Past Zoz, a blur of black and red rushed forward. Bella and Khalid failed to notice the blur until it solidified, grasped the handle of the battle mace, and stopped the Dreka in his tracks for the moment.

"Ok, we should probably pick a spot and get out of here quick," Zoz suggested, panic in his voice.

Over his shoulder, Professor Hector, with a strained voice, said, "Wherever you're going, you might want to make it not here." As he spoke, under the weight of the Dreka's strength, he was brought to one knee.

"Why? This could be fun." Khalid casually suggested as he drew his sword.

Between the human and the elf, an inky black smoke arose through the floor. A tether shot from the pool and rapidly encased the floating human. Professor Smoke emerged from the collection and dove toward the elf with tri-bladed, spiralled warglaives of purple and black but was blocked by the elf's shield, the two in their power struggle.

Bella took a step backwards and finally found her voice. "Khalid… If we stay here, we are all going to die. That Dreka is currently casually overpowering professor hector. He is the school's melee weapons and strength head instructor, and you think this will be fun for you?" Bella said, her voice shaking.

"She's right, Khalid. I know his classes were your favourite, but I don't think you're even a snack for that thing. He's currently making the professor look like an appetizer."

"Fine," Khalid said. "Ok, where to then," he continued as he sheathed his sword.

"Get to the far corner summoning circle now!" Bella yelled as she turned to run.

The three, led by Bella, rapidly made their way to the right side of the room in front of the engraved circle. The trio could now utilize the first section of walled benches for cover.

"Hopefully, from here, we will be out of their eyesight while we figure this out," Bella said.

"Preferably quickly, They are starting to lose," Zoz said as he looked around the far corner of the wall.

The Dreka had Professor Hector's torso pinned to the ground, and his legs remained in a kneeling position. The human had now escaped from the black encasing and took potshots at students and others who remained trapped in the room. Large green spears of energy flew in random directions from the human. All who were impaled immediately disintegrated. Professor Smoke was still engaged with the shield-bearing elf in a stalemate of strength.

"So where are we going?" Khalid questioned

"I'm going to Vetur. I don't know if that's right. We can't stay here any longer."

The other two now noticed Bella standing in the engraving.

"Get in now!" she said as she reached for the button.

The two broke into a frantic sprint and arrived within the engraved circle just before she pushed the motivating button.

Purple energy surged towards them, similar to when Aisha made contact with the crystal box but stopped short at the edge of the engraved summoning circle. The energy began to encircle them, and the engraving maintained a barrier. The energy circled faster and grew brighter, then vanished instantly and revealed complete darkness.

"Did it work?" Khalid asked

"Well, it's never failed," Bella replied

"So where exactly are we" Zoz asked

"Somewhere in Vetur," Bella replied

"Oh, this is a good choice, Bella. It's a room filled with beer!" Khalid said, walking through the darkness toward a series of giant barrels.

"I'm taking one of these," he added as he bent down and scooped up the sizeable liquid-filled barrel with one arm. As Khalid hoisted the barrel onto his shoulder, Zoz made his way up the central old stone stairs.

"I'm going to take a look and make sure it's safe," Zoz said

He cracked the stone door at the top of the stair, and a burst of sound entered the room as lively music could be heard outside, paired with various voices in conversation.

Standing firm, Bella looked around at raw meat on metal tables wrapped in parchment. There was various vegetation on similar but wooden tables. On the opposite side of the room were several barrels containing water and beer.

"We're in a tavern.." she said, gripping her face in frustration. "We're in a tavern filled with humans and the sort, probably in the middle of Vetur."

This is not my day. She thought to herself.

As he peered out of the stone door, Zoz saw a fair-skinned elf girl. She had pure white hair and wore tattered brown clothing. She was busy in a room filled with cooked and cooking food over stone pits with fire inside. Various combinations of meat and vegetation were arranged on multiple wooden plates.

"Come on, her back is turned," Zoz leaned back into the stairs and whispered.

Bella, barely hearing him as she was engaged in a mental conversation of annoyance with herself, quickly grabbed Khalid and tugged him. Khalid feeling the tug and following Bella, climbed the stairs as stealthily as they could manage. Both his companions behind him, Zoz led them out the door. Silently he floated to the left around the corner. He came face to face with an opening wooden door and a short red-haired female dwarf who carried several wooden plates with food scraps.

"I'll be right there, darlin' and get you another ale," she called back out of the door.

Zoz, panicked, turned quickly to usher his companions back, only to notice they were outside in the kitchen and the door shut behind them.

Bella grabbed Zoz out of the air and guided Khalid, rushed them instead around the right corner and exited out the other wooden door.

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As she shut the door silently behind her, the three found themselves in a hallway. To the left, the stone walls marked the ending of the building, and to the right, the open-face rear of the bar.

"Get down," Bella whispered, realizing they could be seen through the various rows and layers of bottles.

"I got this," Khalid said confidently, setting down his cask of ale.

Khalid strolled out, rounded the right corner of the bar back, past the bar row opening, and rounded to the front of the bar. He stopped at the middle seat and placed his hands on the bar. Khalid chanced a glance around the tavern and took in the scene. Packed tables, two rows of four, seated various races and aged patrons. The conversation sound rumbled slightly lower than the bard's music played behind him at the other end of the rows. He glanced to his far left, and slightly behind him, past the end of the tables, he saw a large stone fire pit about fifty feet away. The pit, bright and burning, about fifteen feet long and ten feet wide, was surrounded by burgundy-clothed armchairs. The chairs were mostly filled and contained all varieties of patrons engaged in drink and conversion. The imposing figure he considered himself, no one had seemed to pay him any mind.

"She'll be back in a minute if you're looking for a fill-up." a female voice called to him. Looking to his left, seated on the second stool from the end, he saw a wild red mane of hair that sprung from a fur cloak. The short female figure just sat in silence, holding her empty tankard.

"This would be the moment for your friends to sneak out," she continued.

Khalid took the advice and ushered to the back of the bar rack, looking closely and noticing Bella peering out.

Affirming her handle on Zoz, she darted out and rounded the bar front to a stop next to Khalid.

Looking back, the small short figure was gone.

"Huh, that was weird. Hey, Bella, did you see a.." Khalid began

"We don't have time. Let's go," Bella interrupted.

Zoz, now free to his own devices, followed as Khalid and Bella headed for the tavern's rear. Heading along the plain stone wall from the end of the bar, the kitchen on the other side, they arrived at a simple wooden door on the north side of the firepit and directly opposite the front entrance.

Bella, leading, pushed the double doors open, and the cool breeze greeted her. The night sky was filled with stars with no moon in sight. The group found themselves in an alleyway barely ten feet wider than the door they exited from. A rustle came from a patch of shrubbery just ahead of them lining the wall.

"I think you're the ones I'm looking for," a voice emerged from the shrubbery.

The three immediately drew their weapons, fire igniting in Zoz's hands.

"No, no, no." The bush spoke.

A massive spider carapace was emerging, carried by eight black pointed legs. The carapace was coloured a solid black wrapped in two rings of frilly blue fabric. The wrapped material met at the back of a humanoid torso. The lower torso was covered in various light and dark blue fabrics similar to the rings, absent the frills. The figure displayed a bare mid-drift. The material resumed wrapping around the chest. It extended, with gaps around the shoulders, down her arms, partially covering her hands. A sheathed sword on her hips, and a silver plate covered her eyes with a small slit lengthwise for vision. Her hair shone a pure white with strands extending down her light grey-skinned upper body.

"My name is Xi'ti Ex'st'ns. I've been assigned as the fourth intern for Narzz." she declared.

"Hey, I remember you. You were in advanced concentration casting with Professor Charn," Zoz interjected, the fire now extinguishing.

"Oh yea, Zoz, right?" Xi'ti replied

"Yea, this is Bella and Khalid," Zoz said, the others raising their hands as announced.

"Hello. I tried to follow after you in the summoning room. I barely heard your destination and almost didn't make it out with the battle." Xi'ti said

"Where did you teleport to?" Bella questioned.

"Into a house with a family of gnomes within the city, which worked out perfectly because after the combat, I was quite hungry," Xi'ti replied. "You know you guys went to the wrong place, right? We are supposed to be south of here in Dalyn," she continued.

"We kinda got confused. He kept saying both names, so we just picked one. Do you know the way?" Khalid asked

"Yea, follow me. I'm somewhat of a local to this area," Xi'ti replied.

Wandering through the streets filled with closed shops and homes alike, they eventually came upon a small building with the lights still on and a sign on the thick oak door that read open.

The four looked up simultaneously to see a multi-coloured illuminated sign.

"Mcguffin's Magical Mysteries sounds interesting," Zoz said, breaking the silence.

"Should we..? Ok, I guess so," Zoz continued, noticing Khalid walking into the shop and the others following.

"Welcome! To Mcguffin's Magical Mysteries, My name is Leroy Mcguffin. What brings you in today?" A voice came from behind the desk centrally located in the room. The gnome was dressed in a fine black and white leather outfit. His hands rested on the opening of his vest with jewelled gold rings on various fingers. He had short white hair receding aggressively, showing he was on in his years, even for a gnome. His long imperial moustache and goatee were finely maintained.

"What would you say is the most interesting thing in this shop?" Bella questioned

The group, now fully taking in the interior of the small shop. Though it was small, it was filled with various items, both mundane and magical. There were various health potions on the shelves, surrounded by salves and tinctures. On another series on shelves were all manner of spell-casting components, from feathers to what looked like bat guano.

"Oh, I'd have to say this, but it's not cheap. It's a one-of-a-kind gem," Leroy said, pulling a drawer from the desk and withdrawing a pure black cloth, setting the fabric on his desk and unwrapping it to reveal a large, perfectly round blue gem.

As the gem came into view, Khalid felt a single intense pulse that immediately drew his attention toward the gem.

"That's just a sapphire," Bella said, unimpressed, as she grabbed some health potions from the shelf.

Xi'ti moved throughout the shop to explore the wares at the room's rear a bit closer.

"I thought so too, but this fabric was pure white when I first wrapped this gem in it," Leroy said. "This is more than just a simple sapphire," Leroy continued.

"Where'd you find it?" Bella asked, filling her drum with spell-casting materials.

"I didn't. A traveller sold it to me about two months ago. You're going to have to pay for those," Leroy said, noticing Bella was indiscriminately filling her drum with his wares.

"I don't think I will," Bella said

Khalid fixated on the gem intensely until…

"Ahhh! What are you doing?!" Leroy exclaimed, his panicked voice filling the shop.

Snapping from his fixation Khalid now met with the image of Xi'ti biting into the gnome's neck.

"Oh, this is gonna be weird," Bella said

A Sucking sound began to come from Xi'ti as Leroy's face began to deflate on the side Xi'ti was bitten into.

"Stop, please! Don't do this!" Leroy pleaded. The sucking sound continued as the gnome's eyes rolled back, and his body began to deflate.

"Yeah, you were right, Bella. That's weird.." Zoz commented

Everyone fixated on Xi'ti and Leroy. No one noticed Khalid had grasped the blue gem and placed it into one of his hip bags.

Zoz, Breaking from his trance, noticed the blinds on the store windows were wide open. "Bella, can you get the sign?" Zoz asked, moving to close the blinds on both windows.

Bella formed her fingers into a formation and breathed and whistled through them, pushing an arcane force outward to blow away the enchantment on the illuminated store name outside.

Xi'ti finishing her meal and dropping the bloodless body of Leroy to the ground with an empty thud of skin and bones, looked up to the group.

"We should probably get what we want and leave quickly. This place has a lot of guards," she said, wiping her mouth.

The four filled their pockets with health potions and spell components, then made for the door Zoz in the lead. Bella bringing up the rear, collected a local area map with a path to Dalyn and extinguished the candles on her way.

The four stepping outside into the now fully dark street hear the door behind them shut and a very audible click. Bella being the last out, turned the sign to closed.

"Uhhh, guys…. We might have a problem," Zoz said, looking left and right in the street.

Two sets of four guards approached from each direction on a path to intersect directly in front of the store.

Having been the last to exit, Bella quickly turned and tried the door. The handle didn't budge.

Today is not my day. She thought to herself.