We arrived north of the metro area I called home, after another three days. Fiona had been the model of good behavior the entire way. She could have left at any time and I wouldn't have stopped her. While I still didn't trust her fully I had to admit she was trying to make up for her mistake. While she didn't have a weapon she did have a few useful skills that came in handy in the few encounters with monsters we ran across. Mostly just local mutated wildlife.

I had decided to stop using the old city names for most places as it didn't quite seem to fit the new reality that was our world. Despite that, this entire sprawling urban area had been known as the Fox Valley. It stretched from Lake Michigan down to the southern part of Lake Winnebago. Of course, it wasn't all the same town.

There were three or four major towns connected by a slew of smaller communities and somewhere in all that mess was the Bazaar. It wasn't on the scale of Chicago big but there had still been half a million people living in the area spread over a roughly 70-mile stretch.

I had opted to head towards my hometown first, which just happened to be in the center of all this mess. I wanted to see what had become of my house and see if I could locate any of my friends or family that lived in the area. That would have to wait for a bit though because right now Fiona and I sat on the second floor of a home across from the major highway.

It provided a view of one of the overpasses. It looked like someone had set up multiple barricades backed by heavy machine guns. I could make out people moving back and forth across the bridge but from this distance couldn't see if they wore any armbands. Now normal pistols and rifles I wasn't too worried about. These, however, looked like 50 caliber machine guns most commonly mounted to Humvee's, either that or those 40mm grenade launchers I wasn't quite sure from this distance. I didn't like my chances of survival against either of those.

"Do you see any armbands?" I ask, knowing Fiona has a higher perception than I do.

"Yes, but they aren't on the men guarding the bridge. Those men appeared to bear some oddly patterned uniforms. If I had to guess from their identical uniforms I would say, soldiers?"

"Great, sounds like the National Guard. We should be safe enough," I said, getting ready to go before Fiona grabbed my arm.

I gave her a withering glare and she quickly let go.

"If I go down there the Black Dragon will see my slave collar and activate it."

I curse internally, forgetting about her damn collar.

"Well, shit. Do you know how to remove it?"

"I overheard the only way to remove it was death."

I thought there had to be another way to remove these damnable slave collars but we were short on time and resources.

"Gotta say, that's not ideal," I replied, mulling over the problem, "Oh, I know, I have a few of the collars, I can test some runes on to see if those will help with removing the device."

Fiona just shrugged. It wasn't like she really had a choice in the matter.

So, I got to work testing out a few combinations of runes on the magical collars. I had six of the devices to test on. The first one exploded and I had to heal us both. It wasn't much of a surprise to her as I had expected.

Apparently, she saw me sneakily healing myself when she trained me at the barracks. At the time she wasn't sure it was healing but I had confirmed it when she was injured a day or so ago in one of our monster fights. If it wasn't for the broken leg she received I might have just left her to heal on her own. It was fine. Just like my Second Chance spell she was bound to find out sooner or later.

After that we moved to another house just to be safe as I tested more runic combinations, hoping to find some combination that caused the device to unlock, or drained the magical energy from them to hopefully stop them from exploding when opened. I even tried one that would liquefy the metal when I activated it with a word.

Note to self liquid metal shrapnel fucking hurts.

Then I decided to combine all of the runes, which was nerve-wracking. I had my head bent over and my little pocket knife scratching in dozens of tiny runes on a deceptively thin metal ring that held enough magical power to kill a human. But there it was a finished prototype.

The thing fairly vibrated in my hand with the power of its innate magic and my runic enhancements clashing together. I set it on a sewing mannequin we found in the house. Stepping back I activated the rune using the keyword as I ducked around the door frame.

The room glowed brightly for a split second and then I heard hissing. I waited a few seconds before sticking my head back into the room.

"Oh, shit," I exclaimed as I ran in to put out the fire.

The runes had worked. The ring had consumed itself with the stored power causing it to turn liquid and melt off. It did, however, cause a significant amount of damage to the mannequin.

Fiona picked that time to come to see what the ruckus was about.

She took one look at the remains of the mannequin and said, "No, no, no, please find another way."

"Well, I have an idea for another way."

She looked at me hopefully, "Oh, and what might that be?"

"Well, I could kill you."

She turned to leave throwing her arms up, "So my choices are possibly killing me or successfully killing me."

I followed her out, "Well you did say that death would remove it, I just figured the possibility of not death would be a better option."

She stopped and turned to face me, "I don't know why I am even considering this idea, its madness."

"Well, they say genius and madness are only separated by success and failure."

"Nobody says that," she replied tartly.

"I'm pretty sure someone said that or something similar, plus there are no other options."

"Fine," she said in resignation.

"After I inscribe the runes I will cast Second Chance on you, just in case," I added as she looked at me pleadingly, "Then..., I will cast Rejuvenate which should help with any damage you take. To be honest I am not sure the other method would work anyway as my Second Chance skill specifically states that no active effects are lost upon death."

"Fates be damned, fine, let's get this madness over with," she said plopping down in a kitchen chair.

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"Ok, I need you to hold completely still while I carve the runes. Here hold on to this you will need it," I said, handing her a roll of leather.

She looked at me not knowing what it was for.

I cleared my throat, "For the pain, put it between your teeth when I finish the runes. I don't know how long they will hold stable."

She gave me a look of shock and tried to stand, but I pushed her back down in the seat, "Do you want the collar off or not?"

She didn't say anything or nod she just sat there and I took that as confirmation to begin.

There is something to be said about carving on a surface that you can manipulate in any direction you need versus trying to do the same on an object you can only rotate in one direction. After less than a minute I had her lay down on the couch and I kneeled to the side to get a better angle for carving. I needed to pick up a jewelers loupe or magnifying glasses for more detailed work like this.

It may not have been the most dignified position for her but it made my work so much easier. She was only wearing her loose blouse and pants so as not to ruin her armor when the spell went off. I noticed she was wearing perfume? I figured she must have found it in this house or the last one. It smelled good. The carving went a bit faster than my first attempt as I now knew the combination of runes to use.

When I was finished I could immediately see the power starting to build and I rushed her into the bathroom knowing I had about a minute from my previous attempts.

"Bend over the tub so the metal runs off you faster."

" No, please there has got to be a better way," she said hesitating.

I ended up having to force her to bend over the tub, "It's too late to change your mind, this thing is going to come apart in less than thirty seconds whether I want it to or not."

She remained bent over the tub shaking but at least she remained there.

"When you are ready I will cast my spell and activate the rune."

I squeezed her hand, cast Second Chance on her, and moved to the edge of the room. I could have cast the spell sooner but I didn't want her to chicken out even though she had almost done so already.

"R...Ready," she managed to get out, her voice firming with resolve.

I cast Rejuvenate and immediately activated the rune. I could tell she had shoved the leather between her teeth as her screams were muffled.

Fiona has died, Second Chance activated

The group message spurred me back into the room and I cast Healing Touch on her as she lay against the tub shuddering from pain. I brushed off any remaining molten metal bits with a towel continuing to heal her as I did.

'Who would invent such a horrible device,' I thought as I got on the ground and cradled the sobbing woman. I had indeed been harsh with her but she didn't need me to coddle her and I still hadn't forgiven her for the attack. It didn't mean I couldn't comfort someone in their time of need. The shitty part about this whole thing was that I got experience from her death as well as a title, that I don't believe I deserved.

Congratulations you have earned the title Team Killer: You revel in the deaths of your teammates, 10% bonus damage to allies, and party members. This title can only be wiped away by killing an equal or greater leveled enemy

I sighed, nothing I could do about it now. The only thing that mattered was that it worked. I double-checked to make sure the oath she gave me still showed up. It was there I felt more faith in the oath now that the collar was off.

***

Fiona awoke an undetermined time later, the pain had faded and she didn't know where she was. It took her a few seconds to realize she was still in the bathroom being held by Paul. Her first instinct was to leap up and slap him for being so presumptuous but quickly remembered her Life Bond. She checked the notifications she had received.

You have been freed from a slave collar, full control of your status has been returned

Congratulations you have earned the title Till death and beyond. While fighting in a party with Paul Fuller you receive a 25% bonus to all of your attributes. Even death cannot part you!

She didn't quite know how to feel about the second notice.

***

The next morning Fiona and I set off to the bridge, she had a cloak covering her armor one that we had found in a home. This wasn't some fancy cloak of the rich or nobility; nope this was a rain poncho in all its vinyl glory. She complained non-stop about the sound it made and how hot and sweaty she was. I just chuckled.

She only had herself to blame. I had suggested she keep her armor off as we entered the town but she shot down that suggestion, so the only other option was to cover it up. We approached the bridge from a side street avoiding as many people as possible especially the Black Dragon members we saw walking about.

What unnerved me about these members was the fact that they didn't sport guns, which meant they were likely of a higher level, better class, and had more abilities. We ended up close enough to one that I got my Identify ability off.

Assassin | Level 12

The man stopped and looked around as if he had somehow sensed my spell and I quickly walked away Fiona in tow.

"Fiona, is it possible for people to detect the use of Identify if used on them?" I asked in a low tone, dropping back beside her.

"Anything is possible, why who did you scan?"

"That last Black Dragon we saw, he came up as a level 12 Assassin."

"Is that all the information you were able to glean?"

"That's all my low-level spell lets me see, why?"

"That fact probably saved you from being directly linked to the spell. Please be careful of its use in the future."

I just nodded; when I glanced back the Assassin had disappeared. Well shit.

The bridge came into view a few minutes later and we got in line to cross. I didn't realize it was this busy the night before. I could easily see a dozen soldiers decked out in full battle gear. There were two 50 cal machine guns set up on small podiums surrounded by sandbags on the far end of the bridge. Each of these was manned by two soldiers that eyed everyone warily. There was also a man towards the back that seemed to exude an air of authority; it felt a lot like the Commander's had. As the line in front of us filtered through the checkpoint a soldier looked us over.

"No fighting within city limits, if we catch you, you will be arrested or killed. No warnings."

Then the man moved on, repeating his message to anyone that looked like they could cause trouble. We were waived through a minute later and I stopped to ask the soldier a question.

"Do you know where the Bazaar is?"

"Go down three blocks and ask for Gertrude at the market, maybe she knows. Next!" he yelled, dismissing me.

"Well, you up for sticking around with me a bit longer?" I asked expecting Fiona to be happy to be rid of me finally.

"You do realize I am with you, for life, right?"

Yeah, I was afraid she was going to say that. I had kind of hoped this life bond could be canceled when my mission had completed. It was sounding like that was not an option. I could just leave her here but something told me she would be able to track me down.

I just shrugged and moved towards the location the soldier pointed out. It took us less time to walk the three blocks then it did to locate Gertrude in the parking lot, converted into an open-air market where all kinds of goods were for sale.

Along with those goods came many different species, that I had yet to encounter. I saw what I assumed were Dwarves, Elves, Gnomes, and all manner of Beastkin. There was even another Dragon Kin only this one looked like polished bronze. Every merchant we asked either ignored us when they realized we weren't buying or pointed in a random direction. Eventually, we found a human woman that was helpful and she led the way for a credit.

"Are you Gertrude?" I asked an older lady, that looked like aged leather. She certainly didn't carry herself like an older lady.

"I am, what can I do for you youngster?"

"I was told that you knew where the Bazaar was located?"

"Not really a secret, anyone here could have told you. Who sent you to me?"

I shrugged, "Some soldier guarding the bridge."

"That useless boy, wait till I see him again, I will tan his hide. Never too old to be bent over and paddled."

I cringed as she went on in detail about what she was going to do with what I assumed was her son or grandson.

"Follow me," she said, finally finishing her diatribe.

We followed the crone and I was forced to jog to keep up. 'Good God, how is this woman so spritely.'

I decided to take the time to see what her class was.

Gertrude | Matron | Level 15

The system filling in her name automatically because I already knew it, I was surprised at her level, wondering how this old woman managed it. I was broken from my wondering as the woman turned, glaring at me.

"Didn't anyone ever tell you it was rude to ogle people without their consent," she snapped at me and I lowered my head in shame. I even received a debuff.

You are suffering the Matron's Shame, all stats reduced by 4 for 5 minutes

I nearly stumbled from the debuffs effects and Fiona hissed at me, "What did I tell you?"

After that embarrassing moment I just hunched my shoulders and plodded along behind the women, it was a good thing Fiona didn't have a similar debuff. After several blocks of walking, we turned the corner, and almost smack dab in the center of downtown was a metallic cylinder about fifty feet around that rose thirty feet into the air. I could see people coming and going from the many entrances into the structure.

"Well here it is, Think you can handle it from here?" Gertrude said snidely.

"We will be fine, thank you again, Gertrude," Fiona replied sincerely.

I watched the old lady walk off at a furious pace, still astounded that a woman of her advanced years could move that fast.