Muffled steps in the hallway pull me awake. Blinking my eyes, I look around. The sun struggles to shine through the overcast sky, making it hard to determine just what time it is. Judging by the noise from outside, I'm guessing it's well into the late morning or early afternoon.
Zack's bed is empty while the pango snores softly by my feet.
He wakes up as I carefully crawl out of bed, and after blinking bleary eyes, grins widely at me.
"Poi!"

I smile.
"Good morning. Or, I guess, good afternoon."

Yawning widely, I push myself completely out of bed and get ready for the day. For once, we don't have an agenda we need to follow while in this town. I wonder what the others are up to and what this city has to offer.
"Ready to go downstairs?"

The pango shies away and buries himself in my blankets.
"Poi."

Huh. That's a weird reaction.
"You don't want to go exploring today?"

"Poi poi."
The pango shakes his head.

I peel back the blankets until he pokes his head free.
"You okay?"

"Poi!"
He grins at me and looks a little more like his usual cheerful self.

"Okay, good. Well, I'm going to go downstairs. You sure you don't want to come?"

He looks uneasy again and submerges back into the blankets.
"Poi poi."

I guess he just doesn't like it here.
Leaving the pango alone, I exit my room and head for the stairs. Before I reach them, I hear a strange noise coming from above. Is there and attic in this place?
My curiousity is peaked. I tip toe towards where I heard the noise and find a pull down staircase already lowered. I slowly begin to climb up. As I get closer, I recognise the noise as a series of hushed 'poi's'
The poi's cease as I poke my head up into the attic.
Sitting in front of a card table are a group of pangos. A green one with what appears to be a large scar across his open right eye, an orange one wearing an old-fashioned hat, a red one and a blue one with a pair of shades. But the most prominent, and the one I'm face to face with, is a large blue pango, the pudgiest I've encountered yet, wearing a three piece suit and sporting a pencil mustache. A cigar hangs from his mouth.
They all freeze and stare at me.
Too shocked to react, I stare back at them. I also notice the crates filled with crystals and ores, coins, and weapons in the background.
After what feels like an eternity, the pudgy pango lowers his cigar.
Just my luck to stumble into the pango mafia. I better get out of here before they make me a poi-ffer I can't refuse! Or if I paint an even larger target across my back.
Silently, I lower myself out of the attic and quickly head down the stairs.

I contemplate the revelations of my little meeting right now. I can confirm now that pangos are certainly sentient, to a similar degree of humanoids. Further, I think I know now why my pango didn't want to leave the room today.
… The pango mafia… That is so unrealistic that it can work out in their favour. Nobody would suspect pangos to steal stuff in an organized manner. That might be worth to investigate further, if my time permits it.
Anyhow, I have more pressing things on my mind. Shaking my head, I go downstairs to the lobby.

The lobby is as busy as it was the night before, with the same number of people filling the tables.
I spot Zack exactly where I expected him to be-right in front of the bounty board. Kara nurses a drink alone at one of the tables, but I don't see Leanna or Amy anywhere.

Now, I wonder where Amy might have gone. The clouds are still gathering outside. I highly doubt she would have wandered outside alone in this storm. Besides, judging by our experience in Stonecrest, this town doesn't have any places that might interest her.
She must be in her room, then. But if she is, she probably doesn't want to be disrupted. As I know her, she'll probably be pouring over some research of hers, and will completely forget to eat. Also, Amy shares a room Leanna, who was pretty nervous yesterday. I guess she's still in their room, then. I might as well check in on them and bring them some breakfast.
I walk over to the innkeeper's counter.
"Good morning."

"Good morning. How can I serve?"

"Well, first things first."
I wave him closer and speak softly.
"Do you happen to have a problem with missing items?"

He gives me a funny look.
"This is Wolfsden. I can neither confirm nor deny that. What brought that up, anyway?"

"On my way down here I heard some noise in the attic. When I checked, I saw plenty of different things that I suspect to be contraband."

His eyes widen.
"I swear, my business is clean!"

I nod.
"Relax. I didn't think this was going through you, anyway."

"Well, what did you saw, then?"

"Believe it or not, but I saw a group of pango mobsters."

The innkeeper raises an eyebrow in suspicion.
"That is quite hard to believe."

I nod.
"I'm aware. I think I wouldn't believe it either if I didn't see it myself. Well, I gave you that information, what you do with it is yours to handle. I'd suggest taking one of the mercenaries here and take a look. Even if they work on relocating now, that was just about ten minutes ago, so I doubt they've gotten far."

The innkeeper nods.
"Alright, I'll take a look. Thanks for that information."

"No problem."

"Was that all?"

"Oh! Right, I'd like two portions of breakfast, please."

"Sure, coming right up."

I watch as the innkeeper produces two small plates of bread with several cold cuts as well as two glasses of water.
He slides it over the counter.
"Here you go."

"Thanks. How much is that?"

"Free, for now. I'll check your information, and if there's some truth to it, you've done me enough of a favour."

I smile.
"Alright, then."

I grab the two plates in one hand each. Making my way back upstairs, I knock on the girl's door. After a moment Leanna's voice calls out.
"Who is it?"

"It's me, Xerath."

"Oh, um, hey."

There's a silence as I wait for her to open the door, but she doesn't.
"Is everything okay?"

"Uh, yup! Everything's fine!"

"…Okay…"

She sounds really distracted. Like everything is not fine.

"Sorry, I'm a little busy right now! Amy and I are kind of in the middle of something. Do you think you can come back later?"

"Well, I figured you might be busy with some magic research, so I brought you two breakfast."

"Oh! That's really thoughtful of you! Thank you, Xerath."
She sounds to be a bit reassured, now. I'm glad.

"Well, I'll leave it in front of the door. Take it in when you have the time."

I add with a small laugh.
"Just don't forget it."

She doesn't answer.
Well, that was kind of weird. I hope she isn't annoyed with me, although it didn't sound that way. I better leave them alone for now and check in later if I have the time.

I walk back downstairs and approach Zack by the boards.
"Hey."

He glances at me, then nods in acknowledgement.

"See anything good?"

"Yes, actually."

I look at the boards and let out a breath of suprise. Whereas most of the boards at the previous inns only had a few flyers pinned at a time, this board is covered with wanted posters.
I whistle.
"Woah, that's a lot of bounties. Although I guess that's not that suprising, in retrospect."

Zack grins.
"Check out the payout on these things."

He points to a poster of a scarred man with a grizzled face and deep frown. Underneath his mugshot lists a number with so many zeros that it actually comes close to my personal wealth back in my galaxy.

"Damn."

Zack nods.

I can't help myself as I continue to scan the board, taking note of the offered bounties. Zack grins as he throws my words back at me.
"See anything good?"

I point to one of the highes offered rewards.
"That looks pretty tempting to me."

"Yup."

"All the mercenaries should just come to Wolfsden and check out the bounty board here. But they probably are, right?"

"Yup, a lot of them do."

I nod.
"Not that suprising."

I look around the inn again. That would explain why so many patrons are drinking alone.
One such man pushes himself unsteadily to his feet and sways over to the board. He leans in until his nose is nearly touching the posters, then nods in satisfaction.
As he's about to stumble away, he pauses when he sees Zack. he stares at him for an uncomfortably long time.
"Hey! Don't I know you?"

Zack barely bats an eye.
"No."

The drunk is undeterred and continues to come closer. He peers at Zack again, trying to get his eyes to focus. Zack steps back as the man nears.
Suddenly, the man straights up excitedly.
"No way! You're the Deathslinger!"

I raise an eyebrow.
"Deathslinger?"

At the mention of the name, the inn falls silent. Then, tendrils of whispers begin to snake around us.

"You're mistaken."
Zack's expression is stonier than usual, but the drunk is unfazed.

"I never thought I'd see you here! But it makes sense. Everybody makes it to Wolfsden sooner or later."

"You have the wrong guy."
Zack punctuates his words carefully, and dangerously.

The drunk obviously ignores that, squinting and shaking his head instead.
"It must be you. The trenchcoat, the scar over one eye…"

The wispers increase into hurried murmurs as all eyes fall on us. The drunk thinks for a second.
"But do you have purple dischargers too?"

He reachers towards Zack's holstered dischargers, but Zack smoothly steps away.

"If I were the Deathslinger, would you really want to piss me off?"
Zack's icy warning causes the inn to fall silent again. The drunk sways precariously as the muddled gears in his head turn. Then understanding finally dawns.

"Ohhhh, right! I'll leave you alone. Sorry."

As the man stumbles back to his table, Zack sits down at an empty table in the corner. I silently follow, feeling everyone's gaze upon me, or rather upon us. Not that it bothers me particulary, though.
When I sit down, Zack glares at the people around us which causes them to quickly turn back to their tables and resume whatever they were doing. Many of them seem suddenly very interested in their drinks.
Zack doesn't seem inclined to talk, but the silence is stifling.
"That was pretty weird, right?"

"Don't pay attention to him, he's just a random drunk."

The innkeeper walks over and places two drinks at the table. Zack looks at him and he quickly speaks.
"On the house. We don't want any trouble here."

Zack nods and takes a sip from one of the drinks.
"Thanks."

A look of relief washes over the innkeepers face as he walks away.

Not wanting to have the silence creeping in again, I speak up.
"Zack, you won't believe me what I found on my way downstairs."

He decides to humour me.
"What did you see, Xerath?"

"A group of pango mobsters playing cards in an attic full of contrabrand."

He snorts.
"Yeah, you're right, I don't believe you."

Zack looks at me, still skeptical.
"I mean, seriously, a pango mafia?"

I shrug.
"It's what I saw."

Zack shrugs as well.
"Well, I'm past the point to doubt you, though. I trust your word."

I look at Zack suprised.
"You do? A suprise to be sure, but a welcome one. And just for the record, I trust you as well."

Zack gives me a look appreciation, albeit a short-lived one.

Before silence can creep in again between us, I decide to humour my curiousity.
"So, who exactly is the Deathslinger?"

"He's a mercenary."

"Most mercenaries don't silence an entire inn at their name."

"You're right."

He takes another drink. I wait for him to continue, but he doesn't.
I don't think I'll be getting anymore out of him now. Since things have begun to feel more normal, I relax a bit and take a look at my drink.
Ale. I sigh. I'm not a fan of alcoholic beverages. Nothing I can't fix, though. Grabbing the drink with both of my hands, I focus on it.
One Major aspect of my power is that I can affect the small as well as the large. At my level of senses and control over the Force, I can feel the very molecules that create the world around us. And if I focus enough, I can change them. And that's what I do here. I focus on the chemical composition of the drink and gradually change it to water.
During my focus I didn't notice it, but Zack observed me.
When he notices me looking back up, he speaks up with a raised eyebrow.
"You alright? What'd you do?"

I worldlessly show him my drink.

"So the innkeeper gave you water, did that work you up so much?"

I shake my head.
"He didn't."

"But..."
Zack trails off as his gears start running.

"But that means…"

I smile innocently.

"You can turn alcohol to water?!"

I nod.
"It would be more precise to say I can turn anything into everything, but yes, alcohol to water is among them."

He looks at me impressed.
"That is really impressive. I won't ask how you do that, because I probably wouldn't understand that scientific explanation anyway."

I chuckle.
"You don't give yourself enough credit. You're not stupid, you know?"

"Never said I was, but I'm no mage. Nor a scholar."

"Eh, true enough."

Zack and I quietly finish our drinks. As I'm about to leave him to his own devices, an idea crosses my mind.
I grin mischievously.
"Hey Zack?"

He looks up to me again.
"Hmm?"

"I have an idea I think you might like."

He leans a bit closer.
"Go on."

"How about we cash in those astronomically high bounties?"

His face falls into a frown.
"Do you know why they are worth so much? They are extremely dangerous people, mostly in large groups. Besides, bounty hunting is not for everyone."

"I agree. Bounty hunting is a dangerous profession."

Zack nods.

My grin turns predatory.
"However, I've felled armies, defeated gods and toppled entire empires, I'm not afraid of some thugs. Besides, I've previously hunted some bounties in my free time."

Zack raises an eyebrow.
"In your free time? What did you do for work, then?"

My expressions turns nonchalant.
"Oh, you know, saving the galaxy, establishing an empire. Just typical god things."

He stares at me for a moment as if to judge the truth of my statement. After a moment he shrugs, his smile matching mine.
"You know what? Why not. Let's hunt."

I nod with a smirk and stand up. I lead Zack out of the inn.
Zack speaks up when we pass the bounty board.
"You know where we have to go?"

I nod.
"Yeah, when I checked the posters earlier I noticed that the highest cashing bounty had a known location, the danger comes from the fact that he's a bandit leader. I also noticed that there were several other members of that band."

Zack looks impressed again.
"I'm suprised you noticed all of that by only looking at them once."

I smile knowingly.
"I'm quite perceptive."

He nods.
"Seems like you are."

Once out of the inn I cast a worried glance upward, as I notice that it doesn't rain anymore, but the ground is still wet. The wind is still howling and the sky is still grey, but at least it's dry from above.
I lead Zack into a dark alleyway, place a stealthy mark and offer him my hand.

He looks suspicously at my hand, then at me.

I roll my eyes.
"No, I'm not offering what you think I am. I can bring us closer to the camp."

Zack nods, satisfied with my answer and takes my hand. Like a bro, of course.
Thus I Phase Walk us back to the outer perimeter of Wolfsden, where I left a mark yesterday.
From there I Phase Jump around the edges of town, just keeping the jumps in my line of sight.

We arrive near the bandit camp in a matter of minutes. It is located in a small forest and surrounded by wooden pallisades. I release Zack's hand and take a moment to catch my breath. Using so many Phase Jumps in such quick succession is quite taxing.

"Woah, that was something. If I still had my doubts about your claims before, I fully believe them now."

I crack a smile through my strained breaths.
"Thanks. I appreaciate that."

After I calmed my ragged breathing, I fully turn to Zack.
"So, how do you want to go at this?"

"Not sure. I think most of them were only wanted dead, right? So I'd say we hit them fast and hard."

I smile sadistically.
"They won't know what hit them. Do you want me to show off?"

"Do what you want. Don't take any unnecessary risks, though."

"Gotcha. I say we breach from the back, however."

Zack nods in agreement.

I grant each of us a new Static Barrier as I draw my sword and Zack his dischargers.
I turn to look a last time at Zack.
He nods.
I nod back. We're both ready. So we creep closer to the back of the bandit hideout. It's quite a large camp. I can feel the presence of sixty persons there. Ten of those are different, however. I focus on them.
...They are scared, exhausted. They are prisoners.
I turn to Zack and speak softly.
"There are sixty people in the camp. Fifty bandits and ten prisoners, so watch your fire."

Zack nods again.

I decide to use this as a practice for my new powers rather than a demonstration of my Force abilities. If things go south I can still fall back to them. I doubt it will come to that, though.
Alright, time to focus. I think back to my lessions with Leanna and channel my energy in my manipulator.
I cock my gauntleted fist back as I continue to charge energy.
Once I'm certain I've accumulated enough, I swing a straight punch in the direction of the wooden walls of the bandit base and a violent gust of wind rushes towards the wall, hitting it with the force of a concentrated storm. The wooden planks get splintered into the base with a loud crash.
I focus on the image of me moving faster as I try to channel the wind magic in a way like Leanna does.
It appears to be working, as I rush into the bandit base faster than I would without enhancements. I guess my rising adrenaline has something to do with that.

I rush through the broken wall before the dust settles. I also aimed the breaching strike to take out some bandits with rubble. A quick glance in that direction proves the effectivity of that tactic, as one bandit is buried under the rubble and another is still dazed by it.
I move in and strike down the dazed bandit.
The others around camp are still stunned. I can't blame them. They could never anticipate that their wall would suddenly blow up and two would guys charge through.
Zack and I can take another down each before the bandits come out of their stupor and stir into motion. Most of them have differing kinds of swords or dischargers.
Bummer. They react faster than I anticipated. They are also better trained and organized than I anticipated.
This... has turned into a difficult situation.
I quickly find myself surrounded while I fall back to the opening in the wall, blocking them from reaching Zack, who in turn gives me covering fire.
I somehow am able to block most of the strikes of all the different melee weapons, while our discharger wielding foes can't get a clean shot.
Zack can, however, and more and more of the sword wielding bandits go down to his continued fire.
Quickly checking the vicinity for their presences, I notice that one of the bandits moves around the fort to flank Zack.
I call out to him.
"Watch out Zack, to your three!"

I hear Zack shuffle a bit followed by two sharp cracks of his discharger firing and a gurgled scream.
"Thanks."

I smirk. We can do this.
We continue to fight like a well oiled machine, me blocking the entrance and Zack felling the bandits.
That's when I see him. The leader of the bandits, the scarred man with a deep frown, and he holds what appears to be a boltcaster.
And he aims at me.
"Oh shi-!"

He fires, and even though I manage to block, the force behind it is only slightly lower than the fire power of the legendary Boltcaster the Wookies wield.
It certainly is strong enough to knock the sword clean out of my hand.
My sword flies into the air, spinning, so I channel a quick wave of wind to push my close combat foes away a bit.
I grab my sword out of mid-air when it decends again and resume my defensive stance.
Luckily that boltcaster seems to have a long reload time.

The both of us continue to fell two more bandits before the boss can shoot again.
Since blocking didn't work out so well, I try to deflect the shot this time, but while I succeed my sword is still knocked out of my hand and embeds itself into the ground.
My eyebrow twitches.
The other goons don't give me time to retrieve it, so I push them back with another gust of wind.
At least I attempt to do that.
They learned from last time and hold out against it.
To make matters worse is that some of the discharger wielding bandits made some makeshift higher grounds to fire at me.
It would appear that they are underestimating my power.
My Static Barrier absorbs all those blows, but I still feel them somewhat, and they start to annoy me.
Another shot of the boltcaster sends me staggering back into Zack.

He catches me.
"Careful! You okay?"

My eyes turn golden.
"Yes, but playtime's over."

I step forward as I reach over to my lightsaber and activate it with a flourish.
The sight of my exotic weapon with it's black and blue blade seems to make the bandits pause again. I feel that even Zack is stunned for a moment.
I use this opening and engage Force Speed. When I use it to the fullest, all of my movements are acellerated to a speed far too fast for a biological eye to track. Even mechanic optical sensors struggle to keep up.
So I move forward, striking each of the bandits and coming to a stand beside the boss.
I disengage my Force Speed and my lightsaber.
A second later I can hear all the bodies falling over, most of them cleanly cut in half with cauterized wounds.
A swift scan from my senses proves that there are no more hostiles in this area.
I breath out, calming myself down. My eyes turn back to their normal hazel.

Zack walks up to me, holstering his weapons.
"Wow... Just... Wow."

I smirk.
"Impressed?"

He nods slowly.
"You could say that. I'm not impressed easily. But you… you were in front of me, and in the next moment you were beside the bandit leader, and then all of them just fell over."

I nod, amused.
"Yup."

"How?!"

I raise an eyebrow. It is rare for Zack to lose his composure. In fact, I haven't witnessed that yet.
"That technique is called Force Speed. It's the same I gave you guys when we walked towards Wolfsden yesterday. Just that my personal version is quite more potent."

"Yeah, no joke. Honestly? I'm currently really glad to have you on my side."

I smile.
"That goes both ways, I assure you."

"I didn't do much, though. I just shot some bandits."

"You shouldn't compare yourself with a god. And again, don't sell yourself short. Our teamwork was spot on and your help is appreciated."

"Not like you needed it, though."

I sigh.
"I might not have needed it, but if you view it like that I wouldn't need Leanna's sword training either. Look, I view my time here as a learning experience. Plenty of things are different here, and I intent to learn and improve as much as I can. That's why I fought with my sword and magic in the beginning."

"Why did you switch, then?"

"They annoyed me. Oh! That reminds me..."
I walk back over to my sword, tug it out of the ground and sheath it. I also force away all of the blood that got on me, my clothes and my sword.

I let my gaze sweep across the carnage we produced.

Zack seems to misinterpret my expression.
"Feeling guilty?"

I shake my head.
"Not in the slightest. They were a pest, a disease to society. We brought them to justice for their crimes."

"What's on your mind, then?"

I turn to look at Zack.
"I probably should have asked that sooner, but how do we proof we have cleared the bounty?"

He looks at me suprised.
"You don't know? Usually we bring the heads to the sponsor."

I wrinkle my nose.
"That's a bit morbid, don't you think?"

He shrugs.
"That's how it's done here. How's it done in your place?"

I scratch my head.
"Well, it's a rather complicated system. I'll explain it later. We have some more pressing matters at hand."

He nods.

"I'd say we first free the prisoners over there…"

I throw a thumb over to one of the larger tents.

"...And then we cash in that bounty."

"Sounds good."

With that agreed on, we walk over towards the tent.
I step into the tent first with Zack a step behind me. I am greeted with the dirtied and scared faces of three men, three women and even four children, all bound and gagged.
Their eyes are full of fear. It breaks my heart.

"You can relax. We are here to free you. Now hold still while we cut the ropes."

We do as I said and cut the ropes that bound those people. I look them over and see some bruises.
"Are you injured?"

I recieve a round of silent nods.

"Alright. Not for any longer."

I cast a Force Heal on each of them. Their faces light up as the pain vanishes. One of the men speaks up.
"Thank you so much! I don't know how we can ever repay you."

I raise a hand.
"You're welcome. There is no need to repay me. Although I am glad we were able to rescue you, we originally came to collect the bounty on those bandits. So we get enough out of this. The chance to free you is a welcome bonus."

A young woman chimes in.
"Still, thank you very much."

I smile.
"You're welcome. But if it would be alright for you, can you tell me how you found yourselves in this situation?"

The woman shivers, and the young man from before lays an arm around her shoulders.
"We are simple farmers from some small farm some days south of Wolfsden. We just lived there in peace until these bandits showed up some weeks ago. They looted our home, and when they didn't find anything of value, kidnapped us. They wanted to sell us as slaves."

I clench my fists.
"So they were not only bandits, but slavers as well. They certainly got what they deserved, even if I think their end was too quickly."

I turn to Zack.
"Alright. I think I'll bring these families back to their home, then I'll bring the sponsor over so we can cash in."

He nods.
"Sounds good."

The man speaks up again.
"What do you mean with 'you bring us home'? Our farm is several days south. Besides, we can manage from here."

I smirk.
"I have my ways. However, I do not want to run the risk of you getting hijacked again while on the road."

Another woman speaks up.
"Why do you want to go to such lengths for us? We have no way to repay you."

I smile.
"Why I do this? Well, that's simple. I want to make the world a better place. I want to create a world where everybody can live in peace. And I've decided that I put you under my guard, as well."

The woman seems suspicious.
"Your guard? You look like just some adventuring fighter."

"Looks can be decieving. I am a sorcerer, trying to learn some new skills. Anyhow, do you have everything?"

"Yes, it's not like we had anything here in the first place."

"I understand. Then please form a circle and hold each other by the hand, including me."

They looked curiously at me, but followed my instruction anyway. The first man and woman each taking one of my hands. I place a mark.
I take a deep breath in concentration. This will be hard. I focus on all of us, and remember where we are related to Wolfsden.
Then I Phase Jump us southwards. It takes me countless jumps, but eventually we reach a farmstead.
It is suprisingly still standing. I feared that the bandits burned it. I'm glad that's not the case.
I let go of the group when they confirm that this is indeed their farmstead.

I double over to catch my breath.

One of the children asks concerned.
"Are you alright, mister?"

I straighten myself, still feeling dizzy.
"Yeah, I'm alright. This technique is exhausting when used in rapid succession, especially with so many people, is all."

The sceptical woman from earlier speaks up again.
"Impossible. How did you do that?"

I smile confidently.
"As I said, I'm a sorcerer. A quite powerful one to boot. I wield powers even the strongest mages can only dream of. Or you may view me as a god, if that helps you believe my feats."

The young woman chimes in.
"We can't even begin to thank you enough! But are you sure there is nothing we can do for you?"

My confident smile melts to a warm one.
"Be safe, be happy, and remember me. Remember Xerath Kallig. That is all I can ask of you."

"How could we ever forget you?"

I pick up a pebble and infuse it with my energy. I give it to the young man I first spoke with.
"Here. You can reach me with this stone. Simply concentrate and think about me. Use this whenever you run into problems. Be that another bandit raid, natural disaster or whatever, pray to me, and I will come to your aid."

The man is shocked, but accepts the stone gratefully.
"I- We- Thank you."

"No problem. Well then, I have to be off."

"Are you sure you're alright, mister Xerath?"

I smile at the child.
"I'm alright. The hard part is over."

I wave at the group and vanish, Phase Walking back to the alleyway beside the tavern. I step back in, quickly checking all the bounties for their sponsor again. Turns out the whole group was put up by one guy. I go over to the innkeeper.
"Excuse me, do you have a moment?"

"Hmm? Oh, it's you! Of course. By the way, thanks for the tip earlier. You were right, against all odds. I looked in there and saw some pangos before they got away. Left their contraband, however."

I nod.
"At least something. Well, I wondered if you know where I can find the guy who put up the bounty for that large bandit group."

He raises an eyebrow.
"I sure do. Why? You want to take them on?"

I shake my head.
"Nay."

I grin.
"I want to claim it."

His eyes widen.
"What?! But how?!"

"Well, my friend and I are rescourceful. And now I'd like to bring the sponsor over to the site to confirm our fullfillment of the bounties."

"Yes. Yes, of course. Well, you'll find Mister Balthuman, the sponsor, at the townsquare, Ares street one. It's one of the largest buildings there, you can't miss it."

"Thank you."

I depart with a nod and step back onto the street, making my way towards the given adress.
I Force Speed there, because I don't want to keep Zack waiting.
Sure enough, I arrive at the adress and stand before one of the imposing towers I noticed yesterday. Well, figures that this guy has quite some wealth if he's able to put out such high bounties. I knock at the door.
I hear some shuffling behind the door, before it is opened by a smartly dressed man, presumably a butler.
"Yes?"

I bow slightly in greeting.
"Good day, sir. I am looking for a Mister Balthuman, regarding the bounties of a bandit group."

"Ah, yes, I see. Please come in, I will let master Balthuman know you're here."
The butler opens the door fully for me to step through.
I do so, and the man closes the door behind me. He leads me into a small lobby.
"Please, have a seat."

I nod as I sit down in a soft cushioned chair.
"Thanks."

The butler nods as well and goes up a flight of stairs. I use that moment to let my gaze wander. Many trophies of hunts, many expensive looking objects like large paintings, golden vases, or simply elegant furniture. This man certainly has taste.

After a moment the butler returns.
"Master Balthuman will recieve you know. Please follow me."

I nod again as I stand up. Shame, that chair is really comfortable.
So I follow the butler upstairs, until we come to stand before a heavy wooden door.
The butler knocks.

A deep voice rumbles from within.
"Enter."

The butler opens the door and goes through with me following suit. The first thing I notice in this spacious room is the tall, middle-aged man with grey hair wearing a grey suit with red highlights. He looks at his butler.
"Thank you, Smithy. You may leave us."

"Very well, sir."
He leaves the room with a bow, closing the door behind him.

This Balthuman turns to me with a smile that doesn't reach his blue eyes.
"Welcomes, adventurer! I understand that you come becaues of a bounty I commissioned, yes?"

I bow slightly. This man is dangerous. Or would be, for anyone but me.
"Indeed, mister Balthuman. I wanted to inform you that my partner and I cleared the bandit camp near the city. I've meant to ask if you could accompany me."

His eyes widen in suprise.
"You defeated the entire group with only two of you? That is hard to believe…"

He looks me over in interest.
"…But I do not detect even a hint of you lying. You have the aura of someone of high competence. Very well, I will accompany you. I have to see that with my own eyes."

The man stands up from behind his large wooden desk, grabs an elegant jacket and leads me out of the room. We walk down the stairs, but instead of going through the entrance, we go through the house towards it's back.
He speaks up while walking.
"Out of curiosity, where is your partner now?"

"He's waiting at the little fort."

He chuckles.
"Ah, yes. A little scouring never hurts."

He continues to lead me through this ridiculous large house. We pass the butler, and Balthuman adresses him.
"Smithy? I will accompany this young man for a bit. I will be back in approximately one hour. Could you please call down Tora? He is to meet us at the stable."

The butler nods.
"Understood, sir. Save travels."

The butler rushes off.

Not long after we reach the stables.
Balthuman leads me to a stable whilst he orders some servants to ready three horses.
They are finished after a minute and we back a horse each. Luckily Nathan, or Cipher Nine, let me ride his Varactyl Bob, on some occations, so I know how to ride a mount.
After a few minutes, a young man with rather long black hair and golden eyes enters the stable. He wears a black leather armor and a shortsword dangles at his hip.
Balthuman calls out to him.
"Are, there you are, Tora boy. Would you be a dear and accompany myself and this mister to confirm the clearance of a bounty I had put up?"

The young man, appearently going by the name of Tora, curtly nods.

"Great. You'll be riding with me."

He rolls his eyes, but nods again.

All of us mount our animals, and we set off to the bandit fort.
We swiftly ride out of town, and I notice the respectful, if not outright worried glances Balthuman recieves. He pays no mind to them, however.

We reach the late bandits encampment after roughly twenty minutes of riding in silence.
Getting off of the horses, Baltuman instructs Tora to secure them on a tree.
I accompany him to the entrance of the bandit's fort. He stops when he sees the carnage we left. Zack also turns around to face us.
"Took you long enough."

I smile sheepishly.
"Sorry."

Balthuman adresses me.
"So this is the partner you spoke of, I take it?"

"Indeed."

His gaze lingers on Zack for a moment, before he turns his gaze across the bodies.

"I have to say, you did a thorough work. I almost started to think that no one would dare to take them on. Though I notice that some of them have rather peculiar wounds…"

I smirk.
"I have my ways. But the important part is that they no longer pose a threat, right?"

Balthuman nods.
"That is correct. I hereby confirm that you accomplished all the bounties I placed on these bandits. We may return to my home now, so I can ready your reward."

Zack nods.
"Sounds good.

I nod as well.
"Then let us be off."

We go back to the horses. Tora unfixes them and we mount them again. Zack and I share a horse, with Zack seated behind me.
Another twenty minutes later and we find ourselves in Balthuman's stable.
We get off of the horses again and Balthuman instructs his stable-lads to take them from here.
He adresses his bodyguard.
"You are free to go now, Tora."

The young man grunts in acknowledgement and nods before heading off.

I turn to Balthuman.
"This Tora. Is there something wrong with his voice?"

"Oh no, not in the slightest. It's just that he prefers to let actions speak on his behalf. He rarely talks when he doesn't have to."

He chuckles.
"It could also be that he's grumpy because I called him away from his girlfriend."

I chuckle as well.
"Quite possible."

In the meantime, he has leaden us back towards his study. I notice that there are plenty of closed doors. If they lead to rooms or more corridors I do not know. And it doesn't interest me enough to check through the Force. But his house is seriously huge.

We reach his study and he gestures us to sit down in some armchairs, which we do, while he goes to a different room to retrieve the reward.
Zack and I stay silent while we wait, we both know that this place has ears.
After a few minutes Balthuman returnes with a rather large crest.
He places it on a table in front of us and opens it.
"Five hundred thousand coins, the whole sum of bounties you cleared today."

Zack whistles.
"Wow."

"I'm glad we could be of service for you by clearing that vermin."

He closes the crest and pushes it over to us.
"You certainly were. I thank you for your service. But if you gentlemen would excuse me, I now have other matters to attent to."

He stands up, so Zack and I naturally follow suit while I pick up the crest and put it in my backpack.
I bow slightly.
"Certainly. We won't take up more of your time."

He rings for his butler. After a moment a knock is heard.

"Come in."

"You called me, sir?"

"Yes. Smithy, would you be so kind and accompany our guests out?"

"Certainly, sir."

"Thank you."
He faces us again.
"It was a pleasure making business with you. Maybe you will claim some of my other commissioned bounties in the future as well."

I chuckle.
"Certainly a possibility, but we don't want to antagonise all the other bounty hunters by leaving no work for them."

He smiles amusedly at my reply, and this time it is reaching his eyes.
"Only time will tell. Farewell."

"Farewell."

Zack nods.
"Farewell."

We follow the butler downstairs and to the entrance I originally came through.
He opens the door for us and bows.
"I wish you gentlemen a good day."

I nod as I step through the door.
"Thank you, I wish you a good day as well."

Zack nods as well.
"Thanks, you too."

The two of us walk away and the butler closes the door. We head back to the inn.
When we leave Ares street behind us, Zack speaks up.
"This man is dangerous."

"So I noticed. I can tell that he acquired that wealth by less than legal means."

"I take it that this is the reason we travelled on horseback?"

"Exactly, I didn't want to show him my powers."

"Good call."

"So I say we head up into our room and split up?"

He nods.
"Sounds good."

So we do exactly that. We go up to our room and are greeted by the pango when we step inside the room.
We sit down on the floor and put our bags aside. I notice that Zack's is somewhat fuller as well.
I speak up as I unpack the crest and put it between us.
"Did you find something good on those bandits?"

Zack shrugs.
"Actually, yes."

I wait for him to continue, what he doesn't. I mean, of course he doesn't.
"Aaaaand…?"

"Plenty of coins. About one thousand. The weapons they had were acceptable, but I was not about carrying a sack of scavenged weapons with me. That Boltcaster is a gem, though."

"So they are called that here as well, huh?"

"You have a weapon like that back home, too?"

"Yeah. I suspect they operate slightly differently, but the aesthetic and firing characteristic is quite similar to the Boltcaster I am famliar with."

I open the crest and focus on the content. Five hundred thousand coins down to the dot. I let every single one levitate with my Force Telekinesis. I then proceed to send a steady stream to Zack and myself each, until both of our waiting purses are filled with the half each.

"Thanks. You know Xerath, we make a good team. I wouldn't mind doing that again sometime."

I smirk.
"Aren't you only saying that because I made you a rich man?"

He looks away.
"Noooo."

My smile turns genuine.
"But yes, I wouldn't mind doing that again, either. When time permits, it would be a good exercise. And it is of a great help to me to have usable funds here."

"Sounds good. And before I forget, I also found some documents listing their business partners. They seem to have been new to the slaver business, but they managed to sell a few."

My eyes turn golden.
"Force forsaken slavers! Good thing you secured those documents. We will hunt them down!"

Zack holds his hands up.
"Woah, dude, calm down. What got you riled up this much?"

I exhale deeply, calming myself. My eyes turn normal as well.
"Well, let's just say that I hate slavers and everything they stand for. I hold sentient life -and will- in high regards. Slavers don't care about that, though, or the well being of others. They are the lowest of trash that pollutes societies. And they need to be cleansed."

Zack's eyes narrow. He still appears to be skeptical.
"I agree."

I sigh.
"Anyhow, I'm gonna look what the others are up to. You?"

He shrugs.
"I think I'll just continue to relax in the lobby."

"Alright, then. See you later."

Zack nods.

And so I make my way down to the lobby as well. I think I saw Kara there earlier.
And sure enough, she still sits alone at one of the tables.
She raises an eyebrow when I plop down across from her.

"Hello there."

"Hey."

She looks amused when she takes a sip from her drink.
"So, what where you and Zack up to? I noticed you two leaving the inn earlier and not returning for quite a while."

I shrug.
"Oh, nothing special. Just some guy time."

Kara's eyes gleam with interest.
"Guy time? Now I really need details."

"Oh well, if you want to know so badly. We went and sacked in a bounty."

Kara looks over to the bounty board, where just at this moment a man takes down a bunch of posters.
"Huh, that's quite a few bounties cleared in such a short time. Does that mean…"

She turns to me with a shocked expression.
"Did you take on so many targets?"

I nod nonchalantly.
"Yup, we took out a bantit group. About fifty men. A good warm up."

Kara is slack jawed.
"Fifty!? How?!"

"Shh, not so loud please. And you do remember I'm a god, yes?"

She smiles sheepishly.
"Oh, right. I constantly forget that."

I smile.
"Well, I'm glad that you can. For the most people back home I'm always this unfallable god of unwavering strength and wisdom. So it means really much to me that you view and treat me just like a normal friend."

"D'aaaawww, you're so sweet!"

I shrug, albeit not without a bashful smile.
"I'm just honest."

Kara smiles warmly.
"Well, I appreciate your honesty, then."

A comfortable silence forms around us.
Not for long, though, as Kara breaks it again.
"Out of curiousity, how much did that bounty of yours earn you?"

"A total of five hundred thousand coins, shared fifty-fifty between Zack and me. I'm not all too familiar with the current economical situation in Havengarde, but I'd guess that is quite much, no?"

She whistles.
"That much? Well, I guess it's expected of such a large group. You'd usually need a large group of your own to take them on, so you need a large reward that the individual hunters get enough."

I nod.
"Yeah, I thought as much."

"Do you know how you want to spend it?"

I put my index finger to my chin.
"Mmm, my priority is to repay my debts to Leanna, but they should come it at five hundred coins at the maximum, considering interest. Not much on my list for the rest, though."

A sly smile spreads across her face.
She throws back her drink and slams the empty mug on the table.
"What if I told you that we can turn your already large capital into an even larger sum?"

I raise an eyebrow amusedly.
"How so?"

"Well, let's just say that there are many casinos in Wolfsden."

"Ahh, gambling. It's been a while since my last visit in a casino. Count me in."

Kara nods approvingly.
"I had a feeling you'd like my suggestion. Let's go then!"

I follow Kara out of the inn.
The streets are still deserted as the clouds roil overhead. I glance cautiously at the sky, but the weather seems to hold up for now. Kara also remains unconcerned as she surveys the shops along the streets.
Finally, she stops in front of a gaudy building. Bright crystals illuminate the sign as they flash disctractingly on and off. Ahh, just like the annyoing neon signs on Nar Shaddaa, this already reminds me of the Star Cluster Casino.
Kara grins as she pushes open the doors.

I follow her in and blink as my eyes adjust to the dim room. It's a fairly large one, a lobby I'd say. There's also a large wooden stair that leads to a second floor. And even if I hadn't know where we were going, I would have instantly recognised this place as a casino.
Half of the room is lined with flashy slot machines powered by mini crystals while the other half is filled with tables.
Both players and onlookers are flocking around the tables. In fact, the casino is packed with people. Clearly, this storm is not enough to keep those people from their games.

"So, see anything you like?"
Kara's voice calls me out of my musings as she gestures at the tables.

"Hmm, since I do have experience with gambling, but am unfamiliar with your, let's say 'local', games, I let you pick."

"Alright."
She weaves among the tables, taking cursory glances at each game before deciding.
She turns back to me.
"Have you played Shadow Knaves?"

"Maybe some variant known in my land. How do you play?"

"The goal is to reach a numerical value of twenty-one with the cards you're dealt. You'll start with two cards and you can choose two cards or stand, depending on what you have."

"Hmm, sounds somewhat like a simpler version of Sabacc."

"'Simpler'? Perfect, then you'll be a pro."
She smiles.
"Ready to play?"

I smirk.
"No. I'm ready to win."

I sit down at the table and place my bet. Kara grins and does the same.
After the remaining seats at the table are filled, the dealer begins the first round. He slides two cards face up.
Although the numbers look the same, the suits of these cards are unfamiliar. I have what looks like a seven of crystal and a nine of… uh… swirly dots?
Looking around the table, my competitors have a total of eighteen, thirteen, seven and twenty.
My cards only add up to sixteen. No way will I win with that hand.
"Hit me."

The dealer flips over another card and reveals a five.
"Neat."

The dealer busts and I win this round.

Kara is a Shadow Knaves master and wins about every round. Some of the scowls on the other patrons deepen and I decided to have played enough. I'm content on watching Kara win all those rounds, although the other patrons don't seem too happy about losing all that money.
I leave Kara be for a bit and browse the other tables and see a few games that are familiar in one part but absolutely exotic in another. It's funny how we have somewhat similar games, although we are so vastly different societies. But I guess gambling is gambling.
I return to the Shadow Knaves table just in time to watch Kara abruptly stand.
"Time to go!"

I connect the dots.
"Right."

Kara's plastered on smile seems to become a bit more natural.
"Thanks. Time to cash out."

So we cash out and Kara hastens out of the casino.
I jog to catch up with her.
"So, what was that about?"

She places her hands behind her back.
"Hm?"

I look into her eyes. There's this gleam again, that shows her keen intellect.
"You were in quite the hurry to leave. I have an idea as to why, but do you want to share your version with me?"

Kara smiles innocently.
"It was just time for us to go."

I am unimpressed.
"Uh huh. You and I both know that's not true. Another try?"

"I don't know what you mean."

"Suuuuuure. So you want to tell me you weren't counting cards?"

Kara blinks.
"Oh, you noticed?"

I nod.
"Of course I did."

"What? How?"

"Well, for starters you won every single game. That's suspicious. Second, when I watched a few of your games, I tried my luck at counting cards as well, and came to conclusions close to yours. Your counting was better than mine, but I think that might be because I'm not famliar with the decks used."

She looks suprised.
"You're not mad? And you can count cards, too, Xerath?"

"Why should I be? You didn't cheat, you simply used your intellect. I think many people underestimate your intelligence because of your playful behaviour, but not me. It's just sad to see that those peasants think it's cheating because they do not understant that what you did there was truly impressive."

Kara seems pleased.
"Thank you! I'm happy you understand."

"I give credit where it's due. Besides, it's not like this giant business will miss the money anyway."

"It's true. I can think of a few people who could put that money to better use."

"You mean like orphans?"

Kara whips her head around and stares at me with wide eyes.

"More specifically, those orphans back at Stonecrest?"

She crosses her arms defensively.
"How do you know about that?"

"I saw you there. I wanted to share my money with them too."

Her expression softens.
"You gave them money too?"

I nod.
"Although not as much as you did, appearently. I want to create a better world for everyone. How could I do that if I would leave those children alone? How could I claim to have the best interest of the people in heart when I leave exactly those people alone? I wanted to help them."

"That's actually really remarkable. They were just trying to survive in the only way they knew how. I thought if I shared my reward with them, maybe they'll find a way where they won't need to steal again."

"Exactly. And I will make sure of that."

She looks at me curiously.
"How so?"

"You remember how I gave Elder Issim a stone, back in Embermyst?"

"Yeah, but what does that have to do..."

She trails off and I want to explain, but her cogs run fast enough.

"...Do you mean you gave them such a device as well?"

I smile.
"Precisely. I'm still in contact with them. Whenever they'll have trouble, or need me in any way whatsoever, they can call for me. I felt bad that I couldn't give them more because my financial situation wasn't the best here, either, so I thought that would be a good alternative."

Kara laughs.
"That's all right! Your heart is in the right place."

I smile melancholic.
"Thanks. Now I know that I still keep my promise."

"Hmm? What promise?"

I clear my throat as I realise my mistake.
"Anyway, what should we do now?"

A mischievous grin spreads across her face.
"Let's go to another casino."

I laugh. This can only be trouble! I'm in, and only a small part of that is because I am grateful that she didn't call me out on my obvious attempt to change the topic.
And so I follow her to another casino where we go through the same routine.
After winning big again, we part ways and I head back to the inn.

I have a few more hours until it's time for dinner and decide to spend those alone.
I relax at one of the tables by myself, meditating. I picked that up quite early after my arrival on Korriban. It's rare to have any kind of free time as an acolyte. But now I can say the same about being a Sith in general. So the only kind of "hobby" one can pick up is either more training, like A'den did, or meditation, like I did. It helps me sorting out my thoughts and feelings, or tuning myself to the Force and listening to it's voice.
I continue to ponder at my situation. Everything happens for a reason. Thus my presence here has a reason. But why? Why am I here? Was my presence in my galaxy no longer needed? Or did the Force want me to meet Leanna, here? So many questions, so few answers. It would be a romantic thought, though. Whatever the reason for my unexpected journey here is, it is certainly one of the best things that has happened in my life. I could even say the best thing. But I guess that's not too hard when your life consists of you making the best out of catastropic situations.

The rest of the afternoon passes by uneventfully. With the dark clouds outside, it's hard to judge the time of day, but the skies seem to be darkening.
I wonder if Amy and Leanna are done with whatever they were doing. I haven't noticed them leaving their room all day.
I decide to see if either of them is free. Preferably Leanna.

As I approach her room, I knock on the door.
"Leanna?"

There's a pause, then a scuffling sound.
"Yes?"

"You okay in there?"

"Um, yup, fine!"

"Have you had a chance to look around yet? Maybe we could go check out the shops?"

"Uhhh, well... It's getting kind of late, isn't it? It might be better to stay inside."

"Sure. Do you want to come downstairs and we can eat something together?"

There's a pause again.
"You know, I'm not very hungry. I think I'll stay here for now, thanks!"

I narrow my eyes. Leanna's acting weird. Worry begins to creep into my voice.
"Leanna. Are you sure everything's alright in there? I'm starting to worry here."

Leanna opens the door a crack and pokes her head out. Her smile is a little too bright.
"Yep, just peachy! Sorry, I'm just feeling a little tired. Nothing to worry about."

She's about to close the door, but I push to keep it open as my scarf is caught in the doorway.
"Wait!"

I push on the door to yank my scarf out. The door swings open, revealing Leanna's new outfit.
She throws her arms around herself to cover her up.
"Don't look!"

Despite her request for me to look away, I find myself physically unable to. My jaw drops as I take in all of her outfit... what little there is of it.
She's wearing a purple metal armor with golden trims and black silken gloves and a choker. Her arms, legs, midriff and plenty of her upper chest area are exposed, revealing her ample bosom. Not very efficient armor design, but it does underline Leanna's undeniably attractive physice even more so.
As much as I feel my hormones going into overdrive and my blood racing to places it hadn't went in years, I force myself to turn around.
Leanna is clearly uncomfortable with this situation, I don't want to make it worse for her.
"That's the outfit Kara brought for you, isn't it? It would suprise me if you'd sought this style out yourself."

"...Yes."

I glance back at her, unable to resist her magnificent beauty. Her hands are still covering herself and she refuses to make eye contact.
I speak softly.
"Is this why you've been hiding in your room?"

"I can't go anywhere dressed like this! It's best if I just stay here until the storm has passed."

"Leanna, let me assure you that you are magnificent. I can understand that this outfit embarrasses you, but you have nothing to be ashamed of. As far as I'm concerned, you are the personofication of beauty."

Leanna blushes a deep red, but otherwise gives me a flat look.

I turn back around and drop off my pack, rummaging through it.

Leanna curiously peeks over my shoulder.
"What are you doing?"

"Looking for something - Aha!"
I take out the cape of my Emperor's Mantle.

"If you don't like your outfit, we can go to the shops and get you something else. And even if it doesn't fit stylisticly, you can use my cape to cover yourself up. Here."

I carefully approach her, and gently drape my cape over her shoulders, so that she can wrap it around herself.

She smiles bashfully, her face still adorned by a cute blush.
"Thank you."

She inspects the cape and giggles embarassed.
"You're right, it really doesn't fit at all. But it's really nice. Where did you get it?"

I take my pack and go inside Leanna's room, closing the door, before I unpack the whole set. A set of robes in white and black, with golden details. It perfectly symbolises the balance I try to uphold.
"That's my Emperor's Mantle. After re-establishing the Eternal Alliance as the Eternal Empire, I figured I'd need something more suited of my standing as Emperor."

Her eyes widen.
"Emperor?! I know you said you were part of royalty when we first met, but this..."

I raise an eyebrow, amused.
"What? You believe me that I'm a god, but that I'm an Emperor is too far-fetched?"

"No! I mean, yes! I mean, you kinda have a point there..."

"Now that that's settled, shall we go?"

"Okay, but let me change first."

"I thought you can't go out in your regular armor. That's the point of this whole ordeal, anyway."

Leanna blinks.
"I can't go out dressed like this, though."

I feign hurt.
"Not even with my cape to cover you?"

She shakes her head in a frenzy.
"No, no, no, no! That's not how I meant it! I appreciate the sentiment, I really do, but I think that this might draw even more attention to me."

I smirk playfully.
"Relax, I was just messing with you."

Leanna huffs and hits me on the shoulder.
"Jerk!"

I laugh.
"Alright, I think I deserved this one."

She pouts. Absolutely adorable, I might add.
"Yes you did!"

"But your armor will draw even more attention. At least this outfit helps you blend in."

Leanna still looks uncomfortable.

"Honestly, it's not so bad. You look absolutely stunning, you can be proud of yourself. Besides, we don't know how long this storm is going to last. What if we have days to spend here. Do you want to remain cooped up in this room the whole time?"

Leanna frowns as she thinks about it, her blush deepening again.
"I suppose you're right..."

She takes a deep breath as she takes off my cape. She hands it back to me, and her hands linger in mine for a moment.
"Thanks, but, with this cape draped around me, the whole effort to blend in would be wasted."

"While that is true, are you sure you're alright?"

She smiles warmly and genuinely at me.
"I think I'll be alright."

My heart skips a beat as my cheeks flare with heat. I turn around and go back to my pack, putting my Emperor's Mantle back inside.
"W-Well, I'm glad I can be of service."

I also take a deep breath. Turning back again to face Leanna, I hold out an arm to her.
"Shall we get going, then?"

She blushes even more, if that is even possible.
"Umm, our goal is to blend in, right? Because I don't know about your home, but here that is a gesture that only nobles do. That'd be kinda suspicious."

I try to not make my disappointment noticable.
"Understood."

I shoulder my backpack again.
"Well then, ready when you are."

Gathering her courage, Leanna leaves the room and the two of us head downstairs. Nobody pays us any extra attention as we exit the inn.

My thoughts race at a rapid speed in the time we walk downstairs. Why did I behave the way I just did? I'm normally never so playful. But no, I just did what I felt was right. Maybe I felt that Leanna was still uncomfortable with the situation, and wanted to lift her mind off of it? This woman makes me feel things I didn't even know I was capable of feeling anymore. But I recognise this feeling, from all those years ago. Without a single doubt in my mind, I am madly in love with her.

We step upon the street as soon as I come to that conclusion, I squint up at the thick clouds. There is light rain. We better hurry before we get cought in a downpour.
We make our way down the alleyway. Leanna still gets attention, although not the same as before. She seems annoyed by the sharp whistles from leering men.
I ball my fists. How dare they disrespect her like that?

"Hey there baby -"

"What did you call me!?"

Leanna grabs the man by the collar and slams him against a wall.

"Ahh! What the hell!"

Leanna's voice is sharp, doing a poor job at concealing her anger.
"Go on, call me baby again. I dare you."

Leanna's grip on the man's collar tightens as he's pinned securely against the wall. She must be using her wind magic to be able to keep a man twice her size immobilised with barely a struggle.
Leanna continues to watch him with challanging eyes, daring him to catcall her again.
The man stays silent as he tries to break free. Leanna finally lets go and tosses him to the side. He falls to the ground with a loud thud.
"That's what I thought."

The man picks himself up and scrambles away. What a leek, I think is the term I heard the young of Zakuul use.
"Y-You crazy bitch!"

Oh no, he didn't. No one insults Leanna with me around. I let him trip telepathically. His face greets the dirt a second time.

Leanna calls after him.
"Yeah, and don't you forget it!"

A crowd of shocked onlookers stare at Leanna.
"What are you looking at?"

They quickly look away and resume walking. Satisfied, Leanna turns to me with a smile.
"Shall we continue?"

"You know, I was just about to step in myself, but you handled that splendidly. Remind me to never get on your bad side."

She blushes slightly and smirks.

We continue down the street and reach the shops. Even though it's well into the evening, all of the storefronts are still open. I guess this is one of those cities that never sleeps.
Leanna and I enter the first clothing shop we find. It's quite the small one with packed racks
She browses the racks but her face becomes more aghast with every outfit she picks up.
She holds up a piece of fabric so short I can't figure out if it's supposed to be a top or a skirt.
"I don't think we'll find anything here. Let's go somewhere else."

I follow Leanna out of the store and into the next one. As she browses the selection, she seems even more disappointed as each outfit is skimpier than the last.
After checking out a couple more shops with no luck, we enter the last shop on the street.
This appears to be more of an armory. There are different swords and dischargers on display. Some shortswords, longswords, heavy two-handers, and I think I even saw a scimitar. On the discharger department are small handguns, heavy handguns and even a rifle. Fascinating, I haven't seen a rifle design here, yet.
Leanna checks out the racks again, then tracks down the shopkeeper.
"Um, excuse me, do you have any armor?"

"Absolutely!"
He rummages through the clothing before pulling out what is essentially just a metal bra and thong.

Leanna can't hide her horror as the shopkeeper smiles triumphantly.
"Here you go!"

"How is that armour?!"

"What do you mean? It's metal. That means it can protect you."

His logic is flawed.
Leanna tells him such.
"But what about the rest of me?"

He's about to retort but is left speechless as her words sink in.
"Huh. You know, I'd never even thought about that before."

"Do you have anything with a little more coverage?"

"Hmm..."

The shopkeeper returns to the racks and picks out another metal bra and underwear.
"How about this?"

"How is that better?!"

I have kind of anticipated another outburst of her, but it still takes me by suprise.
"Whoa!"

"Ugh! I am so done with this place!"

Realising that this is a fruitless search, Leanna fumes out of the shop and I follow close behind.
She looks down at her outfit and sighs.
"It's hard to believe, but I think Kara picked out the most modest outfit available in this place."

"Seems like it. Not that I doubted her, though."

She nods.
"Yeah, I guess she knows me a little better than I thought."

As we pass a darkened storefront on our way back to the inn, two men melt from the shadows and approach us.
The first one speaks up, with a slimy voice.
"Excuse me, are those manipulators on your wrists?"

Leanna and I glance at each other, then back at the men.
She speaks up.
"Why do you ask?"

The second man speaks with an exotic accent.
"We have an offer that might be interesting to you."

"Exactly. As magic users, power in your craft is essential. Luckily for you, we happen to know a secret technique to amplify your casting usage to your fullest potential - no matter the skill level!"

I smirk.
"Uhh, I'm always one for more power. What's the technique?"

The first man hands me a card. 'The Den in Wolfsden' is written in curly letters.
"Meet us at that location tomorrow morning, and all will be revealed.

Leanna narrows her eyes.
"How do we know this is legitimate?"

The second man smiles.
Your skepticism is understandable, but we've gone through this exact same training and can personally guarantee results!"

"You're mages? Where are your manipulators?"

I glance at their empty wrists. Leanna brings up a good point.

"Right here."
The second man lifts his hand and points to the crystal inlaid ring on his finger.

Leanna's mouth drops open in suprise, but she quickly composes herself.
"Your manipulator is a ring?"

The man flashes the same mysterious smile.
"Be there tomorrow morning and all will be revealed."

They hand Leanna a card too, then disappear back into the alley.
Leanna watches them retrat, a stern look on her face.

"Judging by your expression, you felt that too, huh?"

She barely seems to register what I'm saying.

"Leanna?"

She blinks.
"Huh?"

"Are you alright? You kind of zoned out there."

She smiles reassuringly.
"Oh! Yeah, I'm fine. It's just, wasn't that just very suspicious?"

I smile proudly.
"It seems that your senses are becoming better. You felt it too, didn't you?"

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

My smile falls.
"Oh, it seems I was mistaken. That is of no further consequences, however. Those mages had a presence in the Dark side."

"The Dark side?"

"Yes. Albeit a rather small one, like an acolyte, it is immediatley noticeable when you know what to look for. The only way to shift your presence into the Dark side of the Force is by training those powers, or by being naturally born into that side. Although that happens rather rarely."

"Is it really so rare for someone to have a presence in the Dark side?"

"Let's just say that the only ones I noticed in this world were the Treasurer at Raven Pass and this Heisenburg guy at Stonecrest."

"So you think we should take a look at this meeting tomorrow morning as well?"

I smile.
"Absolutely. After all, I mean what I said. I'll take any opportunity to accumulate more power and knowledge. We'll learn that secret technique and then I'll be casting tornados in no time!"

Leanna giggles.
"That's now how it works. There probably isn't any technique at all."

"Oh well, but you still want to investigate because they were suspicious as heck, don't you?"

She smiles.
"Yes, there was something really unsettling about those guys."

"Ah, so you did feel it, too."

"Oh, that's what you were referring to?"

I nod.

"I guess, then. Besides, there is no way those rings are actual manipulators. It's impossible to condense the amount of energy needed for casting into such a tiny crystal."

I raise a hand to stop her.
"You're getting a bit ahead of yourself there."

"Huh?"

"Just because no one is known to be able to do so yet, doesn't mean it's impossible. For example, have you mastered atmospheric flight yet? Has someone travalled at supersonic speeds yet? Was someone on the moon of Terra yet?"

"Of course not, that's just as imposs-..."
She cuts herself off as the pieces fall into place.
"But you told us that in your world people fly around in space, at speeds faster than light, right?"

"Yes. I see you begin to understand. Just because no one has succeeded yet, does not automatically mean that it's impossible to achieve."

Her expression becomes pensive.
She speaks up after a few minutes.
"You're right. I mean, your presence alone proved things to be possible that were considered impossible by the majority of our scientific community. But still, something doesn't add up here."

I nod.
"I am with you on this one. I have a sneaking suspicion of what is going on, but I'd rather be wrong about it. I just interrupted you because I want you to keep your mind open."

She nods and pockets her card.
I notice that she's about to speak, but a crack of thunder interrupts us.
"I think I'm probably the only one appreciating a good thunderstorm, so we should get back."

Leanna nods.
"Yeah."

"Take my hand."

"Huh? Why?"

I wink.
"I know a shortcut."

"Alright."

I hold my palm open for her, and she gently places her head in mine.
I focus on the mark I placed near the tavern earlier today and Phase Walk there.

Leanna breathes out in wonder.
"Wow. That was... a unique experience."

I smirk.
"Impressed?"

She nods.
"Yeah, you could say that. But now we really should get inside."

"Right."

We head back inside the inn.
I spot Kara and Zack at a table and we join them. Zack smirks when he sees Leanna.
"Nice outfit."

Leanna's cheeks flush.
"I don't want to talk about it."

Kara grins widely.
"Aww, don't be shy! You've got to own it!"

Leanna's blush deepens as she quickly changes the subject.
"We were just out when we ran into some strange men promising us unimaginable powers."

She pulls out their card and places it on the table.
"They said to meet them there tomorrow."

Zack and Kara study it.
Kara is the first to speak up.
"I've never seen this before."

"I have. They recruited me too."

Leanna blinks.
"But you aren't a Mage. They were specifically looking for magic casters. Why did they recruit you?"

Zack shrugs as he gazes into the distance.
"Something about being a valuable asset? I wasn't really listening."

"We're going to meet with them tomorrow morning."

Leanna nods in agreement to my statement.

Kara quips with a smile.
"But don't you already have unimaginable powers, Xerath?"

"Yeah, but you know what they say: There's no such thing as too much power. Unless it almost kills you, then there is such a thing."

Zack nods as well.
"I'm meeting them too."

Now that takes me by suprise.
"Wait, really?"

Leanna looks equally suprised.

"Sure."

"Why? I thought you weren't even listening?"

He smirks.
"I wasn't. But from what I did hear it sounds like a scam for money. Money which should be liberated from them for the greater good."

Yeah, I should've seen that coming.

Leanna speaks up.
"Alright, then let's meet up here tomorrow morning and go together."

Zack nods.

As if on cue, Amy joins the group.
"Greetings. Have we all gathered here to partake in supper?"

Kara is the first to speak.
"That's a good idea. I could go for some food."

I nod.
"Me as well."

We order some food and sit together to eat.
Amelia looks over to me, a small smile playing at her lips.
"I thank you for bringing us breakfast. That was very thoughtful of you and is much appreciated.."

I smile warmly.
"Anytime."

Kara looks up in suprise.
"Huh? You've brought them breakfast, Xerath?"

"Yeah. I wanted to check in on Leanna and maybe have breakfast with her, but she was busy doing something with Amy, so I gave it to them instead."

Kara raises an eyebrow suggestively.
"Ohh?"

I clear my throat in an attempt to supress a blush from surfacing.
"So, yeah, that was that."

Luckily our food arrives.
As we eat, Amelia looks intently from Kara to Leanna.
Leanna shifts uncomfortably.
"Is there something wrong, Amy?"

"There seems to be an undeniable trend in the clothing both you and Kara are wearing. Perhaps I should be wearing something similar."

Kara becomes stern.
"We need to have a talk about what is and isn't appropriate for you to wear, young lady!"

Amelia frowns.
"The irony of that statement is not lost on me."

I cross my arms.
"The important part of clothing is to make the wearer feel comfortable in it, right? So it ultimately should be up to Amelia what she wants to wear. Personally, I don't exactly think such kind of clothing would fit her, but I wouldn't mind seeing her in such an outfit."

Zack pulls me aside and points to a chair.
"Why don't you take a seat over here?"

I raise an eyebrow.
"Uhhh..."

Slowly, I sit down.

Zack crosses his arms and glowers at me.
"What are your intentions?"

"What?"

He frowns.
"Do you even know how old she is?"

I chuckle mirthlessly.
"Better then you guys, appearently. If my insights in her biological age are correct, she is about eighteen years old, give or take a year. I don't know about you guys, but where I'm from, she'd be officially registrated as an adult. And yet you guys still treat her as a child. Can't you see that is the one thing hurting her the most? She tries so hard to prove her worth, that others finally stop treating her like a child, and yet you guys still fuss over her."

I stand back up and go back towards our table, leaving Zack in a stunned silence.

Once the team has calmed down and talked Amy out of purchasing an outfit here, we continued to eat.
Leanna turns to me, a curious gleam in her eyes.
"By the way, Xerath, what did you mean earlier?"

"Hmm?"

"When you said you 'appreciate a good thunderstorm'."

"Oh, that. Well, you see. A planet I've spend a rather long time on, Dromund Kaas, is enveloped in a constant violent thunderstorm. It just reminds me of that time, when everything was so much simpler."

A melancholic smile plays on my lips.
"I even have a somewhat large apartment there. Bought it when I stayed there for a prolonged period of time."

Leanna looks down.
"I'm sorry."

I smile.
"For what?"

"For bringing that up."

"Don't be. You don't have to walk around eggshells around me regarding my home. I know I will eventually have the opportunity to return there. The question I'll have to ask myself then is, if I even want to, then."

"Huh? Why should you not? It's your home, isn't it?"

"Because my stay here is nothing short of a blessing, Leanna. For the people back home, I am this unfallable god and wise emperor. But I never wanted to be that. I just wanted to live a quiet life. I never had the chance for that, though. I never had options, you know? Never had the freedom to choice. But now I have it! I have an option to choose. This is the life I've always dreamt of having. No wars, no political usurpers, no assassins. Just some loyal friends who accept and appreciate me for who I am as a person, not for the power I wield."

There is stunned silence following my little outburst.
Zack is the first to recover from that.
"Soo... Are you saying you don't even want to return to your home?"

I sigh.
"Not really. But even if I don't want to, I have to. Such is the burden I carry since I accepted the Eternal Throne. If I won't guide the galaxy into a peaceful age, no one will. So I will return home, but you bet I'm going to enjoy my time here to the fullest."

"So, we'll be sticking to the original plan?"

"Yes."

"Alright then.

Leanna stands up and reminds Zack and me to meet downstairs in the morning. I feel her hand touching my shoulder reassuringly on her way upstairs. Following her, we all retire to bed.
In the end, the others didn't say anything about my little revelation, aside from Zack. Not that I can blame them. What could they even say? Is there even anything to say? I do not know.
What I do know, however, is that I am eternally gratefull to have met these friends of mine. I am dedicated to find a way to create temporal rifts using my own Force energy, but if that fails, and I'd only be able to open a single one-way portal, my choice is a non-existing one.
My home, the place where I belong, is here. I think that the Force wanted to show me this. I powered through three entire galactic wars. Four, even, if one counts the uprising of the Hutt Cartel. I think I've done quite enough a service to the galaxy to finally reap the fruit of my labour.
It is with these thoughts in mind that I fall into bed. Not long after I drift to sleep, with the familiar thundercracks to guide my peace.

A/N: Holy cow! I topped my record for the longest chapter. It took some time, but this behemoth is finished, and I'm quite proud of how it turned out. I hope you guys can agree.
There are two things I'd like to mention.
First, I also updated the last chapter, fixing some typos that slipped my attention, and adding some more small details. You can give it another read, but you don't necessarily have to. Just as a heads up.
Second, the characters of Balthuman, Smithy and Tora are not mine. Some of you may now that, but I borrowed them from a webcomic called "Midnight Poppy Land", which is available at Webtoons. I thought they were quite fitting at this point and I wanted to give a nod to this exemplary work.
I claim no rights to those characters in any way, and if the creator of that webcomic wants me to remove them, I will rework them. But intil then, I hope this sentiment is appreciated.

Stay safe out there.
Cpt. Lynx, out.