Ace screamed as he glanced down to see the ground off in the distance. His initial terror was quickly dispelled once he noticed he was suspended in the air. However, he remained unsettled upon realizing his scream was silent.

Once again, Ace found himself in a state of senselessness—though this time he retained his sense of sight and sound. Ace gazed at the street he had just escaped moments ago.

A mass of gnarled wood and twisted roots rampaged toward 3 figures: an elven archer, and two humanoid figures, one clad in shining plate armor wrapped in golden chains, and the other dressed in a white robe with gold accents. Aside from those 3, Ace saw nobody else in sight.

The hail of stone from when the tree had uprooted itself and sundered the surrounding cobble had collapsed the surrounding buildings. The street had transformed into a ravine packed with the rubble of the homes that previously lined it.

Ace couldn’t help but imagine the near future: families sifting through the wreckage to find what little remained of their former lives.

The spirits in the tree sought revenge. In that sense, they were no different than Ace. Both were single-minded in their pursuits, willing to pay any price. But did that extend to other people? Was Ace willing to let other people pay the price for his revenge? He didn’t know.

“[Bind] X [Mend]!” A flash of golden light drew Ace’s attention back to the battle at hand. Golden chains tied one of the tree’s arms to its trunk.

The chains creaked as the tree struggled to lift its arm. Ace watched as the chains cracked, then shattered. The tree lifted its arm into the air, but fragments of the chains suddenly stitched themselves back together. The reconstituted chains enveloped the tree’s trunk and arm once again.

In retaliation, the tree struck out with its other arm toward the armored figure. The mass of vines that made up the arm unfurled in an attempt to envelop the figure.

The archer drew his bow though he didn’t notch an arrow. “Cut them down with an overwhelming, [Barrage].”

Green energy swirled around the archer’s bow. Once the bow was fully drawn, the energy coalesced into the form of an arrow. As the archer released the arrow it whistled as it soared through the air, then slashed through one of the many vines that surged toward the archer’s ally.

With unnatural swiftness—unimpeded by the need to nock—the archer lacerated each of the vines with a swarm of manifested arrows.

For a brief moment, the tree was unable to launch an attack; one of its arms was bound to its trunk, and the other was torn to shreds.

The armored figure grasped their sword with both hands. As they hoisted the blade high, its tip pointed to the sky, they began to chant, and the blade glowed a faint white light.

“Become the light, shine bright, cast away the night, with an, [Almighty Smite]!”

With every word the light emanating from the blade grew more intense. By the end of the chant, the light was so blindingly bright Ace was forced to shut his eyes.

----------------------------------------

When Ace opened his eyes, he found himself back in his body for the second time that day. His senses returned much quicker than they had the first time.

He braced himself for the smell of sewage and the biting cold of damp clothes, but to his surprise—and relief—neither came. Ace waited for the darkness to fade, only to realize he was face down on the ground.

As he pushed himself to his feet, Ace found himself in another alley. He turned his head to see Riven standing at the end observing the street the alley lead out to.

“I’m assuming you lugged me here?” Ace said.

“And cleaned you up with magic.”

“Yeah, sorry about the whole passing out spontaneously thing.”.

“Yeah, so, what the fuck was up with that?” Riven asked.

Ace opened his mouth, but before he could speak Riven interjected.

“And don’t ‘it’s a long story’ me.”

Ace didn’t speak.

“Oh my god, that's what you were going to say,” Riven said.

“No, it wasn’t.”

“Yes, it was.”

“Uh, listen, it’s complicated, and I get that’s basically saying it’s a long story, but I don’t really get it myself. I’m trying to figure it out. Just know I have it under control for now,” Ace said.

“Fine, but I ain’t carrying you again.”

.

“Will you at least clean me again?” Ace asked. “If you’re gonna leave me, at least leave me my dignity too.”

“I think I can do that.”

“Great. Now, do you have a plan?” Ace asked.

“I do,” Riven said. “While you were getting your beauty sleep, which didn’t do much—”

“Hey!”

“I was walking the perimeter of the mayor’s manor. Turns out the northwestern watchtower doesn’t have a guard stationed right now. It should have a way to get from it to the manor itself.

On top of that most of the guards, and the mayor himself should be out now dealing with the aftermath of that whole tree scenario. With the manor relatively empty we should be able to sneak into the mayor’s office and snatch the key.”

“The key?”

“Right, you got here yesterday. A Couple of days back the Armistice Order caught a noble. Before he could be hanged with us, the mayor used some sort of key he had to remove the chain around the noble’s neck in a big public display.”

“Quick question, is he a part of the plan?” Ace pointed further down the street toward a man, standing at the manor’s gate.

The man’s large physique and immense height suggested he was part giant, though the lack of any unnatural discoloration on his dark skin confirmed he wasn’t. His clothes were rather simple—they reminded Ace of the bartender from the tavern he frequented as a child. The man wore an ash gray vest over a white shirt with black pants.

The man conversed with the guards at the gate to Ronan’s manor. Ace was too far away to hear the conversation, but judging by the guards’ body language they just wanted the man to leave.

At one point the man laughed and scratched the back of his neck. In doing so, he pulled down his shirt’s collar slightly and revealed a golden chain etched into his neck.

Instantly, Ace moved out of the alley toward the man. He moved as fast as he could without drawing attention.

“Hey!” Riven shouted. Ace didn’t respond.

Riven bolted up to Ace. “Hello?” Riven waved her hand in Ace’s face.

“Yes?” Ace asked. His eyes remained fixated on the man at the manor’s gate.

“Where are you going?”

“To the gate,” Ace said matter-of-factly.

“Why?” Riven asked.

“Because he’s about to get himself killed.”

“So we are on the same page.”

“Seems so.”

“And you’re still going to help him?” Riven asked.

“That’s the plan,” Ace said.

“Is that the entire plan?”

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

“I’m good at improvising.”

Riven let out a long exasperated sigh. “You can’t be serious.”

“Not gonna let him die.”

“Why not?” Riven’s words felt like less of a question and more of a suggestion.

“You didn’t let me die.”.

“Very different!” Riven exclaimed. “You were right there. Took five seconds. Barely an inconvenience.”

Riven pointed to the man they were fast approaching. “He is out of the way. It’s unsure if we can even help him, or if he’s in any danger. Maybe he has it all under control? Who knows? Guess what? Doesn’t matter, because helping him risks getting caught, and hanged, which if my memory serves me right, wasn’t very pleasant the first time around.”

Ace came to a stop. He turned to face Riven. “So just because it isn’t convenient to help him, we let him die?”

“We?” Riven questioned. “Never said anything about ‘we’. I’m going to let him jump into the grave he’s dug for himself. I’m advising you that it's in your, and my, best interest to do the same. Now, I can’t force you to do anything.”

“Cool, I’m going.”

Riven shrugged her shoulders. “Well, I tried.”

Riven unclipped her cloak and tossed it to Ace. “Take it.”

“What for?” Ace asked.

“Your chain is sticking out,” Riven pointed out.

“I could just do this.” Ace pulled his shirt over his nose. “Used to do this to pretend we were bandits as kids.”

Riven’s face shifted to one of silent rejection—the kind a tired mother shows their kids when they’ve done something wrong. “Put on the cloak.”

“Yeah, you’re right.” Ace donned the cloak. “Haven’t you been wearing this for a while?”

“So?”

“Can’t they use it to track you?” Ace asked.

“Eh, I’m good at hiding,” Riven said. “I'll wait a bit outside the watchtower. You aren’t there in 5 minutes, I’m going without you.”

“Works for me.”

----------------------------------------

“If I could simply talk to him—”

“As I said, Mr. Raymond isn’t here. We told you to wait.”

“There’s been a mistake.”

“If you would elaborate on your situation then we could consider entertaining your request.”

“It’s complicated.”

“We aren’t gonna kill you, man.”

“Really?”

“Yes. Obviously. Why is that surprising?”

“Okay, then I’ll explain. See earlier today I was hun—”

“HELP!” Ace shouted, running up to the guards.

“What’s the matter?” one of the guards asked.

“The rocks,” Ace said, doubled over, hands on his knees, gasping for air.

“Rocks?” the guard asked.

“They fell from the sky. We heard noises, and then …”

“It’s probably that damned tree. Don’t worry help’s already been sent,” the guard reassured Ace.

Ace grabbed hold of the guard’s arms; his hands trembled. “No, you don’t understand! There was nobody nearby. I checked. I wasn’t going to run near the danger, so I came here.”

“Where was this?” the guard asked.

Ace thought back to when he was overlooking the spirits’ final moments. When surveying the collateral damage, he remembered seeing several buildings far from the action in ruin. He tried to recall the one that was furthest away from the gallows.

“First’s Free,” Ace said.

“The tavern?” the other guard asked.

“Yes!”

“That’s hundreds of feet from the tree,” the other guard said.

“Apparently, Galland used a four-line chant to take it down. With that level of overkill I’m shocked its remains didn’t fly all over town.”

“Please!” Ace pleaded with the guard. “There are people pinned. I got lucky and wiggled my way out, but I left the others trapped. You have to help!”

“Where’s this tavern?” The man Ace had come to rescue, suddenly interjected into the conversation,

“I’m sorry?” Ace asked.

“You said they were pinned. I can lift the rubble. Let me help.”.

“No!” the guard said. “You are not to go anywhere near the wreckage.”

“I can help!” the man insisted.

“You will remain here, while I go to investigate the situation,” the guard ordered. He turned to the other guard. “Can you go inside and contact the search party? Tell them to broaden the search.”

“But then who will, you know?” the other guard asked, gesturing to the man.

“Is there a reason you two are waiting?” Ace asked.

“Urgh! Remain here!” the guard commanded as he took off down the street.

Ace turned to the other guard, who after a moment of consideration, took off into the manor.

Ace waited for both guards to vanish from sight before he addressed the man.

“Do you mind following me somewhere?” Ace asked the man.

“But they said to stay here,” the man said.

“It’ll be quick, and we’ll be back before they are. We’ll just tell them we waited here.”

“Alright,” the man said. “But I don’t wanna lie and said we waited. Lying is wrong.”

“Sure.”

“Okay. I’ll follow you then.”

Relieved he managed to pry the man away from the guards, Ace began taking him to the watchtower.

“Sorry about the commotion,” Ace said.

“It’s alright,” the man assured Ace. “I wish they would’ve let me help.”

“They hanged you, doubt they’ll let you help.”

“How did you know I was hanged?” the man asked.

“Because I was right there with you,” Ace answered.

“You said you were in a tavern.”

“Oh, I was lying. Well kinda. The tavern is a wreck, but I wasn’t in it. Anyway, I’m glad it worked. I was worried they wouldn't buy it since I can’t fake tears.”

The man was taken aback by how casually Ace changed his demeanor.

“Never got your name,” Ace said.

“Halvor.”

“Ace. You know about the chain?”

“Chain?” Halvor asked.

“Figured as much.”

Ace took off the cloak Riven had given him revealing the mark of a golden chain wrapped around his neck.

“That’s a cool tattoo!” Halvor exclaimed. “Was it painful?”

“You tell me.” Ace pointed to a puddle of water on the ground.

Halvor approached it and glanced down into the puddle. He was shocked to see the same mark that was on Ace’s neck around his own.

“My guess is we got it when they captured us,” Ace said. “It’s why those guards were stalling you at the gate. They were probably waiting for the search party to get back so they could arrest you again.”

“Doesn’t that mean they can track us?” Halvor asked.

“Probably not. If they could, then it wouldn’t make any sense for it to be visible. It would only alert us that we aren’t safe. More likely it’s so we can be identified easily. You should probably keep your collar popped. It won’t cover it from the front, but it’ll help.”

“Good idea. I’m sure it’ll be fine though. I was arrested based on a misunderstanding. There was no reason behind it, so I’m sure they’ll fix it.”

“If I had to guess, I’d say all the justification for our arrests were probably circumstantial at best. They just wanted people to hang to make it seem like they’re doing their job and raise morale.”

Ace was surprised Halvor hadn’t figured that out himself. Ace guessed he was somebody who had it a whole lot better than Ace. someone who didn’t have to deal with the rotten parts of the world—at least until now.

“What are we going to do?” Halvor asked.

“One of the others and I are planning on nabbing some key the mayor has. Supposedly, it can get rid of these chains.”

“Stealing is bad,” Halvor said. “But mom did say it’s okay to do bad things for a good reason.”

“The trick is knowing when it is okay and when it isn’t.”

“She said to just follow my heart to figure that out.”

“Smart woman.” Ace spotted Riven leaning against the northwestern watchtower’s door, pulling her shirt up to cover her neck. “And here comes another one.”

Ace waved to Riven as he approached her alongside Halvor. “Hey!” she called out. “You didn’t die! Good for you!”

“Thanks,” Ace said. “Riven, this is Halvor. Halvor, this is Riven.”

“Hey big guy,” Riven said.

“Big guy?” Halvor asked.

“It’s a term of endearment,” Riven explained.

Halvor smiled. “I like it. Thank you.”

“So this is the watchtower?” Ace asked.

“Yep,” Riven confirmed.

“Alright, let’s head in,” Ace said. He walked up to the door, grabbed the handle, and upon trying to open it, realized that the door was locked. “I don’t know why I thought that would be open.”

“Yeah, that’s a slight problem,” Riven said. “Don’t think any of us can pick locks. The easiest would be to just bust the thing down. Sadly, not even Halvor here has the streng—”

A booming sound like a tree falling in a silent forest cut Riven off. She and Ace both turned to see the watchtower door on the floor. Halvor’s fist was outstretched through the door frame. His fist wasn’t flesh, but fractured stone.

Both Ace and Riven stared at Halvor surprised.

“Sorry, you said this would be best, so I just …” Halvor said. He was worried the two were angry that he acted without consulting them first, and in doing so, ruined their plan.

“Good work big man!” Riven said, smacking Halvor on the back.

“Agreed. Now can we please get in before guards come?” Ace asked, hurrying everyone inside.

As the three piled into the watchtower, Riven leaned over to Ace and whispered in his ear. He anticipated her to tell him that he was right to help Halvor.

“Can I have my cloak back?”

“Oh, right.”