Kiki looked at the demonic cat with disbelief. “You would rather leave empty handed than honor your word?”

Mac laughed. “I always keep my word. You are the one who is trying to get out of our agreement.”

Francis felt a puzzle piece snap into place as he stared out at the purple and red sunset. No matter what, they wouldn't have gotten to the palace in time. And Asher had gone down way too easily. “Oh, Kiki. You're cold as ice, aren't you?”

“I just wanted to protect my daughter.” the paladin said, “Asher lied to me.”

“Did he now?” The Marine looked back at the eight men and women on horseback behind them. Jack, Cassi, and Brick were keeping them back. “Because I have a different theory. If I was trying to save my daughter, I'd have a sense of urgency about it. Hell, even if I was trying to kill her I'd ride a lot quicker than you did.”

“What are you implying?” She squared off with Francis.

The Marine kept an eye out for danger as he spoke. He had already spotted Shiv with her bow on a nearby rooftop. It looked like his people were preparing an ambush. “I'm guessing you both lost your powers when the contract was broken. But Julia is one of mine, she still is as strong as ever. You couldn't kill her if you wanted to, unless of course you killed your husband to prove you weren't a threat... then stuck a knife in her back.”

The demonic cat grinned. “He’s not as dumb as he looks.”

“How unfortunate,” Kiki said, assessing the situation and realizing she was completely fucked. “What happens now?”

Francis shrugged. “My first instinct is to let Julia decide. But it's not fair to force that decision on her. It's an unnatural act for a daughter to kill her mother.”

The Marine had been in similar situations before, when who to trust and what to do with them came down to a coin flip. Heads, you live. Tails, you're toast.

Shiv had seemed genuinely concerned about Julia’s family back when Francis first met them. She even mentioned that Asher and Kiki would try to kill them for breaking off the agreement. That tracked with both what Mac had said, and what happened to Asher. Kiki had attacked her husband before he could defend himself, either verbally or physically.

He watched as Shiv pulled back her bow and took aim. She would do anything to protect her partner. That was enough to tip the scales for Francis. Tails it is.

Instead of attacking, Francis decided to lower the Paladin's Deflect by his Tier, just like the Green Cloaks had done to him. Kiki gripped her sword, preparing to swing.

Her face was filled with rage. But she didn't have time to follow through with the attack before a black arrow embedded itself in the side of her head. The critical hit on the de-powered paladin killed her instantly.

Francis turned to face the remaining members of the group before they could draw weapons. He wasn't sure if he should call them knights or paladins. The Marine walked up to one who had a particularly nasty vibe of general evil about him. They looked like the kind of person who didn't wait until you were dead before they stole your boots. (Or “helped you along” if you weren't dying quickly enough.)

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“So, rat-face,” Francis said as he approached the greasy man in plate armor, “Are you the one in charge?”

The man grinned. “I suppose I am. What can I do for you?” The body language of the others told Francis all he needed to know. They didn't trust or like the rat-faced man.

Francis pointed his staff at him and cast Life Drain. “That was the wrong answer,” he said as the man shriveled and died, “Now, the rest of you. Please point to the person in charge.”

Jack started them off on the right foot by pointing at Francis. They all grasped the concept very quickly and joined in, almost as if their lives depended on it.

“Good. Now, I'm going to make a few things crystal clear. I only accept volunteers. Conscripts make shitty troops.” He let that hang in the air.

“Any day now, maybe as soon as tomorrow morning, refugees from Olympia are going to start showing up here in Brexis. We are going to need all hands on deck to get them fed and taken care of.”

Francis mostly saw looks of confusion and doubt. But there was no outright hostility. He figured that was a good sign. “My people here and in Riverlark have been buying food, ordering basic supplies, and letting people know that Brexis is ready to welcome them with open arms. But I am going to need your help. So, here is what I'm offering.”

He waved his hand to the houses that bordered the road. “In addition to good pay and the satisfaction of helping those in need, I am offering you each a home, rent free. No more shitty barracks. An actual house big enough to raise a family in.”

Now he had their attention. He wasn't ready to give up ownership of the land, but letting them stay rent free while they worked for him was a no-brainer. “If you are interested in building a brighter future, follow me and we will find a place for you. If you aren't, fuck off now and never darken my doorway again.”

Francis turned and started walking home to the palace. He didn't stop to look and see if they followed. But a few seconds later he got a mental message from Willow.

“It looks like we have some new recruits. I'll make sure they get settled in.”

“Thanks, babe. I'm going to grab a shower and pass the fuck out. I've had one hell of a day.” Francis was tired down to his bones, and he needed to be fresh for tomorrow.

The Marine got his shower and crawled into bed after he filled everyone in on what happened. Julia hadn't said much about her parents’ demise, and Francis was thankful to avoid the drama. But he would need to check in on her once it had time to settle.

Just as he was drifting off to sleep, or maybe he was already asleep, a knock at the door woke him up. Groggily Francis turned to see Willow standing in the doorway with a tray of food. It was stacked high with meat and potatoes. There was even a cold beer with condensation beading on the glass, and a slice of chocolate cake, courtesy of Cassi.

“If you're hungry, I brought food,” Willow said as she set the tray down on the nightstand next to him.

She began to slowly undress, her green and black robes falling to the floor. “But if you don't want food...”

“Hot damn!” Francis said. He looked at Willow, admiring this amazing woman who had been better to him than he had any right to expect. The Marine knew better than to jump into anything so soon, but if off-base housing was involved he would have proposed on the spot.

He stood up to embrace her, but she pushed him back down onto the bed. Willow straddled him and leaned in for a kiss.

“You've had a long day,” she said, “Why don't you just lay back and let me take care of you?”

“Yes Ma’am!” Francis replied, wondering again how a guy like him had managed to get so lucky.