After an hour of dragging the dead spider through twisting turns and narrow passageways, it was safe to say that in Alicia's mind, the novelty had worn off. After ten minutes of dragging the cumbersome corpse, sweat had begun to form on the brows of those doing the heavy lifting. After twenty minutes, the four of them looked on the verge of collapse, gasping for breath in the stagnant air.

Alicia, still too weak to help, limped behind them, constantly checking behind her to ensure they weren't being pursued by a stray spider seeking revenge. When the paranoia became too much, she was more than happy to walk besides Aldrich. He was muttering foul things about the half-elf that she had only heard from sailors when they were having a good time. If she had cursed like that in front of Monique, she would have been slapped. But dwarves always were so vulgar.

Yet without the cursing dwarf, none of them would have walked out alive. Dwarves know stonework, and with additional help from a strange compass that didn't point north, the group burst into the sunlight, only an hour later than they would have liked.

Alicia spread her arms wide, welcoming the sun's gentle touch onto her naturally pale skin and breathed in the fresh air deeply. In the pleasant light, she could see the ugly pink puncture wounds and red rashes standing stark against her pale complexion from where the venom had scorched her skin. There was a thud from behind her, but she ignored it. They were out, she was out, and one thing was for sure, she was never, ever, going back down there again.

The dead spider now lay in a heap just outside the cave entrance. Four exhausted forms draped over it, panting and seemingly not noticing the smell that was drifting off the corpse. It had the aroma of a campfire that had been extinguished hours earlier, and faint wisps of smoke curled off its charred legs.

In the bright sunlight, it seemed incredibly out of place. Grey hair burned away in chunks, milky grey eyes gazing lifelessly into the endless nothingness, legs akimbo, and wicked black fangs glinting as venom dribbled down the length. Any man that came across it would run in disgust at the sight of such a monster.

One man wasted no time in taking a closer look. Pushing Janus aside, Hel circled the creature carefully, examining every segment and taking care to inspect every wound with a fine-toothed comb. But there seemed to be nothing out of the ordinary for such a creature.

The half-elf sat back on the balls of his feet and frowned. The owl and the wolves had apparent signs of some sort of infection. Foaming mouths, pustules of yellow phlegm, pale, sickly green skin, all warning signs of disease, but this had nothing. Perhaps it's not infected at all?

He drummed his fingers against his lips, paused and then pulled his dagger from his belt. It was a simple tool, more for cutting vines and roots than Alicia's expertly sharpened and shaped blades, but it would do the job for what he needed. Feeling along the abdomen, he located the thin area of flesh running along the beast's centre, placed the dagger tip over one end. Then, pausing to pull his mask up above his mouth and nose, Hel plunged the knife into the carcass.

The audible crunch caused the others to turn. They watched in amazement and horror as Hel split the creature in half from the thorax to abdomen, fluid gushing from the wound and coating Hel's hands in warm blood. The next moment they realised why Hel had taken the time to cover the lower half of his face.

The smell reminded those who knew the holy books as stinking sulphur, and, for those who didn't, the odour reminded them of the alley behind a tavern at three in the morning. Hel himself felt his stomach heave as he regarded the internal organs. Heart, lung, stomach, web sac, all encased within a mesh of thin fibres of flesh.

And the flesh was rotting.

Blood blackened from excessive rot, exoskeleton withered away like the bones of an ancient man, tissue decaying right in front of his eyes. He recoiled in shock. It was like its own venom was eating it away from the inside.

The smell overpowered the human, and she raced to the mouth of the cave, stomach heaving from the scent and vomited until there was nothing left but acidic bile. But Hel, undeterred, kept digging. He pulled out every organ he could find and lined them up alongside their previous owner, and when he was done, sat back and examine them.

By this point, the rest of the party had joined him. They peered over his shoulder at the vaguely green-tinted lumps of flesh that lay before them.

"That," said Alicia. "Is disgusting."

From within the mess, the young half-elf removed a lump of greying meat, roughly the size of his own head, that was covered in yellowish, pus-filled blisters that popped the moment his dagger tip tore the membrane. Its heart was infected beyond anything they had all ever seen. Yet, the creature was still alive and apparently healthy before they'd meet it.

Bella stumbled back, ashen-faced and clammy, just as the owlbear's now very rotten tongue was pulled from Hel's pocket and compared with the spider's. A wave of nausea tried to retake her.

"Wha's goin' on?" Aldrich asked, more curious than demanding.

Hel stepped away from the corpse and brandished the two severed organs. The rest of the party took a few steps back. "Look, the signs of infection are almost identical. Two different creatures from completely different parts of the animal kingdom have contracted the same illness. Do you know what this means?"

"You need a hobby?" Janus suggested.

"Something had polluted the food chain," Hel stated, ignoring him. "The owlbear and the wolves all had similar symptoms, infected blood, green blisters, but that could be due to their diet. Same habitat, same food source."

"But if the spiders are infected," Carnate said, catching on to Hel's point, "then that means it could be something in the land itself. I mean, they're not sharing the same food source, are they?"

"Exactly," Hel said, stuffing the organs into the cold bag that the Beast Master had given them. "There could be something terrible going on here, something dangerous, something evil."

"Why should we care?" Alicia asked.

Hel frowned at her. He understood why she had a lack of interest concerning the matter. Alicia was a High Elf, and even though she may not have been raised as one, it was still her blood. By nature, they were cold and reclusive, preferring to stay out of matters that didn't concern them and in her mind, this had nothing to do with her thank you very much.

But Hel was a Wood Elf or at least half of one. They cared for the natural world and the balance of life and death. He'd been raised in the forest by his mother and her handmaidens, who taught him to track and survive. They'd also tutored him that if nature fell sick, civilization would follow.

"If this turns out to be some kind of plague, it's only a matter of time before people begin to die," he said decisively. She didn't seem to buy it at all. "I just want to figure out what this is. I have a naturalist friend of mine–"

"Aye, aye."

"Nat-u-ral-ist," Hel spoke very slowly so the cat could understand. "She's an expert in this sort of stuff, and she doesn't live too far from here, a day's travel at most, she could shed some light on the situation."

Aldrich smirked, "an' if she doesn't, we'll ha' wasted our precious time. Look elf, we're doin' a job 'ere, or 'ave you forgot that? A few beasties are getting' sick, so what? I'm with the girl; it doesn't concern us."

"Agreed," Janus said. "I need that gold as a matter of urgency, so forgive me for not wanting to take the scenic route. Anyway, it might be nothing. Animals get sick all the time, just let 'em die, and nobody knows any different."

"But what if it isn't?" Carnate said. "I don't know much about poison and disease, but this doesn't seem right. One of those wolves kept fighting even though its head was barely attached to its neck! In what world is that normal?"

The other three pouted but stoically said nothing.

"If you want to see this naturalist, then I'll be more than happy to go with you and then we can meet up with the rest in a few days."

Bella stopped chewing a hangnail on her thumb for a brief moment. "No. These animals are infected and berserk; they've lost their minds. I don't doubt your abilities, but you be able to handle that on your own? I say, don't risk it. We either all go or we all don't."

"Let's put it to a vote," Carnate said. "All those against?"

Janus, Alicia and Aldrich all raised their hands.

"All those in favour?"

Carnate, Bella, and Hel himself all raised their hands.

"Stalemate? Excellent," Alicia said sarcastically.

An argument that had been simmering was now on the verge of boiling over, with the two sides primed to start yelling when a shrill whistle caught their attention. Fenrin, from an elevated position on the spider's crooked leg, started speaking his broken draconic. Guttural growls emanated from his tiny throat as he hopped up and down like a child jack-in-the-box, flapping his wings and flicking his tail irritably.

"Tir si ti itrewic vi yenta? Si siofme yth jalla gethrisj ekess wer gemuth sthyr!"

"For those who don't speak dragon?" said Janus. However, it seemed to be good as Hel did a little jump for joy.

"He said that he wants to go see Hel's friend, so that makes it four against three," Carnate explained.

The others stood there, flabbergasted. Hel fed the little dragon a piece of his rations as a reward.

"Now wait for a second," Aldrich began.

"Uh, uh, uh, we've got the majority."

"That little critter ain't smart enough vote. Pseudodragons are dumb as bricks."

"Don't say that he'll have your face off." The bite mark of Janus' nose was still raised but now only vaguely green.

Carnate paused, scratching Fenrin's chin and turned slowly on his heel towards the incredibly irritating monk. "I admit, I don't know all that much about regular pseudodragons," a broad, wicked grin was forming on his face. "But the Svant Svadri variations are rather intelligent. So what I mean to say is he's more than clever enough to contribute,"

"But...but...but..." But Aldrich couldn't come up with anything. His words had failed him.

"Ergo, his vote counts. So, therefore, we're going to the naturalist, and that's final!"

***

And final it was.

With the exclusion of a quick stop back to the town of Vusone, they made their way west towards the city of Aramore. Their goal was to pay a visit to Mezur Groz, an alchemist and apothecary Hel had known for close to five years who specialised in disease and corruption of nature. She had previously lived on the continent of Paltray before seeing fit to move to Azaire, and Hel trusted her with such a matter as this.

He explained this to all of them as they carried the spider's decapitated head, sliced so cleanly off by Bella, as they marched to Vusone. While Janus had been running from the law and robbing shopkeepers, the rest of them discovered there was a bounty on the creatures and wanted the money from it.

The townsfolk were startled by the sight of the severed head but kept to their word at least. Sixty gold pieces would be divided between them with the promise of more if it was discovered that all the animals were dead. The forwarding address was given, and the group walked away, their coin purses slightly more cumbersome than before.

Aramore may be the largest city in the Deltus region of Azaire, but it was tiny compared to the giants of Caelor in the frozen north and the capital of Erunsbane. The city itself was relatively new. The stone was unweathered, and it still held an air of decadence despite its black history. The land Aramore had been built on had once been corrupt and a melting pot of all things foul and murderous. It was only after the catastrophic dragon attack and ensuing fire that Aramore finally stepped out of the deluge and into some form of respectability.

The travel to Armaore had been uneventful, save for the snide comments and irritable muttering from Aldrich and Janus. Despite their differences, they didn't like wasting time and spent the entire journey complaining. They only ceased their grumbling when Bella pointed her sword at them, which shut them up rather quickly.

After trudging through the wilderness for two days, for those who loved the hustle and bustle of city life, the marble walls were a welcome sight. The guards were another matter. Alicia hitched up her hood slightly while Janus just swaggered inside without a care in the world. He'd just accepted the fact that no one was going to look like him and to walk away from anyone carrying a pitchfork.

Even though it was late evening by the time they entered Aramore, the town itself was still bustling with life. Vendors were either making their last sales or packing up for the night; taverns were opening just as the more respectable establishments were closing. The warm smell of food and alcoholic drinks wafted to their noses, calling them all in.

Much to the disappointment of everyone who had been dreaming of a warm bed, the young half-elf kept walking, away from the sweeping roads and into a narrow, cobblestone side-street. Oil lamps flickered dimly from their cloudy glass, casting long shadows over the group of misfits. As they walked, their footsteps echoed off rocky walls and long-abandoned carts.

When Hel finally stopped, it was in front of a rather tatty looking shop. The others, not noticing his abrupt halt, walked straight into the back of him. None of them had seen the squat, shabby building either as, to their eyes, at least, it simply blended into its surroundings. Dark and dingy with peeling paintwork, it wasn't a place you would admit to having visited, but it wasn't a hostile place. Hanging above the doorway, a grubby sign bore the name Madame Groz's Natural Remedies and Medicines.

Hel stepped up and tried the door. It was locked, so he rapped smartly of the wooden frame.

No one came.

"Mez?" he called out uncertainly, hoping and praying that Mezur Groz hadn't moved. "It's Hel! You in there?"

For about three seconds, there was no response, then came the sound of hurried footsteps and a blurry outline of a figure appeared on the other side of the glass. Hel jumped back just in time to avoid the door catching him in the face. The others took a step back as well, though not entirely for the same reason.

The woman standing before them was a real sight to behold. She was enormous, in more ways than one. She must have been at least six feet tall and was probably not far off being that wide. She was a half-orc with purplish-greyish skin, yellowish tusks protruding from her lower jaw and messy black hair that had been tamed into a tight braid.

Upon first glance, she was a very ferocious-looking individual, but when she laid eyes on Hel, the beady black orbs lit up. "Hel? Dear Gruumsh, it is you! How have you been, you scrawny little midget?" Hel was quickly constricted into a rib crushing bear hug.

"Great," Hel wheezed. "Just...great...Can't...breathe..."

Mezur dropped her friend back onto his feet, where he fell back, gasping noisily for breath. "Well? Don't just stand there loitering. Come in, come in! Make yourselves at home!"

The outside of Mezur Groz's shop did not do the interior any favours. The walls seemed to be entirely comprised of shelves, stacked higgledy-piggledy from the dustless floor to the very top of the ceiling and crammed onto every square inch of those shelves were thousands upon thousands of potions, from red healers sitting quietly and pale blue mist floating aimlessly in jars, golden water that sparkled from every angle to sticky black oil that thumped at the glass and vivid green liquid that caused the bottle to jump and leap in its separate container. Every elixir and potion known to man was in those jars and all on sale for the right price.

Besides the bowing shelves, the rest of the shop seemed pretty standard for an apothecary. A single counter with an order book sat open beside a quill and ink, the writing still wet, and a small safe sat out of sight. A single doorway led deeper into the shop, but it was covered by a dark purple beaded curtain which obscured the view beyond.

Mezur grinned at the awestruck faces of the party from the seat behind the counter, her tusks jutting out from her lower lip. "Now, since I didn't know you were coming, I can only guess that this isn't a catch up with an old friend. So, what brings you to this fine town this evening? Something good, something bad or something ugly?"

The others cast a glance at Hel. He stepped forward, pulled the heart from his bag and set it down in front of her. Despite only being a day old, the smell of rot oozed out, and soon the entire room was filled with the stench.

"Bad and ugly, I'm afraid."

Mezur recoiled. "What. Is that?!"

"That," Hel said simply, "was once the heart of a giant spider. As you can probably tell, it wasn't doing so good."

"That's putting it mildly," Alicia muttered to Aldrich.

"We...I thought you might be able to help us understand what's going on." And with that statement, he pulled out the tongue and set it down beside the other organ with a sticky squelch. "The tongue of an owlbear. Discovered two days earlier and a hundred miles away. It looks like the same disease. I was wondering–."

"I've never seen anything like this." Hel stared at her in surprise. For Mezur, that was not something she would ever want to admit, but for once in her life, she was stumped. She had nothing to offer. "In two different creatures as well..."

"You don't...know..." Hel's shoulders sagged.

"Are you telling me that you've dragged us all this way...FOR NOTHING!" Janus roared; his eyes glittered dangerously.

Bella sensed a fight brewing. "Could you figure it out?" Bella asked, taking a tentative step forward. "I know there are some spells that can determine the nature of an infection. Perhaps that's something you're capable of?"

Groz chewed her bottom lip, not an easy task considering her protruding tusks. "Maybe...Give me till tomorrow morning. I've utilised my magic for today, a few rather tricky brews, you see, but I'll be able to do something first thing tomorrow morning. I can't promise I'll know what it is, though..."

The young dragonborn stepped forwards as well. "If you're thinking about that particular spell, I might be able to help."

Mezur eyed Carnate up and down. Her eyebrow raised slightly when she caught Hel's eye, and he quickly pretended to examine a potion labelled Potion of Cloud Walking, all while trying to hide a fearsome blush. "Hmm...Blue robes, silver armour...Paladin of Bahamut, huh? Yeah...yes, you could definitely aid me tomorrow. But it'll have to be tomorrow. Until then, you guys can stay at one of the local taverns. The owner of The Rusty Sword owes me one, and he'll let you stay overnight, free of charge."

The word free was all they needed to hear. Amongst the hubbub of the thought of a decent night's sleep and a homecooked meal, Mezur caught Hel's elbow and whispered, "can I have a word?"

A lump formed in Hel's throat. He had a feeling he knew what was coming.

"Oi, you break it, you pay for it," she snapped at Janus. He had been reaching for a small vial with the words Agony Potion written on it in big black letters. She shot one final steely look at Janus before walking out with the ranger in tow.

She marched him through the beaded curtain, through the stained and messy kitchen where a whole cacophony of smells was simmering away, and into a small room in the back. It was designed for storage with barrels and sacks of ingredients stacked neatly in their own designated spaces. Mezur picked up an oil lantern, lit the wick with a wave of her hand and then turned to Hel.

"What are you doing?" Her voice wasn't angry or ashamed or sad. It was just confused.

Hel suddenly developed an interest in the grain of the floorboards.

She sighed. "Last time I saw you, not even three months ago, you vowed to never do the whole adventuring thing again and yet here you are. As far as your resolutions go, Hel, this is a new level of backtracking."

"It's not like that," he said, "it's just... it's just a job. We're just harvesting creatures and getting paid for it. That's all. It's like the House of Bones in Paltray."

Mezur scoffed. "Oh, really? If it was just a job, you'd be hunting down your next monster, scrabbling for your next payment. You certainly wouldn't be here. Yet you come to me, after travelling some distance according to your furry friend, with two infected animal lumps hungry for answers. That sounds familiar to me, if you don't mind me saying. You've been tempted back, dear boy."

"I know what I'm doing," he snapped. "I've done this before."

"That's what you all said before you walked into that cave." She twisted the massive iron ring on her finger. "You all said you knew what you were doing when you took that contract to put that beast down? Tell me, Hel, in what situation did you 'know what you were doing' when eight of you go in and only two come out? Nine if you count that bloody owl."

"Thanks, that not a sore subject or anything."

She sighed. She had children, three of them; she was used to this stubbornness. "I'm just saying I hope you're not going to do anything stupid. I don't want you going on some self-destructive downward spiral because you'd rather die than live with the guilt. The wound is still bleeding, but you're running into battle again."

Hel laughed a short, bitter laugh. "Mez, no offence, but you don't have to live with it! You don't have to live the knowledge that you might have dragged six innocent people to their deaths. You don't have to live with the fact that you were the deciding vote. You don't have to live with their screaming faces haunting your nightmares every single night!" He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose tight. He could feel a headache gripping at his temples. "Look. Maybe you're right. Maybe I don't care anymore. Maybe I'm just doing this, hoping and praying something will have the decency to finish me off. Who'd miss me after all?"

"Your mother," Mez needed to say nothing else. His head hung slightly lower and crossed his tight to his chest. "You're her only son, her baby. She'd go mad if she lost you."

"Hmm..."

"When was the last time you went home?"

"It's not home," he muttered. "He makes that very apparent."

"So you're walking back into the firing line?"

"I don't have a home, Mez! Three years of my life, three years of belonging gone! It wasn't safe, but it was free! I could go anywhere and do anything without being judged! But that's gone. Varic, Lyswyn, Kuth, Nek, Udon, Sarkaira, Medea, they're all gone! The only reason I'm still standing here is that Bea had a Helm of Teleportation, and I was nearest to her. That's the only reason I'm still alive." Tears pricked at the corner of his eyes.

"Do you want to know why I came home? Why I dragged myself ten thousand miles across land and sea? It's because I couldn't look Beatrice in the eye and not see the blood and bone and death. I couldn't see Paltray and not think of them! I just couldn't fucking do it anymore!"

With tears flowing freely down his cheeks, Mezur Groz pulled the young man into a tight embrace. Hel's throat closed up at this motherly gesture, but he still sobbed into the folds of her dress while she squeezed his slim shoulders.

At last, Hel pulled back, his eyes dry and red. "This isn't what I had in mind; trust me, it isn't. But what else can I do? I don't know anything else, this is my entire life, and if I'm being honest, I miss it. The freedom, the adrenaline, the wide-open world at my feet, I live for it..."

"But you feel guilty because you survived," she said gently. "Because you're still alive."

"That's why Bea and I split. I haven't seen her for about a month."

"She's tough. She has family in Paltray; she'll be fine."

The two of them sat in silence for a little while, Mezur giving Hel time to dry his tears and for the red puffiness to subside. After a few minutes, Mezur placed a hand on his shoulder. "Listen, I'll do this for you. But I swear to any god who'll listen if it gets hairy out there, I want you to run. Run for your life, leave them and just get out of there. For your mother and your sister's sake. You understand?"

"Yes, mum," he grinned.

"Excellent," she said, like their previous conversation had never happened. "Now, onto more pressing matters."

Hel cocked his head in confusion.

"Don't think I didn't notice how you looked at that dragonborn," she grinned wickedly as now it was the turn of Hel's face to flush scarlet.

"I– I don't know what you're talking about."

Mezur laughed so hard she dented one of the wooden crates with her enormous fist. "You're in so much trouble, young man. Ha! Now come on, let's get you back to your new friends. Here's hoping they haven't burned my shop down," she muttered.

Hel trotted after her, his face now cooled to normality, but he hung back before he reached the beaded curtain. "I've been running all my life, Mez," he murmured. "So many roads that I've left charred and smoking. So many mistakes that have left ghosts in my vision. So many demons on my trail, hungry for the blood on my hands. Maybe it's time I stop and fight for once, fight for my stupid fucking life. Maybe this is my chance to make everything right. Maybe this is it."

Mez pondered. "Maybe. Maybe this might just be the best thing that's ever happened to you."

Something crashed from the front room, and Mezur grumbled something under her breath about murder. She strode through while Hel hung back. He smiled faintly; maybe she's right. Maybe...

***

A few hours later, the group had resigned themselves to a quiet and dreary evening. Aramore was doing its best to step away from its once seedy background, so, much to the disappointment of Janus, there were no brothels or casinos within the stone walls. Alcohol was the only sin industry permitted, and even then, it was resigned to mass-produced, tasteless ale. Aldrich wrinkled his nose in disgust but downed his third pint without hindrance. He wiped the foam from his auburn beard and called for another from the sole barkeep.

He glanced around at his new companions, tapping his hammer lightly. Since the meeting with the kind but formidable Mezur Groz, even he had to admit that he wasn't as sceptical as he had been. A professional woman, one trained in her craft for years, had noticed something wrong, and Aldrich was never one to doubt a craftsman's eye. Even if she was part orc.

Since their meeting, and with a suitable amount of rest, the group were invigorated with the sense of something strange and new. The atmosphere buzzed with excitement and apprehension about what the apothecary's spells could show them on the short walk back. The wait until the following day was going to be an excruciatingly long one.

Janus was throwing out theories to whoever would listen, which ranged from poisonous plants to full-scale demonic influence. No one was actually listening to him, but no one was going to shut him up either. By this point, they'd all figured that it would be impossible to do so and his tall tales, while foolish, were undoubtedly entertaining.

Bella was sharpening her sword, a smile on her face from listening to the cat's stories. Alicia was tending to her wounds, grimacing in pain, with the aid of Aldrich. The vial of Anti-toxin potion that Mez had forced into her hands was being slathered onto her exposed skin by the dwarf, who was being uncharacteristically gentle with her. She glanced at it occasionally. The wound was no longer green, and now only two pale pink spots signified the bite's presence.

Carnate wasn't paying attention to any of this. He was too invested in his book, a hefty, leather-bound tome that had first been presented to him at the age of twelve. He was trying to study the complex scriptures, but he couldn't concentrate. He had noticed something off since Hel had returned from his private talk with Mezur Groz. He'd barely said a word save explaining who had sent the group to the landlord of The Rusty Sword. Carnate knew that silence well; it said, 'Leave me alone'. He knew the feeling.

From across the room, Janus had just finished a spiel explaining how the abscesses could be caused by mighty arcane forces when he at long last realised that nobody cared. He frowned. He was a performer, a bloody good one at that, so it was just his luck to get a group of the most miserable sods in all of Azaire.

He flopped down onto the armchair he'd been using as a podium and glanced around at the group. His eyes fell onto the gold dragonborn, who was now very interested in his book. "Oi, dragon-boy! Whatcha reading?"

Carnate turned over a page and said nothing.

Janus bounded over so he could look over Carnate's shoulder. All those who could see his expression saw a look of intense annoyance and possible loathing. "Detect poison and disease...hey! That's a spell, innit? I didn't know your lot could do magic."

A low growl rippled from somewhere in Carnate's throat as he shut the book with a snap. Plumes of dust flew from the decades-old pages. "I'm learning, or at least I would be if I could concentrate."

"Good for you," Carnate growled again, but Janus had already hopped back to his seat. "I love magic. I occasionally wish that I could do a bit of the old arcana, but, you know, you can't cast spells when you're raging, so it renders it a bit moot."

"How," Alicia said incredulously, "do you know that?"

He grinned. "Not as dumb as I look, baby. I'm a cultured man; I've been to a few libraries in my day. Granted, I got kicked out of all of them, but hey, who's counting?"

"How do you get kicked out of a library?" Bella asked.

"Oh, it's simple," he waved a paw grandly. "Light a few fires, start a few fights, kiss a princess or six. An average day in the life of Janus Embari."

Alicia giggled. "You're the most annoying man I've ever met."

"And you, honey, are the most beautiful. And I don't just mean that in a conventional way either. You fight brilliantly."

Alicia flushed scarlet from the depths of her cheeks to the roots of her hair. Bella and Aldrich were both rocking with laughter while even the miserable Hel cracked a smile.

Once she had composed herself, she shook her head dismissively. "No, I'm not. I mean, look at me, one bite, and I was down. Useless..."

Bella leaned over and squeezed the other woman's shoulder, taking careful consideration of her wound. "But you fought. Most men wouldn't have done that; you were incredible, albeit a little foolish." Bella sat back sharply. "Dear gods, help me. I'm agreeing with the cat."

Now it was Janus's turn to howl with laughter. He clapped his furry paws together, sparkling teeth catching the dim lamplight. He laid back casually in his chair and gazed up at the ceiling, tail swishing rhythmically backwards and forwards like a pendulum. "So...what's the story with you guys?"

"This isn't going to be personal." Alicia eyed him up.

"Because, my dear, we are going to spending a lot of time together, and we don't know anything about each other. Even in the fighting pits, we try to talk to each other."

"Before you rip each other apart," Bella said.

"With yer teeth," Aldrich added.

"That too." The tabaxi swung his legs over the armrest. "Oh, come on, we could be spending the next six months together. We should at least know some basic information about each other. I know, I'll go first."

Carnate muttered, "please don't."

Janus once again leapt up onto his chair, now a podium for his dramatic tales. "The name's Janus Embari, former gladiator extraordinaire of the Deathbound Coliseum. World-renowned for his blinding bloodlust and razor-sharp claws that can gut a man like fish. The tabaxi master of blood spilling and seduction."

He aimed that last part at Alicia, who simply laughed at him. "How's that working for you?"

"The ladies love a man with scars," he teased.

"Is that what they've told you?" she smirked. "You do know that hookers will do anything to get you to pay more."

"You'd know all about that, wouldn't you?"

The tension in that room could have been sliced with an axe. The others leaned away in their chairs.

"What do you mean by that?" Alicia's tone, while seemingly sweet, was laced with venom. Most men she'd met knew to back off or possibly run for their lives whenever she talked like that, but for some irritating reason, the cat didn't seem to notice. Or care.

"Forgive me, darling, but it's obvious. You're running from something, just like me, and you're incredibly beautiful. Too beautiful to naturally know how to hold a dagger like that. You're used to it. You only see that in those who partake in the oldest business. I reckon you've killed a lot of people, but they've only just found out. That's why you need the money so badly. You need to compensate for the family or hang."

Five pairs of eyes watched Alicia intently. Would she deny it? Or would that dagger find a new home in his skull? No one predicted that she would sit back and smile. Maybe this tabaxi wasn't as dumb as she thought. He had sharp instincts, and she admired that in a person, no matter how irritating they were.

"Not bad. Not bad at all. How about I take a turn?"

He gestured to say, 'be my guest'.

"You're a former gladiator, and if my knowledge of those cesspools is correct, then Janus Embari probably isn't your real name. You came from some southern land, possibly Paltray or maybe even Heokis or Eifura, and signed up a soon as possible to make easy money because you could fight. Or maybe you were snatched off the streets for that very reason? But that doesn't matter now because you're running from the law...or your previous employer. Those things run on the betting rings, and since you're such a stubborn, cocky asshole, I reckon you were meant to throw a match and didn't. You fucked up, and now you need to repay the lost money or your head rolls. Am I right?"

Janus paused and then started to slowly clap. "Well done, bravo. You've got a good eye, miss Galanodel."

"How much?" Bella asked.

Janus held up three fingers. "Three thousand gold, and that's with interest. It was a deal my boss had made, I didn't know, and now I owe three thousand gold pieces by the end of the year."

"Yer screwed," Aldrich added.

The dwarf was right, Bella thought; he's doomed. "You're hoping the thousand will buy you more time?"

"If it doesn't, I get executed, simple." He swigged from the tankard. For the first time since their meeting, Alicia could see through the barbarian. Behind the cockiness and attitude, behind his armour of laid back humour and razor wit, he was terrified. Like her, his life depended on this job. She felt sorry for him in a strangely detached way.

"But enough about me," Janus said, any evidence of that fear replaced by the irritating personality they were all more familiar with. "What about the rest of you? Dragon boy is on a mission from God or whatever–"

"Grrrr..."

"But what's everyone else's story, huh?"

"New life. Need gold. Simple," Bella shrugged. Simple was never a word that Bella would use to describe her home life, but she wasn't about to tell them that.

Aldrich spoke up, a surprising fact considering how abrasive he usually was but, then again, he was on his third tankard. "My monastery got raided by a goblin party, and we need funds to repair it. There are a few of us wanderin' around. Jus' figured this would be quick, and some bastards get to die. Therapy if ya will."

"Here, here!" Janus grinned.

"Next on the list are the tiny green feckers. Heh, I want the head so I can stuff it."

"We'll see," Bella said wearily.

"What about you, Hel? Why are you here?" Alicia glanced at Hel.

His silence was worrying. Hel was young, younger than she was, but not innocent or foolish or naive. Half-elves life a half-life. Never truly accepted anywhere and, judging by his last name, he'd been raised by the elves.

There were plenty of girls in the brothel like him. Cast aside by a society that values beauty and perfection, they tend to be forced to survive and be self-sufficient by the time of their sixteenth birthday if they last that long. How old was he? What had he been through in that short time? God's know.

It took him a moment to think of an answer that didn't sound too incriminating. In the end, he settled with, "I've been...travelling for the last three years, give or take. I just wanted to earn some money and move on to somewhere new." Before he'd even finished speaking, he could almost smell the blood and taste the salty tears as the memories invaded his mind like a plague. He shuddered. The nightmares would be bad tonight.

"Two lawbreakers, two runaways and two on a religious mission. A right bunch of misfits, aren't we?" Carnate said.

Hel smiled. Misfits, renegades, troublemakers, yeah, that sounded about right. "I dunno, I've done well like that."

"Same here," Alicia agreed

"Ditto," Aldrich's now very intoxicated voice drifted over from his chair, which he then proceeded to unceremoniously fall out of, resulting in peals of laughter.

For the first time, he could remember Carnate found himself laughing too. Perhaps these strangers weren't so bad. Possibly Bahamut did have a reason for this. Maybe, just maybe, something good might come out of this. Without him realising, Carnate's fingers brushed the mark just above his collarbone. It felt like it was burning again as the sourceless voice echoed through his head

"Ha, ha, ha...Stop dreaming Platinum, Child. You know you'll just push them all away. It's what you do. It's always what you do."

The worst part, he thought as he climbed the creaking wooden stairs to his room, she wasn't wrong.

She was never wrong.