I woke before Ava the next morning, feeling amazing. She must have cast her spell on me again. I still can't believe that everything has worked out the way it has. How did I luck into traveling with someone who eliminates muscle soreness and the need to stretch? I stretched the sleep from my limbs and groaned as my muscles spasmed. Ava groaned and shifted next to me, cuddling up closer. I wrapped her in a hug and settled into the bedrolls, sighing deeply. We'd finally made it to Rilmon late yesterday afternoon and were camped about nine or so miles from the city, so there was no reason to rush. With me behind the wheels, we'd be there just after lunch, if not earlier. It had been a long, boring three weeks, but we'd made it. I sighed and closed my eyes, content to lie with her for a while longer. That 'while longer' was no more than three seconds as a massive roar cut through the early morning. My eyes shot open and I sat bolt up, adrenaline surging through my body. Ava gasped awake and turned to me, eyes filled with fear.

"That sounded big." I whispered to her. "Let's get moving. I don't want a repeat of Martinlos." She nodded and we got to work breaking down camp. Not long after, we were on the road, my steps filled with both the desire to be done pulling shit and the urge to get away from whatever made that roar. The fact I was turning my back on where it sounded from certainly helped put some pep in my step. I glanced over my shoulder at the plains behind us and saw nothing out of the ordinary, just grass and the occasional tree. Ava sat on the bench, her vibrant green hair shining like emeralds and pale skin glittering in the sun. She wore her dark blue dress today, the one that made her eyes look like amethyst clouds over the deep ocean. It was plain and simple, but she was gorgeous, and I had trouble bringing my eyes back forward. We walked for a good while, a solid two or three hours, before we saw another person. These folks were adventurers, for lack of a better word. One was a dark-skinned human holding hands with a dwarf. The human had a sword on his hip and the dwarf carried a hammer in her hand. A light-skinned elf carrying a staff followed along behind them, walking next to a walking dragon. He was covered in black scales and walked on two feet like a man, but was clearly some kind of lizard. Honestly, he looked really fuckin' cool. He was my height and carried a massive battle axe over his shoulder. They all waved at us as we passed them, so we waved back.

"Y'all stay safe out there!" I hollered as they passed. "We heard a huge roar out there a few hours back. Be careful!"

"That is what we are hunting." The man responded. He grinned at me, his black hair flashing in the sun. "We will defeat the Rondomin and keep you all safe."

"Thank you all for your service to the city." Ava said. "I have family there, and they constantly talk about the Adventurers. Many children look up to you as heroes." The lizard man smiled, baring his sharp teeth.

"Thank you, Missus. You honor us with your words. We will protect your kin with our lives."

"Good luck with your battle. May the gods watch over you."

"And you." The adventurer's continued on their way, and we ours. I waited until they were out of earshot before asking my question.

"What the hell was that lizard guy? He looked cool as fuck."

"The Lizal? They're pretty common, but found mainly in their homeland of Bartorum. They are a warrior race much like you, but without the violent tendencies your kind would so often exhibit. They focus more on the honor and thrill of the battle, rather than pure enjoyment."

"'My kind'? Neathonian?"

"Yes. I told you they were feared, and it is mainly because they could not control themselves in battle. Ally and foe alike were slaughtered at their hands."

"Ah. That might be why I felt so alive while fighting the goblins. Those little bastards were fun to kill. Kind of like splashing in a puddle, if that makes sense."

"That's gross. I didn't need to picture that." We spent the remainder of the trip discussing the various races that call Sehal home. There were humans, elves, dwarves, Lizal, goblins, griffons, merfolk, even a settlement of sentient slimes, and everything in between.

"Does everyone get along? Any bad blood between the races I should know about? Folks back on Earth judged pretty heavily on skin color and sexual orientation. Not that any of it mattered to me."

"Not really, no. The goblins don't like us elves, and there's some bad blood between the humans and Lizal over in Polmint, but nothing really comes to mind."

"No history of subjugation? What about persecution and hate crimes?"

"No. Most of us are too busy trying to survive to be focused on being better than other races. Each one has their own unique purpose and role to fill. Humans invent, Elves enrich culture, Lizal defend, Dwarves create, Goblins weave, Slimes jiggle, so on and so forth. We all do our part, and we live peacefully, for the most part. Sometimes a country will get too big for their britches or someone will do something to piss off an entire race, but those are rare."

"Man, I... you know what? I'm not even gonna speak it into existence." Ava chuckled. An hour or so later, and we were at the gates to Rilmon. They were intimidating, to say the least. Twice the size of Milania's walls and made of pure stone, they towered over everything in sight. There was a line of others trying to get into the city, so we joined the shortest one. I glanced over my shoulder, and had to do a double take. Somebody new sat in my cart. My green-haired wood elf had been replaced by a homely, blond human.

"What?" She asked. Her voice was the same, though she looked totally different.

"Nothing. I just wasn't expecting you to change so completely. I can't even recognize you." Ava smiled her same smile, bright and exhilarating.

"Thank you. That means it worked."

"Oh, it worked alright. Had to do a double take." The line moved quickly, and I tried to keep my heart rate normal. We're just farmers here to visit family and sell some stuff. Far too soon, it was our turn.

"Name and reason for entering?" The guardsman asked. He looked almost exactly like the Rabbituan guard from Milania, but human. They both had the same gray hair and fantastic mustaches. I shook my head and focused back on the situation.

"Micheal..." Fuck, I didn't think of a last name. Quick, just make something up. Um, um, um.... "Raython. My name is Micheal Raython. My wife, Ava Raython, and I are visiting family and selling some goods."

"And what goods have you brought today?"

"Love?" I asked, turning to Ava. She rattled off a bunch of items, the guard nodding and occasionally asking questions. Each second that passed was agonizingly slow, and I was sure we would be discovered. My breath caught in my throat when the Captain of the Guard walked by and started talking to Ava. I'd caught him out of the corner of my eye right after we started talking to the guard, and he never once took his eyes off of Ava. Not in a 'I know who you are' kind of way, more in a 'Holy fuck that lady's hot as shit' kind of way. I had to sit there and watch as he eye-fucked Ava, which pissed me off royally. It was clear what he wanted by his tone and actions when he came up to speak to her, and I had to force myself not to do anything rash. I almost snapped when he reached out to touch her arm. Thankfully, Ava was quick witted and able to deflect the man's advancements, hopping off the cart and clinging to me tightly. The Captain scowled at me and stomped away, and my own scowl remained firmly on my face.

"Please forgive the Captain." The guard said with a weary voice. "We've tried to talk to him about his behavior, but the Duke doesn't do anything, so we can't really do much ourselves either. He's already accosted two women today. Your wife makes the third."

"Micheal..." Ava said, her voice filled with warning. "Don't do it. I know how you get around men like him. Remember that we are here to visit, not fight." I took a deep breath and let it out slowly, nodding my head.

"As you wish, my love." I growled, my hands balled into fists so hard my fingernails cut into my palms. "But, gods, I wish I could punch him." The guard let out a long sigh.

"You and me both, good sir. I do sincerely apologize for his behavior, ma'am. The rest of us try to make up for his bad behavior, but it rarely happens."

"And you said the Duke does nothing about him?" The guard shook his head. "Sounds to me like the Emperor needs to get his shit together and his houses in line." I snarled.

"We've tried to change his ways, even had women he went too far with testify against him, but nothing has happened." Ava growled in response to the guards words. I turned back to face her, and saw that her entire hand was alight with flame.

"Love, you're letting your anger show. I know you get heated" I put extra emphasis on the word. "when people other than me hit on you, but you need to control yourself. We spent three weeks getting here. Remember the bed and how much you've wanted to sleep in one." She took a deep breath and steadied herself, her fire dissipating with her exhale.

"You're right, dear." She said, her voice extremely controlled and trying to keep the anger out of it. "We are here to visit family, not cause a scene. Thank you, sir." She said, addressing the guard. "If it's alright with you, we'll be on our way now."

"Of course, Missus. Enjoy your stay." he said, gesturing us through the gate. I smiled and nodded to him as we entered the city. It looked a lot like Paris from Earth, but not. There was more magic clearly on display, with those same fireballs rolling around the streets and casting unneeded light. I made a mental note to ask Ava about it. The streets were thin like Europe's, but everything else was different. The houses were made of stone and mainly painted white, like Rome. My eyes tried to look everywhere at once as Ava directed me down winding, cobblestone streets. The people were... odd. Like many big cities, none of them paid any attention to us. Lugging a big ass cart down these small streets made for some unexpected scenes, to say the least. The amount of people that cussed us for taking up space was ridiculous. My mood got worse and worse as we went deeper into the city. The buildings got worse as well, falling into disrepair and the quality of the roads tanked heavily. There were more vagrants on the streets too, giving us shifty looks as we passed. Had we been in a car back home, I would have done that classic 'lock the doors and roll up the windows' thing. I was comforted by the sword on my hip and knowing that Ava had her own weapon. The feeling from Martinlos returned, my stomach twisting up with anxiety every so often. It got worse as we walked, each step causing another twist in my gut. It came to a head when two men stepped out from the shadows.

"Hello there." the first one said in a gruff voice. He twirled a knife in one hand and his buddy readied a short sword.

"Listen, buddy." I said before anyone else could speak. "I highly suggest you leave us alone. Before someone gets hurt." His friend chuckled and I heard Ava gasp. There must be more behind us. A growl grew low in my throat as I stepped out from around the cart and placed my hand on my sword. The two in front of me got into a ready position.

"Last chance." the speaker growled. "Give us your money and your goods and you are free to go. We won't even touch your woman. Just some men down on their luck, you know?"

"Sure." I said, drawing my blade. "And pigs can fly." He gave me a confused look and Ava groaned. I shot a look at her over my shoulder.

"Pigs can fly, you dumbass. They're bred out in Ravinbim and are considered a delicacy."

"Huh. You learn somethin' new everyday." I turned back towards the brigands in front. "I still can't give you our stuff, sadly. We kind of need it."

"We'll take it from you, then."

"You can certainly try. It won't end well, let me tell you. For you, I mean. We'll be fine." Friend moved in the blink of an eye, drawing a dagger from his belt and throwing it at me. I reacted a half second too late and it buried itself in my shoulder. I groaned and grabbed the hilt, pulling it out of me with a grin. I charged forward, sword in one hand and dagger in the other. I threw the dagger at the speaker and it seemed like he wasn't expecting it because he stumbled and put his hands up to block it. I moved in under his guard and split his belly, spilling his intestines to the ground. His friend screamed, either in fear or anger I couldn't tell, and he fell to his knees. I stepped around the dying man and thrust my sword at the other. It caught him in the chest, piercing his lung and going out the other side. The light faded from his eyes and his knees gave out. I kicked him off my sword and tuned to help Ava, but found her handling her own two assailants well. One had burns all over his hands and face and lying dead on the street, and the other was currently dodging his own fire bolts. Ava stopped throwing her fire and opened her portal, pulling a dagger from it and advancing on the man. He snarled and charged her. Ava danced around him expertly, slashing and stabbing whenever she got the chance. I moved to help, but slowly. I wanted to watch her fight.

Ava was running circles around the poor guy. He could not seem to get a grip on where she was, and every time he made a move to grab her, he paid the price in blood. He finally dropped to the ground, dozens of cuts on his body. Ava stood over him, panting, knife dripping with blood. She was beautiful. I approached her from behind and wrapped my arms around her chest. She stabbed me in the side.

"Agh, fuck, Ava!" I shouted, pulling away.

"Oh, gods, I'm so sorry!" she said, rushing to pull the knife from my abdomen.

"It's alright. Fuck, I hate cities." I moved the two bodies blocking the road and got back in position, ready to push the cart, and Ava climbed up onto the bench.

"Should we report the bodies to someone?" I asked as I began to walk again.

"No. It wouldn't matter anyway. The city has been going downhill, and more and more people are murdered each day. The city watch cannot keep up."

"Hmm. Why is that?"

"Invos doesn't know how to run a city. He focuses on his own personal wealth, rather than the common. He does not understand that the common folk are who we need to appease, not the nobles."

"Is he a bad ruler?"

"Not 'bad' per say. He could stand to improve in a few places, but he does a good job at keeping the monster populations in check. He really dislikes monsters. The quality of life in the city has steadily declined over the last decade, however. Increased taxes, less jobs, that sort of stuff. I tried to warn him but he wouldn't listen to me." As we were walking, the buildings got older. Each one seemed a little bit more dilapidated than the last, like they were barely holding together at all. Ava finally told me to stop in front of a run down inn. The sign out front was too faded for me to read, but Ava hopped down off the cart and marched inside. I swore and chased after her, deciding that she was more important than whatever we had in the cart. We could get another if someone stole it.

"Whoa." I said when I entered the building. The inside was totally different from the outside. The outside, and the location for that matter, gave the impression of a run-down, crappy ass inn. Except, it wasn't. It looked like one of the fancier hotels from home. The floor was clean and sparkling, and the walls were a pleasing cream color. A boy ran up to me and started jabbering about taking my bags, but I brushed him off. I looked around, distracted by damn near everything. The sparkly floors reflecting the sunlight coming in through the windows gave the whole room a surreal, affluent feeling. I saw Ava talking to a rotund woman behind a bar and approached the pair.

"... a place to lay low for a day or two. And the best bed you have." Ava was saying. The woman's deep brown eyes flicked to me and went wide. Ava turned and smiled at me. "Marceline, this is my Hero, Micheal." The woman glared at me and crossed her arms over her large chest.

"And he's trustworthy? You've brought him to my bar. I hope you know what that means."

"Calm down, Marceline. He's a genuine Hero. Inspect him." The lady narrowed her eyes at me and scowled, then widened and her mouth dropped open.

"Gods above. What is he? How can you have a Level 7 Hero?" Ava grinned at the lady, Marceline. I leaned down and whispered into Ava's ear.

"How does this 'Inspect' business work? Arno did the same thing. How can I learn to do it?"

Help Menu: Spells

Spells are learned through a variety of means. Learning under a master, innate ability, and Specialization rewards are the most common. You, Neathonian, are not good with spells, as many of your kind tend to be warriors. It is a miracle you learned Change Clothes.

"Never mind. It seems I am not designed for spells." Ava gave me a confused look.

"We'll talk about that latter." She said, turning back to Marceline. "He's special and I am lucky to have found him. One bed will do. And a bath. Gods, I need a bath and good sheets. Sleeping out under the stars is wonderful, but a bed is better." I smiled and grabbed Ava's hand. Marceline's eyes widened again, but she didn't mention it. She turned to me.

"And how do you know this lady?" She asked, her voice hard. "I swear, if you're mistreating her, I'll skin you alive and feed you to the pigs." Damn, what's with folks and violent threats in this world? I gave her a disarming smile, or at least what I hoped was one.

"I am Micheal. There were some children who needed help, and I was able to help her along the way. I had nothing better to do and nowhere to go, so I chose to come with her." Marceline narrowed her eyes further and made a noise of suspicion.

"Hmmm. You don't seem to be a bad man, but men are known to hide their true natures behind pretty words and gifts."

"He's not like that. I've seen his true nature, and it is terrifying, but he is a good man. A true Hero."

"When you say it like that, you make him sound like a hero from the stories." Ava smiled and said nothing."Mhm. Fine, I'll believe you. For now." She turned around and grabbed a key hanging on the rack behind her and gave it to Ava while speaking to me. "Be on your best behavior, both of you. Duke Dickhead is getting remarried in two weeks, so be careful." Ava growled and her hand ignited again. I grabbed it and raised my eyebrows, ignoring the pain in my hand. She nodded, taking a deep breath and letting the fire go out. I shook my hand and watched as the skin began to heal.

"Man, this is cool." I muttered under my breath, leaning down to show Ava my healing hand. "Look at that, dude. I can't believe it." We both watched in fasciation as the burns on my hand healed in just under a minute. Ava scoffed.

"You're so weird." she said, taking hold of my freshly healed hand. "Thank you, Marceline. Is there somewhere we can stash the cart?"

"You may leave it in the yard out back."

"Alright." Ava turned to me. "Micheal, we have some errands to run before we can sleep. Is that alright with you?" I grinned.

"Of course. I'll go wherever you go." She blushed a little and we walked back out into the sunshine, only to find three vagrants scouring our cart for things. Rage boiled in my veins and my mouth contorted into a snarl.

"Hey!" I hollered, leaping onto the nearest person. Three heads snapped up and they began to move. My knee met the middle of one back and we both crashed into the cart. A bolt of fire flew over me and sliced into one of the runners ankle. They fell, crying out in pain. I grabbed the head under me and slammed it into the wood a few times until I felt something give. I rose and leapt to the runner, who was trying to crawl away. "Oh, no you fucking don't." I snarled as I picked them up by the hair. I drew them up and stared into the teary eyes of a young girl. Her dirty blond hair was greasy in my hand, and she started crying harder as she looked at the crumpled form behind me. I got in her face and scowled. "What the fuck do you think you're doing." I growled, putting as much menace into my voice as I could manage. She bawled even harder and I sighed. I picked her up properly and carried her over to Ava, who was repairing the damage I did to the first thief. I sighed again and set the girl on the ground. "I fuckin' hate cities." I growled as I stood guard over Ava, sword drawn and anger exuding from my pores.

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"You could have gone a little easy on them." Ava said from behind me.

"Fuck that shit. Try to take my stuff and suffer the consequences. Be happy I didn't kill them." I was still pretty pissed, and my limbs shook with the effort of keeping it under control. I took a deep breath and focused on calming down, letting the anger dissipate into the air around me. I smiled as I felt the heat of the sun become more and more friendly. I nodded my head a few times and turned to look at Ava. She was wrapped in the gold healing light and pressing her hands to the girls ankle as she whispered in her ear. The person whose head I broke was on their back and breathing normally. Ava sighed and stood, then turned a vicious look on me.

"What the hell, Micheal? They were children! You almost killed the boy!"

"Almost." I said. "I almost killed him. But I didn't." Ava shook her head and turned back to the kids.

"I am sorry, children. My husband can be a little mean sometimes." She smiled kindly at the both of them. "It's a good thing that I'm a healer." Head woke up with a start, sitting upright with a gasp. "Welcome back, young man." He turned and looked at Ava, then scrambled back. She sighed and stood.

"Well, that settles that. Why were you going through our cart?"

"Food." The boy said, moving between us and his sister.

"Of course. When was the last time you ate?"

"A few days ago." he replied.

"Micheal." Ava directed. I sighed loudly.

"Yes ma'am." I turned back to the cart and rifled through it, grabbing two loaves of bread. I tossed one to each kid. "Here ya go. I'm sorry for attacking y'all, really. Next time, just ask. We'll give what you were trying to steal." They both bit into the bread, devouring it with little ceremony. I nodded, moving next to Ava.

"What do you think?" I whispered in her ear. "Just random kids? Wrong place, wrong time? Or are they spies? Do they know why we're here?" She gave me an odd look, and I shrugged. "I wouldn't be surprised if they were sent to try and get in with us as spies. It's happened before."

"What is wrong with you? They're just kids." I sighed again,

"Yeah." I stood up and faced the children. "I'm going to chose to think that not even FuckFace would use child soldiers, but I wouldn't be surprised. Alright, you two. You've got your food. Get on out of here. Stay safe out there."

"We will." The girl said. They turned and fled down the street, disappearing out of sight. We stood there for a few seconds longer.

"Let's get moving."

We spent the rest of the day sorting Ava's affairs. She wanted to make sure that everything was still in its place, which it was, thankfully. Then she did some financial/legal things I didn't understand, nor did I want to. I really couldn't give a flying fuck as to the housing market in a shitty ass city in a shitty ass country. I sure wasn't going to stay there. As we lay in bed that night (which was fantastic, mind you), we discussed our plan for the following day. It felt wonderful to lay on a mattress again, even if it was just straw. The sheets weren't half bad, either. They were pretty comfortable and soft, and I almost fell asleep when we cuddled under them. Ava didn't let me, of course. She wanted to talk all about the coming day, and how we needed to somehow find a way into the mansion.

"What if I go give a message to one of the servants?" I mumbled into hair. I was the big spoon, and her sadly blond hair was in my face. I missed her normal hair. Blond looked good on her, sure, but nothing beat her natural look. I closed my eyes and breathed deeply. Her hair might not have been her normal color, but she still smelled like my Ava. The scent of evergreens permeated everything, and I smiled as her smell comforted me. I heard her voice but didn't understand her words, humming my agreement anyway. My voice rumbled in my chest, and I felt it go through Ava's chest and into my wrapped around her. I slipped into sleep not long after that.

The next morning saw Ava and I having breakfast at the bar downstairs. Marceline was in the same spot, the same bored/slightly pissed look on her face. She saw us and waved us over.

"Good morning, Marceline." Ava said as we approached. The wood elf seemed especially chipper this morning, her steps light and bouncy. Maybe she needed the bed more than I thought.

"Good morning. How was your night?" She turned a glare on me, and I held my hands up.

"Hey, I kept my hands to myself." I said.

"Mhm. I'm sure you did. Av, you sure you're okay with him? Even by human standards, he's young. How old are you, kid? Twenty-four? Twenty-five?"

"Twenty." She turned her glare on Ava.

"He might be young, but he is incredibly strong and has saved my life multiple times now."

"Sure he has. I still don't like it. You want some food?"

"Yes, please." Marceline harrumphed and walked through a door behind her.

"What's her problem?" I asked as I came up behind Ava.

"She's like that around new people. You don't become Queen of the Underworld without distrusting every new person you meet." My eyes went wide.

"What? She's a mafia boss?"

"I don't know what that means, nor do I care. She runs the Underworld in Rilmon. Those kids you nearly killed yesterday work for her. They were inspecting our goods for contraband or sabotage."

"A little heads up would've been nice." I grumbled. Ava hit me in the side.

"Be nice. This is her world, and we are safe here. No one would dare launch an attack on Marceline's Bar."

"If you say so."

"I do. I have held many talks in this bar, and each time it went well."

"Yeah, but I'm here this time. Something's bound to go wrong."

"Do you really think that little of yourself?" Marceline came back with plates of food and set them before us.

"Here." the stout woman said, then turned and walked away.

"Um, ok. And yes, I am a bad luck charm. Or an omen, or something along those lines. Since you've met me, can you name a single time things have gone according to plan? I can tell you it's been going on since long before that. Even back home, it seemed like I attracted trouble. Wrong place, wrong time kind of thing. Fights in school, arguing with teachers, arguing with my parents. I got my squad killed. Got my brother killed." My voice went soft and was filled with pain as the memories flashed. Marks destroyed face, my lungs on the ground. Hy heart stopping. Tears welled in my eyes and I squeezed them shut. Ava's face fell, her lavender eyes saddening.

"I don't think you're a bad luck charm, whatever that is. Must I keep reminding you that you saved my life and that I am extremely lucky to have met you?" I sighed, taking a bite of the decent food. Ava's is better.

"Yeah, I know." I took hold of one of her hands and squeezed it gently. "Thank you. Genuinely. I don't know where I would be without you."

"You're welcome, I suppose." she said with no small amount of uncertainty. "Though I don't know what I did to deserve such thanks."

"You give me something to focus on. A goal to accomplish. Something to chase. Purpose, if you believe in that kind of thing."

"That is sweet of you to say." I chuckled.

"Most people would say that's creepy. We've known each other for maybe a month, and I can't imagine life without you. I mean, shit, dude, last night I dreamed of a hut on a beach with you. You've got me wrapped around your finger." I took a bite of food, falling into silence. Neither of us spoke for a while, and I glanced over at Ava. "Hmm? Something wrong?" The clouds in her eyes hung low with tears, their lavender deep and shining. Tears fell down her cheeks and splashed onto the counter, and my thumb reached out to wipe them away. She leaned into my hand and closed her eyes. I stroked her face as she sighed, breathing in over and over again. Each time she looked like she was about to say something, she thought better and stayed quiet. Eventually, she reached up, grabbed my hand, and brought it to her lips. She closed her eyes and kissed it softly, then opened them. They were full of determination and fire, then softened, a golden sun peeking out from behind the clouds in her right eye as she blushed. Her pink lips curled up into a cute smile, and she glanced down, then back up at me. She leaned up and kissed me softly, pressing her lips to mine. I sighed and melted into her.

"You are a gentleman and should give yourself more credit." She said, breaking away from me. "You say you're not good with words, but I disagree. They might not be flowery or poetic or even sensical, but they are true. You mean every single one of them, and that matters to me." I smiled and tucked a stray strand of blond hair behind her ear.

"Of course I mean them. I haven't lied in this world, and I don't plan on starting anytime soon. You... I don't have the words. You do something to me no other woman ever has."

"Are you two done?" Marceline asked, interrupting me. I turned a mean look on her.

"Complimenting her? No, I wasn't. May we help you?" Marceline tossed a key onto the counter in front of Ava, whose eyes shot wide. She glanced between Marceline and the key.

"How?" Ava asked, voice soft. She picked the key up gently, acting like it would burn her if she held it wrong. It didn't look all that special, just a silver key, but it clearly meant something to her.

"I'm me." Marceline said with no small amount of pride and smugness. Ava scoffed, then hopped the counter and hugged the rotund woman tightly. She went rigid in the elf's arms, putting both hands in the air. "That's great. You can let go now." Ava squeezed her tighter.

"Thank you." she whispered. "You have done me an incredible favor." Marceline relaxed and patted the elf on the shoulder, then hugged her back.

"You're welcome, Av. I'd say come back and visit, but..." She trailed off and glanced at me. "Take care of her, you hear? I'll know if you don't." She shot me an icy glare and I smiled.

"Yes, ma'am. I will protect her with my life."

"Good." Ava let go and walked around the bar.

"We'll leave tonight. I want to spend as little time in the city as possible. I also want to take Micheal somewhere today. He's never been to Rilmon before." Marceline glanced at me, then grinned.

"Uh oh." I said, the feeling in my stomach growing the slightest bit. "I don't like that smile." Ava's grin didn't give me any confidence either.

"Don't worry," she said in a tone that definitely made me worry. She sauntered up to me, emphasizing the sway of her hips and whispered in a sultry voice "it'll be fun."

"I'm even more worried now." I said as Ava dragged me towards the door. She led me outside and down the street, holding my hand all the while. Ava told me all about the city as we walked. Rilmon was the Empire's southern commerce hub, being located right alongside the Bhorm river. The same river responsible for the delta I woke up in. It was comparable to the Mississippi River in size, but that's where the comparison stopped. The predators that I was familiar with, gators, snakes, and the like, were all still there. Altered by a demented child with waaaay to much access to the internet and got addicted to LiveLeak videos, sure, but the base physiology was still the same. The gators were still scaled with massive jaws, but they now walked on two legs and had skulls about three times the size of their body. It looked like a fucked-up dinosaur skull had been blown out of proportion and stuck onto an alligator body, given legs, and told to go fuck shit up. They could run faster than most people on Earth and were excellent swimmers as well. Their tail was used for both stabilization and propulsion, making it a true threat. You did not want to get smacked by one of those. It'll shatter your ribs and everything inside.

The snakes weren't all that different, to be honest. They were smarter here, though, which was kind of terrifying. Smart enough that folks living near the water had to lock their doors because the snakes learned how to open them. Freaky. The fish that swam in the river were unlike anything I'd ever seen, and walking through the harbor markets had been a true treat. I'd always loved fishing, and took the opportunity to learn all that I could from the anglers there. I was even lucky enough to get a rod and reel from one such fisherman, and I was over the moon. He told me about all kinds of fish that could be found in the river. There was some kind of catfish that was purple and could suck a man's meat clean off his hand, down to the bone. He showed me his missing pinkie finger, proving the story. There was an eel that sprayed poison from the ass end and electricity from the front, and those were supposedly the 'safe' variety. He and I talked for a little while longer while Ava ran to get something from some store, and I was sad to spot her coming into view. I sighed.

"It was wonderful talking to you, sir, but it is time for me to leave, sadly."

"Aye. Good talkin' with ya, lad. Be safe out there. The city is dangerous now. Keep yer wits about ye."

"Yes, sir. You too." He grunted and returned to his fishing and I started to walk towards Ava.

"Did you get everything?" I asked when she reached me. She nodded.

"Yes, I did. I believe we will be ready to go tonight, if all goes according to plan. Marceline will do her part perfectly, as she always does." Her voice was strained, like she was trying to convince herself more than me. "Come on, we still have some things to see." Ava took me to the main square that was absolutely filled with swarms of people. I was reminded of Tokyo from back home as people flooded every available inch of space. The noise was incredible. I'd say it was just as bad as any downtown from home. We walked through the throng and I almost lost Ava a few times, but she always reappeared at my side, guiding me to the next little pocket of air.

I did not enjoy the square, to be frank. I felt too cramped and claustrophobic as people crowded me from all sides. I was still getting used to being large and having that many people crushing in on me was weird. I still felt like a small guy, like I should have been getting stepped on and washed away from Ava, but the bigger challenge was not stepping on anybody. Anytime I moved my foot, it seemed like someone was right there to yell at me. Shit sucked.

We finally burst through the crowd on the other side, and Ava led me to a little shop down the street. It was a food stall that sold some kind of doughnut, but instead of melted sugar they topped it with syrup. It was delicious. The syrup was thick, creamy, and sweet, with just the tinniest bit of heat. The heat grew as I chewed, and the doughnut turned out to be filled with a spiced jam. The bread was crunchy, kind of like a fried tortilla, and the jam had a fantastic fruit flavor. The heat became a little uncomfortable, but as I took a sip of the drink Ava handed me, the cream in both it and the syrup mellowed out the spice. My eyes went wide and I glanced over at her.

"Good god, that's delicious." I paused and waited for something strange to happen, but nothing did. "Hmm. What'd you say this was called, again?"

"A Jam Roll?"

"Yeah. This is incredible." She smiled sadly.

"Yes. This is one of my favorite places in the city." She went quiet and watched the bustle of the square. We were sitting next to the river on a patch of grass, watching the world go by. I left her to her contemplation, enjoying the moment as well. The sky was blue, the late spring breeze was blowing, and the world was peaceful. I was going to enjoy this. Who knows how many more chances I'll get? I reached over and grabbed hold of Ava's hand, not taking my eyes from the sky. Her soft fingers intertwined with mine, and we sat like that for another hour or so, before Ava spoke out of the blue.

"The plan is simple." she said, startling me. "We use the key Marceline gave us to unlock the kitchen door, sneak into the house, find my daughter, and leave without alerting anyone."

"Piece of cake." She sighed, but I could see the smile on her lips. "What?"

"Come on, there's something you need to see." she said with a sigh as she stood. "Cake. What's cake got to do with this?" I heard her whisper under her breath, and I chuckled. She punched me on the arm, then hooked hers in mine. Ava led me down the street and into the more opulent part of town, hanging onto my arm like a drowning woman. The houses became grander and more expansive, walled estates with servants and shit. The noise of the city faded into the background, and birds began to sing. I took a deep breath, enjoying the 'clean' air. It's still a city, the air ain't exactly clean. At least it doesn't smell like puke and day old piss. Ava squeezed my arm and stopped in front of the most opulent house on the block. Gold lions stood sentinel out front, surrounded by white columns and fancy lawns. Perfectly manicured hedges were maintained by well-dressed servants. The mansion stood at least five stories tall and was surrounded by a heavy iron fence topped with spikes to prevent anyone climbing over. Not that they'd be able to climb the ten foot tall fence. Ava let go of my arm, placed her hand against one of the iron bars, and sighed deeply, staring at the house. I set my hand on her shoulder and she inhaled deeply. I wrapped my arm around her and brought her into me, and she sighed again as I enveloped her.

"It's odd." she said into my chest.

"What is?"

"Being back. I never thought I'd see this place again. I didn't know if I wanted to."

"And now?"

"Now, all I can think about is you." she whispered, scoffing. "And your arms around me. Your strength. Real strength, not the perceived strength Invos has. Strength of character, the strength to save those in need. And the physical strength to pull a trade wagon. To keep me safe. Really, truly safe." She closed her eyes and hugged me back, tightening her arms around my waist. "I..." I nodded and kissed the top of her head. We stood there for a little while longer, until the sun started to set.

"Come on, the sun is setting. We need to prepare." I said, pulling Ava away from the house. She nodded and allowed herself to be dragged away before leading me around the back of the estate. We came to a run-down section of the wall, just big enough for her to slip through. I simply hopped the fence, clearing it in a single bound. The grin on my face was massive when I snuck up to Ava. We stayed near the wall, only sneaking around enough to get eyes on our Infil point. Ava pointed at a plain door off to the side.

"That's the door to the kitchen. We're going in through there."

"Yes ma'am. Anything I should know about? Security, dogs, a servant that sleepwalks or likes to wander at night, anything like that?"

"The cooks might still be up, but that shouldn't be an issue. They were some of my closest companions when I lived here. I made sure to make up for his lack of treatment towards the staff."

"Man, this guy sucks." She scoffed.

"Yeah, he's pretty terrible. This city used to be so pretty, back when I first came here. The people were happy and smiling, and there was an air of peace about it. I couldn't tell you when it changed, but it did. Less smiles, people stopped helping others, everyone became guarded and confrontational." She sighed again and to face me. "Let's return to Marcie. We need some rest before tonight. It will be a long one."

"Alright." I picked her up in a princess cary and brought her to my chest, and leapt over the fence back onto the street. Ava snuggled into my shoulder for just a moment, then hopped down. She started walking, forcefully relaxed, and didn't look back. I took a deep breath, then chased after her.

We arrived at Marceline's bar a short while later. We ate our supper of bland soup and bread in silence, neither of us wanting to talk. We weren't planing on leaving until later in the night, so we went up to the room to try and get some rest. It didn't work, of course. We simply laid there in silence, her head on my chest and one leg over mine. I absently stroked her shoulder and she played with my hair.

"Why?" Ava asked, her voice soft.

"Hmm? Why what?" I responded, looking at her.

"Why are you here?" She sat up and looked down at me, her glamor falling away. Her lavender clouds were heavy with unshed tears, though they refused to fall. Her jade hair fell down the side of her face, igniting with orange in the setting sun.

"I don't understand. Why wouldn't I be here?"

"No, why are you here? With me? Saving my daughter?"

"Does it matter? A child is in danger. My friend's child is in danger." I pulled her down into a kiss, her soft, gingerbread lips making my own tingle. "Your child is in danger. Even if she wasn't your daughter, I'd still want to help. I can't sit around doin' fuckin' nothin' when a kid's in danger. Especially after... that."

"'That'?" I took a deep breath.

"It's a sad story. Might not want to hear it." Ava settled into me again.

"You can't keep it bottled up forever. Might as well tell me."

"You'll regret it. I do." I whispered. She kissed my cheek and turned my head towards hers.

"No, I won't." I sighed and looked up at the ceiling.

"We were clearing a neighborhood." I began. I whispered the words, afraid that they would disturb the flimsy peace I had built in my new life. "Back before I was LC. We knew there was a cell somewhere in there, but we didn't know exactly where. Just so happened to be my house that had them. One of our boys, Ryan, set his rifle against a wall for a moment. He had a bad back after he got shot, but he fought through it, the tough bastard. Nothin' could bring that guy down, not even the RPG that took his lower half. The wall came down when he touched it, though. No one moved for a moment as we all processed what was happening. We Americans in one house, and a group of insurgents fucking kids in a hidden room." My face contorted into a snarl, my lips quivering with emotion, and my voice was tight as I fought through the tears. "The... the one I saw... had a hand impaled to the table by a knife and a gun to her head. She... she looked at me with those dark, wide eyes. She begged me to help her, and I stood there." I stopped talking, consumed by the memories. Ava's warmth and comfort warred against the rage, impotence, and grief within my soul. My mouth continued to move, giving life to my nightmares, though to me, it was all too real.

"Mark moved first, but not fast enough. He got the one who was... He got 'im. Right above the ear in the soft spot of the skull. Dead on impact. That boy... wasn't so lucky. Dagger to the back when the body fell on him. The rest of us sprang into action right before they scrambled for their weapons. One of them sprayed over a flipped table, and I heard two distinct cries. One was Johnathan Bowen, our comms. He got hit in the knee. He'd make a full recovery." I stopped and smiled, a little bit of light shinning through the misery. Ava's christmas tree scent followed close behind, her soft, lavender clouds overtaking the hurricane and settling the winds in my mind. "Lost his knee, but kept the leg, thank God. Went home to his wife, had a son. He'd be two, now, if I remember right." My smile dropped, the eye of the storm having passed. Ava's scent remained, a comfort as the memories replayed. "The other one was higher, louder. It grated against my soul. It was a boy, no older than seven, but we wouldn't find out to later. He got hit in the lung. Drowned in his own blood.

"I raised my rifle, sighting on the one in front of me. He saw me... and he grinned. He fucking grinned. Like he knew what he was doing and was enjoying it. I hesitated, glanced at the girl. She was still looking at me, terrified and full of hope. Hope that I would save them. He... He fired. I fired. I was too late. I'd failed her. My weakness was the direct cause of her death. If I had been faster, taken initiative like Mark had, maybe I could have saved her. We saved one. ONE. Of five, we saved one." My soul was raked over the coals of my failings again and again. Tears flowed freely as I cried into Ava. I couldn't stop, even if I wanted to. She held me as I sobbed, and I let go. Feelings I'd been ignoring for years came spilling out of me. It felt good to cry. I ran out of tears a good while later. The moons had risen high in the sky and it was almost time for us to leave.

"Thank you for telling me. That took a lot of courage." Ava whispered. I stirred, forcing my body to move. I was extremely comfortable and tired and Ava felt so nice.

"I told you it was sad. But, I feel better, for some reason. I haven't cried like that since Annabeth's funeral, now that I think about it."

"It makes sense why you came rushing into the camp like that, now. And I'm glad you feel better." She kissed me on the head, then settled in. I closed my eyes, empty and numb but for her heat next to me. I slipped into sleep soon after.

I woke a few hours later. The moons were just beginning their decent into dawn, and Ava stirred next to me. I sighed and nodded, embracing the suck. I threw off the covers and rolled out of bed before I was tempted to go back to sleep. Ava did the same, and I made the bed as she got dressed. I followed suit and we walked out the door, down towards the bar. Marceline stood in the same place, the same look on her face. Is she a fuckin' NPC? Does she sleep?

"Morning, Marcie." Ava said, covering a yawn.

"Good morning. Are you sure you're ready for this? I know it's your house, but if he finds out..."

"We'll be fine. I've got Micheal."

"And he has the city guard plus the personal guards." Marcie countered. I let out a sigh.

"Awesome."

"The plan will work." Marceline said. "I have complete faith. I will meet you outside the southern gate with the cart in two hours time. Without horses, as you requested." Ava reached out and knocked three times on the wooden counter. I grinned and did the same, nudging her with my shoulder.

"Thank you, Marcie. You've been a good friend. Better than I deserved." Ava said. Marceline blushed and smiled shyly.

"You were my only friend. When you disappeared last year, I investigated. I found out who did it, but never why."

"I have my suspicions, but I don't want to know. I don't care." Marceline smiled sadly.

"Good luck, Avalina." The round bartender came around the bar and hugged her friend tightly. "I hope your new life works out better than this one." Ava returned the hug.

"Thank you. Goodbye, Marcie."

"Goodbye, Av." Ava let go and turned back towards me.

"You ready to do this?" She nodded, taking a deep breath.

"Yes. Let's go save my daughter."