You would have thought that a city without any sunshine would be cold, but you'd be wrong. The volcano beneath Caldera kept the temperatures warm, and the lack of sunlight meant there was hardly any wind, so the whole place was humid.

That said, the inn was nice and cool, probably because of the thick stone walls. It was a relief to finally get out of the heat, and into a place where I could relax and have a drink.

We made our way to the bar, and ordered a round of drinks. We were running out of money fast, so we had moved onto the cheaper ven'thik ale. It was still pretty good, if a bit bitter, it tasted like fermented leaves with a fruity aftertaste.

Eliaria wasn't in the mood for company, and quickly excused herself, going off to read the scrolls.

Flint and I spent a couple of hours chatting about Misty Hollow and everything that had happened on my trip there. He was eager for the details, and I was more than happy to indulge him.

The evening wore on, and the inn slowly filled up. The noise level rose as patrons arrived in groups, and the smell of food and beer permeated the air.

After a few more ales, I was feeling a little better. I was still worried about the ven'thik pickpocket. I think it was because he reminded me so much of Flint and I when we were young.

I had lost track of time, but by the looks of things, the night was in full swing. A kithara bard had taken to the stage, and was singing a song in a language I didn't understand.

"What do you think that song's about?" I asked.

"Who knows?" Flint said, humming along.

"It's a love song," Eliaria said, looking up from her scroll.

I hadn't noticed her return, she had been so quiet.

"Well, if you're not going to sing, then we should dance," Flint said, standing up and holding out his hand.

"I don't dance," she said.

"I thought priestesses were supposed to be graceful and elegant," Flint said, wiggling his fingers at her.

"I think you are mixing up priestesses and princesses," she replied, turning her attention back to the scroll.

Flint shrugged and made his way to the dance floor, he spotted a zorin woman dancing alone and moved in, joining her.

"So," I said, leaning in closer, "are you ready to talk about it yet?"

"About what?" Eliaria asked, not looking up.

"You know," I said, "your whole silent treatment thing."

"I don't have a thing," she said, still reading the scroll.

"Yes, you do," I replied, "what happened when I was gone?"

"Nothing," she said, not making eye contact.

"Come on," I said, "it's not like we're going to judge you."

She let out a heavy sigh and set the scroll aside. "I thought you were trying to help people," she said, her gaze fixed on the table, "isn't that why you're trying to get the wish card, to make things better?"

"Well, yes," I said, "that's the plan."

"Then why did you turn the ven'thik child down?"

"Because it's not our problem," I replied, "and because we have more important things to worry about, like getting strong enough to take down the floor boss."

"He needed your help," she said, her voice trembling slightly. "Or do you only help people that benefit you? Would you have saved me if I wasn't a card mage?"

"Of course," I said, a little offended, "it's not that I don't want to help, it's just going up against a gang in a city we know nothing about, it's suicide. Look what happened to us at the Mother Dragon temple, we almost lost our souls."

"But we didn't," she said, her voice rising. "The strong have a duty to help the weak, and what we did today was wrong."

"I agree with you," I said, "it took all of my resolve to say no, but the reality is this thing is bigger than me. I owe it to a lot of people, including Flint, to do whatever it takes to get that wish card, no matter what the cost."

She was silent for a moment.

I hated seeing her like this. When I'd been down, she'd been there to lift me up, and now I felt like I was letting her down.

"It's not right," she said, her voice barely audible above the music. "That whole community is being oppressed, and we did nothing. Mothers are selling their children for a handful of copper coins, so they can buy dragon's breath. The homeless are being hunted like animals, and vanishing without a trace. All because the Black Briar think it's the best way to earn a quick coin."

I didn't know what to say, but the truth was, she was right. I had chosen not to help, not because it would have put our mission at risk, but because it would have caused conflict with Flint. He didn't care about the ven'thik, or anyone else in the city, his priority was the mission.

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"It's not right," I repeated, "and we can't let it continue."

"So, you'll help them?" Eliaria asked, looking hopeful.

"Yes," I said, nodding, "but convincing Flint is not going to be easy."

"He'll come around," she said, giving me a slight smile.

"Maybe," I said, "but in the meantime, let's have some fun."

"I don't feel like dancing," she said, glancing towards the dance floor, "maybe another drink, though."

I smiled, and ordered us a round of drinks.

The night wore on, and we drank and eventually Elia and I danced. The music was fast and wild, and the crowd was lively.

Flint disappeared up the stairs with the zorin woman he'd been dancing with, and we gave them some time to be alone. After a while, Eliaria and I got bored waiting, and decided to head back to the room.

As my head hit the pillow, the alcohol caught up with me, and I fell asleep, still dressed in my dirty clothes.

***

The next day, we were up early. After breakfast, we headed out to Tattertown, to see if we could find the ven'thik child again.

Flint and Eliaria were both in a bad mood. They had spent the entire breakfast arguing about the child and what we should do.

"I don't get why you all of a sudden give a shit?" Flint said, shaking his head.

"Because he reminds me of us when we were kids," I said, "Remember those first days after the blight. We were starving, it was chaos. We were living out of trash cans."

"I remember," Flint said, his eyes hardening, "nobody saved us back then, and we turned out fine."

"Don't look at it like we are saving some kids," I said, "this is part of the mission. We have run out of money, and I sure as hell know that those Black Briar bastards will have a lot of loot on them. If we want to buy new gear, clothes and supplies we are going to need some gold. Who better to take it from than criminal scum like them."

Flint seemed to consider my words.

"We have no idea how many there are," he said, "and what weapons or magic they have. It would be suicide. It's easy for you, it doesn't matter if you die, but I value my life."

Eliaria's eyes widened at that last part.

"You don't need to help," I said, "you can wait at the inn, while Elia and I get the lay of the land. We can meet you back there once we're done."

"No," Flint said, shaking his head, "I'm not letting you two idiots go off alone. You know damn well that I can't say no. If something were to happen to you…"

He trailed off.

"What if something were to happen to Bastion?" Elia asked, looking concerned, "he's not immortal. You’ve hinted that he doesn't need to worry about death a few times now, and that if something happened to him, you would be the one to pay. What do you mean?"

Flint glanced at me and shook his head, "You sort this shit out," he said, before walking away. "I'm sick of keeping secrets."

"Fine," I called after him, "we will meet you back here tonight. Just stay out of trouble."

"Whatever," he shouted, not turning around.

Eliaria looked at me, confused, "What was that about?"

"Nothing," I said, "don't worry about it."

"Come on, Bastion," she said, "I've always known there were secrets you were keeping from me, but I thought we were past that."

"We are," I said, "and it's not that I don't trust you, it's just complicated."

"How about you try un-complicating it for me," she said, crossing her arms.

I wanted to tell her, but if she found out that her life could be taken if I died, that might be the push she needed to leave. Our whole group seemed to be falling apart, and the last thing we needed was more complications.

"It's not a big deal," I said, "it's more of an inside joke between Flint and I. It's not important."

She eyed me for a moment, clearly not buying my explanation.

"Look," I said, trying to change the subject, "let's find the kids, and see if we can learn more about the Black Briar. We can work on figuring out a way to help them after that."

She didn't look convinced, but let it go.

***

We searched for hours, but found no sign of the kids. Eventually we started asking the shopkeepers and other denizens of Tattertown if they had seen them.

Most of them were too afraid to speak, and when we mentioned the Black Briar their expression would become even more fearful, and they would quickly hurry away.

Eventually, we managed to find an old human woman, who would talk. Her daughter had been abducted by the Black Briar and in her own words, "I have nothing left to lose."

She told us about the Black Briar's operation. They had started as a typical street gang, extorting businesses and stealing from passersby, but they had recently changed their modus operandi. They were now actively kidnapping children, nobody knew why, but rumors were circulating that the children were being sold off and the Black Briar had grown rich and powerful overnight.

"What about the ven'thik moth child and his friends?" I asked, "have you seen them? Do you know where he lives?"

"Bas'Kin?" the woman said, "yes, I know him, poor thing. I heard there was a confrontation between his gang and Black Briar last night. They killed two of the boys, and took the other three, Bas'Kin included."

I felt my heart sink.

"They killed them?" Eliaria asked, clearly upset.

"I'm sorry," the woman said, shaking her head, "the Black Briar are monsters."

"Do you know where the other three were taken?" I asked, feeling a lump in my throat.

It wasn't that I knew these ven'thik kids or even had a strong connection to them, but they were young and they didn't deserve death. To hear that they had been killed made my blood boil.

"No," the woman said, shaking her head, "nobody knows where the kids are taken, it's a heavily guarded secret. Some say they are taken up into the mountains, but others say they are kept in the passages beneath the city."

"Where did the fight happen?" I asked.

"In an alley, not far from here," the woman said, "but if the Black Briar is around, it's not safe."

"That's okay," Eliaria said, "we will be careful. Thank you for your time."

The woman nodded, and went back inside her shop.

"Do you think the bodies are still there?" Eliaria asked, looking in the direction the woman had pointed.

"I doubt it," I said, "but do you know who will have the information we need?"

Eliaria frowned.

"The Black Briar themselves," I said, my jaw clenched.

"How do you plan to get that information?" Eliaria asked, frowning.

"Simple," I said, "we ask nicely."

Eliaria raised an eyebrow, "And if they refuse?"

"Then we ask not so nicely," I said, my voice filled with determination.

***