We left the hall a short while later. Once we got a few feet away from the building I opened the scroll and began reading. The rules were pretty straightforward. For the VIPs in the top rows, there would be a small button. Touching it would signify that you intended to bid. Each bid automatically increased the bid by whatever factor of ten was being used. If the bid starts in the hundreds you could only bid another hundred so on and so forth. It stopped someone from just dumping a massive amount of money and forcing everyone else out. It also meant everything would be slower. On the bright side, the man sent a literal runner to speak to a mage. The arrival of a basilisk egg was a big deal. Part of me considered asking for it back but there was little I could do with it. I had Sanaa and Tenebris to protect me. I also wasn't super thrilled about working with another of the creatures. As a final nail in that coffin, I am terrible at taking care of pets. At least I was back on earth, there might be a skill for that here.

"Why do you" The connection between me and Sanaa quivered. The suddenness pulled me out of my thoughts. It felt like our connection was being clogged. The sensation faded after a moment and she began again. "You spend gold. Why don't you take it?" The more she spoke the more my resolve hardened. I had to boost my soul bond again. Their not being able to speak fully was not only irritating but I wanted to know more about them. Either way, there wasn't much I could do about it now.

"There are lots of answers to that question. One taking things is wrong. Two I don't think we would survive if I tried to steal from all of those people. They seemed very nice but I imagine they have at least one person that could fight. My guess is they have some sneaky type with them. They would need to be at least at our level. Most likely higher since they deal with adventurers too. Third I don't want to be stolen from so I won't steal from someone else." I counted each of the reasons on a finger. Once I finished it was Tenebris' turn to question it.

"I don't understand. Why not hoard gold?" His question made me pause for a moment not because it was difficult to answer but because it implied that dragons did want hoards. "Do you want a hoard Tenebris?" There was a pause before he answered."Not yet Master."I nodded and was about to respond when I noticed a bit of a commotion up ahead. There was an overturned cart blocking the road. Most people were either going around it which was creating a long line or they were going back for a different route. A man who I assumed owned the cart was in a heated discussion with two others. I considered getting involved but there wasn't much I could do about it. The choice was made for me when a pair of guards came jogging down a side path. The pair joined the conversation. It looked like everyone was calming down which was the sign for me to head out.

"Do you two remember where you came from before this? Do you remember what you were doing beforehand?" The sight of the battle between the gold and black dragons played out again in his mind. They weren't identical to Sanaa and Tenebris but they were very similar.

"No, it was dark." Tenebris' reply was followed by Sanaa's. "I remember your call. Then your face." I nodded as I listened to both dragons. It looked like that was going to be another mystery to file away for later. We rounded a corner and encountered something strange. The road split with one path going off to the right and the second continuing forward. The forward path was blocked. A group of men were bartering over the price of a bushel of food. The seller had a cart behind them. The group trying on him was spaced in front of and around him. My first instinct was to step in or call a guard. The seller was outnumbered while the other three were both bigger than him and armed.

The hair on the back of my neck stood up and I held myself back. There was something weird about the scene. There were no other people around, no one calling for guards the men had dirty armor. They looked like bandits but in the middle of the city. "Tenebris, Sanaa I need you two to take to the air. Do a small circle over the area and then come back to me. Keep an eye out for anyone watching either me or this group."

Both dragons took off without a word. None of the men reacted to them which either meant they hadn't noticed or weren't disturbed by their presence. I watched them as they continued arguing. Thankfully my ability was able to translate what they were saying.

"I told you. Three bushels will cost you fifteen silver pieces. No more no less now either pay the price or get out of my way." The seller glared at the man in front of him. He was surprisingly fearless. I decided to try something. I cast Lesser Revelation aiming at the man who had his back to me. The seller caught sight of the golden glow and then turned his gaze to me. He didn't say anything, he didn't even try to call me over. Once the spell finished I read the prompt.

Name: Marwan, Human, level 7.

Humans are amongst the most numerous species in Akopia. They have some of the broadest affinities of any species but pay for this with a lack of special abilities. They are amongst the shorter-lived species typically living less than a hundred years.

Level seven wasn't bad. Assuming that he wasn't anything special he would only have around 30 attribute points to spend. Which should mean that I could handle him without too much difficulty. A quick casting told me that everyone was around the same level. With the merchant being level 8. I was just about to step forward when Tenebris sent me a message.

"There are three. They are hunting." The message was confusing at first and I had to take a minute to piece together what he was trying to say. "Are they hunting me or the men in front of me?" It was Sanaa who replied this time.

"I am not sure. They aren't moving. Only watching." I called them both back and decided to ignore the group for now. If I encountered a guard I would send him back but if these newcomers were watching the group then either they would protect the merchant or there were too many for me to deal with. If they were watching me then it would be best to draw them into attacking somewhere else. Somewhere I could guarantee that they won't all jump me. I was on edge until my familiars landed on my shoulders. The lack of a cell phone made this even worse. If I had a way to contact Zakia this would be even less of an issue. I took a deep breath and looked around. I couldn't see any signs of someone following me. The street was empty. Even the ever-present background noise of a city was gone. I slowed my pace and flexed my fingers.

"Be prepared." I sent it to my familiars as I readied myself. For a moment nothing happened. I relaxed and scolded myself for being paranoid. I was about to head back when my instincts screamed at me. I dived to the right the hard stones cutting into my knees.

"Master!" Both familiars shouted through our bond. I looked at where I had been standing and found a pair of serrated daggers impaled about half an inch in the stone. My mind went into overdrive as I processed what I should do next. "In the air both of you!" I couldn't spare them another thought as two more daggers flew for me. The first hit the ground where my head had been while the second buried itself in my right hand.

If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

Pain blossomed in my mind. The blade had gone through my hand and into the stone. A prompt that I had never seen before made my blood run cold.

Your hand has been disabled. Casting speed is reduced by 50%. Spell instability for Dual Cast Spell has increased by 100%. Due to unique ability Spell Instability has been reduced to 0.

I blinked the prompt away and reached for the dagger. Its serrated edges sent pain through me with every move. A burst of gold brought my mind back to the fight. Only two of the attackers had shown themselves. They were wearing black capes with hoods hiding their faces. I gave up on removing the dagger and focused on casting. The casting time felt like an eternity. A red tear formed in space. My elemental’s manic laughter never sounded so good. I sent it the order to attack any of the cloaked figures. Once it ran off, I turned my attention to the blade. Every movement was agony.

“Come on, we can do this. Just like a bandaid.” I psyched myself up and, before reaching forward, wrapping my hand around the handle and pulling up. I screamed as the blade came out of the ground. The serrated edge stealing even more of my health. The blade was still stuck in my hand, but I could survey the battle. Tenebris and Sanaa were dealing with one each while my elemental mutilated the third. It wasn’t that my elemental was stronger than his target, far from it. It was more like the cloaked figure lacked a self-preservation instinct. The magmite was spewing molten rock at every part of the figure’s body it could reach. Instead of avoiding the rock, the figure just attacked. I had to turn my gaze away from the macabre battle.

I held my injured hand against my chest and began casting again. Tenebris trapped his enemy in a sphere of darkness, which allowed him to take potshots from a distance. So I focused on helping Sanaa. Her slender body darted through the air. I timed my spell just as she began a dive. A bolt of golden light slammed into the figure’s face. There was no scream, no reaction. The person just took the hit. I saw the combat notification pop, so I know that the spell hit. Regardless, Sanaa darted in like a hawk. As soon as she got within range, she unleashed a cone of brilliant light. The blast caught the target directly in the face. The light engulfed the cloaked figure, burning its hood. Once the light faded, I caught sight of the person. It was a dark-skinned bald woman with a scar on one side of her face. Sanaa’s attack had seared the right side of her face.

Instead of crying or reacting to the pain, the woman raised both daggers and rushed me. “Fuck, fuck, fuck.” I brought up my hand, prepared to unleash a torrent of flame, when the figure stopped. She stared at me with glassy eyes before turning and running off. I looked around and the other two were running away as well. The one fighting the magmite wasn’t as fast as the others. They were crawling away. Sanaa flew down and wrapped herself around that man’s neck. She began squeezing like a Boa Constrictor. Still, the man didn’t stop trying to get away. Before I could decide what to do, the sound of pounding footsteps reached my ears. A trio of guards ran in with spears raised. I raised my uninjured hand above my head.

“Come back to me.” I sent to both of my familiars who flew around my head and landed on both of my shoulders. “Alright, what in the nine hells is going on?” A rough man with a peppered beard asked as he approached us. He held his spear upright at his side.

“Meron hired me,” I spoke calmly, doing my best to keep the pain from my voice. “They attacked me. There were three of them, though, that one there wasn’t able to escape. I don’t know who they were, but I think this has to do with the investigation.”The man held up a hand to stop me. “I am Captain Dagim. I am aware that Meron has outsourced our investigation to a foreigner. Despite my misgivings about the idea we are prepared to help you where we can. Do you need a healer for your hand?” I shook my head. “If you can help me remove the blade without ripping my hand off, I have a potion.”

The man nodded, and I timidly held my hand out. He looked down at it and then raised an eyebrow. “I don’t do well with pain. Now can we hurry this part up, please?” I added while doing my best to stop the shaking. He took my hand in his, and in one quick movement, ripped the blade out. My knees buckled and my head swam as I swore in every language I knew. My blood splattered the ground as I willed out my water skin. I guzzled the potion inside and waited for my health to be restored. The potion healed the damage but didn’t do a lot for the pain. I glared at Dagim and seriously considered blasting him with every ounce of magic I could.

Sanaa and Tenebris hissed and pointed themselves at the man-like cats ready to pounce. “Gently asshole.” I spat before sending calming vibes to both familiars. Before I could calm down, one of the other guards spoke up. “Captain, I think you should take a look at this.” Dagim looked at us before nodding his head and jogging off. I followed behind him. When we reached the guard who had spoken, he was standing over the mostly burned body of my wannabe assassin. At first, I thought the person was dead, but they started moving as soon as they saw me. The man’s eyes were glassy as if it wasn’t seeing me. It was very creepy to look at.

“Captain, this man is dead.” Dagim looked at the man, looked at the guard, and then looked at me. He tapped the butt of his spear on the ground and the guard continued. “I mean that the body isn’t alive. I am not familiar with necromancy or any such magic but this body.” He gestured to the man. “Isn’t alive. I have checked for a pulse and found nothing. Outside of the burns, the body is cold. The body doesn’t react to pain or any other sensation. By all definitions, it is dead.”

Dagim grunted before kneeling, removing his leather glove, and placing two fingers against the assassin’s neck. “Blasted,” He spat before getting to his feet. He turned and looked at me. “I don’t suppose you have heard of anything like this?” I shook my head and he turned to his men. “Gather this body and then check the surrounding area. If the others are still here, no one is to engage alone. Use your horns to summon help. We need to capture these people, not kill them.”

The two guards nodded and placed a hand over their hearts. “Yes, Captain,” they responded in unison. Dagim turned to me next. “I don’t have the authority to order you around, and I can’t promise that you won’t be attacked again. Nor can I guarantee that you will have a backup in time, but I would like to ask you to keep investigating.”

“I intend to, but there is something else. Before I was attacked, some strange things happened. Two paths were blocked off, both by carts and merchants arguing with someone. The first one was a broken cartwheel, but the second one was set up by someone. I think it was designed to force me down a path where I would be alone.”

Dagim nodded. “I will have someone look into that as well. Do you have a safe place to stay tonight? I would recommend you take care of yourself.” I nodded but decided not to elaborate. I wasn’t sure if anyone else was listening and I didn’t need people to know where to find me. There was also the fact that Dagim was a bit of an asshole. “I am going to go now.” I turned and started moving down the road. When I was sure nothing else would happen, I decided to review my notifications from the battle. Most of them were damage-based. The serrated blade had caused a bleeding condition that stole 15hp/s. Suddenly, my three hundred health points seemed woefully inadequate. If they had been able to properly stab me with one or even two of them, I would have died. Unfortunately, I only got experience from one of the battles. I assumed that was because the other two escaped. I pulled up the experience notification, and the mystery got even stranger.

You have been awarded 400 experience from defeating Forbidden Servant level 4.

The name was ominous, but very similar to the blade. It sounded like those “people” had been dolls or puppets corpses. If that was the case, was the person still alive? The thought of being trapped inside my body like a passenger or a prisoner sent a shiver down my spine. I pushed the thought to the back of my mind and focused on getting home. Today had already been more difficult than expected.