“My village was razed by bandits. They came early in the morning. I wasn’t there. Couldn’t do anything to stop them.” I wasn't able to meet her eyes, felt like the description wasn’t enough, but I didn’t know what more to say.

“You can’t blame yourself for what happened. I doubt you could’ve done much to stop them anyway.” The warmth in her eyes told me she didn’t mean that statement with any malice. It still hurt to hear.

“What were you doing when they came?” The voice from the doorway startled me. The orc had made his return, though his piercing eyes didn’t make it a warm one.

“Gathering materials for my family’s apothecary.”

“Ah, a daughter of potion sellers. Explains the flasks you had at your waist.”

Angie perked up.“Oh, don’t worry about those, they’re with our mage. She took a particular interest in them, and when she does that we just leave her to it.”

“Will I be getting those back at some point?”

“Yes of course, did you want them now or?”

“Please, that would be great.” I had always felt lost when I didn’t hear that familiar clinking sound at my waist. Having them back may help me feel just a bit better about this whole situation. Like I still had a piece of my home with me.

Almost immediately the orc, Drake I think his name was, left just as quietly as he arrived. I hoped that he would come back by himself, or maybe called for Angie to take them from him at the door while he attended to something else. He didn’t make me feel particularly uncomfortable, but he wasn’t doing much of the opposite either.

I figured I should fill the silence while he was away. “So, what’s your guys’ story?” That and any distraction was appreciated at this point.

“Oh, well, you see I’m a diplomat from Mase, come here to work out some deals with the aristocrats of the area.”

“I’m going to stop you for a moment, what kind of diplomats come in a full suit of armor, weapons in hand? And why would you need a mage? And why would you go out to a burned down town at the outskirts of the country you’re trying to broker deals with?”

“I never said I was a good diplomat.” The smile on her face betrayed nothing, though the statement brought me no closure, and I think she could tell. “Ok, fine, I’m not the typical kind of diplomat. But I can prove I’m on official business, and I do promise I’m an envoy of Mase.” She began to dig around in the pocket of her pants, which I realized was more suited for a common worker than a diplomat, and after a brief moment she presented a small medallion. On the face of it was a crest of a crow sitting atop a lion, the lion seeming to be asleep while the crow kept watch. When she turned it over it was the reverse, a sleeping crow roosted on a steadfast lion.

The lack of awe on my face might have tipped her off, but I had zero clue what this was in reference to, or what it meant for her standing. Sure it looked official enough, it just didn't belong to any wealthy individual I'd ever seen. "As far as I know this is just a well made medallion." or even worse, you guys stole this off some actual diplomat. I thought better than to say that part out loud, lest I insult her a little too much.

"That...would be a fair assessment, yeah. Gotta give you that." She seemed to actually be at a loss for a moment. "Can I just ask you to take me at my word again?"

"Now that's a pretty big request from someone without a story to give me. I already agreed to trust you're not part of the church, now you want me to trust you're actually a diplomat from another country, and all you have to show for it is an oversized coin?"

"Well ok yes I can see how that may be a little...suspicious. But I promise, this 'coin' is real. I can use it to get pretty much anywhere here, and very literally anywhere in Bogra. And they don't just give these out to just anyone. My armour and weapons, and even the mage, just prove that I can hold onto it without it being stolen. They are never given to people that can be easily taken from."

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"Ok, so I guess that can kind of explain the need for a diplomat to have armour and weapons, but what about you being at the outskirts of the entire country, right where a portion of it was burning down?"

"I may be able to quiet some of your concerns, dear dwarf." The voice that came from the doorway was anything but comforting, but for a whole different reason than the orc's.

The voice could best be described as a constant gurgle. Like she had a pool of water in the back of her throat, constantly filtering anything she said. I had never heard a merrow talk before, but I had heard they were beautiful songstresses who could lure just about anyone with just their voice. The disimilarities to what I had heard didn't end there either. Her blue semi-translucent skin wasn't out of the ordinary, but her 'hair' was. It appeared as a writhing mass that ended just above her shoulders, made of tentacles of various lengths. A few seemed to cling around her face, framing it in an odd way that her features didn't help. Her face was overall very flat, with two small holes making up her nose and two black dots I had to assume were her eyes. Her mouth was a tad too big in comparison. The outfit she wore was more akin to my own than what I imagined a court mage would wear.

"I'm so sorry. I promise she didn't mean anything rude by it." Angie tried to reassure me. I hadn't even realized she'd said anything rude in the first place.

"Oh, wait. You mean when she called me a dwarf? Don't worry, I get that a lot. Half-gnomes aren't too common, though I don't have a beard so that alone should be a giveaway." I noticed the merrow's eyes grew wide when I mentioned I was a half-gnome, though it was only a slight change given how small they still were.

"Oh my, a half-gnome? May I ask, what forms of magic are common among your people?" The merrow spoke up again.

"Oh uh. I don't really know. I don't know many of my gnome relatives, and my dad doesn't really have a hand for magic."

What could only be described as a sigh from someone drowning escaped her lips. "Damn, I'll have to look elsewhere then." Her face remained neutral. After a short pause she perked back up again. "Was it your father who crafted the potions you held at your waist?"

Being reminded of the reason she came also made me think of the lack of weight I had at my belt. "No, they're handcrafted by me. Why did you want to know?" She still hadn't handed them back to me, but I didn't want to be rude and interrupt the conversation.

"Do you have any magical abilities by chance? These potions are extremely high quality, and I'd love to see your process of making them. Do you imbue them with any sort of healing magic?"

I had to stop to catch my breath. How could she have known about my blessing? Were they actually from the church? Did Angie lie about that? Why am I such a fucking idiot for believing what she told me.

"Maud." Angie's voice sounded commanding, but not the tone one would use on a child. More that of a friend who crossed a line. Pleading a little for her to stop.

"My apologies. I tend to get lost in my research. We have not even exchanged names. I am Maud, unfair merrow from the western seas."

I had to consider whether I wanted to continue this conversation. Or even still be here in this room. This being the second time they made me think of the church was not a good sign. And unlike the church, I wasn't one to give out three chances. "I think I want to leave."

This caught Angie off guard, as she spun around from looking at the merrow. She didn't greet me with a smile, but instead an open mouth and furrowed brow. "I'm really truly sorry if anything Maud said was upsetting. I promise she meant no ill will with it. She's just used to referring to people like that when she first meets them." Again she pleaded for me to stay, but now I know it's to make use of my blessing.

"I believe I know of the issue she has Angie. I forget not everyone is as keen on using magic as I am. Q may serve as a constant reminder, but without his presence it slipped my mind. You do not have to show us your abilities, and I do not need a demonstration if it makes you uncomfortable."

"Ah shit, that's what it was. I'm so damn sorry Ginger. You were vague about your 'blessing' before. I didn't realize it was magic you were talking about." Angie seemed to collect herself after a brief pause. "I understand if you want to leave, and I promise we won't stop you. But like I said before, we aren't from the church and we really didn't know about your blessing before approaching you."

Again I was at a loss. I still wanted to leave, but I had nowhere to go. I didn't fully trust them, but I didn't have anyone else, and they did seem at least somewhat genuine. But none of that mattered, not when I could be dealing with the church. Every time I was approached before they always came back with more deceptive plans. This would likely just be another plot to trick me and use me. So I got up, leaving the room and both of them behind.