“Well, it could’ve been worse,” James said.

“It’s understandable, really,” Seamus added. “I doubt any sane person would outright put faith in you. We’re lucky Tahir’s willing to risk a little.”

“The Wizard also helped. I don’t think he would even consider you if it wasn’t for him,” Archibald spoke up from behind.

“Two ships to Yorktown is still a good thing. Once they realize that the southern edge is safe, Tahir will surely take your word as truth,” Seamus continued.

“Yeah, but how long is that going to take? What if a wandering bandit raids their trading ships? I’m on a literal deadline here,” James reminded.

“Well, I guess you’re going to have put faith into it, just as much as Tahir is going to put on you.” Seamus sighed, his hand gently tugging Lilith away from investigating the nearby canal.

The party of four were currently walking their way to where they were to meet up with Harald and the others. Nathan had gone off to his shop, leaving the group on their own to navigate the streets of Vindis that were near the marketplace plaza. It wasn’t all too bad, as there seemed to be a sizable number of people walking in the street, along with lanterns strung about.

Once nightfall had hit, the lanterns illuminated the street with their glow. James spotted some people marketing off some items on the side, their variety of items resting on small rugs. Of course, it was the usual scam artist stuff. Scrolls of unlimited power, rare pins of numerous enchantments, fruits of your wildest dreams, all for the low price of 25 silver. James obviously passed on every offer made to him.

Swindlers and scam artists weren’t the only ones on the lit streets, as James spotted scantily clad escorts parading around the nearby inns and plaza. They wore heavy amounts of makeup, along with glittering trinkets that called attention to them. James noted the sense of magical energy emanating from them. It seemed as if some of the escorts used magic to enhance themselves in some way.

James had to avoid the advances of some of these women—and men—doing his best to ignore and politely decline every offer they made. That included some… questionable offers James didn’t want to think about. Seamus seemed to have some trouble as well, as he did his best to dodge any sneaky hugs or grabby hands. Lilith, however, was doing just fine. The red-haired berserker growled at anyone who dared near her, including both male and female escorts.

Archibald, on the other hand, was smitten by the advances. The elf was visibly red, his stoic look from before now gone, replaced by a dreamy look.

“Archibald! We have to get going!” James called back to the elf, who was currently doing his best to sweet talk to two of the female escorts.

“Can’t we take a break? Maybe even have some fun?” Archibald asked, his voice giddy as one escort tugged at his arm.

James pinched at the bridge of his nose. “Oh, for god’s sake—He has no money!” he shouted out in frustration, hoping that his call out would do anything.

It worked like a charm. The women gathering around Archibald suddenly lost interest, their group dispersing faster than a group of flies. The elf blinked in confusion.

“No no wait! I got money! Let me just…uh…” Archibald dug at his pockets and satchel, to no avail.

James knew the elf was broke, which was the entire reason he was here with the group in the first place.

“Let’s get going. It’s getting late,” James called out. With that, the young clan leader led on the group, with Archibald dragging his feet in the very rear.

As they walked their way to the edge of the plaza, the amount of people slowly thinned out. Soon, the only people around were the occasional swindler and a small crowd of folks making their way to the side streets of Vindis.

Seamus suddenly nudged at James’ elbow. “Don’t look now, but there is someone following,” he muttered.

James resisted the urge to look at Seamus. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, someone has been tailing us since we left Nathan’s shop. I thought it might’ve been a coincidence or my senses acting up, but I seriously doubt it now,” Seamus whispered. “When we turn up ahead, act as if you’re adjusting your satchel. Take that chance to look for them.”

James gave a slight nod. “Alright.”

‘When you take the peek, make sure not to lock eyes with them. It’ll tip them off.’ Faust’s voice echoed out.

‘Have you been tailed before?’

‘You can say something like that. Just keep calm and follow Seamus’ lead.’

James could see their turn coming up ahead, his hand drifting to the satchel that hung on his right. As soon as he made the turn, James glanced quickly. Right then and there, he spotted the stalker. It was hard not to notice her. It was a young woman with black hair, a blue cloak wrapped around her tunic and breeches. She had no armor nor weapon visible, the only thing close enough being that of the instrument slung on her back. James was briefly confused, which caused him to accidentally lock eyes with the stalker.

‘Idiot!’ Faust reprimanded. The brief awkward moment was enough for the stalker to immediately turn away, walking off quickly before James had the chance to say anything.

“Shit,” James cursed. He debated whether to follow the strange woman, but had his chance squandered when she disappeared from sight.

Seamus turned in response to James’ reaction, his own resembling that of relief. “Looks like you scared them off,” he muttered.

“I don’t like this,” James sighed. “Being followed, it worries me. How do we know they won’t come back?” He turned to his group.

Archibald shrugged. “It’s Vindis. It was probably a thief, looking to nab your coin purse. Not uncommon.”

Seamus turned to James. “Let’s keep moving. I bet you’ll feel better after a good night’s sleep.”

He tried to seem comforting, but James knew Seamus was on edge, the other man’s nervous fingers sporadically tapping at his wrapped sword. Even Lilith seemed nervous, her eyes darting at the dark areas of the street.

“Alright, let’s move,” James agreed finally.

The party moved onto their current destination, which was the harbor’s plaza. Once there, they would have to meet up with Harald and have the veteran guide them to whatever tavern they found to bed in. As they walked, the streets grew darker, with less and fewer people walking by. The buildings seem to get closer as well, as the streets they walked through grew narrower. At some point, James spotted a person passed out on the side of the path, their eyes gazing out into the night sky.

Archibald frowned at the sight. “Dust users. We must be getting close to the lower income areas.”

“Dust users?” James commented.

“Those addicted to Moon Dust,” Seamus muttered softly. “I’ve heard of them before. My mother told me of them and why they cannot be saved.”

“What do you mean?” James turned to Seamus. James was familiar with addicts from Earth, as he had lived in bad neighborhoods before. He had seen the heroin users pass out in secluded alleyways, watched meth heads twitch and freak out at gas stations. Still, he knew those people could be rehabilitated, even if it was difficult. So it boggled his mind when he heard Seamus say that dust users could not be saved. “What even is Moon Dust?”

“Moon Dust is an ingredient vital to health potions,” Seamus explained. “The reason why is that it nullifies the pain of anyone suffering. Health potions need it so that people won’t spit out the concoction or scream and squirm as their body forcefully heals their wounds. Of course, alchemists initially thought it would be wise to apply it to any potion that causes pain or discomfort. It didn’t really work out well, since people got easily addicted to it,” Seamus revealed. “Moon Dust in small amounts is relatively harmless, but when you overuse it and take too much…”

Seamus trailed off for a moment, his gaze moving back to the dust user before him. James could see how this man’s sunken eyes were devoid of any color, their gray irises gazing at nothingness.

“Clerics from before have concluded that the dust slowly eats at your brain,” Seamus continued softly, his voice a decibel above whispering. “Specifically, at areas that apparently control emotions and memories. Moon Dust puts your body at ease, makes any pain go away, and it also affects the way you think. Those who become addicted are lost because their brains are already mush. Nothing can save them because the damage to their brains is irreparable. That causes them migraines and severe pain, so much so that the only thing that can quell it is…”

“Moon Dust,” James finished in a murmur.

Seamus nodded. “Exactly. It’s why there’s a limit to how many health potions you can drink in a short time. Take too many in a brief time span and you might find yourself addicted. The limit varies from person to person, but the clerics had deemed it to be four vials before you lose your mind.”

“Four is the limit. Got it,” James muttered.

“You wouldn’t have to worry about the limit, though,” Seamus pointed out. “These days, most alchemists put a failsafe in the potions. If you try to drink over the recommended limit, potion sickness will set in. After that, you’ll vomit out any more concoctions you put in your body.”

“How do you know about this stuff?” James asked. It was surprising to see Seamus to spout out random trivia about potions and alchemical ingredients. He had never brought up such things until now.

“Some of it is common knowledge, but as for the alchemy stuff, well… my mother was an alchemist,” Seamus revealed. “She was the one who taught me how to read and, in the process, gave me some knowledge about potions.”

James raised an eyebrow at that. The young man before him had rarely ever brought up his family other than Yorn.

‘I guess he’s slowly opening up around me.’

“I think we took a wrong turn,” Archibald suddenly spoke out.

“What?” James turned to the elf. “Lost? I thought you knew where we were at?” The elf was the designated guide, as he had ventured into Vindis longer than the rest of the party.

“I had, up until we tried to lose that stalker. I got mixed up a little.” Archibald shrugged. “I think we should retrace our steps. If we can get back to the plaza, we can—” He stopped.

James was about to ask what was wrong, but his words were stuck in the back of his throat. Something cold brushed past him, almost as if it was a breeze. He blinked, and the feeling wandered specifically to his left.

‘James,’ Faust’s voice suddenly called out. James didn’t have to say anything back.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

In an instant, James’ left hand shot to the wandering cold, his grip grasping at nothing. However, his fingers did not grab at the air. In a blink, a man materialized in front of him, his eyes wide with shock and fear. James felt his eyes burn with magical power, the other men in black cloaks suddenly visible to him.

“Reveal yourselves!”

James felt as Faust’s words came through him as if he was a megaphone. The men did as asked, coming out of the shadows with curved daggers in their hands. Seamus and Archibald immediately reacted loudly, the cold air filled with cursing as both men backed away from the hooded figures. Lilith growled and prepared to lunge, but Seamus held her back, whispering to the berserker to calm down as he signed to her. Archibald already had his rapier drawn, his forehead wet with sweat.

James looked at the man in his grasp, the stranger’s hands raised as if he was in surrender.

‘Thanks for grabbing him for me. I doubt my reaction speed would’ve been fast enough to catch him.’ James silently thanked Faust.

“Who are you people? Why were you following us?” James asked the cloaked men.

“We’re here on orders from Markov,” one man answered. “You and your friends are to be brought to him immediately.”

“Why is that?” James shook the man he was holding. “What does he want from me?”

The stranger blinked and stammered, “I-It’s to answer for your interference in his business with Dimitri Palov.”

“Dimitri?” James furrowed his brow. He recalled the fight from months before. He remembered one man warning Dimitri of a man called ‘Markov’.

‘Shit. I knew this was coming back to bite me in the ass.’

James mentally groaned. He closed his eyes, feeling the heat from his skull die down. He knew he couldn’t take these men down. Even if he tried, James assumed that this Markov person was someone he did not want to piss off. At least, not more than he already was. The blond man released the stranger from his grasp, watching the cloaked figure hit the ground out of surprise. He scurried back, his right hand pulling out his dagger.

James raised an eyebrow, realizing that the other men around him looked hesitant and bewildered. They were cautious of James, as if the young clan leader was a serious threat. James saw it as ridiculous, but then realized that they had watched a man grab someone using Shadow Step, an ability that made the user borderline invisible. They had also seen his burning eyes and Faust’s inhuman reaction. Of course they were cautious.

‘Ain’t that something.’

“James, what do we do?” Seamus muttered behind James.

The clan leader turned to Seamus. “Just follow my lead. Alright?”

Seamus stared at James for a few seconds before hesitantly nodding. Even Archibald seemed distrustful. Still, both men muttered their responses.

“Alright.”

“Fine…”

“Good.” James sighed before he turned to the cloaked men, raising his hands in the air.

“We surrender. Take us to your boss.”

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

“Can I take it off yet?”

James asked once again. He felt one man push him again. “Shut it. You are not here as a guest. Remember this,” the voice growled. James sighed in frustration, but did nothing as the man pushed him some more. He couldn’t see where he was going, so he relied on the voices and footsteps to lead him to wherever their hideout was. This had been going on for the past hour, and James’ blindfold was starting to itch.

“Look, I don’t even know Vindis that well, so this thing?” He pointed to the cloth wrapped around his eyes. “Kinda pointless.”

“Shut it! Or else we’ll slit your throat and throw you down the canal!”

“Fine,” James muttered. He felt the man push him some more, through some sort of hallway judging from the echoing of his voice and walls his fingers brushed against. Finally, James felt the shoving stop. Before he could question once more, the blindfold was ripped away. He was blinded by the light inside the room they were in. Where he was expecting a drug den full of men in cloaks, or a cult-like following, he saw something else.

He was in a meeting room of some sort, with a decorated carpet and banners of green hung around the walls, displaying the symbol of a valdora coin, a small hand picking it out from above. There was a second-floor railing above it all, with bookshelves and display shelves visible beyond it.

James blinked, realizing the men in black were all circling the surrounding railing. They all looked identical, their hoods covering their faces. Underneath their capes, however, showed that they were all different. James noted that each of the men and women had tunics and dresses underneath their dark cloaks, all of them varying in detail and color. Some had visible weapons, while others had satchels and books. James even spotted what looked to be the cyan tabard of a city guard.

“Where the hell am I?” James muttered.

“I have no idea,” Seamus’ voice sounded out behind him. James turned to his friend, who was accompanied by Lilith and Archibald. The elf looked downright terrified, his face pale with fear as he stared at the men and women in black. Lilith looked confused and angry, ready to lunge at whoever. Seamus was already holding her back, but he too looked agitated. James realized that they all still bore their weapons. Archibald and his rapier, Seamus had his sword, and even Lilith carried her ax.

“James!” a voice shouted from across the room. The blond man turned to the source, his eyes spotting a familiar veteran. Harald was there, bruised and bloodied. Accompanying him were Dimitri and Bjorn, both of them in a similar state of direness. James could feel anger boiling underneath his chest. Harald seemed to notice this and raised his hands.

“This was not them. We got into a little… scuffle before we were apprehended,” the veteran explained.

James felt his rising anger quickly dissipate, replaced with confusion. “What?”

“It’s a long story,” Bjorn muttered.

“It really isn’t,” a voice suddenly called from above. James turned to the railing above. The cloaked figures parted suddenly, leaving an open space for an older man in a black and green cloak that bore a small pin that displayed a gold coin. He wore no hood, revealing his scarred cheek and graying hair. He rested his hands on the railing.

“The dwarf down there lost a bet of four gold against another man. He escalated things and caused a bar fight. Your friends down there got involved and won the fight,” the man explained.

Bjorn scowled at him. He moved to say something biting, but was held back by Harald. James ignored the dwarf’s reaction, his feet moving closer to the center of the room.

“Markov, I presume?”

“You must be James Holter. Dimitri’s friend, no?” Markov asked. “I’ve been meaning to ask. Given that you were on your first visit to Vindis, why did you risk your own life for a drunk indebted to me?”

“Because I couldn’t let myself walk away from someone getting beat to near death,” James answered, his voice edging on anger.

Markov laughed at that. “Heart of gold for some meaningless drunk. What fun!”

James felt his eye twitch at that. “That ‘meaningless drunk’ saved my life, you know? Fought orcs and Lumen soldiers. He’s already proved that he’s more than a drunk bum to me.”

“To you. To me and my guild, he has been nothing but a walking disaster,” Markov sighed. “Dimitri owes us money. He has been in debt for years now. The night you found him was the night we gave up on trying to get our money back.” Markov focused his gaze on Dimitri, who was trying his best to blend in with the wall. “Fifty valdoras he owes us. That’s five thousand silver pieces. We brought him and you here to see if you can pay it off.” Markov rested his cheek on his fist. “Do you have the money?”

James felt his heart drop at the price. He swallowed hard, doing his best to keep his cool. “No…but we can probably work out some sort of—”

He was cut off by the sound of daggers being unsheathed by the men on the ground floor.

“Wait!” James held out his hands to the men behind him.

“No more deals. No more waiting and certainly no more working it out!” Markov shouted. “Our patience runs thin! We had hoped you might have the coin for this drunk bastard, but it seems as if you do not.”

“Hey! Give me a chance, will you?!” James shouted back. “I just got here! Of course I don’t have the money! Did you really think I came prepared for whatever this is?!” James gestured to the people in cloaks. “This is some cultist shit I didn’t even know existed! You can’t expect me to have fifty fucking valdoras on me!”

Markov only stared at the blond man, his facial expression unmoving. He looked at the men on the ground floor before waving his uninterested hand.

The men nodded and continued to James.

“Are you fucking kidding—Faust!” James was done with talking his way out of it. Diplomacy didn’t seem to work, so it was on to Plan B. He felt his eyes burst with magical heat. The dim room suddenly was illuminated with a bluish glow, surprising everyone. The hooded men backed off, raising their daggers in defense.

Even Seamus panicked. “James? What are you doing?!”

James waved off Seamus and Harald, both of whom were trying to stop him. The rest of his friends, though, didn’t seem keen on getting near to James. Archibald stared at James with a look of surprise, blinking as he backed away slowly. Even Lilith cautiously took steps back. Bjorn was the only one unsurprised, his wide grin showing that he was more than glad to see James let out his power.

“You won’t be able to leave this place alive,” Markov suddenly stated, his expression unmoving as he stared down at the blond man.

“Maybe. But will you be willing to lose more men than you can afford?” James called out. “You don’t seem like the kind of person to waste that many resources on a problem.” He watched as Markov’s eyebrow raised.

“What do you know about me and my people?”

“I know you weren’t planning on killing us. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have blindfolded us.”

“Who’s to say that my mind hasn’t changed?”

“Do you really want to risk losing so much to one man?”

James could feel how Faust forced more energy into his eyes, making it flare up some more. This time, Markov’s eyes narrowed at James’ visage. The blond man knew what he was looking at and he knew Markov was considering whether or not it would be worth it to kill James.

“So you’re the draugr that has every bandit in the south shitting their pants,” Markov muttered audibly. James continued to stare down at the other man, feeling how his skull heated with incredible intensity. A migraine even formed, causing the clan leader to waver slightly.

‘Do you think he’ll give in?’ Faust asked.

‘He has to. Otherwise we’re screwed.’

Judging from the ally to potential enemy ratio, things were not looking good. Half of his party was bruised and bloodied. He didn’t even have health potions on him and his only spell was Carapace. This show of power was a desperate bluff meant to intimidate Markov and his goons. Still, this was James’ ace in the hole from the hand he was dealt with. He didn’t have any other options or tactics.

Markov was still for a moment, the cloaked figures around him hesitant. James could see how their daggers wavered.

Finally, Markov sighed. “Sheathe your weapons,” he called out to the men on the ground floor. They quickly did as asked, backing away from the center of the room. Markov turned to James, his gaze fixated on the blond man’s own. For a moment, they stood there, staring each other down. The man above them grinned.

“You have balls threatening me. I’ll give you that. In this business, one has to bare their blade to keep another sheathed,” Markov explained. “If you will, there is another way you can repay Dimitri’s debt.”

“What is it?” James focused his will, his eyes slowly going back to normal. The raging heat in his skull finally died down, his migraine dissipating.

“Eager, are we?” Markov chuckled.

“Just tell me.”

“Let’s get to it then. There is a necromancer that has been a problem for us.”

“Problem?”

“He has been caught taking the corpses of our members and robbing them of their possessions. Basically, he has stolen from us.”

“Can’t you just send in a couple of your own to take him out?”

“I have. Twice. Those men have been missing for months now.”

James blinked in surprise. “And you’re sending me?”

“This is how you repay me,” Markov pointed out. “Either do it or die in that spot.”

James clicked his tongue in frustration. “I’ll do it,” he muttered behind gritted teeth.

“Good. The necromancer has a hovel in the copper district, bordering the iron district, according to my scouts. I can send my men to guide you to it.”

“What about my friends?” James asked.

“You may only take three of your allies. We shall keep the rest with us. Make no mistake, Holter. If you attempt to leave Vindis…Well, you can surely guess the consequence.”

“Got it.” James answered bluntly. Markov spoke out to his men in a different tongue, his words rapid and blunt. The men on the ground floor complied, moving to James with the blindfolds.

“Choose your friends and you shall part right away in the slums,” Markov called out.

James frowned. “You’re not going to give me time to get ready? That’s not really fair, is it?”

“Ha! Dear friend, you truly are naïve.” Markov chuckled. “Life, as a rule of thumb, is never fair.”