Clay awoke to the sound of banging. It was the door. Someone was trying to pry open the door through the chair that stood as its obstacle.

Standing up, the golem silently walked up to the door. Whoever it was trying to get in was still trying to work the door open.

Reaching for the chair, Clay pulled the obstacle-free from the door. The sudden release of the obstacle resulted in the door swinging open. A short, bearded, figure came along with the door.

The dwarf landed on the floor, his hand slipping free of the door handle. Clay stood over the fallen form.

Bewildered eyes gazed up at the golem's large figure. The intruder began to clamber back into the hall.

Clay reached down with a stone-fisted grip and grabbed the dwarf by the beard.

"Ach, ach, ach. Hold... Hold on!" the diminutive bearded creature cried out.

The golem glared down at the dwarf.

There was an audible gulp as the intruder realized his position.

"Ah, sorry mate. Er, wrong room." The dwarf's eyes shifted conspicuously.

Clay was unimpressed by the intruder's excuse and tightened his grip on the man's beard.

"Ow. Ow. Ow."

"Who are you?" Clay demanded.

"No one. Not nobody." The dwarf protested.

The golem raised his arm, lifting the anguished creature by the beard.

"Ach. Ah!"

"Who are you?"

Recognizing his defeat, the dwarf deflated. "I'm nobody, I swear. I'm just..." The bearded man hesitated, "I'm just part of Hamor's gang."

Hamor? Clay didn't recognize the name.

"Who's Hamor?"

The dwarf paused.

"Ach! Not the beard!" He cried. "Alright. Alright."

Taking a deep breath, the man said, "Hamor runs the underground this side of Jaskar."

"The underground?"

"Aye. The tunnel networks under the city. The drow run the over world of the city But, we dwarves carved the underbelly of Jaskar out of the bedrock."

Clay hadn't realized that there was another side of the city. But, it didn't explain why this dwarf was trying to break into his room.

"Why were you trying to break in?"

The short dwarf stared up at the towering golem. "Well, you see, um...There's kind of a bounty out on you."

Clay glowered down as he pulled on the dwarf's beard. "Why?"

"Ack. It's just... you're not human. Someone in the gang marked you."

Clay recalled Daernog and his partner conspiring against him in the alley behind the traveler's guild. He wasn't safe at the hunter's guild anymore. It was unfortunate, but he'd have to move.

Dragging the dwarf by the beard, Clay threw the man out of his room and slammed the door shut.

They'd put a bounty on him. He didn't have the luxury of sitting idle running missions anymore.

He could go to the magister's guild, but it would just be a matter of time before they found him again.

Making up his mind, he gathered his gear and opened the door. The dwarf had fled.

Moving down the hall, Clay descended the stairs. Mindy was seated in her usual position.

"Hey there, Clay." She smiled.

Clay nodded to her absentmindedly. "Hi, Mindy."

"Mindy, I was wondering... What other cities are there in the Orgas Plains?"

The woman blinked. "Um, well, there's Zepel to the West. And, Kad to the South. Are you thinking of leaving Jaskar?" She asked.

"Yes," he replied, unwilling to go into detail on his situation.

Mindy frowned, "Well, I'll be sad to see you go. You are an exceptional hunter."

"Thanks, Mindy."

"Um, I've heard that Kad is beautiful. Most of the light stones we use in Jaskar come from there," the receptionist said.

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

Clay thought about her words as he turned to leave. "Thank you. Take care of yourself."

"Bye," he heard as he walked out the door.

With a nod to the young woman, he shut the door to the hunter's guild behind him.

Pulling out his map and compass, Clay plotted his course through the city. He was headed for the South gate.

Walking through the dimly lit streets of Jaskar city, Clay couldn't help but feel that he was being watched. He wondered if the dwarves were using the tunnel network to keep tabs on him.

Every so often he saw a short figure duck behind a wall as he made his way through the city. He was being followed.

He wanted to break into a sprint to leave the confines of the city, but instead calmly lifted his sword a few inches from his scabbard. Feeling the steel slip freely from its confines settled the golem's nerves as he continued his journey out of the city.

Seeing the gate before him, Clay felt a sense of relief wash over him. If he could just get out of the city limits he'd be able to leave the dwarves behind him.

The drow guards showed him no interest as he calmly walked past their checkpoint. The guards weren't there to keep people in.

As he walked free of Jaskar city's restricting walls, Clay sighed with relief. He'd made it. He didn't know how far Kad was from Jaskar. But, he wasn't concerned about the journey.

Walking along the road, the city gate quickly disappeared. And, then, he saw them. A dozen short figures on the road ahead of him.

Clay tensed up as he saw them. His escape wasn't going as smoothly as he had hoped.

Drawing his sword, Clay continued along the path with even steps.

As he approached, the dwarves drew their weapons in response to the glint of steel shining through the darkness. Axes, hammers, and daggers were presented before him.

Clay held his sword out in front of him, his gauntleted fist presented defensively.

"Salu mate." The voice sounded familiar.

The golem didn't respond as he continued forward.

An unarmed dwarf walked forward, not too far ahead of his fellows. "There's no need for that," the voice called.

It was Daernog.

Clay continued his progress in silence.

"Mate, you didn't show up for our rendezvous a few days ago. Was just wanting to see if you might still be interested in joining me and my friends," the dwarf said in as friendly a tone as he could manage.

Clay didn't respond as he kept walking.

"Clay, my friend, there's no need for the hostility." There was a note of nervous tension in the man's voice.

"These here are some friends of mine. We were just hoping to have a friendly word with you."

Unfettered, Clay's sword led him forward. The men at Daernog's side tensed at his approach.

"Honestly. There's no need for that." Daernog sounded desperate. "Guys, guys. Put those away. We're all friends here."

Begrudgingly, the gathering of dwarves holstered their weapons. But, their hands remained on the handles.

Clay slowed down but didn't lower his stance.

"So, I assume you don't want to go out with me and Mumfry to do some mining." The anxious dwarf stated the obvious.

Clay decided to stop his progress. Any further and he'd stab the fidgeting dwarf.

"No."

"Alright. Fair enough." Daernog said. "Well, you see I might have mentioned you to my boss."

"I know," Clay replied.

The dwarf shifted, "My boss wants to meet you."

Clay stepped forward and raised his sword.

"Woah, woah, woah!" Daernog called out, stumbling backward.

A few of the gathered dwarves drew their weapons once more.

"I'm leaving."

"Well, you see..." The dwarf tried to find something to say. "It's just that... you can't."

Clay's grip tightened on the sword's handle, he was getting annoyed.

"If you try to stop me..." He let the words hang in the air.

There was a tense silence that settled over the gathered men. The dwarves shifted, some of them with weapons drawn.

"Hey, how about we go back to the guild and talk this out over an ale? On me." Daernog tried to take control of the situation.

"No."

The dwarf let out an exacerbated sigh.

"Alright, alright. No need for us to come to blows. Just wanted to talk."

Clay didn't believe the dwarf in the slightest. Glaring at the anxious bearded man, the golem waited.

"Okay!" Daernog yelled, "But, we won't be forgetting this."

Shrugging to his comrades, the dwarf backstepped into the group of dwarves. "Let's go."

As the short men turned off the side of the road, Clay refused to lower his guard. He watched as they walked off the beaten trail into the wilderness. The golem surmised that they had tunnels that opened out from under the wall. That would explain how they managed to beat him to the Orgas plains from the guild hall.

The last of the figures disappeared into the shadows. Clay couldn't help but feel that they were still watching him from the darkness. Not lowering his sword, Clay began to walk past their meeting ground.

Keeping a steady pace, Clay focused on leaving Jaskar behind him. He regretted departing the city in such a rush, but he couldn't stay so long as the dwarves were hunting him. He hoped to find Kad more hospitable.

Out on the desolate plains, his only company was the fire that danced up from the ground. The orange and red flames bled out from the charred soil as he passed them by.

Thinking about the dancing flame, he recalled the feminine figure he had encountered in the court of Amri. The robed figures had called her a goddess. Had this goddess warred against the creator in the Calamity?

He still had much to learn about this world that he had come to. The magister's guild had tomes filled with knowledge that he would have liked to have read through. But, the gathering of Hamor's men had demonstrated that while he remained in Jaskar he could be found wherever he went.

While he walked, something occurred to him. He'd heard the name before. Hamor. It had been listed on the hunter's guild wall. Gradually, his steps came to a stop.

Did he want to walk to Kad right now? To allow himself to be run out of Jaskar?

He still had business that he could do in the city.

Hamor's gang had put out a bounty on him. But, there was also a bounty put out on their leader.

He'd decided. He was going back.

Sheathing his sword, Clay drew out his gemstone wand. The light shined brilliantly in the darkness of the plains. The shadows fled the luminous purple glow.

He turned back and made his way to Jaskar.

"You're going after Hamor?" Mindy practically shouted.

"Yes," Clay said as he calmly looked down at the flier he'd handed to the hunter's guild receptionist.

It was a B-rank mission. Clay had only gone up to C thus far. But, he felt confident that he could handle the difficulty.

"Okay..." Mindy said skeptically. "I mean, I know you're strong. But, Hamor is a kingpin in the underground."

Clay nodded. He knew the target wasn't low profile. His mission might not be successful.

"He put a bounty out on me."

The receptionist faltered. "Uh, um... He put a bounty out on you?"

"Yes."

"So, that's why you were asking about the other cities." She said. "I guess you decided not to run."

"Yeah. I still have things to do here." Clay thought about the goddess Amri.

"Well, okay. Hamor is the leader of the Black Bishop gang. They run the tunnels this side of Jaskar."

Clay listened as she gave him his mission briefing.

"If you have your map, I can show you one of the known entrances to the underworld. Once you're down there, you're on your own. I don't know anyone with knowledge of the tunnel network."

He pulled out his map and watched the young woman mark the site of the tunnel entrance.

Clay recognized the location. "Got it. Thanks."

The golem turned to leave.

"Be careful, please," Mindy called behind him.

With a nod, Clay left the hunter's guild.