The sun tinted the streets of Sava a pale orange as Iris and Lina left early in the morning. Lina rushed into the central marketplace, Lina struggling to keep up. The two of them entered a tailor shop that had just opened for the day. Lina barged through the open door and handed the tailor a large gown for servicing. Iris squeezed through the entrance to the store a few seconds later, out of breath.

"You know if you want one of these I have a seamstress I know back in Mesburg that could make something that I am sure would look great on you," Lina turned to talk with Iris as the couturier took the gown into the back room.

"Thank you, but I don't know if that's really for me."

"Oh come on now, I'm sure you would love it. Once we get back from Baliskar we'll get one made. I think that scapular looks great but a little variety couldn't hurt. Sometimes we have to meet with some of the higher class so it helps to be prepared."

The pair left the shop and turned left down another street.

"This is the shader part of town. So watch out." Lina warned.

"Ok..."

They continued down the street until they reached an ominous brick structure. Lina noted down the location and began to inspect the sides of the building. It was a drab construction that lacked any windows. A single door facing the street was the only readily apparent way of entry.

"This is the place," she said.

"So this is the place. Quite an intimidating place, innit?" Iris asked. "What is it?"

"It's a prison dedicated to the sale of slaves. There is someone in here that knows how to get into the vault in Baliskar. I was planning on bringing her along for our trip."

"I thought you already knew how to get to the vault?"

"I know where it is. Getting in, on the other hand, is another problem entirely. No doubt the vault is laden with traps and safeguards. We will need someone with some knowledge of the layout if we hope to get anything done. Luckily, this jailhouse happens to contain one of the few people who actually got into the vault."

"Alright, let's get them out then."

"We are gonna need a team to break her out. Tomorrow we will all come and devise a plan to break her out. I was only planning on scouting out the place for today. Frankly, it's doubtful she would even help us, but there aren't many other options."

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

With that, the duo began to walk back to the central marketplace. They ducked down a side street to return to the inner city when they found their way blocked by a thief. A cutpurse rounded the corner they came from to block off their escape. Iris pressed herself closely to Lina.

"It is quite unusual for ladies to be around these parts. Are you lost?" the man moved to the middle of the street leading to the market.

"No, we were just leaving," Lina responded.

"That's too bad. You should know that this road can't be traversed until midday. Tell you what, if you drop your valuables I'll let you off with a warning."

Lina began to say something but looked back to Iris — she looked a little shaken.

"I can offer you money if that's what you want. Just leave us be."

The man approached Lina. "That's good," he looked her up and down. "While you're at it why don't you hand over that fancy necklace too."

Lina gripped the jewel-encrusted locket. "That's not going to happen."

"How unfortunate. I guess I'll have to take it off you then. You patrician leeches are at least good for a nice ransom."

The man swung at her carelessly, evidently not expecting resistance. She ducked in and delivered a firm punch in the gut. He reeled back and clutched his stomach. "Facefucker! You shouldn't have tested my patience." He pulled out a slender knife from his waist and lunged at Lina. Lina tried to reach down to her boot but readied herself as the man slashed at her. As she backpedaled, the knife nicked her in the leg. The man slashed at her again and drew blood from her finger. Seeking to finish her off, he reached out with a thrust to her midsection. Lina moved in caught his arm sending a flurry of knees directly to his diaphragm. As he recovered from the blow, Lina managed to wrest the knife from his grip. The knife clattered as it fell to the floor. He could only weakly grip her hair as she battered him bloody.

Turning back around, she heard a cry of pain. Iris had been diverting the other thief while Lina was fighting. Shallow cuts ran down the length of the sleeves of her robe. Lina approached the other man and unsheathed the knife she held concealed in her boot. He turned to face the coming threat. He lashed out at Lina to keep her back. She was having a difficult time attacking him without leaving herself open. Iris gripped the man from behind in the confusion. He was able to throw her off but got a blade to his throat for his trouble. The man let out a gurgle as he choked on his own blood and fell limply back into the arms of Iris. Lina looked over to Iris. Jagged marks of red blood broke up the previously monochromatic black robes.

Lina reached over to help up Iris as she was a little unsteady on her feet. "Sorry, I didn't think it would get this bad. I guess we should make a detour to the arena the doctor there is usually available after fights — I guess we'll have to get you some new clothes as well."

Iris shook her head a little. She shadowed Lina as they moved back to the inner city. As they made it through the arch that signaled the entrance to the central plaza, the sun rose past the rooftops to shower the area in a gleaming golden glow.

Iris turned to address Lina. "Um, Thanks for the help and all that back there. I'm sorry I couldn't really do much... On the bright side, at least it was a great bonding experience, eh?"

Lina laughed, "I guess you could say that."