Gaius didn't know what happened between Major and Isabella while he was busy dismantling the engine room, but when the tube spat them out behind the store again, she didn't attempt to apprehend him. She merely told him she needed to go visit the temple.

  Isabella didn't come back that night, leaving Gaius unsure if he was in the clear with her or not.

  This, paired with the fact that every time he closed his eyes, he saw the black aperture of the beast's window, pretty much guaranteed he wasn't getting any sleep.

  In the morning, lacking in other good options, Gaius helped the imp open up and assumed his usual spot behind the counter.

  Going by what Major told them, without the beast riling alefs up every full moon, the creatures would now be content with staying in their pens while the lich worked on a way to shut down their production for good.

  And that roused the mercantile spirit inside Gaius. With no more alef nights, Siembra would have no need for all the adventurers. And without them exploring the tunnels, the town's supply of artifacts was sure to run out sooner or later. Gaius was already working on a plan to stockpile as many of them as possible before their prices skyrocketed.

  He was figuring out the details when the store's door opened and in walked Isabella.

  It took a second for Gaius to recognize her, as for the first time since he'd known the knight, she wasn't wearing her toga. Instead, she somehow squeezed herself in a pair of leather pants that looked like they were about to burst at the seams. The tightness of these breeches was counterbalanced by a baggy shirt with sleeves that went way past the tips of Isabella's fingers.

  She wobbled more than walked to the counter. Taking a closer look at the knight, Gaius spotted the chain of her pendant, previously so prominently displayed at all times, hidden under her clothes.

  The two of them stood in silence while the imp was working some customer, exaggerating in his usual belligerent manner all the benefits of Gaius' special healing potions.

  "What now?" Gaius asked when the customer had gone and the imp retreated into the kitchen.

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  "Now I go grab my stuff. I have a couple of relics in need of delivering."

  "And what of the thief?"

  "The guy who had them was dead when I found him," Isabella said. "The trail ends there as far as the Order of the Moon is concerned."

  It was one of those situations where usually Gaius would be struggling not to grin. He didn't have that urge at the moment.

  "I like the new look," Gaius said. "Could do with some refinement, of course. Perfection like this," he pointed two thumbs at himself, "doesn't happen overnight."

  "I bet. Shaving all that druid hair must have taken you a while."

  "This new look. I take it you're not abandoning the righteous path to become a full-time associate of mine?" Gaius said after a series of thoughtful taps on the counter. "You know, you'll be hard-pressed to find another companion who can boast saving the world."

  Isabella opened her mouth as if to laugh, but stopped herself. "My path is as righteous as ever. Perhaps even more so," she said. "My order needs a kick in the pants. And a whole lot more pants, in general."

  "And you're off to provide that kick," Gaius surmised.

  "Exactly."

  There was another pause before Gaius said, "And once that's done and I'm through with my contract. Any chance the two of us could get together, discuss things?"

  "Sure, we could do that. But answer me this, how can I ever trust a single thing you say after we've established you're not above lying, and I'm incapable of detecting those lies?"

  "Oh, come on. We both know the closer I got to you, the more dangerous my whole operation here became. And yet I did it anyway. Sure, I lie. Lie about who I am, lie about what I do. But my lies allowed us to get together. And over time, we learned from one another. Aren't both of us better for it in the end? All thanks to my lying. It's a lonely word, honesty. And if you're so in love with it, can you honestly tell me you'd rather this thing between us didn't happen?"

  "It did happen," Isabella said. "And now I have to go."

  Still struggling with her new pants, she made her way up the stairs to pack, leaving Gaius stranded behind the counter.

  He knew there was no point going after her, at least not now. And by the time he would be free to leave Siembra, for all he knew, she could be busy running this whole kingdom thanks to her connection to Major.

  "Sucks to be you, pal," the imp popped out from behind the beaded curtain to make Gaius feel better in his own unique way.

  Gaius couldn't agree more. This whole adventure of his sucked. He didn't get paid. He didn't get any cool loot. He didn't get the girl. He did save the world, but instead of any gratitude, he was rewarded with the privilege of being stuck in a menial job in Siembra of all places.

  All of this tracked pretty well with his understanding of heroics.

  Over the years, he's been many things, but now that he was a hero, he really wasn't feeling it.

  "Hi, Gaius Chanter here, but you can call me Guy. How may I help you?" he turned to a new customer who had just walked through the door.

  At least he had a few months of this left before he had to worry about what was in store for Gaius Chanter. Or whoever he decided to be next.

  Story Facts - Chapter 39