-- James --

I could only stare at Violet. Clocking the receptionist across the room. When she turned I felt my heart stop, as she turned her sickly sweet smile onto me. "Why did we come here, James?"

I held my ground, "For information." Her glare was intense and always made me feel small, but somehow I got out, "And we got it."

"And a trap!" She yelled, then pointed toward the door, "Now we're locked in."

It took me a moment to register what she just said, "Just push the button behind the desk." If the man could trap them with a button there would be another for him to unlock it. I mean I thought we would have to fight him to escape, but with Violet knocking him across the room. There wouldn't need to be a fight.

Violet rolled her eyes, "Do you really think they would make it that easy?"

"Yes?" I answered hesitantly to disagree with her.

From across the room, the receptionist lifted his head, "You should..."

Violet was across the room in the blink of an eye smacking him, "You should shut it."

I let out a long sigh, "Just hit the button."

Violet turned to me, "James there is not going to be a button." She said seriously before throwing her hands in the air, "If there is this is the stupidest trap I've ever heard of."

"Hey!" The receptionist said indignantly.

"Shut it." Violet glared and the man recoiled.

I rolled my eyes. I knew she wasn't going to believe me, so I walked over to the desk and after a few seconds of looking I found a big red button marked the door on the desk. I pushed the button and heard a click from the entrance. Looking over I could even see the door slightly ajar now. I turned to Violet with a smug smile.

She rolled her eyes, "Don't give me that look. This is the stupidest shit I've ever seen."

I was tired and felt drained, from what felt like a betrayal. They might not have been my guild but they were in part, "Let's just get out of here."

Violet stopped whatever cutting remark when she saw my face, "Fine." She began to walk towards the door before stopping and yelling at the receptionist, "Next time use a better trap."

The man nodded quickly nodded, "Yes, mam."

We made our way out of the guild, all the while Violet was cursing up a storm. She was starting to get creative when she was interrupted by an annoying voice that literally rumbled through us.

"And now we have questers." The voice was gruff deep and he had to have been using some kind of skill. We both froze to look at the crowd of people led by an older man with salt and pepper hair, and well-worn scale mail, he was tall and wide and he had rings under his eyes. He was glaring at us like we were beneath his time, and his words all but confirmed it, "I don't have time for the standard speech of" The man's voice shifted to sarcastic, "Fight with us, oh heroes, else the town will surely fall."

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The entire time the man was talking the group following him surrounded us. I only noticed when I turned to Violet and saw the people behind her. This was not shaping up to be good.

"Uh..." I said dumbly. I could only guess this was what the man was stalling for. My hand fell to my sword.

Then the man began to berate us, "No. No. You all have chosen the worst possible time to be questers. A purge is coming, and there is something off about the migration."

Does he think this is somehow our fault? Then what he said hit me, "Wait, what?" I was a regular word-smith today, but it was the only thing I could think to say.

The man shook his head, "Doesn't matter. Normally we set you all up with a nice little village to 'protect' then all the pretty little storylines for the show can happen." The man's voice started to vibrate us again, "But one! You came late!"

I felt my teeth rattle when I looked around the streets seeing a crowd growing, "Should we be doing this in the middle of the street?"

"Two! Something big is happening. So you will be fighting the main wave." The man declared.

I could only take a step back grabbing my sword tight. Who was this? And why was he commanded us to fight? Don't we get a choice?

I was about to speak up when he cut me off, "And three! You're coming with me so I can assess your skills so we can figure out where to put you." Every time the man spoke I felt the command, and it made me want to obey.

"What?" Violet asked. Everything happened so fast she was just as flabbergasted as I was.

I wasn't much better, "So we have to?"

The old man smiled, "Yeah you do. You questers always get up to some stupid shit if we just let you run around." What does that mean? It isn't us doing the crazy things. It's all the other people with their schemes.

"And if we promise we won't?" I asked hopefully, though I was curious and wanted to test myself against this migration.

The man sneered and looked us up and down, "Where is the rest of your team?"

"Uh..."

"That's none of your rotting business!" Violet shouted at the man.

"Oh? It isn't?" The man tilted his head amused.

"Yeah!" Violet stood her ground.

"Well let's find out. Follow." The man commanded and turned.

I could see the stubborn look in Violet's eye, "Why should we?"

The man's head drooped with a tired sigh, "Always have to be stubborn." The man turned, "I am the leader of this city and I don't have time to deal with you."

The man turned to another well-armored man slightly smaller than the city leader, with light brown skin and a short fade cut, and multiple swords at his waist. "Hawthorn!"

The man stepped forward, "Sir!"

"Show them why."

"Sir?" "Hawthorn looked at his commander confused.

The commander rolled his eyes as he said, "Duel them or something. That always seems to work with their type."

"Yes sir!" Hawthorn pulled both swords and walked towards us.

I took a step back as I started to pull my blade. Looking at the people all around us I saw a few with their hands on their weapons. We weren't getting out of this without a fight.

"What if we'll just go with you?" Violet asked. That surprised me I didn't think she would give in so easily. Though one look at her and I knew if she was to go with them it would be kicking and screaming. Her muscles were growing and her hand was on her mace.

"Will you?" The commander asked, with a raised eyebrow.

I let out a sigh and drew my sword, answering with a stern, "No." I turned to Violet and motioned for her to take a step back. I swear she almost jumped me there, "Please." That caught her off guard as she eyed me taking a step back. I turned back to Hawthorn and infused power into my next words, "I, James Larch Pennyroyal, challenge you, Hawthorn, to this duel of HONOR."

Hawthorn and the commander looked amused by my words, Hawthorn smiled, "I accept."

As the man said the words, I felt my body fill with power from all around me. My strength began to multiply. This was more powerful than HONOR had ever filled me, with it, I could hear the music begin to play in the back of my mind.

The commander seeing us just stare spoke, "Begin."

We began to dance.