Adran Stormwind took the food and slowly stepped outside, quickly swiping money from a guy passing by. Leila waited for him impatiently. She glanced up as he stepped outside of the store,

    "So?"

    Adran gave her a piece of bread and shrugged,

    "I got us a few day's rations," and he showed Leila five gold, "I also swiped this from a rich looking guy on the way out."

    Leila snorted and shook her head,

    "I love you."

    Adran smiled and kissed her on the cheek. 

    "Love you too, sis."

    Leila and Adran camped outside of the city. Leila stoked the fire and Adran took a bite of the venison. A low growl echoed throughout the woods, and Leila glanced up.

    "Come on out Tingle," she said. From the bushes, a black panther emerged from it and rubbed its head against Leila's arm. Leila smiled and scratched Tingle behind the ear. Tingle started to purr and laid down across her legs. They remained in silence for a few more minutes before Leila spoke up,

    "Remember when dad made us sign up for Abyssal classes?"

    Adran chuckled,

    "Yeah, I don't even know why he made us. It's not like we're going to ever go to the Abyss. Granted, I did learn some cool-sounding curse words." 

    Leila smiled in response,

    "I guess that's one right thing that he did."

    Adran nodded solemnly and said,

     "One good thing."

     Adran and Leila laid down for the night and woke up early in the morning. They packed up and set off. They walked in silence for an hour or so, before Leila stopped. 

     "What?" Adran asked. Leila held up a hand and shushed him. She cocked her head as if listening for something. Adran tried to listen, and pick out what she was hearing, but heard nothing out of the ordinary. Leila perked up, drew her bow, and rushed off. Adran drew a dagger and ran after her. Tingle was close behind both of them. They ran for several minutes before they burst through the treeline. They were in a clearing, and Adran glanced around. In the center were a few short, green-skinned creatures. Goblins, Adran thought. They were surrounding an elven figure. She was female, lithe, and wearing a simple t-shirt and pants. Billowing golden hair reached her shoulder-blades, and she turned to face the newcomers. She had piercing green eyes, a sharp nose, and a small mouth. Adran recognized her, Viona Moonstone. Leila's best friend in Syngorn, and sorcerer. A little grin crossed Viona's face, and she said,

     "There you are, I've been looking for you guys for the past three years. Mind helping me out?"

Leila grinned and casually released an arrow. It embedded itself in the back of a goblin's head. It slumped to the ground, and Viona moved out of the goblin's reach. She muttered a few words, and in front of her, she drew arcane sigils in the air. Runes appeared in front of her, and Viona finished her chant. Several missiles of arcane energy zoomed from her and impacted the goblins. Adran swiped at a goblin with his dagger, dodged a strike from another one, and groaned as a goblin's dagger sliced across his side. He sliced through the remaining goblin around him, as Leila and Viona finished with hers. Adran looked up and saw Viona with a hand on her hip.

     "So," Viona said, "let's catch up."

     Adran, Leila, and Viona sat in a circle around each other. Leila helped Adran treat his wound as Viona and Leila caught up.

     "After you left Syngorn I stayed there for several years. I learned a little more magic, but I finally left when I felt I was powerful enough. I've been looking for you for the last three years. What about you?"

     Leila sighed, 

     "We ran away, and we were on our own for a few years. We didn't want to go back to our mother, because we thought she would be disappointed in us. However, we finally got back, and we found a pile of rubble where our house used to be. Our mother had died to a dragon attack just a few months before."

     Viona bit her lip,

     "I'm sorry."

     Leila smiled,

     "It's okay," she said, "that was six years ago."

     Viona shook her head,

     "Still."

     She placed a strand of hair behind her ear, and she glanced at Adran. As Viona stared at him, Adran felt old feelings resurface, and his heart skipped a beat. Adran turned away from her, but he didn't see a small smile on her face. Leila glanced between the two of them and narrowed her eyes. The half-elven woman sighed before she stood up. 

     "We probably need to get going," she said, "I want to get to Kymal by tomorrow."

     They entered Kymal the next day and found a bar to stay in. 

"Two beers," Adran said, and rubbed his temple, "and give me the strongest drink you have."

The bartender, a young human woman, grabbed two mugs and poured beer into it. She then grabbed a bottle of vodka and a shot glass and placed it on the table. 

    "Three gold," she said. Adran placed the gold he had swiped from a man earlier and grabbed the mugs and his drink. 

    "We're going to get shit-faced tonight," Adran said to Leila, "it's the anniversary of mom's death."

    Leila downed her beer in a couple of seconds and said,

    "Alright, split the shots."

    Adran had already taken a shot and poured her a shot. She took it and pounded it. Adran poured another shot, and this unspoken competition continued. They did this every year since mom's death. Leila would grab a beer, and Adran would get the most potent drink the bar had. After Leila finished her beer, they would take turns on Adran's glass. The first person to pass out, throw up, or lose your drink in general, lost. At that point, Adran was ahead. Leila had won two, and Adran had won three. Viona observed the two of them with a raised eyebrow. Adran and Leila were six shots in each, and showing no sign of slowing down. Adran's vision was starting to blur as he finished his seventh shot, and Leila's hands were beginning shake. Adran tried to pour another shot, but the drink began to pour on the table. Viona groaned and took it, and poured a shot. Adran took it and placed it back down. Leila took her shot and pounded it. This game continued until they were each at their eighteenth shot. Adran's vision blurred, and he dropped his shot glass. He then looked to the floor and began to throw up. Leila shot up,

    "Fuck you! I win!" 

    She then started to sway back and forth and collapsed on the table. Both of them were hardier than ordinary people, but that many shots had gotten to them. Viona turned to the woman that had come over to clean up the mess,

    "Allow me," she said. Viona muttered a spell, and the vomit cleared from the floor. She then took Adran and Leila and slowly began to carry them up to their rooms. 

    "I'll sleep on the floor," Adran murmured, "you guys take the beds."

    Viona laid Leila down on the bed, and laid Adran down on the other bed, ignoring his protests. 

    "Night Adran," she said, and leaned down and kissed him on the cheek.

     Adran awoke the next day to a horrible hangover. He slowly sat up and rubbed his temple. Leila sat up next to him. Viona burst through the door,

    "Good morrow, my friends!" she chirped. Adran and Leila groaned in unison. 

    "No noise," Leila said, and Adran groaned again as his headache flared. 

    "Okay, you both were too loud there."

    Viona grinned and stepped in front of Adran. Adran shook his head,

    "Don't you fucking dare," he said. Viona grinned wider and released a massive yell. Adran groaned in response as his headache flared again. 

    "I hate you," he said, "I hate you so fucking much."

    Leila and Adran stared off into the distance as they drank coffee. A barmaid placed glasses of water in front of them. Viona hummed a song cheerfully as the twins tried to mitigate their hangover. 

    "Every fucking year," Leila said, "every year it gets this bad."

    "Yeah, hangovers can be pretty severe," a strange female voice said. Everyone's attention shot to the newcomer. A half-orc woman sat down next to them. She didn't have any tusks, but she had green-tinted skin and piercing blue eyes. On her left cheek was a small skull. She seemed familiar to him, but Adran couldn't place it. He rubbed his head and said,

    "I'm sorry, do I know you? If I threw up on you last night, I'm sorry."

She shook her head,

    "You didn't throw up on me, but you might remember me. I'm Hyla."

    Adran's eyes widened,

    "Hyla!"

    Hyla was an old friend from Tyriok; they hadn't seen her since their father took them away. Adran had to rub his temple again as he took another drink of coffee. 

    "Okay," Leila said, "too loud."

    Adran spoke slightly quieter,

    "How are you doing?" Adran asked. Hyla shrugged,

    "Pretty good."

    They spent the next couple hours catching up. Finally, Leila, Adran, and Viona decided to set off, and they let Hyla tag along. Adran swiped coin from a few different guys and managed to get enough for about three days of rations each. They picked up Tingle outside of the city and set off. 

    "Where are we going?" Viona asked. Leila shrugged,

    "We never really know. We travel the roads until we come across the next town."

    "That seems like a bizarre way to travel," Hyla said. Adran rolled his eyes,

    "Then you plot a course for us."

    Hyla grinned and put down her bag. She unfurled a map of Tal'Dorei. On it were several dotted lines throughout the continent. 

    "These are the paths I've traveled," Hyla said, "I've been working to... well I'd rather not say."

    Hyla traced her finger to Kymal, 

    "We only left about twenty minutes ago, so we're not far out. So, my next destination was Stilben. I thought we could either follow the trail or now that I have Leila we could cut through the Dividing Plains."

    Adran did the math. 

    "It would be an eight-day journey to Westruun alone, and then about another ten days to Stilben. If we cut through the Dividing Plains, that's only about eleven days. Maybe add another half-a-day."

    Leila smiled,

    "I could get us through the plains without slowing the travel. What're rangers for?"

     The next few days passed uneventfully. Leila powered through the Dividing Plains, quickly finding the most accessible paths to travel. Adran and Viona talked and slowly, Adran began to remember just how much he liked her. 

     "Adran," Leila said, "this is Viona." 

    Adran turned to face his twin and saw a golden-haired elf standing next to her. Adran smiled and held out a hand,

    "Hi," he said, "I'm Adran Stormwind."

    Viona took his hand,

    "Viona Moonstone."

    As she touched his hand, Adran's heart skipped a beat, but he controlled his reaction. 

    "Nice to meet you."

    The four of them set down for the sixth night on their journey. They finished setting up camp, and Hyla stood up. 

    "I have to do some training."

     Adran watched as she walked over to a tree, got into a fighting stance, and began punching it. Adran winced as he heard the impact of bark against her fist, but it didn't seem to affect the half-orc. Adran smiled at Leila and Viona playing blackjack, and Adran laid down for the night. 

     Adran awoke the next morning and gathered his things. He looked at Leila and sighed. He noticed the earring on his sister's ear and winced as he remembered how she got it. 

     A twelve-year-old Adran stepped into their kitchen. He grabbed a plate from the counter and sat down at the table. He watched as their mother, Kaylie, was working on piercing Leila's ear. 

    "Why are you giving her an earring?" Adran asked. Kaylie smiled,

    "Your dad's going to be here tomorrow. I want to give each of you one last gift before you leave."

    Adran sighed,

    "I still don't see why we have to go."

    Kaylie finished with the piercing, and Leila kissed her on the cheek and hugged her. 

    "Thanks, mom," she said. Kaylie hugged her back and looked to Adran,

    "I never got a chance to spend time with my mother. I regret that every day. If your father wants to spend time with you, then I can't prevent him from doing so."

     Adran sighed, and Kaylie smiled at him. Leila fiddled with her new piercings, and Adran stood up and stepped over to her. It was a silver piercing that represented a drawn bow. 

    Adran winced and kissed Leila on the forehead. He then roused everyone from their slumbers. They set out before the sun rose. The four of them spent the next few days traveling until finally, they came upon the K'Tawl Swamp. Adran covered his nose as the pungent smell made him scowl. 

    "Come on, guys," Leila said, "clean the place up."

    Viona covered her nose and replied,

    "I don't think they can clean a swamp up."

    "Shut up."

    Adran chuckled at the conversation as they made their way to Stilben. 

    "So why are we here again?" Adran asked Hyla. Hyla bit her lip,

    "I need to kill a vampire."

    Adran froze and turned to her,

    "A vampire!"

    Hyla scowled at him,

    "Yes, a vampire."

    "You couldn't have said anything before?"

    "It's only a vampire spawn. It's not full-powered."

    "That doesn't answer my question!"

    "It's because I didn't want you freaking out. Like you are now."

    "I'm not freaking out-"

    "Yes, you are."

    "I'm just a little miffed that you didn't tell us that we were trying to kill a vampire! A fucking vampire!"

    Hyla sighed,

    "I'm sorry."

    Adran breathed in, and he started to calm down. 

    "I'm sorry for bursting out at you. We'll help you, but maybe tell us that we're fighting a blood-sucking demon a few days earlier next time."

    The four of them walked into the rundown town and drew some questioning eyes. 

     "I don't like the look these guys are giving us," Viona whispered as they passed a group of buff guys. Adran kept an eye out, and a hand on his dagger. They managed to get into a tavern unimpeded and paid for three rooms. They sat down at a table and Adran said,

    "What next Hyla? We're here. Where's the vampire?"

    Hyla sighed,

    "I guess it's outside the town. We can investigate later today. Right now let's drink."

    Leila smiled and said,

Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

    "I think I remember why I like you."

    Adran and Viona refrained from too much alcohol, but Hyla and Leila had a massive hangover the next morning. 

    "Pst," Adran said to his sister, "morning, sleepyhead."

    Leila groaned and said,

    "Too loud."

    "Well, you better get ready, because we're going to be around loud noise the entire fucking day!"

     Leila used a healing spell and cured her hangover, and helped Hyla with hers. The four of them met outside, and Adran grabbed a random person and said,

    "There are rumors that there's a vampire here, where?"

    The man looked at him strangely and said,

    "There are rumors that a man keeps a vampire locked in his basement."

    "Where?"

    The man gave them directions, and the four of them set off for the edge of town. Adran knocked on the door, and he heard the clattering of locks. A pale-skinned man peered out from the other side. 

    "Yes?"

    Adran cocked his head,

    "We heard you have a vampire problem, and we've come to fix it."

    The man sighed, glanced out, then opened the door and gestured them in. 

    "You're the second person that's come by about the vampire."

    "Second?"

    "Yeah, he's in here."

    Adran and the other three stepped inside and sitting on the couch, drinking a cup of mead, was a dwarven man. Bright red hair pulled into a bun, and a beard of the same color adorned his face. 

    "Tordek?" Hyla said. The dwarven man glanced over,

    "Hyla?"

    The man stood up and looked up at Hyla, who was about a foot-and-a-half taller than him. They wrapped each other in a hug, and Tordek said,

    "What're you doing here?"

    "Killing a vampire."

    "Funny, me too!"

    The two of them talked for a minute as Adran asked where the vampire was. 

    "In the basement, I'll take you to it."

    Hyla and Tordek followed the other three as Adran fell back to talk to the dwarf. 

    "So, Tordek, huh?"

    Tordek nodded,

    "Tordek Fireforge."

    "What's your specialty?"

    "Specialty?"

    "Well, I'm sneaky and hit hard. Leila, my sister," and he pointed to her, "has limited magic, a panther, and is a crack shot with a bow. Viona," and he pointed to the elf, "is a sorcerer. Hyla's is punching things. You?"

    Tordek grinned,

    "I'm a cleric of Pelor."

    Adran smiled,

    "Well, the cleric of Pelor, let's hope we don't die today. I'm Adran Stormwind."

Tordek shook his hand and the man took them into a back room and lifted a trapdoor. 

    "He's down here."

    The five of them looked at each other and started down there. 

    Immediately a blur of grey rushed towards Adran, and before he could react an arrow impacted it. The figure stopped, and it let out a bloodcurdling roar. Adran rushed forward and stabbed it in the side, and groaned as its claws raked against him. Hyla slid under its legs and punched it in the back several times, as, in unison, a green bolt of energy from Tordek, and three missiles of arcane energy impacted it. The vampire grabbed Adran by the neck with one hand, and Hyla with the other. With a growl, it slowly lifted the two of them into the air, and a twisted grin crossed its face, and with a gravelly voice it said,

    "Yum."

    Before Adran even knew what happened, the vampire was biting into his neck, and Adran's vision instantly went fuzzy. For a second, it seemed like this was it; he was going to die. The next thing Adran remembered he was on the ground. Breathing heavily and shaking. Several arrows stuck in the vampire's chest, and it slowly fell over. Leila sighed heavily, and she ran over to help him. 

    "You okay?" she asked. Leila placed a hand on him and sent a wave of healing energy through him. Adran's vision cleared slightly, and he nodded and tried to say something, but he could only let out a string of incoherent mumbles. Hyla sat down next to him. She ran a finger over the bite wound on his neck for a minute. 

    "He's going to be fine. That sucked a little life force out of him, but give him a night's rest, and he'll be good as new."

    "Rest," Adran said, "that sounds nice."

    That was the last thing Adran remembered from that day. 

     Adran awoke the next day, feeling much better. They were in a room, and Leila sat next to him. 

    "You scared me Dickweed," she said as she saw him waking up. Adran smiled and slowly sat up. Viona opened the door a minute later,

    "Leila I-" and she stopped as she saw Adran, "you're awake!"

    Adran barely saw her move, but before he realized what was happening, she wrapped him in a hug. Viona instantly pulled back, her face burning red, and said,

    "Well, I have food coming up."

    Viona rushed off, leaving behind a blushing Adran. Leila stared at him with a raised eyebrow and malicious glint in her eye.

    "What?" Adran asked. Leila smiled,

    "You like her."

    Adran tried to bluff,

    "No, I don't!"

    "It's so obvious! You like her, and she likes you. Oh, my gods, this is awesome!"

     Adran decided to drop the act.

    "Fine, I like her. I've liked her ever since I first got to talk to her. I don't know, just something about her is so controlled and calm."

    "I'm controlled and calm."

    "Okay one, you're my sister. Two, you pummeled a guy's testes into his body for saying that panthers are stupid."

    "He shouldn't have said that."

    "My point is, no, you're not."

    "Whatever."

    Leila sighed and looked at her brother, and for a moment, Adran saw the kid she used to be. The kid that memorized several different types of herbs found that one that Adran was allergic to, and rubbed it into his underwear, just for shits and giggles. For a split second Leila was a little kid again, not the guarded woman that tried to remain strong ever since she learned her mother died.

    "Here's my question, you like her, and it's pretty obvious that she likes you. So, why don't you tell her?"

    Adran sighed, shrugged, and put his legs on the side of the bed.

    "I... I want that, more than anything in the world. But if I do, and something happens, if I die, or if we have to break up, or something... well I couldn't live with myself. Knowing that I hurt her."

    Leila's eyes softened and said,

    "This is more than a little crush, isn't it?"

    Adran nodded. Leila smiled and sat down next to him. She pulled him into a hug and said,

    "You are the kindest, bravest, and sweetest person I know. And I'm not just saying that because I'm your sister. I'm saying that because if I have learned anything from these past fourteen years, it's that if anyone deserves someone to be happy with, it's you."

Adran smiled and said,

    "Thanks."

    Leila giggled a little as she said,

    "My brother's in love!"

    Adran and Leila came down the stairs and found Viona, Hyla, and Tordek at a seat. Viona smiled at him, though her cheeks were tinted slightly red. Adran tried to sit down on the opposite side of her, but Leila butted through and took the seat. Adran glared at her, and she smiled cheekily at him. Adran growled and sat at the only remaining place, next to Viona. A barmaid set a glass of ale down, and Adran stole it from Leila. Leila glared at him, and Adran grinned at her cheekily and took a drink. Adran gave the rest of it back to Leila, which was instantly snatched by Hyla. By the time it was finished, about three-quarters of it was gone.

    "I hate all of you, fuckers," Leila murmured. 

    "Where to next?" Adran asked. Viona shrugged,

    "I have some things I can do in Westruun."

    Adran raised an eyebrow,

    "What do you need to do?"

    Viona pulled out a book from her bag and opened it. Archaic runes sat etched onto the page, and Adran was unable to decipher it. 

    "I have no idea what any of that means," he said. Viona sighed,

    "It's talking about a spell, a powerful spell, the most powerful spell a mortal creature can cast. Wish."

    "Wish?"

    "It allows you to warp reality itself. I'm a long way off from being able to cast it, but if I do get powerful enough, I will already be able to cast it."

    Adran sighed,

    "And what's in Westruun?"

    "In the library is a great tome of arcane knowledge. It might help me."

    Adran looked to everyone else,

    "You guys fine with that?"

    Leila shrugged,

    "We don't have anything better to do."

    Hyla and Tordek agreed. Adran grinned and clapped his hands together,

    "Let's find some reality-warping magic motherfuckers!"

     They didn't find any reality-warping magic. At least not on the first day. They sat down for the night away from the road and took their watches. Adran and Viona took the first watch. 

    "Why'd you hug me this morning?" Adran asked. Viona blushed and put the hair behind her pointed ear. 

    "I was happy to see you awake. You're my friend, and I don't want to see you die."

    Adran raised an eyebrow,

    "The first day you met me, you helped Leila put a spell on me to where I would always have an erection. That lasted for a week."

    Viona giggled as she remembered the prank,

    "That was pretty funny."

    "You're not a guy; you have a boner for a week! Not fun!"

    Viona grinned and said,

    "Oh, but it was funny as hell."

    Adran decided to let it go. He turned his attention back to the landscape. Viona sighed,

    "I'm sorry."

    Adran glanced at her,

    "Huh?"

    "I'm sorry for how horrible I treated you before. I was excited to have a friend finally, and I guess I was willing to do anything."

    Adran smiled and put his arm around her,

    "It's fine."

    Viona laid her head on his shoulder, and Adran's heart skipped a beat. 

    "You should get some rest," Viona said, "I'll take the rest of the watch."

    Adran tried to fight back, but she shot him down. 

    "Rest, now," she demanded. Adran sighed and slipped into his sleeping bag. 

    "Night V," he whispered. 

    "Night Adran," Viona said, and Adran slowly drifted off to sleep. 

     Adran awoke early the next morning, before anyone else, except Hyla who was on watch. 

    "Morning," he said groggily. Hyla smiled and replied,

    "Morning."

    Adran yawned, stood up and gathered his supplies. Adran decided to let the others sleep a little longer. Tordek was up about fifteen minutes later and began strapping his armor on. 

    "Who's ready for a peaceful day of traveling?" Hyla asked. Immediately a loud boom echoed throughout the forest. Adran groaned and looked at Hyla,

    "Why do you say things?"

    Leila instantly shot up and grabbed her bow. She scanned the area, alert for danger. 

    "No one's attacking us," Adran said, "but I think there is a fight going on that way," and he pointed in the general direction he heard the boom from. Adran stared at Leila,

     "You're going, aren't you?" Adran asked. Leila grinned cheekily,

    "My brother knows me so well."

    They awoke everyone else and ran towards the sounds of fighting. Adran and Hyla were ahead of everyone else and came upon the main road. Adran saw a bunch of sickly green, short, creatures, goblins, surrounding a human man about six-foot, pure white hair, piercing blue eyes, and he held a weapon in his hand. As Adran looked at it, he noticed it was a pepperbox, a pistol. The man moved away, dodging strikes from the goblins, but groaning as one goblin's club hit him. He raised the pistol, pulled the trigger, and Adran winced as the same booming sound as before echoed throughout the forest. A bullet erupted from the barrel and impacted a goblin. Black ichor spurted from the goblin's chest, it let out a bloodied gargle, and fell to the ground. The man, despite killing that goblin, wasn't looking good. Specks of blood were on his face, and cuts and bruises were evident on the man's arms. Adran sighed, and before anyone could say anything, his dagger was in a goblin's back. 

    "You need help?" Adran asked the man. The man nodded

    "Yeah, I could use some."

    "Good because I have more."

    In unison, an arrow, dart, and a bolt of divine green energy, and three missiles of arcane energy arced from the bushes and impacted four different goblins, and each of them fell over and died. Adran grinned at the man, as he casually stabbed a goblin. It wasn't long before they cleaned up the monsters. Adran turned to the man, and held out a hand,

    "Adran," he said, "Adran Stormwind."

    The man shook his hand,

    "Ander," he replied, "Ander Brightwood."

     Adran and Ander sat down for a minute as Tordek nursed Ander's wounds. 

    "What were you doing out here?" Adran asked. Ander shrugged,

    "I sort of just escaped from a jail cell, and just ran until those goblins ambushed me."

    Adran raised an eyebrow,

    "And what were you in that jail cell for."

    Ander smiled slightly, 

    "Nothing I'm guilty of. Don't worry."

    Adran stared at Ander intensely before he said,

    "Okay!"

    Hyla stared at Adran strangely, and Viona muttered a spell, and Adran heard her voice in his head,

    "Adran, you sure we can trust this guy?"

    Adran replied,

    "I have a good sense when it comes to people. Just trust me, we'll be fine, I promise."

    Adran heard Viona sigh loudly, and Adran turned to Ander. 

    "Where are you heading to?" Adran asked. Ander shrugged,

    "I'm just wandering around. Nowhere in particular."

    Adran glanced at everyone, and Leila gave a sigh before nodding, and Adran turned back to Ander. 

    "Want to come with us?"

    Ander glanced at him curiously,

    "What?"

    "Well, there's safety in numbers, and it could help if people try to hunt you down. We're heading to Westruun, so if you want to split off there, you can."

    Ander shrugged,

    "I've got nothing better to do. Sure, why not."

     They returned to their campsite with Ander in tow, gathered their things, and set off again. The next nine days were uneventful, and they entered Westruun without a hitch. Viona and Tordek split off from the group and went to the library. The other four went to a nearby tavern to procure rooms for the night. Adran was quickly swiping the gold from passersby. They found a bar and paid for a place for the night and waited for the other two to come back. As Adran and the other three talked, he saw a few people from the back of the room glaring at them. Adran pretended not to notice, and after a while, after seeing them do nothing, he decided he was tired of waiting for them to do something. He stood up and said,

    "I'm going outside."

    Leila stared at him strangely, but Adran discreetly gestured to the guys in the corner. Realization dawned in his twin's eyes, and she nodded. Adran stepped outside the door to the tavern, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw the three guys getting up. Adran turned into an alley and pretended to begin peeing. Adran closed his eyes, and he heard the tack of the feet of the men on the stone road. Adran turned to them and said,

    "Alright, now tell me, why were you guys looking at me strangely, and why did you follow me?"

    A man stepped forward,

    "It's three on one; you're outnumbered."

    Adran swung his arm back and forth, stretching it out. 

    "So bring about four or five more guys back, and we'll be an even match."

    The guy stepped forward,

    "What makes you think you can win against us?"

    Adran sighed,

    "Look, dude, I just killed a vampire a week-and-a-half ago, your scrawny ass doesn't frighten my fucking pinky toe."

    The man growled and swung at him with his fist, but Adran ducked under it grabbed the guy's arm, and with a swift drop of his elbow felt the bone of the guy's arm snap. The guy dropped to the ground, holding his arm and screaming in pain. Adran glanced at the other two guys, 

    "You guys still want to mess with me, or..."

    Another guy rushed at him, and Adran sighed dramatically. He dodged a strike, grabbed his dagger, and jammed it into the second guy's shoulder. The second guy let out a yell, and Adran turned to the last guy. He gulped, and Adran could see the regret dawning in his eyes. 

    "Please don't hurt me," he whimpered. Adran put his dagger back in its sheath, and held up his hands, to show that he wasn't holding any more weapons. 

    "I won't hurt you, and I'll leave your friends alive. You have my word. Just tell me why you came after me."

    The man gulped and said,

    "We were hired, don't know by who, but a woman told us to try to kill you. We've been tailing you since Stilben."

    Adran narrowed his eyes and stepped forward slightly, and the guy whimpered. Adran stared him down before grinned,

    "Well have a nice night, get these guys to a doctor, and don't hurt me or any of my friends or I will fucking kill you."

    The guy nodded, and Adran went back into the bar. Leila raised an eyebrow as he sat down again,

    "How'd it go?"

    Adran grinned,

    "Broke one guy's arm, stabbed another guy in the shoulder, and made the last one shit his pants."

    Ander furrowed his brow,

    "You are violent."

    Leila nodded,

    "Tell me about it."

    Adran stared at her curiously,

    "Um, excuse me, I'm nowhere near as violent as you."

    Leila scoffed,

    "Sure."

    The two siblings argued back and forth, and as they did, Hyla ordered four mugs of ale. 

    "Thanks," Adran said, reaching for one. Hyla slapped his hand away,

    "No, it's mine."

    Adran reached for another, but she slapped it away too. 

    "All four are mine."

    "All four? Why?"

    "If I'm going to have to put up with this for the rest of the night, I'm going to have to be drunk off my ass."

    Adran sighed and rolled his eyes. Ander slowly stood up,

    "I'm going to call it for the night."

    "Night," Hyla said, her voice muffled from her second mug of ale. Ander trudged up the stairs and disappeared. Adran and Leila decided to call a truce, and Viona and Tordek returned later. Hyla and Tordek chose to call it a night, leaving Adran, Leila, and Viona alone. 

    "Did you find anything?" Adran asked. Viona shrugged,

    "Nothing too extraordinary."

    They sat around for a while before Viona decided to call it a night. 

    Leila looked at Adran,

    "Hey bro, I have a question."

    "Yeah?"

    "A month ago it was just the two of us, then Viona joined, followed by Hyla, Tordek, and now Ander. What the hell? I mean, are we going to stay together or what?"

    Adran shrugged,

    "Well, Viona and Hyla are friends. Tordek seems pretty nice, and Ander seems like he could use some friends. If need be, we can split off from them at any time, but for now, there's safety in numbers."

    Leila smiled at him,

    "I feel like this is the start of something great."

    "What do you mean by great?"

    "I don't know, just something awesome is going to happen soon."

    Leila smiled, leaned forward, kissed Adran on the cheek, and said,

    "I'm going to bed, and you probably should too."

    Adran smiled and kissed her,

    "I'll be up there in a little bit. Love you."

    "Love you too."

     Adran finally called it a night around two in the morning. He woke up, and the six of them met in the bar. 

    "Anything else we need to do here?" Adran asked them. Nobody had anything they needed to do so Adran grinned,

    "Perfect! Because Winter's Crest is in a couple of weeks, and all of Vox Machina is going to be there for the first time in six years. I'm not missing this."

    Leila rolled her eyes, and Viona threw her head back,

    "You're still obsessed with Vox Machina? Dude, you've been fanboying over these guys for years! Give it a rest!"

    Adran rolled his eyes,

    "First of all, I'm not obsessed. Second of all, these are legendary heroes! Even if I were obsessed, which I'm not, it would be understandable!"

    Vox Machina is a legendary group of eight heroes. Of which only six remain. They made a name for themselves when they uncovered that a demon was corrupting Sovereign Uriel Tal'Dorei III and his family, and then proceeded to kill the demon. A keep was built for them, and they became local heroes. They continued their journey when they journeyed into the Underdark, and defeated the Beholder, K'Varn the Mad, who was controlling a colony of mind-flayers. Brain-eating creatures that possibly hailed from the Far Realm. They freed Whitestone from the tyranny of Sylas and Delilah Briarwood. When the ancient dragons Thordak, Raishan, Vorugal, and Umbrasyl of the Chroma Conclave attacked Tal'Dorei and split it up among themselves, Vox Machina managed to track them down and kill all of them. Vox Machina solidified themselves as legends when they defeated the lich god Vecna, who was marching towards the Dawn City, Vasselheim, on an Earth Titan. Vox Machina mostly retired at that point and went their separate ways. The eight members, to this day, remain legends. Lord Percival Fredrickstein von Musel Klossowski de Rolo III, or Percy as his friends call him, the human ruler of Whitestone. Lady Vex'ahlia de Rolo, or Vex, the half-elven Grand Mistress of the Grey Hunt, and wife of Percy. Grog Strongjaw, the goliath Grand Poobah de Doink, Lord of All This and That of Whitestone. Scanlan Shorthalt, their gnomish bard. Pike Trickfoot, a gnomish cleric of Sarenrae, and wife of Scanlan. Keyleth, the half-elven leader of the Air Ashari. Tiberius Stormwind was a dragonborn sorcerer, and died during Vorugal's assault on Draconia. Vax'ildan, or Vax, was the sister of Vex and boyfriend of Keyleth. Who died shortly after their battle with Vecna. No one is quite sure why. Adran's obsession with the group started when he bumped into Pike during a visit to Westruun with his mom. Falling down and scraping his knee. Pike helped him up, and used her magic to heal him. Since then Adran was eager to learn everything he could about them, and when he learned that all of them would be in Emon for the first time in years, he wasn't going to pass that up. 

    "Alright guys," he said, "go wait outside the city. I'm going to grab some supplies."

     Hyla decided to stay back and grab a few more drinks, as the remaining four started towards the main gate. Adran went through the city and grabbed them supplies before heading back to the bar to pick up Hyla. Adran glanced inside, and around Hyla he saw several human men. 

    "I suggest you get out of here love," one of the men said, running a finger up and down the blade of his knife, "before we make you."

    Adran heard Hyla sigh, and stand up. She towered over the man, but he didn't back down. Adran groaned and drew his dagger, and he stalked up behind the man. He placed the dagger against the throat of the man and growled into his ear,

    "Lay one finger on her, and I'll slit your fucking throat."

    The man glanced behind him, and sneered at Adran. 

    "I suggest you get out of 'ere elf. Before we hurt you."

    Adran pressed the dagger slightly harder against his throat, and drew blood,

    "I suggest you get your fucking races right. I am neither an elf nor a human. Now, get away from her before I slice open your neck and spill out that piece of shit that you call a brain."

    The man glared at him, and Adran returned with an even more intense glare. The man's stare faltered and Adran released him, he stumbled away and gestured his goons away. As they stumbled out of the bar Hyla looked at Adran. 

    "I didn't need your help."

    Adran rolled his eyes,

    "If Leila were here she would jam an arrow into his crotch as well as cut out an eye. If you ask me, he got off easy."

    Hyla scoffed but apparently decided it wasn't worth it to argue with him. Adran perked up as he heard someone clapping, he turned to see a halfling. About three-and-a-half feet tall, with short brown hair and blue eyes sparkling with mischief. 

    "Thanks for that, that guy has been causing trouble in here for the last week."

    Adran raised an eyebrow,

    "And you are?"

    "Thesik Tealeaf, you can call me Thes! I have a proposition for you."

    Adran smiled slightly,

    "And what would that be?"

    "Well, I've seen you around the city, and I know you're planning on going to Emon. I need to go there too. The open road is a dangerous place. I will pay you for your troubles if you accompany me."

    Adran smiled,

    "Do you have anything that could be of help to us?"

    Thes smiled, cleared his throat, and proceeded to sing. He sang the most beautiful lullaby Adran had heard since his mom sang the same lullaby years ago. Thes finished and grinned, as Adran wiped a tear from his eye. 

    "Are you crying?" Hyla asked him. 

    "I'm not crying," Adran said, "you're crying!"

    Hyla smiled and sighed as Thes said,

    "I have acquired many bardic skills over the years. They could be of use to you."

    Adran sighed,

    "Fine. Anyone else?"

    "Yes, my best friend is going with me. He's getting supplies right now. He'll be back in a minute."

    Adran smiled and said,

    "Well, let's wait a minute. Once he gets here I'll introduce you to the guys."

    Hyla stared at Adran, concerned,

    "Are you sure everyone's going to be up for this?"

    Adran smiled,

    "It's only temporary, and they could be of great use."

    Adran rubbed Thes' head and said,

    "Come on, my sister's going to love you."

     "What the fuck were you thinking?" Leila yelled at Adran, "We are already filled to the brim with people, and suddenly you say two more people can come in? How about we go up to a random kid and say, 'hey, you wanna fight monsters'!"

    Adran rolled his eyes and pushed Leila's face away from him. Thes, along with his friend, a huge golden dragonborn with a greatsword strapped to his back named Thayden Turnuroth, were sitting back awkwardly. 

    "Look sis," Adran said, "they only need to go to Emon. After that we can bid them farewell. Besides, the halfling is a bard. He can be very useful."

    Leila sighed and looked at the two newcomers.

    "I guess they do seem pretty nice."

    Adran grinned and looked at everyone and said,

    "Alright, we still have a long way to go to Emon. Two weeks of travel guys! Let's go!"