Rakanar, the information broker, woke up that day with a splitting headache. He had drunk way too much the previous night, but who could blame him. His fears had manifested themselves, and he had been forced to fight a gnarled root that he had mistaken for a serpent. The moment the fear had entered his mind, the root had become a hissing serpent.

It was terrifying. He had managed to cut it down, but each time his fears came to life, he felt his sanity slipping away.

He'd been holed away in the Undercity for over a decade now, too afraid to walk the surface in case his fears came alive and threatened the city folk. He wished that he could remove his foundation card, it had brought him nothing but misery, but who would the curse move onto after him? Would it destroy the next poor bastard and the one after that in an endless chain of suffering?

Rakanar stood up, stumbling over to his bathroom sink and splashing some cold water on his face. His head throbbed, and his mouth felt like it was filled with sawdust. He needed a drink.

As he walked down the stairs and into the cavern, he saw light spilling in from a hole in the roof. He'd never seen anything like it before, but the shaft of light was clearly unnatural, and he knew that whatever had caused it, was bad news.

Rakanar hurried to the cave entrance, his heart racing. He was worried the light might trigger his card, and he didn't want to find out what form his fears would take.

He ran up the tunnel, his muscles rippling under his armor, and when he reached the cave entrance, he saw blue skies, tinged with green and a ball of yellow fire hanging in the sky. It was beautiful, and yet, it filled him with dread.

He didn't know why, but he knew that this was a sign, a message from the Tower. He didn't know what it meant, or what it had to do with him, but it was clear that it was a warning.

Rakanar was used to dealing with the unknown, it was his job, but this was something else entirely. He drew on his foundation card and the secrets of the world flowed into his mind. He looked up at the sky, at the sun and the stars. He saw the threads of fate and the flow of power. He saw the Tower, and the vastness of the cosmos. Each time he used the power, he was humbled by the scale of it, and the immensity of his own insignificance.

The knowledge burned inside him, threatening to consume his mind. He pushed back against it, forcing it into a tiny corner of his consciousness. One secret amongst the horde floated to the surface. A tiny piece of information, something he had never considered before.

"The Tower is afraid," he muttered.

It seemed crazy, but then again, what did he really know about the Tower. It was ancient beyond measure, and the secrets of its past were buried in the sands of time.

"It is afraid," he repeated, the realization sinking in.

Rakanar's heart raced, his mind racing with the possibilities, but then something quite unexpected happened. His vision flashed, and Bastion appeared before his eyes. The man was encased in magma, his body slowly melting away.

Rakanar reeled, the image seared into his mind. He felt a prodding in his mind, as if his name had been chosen in a roulette.

"Why me?" he shouted.

His heart thudded, like an icy fist was squeezing it. The vision of Bastion had been so real, so intense, that he could still smell the burnt flesh.

A new fear blossomed within him, a fear of being chosen. All around him, images of Bastion on fire manifested. The visions surrounded him, their eyes burning with a fiery rage.

"Leave me alone," he screamed, lashing out at the specters.

Death magic erupted from his fingertips, blasting the apparitions and sending them spiraling away.

As the last of the phantoms dissipated, Rakanar sank to his knees, his body trembling. Through the haze of smoke and light, he saw a figure standing before him. She was calling his name, her voice soft and soothing.

A stab of pain shot through his chest, and he gasped.

His heart stopped beating, and the blood in his veins was cooling.

"The Tower is afraid," he whispered, feeling the need to share the secret with someone.

A warm wind blew through the streets, carrying with it the smell of rain.

Rakanar felt the darkness enveloping him, and he embraced it, knowing that it would bring peace. He fell into oblivion, his last thought was one of relief, his cursed card would die with him. Nobody else would have to suffer.

A smile spread across his face, and then he was gone.

***

I awoke to muffled footsteps. I glanced out the window, it was still dark outside? I sat up, listening. Had I imagined it? I looked around the small room, seeing the huddled form of Eliaria sleeping peacefully beside me. Flint slept in the adjacent room. I could hear the sound of his snores through the open door.

I got up, slipping my feet into a pair of boots and grabbing my dagger. I stepped out into the corridor, looking around for signs of danger.

Nothing.

Miko's shop was quiet, the only sound was the soft thump of my footsteps as I made my way down the stairs.

"Bastion," a soft voice whispered.

I whirled around, my dagger held defensively.

"Miko," I said, seeing the horned figure emerge from the shadows.

She looked like she'd been through hell. Her robes were torn and bloodstained, her face was pale, and her horn had lost its luster.

"In the flesh," she replied, a wry smile on her lips.

"You're alive," I sighed in relief. "Where have you been, we were looking for you? How are the kids? Did they all make it out alive?"

"Hold your horses," she said. "One question at a time."

I lowered my dagger, a sense of calm washing over me.

"The kids are fine," she said. "Tired, scared, but alive. They are back home with their families, where they belong."

"Good," I replied, feeling a weight lift off my shoulders.

Miko looked uncomfortable, shifting from one foot to the other. "Look," she said, "I need to tell you something."

Eliaria stirred from the bed, yawning and stretching. She sat up, her eyes still heavy with sleep. "What's going on?" she asked.

"Miko is back," I replied.

Eliaria blinked, rubbing the sleep from her eyes, "What, seriously?"

"Seriously," I said, nodding.

Eliaria got out of bed and woke Flint up, while Miko began busying herself in the kitchen.

"Sit, I'll make some tea," she said, her tone a little too cheerful.

I have a feeling she is trying to distract us from asking questions.

The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

Flint emerged from the room, rubbing his eyes.

Miko looked uncomfortable, avoiding meeting our gazes. She poured us each a cup of some herbal tea that smelled like grass and earth.

"Drink, it's good for you," she said.

I took a sip, trying not to gag at the bitter taste. Eliaria and Flint did the same, their faces scrunching up in disgust.

Miko took a deep breath, gathering her thoughts.

"What's wrong?" I asked, concerned.

"Rakanar is dead," she said.

"Dead," I gasped, feeling guilt wash over me.

"I was with him in his final moments, something killed him. An invisible enemy."

I felt like I was going to be sick. Had he been the one to die in my place?

"I'm so sorry," I said, unable to think of anything else.

"Well shit!" Flint said, his brow furrowed.

Miko nodded, her expression grim.

Eliaria looked at me, her eyes widening as comprehension dawned on her.

"Bastion," she said, her voice shaking, "do you think it was-"

"In his final moments, he gave me a message," Miko interrupted, cutting off Eliaria's question.

"What did he say?" I asked, curious.

"He said, ‘The Tower is afraid.’ He repeated those words over and over."

Eliaria looked at me, a question on her lips.

"We need to leave the city tonight," Flint said, getting up from the table. "You should leave as well. It's not safe here anymore."

"Not safe?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "The whole city is celebrating the return of the sun."

"That's because they don't know what's coming," I replied.

Miko shook her head, "I can't leave the city. There are too many people who need me here."

"If things get ugly," I said, knowing that there was no point arguing with her, "head to the Undercity, it will be safer there."

Miko frowned, her face a mask of concern.

"I'll do that," she said, nodding. "What do you think is coming?"

"Who knows," I shrugged. "Something to do with the dragons, maybe an attack or the sun falling out of the sky."

"It will be alright," she said. "I trust the Maker."

I wish I had her faith.

"Where are you going?" Miko asked.

"We're heading west," Flint said, a hint of excitement in his voice.

"To the village of Kel'Veth," I added.

Miko's eyes widened, "You are going to fight the waves of destruction? That's suicide."

"It's a long story," I replied, "but yes, we're going to fight the waves."

"Then let me give you something," she said, her voice serious.

"Actually, I was hoping to make a trade," I said.

"A trade?" Miko raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, a trade," I repeated.

"What do you have that I would want?"

"These spell cards," I said, placing the two cards I'd taken from the Black Briar boss on the table.

"Two cards," Miko said, examining them. "[Fluttering Fern Finesse], a nature affinity foundation card and [Quagmire]. Interesting."

She looked up at me questioningly. "Don't you need them?" she asked.

"None of us use nature affinity," I replied, shaking my head.

"Very well," Miko said, "What do you want in return?"

"Something for Flint and Eliaria, and maybe something for me."

Miko smiled, "Alright, let's see what I have."

She traced a circle in the air and her card grimoire appeared, a silver chain linked the book to her wrist. She opened the book and flipped through the pages, muttering to herself.

"This might be useful," she said, turning the book around so we could see.

A single card rested in the middle of the page, a picture of a man swinging a sword, with a blurred duplicate of the sword floating above it.

"Bound Echo," Miko said, reading the description. "It's a curse affinity card that imprints a magical echo of the caster's strike on the target, causing a delayed secondary impact with half of the original force."

"Sounds pretty awesome," Flint said, rubbing his chin.

"Not really what I was looking for," I replied. "Do you still have that summoner's starter deck you showed us the other day?"

Miko shook her head, "Sold it to a noble's son."

"Oh, ok." I sighed.

Damn, I had so many ideas for those cards.

"What did you have in mind?" Miko asked.

"Something that deals damage but has some utility," I said, thinking out loud. "It has to be either curse, death or summoning affinity."

Miko grinned, "I know just the thing."

She reached into the pages of her grimoire, the pages turning by themselves.

"This," she said, pulling a card from the book, "it's exactly what you need."

She turned the card around and placed it on the table. It was a death affinity card.

"Bone Spikes," I read, holding the oracle glass to my eye.

"Yes," Miko nodded. "It creates a burst of bone spikes from the ground, impaling weaker targets and knocking stronger foes into the air."

"It is a rare though," I said, chewing my lip. "I'm not sure that I can afford it."

"Oh, don't worry," Miko laughed, "you guys have earned the hero's discount."

"Thanks," I said, picking the card up and studying the disturbing artwork.

"What about you two," Miko said, turning to Flint and Eliaria.

"Do you have anything with space, time or celestial affinity?" Flint asked, his face hopeful. "Preferably something that can pack a punch, I've already got too many utility cards, I'm starting to feel like a walking toolbox."

"Hmm," Miko tapped her chin, thinking. "All three of those affinities are typically utility or support, but I do have something that might interest you."

"I'll take it," Flint said, smiling.

"You haven't even seen the card," Miko laughed.

"Doesn't matter, anything is better than [Float]."

Miko rolled her eyes and turned her grimoire to a new page, revealing a card resting on the paper.

"Warp Strike," I read, the title of the card jumping out at me.

"That's awesome," Flint said, his face splitting into a grin. "What does it do?"

"It's a space affinity card," Miko replied. "It warps the caster to a target, hitting it with an empowered stick. Warp strike's cooldown is reset if the target is killed by the empowered attack."

"Now that is an offensive card," Flint said, rubbing his hands together.

He grinned at me. "Alright," he said, picking up the card. "I'll take it."

"And for you," Miko said, looking at Eliaria.

"What are you in the market for?"

"Something that will increase my survivability," Eliaria replied.

"Well, there's always the old standby, a healing card," Miko suggested.

"I already have one of those," Eliaria replied.

"How about this," Miko said, reaching into her grimoire and pulling out a card.

"Holy Armor," she read, placing the card on the table.

"Sounds interesting," Eliaria said, picking up the card and looking at the picture. "But I don't know, I was hoping for something that could immobilize my enemies, or maybe cause a distraction. Do you have anything that does that?"

Miko raised an eyebrow, "What kind of distraction are you looking for?"

"Something like an explosion or a flash of light," Eliaria said, her eyes lighting up. "Or maybe a swarm of insects or something."

"I have something that could work," Miko said, flipping through her grimoire. "But I'm not sure that you're going to like it."

"Let me see," Eliaria said, eagerness in her voice. She took the oracle glass from me and put it to her eye.

"Be careful what you wish for," Miko chuckled.

She pulled a card from her grimoire and turned the page so that we could see.

"Oh, gross," Eliaria said, making a face.

"That's an understatement," I agreed, studying the card.

The picture was of a woman vomiting up a swarm of spiders. The name of the card was, [Silk Spew].

"It's not as bad as it sounds," Miko said, laughing. "It's a versatile card."

"I'm sure," Eliaria replied, looking queasy. "Maybe something that doesn't involve vomiting or spiders?"

"Alright, how about this?" Miko said, pulling a card from the pages.

"[Crimson Chains]," Eliaria said, reading the title,

"Yep, it's elemental affinity," Miko said, nodding. "It summons ethereal chains made of fire that lash out and bind anything within the area, dealing fire damage over time."

"Sounds good," Eliaria said, picking up the card and reading the description.

***

After we'd made the trade, packed our belongings and the supplies we'd purchased from the market, we left Miko's shop. As the door closed behind us, a strange feeling came over me. A sense of foreboding.

"What's wrong?" Eliaria asked, sensing my mood.

"I don't know," I said, frowning.

I looked back at the shop, seeing the sign swinging in the wind. Miko walked to the door and gave us a small wave, her smile didn't quite reach her eyes.

"Let's get moving," Flint said, hefting his staff. "We have a long way to go before we reach Kel'Veth."

"You're right," I said, shaking off the strange feeling.

I looked up at the stars, seeing the first faint light of dawn on the horizon. Smoke rose into the sky from a nearby district, the smell of burning wood carried on the wind.

"The sooner we get there, the better," I added.

***