Amidst the ethereal moonlight, Caldera stirred with a hushed energy. The mist, like a shroud, seemed to wrap the Tattertown in secrets, obscuring the derelict buildings from view.

In the heart of the city, at the crossroads of Pog and Ludwig Street, I crouched low atop the roof of a brothel. From my vantage point, I could see the entirety of the intersection. The area was heavily populated, and it was apparent that most of the people here were drunk, or drugged.

Teenagers carried pipes, filled with dragon's breath, and took drags every few minutes. A group of men were fighting in the street below. One of them had been pushed down, and was now being kicked in the face. Another man, presumably a friend, stood over the two, cheering the attackers on.

"Do you see anything?" Eliaria whispered, crouching next to me.

"No," I said, shaking my head, "the Black Briar should be patrolling this area, but they seem to have taken the night off."

"What about those guys down there?" she asked, gesturing to the group beating the man, "they seem pretty rough, maybe they are Black Briar."

"I don't think so," I said, watching them, "they don't have the look of hardened criminals. More likely a bunch of drug addicts having a pissing contest."

"So, what's the plan?" Eliaria asked.

"The same," I said, "stay low and keep a look-out. The Briar can't be far. Miko said that this brothel is part of their territory."

Flint moved closer, peering over the edge of the roof and watching the fight in the street below. He had been unusually quiet since our conversation at the inn. I could tell he was angry with me, and it wasn't just because I'd gotten him involved in helping the ven'thik kids. He felt like I'd taken Elia's side, and he was wrong. Elia and I wanted to help the children, and Flint didn't, it was as simple as that.

"You know there is an easier way to do this," Flint said.

"Oh yeah?" I said, glancing at him, "and what's that?"

"We could just walk up to them and ask them where they bought the drugs," he said. "You said the Briar are the one's selling it."

"It's not a bad idea," I said, thinking about it, "but I don't think they are going to tell us."

"Don't worry, I got this," Flint said, dropping from the roof.

"Shit," I said, as he disappeared.

"He seems a little more unhinged than usual," Eliaria said.

I shook my head, "That's just Flint."

"Excuse me, sir," Flint's voice drifted up to us, "do you have a moment to talk about a god named Norgrod."

The man stopped kicking the downed man and turned to look at Flint, confused.

"What the fuck," the man slurred, stumbling forward and trying to grab at Flint.

Flint punched the man in the stomach, sending him doubling over. The man gasped and collapsed to the ground.

"Norgrod is a good god," Flint said, looking at the man, "do you want to be saved, my friend?"

The other men stared at Flint in shock.

"What is he talking about?" Eliaria asked, peering over the ledge.

"Yeah, maybe he’s a bit unhinged," I said. "Norgrod was the name of his dog, it died when he was nine."

The three men looked at each other, and then turned and fled, leaving their friend behind.

"Norgrod is with you, and will protect you," Flint called after them, as they vanished around a corner.

"So, it's just me and you," Flint said, looking down at the man on the ground.

"Please, no more," the man sobbed.

"Don't worry, my friend," Flint said, squatting next to him, "I'm not going to hurt you."

"Then why are you doing this?" the man said, his voice cracking.

"I have a question for you," Flint said, sounding sincere, "if you answer honestly, I probably won't kill you."

"Kill me?" the man gasped, his voice rising.

"Relax," Flint said, placing his hand on the man's shoulder, "tell me where you got your dragon's breath and if I like your answer then I’ll think about sparing your life."

***

"Is that the guy?" I asked, peering out the window at a man standing across the street.

"Yeah, that's him," Flint said, nodding.

After his conversation with the man on the street, Flint had learned the location of a dragon's breath dealer. From there, it was a simple matter of waiting for the man to be alone. The dealer was a tall, skinny, dark-haired man. He paced back and forth, glancing around nervously.

"What do you think," Flint said, "just go and knock him out."

"No," I said, frowning, "let's wait until he's met with whoever he's waiting for. We might learn something useful."

"If you say so," Flint said, "I'll let you make the call."

We waited, watching the man from our spot on the second floor of the house across the street. The house was abandoned with dark scorch marks on the floor, and walls, telling a story of some past tragedy.

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I drummed my fingers on the window sill and hummed a jingle from a candy bar commercial as we waited.

A few minutes later, footsteps sounded in the street, and another man appeared down the alley. He wore a hooded robe, but his eyes glowed an unnatural red and his scales glistened with a sheen of sweat. As he passed beneath us, he looked up in our direction.

"Shit," I muttered, backing away from the window.

"It's ok," Flint said, "he didn't see us."

"That's the acolytes assistant," Eliaria whispered. "The one from the Dragon's Temple."

"How can you tell they all look the same to me?" Flint said, frowning.

"He has a scar running along his face," she said, pointing, "that's him."

"You're right," I said, squinting and making out the scar.

"So, what do we do?" Flint said.

"Leave the sliven, we are here for the dealer, that's all," I said, moving back to the window.

The two men spoke in hushed tones, but I could tell that the sliven was angry. After a brief conversation, the sliven handed a small pouch to the dealer, but before he could leave, the sliven grabbed his arm.

"He looks upset," Eliaria whispered, watching from behind me.

The sliven's glowing eyes flickered, and he leaned close to the drug dealer. After a few seconds, the dealer nodded, and the sliven released his arm. The sliven glared up at the house again, and then turned and walked down the alley.

I waited for his footsteps to fade before activating [Shroud Form] and dropping from the second story window. I landed silently, the surrounding shadows protecting me from any injury.

The shadows made me all but invisible in the dark and I moved quickly, crossing the street and approaching the dealer from behind.

The man was counting the money he'd been given when I hit him with the butt of my dagger. He let out a whimper before collapsing into a heap.

I picked up the money and his bag, stuffing the coins in my pocket and slinging the bag over my shoulder, before grabbing the man by his legs and dragging him into the alley.

Flint and Eliaria took the stairs two at a time and met me a few moments later.

"What did you get?" Eliaria asked, breathing heavily.

"Some money, and a bag full of dragon's breath vials," I said, handing her the items.

Voices drifted towards us and, as I glanced towards the mouth of the alley, a group of three men appeared.

"We need to move quick," I said, gesturing at the unconscious man.

"I got him," Flint said.

He raised his hand and cast [Arcane Vault], the portal swallowed the dealer and, a second later, the portal vanished.

"Nice," I said, impressed, "I didn't know you could use it on people."

"There's no air in there," Flint said, shrugging. "So we have a minute or two before he suffocates."

"What the hell!" Eliaria said, shaking her head, "you can't kill him."

"Relax," Flint said, grinning, "he'll be fine, he might have brain damage, but I doubt it. The real problem is that it pushed my Karmic Debt to twelve percent."

"Shit, we will have to deal with that later," I said, gesturing at the men entering the alley. "Right now, we need to go."

We ran from the alley, and then slowed, joining a group of pedestrians. I mentally counted the seconds, wondering if the dealer would survive.

"Do you really think he will be ok?" Eliaria asked, glancing at me.

"We don't have much time left," I said, "we need to let him out, before it's too late."

We rounded a corner and saw a tavern. People were loitering outside and, as we watched, a woman stumbled from the door and began puking in the gutter.

"There," I said, pointing at an old wine barrel outside the tavern.

The drunken patrons shouted at us, but we ignored them. We didn't have time to get into a fight. We crossed the road and I quickly pulled the lid off the barrel, silently thanking the Maker that it was empty.

Flint waved his hand, and the portal reappeared, dropping the Black Briar dealer into the barrel. The dealer fell to the bottom with a wet thud and I slid the lid over the top sealing the unconscious man inside.

***

The sign read Miko's Magic Emporium, and I paused in the doorway, taking in the chaotic interior. For a spell card shop, it wasn't what I had expected. The inside was filled with a wide variety of items, most of which I had no idea what they were.

There was a rack of glass orbs, which appeared to be filled with swirling smoke, a shelf of strange jars filled with multicolored liquids, and a collection of weapons and armor that looked expensive.

The only other person in the shop was a young boy, who stood behind the counter and looked at us with wide, brown eyes.

"Are you here to buy something?" the boy asked.

"Yes, we are," Eliaria said, approaching the counter, "is Miko around?"

"She's busy," the boy said, his eyes shifting from Eliaria to Flint, and then to the barrel, which I had dropped onto the floor, "what's in the barrel?"

"We need to speak to Miko," I said, ignoring his question.

"Like I said, she's busy," the boy said, his eyes narrowing.

The dealer inside the barrel groaned, and the boy's head snapped towards the noise.

"Is someone in there?" the boy asked, his voice rising.

"Just my stomach," Flint said, patting his belly.

The boy's eyes grew wide, and he took a step backwards, bumping into a shelf. A stack of books teetered precariously, and the boy reached up, trying to catch them, but was a moment too late. The books crashed to the ground, sending a cloud of dust into the air.

"What's going on?" a voice shouted, as a door behind the counter opened.

A beautiful zorin woman, with red hair and a small horn protruding from her forehead, strode into the room.

"Miko," the boy gasped, his eyes growing even wider, "watch out."

The dealer in the barrel groaned again.

"Ah, look who's here—Mystery Boy and the gang of misfits," the zorin exclaimed, grinning at our group.

"Nice to see you again, Miko," Eliaria said, smiling at her.

Miko's gaze shifted to the barrel, and she furrowed her brow. "Is there someone inside that barrel?"

"It's not what you think," I said.

The lid popped open, and the drug dealer poked his head out. He looked around the room, dazed.

"Help me," he gasped.

"What in Teon’s name is happening?" Miko demanded, glaring at us.

"We needed a place to interrogate him," Flint said.

"Well, you could've chosen a different place," Miko remarked, shaking her head.

She stepped closer to the man and then froze, "Oh shit! Is he a Black Briar?"

"I need to ask him a few questions," I said, glancing at the boy, who was staring at us in shock, "and not with an audience."

"Jax, go home," Miko said, her voice firm.

The boy didn't have to be told twice. He ran from the shop, and a second later, the door slammed shut.

"Really, you guys," Miko said, giving me an annoyed look. "Do you know how much shit you are in? The Black Briar are backed by the priests of Tiamara, and they won't like the fact that you've kidnapped one of their dealers."

"I didn't kidnap him," I said, shrugging, "he's just resting."

"We found him like that," Flint added.

Miko rubbed her temples and shook her head, "This is going to be a headache."

"We just need to ask him a few questions," Eliaria said.

"What could possibly be so important?" Miko asked.

"The Briar are kidnapping kids," I said, "we plan on finding out where they're being taken and setting them free."

Miko's eyes widened, and she took a deep breath, "Lock the door, and get him into the back room. We have a lot to talk about."

***