Rep swallowed hard, biting his lip as the guards looked down on him and Zalan. Zalan cleared his throat loudly and nervously.

“We’re uh… We wanna talk with Ma. Mother of the Port,” Zalan quickly corrected himself. His throat was already dry.

“You want an audience with Ma? Did she ask for your presence?” one of the guards asked.

“Well… no,” Zalan admitted.

The two guards looked at one another, a nerve-wracking smirk passing between them. One of them opened the door slowly, just a crack.

“Oshrad! We have two men here for Ma!” he called inside.

Sweat rolled down Zalan’s neck as they waited for a reply. It was sickeningly silent from within. Rep pulled at his tunic.

“Perhaps we should come another time,” Rep said, his voice dry.

“You came here just to waste my time?” the same guard asked, his voice icy.

“No! Of course not!” Rep corrected.

Loud steps echoed from the halls beyond the front door. Another guard appeared from within, presumably Oshrad. He took his time looking at Rep and Zalan. He had a well-kempt beard and a frame to rival any monster Zalan could think of. He waited until one of them adjusted themselves uncomfortably before speaking.

“Levels?” he asked in a deep, serious voice. It somewhat reminded Zalan of Gorb.

At first Zalan had no idea what that meant. He looked at Rep who had already gone pale. He almost started to panic, then suddenly realized what Oshrad was asking.

“Level Five. Both of us are,” Zalan answered quickly on their behalf.

“You think we take your words for it? Show me,” Oshrad demanded harshly.

Both Zalan and Rep flinched at his tone. Trembling, they both drew their sleeves up and revealed their stats.

Oshrad leaned in, getting too close to both of them. Zalan took a half step back when Oshrad took a look. Rep stood bravely, but still bit his lip. Oshrad confirmed their levels then chuckled to himself, shaking his head. The intimidating man tapped his own fingers together and revealed his forearm with a stoic look on his face.

LEVEL: 17

STRENGTH: 23

WISDOM: 20

EXPERIENCE: 72

ELEMENT: EARTH

Zalan swallowed hard and gave a nervous smile. Oshrad was leaps and bounds beyond either Zalan or Rep’s abilities.

“I hope you have a good reason to be here,” he stepped aside, allowing them to approach the inside.

Rep and Zalan exchanged one last nervous glance before stepping within the mansion. They were immediately searched, being patted up and down and having their weapons pulled from their sheathes. Oshrad moved with an insanely rapid precision.

“Hey!” Zalan protested as he felt something other than his sword pulled away from him.

“No Artifacts indoors,” Oshrad pulled the Homeseeker and Reversal Stone from Zalan’s pockets and stored them away in a pouch.

“Do not take them from him!” Rep demanded.

“You are in her house, you follow her rules,” Oshrad said simply.

“Then maybe we should leave,” Zalan offered. He wanted to sound challenging, but it came out as nervous. Rep nodded in agreement.

“Oh, it is far too late for that,” Oshrad declared solemnly.

The two guards outside stepped in the way of the exit. Oshrad slowly closed the door, the light of freedom snuffed out. Zalan and Rep were trapped within. Oshrad flicked his chin upward. Zalan and Rep obeyed, making their way deeper into the menacing building.

After all the places Zalan had seen in this world, nothing felt more like a monstrous dungeon than the mansion. There were flowers planted in pots on walls above them, making him feel like he was constantly being looked down upon. The floors and pillars were eerily spotless for a world without the technology to do such deep cleaning. At the end of the hall was a closed set of double doors twice Zalan’s height. Both Rep and Zalan stopped in front of it, already regretting their decision to come inside.

“Go on, then. I thought you wanted an audience,” Oshrad said, amusement in his voice.

Zalan placed his hand on the door, but Rep stopped him suddenly before he could push. Instead of trying to open it, Rep knocked on the door politely. They waited for a few tense moments.

“She must be busy. We can return some other time,” Rep said to Oshrad rather quickly.

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

Oshrad smiled without emotion, shaking his head. Rep made a face between a grimace and a wince and turned back toward the door. They waited. Nothing but the sound of Rep and Zalan’s hearts crashing in their ears could be heard. They waited longer. Zalan was almost sure that no one was on the other end. But not knowing for sure drove him that much deeper into stress.

“Enter,” a woman spoke on the other end.

Zalan opened the door immediately. This woman didn’t sound like someone who would be willing to wait. Rep and Zalan entered with small steps, neither of them eager to move forward. Oshrad followed them into the large room, flowers sitting in vases at each corner. The walls were lined with half a dozen more guards watching them carefully. None of them held weapons, but Zalan assumed that wouldn’t be an issue for them if they were at a similar Level to Oshrad. They could vaporize Zalan and Rep with the snap of a finger.

At the head of the room sat a stout, disinterested woman at a massive table. In one corner was a brown, wilting flower leaning over the edge of a vase. It was the only sign of death or discoloration in the otherwise pristine building. She watched Rep and Zalan approach perceptively, her eyes scanning and scrutinizing their every motion. She was no taller than Rep or Zalan but her presence was massive to the both of them. The guards clearly looked to her with deference and a mountain of obedience. Rep and Zalan continued to approach her with their tiny movements. They were waiting for some sign of when they should stop. The woman continued to stare with bored eyes.

“That is enough,” the woman said, causing the two friends to stand sharply at attention. “I hope you have a good reason for being here.”

Zalan felt naked without the Homeseeker at his side. Normally it was an easy guarantee that he could escape any situation at a few seconds’ notice, but he was stuck here. He didn’t want to say something to provoke the woman. But he also felt like silence would be just as offensive. He was stuck in a loop of concern, trying to think of the perfect thing to say and remained pitifully quiet. Rep cleared his throat and braved the first sentence.

“Greetings, Mother of the Port. I am Rep and this is my friend Zalan. We thank you for having us,” Rep said, his voice shaky.

“Mother of the Port?” she repeated.

Zalan was pretty sure that she was the woman that Captain McKittrick was talking about until that single sentence. Her tone was so hard to read that Zalan questioned everything he thought he understood. To both Rep and Zalan’s relief, the woman continued her sentence.

“Are you some of McKittrick’s crew?” she asked.

“No,” Rep shook his head.

“Then call me Ma,” she said. It wasn’t a suggestion. Reading the intonation of her voice, they already made a bad first impression.

“We wish to ask for your assistance with something,” Rep said.

“What a surprise,” Ma said sarcastically. “Someone would like a favor from me.”

“Right, well, ummm… We could be willing to favor… No, I mean…” Rep stammered himself into submission. Zalan jumped in before Ma got impatient.

“We’re trying to get to the Island of Remains,” Zalan explained. “And we need a boat to do that. Captain Buttonwillow McKittrick said that we had to talk to you about it.”

“Did you try to pay McKittrick?”

“Umm… yes?” Zalan said, uncertain if that was the right answer.

Ma leaned back in her chair, looking around at the guards around the room. She nodded her head slowly and began pointing to Zalan. She addressed the room.

“You see that? McKittrick knows loyalty. Money at his feet and he still directs his clients to me. You can all learn something from him,” she said to all of her incredibly loyal guards.

“Yes, Ma,” they collectively agreed.

“Good, good. Where were we?” Ma leaned forward again, placing her arms on the table and clasping her hands.

“We were wondering if we could hire McKittrick and his crew to take us to the Island of Remains,” Zalan repeated.

“Mmm,” Ma noted.

The dismissive grunt was maddening. Rep and Zalan couldn’t tell if Ma was offended. Her face was too inscrutable and her eyes were too judgemental. The silence stretched and Zalan felt like he should be saying something else, but didn’t want to interrupt Ma if she was still in the middle of an absurdly slow sentence. Rep and Zalan were peppered with sweat.

“Why are you trying to go to the Island of Remains?” Ma finally asked.

Zalan looked to Rep who had regained a modicum of composure.

“Madam Hikma recommended that we go there,” Rep said, hoping it would be enough. To their relief, Ma nodded in understanding.

“A good woman, that one. Why should I let McKittrick take you there?” Ma asked.

Rep swallowed before speaking.

“It would please Captain Buttonwillow. He seemed eager to go to the island, himself,” Rep attempted.

“It would please McKittrick?” Ma sounded profoundly unimpressed. “If that man decided to become a dolphin, should I allow it to happen?”

Zalan flinched as Oshrad stood a little too close next to him. It felt like the guard was getting ready to toss them out. Or do something much worse. Zalan quickly tried to come up with something with enough substance to impress Ma.

“What about we get you Artifacts from the Island of Remains?” Zalan offered.

“You think you have something that I do not?” Ma challenged. It sounded like a genuine question, but filled with contempt. Her mouth had twisted downward ever so slightly. She had gone from mildly disappointed to unhappy.

“No! Of course not!” Zalan said quickly.

“Then why are you wasting my time?” Ma asked firmly. Oshrad placed a tight hand over Zalan’s shoulder.

“We do not mean to waste anyone’s time!” Rep said urgently, hoping to simmer down the situation. “We… We can pay for the entire expedition! It will come at no cost to you!” Rep offered.

As soon as he spoke the words, Ma’s mild disappointment became open disdain. Zalan remembered that Buttonwillow told them not to offer Ma money under any circumstances, but Rep must have forgotten in his panic. Zalan tried to think quickly. Ma seemed to think loyalty and favors mattered more than material goods.

“That is it,” Ma said, her voice unhinged. Somehow, the entire room grew dark, as though shrouded by her deep emotions. “Break something of theirs and toss them out into the sea. Make them crawl back to an inn to heal.”

“Can I break their toes?” Oshrad asked, eager.

“Something more substantial,” Ma said. “And toss their funds into the sea. Let them see how little it means to—”

“We can do you a favor, Ma!” Zalan blurted out.

He screamed in pain as Oshrad stuck his thumb into a nerve at Zalan’s shoulder. Zalan fell to the ground, clutching at his neck.

“Never interrupt Ma,” Oshrad snapped. “Apologies, Ma. We will drag them out and break their legs.” Oshrad said, a slight whine in his voice, disappointed that he couldn’t break any toes. Oshrad knelt down and began pulling on the back of both Rep and Zalan’s tunics. They were swarmed by the guards. Zalan tried to wiggle himself free, but the men were so much more absurdly powerful that he could scarcely move an inch. Their legs were held threateningly tightly, extended for a clean break.

“Anything!” Zalan said, increasingly desperate.

“We can leave you alone forever!” Rep said.

“I would loyally do you a favor!”

Oshrad flicked his chin toward them, and guards covered their mouths. They cried muffled screams as they were dragged across the floor.

“Wait,” Ma said, looking at Zalan curiously. “I wish to hear him out.”