It took some time for the other Terrans to approve of Grimm's request. The conditions they place on his venture were that he did not sell anything based on existing Veil Rider equipment, such as Uniforms. He was also denied being able to stock things like fuel and gas stoves, though this was primarily due to the Dwarves not having figured out a way to reliably mass produce them yet. Finally, he was forced to learn how to read and write in the local Tunka. This one made the most sense to Grimm since he would need to know both to do business with the locals.

They did allow him to sell things based on the equipment he brought over, as they differentiated from that which was a standard issue.

He was still not permitted to sell firearms to his annoyance, but after hearing what damage the logistic teams caused, he at least understood why they were so adamant about it.

For about a month, he went to the various folks to try and find suppliers for his store. When he couldn't find any reliable ones on his own, some of the Lone Wanderers told him where he could find them. Grimm had begun to notice that many of the Veil folk were not keen to do business with him, whether if this was due to the Fae's attempt to make him notorious to the locals or if the punished troopers had begun to spread what he had done as a slave of the fae, the effects were the same. In fact, it seems that had the Lone Wanderers not introduced him to these people, they would have either outright denied him or charged him so much for his stock that he would have gone bankrupt within a month.

Yule, anticipating this to a certain extent, asked for some help in acquiring the property for Grimm's store. However, it would be up to Grimm to handle the finer details. Grimm knew that given the current situation, he may need to supplement his savings further to acquire everything he needed to get the store started. To ensure no more issues happened to the man on his quest to be a business owner, Yule and the Lone Wanderers had one of the Drakonics tag along with him to ask as both protection, and a mediator. He ended up selling one of the scopes he had brought with him through the veil that he had scavenged when he was a mercenary. He had tried to give the Dwarves the one from his rifle, but the moment they caught onto the fact he had a near pristine one, they refused to make a deal with him unless it was the better scope. Grimm reluctantly agreed, and as he was about to sign, one of the Drakonics that went with him intervened and informed the Terran that the Dwarves were giving far too little gold for a near to pristine condition, Terran made scope. The ensuing argument almost caused the deal to fall apart until the Drakonic said he would go to Yule about this.

The Dwarves worried, agreed to changing the price. However seeing as the Dwarves seem reluctant to give him more gold for the piece of glass, Grimm asked the Dwarves that if they would rather set his store up with the new refrigeration systems they were developing than to give him more money for the scope. The Dwarves were perplexed by this, but Grimm explained how he wanted to offer Draft beers for his customers and keep the food he would need to stock fresher longer. He also explained that despite how everyone disliked him at the moment, he would offer the Dwarves free drinks with their meals if they agreed.

Excited by the prospect of free drinks, the Dwarves agreed, and both sides shook on it. Later on, after they had left, the Drakonic asked Grimm why he made such a deal when the scope could have made him so much more money. Grimm shrugged and responded, "What would be the point? All that gold wouldn't have gotten me that system at a price I could afford. This way, the Dwarves get what they want, and I get what I want for a scope I didn't even buy." The Drakonic laughed and slapped him on the back, the simple little bit of Comradery made Grimm smile.

Back in the present, Grimm stood outside the office of the Mayor of New Sanrion, Al Alory Respin. After a short wait, he is allowed in. As he was about to introduce himself, Respin beat him to the punch. "Hello, Mr. Ó Cathail! It is a pleasure to meet you, come sit down. Our mutual friend, Yule, told me you wanted to open a store in the city, is that right?"

Grimm, caught off guard, nods, and tries to respond,

"Yes, sir...". Respin cuts him off, "Please, call me Respin. Any friend of Yules is a friend of mine."

"Right..."Grimm was not used to this kind of reception outside of the Drakonics. He allowed himself a moment to compose himself and smile. "That is correct, Respin. I would like to open a store that caters to the needs of the Mercenaries and Adventurer types of New Sanrion."

Respin nods and looks at some papers, Grimm presumed them to be lists of buildings for sale, "I see, there are already quite a few stores like that. What would set yours apart?"

This time, Respin asked him something he was ready for, "I intend to combine an Inn, canteen, and a general goods store so from morning to sunset we have everything you'll need."

Respin considers this, with a thoughtful expression, he responds, "You Terrans always have such interesting ideas. May I ask why, though?"

Grimm looks confused and responds, "Well, everyone needs a job, and I have the gold to start up my own business, so it just makes sense."

"No, I mean, why leave the Rider's? I thought you Terrans believed in protecting us from the Fae? I wish to know more about you before I agree to let you open a store in town, a simple matter of precaution I assure you."

Grimm sighs and hangs his head, "Because I never wanted to be a killer."

Respin looks puzzled, "I am sorry, but what do you mean?"

Grimm clenches his hands together so tightly his knuckles turn white, "I never wanted to be a killer. I never wanted to come here to be a killer of men and women, I always dreamed of this as the next great adventure."

Respin nodded, "I have heard this from many of the Terran Riders. Even Yule said this was never meant to become such a war."

Grimm shakes his head."There is more to it than that. When the Veil was discovered I tried joining the Riders in the first two expeditions they launched, however, I was too late for the first one with Yule, and by the time the second one was getting ready, the Government enforced stricter standards which I didn't meet. Even with everything going on, I wanted to make the next one so I began training with my equipment in various woodlands in my state to try and quickly get to their minimal requirements so I could cross over myself."

Respin nods while fixing himself a cup of tea

"Interesting, but how does that answer my question?"

Grimm clenches his hands till his knuckles turn white as he begins to dreg up the memories of the Fae's genocide,

"I am getting to that point, I felt a bit of context was important before I got to it. When the fucking Fae attacked humanity, I was coming home from one such training session, hoping that the US would allow just one more Veil Rider team through, as I was getting closer to home I saw smoke where my town was. I.... I started to drive up closer to see if some farmers were using a burn to clear their fields early or something, but as I got closer, I heard the gunshots and saw the Black SUV's and unmarked white vans. I didn't need someone to tell me what was going on, I turned and ran."

Respin looked at the Terran knowingly, a kindred spirit in loss.

"What made you fight?"

"When I finally felt safe, I felt disgusted with myself. I let them die, so I swore to avenge them and live till I was finally killed. From then one I moved from resistance cell to resistance cell, I worked for supplies or just looted them off dead Fae forces. I... I was captured by the fae on one of those missions. They baited the resistance cell into attacking what they thought was a lightly armed supply convoy. When the gunfire stopped, over half of us were dead. The rest of us weren't long either, but the Fae wanted prisoners, so they stabilized us and took us to one of their interrogation facilities."

Respin looks at him with a judging look to see if the man could be lying, "And that is where the Fae recruited you?"

Grimm, let's out a laugh that borders on hysterical, a feeling of fear washes over Respin, but Grimm continues. "Recruitment isn't the right term for what they did to me. See, the others were only useful for trying to track done the survivors of their cell. I, on the other hand, had built up a reputation. They realized that the same guy had been working with multiple cells, killing as many of their kind as he could. They dubbed me Grimm. It was after our world's death god. The name was a mix of a joke, an insult, and I believe something to scare their grunts if they are slacking or something."

What did they do then? Realization begins to dawn upon Respin as he begins to realize what kind of man the Terran was.

"They brought in their best interrogator. I heard from her that she had worked on Yule before he escaped, that I shouldn't consider myself as lucky as him. She worked me over with her knives for what felt like lifetimes. Unfortunately for the Fae, I worked as a mercenary, and I was never trusted with anything important. I had preferred it that way, which not only saved all the others but pissed that bitch off something fierce. She took her anger out on me till I was in a pile of meat on the ground. That is when another fae offered me a deal. I put on the collar, and they heal me. At that point, I was delirious from the pain and agreed, I thought they were just going to make me an example on TV or something. God, how I was wrong. They refilled all the gear that needed to be replaced after they shot me up during their ambush, and then they sent me into the Veil. The place I had dreamed I would have the greatest adventure of my life, and I was made to be one of its destroyers. I... I had hoped that I would have died, I had betrayed my people twice. I didn't deserve to live. The Drakonics thought otherwise. They fought to free me and the others, too many of the other Terrans died, but they got the collars off. After they had rehabilitated us, we were given jobs, but...."

Grimm stops for a moment, his mind going back to each moment. The fear, shame, and anger he felt for running away. He remembered the hate and anger he felt towards the fae during every job he took, he also remembers that fae bitch. The one whose magic knives that seemed to carve away at his very soul. Respin could see it on the young man's face, the same horrors that the fae inflicted upon his people. The man whose whose own experience left him tired and grizzled to his very soul. Many have told him so, that the light he used to have in his eyes was gone, but he knew that he could not rest. Not when he knew the Terrans were fighting a war for them at the risk of their own peoples continued existence. He let the young man come to on his own, noting that the lads hands had gripped so tightly a small trickle of his odd blood could be seen. As Respin waits he gets out a bandage for the young man's hands, not like the ones used in combat but a simple dressing to stop the blood.

"I can't fight anymore. I betrayed my people too many times to believe I can help anyone like that, I can't roam alone in the wilds, I refuse to be recaptured and dragged back to those fucking Fae. So that is why I wanted to open a store, I thought I could still help people that way."

There it is, the final piece of the puzzle, and Respin could see Grimm for who he is. He was no killer, no monster, as others had said. This man lies broken, fearful of himself, and hates himself for all his failings more than anyone else could ever hope to come close to.

Respin waited for Grimm to come down from the memories, and as he returned to reality, Respin offers Grimm the linen bandage, offering the young man a sympathetic smile.

"I understand your situation now, and I will approve of your store."

Grimm, feeling emotionally exhausted, wraps his hands with the bandages. "Thank you... Respin, I apologize you had to witness that..."

Respin gets up and walks over to Grimm to hold his hands. Grimm is caught off guard, and even his Drakonic escort is surprised.

"You need not apologize to me, James. This war has taken much from all of us, and I know your pain very well."

Respin, looks at Grimm with his tired eyes.

"If you ever find yourself in trouble, let me know, and I will do all I can to help you. There has been enough pain and misery without others wrongly blaming the victims of the Fae."

Grimm looked up to the old man with eyes filled with a gratitude that seemed to have been what the young mans soul desperately needed. He reminded Respin of the young men of Old Sanrion, the ones who tried to fight the Blue helmets and died. Of the children who were taken away from their mother's, of Respin's own son.

The old Elf continues,

"Go home and get some rest. Tomorrow, I will show you some properties to choose from."

Grimm nods and gets up to leave, the Drakonic helping the mentally exhausted Terran. As the door closes, Respin goes over Grimm's proposal and compares it to the list of available properties, seeing which ones match the criteria. He mutters as he thins out the pile,

"Dear me, I am excited to see how he grows from here on."

That night, Grimm did not sleep well. His Drakonic friend helped him to what he had been calling his personal room on base. After they left, Grimm settled in for the night trying to settle his nerves. He hated that every time he was asked about his story, he fell into the memories. The human docs told him it was classic PTSD and offered him therapy, but even with their help, it always felt so visceral. After some time, he finally went to bed, and that is when the nightmares began. This time, he was back where it all began, his little town in South Dakota. He watched himself driving down the road to home when he saw it. The smoke. His dream self goes to turn around as he had, but he screamed at him to put his foot on the gas. To try and slam his car through the barricade, to try and save someone, anyone from town. But his dream self could not hear him, Grimm grabbed his gear from the back seat and tried to bail from the car and hit pavement. He feels the kiss of that shifty asphalt they used in that area, which was funny as the professionals always told you that you couldn't feel pain in a dream.

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

He finishes snapping his rig in place when he hears the gunfire and screams he responds with an impossibly long run to the town. When he gets there, he shoots his way through the barricade desperate to save even the children, screaming, "NOT THIS TIMES YOU BASTARDS!!"

By the time he got into the town, the screaming was over. All the people he knew since moving to that little town lay dead and bled dry, staring at him with withered eyes, accusing him of abandoning them, and in the center of the carnage, drenched in the blood of her victim was that Fae Bitch, Errol.

She noticed him and smiled at him, and in a taunting sing song voice, she says to him. "Too late, Grimm, they have already been used to help us fight our wars."

Grimm screamed in defiance, firing his AR-10 at her, but she had already vanished. Scanning the area, he suddenly smells a metallic iron behind him as that same voice whispered into his ear,

"You are too slow, Grimm, that is why you lose."

Suddenly, he feels a sharp blade thrust into his back, and he can see the blade come out of his chest.

He wakes up screaming, grabbing at his chest, looking for a wound that wasn't there. By the time the team that was on fire watched could check him, Grimm was throwing up in the small trash can that came with his room.

The fire watch helped him to the infirmary to get checked out. By morning, the terran colloquially known by all as Gruesome finally came over to give him the news.

"Well, we ran every test we could on you. The more magical folk figure out that the fae did something to either induce or make a pre-existing case of PTSD worse for you. Who the hell did you piss off over there, kid?"

Grimm sighed as he explains, "It was that bitch Errol."

"The one that had taken Yule prisoner?"

Grimm nods, "Yeah, they captured me a bit after you all busted him out. She took particular offense to that. She took her time working me over with those knives or hers."

Gruesome pulls out and chews on a pipe while thinking. "It must've been during one of those sessions that she did this to you. Fortunately for you, we have medicine for that."

Gruesome pulls out a milky white glass vial and offers it to Grimm. "The White Feather Gnolls call it Fog's Essence. We have been using it to treat PTSD cases like yourself. I have to stress this, do not take more than what I give you personally."

Grimm turns the vial over in his hand and looks back up to Gruesome "Why, what does this shit do?"

Gruesome looks into Grimm's eyes with all of the authority his position and experience granted him and causes the younger man to freeze. "It erases memories, and while I am hesitant to prescribe this, there have been cases where the war got too much for some of the Terran Rider's and they chose this to erase their trauma to keep going."

Grimm pales at the thought and almost drops the vial out of shock but Gruesome catches it and puts it back into Grimm's hands. "I am not giving you this lightly, you have a severe case of PTSD amplified by whatever infernal magic the Fae used on you. Given how they reacted to how we took you from them, chances are this magic, this curse of theirs is meant to drive you to either snap and attack everyone around you or drive you to go back to them. I'm going to have the Dwarves and some of our magically inclined staff try and find a counter to it but this will at the very least deprive the fae of what they have been using to torment you. I am not even sure if the effects will be permanent in your case, but I do know that at the moment this is your only option if you want me to allow you to leave the Rider's to run that shop of yours."

Grimm, still pale, asks Gruesome, "I see you heard about what I plan to do, I am worried if this targets our memories wouldn't that mean that it would erase a part of me? What that nightmare was is the very reason I fought the fae for so long, and that is only the tip of the iceberg of what I have seen back home. If you erase everything to stop their magic from tormenting me, wouldn't that reset me back to who I was before this fucking war started?"

Gruesome nods, "I believe that our people will develop a way to undo this curse before we get that far, but in essence yes. If you are worried about this, write it down before you drink your first dose so while you forget the memory you don't forget who you are."

"Are you sure there isn't anything else you could give me? Something less drastic and permanent?" Grimm asks almost pleadingly.

Grimm shakes his head, "If this was normal PTSD I would prescribe something the locals call Mother's Coaxing. It calms the user and helps them go straight to deep sleep, but your PTSD is being amplified by Fae magic and it is affecting your body so we need to take more immediate measures. Again, I am not prescribing this lightly, so allow me to reiterate:"

Gruesome leans in and in a growl that reminded Grimm of his old Drill Sergeant from the days he was a private. "DO NOT take ANY dose of this stuff without MY authorization. Even after the first dose, I expect you to come on base weekly for a checkup and further treatment there is a black market for bastards who are using this to completely wipe the minds of people they don't like, do you understand Grimm?"

Grimm pales further and slowly nods and Gruesome leans back. "Good, now I'll arrange for a journal for you to record the memories we have to erase in and hopefully this curse of yours doesn't have the means to reconstruct the erased memories. For now, you will relax here and I'll have someone bring you food from the DFAC. Once you are ready we will have you take the first dose here so we can help you reorient yourself to your surroundings."

Grimm nods weakly, "Thank you, sir." Gruesome shakes his head and gets up, "You don't have to thank me. I have seen too many kids like you kill yourselves from coming back from war and I simply don't want to see another one fall into that same fate."

After Gruesome leaves, Grimm begins writing his time during the War with the Fae down. By the end of the day, he has written as much as he can remember from the first year of the conflict including what happened to his town and the guilt he felt for fleeing. He wrote to himself to never forget what the fae did to him and ultimately to never forget where his weakness led him.

Once he finishes he calls for Gruesome, he returns with some nurses and another doctor. They lay Grimm down on his medical bed and present the Fog's Essence to him. Grimm takes the vial and uncorks it, staring at the contents. He looks at Gruesome who nods, with that final confirmation Grimm drinks the potion and pauses.

"So Grimm, how does it feel?

Grimm just sits there, in his head the guilt he has felt for so many years along with a scream of rage fades to a distant noise. The memory goes from a vivid image to something that looks like he read it in a book and then it fades to blank. "I can't remember, I remember I was trying to forget something but I can't remember what. Does that mean what you did worked?"

Gruesome nods and hands Grimm the journal, "When you are ready to learn what you erased read that. You will be held for another twenty-four hours for observation and then you will be free to go."

Grimm nods, "Thank you, sir." Gruesome nods, "I told you I just didn't want to see you punch your ticket kid, you don't need to thank me." With that Gruesome leaves allowing the nurses to run a few tests before allowing him to fall asleep, a deep dreamless sleep."

When Grimm awakens, he is greeted by the nurses bringing him food and a change of clothing. As he is cleared for release, he stares at the book he had left himself unsure what to do. As he gets ready to leave he sees Gruesome and goes to him with a simple question.

"Sir, will the curse return if I read this book?"

Gruesome ponders this, "I am not sure exactly, you have erased the core memory that the Fae were using to torture you but it is possible that it could return, in a diminished state if you were to relearn what you went through. I will check with the folks I have working on a more permanent solution for your problem. For now, I would recommend holding off and coming in if you feel any adverse side effects to the treatment."

Grimm nods and heads out where his Drakonic chaperone and the closest thing he currently had to a friend, Olfgar, is waiting for him. "I see you are finally out, you still you?"

"I don't know, I still feel like I did the day before, but it feels like a burden has been taken off my shoulders or like a pain I have lived with for so long finally fading away. I still feel shame for my weakness and hatred for those fucking bastards that destroyed my world."

Olfgar laughs, slapping him on the back. "That is good to hear my friend, that means that whatever is left of that curse will not be as powerful as before! Does this mean you want to return to the fight?"

"No, I am cursed and it's planted deep in there. Even with the slave contract gone, I am a possible timebomb if I am on the front line. So I will continue with my plans to open the store, so I can help others in any way I can. Maybe one day I can convince Yule to let me sell proper arms to these people or join simple missions with the Adventurers."

"It sounds like you plan to settle down lad, most of you still want to reclaim your world." Grimm shakes his head at Olfgar, "There isn't much left, and whatever the fae have finished twisting into their image won't be so easily dismantled with the Rider's current capabilities or infrastructure. They had already rounded up most of the followers of the Abrahamic religions, the mission I took before getting captured was to keep them away from a Mennonite enclave that was trying to help us. They have something that is warping our people's minds and the only way to survive is to capture as many as we can and try and break their hold, to show them that the Fae are false gods, that they can bleed."

Olfgar looks annoyed, "I knew we should've kept them away from the Christians, they bastardized that poor man's message." He sees Grimm look puzzled, and he laughs. "Ah that is right, not all of you know. Your Jesus was a fae that wanted to guide humanity down a path of peace, to end the senseless bloodshed that our kin wrought upon ye. The others did not appreciate that, and they had him killed, he was an idealist and while I don't fully embrace the idea of his peace, I respect him for what he tried to do. I know you see many of us as mindless monsters, but please remember we are not all monsters. Many just have had our worldview... Warped by the Queen and her senseless ambition and greed."

Grimm continues to walk and processes this, "I will never stop viewing those that willingly follow that bitch as mindless insects Olfgar, but your story has given me a newfound respect for those of you who broke and continue to break free of her influence."

Olfgar nods, "At least that is a step in the right direction, I remember when we brought you back you tried to kill me."

"That is because I thought you were just more fae, I've apologized many times man." Grimm's face flushes with embarrassment.

"Aye but that fight was still memorable, I was wondering. Now that you are rested, how about we have a spar in the training yard? Moving your body will help you unwind and I'll finally be able to fight someone who knows how to throw a punch!" Olfgar laughs as Grimm looks at the man with a raised eyebrow.

"Olfgar, you have well over a century on me in combat experience. If we spar you'll just kick my ass."

"Aw come on, I know you have been stressed about how everyone has treated it. Even if you feel like you deserve it, I can see it in your eyes. It'll be good for you, and if you manage to beat me, dinner is on me!"

Grimm shocks the nearby Auxiliaries by letting out a sound none of those who knew him have heard from the man, a genuine laugh. "Aright Olfgar, you are on! I was getting tired of the Dfac food anyway!" Both of the men laugh as they make their way to the training grounds and get ready. "Any rules for these or is this just a good old-fashioned fight?" Grimm asks as he stretches.

Olfagr laughs as he stretches as well, "Well considering how much an amateur you are at hand-to-hand combat, it will be anything goes." Grimm sighed thinking back to how he paid more attention to the Combatitves training when he had been going through basic training as a teenager, as it was all he really could do was brawl. It was in fact that weakness that the Drakanic exploited to capture him, Olfgar took Grimm under his wing since he was able to land a clean and solid hit on the ancient warrior in the struggle to avoid capture. Olfgar took it as a sign that the human had the potential to be a warrior like he was and had been trying to teach him the basics of fighting without a gun. Grimm reckoned that Olfgar wanted to see how much he had progressed as much as the man wanted to help him work out his stress.

After they were finished stretching, Grimm went in a guarded stance reminiscent of a boxer and Olfgar relaxed his body. Both men felt each other out to see who would throw the first punch, and in this case, Grimm being impatient that day, threw the first punch. The jab connected but Olfgar blunted the blow at the last second to avoid taking as much damage, and then moved to sweep Grimm's legs out from under him.

With a thud, Grimm landed on his ass but rebounded just as fast opting to go and tackle the fae's legs to knock him onto the ground as well. Olfgar goes down but quickly moves to grapple the Terran and put him in a lock, Grimm breaks free and tries to put Olfgar in an arm bar but the man breaks free and gets back to his feet, going for a low kick to knock the wind out of Grimm.

Grimm takes a portion of the blow as he tries to roll away, the sharp pain shooting through his side. He manages to get back up but grabs his side trying to get the pain to subside.

"Is that all Grimm? I know you are still green at this but I expect better from the man that gave ME a black eye!" Olfgar jokingly mocks the Terran as he works through the pain, Grimm looks back at the Fae and shoots back, "Easy for you to say, you've been doing this shit before my dad was a thought in his dad's nutsack!"

Olfgar laughs again as he goes in for a strike, Grimm blocks the combination of Jabs and Hooks to grab Olfgars arm then moves into a Hip Throw, tossing Olfgar to the ground who fails to soften the fall, landing hard on his back and ass. Grimm follows up with a fast jab to Olfgars face, who throws his hands up shouting, "You got me! Looks like you've gotten better, can you help me up?" Olfagr holds out a hand to Grimm who takes it, only for Olfgar to grab the man's arm and pull him into a headbutt dazing Grimm causing the old man to laugh heartedly.

"You are getting better lad, but you are still naive. Always ensure you finish an opponent, otherwise they'll get the better of you!"

Grimm wipes the blood from his face scowling, "That was a dirty trick Olfgar!"

"So was that sucker punch you threw when we captured you! So consider us even!"

Both men laughed heartedly as they cleaned themselves off and after they no longer looked like a couple of bums they made their way to a tavern favored by the Lone Wanderers and less inclined to have issues with a Terran who fought for the Fae.