I attached my daggers to my belt, maintaining a cool demeanor as I ignored Veigan and Viessa's objections. Inside, I was doing celebratory back flips. Old patterns re-emerged. Nefarious behaviors I recognized, but couldn't nor wanted to stop.

  The need to draw blood after getting my ass semi-kicked, stemmed further back than the three weeks I had spent in Gadika. Years ago, I was jumped by some coke dealers in a park after I had finished an arduous run. I limped back an hour later, which they found pretty funny until I opened the fight with bear mace and a switchblade.

  To some extent, I missed the simpler gargoyle-free times. When I could crack someone in their jaw without having to worry about their brains splattering my face. But like always, nostalgia never lasted, and reality became apparent.

  "The Slaver's Union is a gigantic organization that's intrinsic to Aclanian society. Their operations stretch further than Ingcaster. Igniting that fuse before we've adopted Daven's operation is idiotic," Veigan said.

  "The evil mage is right," Viessa said, placing her hand on his shoulder in support. "We should begin by gathering intelligence."

  "Evil mage?" Veigan broke away from her. "That's ironic coming from one of Elmheart's instruments. And no—we shouldn't gather intelligence. Simply avoid them. I don't understand your powers and I don't want to. I'm still nauseous from last night. But disregarding the Slaver Union's size and influence is still foolish."

  "I doubt anyone in their ranks can pose a threat. This will just be a quiet warning shot. Like a kind tap on the shoulder, that says 'You're all going to die.'"

  "I'll accompany you." Garik stepped out from the shadows, head locked into another bow.

  "Great, wear a disguise and ready a weapon."

  "Thank you." He bowed again. "I will show you my true worth."

  His eyes lit up with excitement, rubbing his hands together as he skipped to the back of the loft.

  "This doesn't sound very quiet," Veigan said, his concern palpable.

  "You're still hurt." Viessa piled on, coming at me from a different angle. "When have you last slept? Kelfloss will move. Wait until then."

  "I feel better than I ever have."

  A frigid breeze manifested out of nowhere, extinguishing the flame from the oil lamp on the table. A quiet piano played in the background—a discordant melody only I heard.

  My vision blurred, turning my allies into shapeless contours. Their voices vanished behind out of tune keys. Then, I heard distant voices trumping the choir’s song.

  "It wasn't magic! Darkness swallowed the room. An impenetrable darkness. Then, it took them, sucking the life out of the room," Kelfloss said.

  I doubled over, my guts twisting. Each time Kelfloss spoke on the entity, I felt it pulse within.

  "Manipulated perception is the foundation for entire schools of magic."

  "I swear on Galdir, it was no forced hallucination. The darkness grabbed my leg, through flesh, hauling me by the bone."

  "You said the phantom was accompanied by a mage?"

  "Not last night. Two messengers arrived on his behalf. A short one, a businessman named Korgora the Extra-something? And a tall slave from Durotai. Then he appeared."

  "Daven and his fated slaves allowed the phantom to hit your business twice in one week?"

  "Forget Daven. He'll be dead. They'll all be dead when it gets to them. I want out," Kelfloss demanded.

  As the hunger surfaced, Viessa rushed to my side and braced my wobbling body. The piano riffed again, blocking out whatever the elf said. Darkness clouded my vision and the conversation continued.

  "Ever since it touched me, I’ve felt like someone is watching—a gaze lurking in every shadow," Kelfloss whispered, unaware his words were throwing me into further discord.

  "You're paranoid. And the Union's not lifting a finger until you tell us everything."

  "Then, I'm leaving."

  "No. You're not."

  My senses returned in a sudden flash. I brushed Viessa's hand off my shoulder and stumbled over to the kitchen counter, wishing we had a sink.

  "Is there really no bathroom in this place? Was that why there was so much shit in the corner when we got here?" I asked, mustering a steady voice.

  Viessa and Veigan traded unbelieving glances.

  "The water closet is out back..." Veigan said.

  Garik peeked out through his room's curtain, wearing a tattered black shirt over his head like a bandana and a light set of dark leather armor, as I stumbled out through the back door which screeched as it opened.

  "Are you, OK, Boss?"

  I ignored him and closed the door behind me on the way out. At a first glance, I noticed our lot was once again vacant. The two carriages and horses were gone, including the ones I had stolen from Daven’s estate.

  Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

  One problem at a time.

  A few feet to the left, I found what I had come for.

  The water closet was indeed a closet with water. It was like a scrap metal Porta John with an abundance of rusty, pointed angles primed for a delivery of tetanus. Inside was a small, stained basin with a hole in the floor, and a sink with a leaky faucet.

  I turned the bronze knob and lukewarm water came blasting out like a fire hose. One incremental turn to the right, and the pressure subsided to a mere trickle.

  I'm in control. Don't forget that.

  I lifted the Grimstone Mask and splashed some water on my face. One stagnant breath later, I decided I had spent enough time in what must have been one of Aclana’s top 10 worst bathrooms. I retreated outside, clenched my fists and closed my eyes. I relaxed my fingers and focused on the gentle sensation of the wind blowing across my face.

  I knew the conversation I had tapped into had occurred far from Void Seer’s active tethers. It was likely taking place somewhere within the slaver's territory in Oarwin, if Veigan’s information was accurate.

  Was the entity letting me in on its secret? Showing me a glimpse of its capabilities if I capitulated to its demands? Or was it simply being helpful?

  The lack of clarity both frustrated and disturbed me. I pondered the possibilities, and caught my breath, taking back full control.

  Finally, I slid my mask back on and made a triumphant return inside, head up, chest out, pretending everything was perfectly normal.

  "What was that?" Veigan asked before the elf could.

  "Even heroes have bowel movements. It's a normal function of the human body," I deflected.

  Garik waited by the front, while I finished resupplying my satchel and sorting through the crates of supplies they had purchased.

  "Where did the carriages and horses go? One of them had gold stored in a false bottom," I said, as I found two health potions in reinforced crystalized glass vials, a small first aid kit, and a fresh cloak.

  "The elf told us. We already secured the gold," Veigan said. "The horses were sold, and Garik broke down the carriages, then parted ‘em for scrap and firewood. Nothing ties us back to Daven besides the fact he's still hanging in our common area."

  The realization that I had three useful allies, who took initiative, sent a chill down my spine. Caring about the elf's life was plenty annoying on its own. Now I had the Cabal to keep in the back of my mind, too.

  "Everyone, thank you for your efforts. I understand your concerns regarding tonight's outing. But we're not the only ones looking for Kelfloss. So we're going to pick him up before anyone else does.”

  Viessa swallowed her objection, recognizing the pointlessness of it. "Be careful, Cyprus."

  "Oh, you're all hopeless," Veigan said as he threw up his hands and walked over to the strategy corner, where he retrieved a handful of scrolls.

  "What's this?" I asked.

  "A rune page imbued with my mana. Burn it and I'll be able to contact you with Vocal Migration. Use it in an emergency, but remember it's not a quiet spell and anyone within speaking distance will hear it."

  Veigan handed everyone two scrolls and said, "Good luck. I'll look after the base and make sure Daven doesn't escape."

  "Oh, there's no need for that. I'm chopping him up and putting him in the trunk. A gift for the Slaver's Union. Also, you're coming with us."

  ***

  Daven Murpharion indeed ended up dismembered. It was about as humane and peaceful as a dismemberment could get though. Split apart by the shadows in a second. Though, he had screamed when he overheard my plans for his demise.

  I sat atop the trunk containing six pieces of the noble, tucked away in the scorched remains of a building on the border of the Slaver’s Union territory in northwest Oarwin. Vegan and Garik crouched beside me on blackened stones.

  For once, the elf insisted on staying behind to continue her work, and I allowed it without further question.

  "I haven't seen a single Royal Guard," Veigan remarked. “It’s odd, considering their previous presence.”

  Because I guided us around them all.

  "He's about a quarter mile north. On the second floor somewhere," Veigan said with his eyes closed and nose wrinkled. "I'd rather not go any further."

  "Point toward it," I said.

  He raised a finger, pointing over a wall two streets over.

  "That's good enough. You can head back."

  Without another word, probably fearing I'd keep him here, Veigan stood up from a grimy stone and began his trek back.

  Void Seer.

  I slumped forward as my vision left my body behind. I flew out in Veigan's general direction, pinging slaves and slavers alike along the district's main street. Cages with men, women, and children occupied the sidewalks for window shoppers.

  My stomach churned with disgust as I passed over prisons presented as store fronts. The central hall Veigan spoke of, rose at the end of the street. A two-story fortress of stone and welded iron rose behind a high defensive wall. None of the guards triggered Karma's Gaze as I kept the filter up for level sixes and above, weeding out the insignificant.

  I scanned the fortress's perimeter, making note of the outdoor patrols before flying inside. The first floor sprawled wide, broken up by barred windows and reinforced doors. A constant flow of slavers, clerks, and muscle moved throughout. Screams originated from multiple directions–a place of monetized misery. Brass plaques engraved with "Processing, Verification, and Intake’ hung above three adjoining chambers.

  I floated upstairs to the second floor, where the atmosphere shifted away from hellish human rights abuses to an air thick with bureaucracy. Employees dressed in crisp, black and blue uniforms. Brass badges glinted from a square above their right breast, each stamped with a number and the Slaver Union's sigil—a single open eye encircled by a clasped shackle.

  Within a minute, I discovered Kelfloss. He was standing in a corner office that belonged to Milo, one of the Union's delegates. Two level six guards blocked the exit, walling him off in the office.

  "Why won't you listen? I told you. He's not a warrior, he's not a mage. He's a force. A very real and terrifying force. I'm not safe here with Bongus and Bungo." Kelfloss thumbed over his shoulder. “Either call up your chief security officers or get me out of here.”

  Bernadus and Brundon, took offense. They reached for their swords, but Milo simmered them down, fluttering his hand.

  "I have been listening to your hysterics for too long," Milo said. "I’m not authorized to speak on the extent of our security, but I can assure you, we are safe. Now, begin answering my questions or we'll take this discussion downstairs."

  "I want to leave tonight. Right now. Not in an hour. Not in five minutes." Kelfloss clasped his hands over his head and took to one knee. "I'll tell you everything you want to know once I'm safely out of Ingcaster. Please, I beg of you."

  Milo interlocked fingers and rested his chin, sighing like he was bored out of his mind. "We'll provide safe passage out of the city and country after you've disclosed everything."

  I cut Void Seer off, and lifted my head back up, catching Garik's concerned stare.

  "Viessa is worried about you. She told us you haven't slept in days," he said.

  That traitor!

  "What else has she said?"

  "That she believes in you and we should do everything in our power to aid your mission. I can see why you tore through Anderhorn Spire searching for her."

  Goddamnit… Saint Viessa…

  I raised my hand, cutting him off. "I tore through Black Diamond for experience and revenge. And I see you didn't bring a weapon. Don't tell me your warrior's code will stop you from killing tonight."

  "No, the oppressors will die. When I need a weapon, I'll take one of theirs. Do not bear concern, I will not fail."

  I hopped off the trunk of the processed noble and lifted it over my shoulder, leading Garik into the heart of the slaver's territory.