We all left the house fully equipped for combat, and headed to Sigen's place to search for him. As we walked, Malik filled us in on what happened when the last team tried to approach the administrator's house secretly. They encountered a large group of mercenaries and retreated, but now there was no turning back. Sigen had not been seen since the day I followed him, and that was not a good sign.

When we reached the lower district, I took out the cube and activated it, revealing several dots on the map indicating the location of Sigen's house, but none of them were red, which meant that Sigen was not there. Who knew what kind of enchantments were on the hidden room though, he might be hiding in there.

After confirming this, we had a brief team meeting to decide on the next course of action. Isabel turned to Malik and asked him how he wanted to proceed.

Malik examined the map produced by the cube for a few moments before saying, "There are twelve of them in there, which isn't an insurmountable number. We don't know how strong they are, but based on what David told me about his visitors, they're not too dangerous."

Isabel nodded, "And if we go in there, kill them all, and search the house... what are the consequences?"

Malik smiled, "We have free reign in this. The governor signed an official contract with me personally, which means we are basically an extended arm of the law. We will knock on the door, and if they attack, we handle it."

Lyra grinned, "Oh my! Maybe I should apply for a job with Aldric instead!"

Malik turned to me, "David, I want you to stay out of sight. Use your images to scout the area, make sure there are no surprises. Once things go off, you can sneak in from another angle, perhaps take out a few before they know you're there."

I shrugged, "Sure, I guess sneaking in the shadows is sort of becoming a theme for me." Malik nodded and gave me a smile, and we started moving again.

As we moved, Malik looked back at Lyra and warned her, "Oh, and Lyra, do not burn the house down!"

She gave him a sour pout, but I knew that was mostly just for show. She wasn't an idiot... probably.

As we closed in on Sigen's house, I summoned my mask and disguised myself as a street kid before running ahead past the house. My images were already surrounding the house, and I asked Grim if there was anything new. "Not yet partner.. Oh I can't wait to go in there!" the spirit replied excitedly.

I went down a nearby alley and found a roof to climb, where I could observe Sigen's garden. My vision blurred, and I found myself looking down at the front of the house. Malik and my other companions walked up to the front door, and Malik pounded on it. "Open up!" he bellowed.

There was some scrambling from inside the house, and then the door opened slightly. A grizzled man stood on the other side, and when he saw Malik his eyes widened. He tried to slam the door back shut, but the big man just kicked it and it exploded in a shower of splinters. It had begun.

I returned to my own body just in time to see two people leaving through the garden. I watched them as they jumped the wall and sprinted away. I sent Grim to intercept them and followed behind myself. Soon I heard surprised voices when Grim appeared before our runners, and they turned to sprint back in my direction.

I had an idea and waved my hand. The alley transformed, making it appear to them like a dead end where the alley turned, and there was only a brick wall. They slowed in confusion, but one of them pointed to my fake alley. They set off sprinting again, and with two loud thumps, they crashed into the wall.

As Grim cackled merrily, I walked over to the two groggy mercenaries and grinned. With two firm hits from my staff, they slumped to the ground.

"Well, that was pretty entertaining!" Grim exclaimed. "That was inspired, partner!" We dragged them back towards the house.

Through Grim, I learned that a serious fight was going on in the house. A few of the mercenaries had some skill, and my friends were actually having to fight it out.

As I got close, Grim's voice spoke in my mind, "Oh, sneaky ones. They are running. Come!" Confused for a moment, I trusted Grim's judgment, sent another image with a message for my friends, left the two unconscious mercenaries right there in the street, and began sprinting down the alley.

Grim directed me through twists and turns. "They stopped. They think they are safe," Grim snickered. I slowed down a bit to avoid accidentally alerting them. "How many, Grim?" I asked. The spirit's answer came immediately, "Four of them, and one of them is that tall arrogant fellow you are looking for."

I had somehow stumbled upon Sigen, but now I was alone. I would have to come up with a way to deal with these people, capture Sigen, and try not to almost die this time.

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

I climbed a building quickly, and soon was looking down into a small open area. It had a well in the center, and the small square was circled by low houses. As Grim had said, there were four people down there, and they were arguing about something.

"I'm not fighting that big bastard, not even for all the gold in the world," said the man with the sword on his back. "You signed a contract!" Sigen growled. "When my master learns of this..."

"He's not paying us to commit suicide! You can bloody well go fight him yourself," the other man interrupted.

"If they find what's in that lab... I got most of it... I think. But still, the risk is too great," Sigen said as he paced back and forth.

"Well, that's really your problem, isn't it?" the big man shrugged.

"At least escort me to safety. We're paying for that much, at the very least!" Sigen demanded.

"Sure, and where would that be?" the big man asked.

"You just follow me, puppies. No need to think too much," Sigen replied with a grin. They did not seem to like his tone, but seemed to be professional enough to swallow their pride.

They were about to move out, and I was out of time. I conjured a large illusion in the square, making swirling shadows appear all around the small group. There were shouts of alarm, but Sigen only looked annoyed.

"So, the new recruit tracked us down then. Come out, Harlequin, or are you too afraid to face us?" Sigen taunted.

"Grim's voice entered my mind. 'Lyra and Isabel are on their way,'" I smiled. I just had to keep them occupied then.

I made my voice echo in the square, and in Grim's voice said, "We have been looking for you, Sigen... We have questions!"

Sigen scoffed. "And you're thinking to catch me? You're nothing but a raw recruit. You overestimate yourself." He gestured through the shadows. "Go, they're only illusions!"

The men hesitated, but the large man who Sigen had spoken to stepped forward and touched the shadow with a tentative hand. When nothing happened, he grinned and began to step through. I blinked right in front of him inside the whirling shadows and sent three sharp punches into his face.

He stumbled back, clutching his face as blood streamed between his fingers. "The little shit is in there! Let's get him!" One of the mercenaries conjured sharp-looking shards of ice and sent them flying in every direction. I was surprised by the sudden display of magic and dropped to the ground.

Icy missiles whizzed all around me, and while a few grazed me, none penetrated my armor. I looked around, confused. I only saw two mercenaries and Sigen there. I frowned, and Grim's warning was only just in time. "Behind you!"

I rolled forward out of my shadows and into the open area. The third guy had appeared from somewhere, and he had a nasty grin on his face. He carried two long curved daggers with little spikes on them. I had a really bad feeling. The man with the bloody face rushed at me, looking pretty angry for some reason, maybe just because of his smashed nose. I split my staff into two, and just as he reached me, I stepped in and around him.

His large heavy weapon went past me, and I sent several quick hits into different parts of his body - torso, leg, head, torso, torso, leg. Each hit was infused with ether, and the man was overwhelmed. He spat blood, and I kicked the side of his knee, breaking it with a nasty crunch.

I jumped back just as icy spikes came at me. With one hand raised, I conjured an illusionary ball of fire, which I sent at the ice guy. He seemed surprised and raised a wall of ice between us. I grinned and turned to the knife guy who was on me.

We exchanged a furious series of blows, each dodging and weaving, then hitting back. The man's smile was growing wider, and he had managed a few minor cuts. I understood too late why he was grinning. Poison.

Grim appeared at the man's side, and the spirit gave me enough breathing room to jump back, only to have to not completely dodge a shower of ice spears. "Shit... This is not good."

I took a quick glance at the spike jutting out of my thigh. It was just a flesh wound, but I couldn't take any more hits. With a deep breath, I shrouded myself in illusions and summoned several versions of myself. However, the knife-wielding attacker saw right through my tricks. He easily dispatched Grim and came straight for me, ignoring the illusions.

Cursing under my breath, I backtracked toward the living shadows, but the man's smile was mocking at this point. He charged toward me, daggers at the ready. I flicked my finger, and he lost his footing, slipping on the cobblestones. He went down hard, smashing his face into the ground. I dismissed and resummoned my images, sending them at the mage to keep him busy while I dealt with the knife guy.

I gave him a good ol’ walloping until he stopped moving, not willing to risk him getting back up. The large mercenary slowly stood, looking furious. He threw a potion vial aside, and I couldn't help but sigh. "You really want to do this again?" I asked, imitating Grim's mocking voice. The man roared in anger and charged toward me.

In the midst of the chaos, I had forgotten about Sigen. He had retreated to the other side of the square with his back turned to us. With a gleeful laugh, he stood up, and both the mercenary and I stopped in our tracks. The sound of the mage fighting off Grim's images filled the air. We both stared in horror as a bright light began to erupt behind Sigen.

As it turned out, the mercenary wasn't going to like whatever Sigen was doing either. His eyes widened as a huge elemental began to take shape from cobblestones and parts of buildings. Sigen looked victorious. "Now you die, Harlequin! Witness my master's glorious-" He was cut off as a giant hand slammed him onto the cobblestones, leaving behind a nasty smear.

"Um... That is... Shit..." I muttered. The mercenary nodded in agreement, understanding the gravity of the situation. He shouted to the mage, "Time to go, Alec!" We both nodded in unison. I had Grim stop his assault, and the mercenary picked up the knife guy before turning to run. He looked at me and said, "We're leaving Creston... Let's bury the hatchet, yeah?"

I shrugged, "I better not see you again," using Grim's voice. The still-growing golem roared and the man nodded before he and the mage ran down a nearby alley. I was left alone with the giant rock monster, feeling like this world was screwed up beyond repair. "Fuck this world," I muttered to myself.