We didn’t get arrested upon passing the gates at the entrance of Danver, so I took that as a good sign. Still, a lot of people were staring at us, but I couldn’t really blame them. Most folks in this part of the world had probably never seen a Dalari before, and Kitz looked all sorts of crazy. At least Tara appeared to be a prim and proper young lady, and after upgrading my armor recently, I looked like a right warrior; at least, that’s how I saw myself.

As long as people only looked, I was fine with the attention.

We walked casually past a group of Kurskins, who paid us no mind other than a quietly muttered curse about Ersabet. I worried for her safety in a town where the Kurskins had a foothold, but she assured me it wouldn’t be a problem. Apparently, attacking another player this far from the war was ‘not in the spirit of the game.’

We were safe. For now, at least. The first order of business was to find a safe place for Kitz to stay. We needed to clean the feral child and get him a room for a few days. I had some gold, but I didn’t know how well Kitz would do if locked in a single rented room all day. A boy like him needed to feel some sense of freedom, or he would go nuts. I had a solution in mind but was nervous about seeing it through.

I led the team north down the main road for some time before turning into one of the lesser-traveled streets. I preferred these side streets as they had significantly less mud and shit to wade through.

I led them to the nicest house on a street of not-so-nice houses. I knocked on the door and waved for everyone to stay back.

A familiar, bloodshot, green eye stared out the crack in the door. It opened wider, and I saw a confused smile on Delen’s face.

“Delen,” I bowed to him. “I hate to burden you, but may my companions and I spare a moment of your time?”

He looked like he wanted to say something but closed his mouth before the words could escape. Then he opened it again. “Of course, John. Please, come in. All of you are welcome here.”

I went in first, followed by Kitz, Tara, and Ersabet. Delen stared at the Dalari like she was a grand work of art. She didn’t seem to mind.

He would have kept staring at her forever, so I got his attention. “Thanks for letting us in.”

“Think nothing of it,” Delen said after prying his eyes from Ersabet. “Whatever can I do for you? Oh, I know. You’re here for the accumulator, aren’t you?”

“The accumulator?” I asked, confused.

“I named it,” Delen said with a cheerful boast. “The device I showed you that could store and repel the electricity within it.”

I had completely forgotten. “Right! Yes. I would love to get my hands on it.”

Delen’s excitement sunk into sadness. “Unfortunately, I don’t have it anymore. Your friend Prajio came by two days ago and took them both. Said, 'They were paid for with his gold, so they were his by right.'

That bastard! “Prajio was here? What else did he tell you?”

I was suddenly on edge, my heart pounding in my chest. I had feared Prajio would have returned to Delen's to look for me.

“Nothing much. Said he was just wrapping things up in Danver before going west. Mentioned he had a contact in the army that he needed to find. He didn’t mention you. Well, he did mention you when I asked if you would be returning for the accumulator. He said, ‘don’t worry about John.’ And that was it.”

Could it be true? Was Prajio going to enter the war games? He wouldn’t just write me off and leave me, would he? There had to be more to it.

“That’s all you know? Please, any information you have is useful.”

Delen gave a solemn shrug. “That’s about all I can remember. He was only in here for a few minutes. And after he turned all grumpy, the conversation ended.”

I tried not to let this get to me, but I could feel a spark of hatred brewing within me. That bastard stole my taser!

“I’m a little piqued about it," I said. "But your device wasn’t the primary reason for my coming here. Will you allow me to introduce my friends?”

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

Delen took a step back and looked at each of them intently. “Quite an odd arrangement of friends you have there, Mr. McClane. But people call me odd, so we’re all in good company.”

I beamed. “That’s great to hear, Delen.” I gestured to Tara. “This is Tara Honeytender. She’s from the city but had been traveling and only recently returned.”

Tara gave a cute curtsy, and Delen bowed his head. “Pleasure to make you acquaintance, young madam.”

“The pleasure is mine, good sir.” Tara had a genuine smile on her face, and it warmed my heart just enough to push out some of that hatred that had taken over.

I held my hand up to Ersabet. “This is Ersabet. She’s, uh, nice sometimes, and I think she wants to be my friend.”

“I’m about to not be nice if you don’t be quiet,” she replied. “Allow me to introduce myself. You may call me Ersabet. Yes, I am one of the Dalari, and I’m sure most of the rumors you have heard regarding my people are either greatly exaggerated or outright false.”

Delen’s eyes widened a bit. “Don’t worry, Lady Ersabet, I am honored by your presence.”

And now a genuine smile on Ersabet’s face. What was happening?

“Lastly,” I said. “I’d like to introduce my friend Kitz.” I rested my hand on his shoulder. “Kitz here is a good kid stuck in a bad situation.” I met Delen’s eyes. “And he needs some help, Delen.”

Delen looked sympathetically at Kitz. “What do you need from me?”

“We need somewhere for him to stay for a while. Just until I sort some things out for him.”

“Is he in danger?”

“He shouldn’t be in any danger here. But it would be best if he was kept inside. I considered renting a room, but I’d feel terrible leaving him in such cramped quarters. Plus, not all rooms have access to a shower." I patted Kitz on the back. "No offense, kid."

Delen laughed. “I’ll take care of the boy. Is he learned?

I looked at Kitz, and he looked at me with wide, scared eyes.

“I don’t know if he can read if that’s what you mean, but I think you’ll find Kitz a quick learner, nonetheless.”

Delen clapped. “Maybe he can help me around the shop then.”

I grinned. “I think that might be good for him.”

I bent down to Kitz’s level. “What do you think? Would you be okay with staying here for a few days?”

He looked around, and I noted how his eyes lingered on some of Delen’s strange contraptions.

Kitz nodded. “For a few days.”

I patted his back. “Wonderful. I think you’ll like it here. And Delen’s a good man. He’ll treat you right.”

Delen and I shook hands, and we went about preparing a room for Kitz. After that, Delen gave Kitz the grand tour of the home, which only took about two minutes, but from his expression, Kitz was impressed.

We were now at a point where we could leave, but I wasn’t quite ready to go. I needed to talk to Kitz one more time.

I found him at one of Delen’s’ workbenches, poking at some gyro-like device. “Hey, Kitz, we’ll have to say goodbye soon. The faster we get started on the Hunters, the sooner you're free.”

“I like it here,” he said. “But I prefer it out there.” His eyes drifted to a window.

“It’s only for some time. If we do this right, you’ll never have to worry about the Hunters again.”

“I know you can do it. You're special. Like me. But my special tends to have some downsides.”

“You can control bears and hawks and wolves; you’re pretty damn special, kid.”

I put my hand on his shoulder, “Before I go, I was hoping you could give me more information about the Hunters. Is there anything you know about them that could help me?’

“All I know is that they hunt monsters and consider me in that category. They started coming three months ago. Maybe once every two weeks at first, but then it was once a week, and now I see them every few days. I’m good at hiding from them, and my hawks keep watch for me, so I’m usually safe. They almost captured me once before, but my wolf, her name was Summit, saved me. She died, though, but I was able to get away. I miss her.”

I squeezed his shoulder. “I lost my wife. Four months ago. I miss her every day. You and I have to keep living for them. And carry them in our hearts while we do it.”

Kitz’s chin quivered, and he wrapped me in a tight hug. I hugged him back, feeling my eyes tearing up. I blinked them away and released the kid.

“Mind Delen. He has your best interest at heart.”

Kitz nodded and wiped his nose with his ragged sleeve. “I will.”

I turned my back to him and met with Delen to shake his hand again. “Thank you for this. I’ll owe you one.”

“You owe me nothing, friend.”

“If Prajio happens to come back, don’t tell him I’ve been here.”

“I’d gathered that things must have soured between you two.”

“Soured is putting it lightly. Please, for all our sakes, just tell him I was never here. Hopefully, he really did go west, but it’s better to be safe than sorry.”

“My lips are sealed.” Delen made a zipping motion across his mouth. “He always scared me a bit, if I’m honest.”

“Yeah, monsters tend to be scary.”

I turned to Ersabet. “Ready to go?”

“Where are we going, oh fearless leader?”

“I was thinking of an inn. Preferably one close to the Hunter’s lodge or guild or whatever it is.”

“Do you know where that is?”

‘Val, you can tell me, right?’

She sighed. ‘Yes. Of course, I can tell you. Did you even need to ask? You interrupted my movie.’

‘You were watching a movie? Wait. What movie?’

‘Your sappy conversation was boring me, so I finally decided to watch Terminator Two.”

‘We are absolutely talking about this later.’

Esabet was beginning to look at me curiously.

“Yes,” I said to her. “I know where it is. But first, let’s get out of here, get some rest, and formulate a plan.”

“As you wish,” she said.

“Do I get my own room?” Tara asked.

“Don’t you have a house here?”

“I’m not ready for that yet.”

I sighed. “Yes, you can have your own room.”

She squealed like the teenager she was.

‘Quite the army you’re building there, John Conner.’

‘Shut up, Val.’