Fetch was suppose to meet Lord Kerr for breakfast.

He was surprised that a messenger arrived with the invitation at his inn. The cleric fully believed that Governor would react negatively to the treatment Zahzon received last night. Regardless he agreed with the meeting anyways. Fetch had no fear of the Governor Knight Supreme Lord Grace Commander or whatever title he gave himself. He had faced demonlords, archdevils, and ancient dragons. Meeting a bureaucrat did not seem like a dire situation.

After he received the message, he thought to at least attempt to make the appointment. It was a group effort to get him ready , almost an assembly line . Trip had his uniform cleaned and pressed . Fetch wasn't sure how he managed to do it so fast but it was accomplished in record time. Tyris managed to dress him in a smart fashion. Despite his military experience Fetch was more accustomed to dress for battle then dress formally . His wife even groomed his hair and facial stubble with a few quick slices with her dagger. Surry got him to the appointment on time. The streets of Lower Lueders was quite busy in the morning, but a literal hop and a skip from Pixietrampler got them there on time. Baalphzon changed shape to a small ferret, and rested in his pocket ready to offer him advice. Fetch was surprised he could change shapes so freely, he normally remained invisible to avoid sight. Despite the short notice for the meeting, Fetch had arrived early.

The staff were waiting patiently for the young Captain. Everything seemed readied for him. The cleric waited alone in the empty restaurant. The servers and hostess were all well mannered and stunningly beautiful. He gazed at the linen table cloths, the silver utensils, the porcelain plates and the rare wood furniture. The entire eatery screamed nobility and fortune.

Fetch waited, and waited, but Lord Kerr did not show up. He kept himself from growing bored by listening to Baalphzon's chatter.

"By the pale, look at this silverware...its not silverware at all...its mithral, halfling silver I believe is what your dimension calls this ."

"I think our server is a celestial of some sort. They look human but I can smell the righteousness on them. I wonder if they are coerced to work here, or do so on their own free will."

"I think they have some sort of air elementals or something to keep this place ventilated and cool. Maybe mephits , maybe they have a bralanni locked up . I wonder if we can get a locked up bralanni for your estate ."

"Hey check out this linen, I think its from Sigil. I wonder how high are dimensional tariffs here. "

After an hour of listening to the imp, Fetch had enough. He thanked the hostesses and asked her to pass his apologies to Kerr. The server told him that Lord Kerr was arriving in 5 minutes, and asked politely if he could wait a little longer. Fetch would normally have said no, but the hostess was quite polite , exotically pleasing to the eye and seemed to dread the consequences if he left. He reluctantly agreed to stay awhile longer.

"Your weakness once again proves your undoing.", scoffed Baalphzon mentally.

"What weakness? ", asked Fetch genuinely surprised. Was it the halfling silver? Maybe the linen? He wasn't sure what his familiar was talking about.

"HAH! Don't act innocent to me. Your weakness is women in distress. You didn't leave because you didn't want the hostess to get in trouble. If she was a bit more confident then you would have refused and left.", cackled the imp in his mind.

"That's nonsense. I don't think like that. I already have a beautiful wife, why would I bend over backwards for women in trouble.", Fetch thought , defending his actions.

"DOUBLE HAH! That proves my point. You can't hide your secrets from me. I know what and how you think. I know your deepest desires. Your relationship with Tyris proves my point. You don't see the Dancer of the flaming dragon or whatever they call her, you see a quiet messed up girl with a long list of mental problems. With your "friend" Brita, you don't see a high sorceress , or the mistress of the Lion Blade, you see a lonely single mother with father issues and messed up children. Speaking of your daughter, you don't see a competent wizard with a mile long mean streak , you see a troubled young girl who had difficulties controlling her anger. Oh and lets not forget wolf girl...oh boy... where to begin with that one... You don't see a parasitic manipulative lying half rate adventurer, you see a woman who's made some wrong decisions that's down on her luck. You don't respond to strong competent women but you stumble over yourself when they are flawed and troubled. ", hissed Baalphzon.

Fetch grew angry , he wished he had his hammer to hit the imp , he wondered how he knew about Nara.

"I know about Nara, because I can read your mind.", laughed the imp in his head.

"Just go away!", said Fetch

"Pardon? ", asked a meticulously dressed man.

Fetch was so distracted by his familiars criticism he didn't realize he was speaking out loud, or that Lord Kerr had arrived. The young captain stood up , and gave a respectful bow to the Legendary Superstar Commander Governor of Lower Lueders or whatever he wished to be called. Lord Kerr was dressed in a fine sky blue merchant tunic. He was a handsome man that appeared to about 50, and had slightly greying black hair.

Fetch didn't know much about the man. He knew that everyone feared him, he was a good administrator , and had a reputation of being utterly ruthless to his foes. Fetch wasn't sure what his exact powers were or if he even had any . He only met him once and he seemed more like a bureaucrat than a powerful wizard, a mighty warrior, a powerful cleric or a cunning rogue. The only thing he found curious of the governor was that he always appeared to be observing him. Even with his back turned or his attention elsewhere, he always appeared to be watching , judging or beholding him.

"Excuse me . I was just talking to myself .", apologized Fetch.

"Ahh, familiars can be annoying. I'm glad I don't have one. It probably would have had a fatal accident by now. ", smiled Lord Kerr.

Fetch wondered how he knew he was referring to Baalphzon, or how he even detected him.

"Sorry for the delay, I hate it when I am late but I attempt to keep my appointments even when they are inconvenient .", said Kerr with a stern glare.

"Oh yeah, sorry about that yesterday. I was detoured to the arena yesterday , one thing lead to another, and then next thing I know, one of my companions is tentacle raping a summoner. ", explained the cleric.

"Yes Zahzon is a bit unpredictable sometimes, I apologize for his misdirection. My "attack dog" often over steps his bounds and how do you say "bites off more then he can chew". Your daughter's method of dispatching him was both humiliating and warranted. He has been disciplined I can assure you. He is a bit over zealous and borderline incompetent in my service...however ...he is loyal and I value that.", said Lord Kerr...with emphasis on the word loyal.

Fetch understood ,"I value loyalty too. I find knowing someone has your back most reassuring. "

"We seem to understand each other then. Excellent!", smiled Kerr, " Let's order breakfast shall we."

Fetch left with a new found respect for Lord Kerr. He wasn't charmed or won over by the Commander Governor , but he was impressed by his class , subtlety and his powers of observation . Without stating what he wanted , Fetch understood what was expected of him when he was in Kerr's city. The governor even assigned a liaison to the cleric, to help him with the paperwork to gain his estates, and other affairs he needed completed to finish his adjustments to Lower Lueders . Baalphzon suggested to Fetch it was a way to spy on him, but Fetch didn't agree. Kerr had the uncanny ability to see straight through him, the cleric felt he already knew everything he wanted to know. Fetch didn't mind, he had nothing really to hide.

The breakfast meeting took longer then Fetch had expected , and he hurried to the arena afterwards. Hoaglie had agreed to give pointers to Fetch to interact with the crowd better, but he missed that meeting. Luckily Baalphzon proved quite helpful in this endeavor. The cleric was given the option of playing the villain or the hero for the crowd. Since Fetch didn't like the idea of the arena in general so he chose villain. The imp told him how to properly taunt a downed opponent, disrespect his enemy and the crowd, to prolong fights and give his enemy a chance to recover, and simple crowd infuriating tactics. Throwing sand into your opponents eyes, attacking a foes back, appearing injured to gain a reprieve in combat, and other unsavory tactics. Most of these "tactics" had questionable actual combat value, but the crowd went crazy when Fetch performed them. The fights weren't even really fights to Fetch. He was way more powerful then any thing the fighting pit had put against him. Fetch didn't mind, he wasn't doing it to hone his skills, or prove his worth, he was doing it for cash. It also gave him the power to control the fact no one died or was permanently injured in his fights. He even volunteered to assist Hoaglie's medical staff after other gladiators participated in particularly brutal contests .

He felt like a hypocrite. Yesterday he was cursing the arena and today he was using it to make money . The victor match went smoothly. Fetch fought a former knight from Thyatis. He had fallen on hard times and had to sell himself into slavery to pay his debts. He was a crowd favorite though, and the imp made sure Fetch played a good foil to him. The cleric spent most of the fight running from his opponent. He even let him strike his shield a few times, before he pointed into the crowd at an unseen object. The knight didn't fall for the old trick, but the crowd reacted furiously when Fetch quickly dispatched the Thyatian. He won to a chorus of boos.

"You suck Insector!"

"You'll get yours!"

"BOOOOOOOOOO!"

"Someone sign up that elf from last night , and tentacle rape Insector for tomorrow!"

Fetch didn't mind the anger directed at him. No one died or got seriously hurt. He still didn't like the arena, and he knew he was part of the problem now, but this was the only way he could help Nara. He thought he only had to fight two more days then he would be done with this. Once for the championship at the end of the week, once for the grand championship at the end of the month.

"I know that guy! Go Insector! MAMA needs new shoes! ", cried a familiar shrill feminine voice from the crowd.

Fetch strained his eyes and could see Surry standing and cheering. Dietrch and Tyris were also with her waving at him from the crowd. Surry and Dietrch were both sporting giant leaf fingers. Tyris seemed over joyed at his victory. Fetch could see a small wood and metal form bobbing up and down and guessed it was Trip. They were way happier over his victory then he was.

He met them after his final match. The arena was winding down but team events , monster battles and grudge matches were still scheduled for the evening. The arena never seemed to be closed, it just had various degrees of activity.

Fetch was paid by a very happy Hoaglie. He didn't care who won as long as they got the crowd worked up. Despite his dislike of the dwarf, Fetch found him a good employer and honorable in a strange way. Surry threw an invisible Baalphzon a small sack , his split on their bets or something . Baalphzon muttered something about everyone being able to see invisible in response, but he was happy for his loot. Tyris hugged Fetch and kissed him lightly for his victory. She seemed genuinely impressed and supportive with his win. Fetch didn't have the heart to tell her it was more one sided then it appeared. Dietrch seemed out of place, he was carrying several large bags of boxes and containers. He was expecting to repay his debt to Surry, but didn't realize he would be used as a porter.

They proceeded to a different inn then last night. Despite this change of location, the innkeeper told them that the arena had picked up their bill. Fetch gave them a brief account of his meeting with Lord Kerr. Trip told him of the tricks he taught Freiki, the wolf pup seemed to respond well to the warforged. Surry gave a long description of the the shopping, pampering and exploring she did in the city with her step mother . Fetch was a bit annoyed she referred to Tyris as step mother, but always referred to him as simply Fetch or worse "hey you" . Tyris didn't say much as usual. She sat quietly with her meal enjoying the company.

After the meal was over, Fetch decided to get down to business.

"Ok, I thought you were drunk or something last night...but you want us to do what?", said Surry in a loud voice.

Fetch motioned for her to quiet down," Ok, let me repeat this. I want you and Tyris to sneak into the elven compound, scout it out for me, then we will plot how to destroy this crazy tree cult."

"You want us to destroy this "tree cult"? You know what a tree of life is don't you? Oh wait, you still think your god is a big boulder that crushes his foes by rolling on top of them don't you." , exclaimed an exasperated Surry.

Fetch hesitated," I know its a cult that encourages its members to sell themselves into slavery to be killed. That can't be good. And even though I "summoned" my god's avatar, it just drew on my imagination to form what he looks like. RAWK,ummm...appears in many shapes and forms."

"Your god is spelled R - A - W -K you know...not R - O - C - K. I just want to make it clear that you want us to participate in the destruction of this religious sect of elves and most likely the tree itself. Its not just a sacred tree...its a living breathing holy relic of my people . The fact one is growing here is some kind of sign. Most elves have never even seen one before. ", explained Surry.

"A tree of life is the central object of worship for elves. In ancient times there was a tree for every tribe. Through the ages most of the trees were destroyed or lost, however a few remained. One of course in Alfheim, one in the sky city of Earynell, one in Rylenell , and a bronzed one in Moorwood. The tree in Thunwark disappeared when the Grommers took over the city and renamed it Barkwark , and Sir Hildraxel burned the ice tree of the winter elves. Many elven tribes and villages never had one or lost theirs centuries ago. ", explained Trip.

"Ice elves," corrected Surry."Don't you have like more important things to do Fetch? Have you even reported to the barracks yet? How about your estates that Reinhardt or whatever his name is gave you? Are you ever gonna recover those or are we going to stay at inns the whole time? Lets not forget your delivery to Veb. Its like what? 40 years late."

"I know what I still have to do. But this is important, something strange is going on , and I intend to find out what .", said Fetch angrily, "With or without you guys."

The normally quiet Tyris spoke," This is just a reconnaissance mission. To determine if there is indeed something sinister going on. It would serve everyone's interest if we determine the exact nature of this "cult". "

Trip was the first to speak, " Sure I'm in."

Dietrch who just wanted a break from being Surry's porter said," Count me in."

Tyris stammered," I have no plans at the moment. I'll go with you , till we can find out what's really happening ...if that's all right with the rest of you."

Surry stared at the rest of them and then relented with a sigh , " Ok...ok...someone has to keep an eye on you guys. Count me in...and Dietrch weren't you going to go off on a quest of something?"

Fetch's plan was simple. They would approach the hill and split into 3 groups. Surry and Tyris would approach and pretend to be worshipers. Surry could pass for either a noble elf or a famished half elf and Tyris could easily blend in anywhere. She seldom used her disguise skills but she had been able to fool Duke Ari into believing she was a Tiefling, Fetch had no doubts she could convince the cult she was an elf. Baalphzon and Trip would use their small size and stealth to provide immediate back up if Surry and Tyris encountered trouble. The area seemed wooded so there should be places for them to hide. Dietrch and Fetch would scout around and claim to be lost explorers if they were confronted. It wasn't that big of a stretch since the city was still new to the both of them. They were both northerners and since the break up of the great host, there had been a steadily growing influx of northern knights to the southern kingdoms. They would hang out around the perimeter and provide heavy back up if things go poorly.

Baalphzon shook his head, "This is a lot of effort to deal with a "tree" cult. Look, we know they are the bad guys.", he placed emphasis on the word bad, and grinned an evil smile," lets just save ourselves the trouble and burn the place down. That's the weakness of trees you know...they burn pretty good. That's why we don't have elf problems in Baator. "

For once, Fetch wholeheartedly agreed with Baalphzon. However , he knew that was not the correct path to take. " I know, but even those these people kicked her out of her own village and forced her brother and herself to fend for themselves while still kids, Surry feels a bond for them. Let's play it her way.", explained the cleric.

"I heard that, and no ...I don't feel a bond to my "people" ...most of these guys aren't even from the Eagle Claw Barony I bet. I just don't think opening up with fireball wands blazing is the best way to act.", Surry said with visible annoyance in her voice.

"Cough...pot...kettle...black...Cough" , whispered Fetch audible enough for Surry to hear. Baalphzon and the cleric shared a grin as the half elf's ears burned red.

Fetch's plan seemed to go as planned. The group made their way to the hill with the radiant tree. It was oddly situated in a residential neighborhood. Many of the houses were recently purchased, and trees were being planted and grown magically around the hill. Some buildings were untouched however, Fetch inquired about them, and was told they belonged to the people who didn't want to sell to the elves. There weren't many though, most of the residents left due to the singing and praying that went on 24 hours around the tree. It was apparently quite noisy and most of the neighbors were glad to sell to the elves when they discovered that the city had sold them the land immediately around the tree. The ones that stayed were either too stubborn to sell, holding out for more money, or didn't mind the elves. Fetch noticed building material for an iron fence around the hill to be built. He wasn't sure of the building rules of the city, and wondered what the remaining residents thought of it. He was also curious why they chose to make an iron fence instead of a wooden one.

The elves seemed to stare at Fetch and Dietrich as they explored the hill, but were not hostile to their presence. The area around the tree however was literally clogged with elves and half elves. Hundreds of them gathered around a small park . The park was in poor repair, it looked more like a temporary garbage dump then a place of woodland worship. Fetch wasn't able to get any closer, the elves all lined up to sing, and dance around the tree. Fetch could only catch a glimpse of the tree, it seemed to almost radiate light . He noticed the elves stayed a respectful 20 feet or so away from the tree. An priestess of some sort was standing and jabbering in elvish about the sacrifices they all needed to make to preserve their tree. At that point, Fetch and his group decided to split up.

Surry and Tyris made their way to the tree, while Baalphzon and Trip kept a respectful distance hidden away. Fetch and Dietrich wandered away from the main area, Baalphzon was linked to him mentally and he decided to explore the local buildings to find out information about the tree and this cult. He was confident the imp would alert him if there was trouble.

Two of the closest houses to the tree were both well kept and seemed out of place. From the signs outside one was apparently a weapon shop of some sort, there was a name scratched out and it was replaced with "Henrietta's weapon store" . The other was a window covering store, "Long Shadow window blinds.". Dietrch hinted to the younger man that he wanted to see the weapon store, and Fetch reluctantly agreed. Fetch had all the weapons he needed, but he thought it wouldn't hurt to take a look around.

A tall broad shouldered elf greeted them as they entered. She was dressed in maids clothes and mechanically swept the floor as they entered. Fetch thought she looked strange, she wasn't ugly and was attractive by most standards, Fetch just found her appearance quite odd, almost like a large human given elven features. The maid smiled and pointed them to a counter. The store did not look typical for a weapon store, there was no visible forge or sharpening stones, and it didn't smell like a forge either. It smelled like a forest...except it was odd. Fetch had been to elven residences and even to the elven district in McDunnalds, they smelt fresh , earthy, natural. This place seemed like a forest but was like the elven maid. They both seemed odd, artificial, an imperfect facsimile. The weapons they had were all of exquisite quality though. Fetch had no doubt there was even some magical arms and armor here. Dietrch was fawning over the gear , but he didn't want to touch them. From his brief experience with Grommish culture he expected if he broke something, he would have to pay for it , with a premium on top..

A small gnome with pointy ears , came up to Fetch. She had bags under her eyes but greeted them despite her obvious fatigue. " Welcome to Henrietta's weapons shop, formerly the headquarters of the Order of the Baboon, how may I help you today?"

"Me and Deter here are just looking around, hey you don't look so good, are those elves outside keeping you awake at night? I bet those noisy elves sure make a ruckus. ", Fetch inquired clumsily.

The gnome narrowed her eyes "Pardon me? What do you mean?"

Fetch continued," I was just wondering if those people do crazy cult stuff, like make people drink drug laced berry juice, get them to sign away their properties , sell them into slavery. You know how crazy elves are. "

Even Dietrch stopped and stared at Fetch's absurd line of questioning.

The gnome grew cross" Those people? Those people? I'm an elf you know...Are you insinuating something against my race ?"

Fetch was a bit taken back by the gnome," Err...you look like a gnome to me."

Henrietta grew angry, "Vanna , show them the door please."

Fetch and Dietrich were both violently shoved out of the door. Fetch was caught off guard by the strength of Vanna. She was much stronger then she looked, stronger then even his friend Frank, and her power caught him off guard. The pair dusted themselves off and looked around to see if anyone witnessed their humbling ejection. Fetch asked Baalphzon for an update, the imp replied they were just singing, and the priestess elf was asking for donations to build a temple . Regular priest stuff.

Fetch sighed and thought this might take all night. He signaled Dietrch to follow him to the window covering store. He would be more on his guard this time, he was a captain of the Grommish army, a victor of the arena, and the high priest of Rawk. He won't be embarrassed twice.

Fetch and Dietrch entered the quiet store. It was evening outside but there was still some light . Inside the store it was quite dark. An oddly familiar nondescript man greeted them gruffly.

"Whoa, hey Earl ! What are you doing here? I though you were doing umm stuff or something with Clovis, or is this your new errr job, Merchant Earl?", joked Fetch at his old companion.

Earl looked at them oddly, then reached and pulled a string attached to a window blind.

Suddenly Fetch and Dietrch fell into a pit. Earl leaped in after them.

Water was thrown on Fetch's face . The cleric gasped as he struggled for breath. He remembered falling into a deep pit. After the shock of the landing, he felt a kick to the gut, a punch to the face, and a blow to the back of the head. Or was that a kick to the back of the head, a punch to the gut, and a blow to the face. He gasped and felt cold steel pressed at his throat.

"You know who I am, then you know what I'm capable of. Judging by the amulet on your neck you are a cleric of Rawk. If you attempt to intone a spell , I will kill you. If you attempt to lie to me, I will kill you. If you try any attempt to deceive me or I feel you are with holding information from me I will kill you. Nod once if you understand.", said the familiar voice of Earl.

It was dark but he could see Dietrch was out cold and tied up to a chair. Fetch guessed he was in a similar predicament. He knew Earl was a cold blooded killer, but he had never been treated like this by him before. He tried to communicate with Baalphzon but received no reply, this room was either too far away, or more likely warded from such magics. He nodded once.

"First off , who are you?", asked Earl.

"Umm... I'm Fetch . I'm a Captain of the 3rd army. I'm errr the high priest of Rawk, some guys call me the Warmaster. ", replied the cleric, unsure of how much information was expected of him. Was this a test from Earl? Maybe he had amnesia. Fetch wasn't sure, but he was sure of the blade pressed to his neck.

Earl studied his face ,"I was told a new captain was coming to town. He's suppose to be of great interest to Lord Kerr...are you on a mission from Kerr to find me? If so , why so direct? To catch me off guard?"

Fetch was confused but he replied the best he could, " Umm, I'm actually here to find out about the tree cult outside. I figure if anyone knows about it , the guys who actually live next door might. I'm not on a mission for Kerr, I only report to General Olive. I wasn't even aware you were here, the last I saw you , you were doing the "I'm a scribe " thing for Master Clovis...err wait...the last time I saw you , you were trying to sleep with my friend Brita."

A short feminine cough came from the other side of the room. Fetch knew they weren't alone.

Earl stared at Fetch some more and then looked in the darkness. He continued his questioning ," What do you know of me, what is your relationship with me."

Fetch was really confused now, maybe Earl really had amnesia," Do you lose your memories or something because I think I have a prayer for that. To answer your question. You're a senior royal adventurer , higher rank then Lord Kerr, I know this because you gave me a stamp of your seal once and I had to muscle my way past Kerr's minion with it , you are also the last Sir Eggbert, ummm your a roguish assassin of some type that does the dirty jobs for the Republic. I know you because you saved my life on the plateau, then you helped me secure the champions trust before the battle with the gnoll horde, errr you got my wife and I out of the north when snakemen were after us, you helped me banish the Archduke Bel...ummm ... you were trying to seduce the mother of my children and I threatened to mess you up if you hurt her. Is that what this is about? I was joking you know. First off I need to catch you to hurt you, and secondly Brita can take care of herself. "

Earl pressed the blade firmer to his throat, Fetch finally notice something odd. His right arm was significantly longer then his left arm, by several feet at least. He kept it hidden with loose clothing, but the proximity of the hand holding the dagger to his neck tipped him off.

"Your arm...you're not Earl are you? ", said Fetch suddenly realizing the danger he was in. This man was not his friend, that would explain his line of questioning and his rough treatment. The man moved like his friend though, and the cleric wondered if he could get a spell off in time. He doubt his ability to escape at the present time, and hoped that Baalphzon noticed his disappearance . Hopefully he would bring the others to help.

The man who looked like Earl stared at Fetch , then withdrew the blade, he took a chair and sat in front of Fetch. Although he was relaxed , Fetch guessed at the swiftness and the accuracy he could throw those daggers. " You are partially right. I am Earl, but not the Earl you know. I assume the Clovis you speak of is the master artificer. Therefore you know what a simulacrum is. An artificial construct that has the memories and some of the skills of the original. Forgive me for my distrust , but I guess I owe you an explanation. "

"While traveling to explore the great plateau , the original Earl had either blood or a sample of hair stolen from him. He probably didn't even realize this, and the person who stole it probably didn't even realize what he had in his possession. An unscrupulous mage it seems came into possession of an ancient machine that creates simulacrums. As you know its a very expensive process, at most a wizard would only create one or two. The cost and maintenance is very prohibitive to use for combat. This mage created an army of simulacrum adventurers and beasts, and would have wrought havoc in the north if the silver champion had not stopped him. Not all of its creations were perfect though. I was the 5th Earl he created, he stopped creating Earls after he noticed my imperfect arm. Eventually, the machine and the mage were both destroyed. So were most of the simulacrums. However , a few remained and gained a semblance of free will. I'm not a mage but I assume its not true free will, its just that I have no one to order me around anymore, so I'm pretty much free to do what I want."

Fetch listened intently and noticed the sadness in his copied friends voice. For some reason he believed this person's story. He was Earl but not really Earl. The thought of his tale being fabricated did not cross his mind.

Earl continued, "I fled to the south with some other simulacrums. We possessed roughly half the skill and power of our originals, but as you know even half of Earl's power is quite formidable. The main drawback to simulacrums is their inability to heal , so I rarely engage in combat unless I can strike from the shadows and ensure it is over fast. To survive I took up freelance missions. Simple slay and pay jobs. I dare not confront the real Earl though, we both know what he would do to someone who knows all his secrets. Most people see , quite rightly I might add, simulacrums as abominations of magic that need to be destroyed . Its hard for me to believe you are a friend to our mutual acquaintance . Even if you are a useful tool, I find it difficult to understand why he lets you live with the knowledge you possess. Anyways, my existence was not unpleasant, for the first time in a very long time I existed without the weight of the Republic on my shoulders. Ironically even though my existence was a mockery of life, it was the first time I thought I had truly lived. It would not last though, things became complicated, one of my companions was gravely wounded, and despite the money I had earned, I was unable to secure the funds for proper restoration. However, I have something even more valuable then Earl's skill and power. I have his knowledge, everything he knew at the point of his sample extraction I know. That includes knowledge of the Great Vault . "

Earl paused dramatically at the mention of the Great Vault but it drew no response from Fetch," Errr...is that the place you guys throw your junk?"

Earl laughed, "No wonder my other self trusts you, the real Earl probably found your naivety amusing. Anyways ,with my inner knowledge of the workings of the vault, I made a daring raid and extracted a "sizable" sum from it. Since that time , the royal adventurers have been attempting to hunt me down. Trouble is, they don't know who they are hunting, I took the precautions to foil all their divinations, and since I am one of the senior royal adventurers , I know their ways and their secrets. I thought I was to live out my unnatural existence in relative peace and quiet, save for the occasional "hit" to break the monotony. That's until you showed up at my doorsteps."

A woman with light skin and long light brown hair walked out of the darkness. She was in a form fitting black and white leather armor and had a long curved blade and a hand crossbow at her side. She was very graceful and had a very youthful face , beautiful except deep horrible grill marks across her face. Fetch guessed that was her imperfection.

"You don't have to do this Longshadow. I'm guessing he's your counterparts friend, if he can earn the trust of Earl and keep his secrets, I think he can keep yours.", said the scarred woman. She walked up to the assassin and touched his arm gently and lovingly.

"I'm sure Fetch here is an outstanding member of the community, but if he's a friend with Earl, then he should expect what hes capable of and what I'm capable of. I can't take the chance of him revealing our existence to the real Earl , Lord Kerr, or even Olive . I can't risk that. ", he said looking up at the woman.

He turned his attention back to Fetch, "Don't expect help from your friends. The wizard ranger, the bard, the warforged and the imp. Your friend here told me about them, but I can assure you we are no longer anywhere near the shop. I doubt they can track us amongst that mess of elves, and even if they did, this chamber is far away, deep underground, and warded from scrying. I will make it painless for you though. However I'm afraid the way and method of your killing and the subsequent disposal of your body will make any resurrection of you quite impossible. It's nothing personal. Its just the business I am in."

Fetch nodded , he knew he was done for,but he felt no fear . He hoped his companions would finish the tree cult and raise enough money to free Nara. Only Baalphzon knew about Nara but he knew he would accomplish that last mission. He wasn't worried about Surry, she could take care of herself, but he was concerned about his two other children, Agnar and Bloodshadow. He meant to do more for them, but it felt awkward, they both grew up with out him and they were both older then him. He thought of Tyris one more time, he would miss her touch, her kiss, her intense eyes. Eyes that saw through him, and stripped him to just his soul.

Fetch nodded. "You saved my life once, I guess its only fair you end it."

Earl regarded Fetch one last time, " Sorry things didn't work out. You would do the same to me if you were in my shoes. " A dagger flew at Fetch's neck, the lights flickered in the room as a clang of metal rang out in the small room. In a split second Longshadow's dagger was deflected and a rapier was held at his throat. Next to him the woman with the scarred face was similarly immobilized as a dagger was held to her neck as well. A pair of blazing yellow eyes dominated everyone from the shadows.

The trio was locked for a second motionless. An impossibly fast slash with the rapier sliced the ropes holding Fetch . Before Longshadow could act or realize what happened it was back in place at his neck.

The false Earl stared at the emotionless woman with the intense amber eyes. "Ah, Roland's Shadow , we meet again , if I knew you were involved I would have fled much faster . It seems our friend Dietrch did not know the true danger he was in . I submit to you Fetch, you command far greater resources then I had expected . I do not expect mercy, but I humbly ask you to spare Ignisia. She has no part in this, except her association with a villain like myself. "

Fetch got up and stretched his limbs. He freed the unconscious Dietrch, examined him for wounds then walked up to Longshadow. Fetch did not have the ability to "read" people or sense their motives, but he regarded Longshadow's defiant face for an uncomfortably long time.

He nodded at Tyris and she lowered her blades. He turned to Longshadow and simply stated, "Leave, get out .", the cleric stated. Even though the simulacrum was fully prepared to kill Fetch mere moments ago, Fetch could not do the same . It was a copy of his friend, but it was still his friend in many ways. His association with Clovis and Master Clovis showed him that.

Longshadow bowed and vanished into the darkness. Ignisia lingered for a second then whispered apologetically, "Thank you" , and vanished as well.

Fetch shrugged and turned to his wife, "How come everyone can vanish into the shadow except me ! You're gonna have to teach me that one day."

Fetch's magic restored Dietrch and the cleric's own wounds. They followed Tyris through a maze of twisting tunnels. Fetch assumed they were underground. The tunnels they were in seemed similar to the ones in Alamarth. From some of the writings on the walls, the cleric knew they were elven in construction, but he also noticed some current dwarven stone work on them. From the amount of tunnels and chambers he passed, Fetch guessed the "dungeon" was quite vast and possibly was the foundation of the entire city. He was glad Tyris was able to quickly navigate them and find them in time. He valued Trips and Surry's tracking ability but knew he would most likely be dead now if they had attempted to find him.

After a long journey through the dark tunnels, they exited into the cellar of a residence. Fetch heard domestic noise from above, and wondered if they even knew the ruins in their basement. Tyris easily slipped out. Fetch and Dietrch were quickly discovered though. Luckily Fetch had his captains garb on and made some stupid bluff claiming he was doing a quick inspection for rogue penguins. The homeowners didn't believe him, but they wanted no trouble and were glad the two intruders quickly left.

Baalphzon reestablished communication with them as they exited the elven passages. "Ahh...I'm glad you are OK. I alerted Tyris right away when our contact was broken. I assume everything is all right? I am guessing the shop keeper fled, and you chased them into an area similar to the arena here? This damnable city seems to have many anti magical zones. "

"Something like that.", Fetch thought.

"Great news...the cult situation is firmly in control", the imp projected mentally.

"Really? Did Surry go crazy and fireball the tree or something?", asked Fetch eagerly. Falling into a pit, getting punched out cold, and then almost being killed by a copy of his friend put the cleric in a sour mood . This was the first good news he had heard all evening.

"Errr...I'll let Surry explain... ", Baalphzon answered.

Fetch was expecting a smoking hill when he arrived, but instead was greeted with the entire hill singing and dancing. He expected to be turned away by the huge crowd of elves, but instead they let him pass, as if he were expected.

They reached the golden tree, and saw Surry standing on the rock where the priestess once stood. She waved merrily at them.

"Fetch! You'll never guess what happened?", shouted Surry over the dancing and singing.

"Umm...you killed the priestess , and broke the cult?...and now everyone broke out in song and dance?", yelled Fetch in return.

"No! Even better! Watch this!", Surry hopped off the rock, walked to the tree and touched it...then touched it again and again...the elves momentarily stopped their singing and dancing and gave many ooooohs and ahhhhhhs at her actions. She looked around and picked up a leaf off the ground and held it up. The elves gasped at her action, as she jumped back on the rock. She crushed the leaf and it became a golden dust. She blew the dust at the crowd and it swirled and the entire hill seemed to briefly glow. The elves cheered wildly and continued their song and dance.

Surry pointed at the three. " Hey guys these are my friends. That's my step mum, that's Dieter my porter, and that's Fetch!" The elves cheered and began presenting flowers and drink to the three confused companions. They began dancing and soon Dietrich and Tyris joined in. Fetch was unsure what was happening.

Surry hopped next to the cleric, "Guess what? I guess we have two high priests in the family now!"