"Come on, then!" Tyrion slips forward, striking in the same motion as his stride. The knife strikes deep into the shorter figure's upper thigh, eliciting a cry of pain.

"You little rat!" The woman shouts.

"You're small too, you snake!" The halfling counters.

The taller figure slashes at Anna, cutting clean through the thick icy armor forming around her. Shards of the armor burst outward as if in retaliation, gouging holes in the stranger's torso and arms before the armor melts away. "Not good!" Anna shouts, holding the bloody cut.

"For you, maybe!" The shorter one sweeps her blade at Tyrion's legs, but he hops over. She catches him on the backswing, and he manages to pull his body mostly out of the way, catching a deep cut across the arm for his troubles.

"Think I have an idea! It's not quite to Amadeo's level, but-" Anna focuses on her rod, taking a deep breath. Golden chains spring forth from the citrine stone, binding the two figures.

The taller one struggles, pushing at the chains as his partner drops to a knee. "What is this? Yri, you alright?"

The short one breathes deep, the chains around her snapping off before dissipating. "That was a dirty trick."

"Oh, come on!" The elf shouts breathlessly, fists balled tight.

"Well, here's another trick, then!" Tyrion grabs the shorter figure by her collar, tumbling backward and using his feet to propel her over himself into a fountain behind.

She splashes into the water and pulls herself to her feet with a groan, half submerged as Tyrion shouts out again. "Anna, now!"

The elf dashes forward, electrical currents running over her fingertips as she shoves her hands into the fountain water. The shocking pulse fills the area, and the shorter figure seizes up as her soaked body allows the energy to conduct itself with greater strength. "Ha! I can't believe that worked!"

"Really need to show you how elements interact. For now, let's get out of here!" Tyrion runs to his crossbow and snatches it up. "Grab his sword and run!"

"Not so fast!" The taller one pushes against the chains to no avail. "Yri! Get him!"

"Aye sir!" The short one draws a dagger from her hip, throwing it in Tyrion's direction. He lifts the crossbow to block, the blade burying deep into the bolt groove...and snapping the string in the process.

"You can bloody do that?!" The halfling shouts before making a mad dash down the main street back toward the Summerwind house.

"Wait for me!" Anna cries out behind him, longer legs carrying the elf after her companion.

They don't stop until they round a corner and come face to face with glowing orange eyes, Tyrion firing a shot off that is blocked by a blue aura, the bolt splintering to pieces against the magical shield as Amadeo's eyes return to normal. "Gods, don't do that, lad! I coulda killed you!"

The wizard ignores the halfling's outrage, sighing with relief. "Are you alright? What happened? You...You both look pretty bad." He eyes the two of them; Anna's cut cheek, her torn armor and dress, the gash across Tyrion's arm.

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

"You look terrible." A voice from behind the wizard speaks up, Hope stepping out of the shadows.

"We feel terrible, Red." Tyrion answers plainly. "Went outside for some fresh air and got attacked by hoodlums, folks with weaponry that might have been poisoned. But I think we lost them."

"It's just us. They're haven't been following since we took off from the square." Anna grabs the wizard in as strong a hug as she can muster. "I'm so glad you guys found us."

Amadeo returns the gesture, stroking his companion's hair. "Hey now, we're a team. More important, we're family. I'll always come for you." He pats the elf's head with a smile. "Blood and water, Anna."

"Blood and water, l-lad...Oh, that's not good." The halfling doubles over, letting his stomach contents paint the ground.

Anna leans against the wizard, her vision hazy. "What he said. They got me good." Lifting her armor, the elf winces at the nasty wound, reaching a hand up to it and withdrawing blood and some of the oily black substance from within.

"It's alright. You're safe now." Hope steps forward, pulling her injured companions close in a gentle hug. Anna feels a force, a warm radiance within her body that fades as Hope pulls away. The black oil floats above her outstretched hands. "Ok...Not sure what to do with this now."

"Destroy it, my champion." A voice fills her mind, soft and echoing.

"Valkyrie. So, we've progressed to chats while I'm awake, then?"

"Uhhh, you alright there, Hope?" The halfling slowly gets to his feet, wiping his mouth of the remaining bile.

"Surprisingly, yes." She answers, focusing on the oil again. "Valkyrie, how exactly do I get rid of this stuff?" The tiefling raises and lowers her arms, the oil following up and then down, never leaving more than a couple of inches between itself and her hands.

"You have the power to extract poisons and diseases from other beings. Now you can remove it from existence entirely by the power of your will alone. You need only to believe it can be done."

"What, like a priest? So, my power as a paladin is built on...my faith?" Hope almost scoffs at the idea.

"Faith in yourself, Hope." Valkyrie corrects gently. "Conviction is the source of a paladin's power. Believe in yourself and your companions, and you will do great things."

"Conviction, huh? Well alright then...How's this?" The tiefling breathes deep, clenching her fists. The oil wavers in the air, writhing like a snake, then dissipates into a fine mist.

Amadeo stares in dumbfounded silence. Anna just seems relieved. Tyrion tries not to vomit again.

"I told you it could be done. Conviction, my dear champion..."

"Right...Valkyrie?" Hope felt the hilt of the greatsword on her back, then sighed. "Guess it's just us again. Care to explain what happened?"

"Like Tyrion said-" Anna reports as Hope presses her hands to the elf's stomach wound and the halfling's gash on his arm. "We were attacked outside the big tree thing-"

"Ol' Stumpy, lass. It's called Ol' Stumpy." Tyrion corrects with a huff, feeling healing energies flow through his arm.

"Right, that. So, we got in a fight with this guy who shot at us from the roof. Then he kinda stopped firing, and two others showed up to finish the job. One was kinda tall, about Hope's height, and the other was Tyrion's size." Anna sighs, leaning against a wall. The wound isn't fully closed, but the bleeding has at least stopped.

"Anything else?" Amadeo folds his arms. Something's missing.

"They wore cloaks and cloths to cover their faces." Tyrion chimes in. "Couldn't even tell ya what they looked like. The short one called the taller 'paleblood', though."

"Paleblood? That's not exactly something you say in jest. It's a word full-blood orcs use when referring to half-bloods. But that gives us a clue, at least in terms of race."

"He called the shorter one Yari...Yiro?"

"Yri." Anna stands fully upright. "We should get back. Miss Bellamina will be worried about us."

"Bellamina...She was following us!" The wizard turns to look at the alleyway behind them. "Where did she go? Hope, did you-?"

"Nuh uh. I know she was right behind us, but I lost her after the third turn we made. Sorry, Tyrion."

"No need, Red. If I know Bellamina-" Tyrion steps aside and points up. The massive figure of Bellamina slips down silent as the grave and agile as a cat, bounding between the walls on either side before landing on her feet. "Young Master!" She kneels, taking Tyrion's face in her hands. "Are you alright, Young Master?"

"No, Belle. There's much I need to know, and little time to know it. My companions and I are tired and worn out, and we still need to find Frida. And now it seems I'm being hunted."

"Hunted, sir?" Bellamina stands, looking at the wounds Tyrion and Anna received.

"Aye...I think someone hired the Spider's Hand."