Curious, Jon looked at the other two open rooms.

Behind him, he saw 3 more doors. They were all closed.

This inn was smaller than any of the other inns he stayed in before, but maybe everything also felt small because of the large rooms of the castle.

He walked up and fully opened both doors, looking for the girls.

Tallow and Mercy nowhere to be found.

Instead, after going into the second room, he stared at the large window opposite of the doorway.

Outside. Jon remembered. That was what Mallory said. Jon somewhat envied that they all went outside to explore the town. He had never been in this town before, and he would have liked to think of himself as adventuring this day.

However, he didn't think he’d be able to keep up with Tallow and Mercy at the rate they were probably moving right now. Jon imagined that they probably hopped along the rooftops, with none of the guys to hold them down as they traveled in a way Jon knew he definitely wasn’t ready to keep up with. In fact, after the fight with Raglace and finally regaining use of his legs, he was quite fine with not having to fight in close quarters. He was sated just being able to play support while the others took point and did the major damage. He didn’t want to have to think about hitting any more individuals who were super close with his gun.

Jon went back downstairs, where he saw Helia pressing the back of Hector’s collar repeatedly, turning it into a plain jacket and back into armor again.

“This is so fun,” she said, laughing. “Does it come in different colors?”

“What do you mean?” Hector asked through a mild grin, almost scaring Jon. “Why would I want a different color?”

“Cause you don’t have to walk around like a large golden brick!” Helia responded playfully. “And besides, what if I wanted a color?”

“Really? There’s not other… here.” Hector took off his golden jacket and held it open for Helia.

“You can’t be serious…” Even as she spoke, she put her arms through the jacket.

Somehow, it wasn’t too oversized for her. She pressed the back of the collar.

The armor formed into the shape of her upper body.

“What?” she asked, laughing. “I look like a dolt!”

“Hey!” Hector yelled in jest.

Drunk, Jon assumed.

Hector then noticed Jon watching the scene.

“Uh, Jon,” Hector said. “Can you check on Mallory? I would go and check up on him… but I.. should stay with the couple.”

“He’s… my brother!” Helia pushed him playfully.

“Fine! Older brother!” Hector exclaimed.

“We’re twins!” Helia laughed as she shoved him again.

Jon decided Hector was having too much fun to do anything, he made his way outside.

“Be careful, Jon,” Hector called out even as Jon started to leave through the door.

When Jon closed the door behind him, he felt the cool wind of the breeze brush past his face.

That’s right… cool…

He looked around. The moon was out. The town was dark, except for the bits illuminated by moonlight.

Jon acquainted himself with the silhouette of the town.

Where would Mallory be?

Just to be careful, Jon took his gun off of his back and held it in his hands.

Quiet.

It was supposed to be quiet. It was nighttime. However, quiet in the town was different than quiet in the forest. In the forest, and the farm by extension, Jon could hear all sorts of sounds. Animals and bugs and grass and creaking wood.

Here, there was no such thing. It was an eerie void accompanied only by the sound of the wind.

Still, Jon felt comfortable with being able to shoot anything from any angle, so he moved forward.

Calm… Jon hadn’t quite realized it til now, but this was the first time in a while he was truly on his own on the outside. That probably also contributed to the eerie silence.

He missed the endless echoes of his friends' voices, their breathing, their huffs, their sighs, their footsteps. All of the little idiosyncrasies they displayed just by being around him. He even missed thier outfits, as without the extended color palette of his friends outfits, he was left with the cold grey of the stone buildings, the purple of the sky, the whites of the stars and the moon, and the pitch-black shadows that hunted any corner hidden away enough to block itself from the light.

Jon hummed to himself as he looked around. The town was empty. Not even any guards were around to patrol.

He chose a direction and started moving forward.

Eventually, he noticed something crawling along the walls behind one of the stands.

He followed it to see it turn around the corner of the building.

He saw a blue tentacle drag itself behind the next corner of the building.

“Hi, Jon.”

“Agh!” Jon turned around with his gun ready.

Mallory’s arm was outstretched from behind the corner Jon just turned. He then leaned over so that his head was poking from the side of the building.

“Just trying to make sure you don’t shoot me,” Mallory said.

Fair. Jon put his gun down.

Mallory walked up to him.

“I saw you leave the inn while I was on my way back,” Mallory said. “I followed you around until I realized you were following me.”

“Yeah,” Jon nodded. He felt bad for not knowing that Mallory was behind him the entire time. He hoped that he would have gotten better doing that.

“Let me guess,” Mallory said, “Hector told you to find all of us.”

“No,” Jon said. “He just said to check on you.”

“...that’s it?” Mallory asked. “Were those his exact words?”

“Yeah,” Jon nodded. “They were.”

“Huh.” Mallory put his hand to his chin. “Literally?”

“Literally.”

“Oh. Well. You can tell him that I’m okay.” Mallory said assuredly.

“Okay.” Jon waited.

“...Well, I suppose you don't have to tell him now,” Mallory said. “He asked about the girls?”

“Nope,” Jon said.

“Oh. Ok. I suppose he trusts them more now.” Mallory shrugged. “Well, in any case, there’s no reason to go back now. You wanna walk around?”

“Yeah,” Jon said.

“Alright. Let’s go!”

Jon followed Mallory around the town. They traveled back to the center of town.

“I’ve been trying to figure out where all the thieves were,” Mallory explained. “Those guys were wearing all the same clothes, so it makes sense that they were in a gang.”

“Yeah,” Jon said.

“So, we’ve been trying to figure out if they were local or not,” Mallory continued. “Tallow assumed they were since they were trained moved information, but very aimless in their goals..”

“Oh,” Jon said.

“...what do you think?” he asked after some time.

“I think that the local thieves where Tallow lives are better organized than full-blown guilds on this side of the water,” Mallory explained. “So, her idea of local talent is a little skewed…”

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

He shushed Jon with a finger, despite Jon not being the one speaking.

They were now at the side of a large building. Past it was flickering orange light shining from behind the corner.

Mallory pointed at the source of light, then peeked around the corner.

Jon lowered his body and did the same thing.

Behind, he could see a whole bunch of men and women in small jackets around a campfire. Instead of black, Jon could see that they were purple instead.

He imagined that a campfire in the middle of the town should have been a weird sight, but honestly, they made it look normal.

“Can you hear what they’re saying?” Mallory asked.

Jon couldn’t hear anything, so he focused on their lips.

He saw that they weren’t moving much at all.

“They’re not saying anything,” Jon said.

“Ah,” Mallory nodded. “I see.”

Occasionally, someone would turn to a buddy near them and say something quietly, but there were so many shadows, Jon would have trouble making out the small bit they did say.

“What do we do?” Jon asked.

“We wait,” Mallory said.

“...What about the others?”

“I can signal them when it’s time,” Mallory said, “If they haven’t found us here yet.”

“...How did you find it?” Jon asked, wanting to know more.

“...I tried to search for unusual mana occurrences around town,” Mallory whispered. “A lot easier when everyone’s at home. That fire isn’t giving off smoke because it’s not a natural fire. It’s mana casted.”

He turned to Jon. “Tallow said that there weren’t any strong mana users or spellcasters in the fight earlier. But I still decided to check anyway. I didn’t wanna tell Hector cause if I did, he’d get worried. Is he worried now?”

“Oh.” Jon realized what he was asked. “No.”

“Alright.” Mallory and Jon pulled back from the corner.

“Do you recognize any of those people?” Mallory asked him.

Jon shook his head. “They’re wearing purple.”

“As opposed to chartreuse?” Mallory asked in want for clarification.

Jon didn't know what chartreuse was. He saw that Mallory was waiting for an answer.

Did Tallow nor Mercy not tell him what color shirts they were wearing?

Jon then noticed past Mallory that the group in purple jackets were coming together around something.

Jon pointed, and Mallory turned before they both came to the corner again.

In the center of the crowd was a man in purple robes and a strong posture. Unlike Mallory’s Robes, which were billowy and hung from his arms, this man’s robes were tailored to fit him nearly perfectly.

“Spellcaster,” Mallory whispered.

Jon nodded, even if Mallory couldn’t see him.

Jon realized that one of the thieves was speaking to the purple-robed man.

“Can’t hear…” Jon said.

“Alright.” Mallory turned around. “This way.”

He grabbed Jon by the arm and they went around the back of the building, going through an alleyway before coming to a wall closer to the event.

Voices started to make themselves known.

“Are you sure you can find these men again?” the purple-robed man asked.

One of the jacket wearing vagrants shrugged. “2 women and one man, really.”

The robed man sighed.

Jon didn’t know how to differentiate between the vagrants, so he decided to refer to them in his head as jackets.

“Sure,” another jacket said. “They’re probably in an inn somewhere.”

“Then get them!” the robed man commanded.

The man shrugged. “We can’t just, like, walk in an inn and cause trouble. We need to make a living here, too!”

“You’re thieves!” The robed man retorted harshly. “Don’t you thrive off of stealing from other people’s businesses!”

“We’re not just thieves,” a woman jacket replied. “Just when we’re hungry. Or when we fancy a new bit of clothing.”

“Robbing and kidnapping travelers are one thing,” someone else added, “but if we start messing with the local businesses, then we’ll turn the whole town against us.”

“Obviously the whole town is against you if you’re stealing to survive!” The robed man cried in exaperation. He then rolled his eyes.

“And I’m paying you, so you don’t need to worry anymore!” he added.

“Right…” the first jacket who made his grievances known turned around to the rest of his group.

“I think we should throw it to a vote. Do we ruin our reputation with the town now, or do we try to hold out until the morning until-”

“You’re working for me, now!” the robed man demanded. “You're wearing my clothes! It doesn’t matter!”

“Sheesh, the other guy was nicer,” the jacket responded, glumly. “Whatever. Let’s head out.”

Mallory and Jon pulled back around their new corner.

“Let’s find Mercy and Tallow before they make up their minds,” Mallory said to Jon.

They turned around to see several purple jackets standing there watching them.

Jon was disappointed in the amount of times people were starting to sneak upon him. He excused it this time by telling himself that they were professionals.

“Hi, guys,” Mallory said, waving his hand innocently. “Maybe you could show us the way to the nearest-”

A blue shield was summoned in front of Mallory’s shield, stopping a dagger from flying straight into his face.

“Okay, no talking, then. Get back, Jon!” Mallory pushed his arms out to the side. Jon expected for Mallory’s normal blue spellcasting circle to appear around his friend’s feet.

Instead, the outlines of a large blue circle drew itself so wide it surrounded both Jon and Mallory. Jon saw symbols drawn out in glowing yellow light filing in the extended circle that grew around them.

“It’s… bigger…” Jon said.

“Yep. It is.” Mallory said with a small sense of satisfaction. “Stay close.”

Jon nodded and put himself back to back with Mallory, swiveling his head to keep both ends of the alley in view.

He watched while more and more purple jackets came through either side of the alleyway. There were definitely more than last time.

“Should I shoot?” Jon asked.

“For once, no,” Mallory replied, over his shoulder. “Let me handle things for a bit.”

“What’s the itsy bitsy spellcaster gonna do from his circle!” a jacket taunted.

“Oh, you wished you never asked that!” Mallory exclaimed. He pointed at the ground.

A light flew up from underneath one of the jacket's feet, shooting up into the air.

“You missed!” The jacket replied, having just stumbled out of the way.

The smile disappeared from the man’s face as a tentacle grabbed his foot and dragged him to the floor before throwing him against the alley wall.

“Not yet!” Mallory said when Jon was about to aim his gun.

Two blue walls of light erupted from the ground on either side of Jon and Mallory, closing off both parts of the alleyways from attackers.

Mallory began waving his hands more.

A large tentacle rose from the side of the alley further behind the buildings. It swept across the small space, crushing any of the jackets it caught into the wall.

It then curled up and caught several of the jackets within its grasp.

Mallory waved his hand some more.

The tentacle rose and disappeared, dropping whomever it was holding.

Many of them caught on to the wall or landed on their feet, bewildered about just being let go.

That was until several smaller tentacles burst out from the floor behind each of them, grabbing them, holding them down, or even dragging them to the floor.

Jon turned back around to see that several of the jackets were climbing up the sides of the alley to jump over Mallory’s spell wall on his end.

Jon aimed up and shot at whoever tried to make it over.

“I’m gonna drop the other side, and you’re gonna shoot,” Mallory said, breathing hard from his rapid movement and spellcasting.

Jon nodded in readiness and brought his gun down to his hip, waiting for Mallory to make his opening.

Past the transparent blue, he saw the jackets begin to part as the robed man made his way to the scene without any sense of urgency.

A small purple circle formed around the man’s feet and he pushed both hands out.

A short blast of fire burned through the mana fixture, making a large hole through the center.

That works.

Jon fired the gun.

The blast soared through the hole, carrying away some of the jackets away and out of the alley.

The robed man had protected only himself with the flick of the wrist. He then raised his hand high up before swinging it down nearly the entire length of his body.

The mana wall split completely down the middle and dissipated.

“Damn,” Mallory said, not even turned away from his own wall. “I’m almost finished on this side!”

Jon nodded and fired again.

The man dispersed blast with his hand again.

Jon hated not having any other options than shooting people. He could have tried to run up and hit him, but instinct told him that the man would be more than prepared for that, and Jon didn’t wanna risk it.

“...don’t shoot!” Mallory said. “Trust me on this.”

Jon grimaced, but he held firm on his gun.

When the man protruded a fireblast from his open palms, Mallory dropped the wall behind them and turned around, raising his hands to the spell.

The fireball suddenly curved, following Mallory’s hands as he drew it around himself and Jon before holding it above his head.

“Open your gun!” Mallory yelled.

Jon opened his gun.

Mallory brought his hands downward, and fire seeped into the chamber of the gun.

Jon snapped it closed.

“Now!” Mallory yelled.

Jon looked into the eyes of the bewildered purple-robed man as he pulled the trigger.

There was a sound that sounded like a loud fart as fire spewed from the gun, lighting up the area a few inches in front of the gun for several seconds before finally sputtering out.

Jon and Mallory looked at each other in shock.

“Well then,” Mallory said. “That didn’t work as expected.”

The purple-robed man snarled, but he turned around and walked away.

“That’s it!” Mallory yelled. “You’re just gonna… walk away?”

He turned to Jon and shrugged. “I’m not good at this stuff.”

Jon didn't have anything to say either. Like always, he didn’t feel like shooting the man in the back, especially because he doubted it would have done anything.

He also didn’t want to put back Mallory in danger. Even though Mallory was trying to hide it, Jon could see his intense panting.

Mallory gave a tired smile. “What?”

“...Tired,” Jon said.

“Already?” Mallory asked. He looked up. “Here comes the cavalry.”

Tallow and Mercy dropped down on either side of the alleyway.

“What happened here?” Tallow asked as landed near them.

“We came as soon as we got your signal,” Mercy said, running up and hugging Jon like usual.

“Looks like you didn’t even need us,” Tallow said. “You two did all this damage?”

“It’s worse than you think,” Mallory said, “but we found the guy who hired these guys… I think.”

Tallow observed the bodies on the ground. “You’re right! It’s those same shits from earlier! Except they're wearing purple now? Doesn’t make them any less shittier!”

She turned to Mallory. “And you look like you’re about to expire faster than a piece of dourfruit in the sun. You okay?”

“Yeah, of course,” Mallory said. “I’m fine. I’m fine. “I’m…”

Tallow caught him before he fell over.