"Fucking let go of me! I'm going to kill that fucking bitch!" Shiva's elbow catches me in the mouth, splitting my lip open. I have to bite back a curse as I taste my blood filling my mouth.

"Fucking dammit Shiva, calm the fuck down!" Shiva nearly wiggles out of my grip before I manage to pin her against the bed. "Just take a fucking second please!" Shiva goes stiff for a second, and my grip starts to loosen.

"Jim, while Shiva might be overreacting, this is a serious issue." Thea sits down on the bed beside us, reaching down to cup Shiva's face.

"Please, don't chase after her right now. There is a lot we need to talk about and you need to be here for it." Shiva shifts against me as she looks up at Thea.

"Fine." She lets out a long sigh as she nods her head. "After we are done talking, I'm going to stab her. You do realize that, right." Thea nods to me and I start to let Shiva up. When she sits up on the bed, she rubs her wrist where I had grabbed her.

"As much as I love you manhandling me, you should have let me go." I shake my head as my hands come up to check my lip. The bleeding has mostly stopped, but my mouth is filled with the coppery taste of blood.

"As much as I love throwing you around, I'm getting tired of getting hit in the mouth." Shiva looks at me for a second before shrugging.

"Then next time I tell you to let me go, let me go." Thea pulls Shiva in close to her side while her wet hair falls onto Shiva's shoulders.

When we woke up, I decided to keep quiet for just a little while, and we had a fairly good morning. The bathhouse behind the outpost was in perfect working order. It took awhile for the water to warm up, but the pool held the heat forever. It was only after we got back into the top of the tower that I explained what happened last night. I started with Tarril asking for help via mana, and ended with Mynas's little stunt. Of course, I should have known exactly how Shiva was going to react. When she heard what happened, I ended up tackling her to the ground to keep her from going after Mynas.

"Jim, I know you don't know much about grove politics. What Mynas did, it crossed several lines. It's not something we can just ignore." Thea is stroking Shiva's back gently as she speaks. "I'm trying to put this in a way you will understand." Thea pauses again as her face screws up in thought.

"It was a betrayal because she threw your kindness back in our faces." Shiva is growling as she speaks and I can feel her getting angrier. I start to move closer to her and wrap my arms around her, but she pushes me away.

"Shiva is right, Jim. You gave her grove a gift that can't be measured. The ability to have children, without asking anything in return is a big deal. Mynas intruded where she wasn't welcome." Thea leans her head against Shiva's as she keeps speaking. "We can't just let this go without some form of punishment." I let out a long breath as I lean back on my knees.

"Then what do we do?" I really don't want Mynas to get hurt, but judging from Shiva's reaction, it might be the only option.

"I'm guessing that you don't want to let Shiva settle it her way?" Shiva glances up at me, her face hopeful even as I shake my head.

"Not really. Don't get me wrong I'm still pissed, but I don't want her to get hurt. I see her as a kid, and kids do stupid shit." Thea turns her head to look at Shiva, the two of them share a look I can't quite read. After a long second, Thea turns back to me.

"Then there is only one real option that we have. Jim, you can't speak to Mynas or En'Las for awhile. Not until proper amends have been made." My eyebrow comes up on its own, and Thea raises her own in response. "Is that a problem?"

"No? I'm just trying to figure out what the hell you mean by that." Thea pulls Shiva in closer to her as she starts to speak.

"It means, don't talk to them. Don't acknowledge them, and don't even look at them. Until proper amends are made, they don't exist to you. You can still talk to Tarril, and he can explain to them what's going on. En'Las and Mynas, they don't exist to you." I study Shiva and Thea's faces carefully. They don't seem to be joking.

"You're serious, aren't you?" Shiva nods her head slowly as Thea starts to speak.

"We are completely serious, Jim. There is a set way that they can apologize. Until they do, you can't speak to them."

"What about Tarril? Why can I still speak to him?" Thea lets go of Shiva as she leans back a little bit, shifting her legs to a more comfortable position.

"It's hard to explain. Basically, En'Las is Mynas's mother, but Tarril is not her father. So our relationship with Tarril is ok, but our relationship with En'Las and Mynas is not." I run my hand through my hair as I try and process everything I was just told. Finally, I let out a long sigh before I reply.

"It seems kind of childish to me, but if that's what you need me to do, ok. I won't speak to either of them, and I'll pretend they aren't there." Thea nods her head, but Shiva looks like she is still about to chase Mynas down.

"Good. If she gets in front of me, I'll stab her in the kidneys." Thea rolls her eyes at Shiva's outburst, but remains quiet. I get the feeling that Shiva is more serious than not with that remark. Since everything seems mostly settled, I take the chance to look around the room one more time. Most of our supplies are already back in Shiva's bag, but not all of them.

"Jim, there is one other thing." I turn my head back to Thea as I stand. She is once again stroking Shiva's back while she speaks.

"Yeah, what is it?" While I wait on her to speak, I start to gather up the last of our gear. I stow what needs stowed, and putting my gear and armor on.

"If Mynas apologizes, don't say anything to her. Just nod your head if you accept, or shake your head if you don't. It's ok to forgive her, but we can't let the punishment stop because of that." I nod my head as my hands finish tightening the straps on my armor.

"Ok, and what if En'Las talks to me about something?" I set my boot on the bottom rung of the ladder to tie them. When I glance up at the open trapdoor, I see the sun is starting to move across the sky. If I was guessing, I'd say it was just a few hours after sunrise. Which means it's a later start than we were planning on.

"If she is saying thank you for helping her conceive, you can say you are welcome. Anything else, ignore her. I know it sounds mean, but it's how it has to be." I let out a sigh as I finish tying my boots.

"So no talking to the women, and how long does this last?" It doesn't really matter to me. If Thea said it was permanent, I'd still do it. There isn't any way I'm going to risk Thea and Shiva just to talk to someone I barely know.

"Until proper reparations have been made. Don't worry about it. They will be directed towards us, not you. So we will let you know when you can stop shunning them."

"Good to know." I sling my rifle over my shoulder as I offer a hand up to Shiva and Thea. The two take my hand and pull themselves to their feet.

"Then let's try and get moving. We can eat on the road." They both nod and we make our way down the stairs with Shiva leading the way. When we reach the main room, Mynas starts to stand from where she is sitting beside her mother. En'Las stops her with a gentle hand on her shoulder. As I follow my grovemates outside, Tarril appears beside me.

"So, how bad is it." I shrug my shoulders as we make our way over to the road.

"It could be worse, I guess. Thea told me I have to shun Mynas and En'Las for a while." I see Tarril wince out of the corner of my eyes as I study the road. It seems to follow along east to west with no real treeline west of the outpost. There is a decently sized downhill slope for a while before it starts uphill again and blocks my view. When I turn my head, I notice the cliffs seem to extend as far north and south as I can see. The whole countryside seems to be made of hills and grass to the west. Which doesn't leave us many options for cover if we need to hide.

"It could be worse, but this isn't exactly good news." Tarril seems a little worried when I turn my head to look at him.

"Why's that? I figure it beats Shiva's first idea. She wanted to stab Mynas in the kidneys." Tarril chuckles quietly at that, making me wonder what was so funny to him.

"That would actually be easier to deal with. Now I'm going to have to put up with her complaining, and try to console En'Las. She was hoping that her and Thea could talk today." Tarril looks over at me with a curious look. "She seems to think Thea may be carrying a child to." His words make me freeze, my head turns slowly to look at him.

"What makes her think that?" Tarril looks confused for a second before he answers.

"As much mana as you all have to spare, it is natural to assume you would be trying to conceive." I let out a breath that I didn't realize I was holding.

"As far as I know, she isn't pregnant. We haven't really talked about kids, or almost anything in the future. We've been too busy just trying to survive each day." Tarril looks confused, tilting his head at me.

"I'm surprised that she is ok with that as most elves would be trying to have a child as quickly as they can. Especially since she could conceive with just you and not need a whole group of people to help." I shrug my shoulders as I glance behind us. Vaunea, Jacob, and Sarge are stepping out of the outpost. We should be ready to leave soon.

"If Thea wants a child with me, she will let me know. Until then, I'm not going to push one way or the other. Hell, I never thought I would actually have a kid anyway. So if she doesn't want one, it"s not that big of a deal."

"Why did you not think you would ever have a child?" I squat down to examine the road as I try and think of how to answer Tarril. From what I can tell, when the people that were here cleared out, they left in a rush. The road is torn apart from multiple horses running hard and fast to the west.

"Kind of hard to explain. I…. I didn't do well in relationships. So I never thought I'd find someone that would want to be with me." Tarril squats down beside me. His eyes are scanning the road, but I get the feeling he is actually examining me.

"You seem healthy, strong, and decently intelligent. Why would you have problems with relationships?" As we both stand, I shake my head.

How do you explain the differences of dating in a different world? Not like I can just say 'hey, I was an ass'. Or wait, maybe I can.

"In my world, women seemed to look for different qualities than they do here. They want a man who will do what they are told and change everything for them. After a few weeks, they seem to realize that I am who I am, and I'm not changing.They end up leaving, cheating on me, or setting something on fire." I pause as my mind drifts back to a not so nice memory. "Or if you're half Russian and pissed, sometimes all three." I shake my head and turn to Tarril. "Or at least that was my experience with women. I can't say all of them are like that though."

Maybe I just had shitty taste in women. At least here I don't seem to have that problem.

"Your world sounds strange. Why would you want a person, then want them to change?" I shrug as I tilt my head back to look at the sky. It looks like the weather is going to be fairly decent today, hopefully we can make good time.

"Damned if I know. I never did figure women out in my world. Here, it seems simpler. Find a woman, protect her,and keep her safe. It's a real caveman mentality that I can understand." Tarril looks like he is about to ask me something else when a loud crack behind us cuts him off.

When we turn, I have to fight back an urge to race over to Shiva, who is currently standing over a shocked looking Mynas. The young night elf is laying on the ground, staring up at the angry redhead. Shiva opens her mouth like she is going to say something, then shuts it and walks over to me. She pulls my hat onto her head as she does.

"Are we ready to go yet?" Shiva roughly pushes herself past me and starts walking west along the road. For a second my mind freezes, then I nod to Sarge.

"Stay with her, and don't let her get too far ahead." Sarge nods and takes off after Shiva at a quick walk. When I turn back to Tarril, he looks shocked.

"Look, I know that I said this before, but you don't owe me anything. If you all want to head your own way from here, you can. No one is going to think any less of you one way or the other." Tarril looks from where En'Las is helping Mynas up and back to me.

"I'm sure that no one would, but I think we are still going to stick around." As Tarril is speaking, I glance over to where Thea is standing near En'Las. I can literally feel the tension in the air between the two.

I do not want to deal with this right now. How fucking long is this going to go on? I shake my head as my mind wonders. Somehow, I get the feeling that it is not going to be a quick ordeal.

"So how long is this going to go on?" Tarril shrugs his shoulders as he kneels down and prods the road gently with his fingers.

"Hard to say, it depends on how quick En'Las and Mynas reach an agreement with your grobemates. Could be as quick as a few hours, but I wouldn't count on that with Shiva's reaction." He glances up at me and shakes his head. "The longer it goes on, the harder it will be to get over." I let out a loud exhale as Shiva starts to pace back and forth on the road. When I glance over at the outpost, I see Vaunea walking out, eyeing Thea and Shiva carefully.

"Yeah, I'm not feeling up to putting up with angry women right now, or hurt feelings." Tarril looks confused for a moment as I turn back towards the outpost.

"Hey Vaunea, you feel like stretching your legs!?" Vaunea turns to me and looks confused.

"What do you mean?" I nod toward the ground on the road.

"The people here left in a hurry. Do you want to run ahead with me and see what we can see?" Vaunea looks to the others gathered around and back to me. I can see a wave of relief pass over her face as she nods hurriedly.

"Sure, but why me?" I shrug as Thea starts to walk over to me. When I glance down the road, I see Shiva and Sarge walking back towards us slowly. Shiva is looking down at Sarge, and I get the feeling he is talking to her.

"Because you can keep up with me, and if I go alone, Thea will say I'm being reckless." Vaunea nods her head as she adjusts the straps on her armor.

"Jim?" Thea looks confused as she gets closer, so I pull her in close and kiss her quickly.

"I'm just not feeling up for a bunch of drama and angry women right now. This will give me a little break, and give you a chance to maybe work some of this out with those two." Thea nods her head slowly as she looks to Shiva.

"Maybe, but I'm pretty sure Shiva is going to be the problem. She is really angry, and I doubt a few hours is going to help." I shrug as I let her slip out of my arms.

"I know, but can you try and talk to her. I don't care what you all do. According to Tarril, they are sticking around for a while. It would be nice if we could all get along." While I'm talking to Thea, Shiva walks up to us.

"I'll go with you and Vaunea." I shake my head as I turn to her.

"No you won't because you are staying with the rest of the group."

"THE FUCK I AM!" I wince as she screams practically in my ear.

Been a while since she screamed like that at me.

"Yes, you are. While I'm looking ahead, you and Thea are going to try and settle what's going on with Mynas and En'Las. I'm not saying you have to fix it all today, but they are traveling with us. It would be nice if we could all get along."

"Oh, I can settle it right now." As she is speaking, her hand creeps up to her waist.

"No killing our friends." Shiva scowls as she turns to look at me.

"What about maiming?" I can't tell if she is joking or not, so I shrug my shoulders.

"If that will put an end to it and they agree. I don't care as long as there is no permanent damage." Tarril breaks out laughing beside me, causing me to tilt my head to look at him.

"Sorry, you just sounded like someone I used to know." When he doesn't explain, I turn back to Shiva.

"I'm not saying forgive and forget, just try and figure something out." Shiva seems to deflate a little so I pull her into my arms. "Please, for me." She nods her head and looks up at me, causing my hat to fall off her head as she does.

"Ok, but you owe me." I chuckle as I lift the hat and set it back on her mass of red hair, nestling it to rest on her furry ears.

"I think that I owe you a lot. I'll try and make it up to you." Shiva leans forward, pulling me down for a kiss.

"You want me to go with you, boss?" I break the kiss as I turn towards Sarge.

"Not this time, boy. If we run into trouble, I'll contact you. I want you to stay with Thea and Shiva, so you can let me know if anything happens." I let go of Shiva and kneel down, running my hands through Sarge's thick black hair. "Keep an eye on them, and don't let them kill each other." Sarge stares into my eyes, but finally nods his head. When I stand back up, Vaunea is staring at me.

"You ready now?" I nod my head as I tuck Alexis's core and necklace inside my shirt. The last thing I need is her hitting me in the face as I run.

"Yeah, you set a pace you can maintain a while, and I'll match it." Vaunea nods and starts down the road, falling into a quick run after a few steps. I turn back to Thea as my feet start backing down the road.

"I'll contact Sarge in three hours, give or take. You all just follow along at your own pace." Thea nods as I turn around and start to run after Vaunea. It just takes a few seconds to catch up to her and fall in beside her.

"Thanks for this." Vaunea nods her head as we continue to run. I glance back for a second and see the rest of our group starting to follow us at an easy pace. They are getting smaller in my vision as we open the distance between us quickly.

"It's not a problem. I should be the one thanking you. The tension back there was so thick, you could cut it with a knife." I nod as we fall into an easy run with the road open ahead of us. We run in silence for almost an hour before Vaunea starts to speak again. In that hour, I'm once again thankful for my mana. Usually by this point, I'd be a sweaty mess, gasping for air with each step. Instead, I'm barely even sweating, and I feel like we haven't even been running.

"So what happened last night between you and the night elves?" I laugh quietly under my breath as Vaunea turns her head to look at me.

"Apparently, Mynas decided to try and force herself into my grove. Or just try and seduce me, I'm not really sure. As you can tell, Shiva and Vaunea didn't appreciate it." Vaunea shakes her head as she turns back towards the road. For a second she is quiet, then she starts to speak again.

"Elves are weird." I feel myself burst out laughing at her remark.

"To be fair, humans are too." She nods her head as we continue to run in silence.

Sarge, can you hear me? Vaunea and I are right around the three hour mark of our little scouting trip. We decided to take a breather and check in with the rest of our group. That and we have reached a fork in the road.

From what I can tell, most of the people stayed with the main road heading west. However, it looks like two of the riders took a branching road to the north. A big part of me wants to follow the two to the north. There has to be a reason they chose the smaller road. That and I really don't like the look of the road ahead of us.

The road so far has been a mix of uphill and down. My range of vision has been limited to about a half mile at a time, thanks to the rising and falling terrain. For the last half an hour, it's been rockier and more difficult. The hills are higher while the downhills are less and less frequent. There have been entire sections of the road that curved around outcropping of rocks and hills.

Then to top it off, the road now runs through a high walled canyon. When we first stopped, I briefly considered climbing to the top. At least we could follow the canyon and watch down into it as well as around. The sheer face of the wall on this side soon made me realize we were not getting up without help. So now, it's looking like we are going through the canyon, or north along the narrow side road.

"I can hear you, boss. You doing alright?" I feel myself grin as Sarge's words echo in my head. I was worried that we wouldn't be able to communicate with each other this far apart. His voice sounds clear in my head, so I don't think that's going to be an issue.

Yeah, as well as can be expected. The road splits here, and I'm not sure which way to go. Looks like two men went north along a narrow road, and the rest went through this fucking canyon.

"Hold on, I'll ask Shiva." There is a long silence in my head. When I glance over at Vaunea, she is relaxing against the wall of the canyon, staring up into the sky.

"You there, boss?" I turn to face the north road, examining the overgrown path as I answer.

Yeah boy, I'm here. The northern path disappears into a mass of brush maybe two hundred yards ahead. From my best guess, it curves along the wall of the cliffs the canyon runs through. I briefly wonder where it goes, and why it's there.

"Shiva and Jacob think the northern road leads to a mining town. It's a back way in and out, mostly used by adventurers. They said the wagons of materials use a road on the other side of town that connects to the road we are on now farther west."

Great, so heading north won't really help us out then. I mean, yeah, there is a town, but how far along is it? How big? There is a silence again as I turn back towards the canyon to prepare myself to start through it.

"Yeah, Jacob says it's a small town. Maybe two hundred people, mostly miners. Our best bet is west towards a city called Karn. So canyon road, according to him, opens up onto a plain on the other side. There are huge farms that grow most of the food for the region closer to Karn."

Figures. Ask him if there is a way to climb the canyon nearby. I don't like how boxed in it feels. Another pause and I already know what he is going to say.

"Not on this side. It's a defense measure that Rathenk uses to make sure they won't be ambushed going through it." I let out a long sigh as I motion to Vaunea to get ready. She stands as I unsling my rifle and roll my neck.

I guess we are going in. I'll let you know if we run into problems.

"Are you worried, boss?" Vaunea and I start to step into the canyon as I answer Sarge.

Not worried. I just don't like the looks of this canyon. I can't see shit, so I'm nervous.

"Just be careful, we aren't far behind you." Vaunea takes a position ahead of me, and her eyes scan the walls of the canyon as we walk.

"Almost feels like the passes back home." I'm sweeping the barrel of my rifle over the top of the canyon as she speaks. When I finish with the north side, I switch to the right.

"You have canyons like this where you are from?" Vaunea chuckles as she peers around a bend in the road. I assume it's clear as she steps around the curve.

"Not canyons, but high passes of jagged rocks like these with no cover for miles at a time. My father used them as ambush spots against warring tribes." My rifle slips down to point at the ground as I stare at the back of Vaunea.

"Your father? I'm guessing he was an important man?" Vaunea doesn't really share much about herself. To be fair, I haven't asked either. Vaunea nods her head as she peers around another curve, this one turning slightly north.

"My father is warchief of the mountain bear tribe. In eighty years, he has never been defeated in the field or in single combat." The way her back straightens as she speaks about her father tells me that what he has done is quite the accomplishment.

"And you're saying these canyons remind you of them?" I go back to checking the skyline, sweeping the barrel over the lip of the canyon on both sides.

"Yes, only worse. The road is nice and wide, but the curves are sharp. We could walk right into a full patrol and not know it until we bump into them." We both move a little closer to each other, unconsciously moving to cover each other's backs.

Vaunea stops at the next curve in the canyon, unsettling her massive sword. When she glances back at me, she nods ahead at the curve in the road.

"Something is moving ahead of us." I nod my head as I slip past her.

"I'll move up first. You stay back about fifteen feet. Keep an eye on the tops of the canyon. If you see anything move, holler out." She nods as I begin to creep forward, crouched low to the ground.

I pull my rifle in close to my body, wishing I had a shorter barrel. I'm not a big fan of an SBR, but right now it would be handy. The end of my rifle is going to give me away when I peek out from behind this rock. Not seeing any way to avoid it, I let out a slow breath and start to move.

"SQUAWK!!" My rifle is knocked upward as a mass of feathers and claws collide with me. I let my rifle fall as I try and grasp the body coming at me. As I back-pedal rapidly, I can see Vaunea swing her blade. The edge seems to sing through the air as she brings the massive blade around.

"Fuck!" Vaunea glances over at me, reaching out to turn my head to check the side of my face.

"He got you good, I'll give you that. You are lucky, the females are venomous."

"What the fuck was it?" After I shake off her hand, I walk over to the downed animal. It's some form of oversized bird with long brown wings tipped with a pair of oversized claws. Its legs are short with recurved claws tipping each of its four toes. Its head is completely free of feathers, and covered in a dark brown skin. Something about the way its head looks reminds me of a vulture back in my world.

"It's a Stahn, and a rather old one at that. They are scavengers, usually found circling something dead. When they find something to eat, they tend to stake their claim. They get territorial as hell over food." I shake my head as I kick the dead bird.

"Well, not all of that blood looks like mine, so let's go see what it's been snacking on." Vaunea and I start around the curve in the road carefully. I'm still expecting another Stahn to come flying out at any moment.

"Well, that explains why it was there." In the middle of the road is the body of a chestnut colored horse. As we walk up, I can see where the Stahn had been eating on its opened underbelly. On a closer look, I can see the horse's front leg had been snapped, the bone jutting out and glistening in the sunlight. The lack of flies tells me that it hasn't been dead long. No more than a couple of hours.

"Remind me if we catch up to these men to find out who was on this horse." I kneel down next to the animal and stroke its neck gently, eyeing the dirt around it. The deep gouges in the hard packed soil tells me it struggled for a long time before it died.

"Why?" Vaunea looks confused, but all I can feel is myself getting angry.

"See the marks in the ground there, and there?" I point behind the horse's body to where the earth is churned up. When Vaunea nods her head, I finish explaining.

"The horse stepped in that dip there, probably where it broke its leg. The rider was thrown there, but he got up quick. Took off running as soon as he got his feet under him." I'm moving away from the horse now, following the trail. I can see it happening in my mind, the trail is telling me everything. The man was a big guy, his tracks are deep, I'd guess he is close to three hundred pounds.

"He jumped on another man's horse right there. See, here is where the tracks get deeper. They never slowed down as the horse was left to suffer." I turn back to look at the fallen animal, almost wanting to cry. I know I can't waste the time burying it, but it's killing me to leave it out like this. Animals always seemed innocent in my eyes, watching them suffer hurts.

Weird that I'm getting used to killing men, but animals suffering still bothers me.

"The horse tried and tried to get back on its feet. It was probably shock that killed it, or blood loss. Maybe even dehydration, it's not like they stopped to water them. So if I run into whoever was on that horse, I'm going to break his leg, and then his fucking jaw."

"I doubt we will catch up with them, they are moving fast. If we do though, I'll remind you." I nod my head as I start down the canyon again.

"Something has been bothering me. Do you mind if I ask you a question?" Vaunea shrugs as we keep moving, and I take it as a sign that it's ok.

"When we first met in the dungeon, you were talking differently? I'm not trying to insult you, but you almost sounded…." I trail off, not sure how to finish the question.

"I sounded almost like a simpleton, unlike how I sound now?" With a wince, I nod my head, worried that I might have just pissed her off. The sound of her laugh causes me to turn my head towards her.

"When we met in the dungeon, I was speaking Parvesh. It's the main language used in the countries on this continent, but it's not my native tongue. After talking to the others, I found out about your skill Alltounges. So I asked if I could just speak in my native language. At least when talking to you." I tilt my head to the side as I look at her.

"It just sounds like English to me." Vaunea chuckles as we continue walking.

"Thea was explaining it to me that your skill translates into whatever language is spoken to you. There are times she has spoken to you in Elvish to see what happens. When she does, you speak back in Elvish. With me, I've been hearing you speak in Gol-Kaa." Vaunea goes to step around the next curve when I reach up to stop her. She turns to me with a questioning look on her face.

"Listen." She tilts her head as the wind shifts. There just on the edge of my hearing is the noise that made me stop. It's a low chatter, mixed in with thumps, grunts, metal clanging, and the sounds of horses. It's right on the edge of me not being able to hear it, but it's there. It doesn't sound like the group we have been following. They are just a handful of people. This sounds like a massive group.

"It sounds like a large crowd." Vaunea confirms my suspension, it's not a small group ahead.

"I'll move forward first. You follow close, but not too close. If the group looks like trouble, we will turn back. I'd rather not get into any trouble here if we can avoid it. Worse case scenario, we head north. Best case, we can talk with the group and move on with no issues." Vaunea nods, so I start creeping forward again.

The farther I go in the canyon, the louder the noise gets. By the time I can see the end of the canyon, the noise seems excessive. I push my body as close to the wall as I can, peering around the edge of the stone wall.

"Well shit." Jacob was right about there being a huge plain on the other side of the canyon. What he didn't know was the army camped out on the plains. Rows and rows of tents are stretching out as far as I can see. Men and women are walking between them with dozens of picket lines of horses strung out to the sides. Banners fly above several of the larger tents, and their blue fabric ripples in the light breeze.

As close as I am, I can almost make out the individual conversations. Laughter echoes out from inside the camp, making me pull back slightly. I'm not the best at judging crowd sizes, but it looks like several thousands of men and women.

Time to pull back because we are better off avoiding this. When I glance back, Vaunea is looking at me curiously. I wave her back as I start creeping back. As soon as I'm sure that I can't be seen from the mouth of the canyon, I turn to face Vaunea.

"Back." I'm motioning for Vaunea to turn back when her face shifts. My body is moving before she speaks, her voice screaming out a warning.

"Behind you!" As I'm turning around, the sun seems to disappear behind a hunk of iron.

Is that a hammer? My rifle doesn't even get in line when the square head of the hammer connects with my face. Yep, hammer. Then the world goes dark and I feel myself falling.

I'm surrounded by darkness, and there is nothing around me. My body feels weightless as it almost feels like I'm floating. I feel myself starting to worry about where I am and how I got there when the voice speaks. It's a soft, female voice. I feel my worry melting away as her words reach me.

"I know it doesn't feel like it now, but you are where you need to be. You need to wake up now, Jim. If you don't, this is going to end bad, and your friends are going to end up hurt." I swallow, feeling a pain in my throat as I try and speak.

"Who are you? Where am I?" A gentle laughter echoes around me.

"You will know me soon. I'm yours as you are mine. You are just asleep Jim, but you need to wake up. Wake up, Jim."

I feel my body being shaken as another voice hits me. The new voice is familiar. I know that I know it.

"Jim, fucking wake up!" My eyes snap open as my body is violently rocked.

"The fuck!" I struggle to try and sit up before falling back down. My hands are bound behind my back. The way my wrist feels it's some kind of metal shackle not rope. I turn my head to both sides to try and see where I am. I spot Vaunea laying on the ground beside me. We are in some kind of cage inside a massive tent.

Vaunea's face is a mass of bruises, blood is seeping from somewhere under her armor. When she sees that I'm awake, she calms down slightly.

"Thank God you are awake. You were out for a long time. I was starting to worry."

"Where the fuck are we? What the fuck happened? Who the fuck hit me?" I wiggle over to the edge of the cage as I'm talking. When I reach the cage, I use it to help me sit up, leaning against the bars.

"The short version is, we are prisoners of the Rathenk army, suspected of espionage. They knocked you unconscious, then more men swarmed the canyon. I tried to get you out, but I wasn't able to." Vaunea manages to sit up, pushing off the ground to steady herself.

Ok, why are her hands bound in front of her? I look through the flap of the tent and can just see a pair of guards outside. They are wearing a matching set of dull gray armor over a bluish uniform.

"So what now?" When I turn back to Vaunea, she is looking worried.

"Now we wait on the interrogation, then they will decide what to do with us." I struggle against the bars until I get my feet under me. When I make it to my feet, I'm hit with a wave of dizziness.

"Fuck, what the fuck hit me?" I'm shaking my head as I spit on the ground. Yep, that's a lot of blood, and my nose is fucked.

"Dwarven Warhammer." I shake my head, hoping that I don't have a concussion. I get the feeling that I do as my head is fuzzy. It feels like I'm about to puke and I'm fucking swaying on my feet.

"I think my heads fucked. What hit me?" Vaunea looks confused as she stares up at me.

"I just told you, a Dwarven Warhammer." I shake my head again and try to clear it.

"I think I have a concussion." Vaunea looks worried, but she stays quiet.

"Boss, are you ok?" Sarge sounds worried in my head. I try to answer in my head, but the words won't form.

"Sarge, can you hear me?" I figure my only chance is to try and see if he hears me.

"Yeah, boss. What happened?" He sounds like he's running, it's almost like he is panting.

"Got ambushed by the army. Where the fuck are you? Tell me you aren't coming here." Vaunea snaps her head toward the mouth of the tent and checks on the guards. I glance over as well, seeing that they haven't moved.

"Yes, Tarril and Thea are close behind, but I'm faster! I'm on my way, boss. I'll get you." I shake my head because I can't let Sarge come charging in.

"No! Turn around now! Grab them and get away. I'll handle this, just don't come after me!" The guard on the right side of the door turns his head to me, but I ignore him.

"Not happening, boss. I'm already here!"

"Fuck fuck fuck fuck!" I'm at a loss on what to do. This is the first time since he was a pup that Sarge didn't listened to me. Vaunea is standing now, her hands keeping me steady when I sway. Before she can say anything, I hear a voice outside the tent yelling.

"I don't care what's going on, I need to see the prisoners now!" I start to stumble to the back of the cage, Vaunea steadying me the whole way.

"Jim, you need to take it easy. You are seriously hurt." Alexis' voice just confirms what I already know.

"No time, Sarge is charging in." Another voice comes drifting in the tent.

"I'm sorry, sir. I have my orders. No one can see them. You can after the healers and interrogators see them." I push the voices away as I focus on Sarge again.

"Sarge, go back now!" From farther outside in the camp I hear a horn sound, followed by another and another.

"Too late!" I can just hear Sarge's bark on the edge of my hearing. The sounds of the camp coming alive drowns it out. Men are rushing past the tent and I can hear someone calling men to arms. I brace myself for what I'm planning, knowing that it's going to hurt.

"Jim, no!" Somehow, Alexis seems to know what's coming. I ignore her as I shake free of Vaunea's grip.

"Lightning step!" My head feels like it's exploding when I activate my skill. The world blurs as I race towards the door of the cage. Right before I hit, I drop my shoulder and feel it explode in pain as the door crumples. My feet stumble as the door falls, making me hit the ground.

"Alexis, I need my hands!" Without slowing, I force myself to my feet and charge forward as I do. I'm passing men and women that are running the same way I am. From what I can tell, we were almost in the center of the camp.

"No, wait, stop!" I didn't realize my hands were free until I shove a man out of my way.

Thanks, Alexis. Lightning step! The world blurs again as my head feels like it explodes. A voice in the back of my head is telling me to stop, but I push on.

At the edge of the camp, I can see a rough line forming of men and women. Shields in front of them face the road, swords drawn. Sarge's bark is getting louder, but I can't see him through the crowd. Just behind the line is a single man. A tall elf with short brown hair is drawing a bow, aiming over the line. My lightning step falters before I get within sixty feet of him. I grit my teeth as I brace myself for the next round of pain, yelling at the brunette elf as I run.

"No! Lightning step!" The elf swings his bow around towards me, somehow knowing I am charging at him. I see his fingers release the bowstring as I yell again. "Temporal grace!"

Time slows as I nearly blackout from the pain. I barely keep my feet under me as I run, stumbling heavily. By the time I get my footing again, the arrow is nearly in my face. My head jerks to the right, and I feel the arrowhead tear into the side of my head as the world goes dark in my left eye.

Fuck! Keep moving, Marsterson. Don't stop now! You ain't dead so don't you fucking stop! It's almost like I can hear my dad yelling at me, driving me on. I grit my teeth again and ignore the pain in my head, spreading my arms wide to grab the elf that fired.

When our bodies connect, time starts to flow normally. We crash into the ground in a mass of limbs. His eyes are wide with surprise as he tries to get away. Not giving him the chance, I drive my right elbow into his face, strengthening the blow with as much mana as I can. His eyes roll back in his head as he falls limp to the ground in my grip. I feel my mana surging inside me, my body twisting on its own. I follow the feeling and let it flow up from my core and out my arms.

Shockwave! The name of the skill echoes in my head as it escapes my arms. The men in the shield wall ahead of me are forced to the ground as the wave of energy hits them. I try to force myself to my feet and collapse on top of the elf.

"Fuck!" I'm trying to scramble to my feet when a shadow appears above me. A giant of a man is raising a sword above his head. The keen edge of the blade reflects the light of the sun as it starts its downward arc.

This is it? Protect Thea, Shiva, and Sarge. Keep them safe for me. My body doesn't want to move as the blade seems to fall in slow motion. Before it is halfway through its arc, a mass of muscle and black fur crashes into the man.

"Sarge!" He's expanded into his big form. His weight knocks the man to the ground as his teeth shred into his arm. When the man's sword clatters to the ground, Sarge jumps back. He takes a position between me and the camp, his bloodstained teeth bared as he growls.

"Get up, boss. We need to go!" I force myself to my feet, then fall to my knees. My stomach revolts, and I cover the unconscious elf with my breakfast.

Sorry. Again I force myself to my feet, backing away as I nearly fall. The men and women on the ground nearly trip me as I barely keep my footing walking over them. More men and women are forming up ahead of us, shields and swords drawn. They are starting to fan out, forming a loose semi circle around us.

"Alexis, gun!" When I see it forming in the air in front of me, I wrap my hands around it. The comforting weight is almost too much for my arms to support. Each second is a battle to keep it up and pointed at the men in front of us. From behind the line, I see Vaunea charging at us with her hands still bound. She is almost to the line when she goes down under a mass of bodies from behind. I want to help, but I'm barely able to see her.

"Stand down! Stand down now!" The voice from outside of the tent is yelling above the roar of the camp.

"Sarge, tell Thea not to follow! Tell her to grab the others and take the north road! Then get the fuck out of here and go protect them! Do you understand me!?" Sarge growls deep in his chest as one of the soldiers takes a step forward.

"Not happening, boss. I'm not leaving you!" I feel my stomach lurch again as the world starts to go blurry.

"Goddammit Sarge! Listen to me! I can't fucking run, I can barely stand! Get the fuck out of here! NOW!" I'm just clear of the fallen soldiers when I feel my legs give out. When I hit the ground, I somehow manage to just go to my knees. Sarge shifts around, pressing his body against my chest to hold me upright.

"I'm not leaving you, boss!" Just behind the line, I see another soldier ready a bow. I shift my rifle to cover him, the barrel wobbling as I do.

"Fucking try it and die!" He pauses and shifts behind another soldier, but keeps his bow drawn. "I'll kill him too in order to get to you! Hurt my dog and I'll kill everyone here!" My words may sound defiant, but I can't hardly hold my rifle steady. It seems to work as the soldier lets the bow string relax.

"I said stand the fuck down! Captain, control your men!" The voice is getting closer, and I can see its owner pushing through the crowd of men. He's a big son of a bitch, head and shoulders taller than the rest of the crowd. His hair is a deep black, streaked with gray and close cropped to his head. A thick brown mustache covers his top lip, giving him that seventies porn star look.

The crowd of men are looking around now, not seeming to know what to do. Some are starting to lower their shields while others are moving closer. When the man gets to the front of the line, he pushes past them. He eyes me for a second as my rifle moves to cover him. Then he turns to face the soldiers behind him.

"I am ordering you to stand down! Back up and give this man some room. NOW!" The men seem more confused now, until another man pushes through the crowd. He's smaller than the first with a thin almost lankey build.

"You heard the Baron, back!" At the thinner man's words, the soldiers start to back up, still keeping their shields raised.

"Thank you, Captain." The Baron turns to face me, raising his hands slowly in a non threatening way. "It's alright, they didn't know. You can relax now. I promise we aren't going to hurt you." I feel my vision starting to blur and my finger squeezes the trigger on my rifle. Luckily, the barrel started to drop. The round slams into the ground at the Baron's feet. The soldiers start to move forward when the Baron turns and yells again.

"I said get back!" When he turns back to me, his face looks strained. "There's no need for that. I promise we don't mean any harm to you."

"Jim, I need your left hand." When Alexis speaks, I let go of my rifle, feeling a weight form in my hand from an earthen cup. "Drink it, now!" I don't question her, and down the bitter liquid in the cup. Almost immediately, I feel my head clear. My focus returns and my mind clears a little.

"I can't make a potion that will help with your injuries right now. That was just a stamina potion. You have about an hour before it wears off. I can't do anything about your eye either." I try to stand, but my body still won't cooperate. Apparently, the stamina potion can only take me so far.

"What about my eye?" The Baron looks confused and I feel the blood on my face for the first time. Yes, my head had been hurting and the cut from the arrow was painful, but I hadn't felt the blood yet.

"Your left eye is gone, boss." That does explain why I can't see shit out of it. Inside, I know that my lack of reaction is due to shock, but I can't do anything about that right now.

"I'm sorry about your eye. I can fetch my personal healer and we can fix it. I promise we can fix it. We don't mean you any harm." He starts to move closer when I raise my rifle back up to him. He stops and turns back to the soldiers behind him, scanning the crowd.

"You, Corporal, run to the command tent immediately. Tell them Baron Von Cloud needs the Generals at the eastern edge of camp, now! You, Private, go to the interrogator's tent and gather this man's effects and bring them here. Someone find his companion and bring her here immediately!" Several of the men jump to action, racing back through the crowds. The Baron turns back to me, his voice dropping into a lower tone. It's like he is trying to sooth a hurt animal. The way I feel it's not far off.

"It's ok, you can lower your weapon. I promise on my honor, you are safe." Behind him in the crowd, I see a pair of men dragging Vaunea forward. When she sees me, she calls out.

"Jim!" At the sound of her voice, the Baron turns his head.

"Let her go, now!" The men seem hesitant, but one of them unlocks the shackles holding her wrist together. "You can go to him, they won't stop you." Vaunea nods and takes a step, then pauses. She pulls a sword from the nearest soldiers hands as she knocks the smaller man to the ground. Then she races across the distance to me, jumping over the fallen soldiers on the ground.

Fuck, did I kill those men? I shake my head as my mind starts to wonder. The stamina potion isn't helping with the concussion either. It's just letting me focus a little better.

"Are you ok?" I shrug at Vaunea's question, not sure how to answer.

"Help me to my feet. I can't stand." Vaunea nods her head as she wraps her free arm around my waist. I have to fight back the urge to puke as she pulls me up to my feet.

"Now what?" I take a second to see if I can stand on my own. When it looks like I can, I glance down to Sarge.

"Take Sarge and head for the canyon. Fucking drag him if you have to. Just get out of here." Vaunea shifts her arm around my waist, and I can hear her mind turning over what I said.

"What about you?" I shrug her arm off, feeling my body sway like I'm drunk.

"I can barely stand, much less run. Just get Sarge out of here and look after my grovemates." The Baron's eyes go wide as he listens to me speak to Vaunea.

"There is no need for that. I promise you are safe. This was just a misunderstanding." I tilt my head to the right, feeling the blood trail down my face from the left side.

"Big fucking misunderstanding?" When I don't hear Vaunea start to move, I turn my head towards her. "I told you to fucking go!" Before she can answer, I hear Thea's voice.

"Jim!" It takes every ounce of my self control not to turn to face her. When she yelled out every soldier tensed up, some remaining their shields. The barrel of my rifle comes up to cover the Baron again as he turns to scream at the soldiers.

"Fucking stand down! First man or woman to take a fucking step forward, I will see hang! Do you fucking understand!?" The crowd seems to pull back even farther as the Baron yells. I want to relax, but I fucking can't. Even if he says I am safe, I don't trust any of the people in power in this world.

"Jim, Fuck what happened to you?" I feel Thea's arms slipping around my waist as the smell of vanilla and cinnamon fills my nose.

How the fuck can I smell her when my nose is fucked? I'm opening my mouth to answer when I feel another wave of nausea hit. Again, I end up emptying my stomach on the ground at my feet.

"Fuck! Tarril, help!" The world is going gray around the edges of my vision as another pair of hands grab me. "Here, take this and keep it pointed at them." My rifle is pulled from my hands as someone starts to lower me gently to the ground.

"I don't know how to use this thing." I can feel Thea getting annoyed through the bridge between us. I can also feel how worried Shiva is.

Did anyone fill her in? When I hit the ground, I manage to keep myself in a seated position. What little I can see still has me scared. The whole world is starting to go dark around the edges and Thea's voice feels like it's farther away.

"I don't have time to teach you. Just point it at them." I want to laugh, the whole situation is starting to feel funny.

"Jim, Jim stay with me!" I tilt my head to Thea, she looks worried. Then my head drops down to my chest on its own.

"Boss!" I hear Sarge's worried voice in my head before the world goes dark again.

"Fucking hell!" My eye snaps open as I try to force myself to my feet. Strong hands force me to stay down, pinning me to a surprisingly soft bed. I'm whipping my head around trying to figure out where I am and who is holding me down. Thea and Shiva both appear in my vision, and I realize they are the ones holding me.

"Jim, Jim, it's ok. We are safe. I promise, it's ok!" At Thea and Shiva's words, I try to calm down, relaxing back into the bed. I turn my head to examine the room we are in, well the tent we are in. The walls are a deep purple with a weird gold pattern embroidered into them.

Wouldn't purple dye be really expensive in this world? I remember a teacher telling me in ancient times only the super rich had purple anything because of the cost of making the dye. I figured this world would be the same because of the level of technology. Or maybe it had to do with magic bringing the cost down.

The bed I'm on is not only soft, but fucking huge with a massive carved headboard above me. Even with Thea, Shiva, and I on it, there is room for several more people. A heavy looking wooden desk sits in one corner of the tent with a matching chair. As well as an equally heavy looking table and set of chairs against the other wall with a pile of my gear on top of it. In the middle of the ceiling, a glass encased light is illuminating the tent. Somehow, I get the feeling whoevers tent this is has a lot of money. The whole thing seems to scream luxury.

"What the fuck happened?" Thea lets go of me, laying down on the bed beside me.

"Ummm, alot. The short version is, you passed out, and we brought you here. Rathenk doesn't want to take you prisoner. I think they want your help. The scouts who originally found you thought you were a spy. It was the Baron guy who figured out you were the summoned hero they had heard about. If they had known who you were, they would have never attacked you. It was all one big misunderstanding on their part." Thea pauses as she looks over at me. Shiva is still kneeling beside me on the bed, her hands trialing over my shoulders. I realize with a shock that I have to turn my head farther than I should to see her.

"So I'm guessing my eye is still fucked?" Shiva and Thea both wince at that one.

"It's beyond what I can do. I can heal wounds, but I can't rebuild lost limbs or body parts. Baron Von Cloud says there is a healer traveling with the army that can. So it should be back to normal as soon as tonight. We just have to wait a little bit." I nod my head, the fact that Thea and Shiva both seem calm is helping me relax a little.

"Where is Sarge and the rest of our group at?" Thea motions to the flap of the tent with one hand.

Sarge and Vaunea are standing guard outside. The rest received their own quarters and were taking a look around." I nod my head as I hear Sarge start to speak inside my head.

"Boss, you awake? I hope so because you have a visitor." The flap of the tent lifts as Vaunea sticks her head in.

"Uhh, there's someone here to see Jim." I force myself upright in the bed, surprised at how weak I feel. I give up on standing, and instead lean against the cool wood of the headboard.

"Fuck it, let them in." Shiva and Thea both look nervous as the man enters the tent. He is an older man, the lines on his face telling the story of a hard life. His armor is immaculate, but the same style and cut of every soldier I've seen in camp. It seems like even the officer's armor looks the same as the footsoldier's. His blue eyes stare at me as I lay on the bed, taking in my whole appearance. The light from the lamp above us reflects off his bald head, making him look intimidating somehow. When he doesn't say anything right away, I clear my throat.

"Hello." The man raises an eyebrow at me before stepping farther into the tent. He pulls the chair from the desk and turns it around. When he sits down, his eyes are almost level with mine.

"I'm sorry for the rude welcome to my country. We have been waiting on you for a few days. After the report from our outpost, we thought you had been captured." There is a lot to think over in what he said, but the part sticking out to me was right at the beginning.

"Your country?" He didn't say it like a man talking about where he was from. It was more like a man showing off his house to a new friend. The man nods his head as he offers out his hand to me.

"My name is Andron Ekon. I'm the king of Rathenk. I believe we have a lot to talk about, if you feel up for it." I feel my back stiffen as he introduces himself.

The fucking king! So much for flying under the radar here.