The walk back to the inn was both uneventful and unkind to my feet, which now hurt quite a bit.

When I arrived, it turned out that the innkeeper was in fact none too pleased with me. Just as I had presumed earlier. Leaving with a key to a room without paying was not appreciated and it took many apologies before she agreed to let me stay another night. Had I not wanted my stones of Fire Burst and to make sure that the imp was really and truly gone, I would not have come back here at all.

The room cost me another silver. The innkeeper claimed that the bath was always included and refused to cite another price. While I was doubtful about that, the bridge seemed burned. Hopefully I would find a less costly place to live tomorrow.

I paid five copper, a half-silver, for more of the fantastic food, something I was sure to miss when I left.

I sat in the same place as I had the evening before, enjoying my meal just as much tonight. I marveled at the number of people here at this time, did none of them need to work in the morning?

I took an experimental sip from my lager as it struck me; with becoming Aberration I might see the return of thirst. I was not about to test that theory here though. Ending up repeating my experience from the pool of water would cause quite a scene; the innkeeper was already cross enough with me.

I sipped from my lager and thought about the vision I had in the library, and the sensation afterward. I did not regret the loss of the Bloodline. Other than how it had cost me Attributes, which I would have preferred to have kept.

It did beg the question though; were there only downsides to being an Aberration? The book title had mentioned them in the same breath as Devils and Deva, both of which were very powerful creatures. It would have struck me as strange, if someone wrote a book titled 'Dragons, Elemental Lords, and Hamsters', unless it was a try at comedy. There might possibly be some gain for me in all this, but if it would be enough to offset my loss, only time would tell.

With a deep frown I took another sip. Now that I had time to sit down and think, I felt that it was not really true that I was taking all that had happened to me in stride. It was more along the lines of me just feeling numb. The last few days had been strange and overwhelming, and I now worried about the extent to which my mind had been messed with.

On that thought I put the lager down on the table, and headed to my room. It was time to make sure, once and for all, that I had not only lost the bond to the imp but that the creature itself was also gone. That I had not rushed up to make sure of that the first thing I did, was no doubt a testament to the fact that I was not as composed as I would have liked.

Unlocking the door and pushing it open with one hand, I was prepared to dodge anything that might come my way. I took in the seemingly empty and dark room.

It was a mess. Stones were thrown everywhere, the lantern lay on its side, unlit and broken. The bed was mostly unharmed, only a bit messy, while the small table had two legs broken off. Thankfully, there was no imp in sight and I felt my tension reduce palpably after I even checked under the bed. The nasty little creature was really gone.

I hesitated about what to do when my thoughts were interrupted by the innkeeper.

"What did that creature of yours do?! Those lanterns are a gold each!" She all but roared. It seemed she had been coming down the hall from the bathing chamber and I had not noticed her before now.

**

A gold and three silver poorer, I was walking up the stairs again, carrying a new lantern. The innkeeper walked ahead of me, holding a small table and grumbling under her breath.

My attempt to haggle the cost down had not gone over well. The innkeeper had loudly shouted about the cost of items that had no apparent relation to what had happened in my room. It seemed she was a very angry woman.

I had considered just running away but she had stayed very close to me, no doubt fearing that very thing. I was not prepared to start a fight where I might actually end up killing her, or worse, the other way around.

Truth be told, at any other time losing that amount of coin would have sent me into depression. Now though, I studied the lantern I held. This thing, when new and fully charged with Mana, was apparently worth a gold.

While I could not enchant the barrier around the flame, not knowing even where to begin. I had thought of something else though, Light was an open Sphere spell and should be easy to find at any Scribe's shop. Enchanting Light should hopefully work the same way as Fire Burst. If I used that spell to enchant something there would be no need for a flame or a barrier. There were some possible problems, like activation, but it was certainly worth trying.

Depending on how well it turned out, it might even rival a Mage Light. Which I now knew sold from between two and ten gold, depending on how long they lasted. The angry ranting from the innkeeper had actually been informative in a way.

**

The next morning I lay in bed staring at the ceiling for a time. I had been woken by the knocking, just as yesterday. I was still feeling numb and strange. Either it was an aftereffect of the changes I went through with my Bloodline or becoming Aberration, or it could simply be my mind trying to cope with the last few days. This might have been the first time I truly felt relaxed, with nothing immediate hanging over me.

After finally getting out of bed I spent some time collecting all my stones of Fire Burst, and putting them in the pockets of my coat. I slung the cloth bag over my shoulder and left the room. This was a day for finding somewhere to live and to see if I could make coin using Enchant. My feet felt a lot better. As my Health had gone up during my sleep, they had mostly healed.

When I came down the stairs, both Charles and the old man from yesterday were watching me and I found my steps faltering. I hoped that this was just a chance encounter.

They sat at a table laden with what might have been breakfast to rich people. It looked more like dinner for a family of five to me.

"Come girl, have a seat and eat!" The old man spoke loudly, and with a sigh at my ordeals I walked over and sat down. Running away did not seem too prudent at this point, even though it had been my default reaction for such a long time.

"I am Stravos Mercia, what is your name, girl?"

"Ewynne." His Ability was in full effect, forcing me to answer. But my mind was more focused on just who was sitting across the table from me. Stravos Mercia, the High Justicar, supposedly banished from the capitol to serve here in Logate. That rumor had been everywhere a year back, enough so that even I heard of it. This was without a doubt the most powerful man in the city. There was no way this would turn out well, was there? I rubbed my temples as a headache began. This day had seemed to start so well too.

The old man leaned forward, seemingly amused. I could still not get his features to stick in my mind, even when looking right at him. What exactly did this Ability or Trait do? I had clearly recognized him as I walked down the stairs. But I could not name a single feature on him. Except that I thought of him as old. I considered that for a moment, I remembered that I had thought something about his clothing yesterday, but it was difficult to recall now. There had been something about eyes too? Blue; ice blue, that was it! He had worn fancy, probably expensive, clothing. I had thought his Perfection was very high as well. Looking at him now, I got none of that. Perhaps proximity was a factor to whatever it was he used? Getting hold of my internal ramblings I waited to hear the reason for the High Justicar being here.

"What do you know about the politics of Logate?" That seemed like a strange place to start, and it was a subject I was quite ignorant about.

"The three major powers; the Guard, the Temple, and the nobles seem to mostly stay out of each others way." My answer was a shot in the dark, and vague enough not to be an untruth as far as I knew. I noted that I was not compelled to give it, sharing ignorance was not forced it seemed. Did that mean that the effect I was under worked with my own perception of truth then?

Stravos nodded slowly and chuckled.

"That is rudimentary to the extreme, but basically correct. The Mage Guild is also a major power. What about the High Quarter, though?"

The question took me off guard for a moment; what about the High Quarter? I had just assumed it was another place where rich people lived. I had seen some of the truly extravagant mansions in the Merchants' Quarter though, what would be the step up from that?

Stolen novel; please report.

Seeing as I had no answer, Stravos continued.

"In the High Quarter, you find individuals, families, and other groups that have amassed enough power that they are not just wealthy; a fair number hold enough power to rival a noble house on their own. Their wishes on specific topics need to be considered, as they are often quick to act if they feel threatened or slighted."

The old man leaned back and placed his hands on the table, while Charles seemed more than a bit confused.

"Why am I telling you this, you might wonder? You have a Bloodline, and with it an Ability or Trait that lets you sense magic in a way we find very useful. Do you know what Bloodline you are?"

It seemed strange to me; that sensing Mana would be rare. I waited for him to get to the point, as the answer to his previous question was forced out of me.

"No." I now noted that I was not forced to correct his mistaken assumptions either, which I gladly took advantage of. I hoped there would not be followup questions, I liked to keep being an Aberration to myself.

Stravos nodded and smiled. How could I tell that without perceiving his features? It was a frustrating mystery.

"That makes things easier. How do you believe we investigate a crime done by magic?"

I looked at him in surprise, the answer seemed almost obvious, what was his point?

"You have a Mage or a Cleric investigate it for you?" My voice trailed off. Now I could guess where Stravos was going with this, and he confirmed my assumption.

"Both Mages and Clerics have other loyalties and tend to often point fingers to suit their own purposes, rather than trying to find actual culprits. This is not always the case, mind you. But when anything of import happens the experts from both the Mage Guild and the Temple will assuredly draw completely different conclusions. Making my work very difficult."

Stravos' annoyance was palpable.

"Any Mage or Cleric with enough skill and levels to do what you seemingly do so naturally, can also protect themselves from any influence I might use on them. At least without being accused of breaking the very law I am trying to uphold."

He concluded his remarks as Charles started nodding slowly, as if he was now agreeing with Stravos, rather than being confused.

"But you are free from politics, you can investigate and tell me the truth. What problems do you see with an arrangement where I pay you to tell me about the magic you sense where there has been a crime?" I had several reasons why I did not think it was a good idea, and they were forced out of me.

"It would make me a target for every organization that would not want me to investigate. There is obviously corruption in the Guard considering the creepy man yesterday. Then there are the dying slaves in the pens, and quite possibly corrupt Magistrates as well; painting a rather bleak picture of the keepers of the law. None of which makes me feel safe with the Guard. And I do not like you."

Stravos threw his head back and laughed for some time before he stopped to look at me intently. Charles seemed shocked, but still kept quiet.

"What slaves dying in the pens are you talking about? That would be a loss of coin, no slave-keeper in the market would allow that."

"It was not the slave pens in the market. It was in a compound, I suppose somewhere outside the city." I told him tersely.

His fingers pattered out a rhythm on the table as he seemed lost in thought for a moment.

"Did you end up a slave then? Were you judged for a crime?"

"Yes. I do not know if the judgment was fair though; I was told I had done twelve golds worth of damage and was to be sold." Another answer was forced out of me and now I was starting to sweat. I elaborated somewhat when answering the question, hopefully to my benefit.

"That does sound somewhat suspicious, not necessarily against the law though. Lets pretend you have paid for whatever crime you might have committed and continue. You did not find yourself in the slave markets near the docks then?"

I started telling him about the cell and the people in it. The question was not phrased in way to force me into saying anything beyond a no, but I thought it better to give information freely, rather than have more questions asked. I rather not answer how I got out of the cell as that would also imply I was not human.

Maybe a Bloodline could have different classes than what was the norm, but I did not know that with any certainty. The imp's comment when in the cage seemed to imply it, but I would rather not gamble.

"Very interesting. I will investigate what you have told me. Can you describe any of the people involved?"

I wracked my brain, trying to remember. I had met and recognized the thin man in passing yesterday. Even so I could not describe him with any clarity.

"I think one of the men who was tall and thin has an Ability or Trait like yours. I saw him yesterday and could recognize him, but I can not recall him with any detail. There was a very fat man as well who seemed to be a Magistrate, with possibly the same ability."

Stravos hummed in reply and resumed tapping his fingers on the table.

"It is more likely that the thin man you saw yesterday extended the Ability to the room, than two in the same place. We tend not to work too well with our own kind and none of the current Magistrates have the Ability in question. Unfortunately it would have been more helpful if the Magistrate had been thin, there is only one of those. I find it most fascinating that you can describe them at all though. What can you tell about me?"

It seemed as if I had set myself apart once more, inadvertently. I considered saying as little as possible, but I could not think of a good reason to. There was not much I could hold back the way the question was phrased.

"You are old, have blue eyes, you have fancy clothes, a lot of Perfection and possibly a lot of Charisma too."

Stravos chuckled and Charles was now looking at me strangely.

"Very good! Very interesting too. My first thought was that your Willpower was high and that was how you could recall anything. But that does not seem to be it, as I do not look old at all. Very fascinating!"

He shook his head slightly.

"While what you have described is unusual, I am not sure there has even been a crime."

That statement made me stare at him incredulously. He seemed almost sad as he shook his head at me once more.

"The law does not have as its purpose to be kind or fair. The purpose of law is to keep order. If someone finds a way to do immoral or cruel things within the law, that does not make them illegal. Nor should they be."

I kept staring at him, not seeing his point.

"Did you kill anyone, fleeing your slavery?"

My heart raced as a yes was forced out of me, and Stravos leaned in close to me.

"Are you sure they all deserved it? Was it all just? Or were you thinking only of yourself? What you felt and what you wanted? What you did might very well have been a crime! Trying to bring justice to a society as ours; with so many people with vast personal power and a multitude of powerful organizations, it is all but impossible. That is not, nor has it ever been the goal. Keeping society functioning and chaos at bay is the goal."

I sat there stunned, as I tried to understand his point of view.

"What about the people you left in the slave pen to die? All this might be unjust and immoral, but it does not make it illegal."

I felt like I had taken a punch to the gut.

"But I will find out what has happened, if only for the waste of coin the city is due."

"So if the slaves were paid for, how they die is not a problem to you?" I asked in turn.

He just shook his head and went back to his earlier topic.

"Not liking me is good, I am not very likable to begin with. It shows you have some sense. Corruption within the Guard there might be, but the man you saw yesterday was a Cleric. His purpose was helping the investigation, which did not turn out as we hoped it would. All of which reinforces my earlier point about your usefulness."

Seeming to be amused, Stravos continued.

"How about being paid ten gold for agreeing to our arrangement. We will pay two gold for every day of work when we need you. With full pay for any partial days. What do you say to that, Ewynne?"

My eyes almost popped out of my head, and I had started nodding before I could stop myself. But I quickly started shaking my head instead, which made Stravos frown.

"Why not?"

"I do not want to die, coin does not keep you alive!" A reply that made him chuckle.

He tapped his fingers on the table once more as he seemed lost in thought.

"Five gold instead of two and I make sure no one other than Charles knows what you do for us. You report what you find to him or me, and I make sure he keeps quiet. Deal?"

While secrecy did not seem like something that could last forever, that amount of coin could get me a long way towards the safety I had just proclaimed it could not bring. What could I accomplish with a first Sphere spell, if I could afford one? A second Sphere spell?

I nodded at Stravos, and so joined the Guard, in a sense.

**

Eric stood in the cave with the now dead monstrosity. He would have liked to have taken credit for both completing the mission and killing the creature. But the truth was that the mission from the Archive all but resolved itself and so did the monster.

When Eric had eventually reached full Mana, his connection to the creature had opened up once more to drain its Essence. All the while he lay in the passage peeking out at it, warring with indecision for a very long time.

It was not until he had drained sixteen Essence from the creature, that the Voice interrupted the planning Eric was so very busy with.

Essence Drain canceled on Dire Brown Bear. Essence Drain complete.

That had been shortly followed by a screen from the Archive.

Mission complete!

Investigate the unknown creature in your Domain.

Reward: 13 Life.

This had not really resolved anything beyond the mission for Eric though. Now that he did not have anything to work on, he found himself completely at a loss as to what to do. He did not dare to enter the cave with the dire brown bear and instead just ended up laying there for even longer.

It was not until the bear died a few hours later that things really changed. The death of the animal caused the Voice to speak once more.

A Dire Brown Bear has died in your Domain. You have absorbed 64 Life Essence, you have gained 640 Life.

Eric's eyes rolled back as a rush of power flowed through him, invigorating him to a point that he lay there shaking for several minutes after it was all over.

He still waited for quite some time before daring to enter the creature's abode, to take a closer look at it. What he found did not make him feel much better about himself. The sharp bone protrusions that stuck out of the bear were not natural; they were spears of some kind that had caused horrible wounds, apparently the cause for its gruesome appearance as well as its demise.

Eric reminded himself that normal bears were dangerous, and even more so dire brown bears. His actions had been wise, he concluded.

Eric spent a lot of time exploring his two caves, though he found nothing more interesting than the small pool of water. During the first few hours he had hoped some other creature might show up and provide Essence, but this had not happened and Eric despaired that it never would.

After a long while and having nothing better to do, Eric went up the slope and out of his cave. He found himself looking out over swampland as he walked outward a bit to see if he could spot something interesting.

It was very quiet in the swamp this morning and he tried to remember if he had learned anything about them, but could recall nothing of note.

After having stood there for quite some time, listening and watching he finally heard something. In the distance there was a dull thud, which made the ground quake just a bit. Eric leaned forward to see what could possibly be making that noise.

A few moments later, a giant skeletal creature came into view in the distance.

Eric turned and ran back into his cave.

As he entered the cave the Voice spoke.

Reestablishing connection to Dweller 432-22. No new Essence has been absorbed. No new Life Essence has been absorbed. No new mission progress. Reality sync completed.

Surprised enough to be distracted in his headlong flight, Eric tried to wrap his head around the idea of having lost connection with the Voice, possibly even the Archive itself. This was baffling to him, how could this be possible; he had just been outside of the cave after all.

Eric turned around and waved an arm through the entrance, but he felt nothing special or different. There was no other reality outside of the cave, that idea was just stupid.