm more focused on making sure they are safe. For them to be safe, I need to know the area is secure.

"The only one of the bandits that is still alive is the one who was torturing your friend. Your dog…" he tilts his head as if he is trying to make sure he used the right word. "he wouldn't let us close enough to kill him."

Thea slides to the ground beside me, pulling my focus away from the night elves. She glances up to them and I see a look of worry cross her face. She pushes it aside to start chanting beside me.

"Oh Goddess Ava, hear this prayer of me, your humble servant, so that this warrior of mine might be healed. Major heal!" I feel the warmth spreading over my leg as her hand wraps around my leg.

Sarge, why didn't you let the elves kill Thrasher? As my leg starts to quit hurting, I pull myself to my feet. Thea and Shiva start to protest and I wave them off.

"We don't have time to stand around worrying about me. Thea, go help Jacob. Sarge has him stashed in the trees somewhere. Shiva, start searching the dead. Whatever gear was ours, grab it, as well as anything that looks useful." When I turn to the night elves, they give me a curious look. The younger elf has showed up at some point. The older woman is talking to her in a hushed tone.

"I would appreciate it if you three helped as well. It will make it quicker and we need to get going." The two females nod their heads before slipping into the trees again. They seem to disappear after only a few steps. The male just shrugs and remains standing where he is. Something in his body language tells me he is waiting to see if I'm going to make it an order or not. I decide to ignore him for now so I turn back to where Thea and Shiva are still standing.

"What are you two waiting on?" Shiva glares at me, but walks over to the dead bow woman. She pulls my blade from the dead woman's chest, wiping it on the corpse's shirt. When she straightens, she turns back to look at me. The blade seems to appear in the tree I'm leaning against, the grip vibrating gently.

"You know you're going to pay for that later right?" Shiva's eyes seem to twinkle at my teasing tone. I see her start to smile before she scowls and starts stomping away.

"Any idea about that?" I turn to Thea who is staring at the male night elf with a look of concern. When I repeat my question, she snaps her head around to look at me.

"What? Oh sorry, Jim. Shiva is just a little agitated. Probably because you left her behind when you ran ahead. Now if you don't mind, where the hell did they come from?" She points to the night elf behind me as I start to push off the tree. When I wince as my left hand hits the tree, she grabs my hand. Before I can protest, she has it unwrapped and checks it carefully. Judging by her look, it's not a good sign.

"I was given a warning by my patron. They told me I was going to need some help and suggested them. As soon as we get out of Dolus, I'm setting them free too." She looks up from my injured hand to stare at the night elf. I pull her in close to me. I feel her stiffen against me as I wrap my injured hand around her waist.

"I'm sorry I wasn't here sooner." She shoves me away gently as she starts to prod my hand, making me wince.

"There's a lot of splinters in this wound. I can't close it up without closing them inside. It's going to take time to heal this." I nod my head as I start to rewrap my makeshift bandage around my hand.

"No time for that now. We will have to do it later. Until then, I can manage with just a bandage." Thea watches me for a second before taking it away from me. When she looks at the blood soaked rag, she shakes her head again. Her shirt makes a loud ripping sound as she shreds the hem of it. Thea glares at me as she wraps my hand in the new piece of fabric.

"I liked this shirt, you know." I chuckle at her annoyed tone as she finishes bandaging my hand.

"I know, now seriously go help Jacob." Thea stands on her tip-toes to kiss my cheek before running off into the trees. I don't know how she knows where Jacob is, but she seems to know.

"Are you ok, boss?" I turn to see Sarge peeking at me from around a tree.

"Sarge, I'm fine. Why the hell is Thrasher still alive?" Sarge seems almost embarrassed as he sits on the ground. "Well, I'm waiting?"

"Jacob said not to kill him. I was going to help with the others, but if I left, I thought they would kill him." He glances over at the night elf who is staring at the two of us carefully.

"Fine, if Jacob wanted him alive, I'm sure he has his reasons." I glance around the clearing to see how everyone else is doing. Not seeing any major issues, I turn back to Sarge. "While I help them clean this up, can you go grab my jacket and hat?" Sarge nods once then takes off through the trees. He disappears from sight in no time as he slips around the gentle curve in the road.

As Sarge disappears around the curve, I pull my blade free from the tree and sheath it. Ignoring the night elf who is still standing by me, I start working my way back up the hill. I'm not sure where exactly, but my rifle is up there. I need to grab it, then get everyone moving again. The night elf slips into step beside me without a sound.

"Your weapons are quite impressive. What grove did you say you belonged to?" His tone tells me he is fishing for information, and I wish he would just come out and ask. I don't have time to play twenty questions while he beats around the bush looking for answers.

"I didn't, so why are you asking now?" I see the tree I took cover from. My rifle is there on the ground behind it. When I turn it over in my hands, I let out a low groan. Where the arrow had pierced my hand, the head of the arrow has embedded itself in the receiver. A small crack is running up the length of the upper. The rifle is done. I don't even want to try and see if it will fire. The odds of it blowing up in my hands is too great. When I pull the arrow head out, I unclip the sling from the rifle before shoving it in my pocket.

"I'm asking because your," He pauses and tilts his head at me. " grove mate seems nervous around us. That tells me she is from a grove that is on less than friendly terms with night elves. If it's going to be a problem, I'd rather know now." I shake my head as I start to make my way down the hill. "Add in your weapons and it's enough to make me nervous. You are obviously from a powerful grove, if unconventional."

"What makes you say that?" I hear a scream of pain off to the left so I start to make my way that direction. If I'm guessing right, it's Thrasher, but I want to make sure.

"Your grove welcomed in a human. Yes, one with an enormous amount of mana, but still human. That tells me the grove is more interested in amassing power than building influence. Actions like that could start a war amongst the groves. I want to know where I'm liable to stand in such a fight. Especially if your grove is amongst those who would persecute my kind." When I glance over at him again, I realize he is afraid. That realization makes me stop and turn to him.

"My grove has no issue with night elves, and we are not a powerful grove. There are only three of us. We are not building influence or amassing power. We just want to live our lives together peacefully. Right now, all I want is to get both my grove mates out of Dolus. When they are safe, then I'll worry about the future of my grove." He looks shocked, and I'm sure he doesn't believe me.

"Impossible!" I raise my eyebrow at him, causing him to start to speak again. "As destructive as your weapons are, they would cost a fortune in gold and research. There is no way a grove of three could afford that. You have to be part of a bigger grove."

"The weapons are mine, not my groves. I'm not from here, and I brought them with me." At his confused look, I let out a sigh. "Look, there is a lot to explain, and not a lot of time to do it now. I'll explain later, just let me handle this shit now, ok?" He nods his head as we resume our walk towards the screams.

"So, I didn't expect this." Jacob is propping Thrasher against the same tree he had been tied. He is currently beating him savagely as Thrasher continues to laugh at him.

"Don't matter what you do little man. I'm never going to undo it. You are going to die just like you are." Thrasher spits a glob of blood and spit at Jacob, making him flinch.

"Just fucking undo it. I'll make sure he lets you go!" Jacob hits him again as he screams at the taller man. I can tell Jacob is about to lose his composure so I step in. When I grab his wrist, he starts to spin around at me blade drawn, but I block it with the wrist of my injured hand. When he realizes it's me, he stops and starts to apologize rapidly.

"I'm sorry, Jim. I didn't hear you come up." I nod to the battered man behind him.

"Kind of hard to hear someone behind you when you're beating the shit out of someone." Jacob flushes for a second and I realize he is embarrassed that I got so close. "So, you want to tell me what this is all about?" Jacob shakes his head quickly at my question before replying.

"It's personal, not your problem." Behind him, Thrasher starts to laugh loudly, pulling my attention to him.

"So your friend don't even know, do they? That's a fucking riot, boy fucker. Not that it will do any good. Even if you kill me, it's not going anywhere. I promise you that. I paid top coin to make sure you suffer." Jacob spins around, hitting the taller man and knocking him back to the ground.

"Shut up!" I pull Jacob back and spin him around to face me.

"What is going on? You're my friend, just tell me what's going on and I'll help." Jacob's eyes go wide and I can see that he is terrified. As he opens his mouth, Thrasher starts to speak behind him again. The words slipping out between laughs.

"Fucker pissed off the wrong person. Haha. When he left Shevel the last time, I gave him a momento. Heh heh. Your boy fucking friend is bound, permanent like!" Jacob rips free of my grip to slam his fist into Thrasher's face again.

"Fuck you!" Again, I'm stuck pulling Jacob off of him as he tries to keep beating Thrasher.

"Fucking settle down!" When I yell, Jacob stops moving and goes limp in my grip. I turn him around to face me again.

"Now explain what he means by bound?" Jacob clamps his mouth shut and I let out a sigh. I'm about to ask again when the night elf beside me starts to speak.

"Your friend is cursed. His mana is sealed where he can't reach it." Jacob's head snaps around to look at the night elf as I let out a loud sigh.

"Is he right, Jacob?" Jacob nods his head as he continues to stare. "So how does beating his brains in help?" Jacob shakes his head gently as he turns back to me.

"He hired the one who cursed me. So he knows how to break it." Thrasher laughs loudly from behind Jacob, causing us all to look at him.

"I couldn't tell you even if I wanted to. I made sure the only one who knew how to break it was the mage boy who cast it. As soon as you left Shevel, I killed him. You are stuck, ain't no one breaking your curse!" I step around Jacob and kneel down infront of Thrasher.

"He's telling the truth, boss." I turn my head to see Sarge sitting there with my hat and jacket on the ground in front of him. "He doesn't know how to break it, and he killed the one who could have. He hates Jacob that much."

"You sure, boy?" Sarge let's out a huff before nodding his head once. I turn back to Thrasher who is grinning at me. "I believe you. I honestly believe you can't help Jacob break the curse on him." Thrasher's eyes light up when he hears me say that. I hear Jacob let out a strangled sob behind me at the same time.

"You just forgot one thing." Thrasher looks confused for a second, so I continue quickly. "That was the only reason Jacob was keeping you alive." Before he can respond, I pull my pistol from the holster on my chest. Thrasher's eyes go wide as I bring it to bear on him.

"No, wait!" I don't bother listening to him. The echo of the Beretta's shot hangs in the air. The silence following it is broken by Thrasher's body sliding to the ground. I shiver the Beretta back into its holster as I hear Jacob's scream behind me.

"Nooo!" My body pivots on my knee to catch him as he charges at me. I roll with his charge, using his momentum to pull him past me and slam him into the ground. "You bastard! Do you know what you just did!?" I take a second to let Jacob get control of himself before I speak.

"He wasn't lying. He couldn't help you break your curse. I promise you Jacob, I will help you break it." Tears are starting to stream down Jacob's face as he yells at me again.

"Don't you think I've tried! I've been all over Dolus. There is no one who can break it. Not unless they know how it's cast!" When he starts to yell at me again I punch him, just hard enough to get his attention. Jacob blinks as he looks up at me confused.

"You have said over and over one day you will stop being surprised by what I do. I am telling you now, I will help you break the curse. Just have a little faith in me." Jacob doesn't look convinced, but he nods his head at me.

"I'll trust you, Jim." I stare into his eyes for a long second before I nod to him. When I stand up, I offer him a hand. Jacob takes my offered hand and pulls himself to his feet.

"Good, now how about helping the others out while I try to come up with a plan." I can feel that battle tempo is starting to fade. My mind is beginning to feel crowded again, like there is someone talking from multiple directions and I can't focus. Jacob nods to me before walking over to where the rest of our group has gathered.

"What are you looking at?" The male night elf is leaning against the tree staring at me thoughtfully.

"You do what you need to, and then move on. You don't hesitate, or seem to feel remorse about it. If you were not already claimed by another grove, I'd offer you a spot in mine." I raise an eyebrow at his words while I straighten my hat on top of my head.

"I thought groves with humans were interested in amassing power not building influence?" He chuckles at my words, pushing himself off the tree and slapping me on the back.

"That's high elves. Night elves are more practical. Plus, my grove has been decimated, but with your energy, we could recover in a few short years. Not that I think you would be interested. I already spoke to my grove mate. She thinks that you would say no if the offer was extended." The way he is looking at me tells me he wants a response. I take my time and pick up my broken rifle before I answer him.

"She's probably right. I didn't join a grove for power, protection, or anything like that. I joined a grove because someone I care for asked me too." I laugh quietly as I start walking towards my group. "Well, more like told me after it was formed that I was in it." He gives me a look I can't quite recognize as we walk.

"So who is your other grove mate? Do you have a second elf hidden in the woods somewhere?" I'm confused by his question for a second.

"You already met my other grovemate, Shiva." I pull up to a stop and turn to look him in the eyes. He looks confused for a second before turning to look at Shiva where she is standing close to Thea.

"The….cat?" I raise my eyebrow at him as if to ask if that's a problem. He starts to backpedal almost immediately, apologizing quickly. "Not that it's a problem. It was just a surprise. I didn't realize you were a throwback is all."

"Ok, the fuck is a throwback?" At my confused look and angry tone, he starts to look confused.

"Elves always breed true. The child of an elf and human will always be either elf or human, not a half breed. In groves with multiple humans in the lines, there are sometimes throwbacks. The child will be born human when both parents are elves, that's a throwback. They raise them as an elf and they are recognized as an elf, but they are human. That's what you are, aren't you?" I shake my head as I start to walk again.

"Nope, pure human." I pause and look back at him. "Why did you think I was a throwback?"

"Because to be recognized as a grove, you need two elves. With your mana pool and you saying you are a grove, I just assumed you were a throwback." We come to a stop beside our group. Everyone seems to be in one piece. Thea and Vaunea have their weapons back.

"Vixi! I need you to come inside now. There are a lot of things we need to talk about." Alexis's voice causes me to pause as Vixi comes flying out of Vaunea's shirt. The night elves all look surprised at the sight of the pixi, but remain silent.

"Like I said, a lot of things to explain. I'll do it while we move if you don't mind?" The man nods to me as I turn to face Thea. Vixi flies close to my waist. There is a brief flash and then she is gone.

"Alexis, my rifle is fucked. Any chance you can absorb it and make a new one?" Before I finish speaking, my rifle is out of my hand. The night elves look around, almost confused.

"Who are you talking to?" The youngest of them is staring at me confused as she asks her question.

"That's another long story." A chest materializes in front of me, so I kneel and open it. Inside is my rifle and two new loaded magazines. One of the new mags goes in the empty mag pouch on my waist. The other goes into the rifle. I take a second to enjoy the sound the bolt carrier makes as it slides home.

Out of nowhere, I nearly fall as my head feels like it splits wide open.

"Jim!" Thea and Shiva are beside me in an instant. I try to wave them off as I steady myself on my feet.

"What the hell was that?" I give Shiva a smile to try and calm her down.

"It's just my body punishing myself for a few fuck-ups. I'm fine, we need to get moving." She grabs my head and forces me to look into her eyes.

"What was that!?" Her voice is an angry growl. I let out a sigh as I realize she is not going to let it go.

"Battle tempo lets me work with allies while I fight. It also lets me ignore non important information, and lets me process the important shit faster. Lightning step lets me move rapidly, but it should only be used lightly because it takes a toll on the body. Temporal grace has an effect similar to slowing time for me, but it has a wicked recoil when used improperly. Basically if I attack while using it, I'm going to pay for it later. Battle tempo just completely stopped and the recoil on the rest hit me at once. I'm fine, it's just a headache." I smile at her even as she continues to glare at me.

"Promise me that you are ok." I nod my head slowly while staring into her eyes.

"I'm ok Shiva, I promise." She stares at me for another second before letting go of my head.

"Fine, but if I find out you are lying, I'm going to make you regret it." I smile at her as I turn to the night elves.

"Fun little group we have, ain't it? I'd introduce you around, but I never got your names." I hold out my hand to the male elf. "My name is Jim, Jim Marsterson of the Marsterson grove." I hear Thea inhale sharply, but I ignore it for now.

"Tarril, Tarril of the Long Fields grove." He motions to the older of the two females. "This is En'Las, prime of the Long Fields grove." She nods to me and I nod back to her. Tarril motions to the younger of the two females. "And this is Mynas, daughter of the grove." I nod to her as well, but she tilts her head down to hide her face from me.

Wonder what that is about?

"My name is Thea, Thea Marsterson of the Marsterson grove." Thea pushes around me to take Tarril's hand and shake it firmly. He seems as surprised as I am, but recovers quickly.

"It is an honor to meet you, Thea Marsterson. I just wish it was under better circumstances." He leans forward to her in a deep bow from his waist.

"I wish it was too. You have met Jim and Shiva. The Goliath companion is called Vaunea. She owes a life debt to Jim, and is traveling until her honor is satisfied. You seem to have met Jacob, and Sarge already." At Tarril's briefest of nods, she continues.

"Then I do hope we can remain friends, at least until we escape Dolus." Something in her tone puts my teeth on edge. I know I don't have time to worry about it now though. So I settle for getting everyone moving.

"Look, sorry to break this up after I basically started it, but we need to get moving." Jacob looks at me slightly confused before speaking.

"What's the rush? I figured we would have at least a day to relax before crossing the border?" I wince at his words. "What?"

"Plans have changed because I got a message from a friend. The king has the military marching at us from the south, east, and north. We need to get out of Dolus tonight. Or we aren't going to get out at all." Jacob looks shocked, but he recovers quickly.

"The truck is about five miles away by road." He looks at the road as if thinking, then turns to the gentle hill. "About two if we cut straight through." I nod and turn my head to Sarge.

"Sarge, head for the truck, guide us in." He lets out a loud bark before taking off. I smile as I know it won't take him long to reach the truck to guide us in.

Almost free, just have to get through tonight. I smile at Thea and Shiva as we all start moving through the trees. I'm setting an easy pace through the woods. There is no point exhausting anyone yet. Odds are, we are going to need everyone well rested when we get to the border. I pull Shiva and Thea in close as I walk, enjoying the feeling of them pressed against me.

I have to keep them safe. No matter what else happens. My mind is racing as I try and keep myself calm. I know it's not going to be easy. The only upside is I'm understanding my skills better now, thanks to Azeghial. If I'm lucky, it will be enough to protect the ones I care about. To keep them safe for a little longer while I try and figure out our next move.