In the afternoon, I wake up to a brightness I am unaccustomed to. Blinking my eyes open, I glance outside and notice an absence of clouds. Looks like the storm has passed.
Zack's bed is empty and even the pango is missing. I guess I'm the last one up considering it's already midday.
My Phase Jumping escapades yesterday have left me quite drained, I'm afraid. I feel all the more rested today, though.
I hurry out of my bed and rush to get ready, then head downstairs.
The team is already there gathered around a table. They greet me as I arrive.
Leanna is the first with her bright smile.
"Good morning, Xerath."

I recipocrate her smile.
"Morning Leanna. Morning, guys."

""Morning.""

"Finally awake, huh? You slept like a log."

I turn to Zack.
"Yeah. I'd guess yesterday was rather exhausting for me."

Amelia glances at me curiously.
"What activities did you partake in that left you so fatigued?"

I smirk.
"I'm glad you asked, Amy, because I haven't told you and Leanna yet. Zack and I were bounty hunting yesterday. And to keep matters short, I had make a rather liberal use of my teleportation technique, known as Phase Jump. Used too much in a quick succession is rather draining on my powers."

"Oh! Like the "shortcut" we took to the inn yesterday evening?"

"Close, but not quite, Leanna. What you witnessed was my Phase Walk."

She cutely tilts her head.
"Where's the difference between those two?"

"Well, with the Phase Walk I return to a previously marked position, but with the Phase Jump I teleport to a free location. Only drawback on that is that this location either has to be within my field of vision or I have the exact coordinates of the target location. But since my map service is unavailable here, I can't work with coordinates. Now I think you can imagine that it is somewhat troublesome to have to teleport several kilometers in steps of a few hundred meters at best."

Leanna smiles understandingly.
"Must've been tiring for you."

I smile sheepishly.
"Well, it mostly just cought up when I finally rested."

I snap.
"But while we're at the topic of bounty hunting, I completely forgot to give this to you yesterday."

"Hmm?"

I rummage through my pack and pull out a small pouch with five hundred coins. I gently place it in Leanna's open hands.

"What's that? Coins?"

I nod.
"Yes. This is me repaying my previous Depts to you. Consider everything that's too much as interest or something."

She smiles warmly.
"Thanks! I knew I'd get it back. This is just sooner than expected."

"Well, I don't like to owe someone something, so I wanted to have that out of the way as soon as possible. You can rest assured that I have more than enough funds on my own, now."

"That's good to hear."

I speak up again before silence even has a chance to settle in.
"It looks like the storm has passed."

Amy chimes in.
"Correct, which means we are able to resume our journey to Elendale."

I raise an eyebrow. Have they not informed her of our latest plans?
Leanna seemingly wants to remedy that.
"Not exactly. We've still got some unfinished business. We have to meet those men to learn the secret of unimaginable power."

Oh boy, I so do hope that my suspicions about them turn out to be false.

Zack get's to his feet.
"Ready to go?"

"I suppose so..."
A loud rumble from my stomach interrupts me.
"...After breakfast."

Kara and Leanna giggle while Amy and Zack crack a smile each.

"I won't take too long, I promise."

Leanna wants to say something, but is interrupted by another giggle, so Kara jumps in.
"No rush. We've already waited a few hours for you, it won't depend on a few minutes more."

I chuckle.
"I guess not."

I wave over the innkeeper and order a small breakfast.

A few minutes later I have everything wolfed down.
Zack stands up again.
"Now ready to go?"

I nod as I stand up.
"I suppose so."

Leanna stands up as well. Only Kara and Amy stay put.

"Are you two coming?"

Amy answers me.
"The invitations were not extended to us."

"Yeah, plus I think it's a Mage or crystal specific thing so that leaves me out. We'll stick around here and see what else we can dig up and meet you guys when you're done."

Amy nods.

I put my chin between my right thumb and index finger.
"Hmm, that would probably be for the best, yes."

Leanna, Zack and I exit the inn. Studying the adress on the cards given to us, we eventually come across a nondescript mansion.
Cautiously, we knock on the front door. There is no response.
Since they were looking for mages only, Leanna does a radial scan. From the blank door, a hidden message appears.
It indicates to go around to the back entrance, but only when the sun has fully set.
We decide to spend our time scouting out the location for all the different exits and get as much of the floor plan as we can figured out. I hope it won't be necessary, but I have a bad feeling about this.

Zack speaks up at some point.
"Hey Xerath."

"Hmm?"

"You mentioned yesterday evening that you have a suspicion. Mind to share your thoughts?"

I make sure no one is around aside from Leanna and look him square in the eye, my voice low.
"VOID."

"VOID, are you sure? I think you're seeing ghosts."

"I mean, I am, but that's not the point here. Those two men that spoke to Leanna and me had the same presence as the two VOID members we have met so far - albeit weaker. I've been in my business long enough to know that this isn't a coincidence."

Leanna chimes in.
"You really think it's them?"

"I hope I'm wrong on this one, but I'm afraid it's them."

Leanna nods determined.
"Then let's be extra careful."

I smirk.
"The sentiment is appreaciated, but you two are safe. I agree, however, that it is best not to take any unnecessary risks."

With that agreed upon, we continue with our task at hand.

By the time we are done with our extensive mapping, it is evening.
We circle around the house to the plain wooden door. We knock twice and the door swings open.
Grinning widely is one of the men who recruited us yesterday.
He ushers us in through the door and into the foyer where a handful of people mill about.
I take in the marble staircase and pristine tiles. The walls are lined with artful touches - a decorative vase here, a large painting here. Tasteful, but almost too much.
Some people sit on leather couches as we wait for whatever is supposed to happen to begin.
Bright light spills into the room and reflects off of the crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling. This room looks about as expensive as a room in my apartment on Kaas City. It received some extensive modifications.
One wouldn't guess it from the plain exterior of the house, but here is some extensive wealth in play.

After a few more minutes, a man with slicked black hair approaches with open arms and a shining grin.
"Welcome!"

The room quiets down into silence as he greets us.

"I'm sure you're all wondering why you've been invited here today. It's because our expert talent scouts spotted a commonality within all of you - an unmistakable ability - a mastery of the elements."

A few people sneak glances around the room. I look at Leanna who is watching the speaker intently. Zack crosses his arms, his expression unreadable, even for me.

"We too share this gift. And we too hungered for power. We spent hours upon hours honing our craft, showing painstakingly slow progress before we were introduced to the secret techniques we hope to share with you today. My friends, if you wish to become to most powerful casters in Esaria, then you have come to the right place."

Hmm. They show a seemingly quick path to strong powers. Many Jedi has fallen to the Dark side because of such alluring promises.

"But as they say, with great power comes great responsibility. These techniques are dangerous and not for the faint of heart. Failure can lead to dire consequences, and in order for us to continue, I need absolute assurance that you are all ready to face those consequences. If anyone is having second thoughts, now is the moment you can walk out of here with no hard feelings."

Fascinating. If my suspicions are correct, then this group is aware of the dangerous nature of their craft, and they want to warn the people they recruit. They are wiser than the Sith already. They even offer a choice to leave. That's a step up.
A couple of people turn around and head back towards the door, but the majority of the group, which is still a small number of around ten people, including me and my friends, decide to stay.

"I admire your courage, but I am not suprised by your decision."

A doorway to the left creaks open and the man points in that direction.
"The beginning of your training is in the next room. Please proceed through the doors and our Training Leader will meet you there."

Low murmurings fill the silence as people begin to exit the room. As Leanna begins to pass, the strange man who let us in earlier slides up to her and lowers his voice.
"So, the Guild finally cought wind of this, eh?"

His voice is deep and rough. Charismatic. He has black hair combed back, and a five o'clock shadow andorns his face.

Leanna masks her suprise and keeps her voice even as she crosses her arms under her chest. My cheeks flush as that movement pushes them out more.
"I'm not sure what you mean."

He chuckles and nudges her.
"It's alright, you can trust me. I'm actually Broodman."

He pauses as if waiting for our recognition, but we merely stare at him blankly.
"Broodman? The silent protector? Tamer of the wolves at Wolfsden?"

Again, we make no notion of recognition.

"Well, either way, we're on the same side. I know that these guys are dangerous and I've got a plan in place to stop them."

Leanna arches an eyebrow.
"How do you know they're dangerous? Do you know what their secret technique is?"

Broodman waggles his eyebrows knowingly.
"Right, playing innocent to keep up your facade. I understand."

He winks.
"Look, I was planning on taking these guys down alone, but having a member of the Mage Guild as backup would ensure the downfall of these guys. What do you say? Are you in?"

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

He winks.
"Alright, alright, you won't budge."

He taps his nose and then fixes his attention on Zack.
"I'll just pretend I didn't see the Mage emblem when you first entered Wolfsden. What about you?"

His voice trails off as Zack stares him down with his unblinking gaze. Broodman seems unfazed.
Broodmans gaze lands on me and he quickly shifts focus.
"How about you?"

I lower my voice to a raspy whisper, making sure nobody overhears us.
"I understand, brethren. Like you, I too am a protector and watchful guardian. They call me Imperius, the Dark Light."

Leanna shoots me a warning look, but Broodman looks intrigued.

We hear shuffling and I notice most of the people have filed out of the room by now.

Leanna speaks my thoughts.
"We should get going before they become suspicious."

Broodman nods, and we follow the others out of the room and into a evening courtyard. There are tiled walkways amidst neatly trimmed grassed areas and shrubs. In the corner are even two large trees.
The courtyard is surrounded on all sides by walls, which upon further inspection are hallways connecting the different wings of the mansion. Those hallways are lit by crystal lights shaped like torches, giving off a soft orange glow. It's beautiful.

The loud and sharp voice of the trainer snaps me out of my musings.
"Listen up! I know what they promised you back there and I know they made it sound like all of you, as long as you try, will be able to learn the technique for power. But they're wrong! Only those of you strong enough to handle that amount of magic will be successful. And that's where I come in. I'm here to test your proficiency with magic and if this technique is something you can even handle."

A few staff members who were standing on the sidelines come over and begin passing out manipulators. When they reach Zack, the staff member notices his lack of a manipulator and looks at him in confusion. Zack doesn't react or bother to take the manipulator from his hands either.

"He passes."
The Training Leader walks by, and as his gaze lands on Zack's dischargers his expression changes. He turns to the staff with the manipulator and urges him to move on.
The staff member begins to protest, but the Training Leader stops him.
"He. Passes."

He turns to the rest of us.
"I know all of you have your own manipulators but I don't care. Use ours anyway. The goal of this isn't to show off who has the fanciest gadgets. It's to eliminate any variables so we can get a more accurate read on your abilities. Now who wants to go first?"

One person steps up and attempts to gast a gale, but his nerves makes his arm unsteady and he keeps losing focus.

"Enough."
The Training Leader shakes his head and the man hangs his head. The staff members lead the man out of the courtyard as the next persion steps up.

One by one they go until it's my turn.
I glance at Leanna. She gives me a reassuring nod.
I subtly nod back.

"Let's go. We haven't got all day."

I smirk. Time to shock and awe. I can do this, even with my new magic, my fight yesterday is proof enough of this.
I raise my arm and channel a gust of wind as I've done so many times before. I picture Leanna watching and encouraging me, and sure enough a gust of wind flows through my hands.
The Training Leader frowns, unimpressed. Seems like I have to try harder.
I channel some more energy and the wind begins to flow around me, whipping at my clothes. Before it can reach levels of the violent gale I summoned when trying to open a temporal rift, the staff member who took my energy reading races over to his side.
I'm quite sure I know what's going on. That scan shows my energy readings are off the charts, but my casting skills do not match the energy I possess.

The Training Leader motions me to stop, an intrigued gleam in his eye.
"Pass... For now."

I nod.

The Training Leades calls Leanna forward and I take the time to switch out my manipulator back to my own.
She takes a deep breath, gathers her energy, and raises her arm. Her blue eyes almost turn steel grey as a galestorm whips the trees in the courtyard.
Leanna's hair flies around her but she stands steady in the tempest, her gaze challenging the Training Leader.
He raises his hand, and as instantly as she summoned it, Leanna ceases the storm.
"Pass."

As a few people pick themselves off the ground or dust themselves off, Leanna returns to the group.
I dust myself off as well, in that typically cocky demeanor. I smirk.
"Damn girl, you really blew me away with this display."

Leanna groans.

"You truly threw caution to the wind and went all out."

"You should stop."

"But making these are such a breeze."

"I'm leaving now!"

I chuckle.
"Wait, I'm done. I promise. In all seriousness, though, that was absolutely amazing."

Leanna blushes.
"It's been awhile since I've had to cast something like that."

"I wouldn't have known. You were a natural."

She nods.
"Thanks! You did well too."

I smirk playfully.
"Well, at least one person who recognises my talent."

She rolls her eyes with an amused smile.

They continue to move through the tests. Zack silently slinks over and joins us as Leanna surreptitiously switches back to her manipulator and does a scan of her own. She frowns at the results and lowers her voice so I can barely hear her.
"I'm getting the same strange absence of magic reading we got back at Stonecrest."

I groan, quietly.
"I hate it to be right about such things. So you think it's them now, too?"

Leanna nods, her expression grave.

A guard approaches Leanna and she quickly puts on a smile.
"Ma'am, I have a message from the site Commander. He wishes to meet you."

"Oh?"

"In his private quarters."

"O-Oh..."

For once, she can't hide her suprise. The guard leaves momentarily as he goes to speak with the Training Leader.
Leanna turns to us.
"We need to figure out a way out of this. There's no way I'm going into the Commander's private quarters."

Zack speaks up.
"You have to."

"What!"

"Quiet!"

Leanna lowers her voice, but her tone is just as stern.
"Do you have any idea what an invitation to his private quarters means?"

"Of course I do, and that's why you need to go. This is your chance to get inside and find out if this is a part of VOID's operation like you two suspect."

She frowns.
"There must be another way."

"Probably, but not on such short notice without an all access pass to the most secure place in this entire mansion."

Leanna remains quiet as Zack's words sink in. Then she groans.
"Ugh, you're right. This is the perfect opportunity…"

I cross my arms.
"I cannot agree with this."

"What? Did you even listen to a word I said?"

"Of course I did. But have you forgotten who stands before you?"

I smirk as I pointetly let a small violet spark crackle between my fingers.
"Our possibilities are limitless to achieve our goal."

Leanna frowns.
"I don't want anyone hurt before we can certainly say that they work with VOID, Xerath."

"Just so you know, I have a plethora of non-lethal offensive powers as well."

"I appreciate your concern, but let's keep that as a failsafe."

I sigh.
"If you want to go ahead with this plan, I won't stop you. But we will make sure that he doesn't do anything you don't agree with. Right, Zack?"

"Right. We'll find a way inside and catch up with you, Leanna. When you get to his quarters, make sure you leave the door unlocked so we can get in."

"I will...But you two better hurry up! I do NOT want to be alone with him longer than I need to."

I place a reassuring hand on her shoulder.
"He will not lay a finger on you, you have my word. I will be there when you need me. If he just looks at you in the wrong way, I'll make him wish he didn't."

She places her hand on top of mine.
"Thank you, I appreciate your sentiment. But you do know I am capable of defending myself, if push comes to shove, right?"

I pause, startled.
"O-Of course I know. I just witnessed that yesterday."

"Then you know you don't have to fight my battles for me. You already carry enough burdens as is."

"I- Yes. Did it seem like I just did that? I'm sorry, I just can't help but worry."
I hang my head low.

Leanna squeezes my hand in response, and I look up to see her smile slightly.
"Hey, at least it's reassuring to know that you're there to look out for me."

I smile slightly as well.
"Anytime."

The Training Leader looks annoyed and waves the guard away.
We turn silent and I withdraw my hand as he returns to collect Leanna. She throws us one last look before leaving.

"So, what did you have in mind to sneak in?"

"We need a distraction."

I smirk sadistically.
"Those happen to be my forte. What did you have in mind? A sudden thunderstorm? An earthquake?"

"Uhm, even I think those might be a bit extreme. Let's see."

As Zack and I scan our surroundings, a hand falls on my shoulder.
"Don't worry, I've got this."

Zack seems confused.
"Get what?"

Broodman just winks at us as he enters the center of the courtyard.
The Training Leader looks amused as he enters the testing space unprompted but doesn't stop him.
Broodman stands perfectly still and takes an exaggerated breath, then slowly breaths out. He readies his arm in front of him and summons a glowing fireball in his hand.
As he aims it straight ahead of him, it was only then that I noticed that he'd strategically placed himself so he was facing a large tree.
That's smart. He'll ignite the tree 'accidentally' as part of his proficiency testing.
Or at least I think that was his plan. Broodman takes another deep breath, and just as he's about to let the fireball fly, he sneezes hard.
The fireball misdirects and catches on his clothes. He yelps as the flames lap at his clothes, and drops to the ground and rolls. But instead of extinguishing the flames, the grass ignites where he rolls!
Soon the courtyard is amuck with shrieking voices and running bodies.

I facepalm. Hard.
"Neat plan, poorly executed. Let's go, before his sacrifice will be in vain."

Zack nods, and the two of us slip through the same door we saw Leanna go through.
We enter a brightly lit corridor and try our best to blend in and stick to the few shadows in the room.
We manage to escape the corridor without incident and reach another open hallway. A guard stands in the center of the room making his rounds.
Zack signals for me to stay put but I hold him back. He glances at me quizzically.
I focus on the guard and let him drop into sleep, before grabbing his armor with telekinesis.
Zack sneaks forward, keeping the guard upright. I drop my concentration on the telekinesis and join Zack in securing him into a more secretive alcove.
I hold him down and pull him out of his sleep as Zack approaches him.
"Where are the Commander's quarters?"

He speaks that question as a command.

The guard blinks confused, then his expression melts into a determined scowl.
"W-what…? I'll never tell!"

Zack grins maliciously as he cracks his knuckles.
"Ahh, good."

"...Good?"

He smiles innocently.
"I was hoping you'd resist, it makes interrogations so much more fun."

"!"
The guard resumes his struggles, but I continue to hold him down. Zack slowly approaches nd I see the fear creep into the guards eyes.
"Hold on a second!"

Zack doesn't stop. Rather, he balls his hand into a fist. The guard looks at me with panic in his eyes.
"I'll talk, I'll talk! Just get that crazy guy away from me!"

Zack frowns but stops walking towards him.

The guard breaths a sigh of relief.
"The Commander's quarters are right down this hall and then a left at the next fork. His is the last room down that corridor."

Zack glances at me.

I nod.
"I can sense no misdirection. He tells the truth."

Zack's face returns to his usual stony mask.
"That's all we needed. Thanks."

I notice Zack's Musculatur shift for a punch, and quickly let the guard fall asleep again. The two of us hurry off.
As we turn down the hall, I face Zack.
"I'm suprised it was so easy."

Zack sighs.
"I know. How disappointing."

I look at Zack.
"I kinda agree with you, but don't tell Leanna I said that."

Zack smirks knowingly. Then his expression changes as if he just remembered something.
"By the way, how long will the guard be asleep?"

"Until his body is fully rested or someone wakes him up."

"Huh. Neat. Was it even necessary for this?"

I catch on to Zack's thought.
"Sadly yes. Their jamming magic interferes with my tracking senses. I can't pinpoint Leanna."

Zack nods, appearently content.

We sneak through the corridors and remain unspotted as we follow he guards instructions. We recognise the Commander's quarters immediately and see the two heavy, albeit beatifully wooden doors at the end of the hall are slightly ajar.

"There are no guards in front of the quarters. That's a serious lapse in security."

"I'd say there normally are some, but not when the Commander's got a woman in his room…"

"I am aware of the reason. But what if that woman was actually an assassin? Or had assassin friends waiting to ambush him? That's why my council and myself always have at least two Sky Troopers with us. They're droids, so it wouldn't even matter if they had special visitors."

Zack arches an eyebrow.
"'Droids'?"

I mentally reprimand myself for that slip up.
"Later."

Zack nods simply.

We slip into the room and are immediately greeted by a frenzy of whispers from Leanna.
"Oh finally! You guys sure took your sweet time!"

My face melts into an apologetic and worried expression.
"I'm sorry, we had to find the way first. Did he do anything to you? Are you alright?"

Leanna relaxes at my obvious concern.
"He didn't, yet. I'm also sorry, I forgot you couldn't immediately follow me."

Zack speaks up.
"Where's the commander?"

Leanna points to a locked door. That must be the bathroom.

"He went to 'freshen up'."
She shudders.

I put a reassuring hand on her shoulder while Zack crosses his arms.
"Okay, then what are you doing just standing around here for? Get into position!"

Leanna is hesistant.
"What position?"

Zack points to the bed and Leanna pales.
"You can't be serious?!"

"Do you want to jeopardise this operation or what?"

She crosses her arms.
"How would posing on the bed help with this operation?"

"Because while he's very distractedly approaching the bed, we'll be able to knock him out from behind. Quick and quiet and not alerting any guards."

Leanna sighs before I can protest, then lacklusterly climbs onto the bed. She lays down on her side and props her head up with her arm.
"Like this?"

I can't help but stare. The curves of her hips draw me in alluringly as her sultry eyes invite me to go to her.
"Uh, what was the question?"

Despite the circumstances, Leanna blushes under my stare and scrambles off the bed.

Zack frowns.
"No, that's not right at all. You have to be more … inviting."

Zack lounges on his stomach and bends his legs up at the knee as he rests his head in one of his hands.
"This is the most effective pose."

Leanna crosses her arms.
"Are you kidding me? You look like you're sunbathing at the beach! That's not alluring at all!"

"You don't know what you're talking about, woman."

"I think I'd know a thing or two more about flirting than you would!"

"Oh, please enlighten me, sailor."

Leanna's face flushes at the memory.
She's about to argue when the door to the bathroom flings open. A looming man stands in front of the door in nothing more than a too-revealing speedo.
"Apologies for the delay. my sweet. I wanted to make sure that I was in-"

He freezes when he sees Zack on the bed, and for a moment, nobody moves.

Zack breaks the silence.
"Alright, before we begin begin fighting, I have a really important question."

He mimics Leanna's original pose.
"Is this attractive?"

The Commanders face turns red with rage.
"No!"

Zack smiles.
"Thank you! That's exactly what I said!"

Leanna crosses her arms again.
"Well, it would have been attractive if I were doing it!"

"I'd agree to that, if anyone cares about my opinion…"

The Commander roars out in anger. Zack rolls off the bed and withdraws his dischargers in one smooth motion as Leanna's manipulator glows.
I snap for additional dramatic effect as I put the Commander to sleep.
However, that was my plan, as he remains very much awake. His mind must be stronger than the guard's earlier. Or more riled up.
Well, now I feel stupid for having snapped for appearently no reason. We will have to do this the old fashioned way, then.

The Commander glares at us.
"Do you really think that a bunch of Amateurs can take out someone as powerful as I? You fools will regret ever crossing paths with a Shadow General!"

I quip up.
"Amateurs? We're not the ones naked, though."

He raises his arms and readies a stance, as his face falls when he reliases the truth of my words.
"Oh shi-"

Zack shoots a blast which knocks the Commander down. He smashes his head against the dresser and falls to the ground with a heavy thud. Leanna rushes to check him, her sword at the ready, but he is knocked out cold.

"Well, excuse me, but we were having an argument here. Tzz, I swear, the nerve of some people..."

Zack faces me.
"They aren't so tough without their magic."

Leanna has her manipulator out and performs a scan.
"He said he was a Shadow General. That just confirms that this has something to do with VOID."

She suddenly focuses on an area in the floor. Prying up the floorboard, we find a large bag filled with dark spheres.
Leanna's voice is grave.
"Tainted spheres."

"Definitely VOID."

"Called it."

"We can't leave the spheres here. We have to take them."

"We'll be too conspicious lugging this bag around."

"But it would be even more dangerous to leave the spheres here for them to use."

I chime in.
"Also, what should we do with the Shadow General? Just leave him here?"

Zack shurgs.

Suddenly the window crashes open. The others ready themself for a battle but I know it's Broodman, felt his presence incoming. The others recognise him a moment later.
He dusts himself off and heads straight for the Commander.
"Finally, we meet again."

Broodman doesn't seem to notice we're there as he continues addressing the Commander.
"For all these years I have slowly unraveled everything you've worked so hard to build. I have been that Splinter that you just couldn't pull out. And now I am here to finish what I started. For I am Broodman, you killed my brother, prepare to die!"

He frowns as the Commander doesn't react.
"And even now you, won't give me the decency of acknowledging my presence!"

He moves in to kick him when I clear my throat.
"Kind of hard to notice you when he's unconcious."

Broodman pauses.
"Ah, yes, of course. He was so intimidated by my speech that he passed out in fear."

I roll my eyes.
"Yeah, that's likely what-"

Broodman strides to the Commander and seemingly without effort hauls him over his shoulder.
"Don't worry, I'll take it from here."

He launches the Commander out of the newly opened window.

Leanna calls out.
"We're on the second floor!"

"Oh..."

I quickly cast a gust of wind to levitate him back in, laying him on the floor.
"Calm your horses, I wasn't finished with him."

The others look at me questiongly.
"We just proved that this operation is run by VOID. I don't know about you guys, but I want to unveil their plans rather sooner than later. Especially if they're as dangerous as you guys told me."

I turn to Broodman.
"So unless you know all about his plans and are willing to share, I'd like to know them from the Commander himself."

"But how are you planning that when he's unconcious?"

"Conciousness of the target is not mandatory for me to extract information."

Without another word I step towards the Commander under the curious glazes of the others and squat beside him.
I reach out my hand and touch him at his head, closing my eyes and focusing. I search his memories for any useful information.
After a few minutes, I am done, taking back my hand and opening my eyes.

Broodman raises an eyebrow.
"What did you do? Read his mind or what?"

"No, his mind is rather inactive right now. I read his memories."

"What? How were you able to do that?"

"I'm not from Esaria. As a sorcerer from a faraway place, I have a different grasp of magic."

"Where are you from, then? I have not heard of sorcerers with this kind of power, yet."

"That isn't important right now. What is important is what I found."

"What did you learn, Xerath?"

"So, this guy, who goes by 'Shepard' or something, is actually quite high up in VOID's hierarchy. VOID is structured in a cell-based system."

I notice their quizzical looks when I mention their system, so I continue to explain that.
"They operate in cells that are independant on each other, but all of them are working towards a greater goal. Shepard's task was it to find more members, preferably strong mages. His instructions were that they need a larger force, and that he should achieve that in relative secrecy."

Leanna's face shows worry.
"But why? What is their goal? Are they preparing for another war?"

"Not according to what this guy knows. Appearently, VOID wants to learn more about shadow magic and how to make it safer to use. Appearently, they want to achieve a reformation on shadow magic."

Zack chimes in.
"You specifically said 'appearently'. Why?"

"Well, this cell-based system is great for large criminal organisations, because no cell really knows what another is doing. That also means that this guy only knows what he has been told by his superiors. It's not uncommon that the actual goals of the leaders differ greatly from what the lesser members believe."

Leanna speaks up.
"Okay... I think I understand. What do you think about this situation?"

I hold my chin between index finger and thumb.
"Hmm. At this point I can't say anything about their true ambitions with certainty."

I point to the Commander.
"All I can say is that this guy did what he believes in, what he thinks is right. I can honor that. Even if despise the fact that he's a huge playboy."

I turn to Broodman.
"I also saw the situation about your brother. Know that he didn't do it out of malicious intent, but rather a conflict of interests. I'm sorry for your loss. You may take him now."

He nods.
"Thank you, Imperius. You are an interesting man."

I chuckle.
"Likewise. Here, I hope we can stay in contact."

I pass him an infused pebble. I seem to use them so often, I decided to keep a stockpile with me, earlier when we scouted the building out.
"Hold this stone and think of me when you're in trouble and need reinforcement. Or otherwise wish for my presence."

Broodman catches the stone and nods in thanks. He looks out of the window as if to confirm something, then hauls the Commander over his shoulder an launching him out of the window again. We walk over to the window to see that Broodman safely threw the Commander onto a bush.
"All according to plan, my friends."

He climbs back through the window and lands on his feet beside the Commander, then takes him away into the night.

We all take a moment to let all the new informations sink in.
Zack is the first to speak up.
"We should get out of here as well before we attract too much attention."

Leanna nods. She carries the bag of tainted spheres as naturally as she can while I push open the doors.
There are two guards now stationed in front of the Commander's quarters, and they give us questioning looks as the three of us slip out, careful to close the door behind us.
"Where is the commander?"

Leanna slyly holds a hand before her mouth.
"Please don't disturb him. He's all tuckered out from our certain… activities."
She winks.

The guard clears his throat uncomfortably.
"Ahem, right, I, uh, I understand."

The second guard looks suspiciously at Zack and me.
"Hold on, what about you two?"

"Oh, don't worry, we took part in those activities too."
I wink and try to hold back my laughter at their horrified expressions.

Zack catches on and quips up with a samll amused smile.
"Would you like us to elaborate?"

"Nope! Not necessary! You may go!"

Zack grins as the three of us waltz out of the corridor.
Because the Commander had made it clear what his intentions were with Leanna, we had no trouble with any of the guards milling about and were able to exit the mansion unquestioned. That the only guard we actually knocked out was seemingly sleeping on duty and has no memory of us probably helped.
Once we are back outside, I take the other's hands and Phase Walk us back to the alley beside the inn. We quickly walk through the doors and urgently scoop up Amy and Kara.
Amelia greets us with a small smile.
"Greetings upon your safe return. I assume your endeavors were successful?"

Leanna smiles, but there's a strain in her voice.
"Yup, everything's great. But we should really be getting a move on now. We'll fill you in on the details later!"

Amelia looks suprised, but Kara notices the bag Leanna carries and urges Amy.
"Sounds good! We've been itching to get out of here anyway. Come on, Amy! Let's go grab our things and head out. The sooner we're out of here the closer we'll be to Elendale."

Amy shrugs and follows Kara to grab their things. Once they return downstairs, we depart.

As we leave Wolfsden, I spot the familiar dark visage of Broodman. Beside him is a woman wearing a hooded green cloak. She carries a large bow on her back.
I slip away from the group and step closer to Broodman, making sure to stay hidden from their view. The woman has braided, long white hair, and fine lines trace her tan skin.
Broodman nods.
"The deed has been done. VOID's operation here will crumble without their commander. Wolfsden need to fear the shadows no longer."

The woman nods in satisfaction.
Suddenly, her amethyst gaze slides to me.
I smile in a friendly manner.
Broodman notices her gaze and looks at me.
He flashes me a broad smile and gives me a thumbs up.
The woman's face is partially hidden behind a scarf, but she nods slowly, approvingly.
Then she abruptly turns and leaps up. She scales the wall and disappears onto the rooftop, silent and graceful, like a cat. Broodman pulls himself up using his brute strength, before following closely behind.

At least I know he's doing okay. Rest in peace, Shepard. You did the wrong things for the right reasons. You will be remembered.
I catch up with my friends as we continue out of the gates of Wolfsden.

Once we're on the road, Leanna and I fill the rest of the team in on what happened and what we learned. After traveling as swiftly as we can for the rest of the evening, we decide to make camp.
We choose a secluded area off of the main road and set to work. Leanna and I split up to search for firewood while Zack and Kara prepare our rations. Amy unrolls her sleeping bag and lights the campfire. The pango cuddles beside her and watches the dancing flames.
Once the food is ready, all of us gather around and begin to eat in silence.
I stare into the fire, the dancing flames calling me back to that fateful day on Voss. The day Vaylin decided to bomb the planet to kingdom come.
Kara playfully breaks the silence and calls me out of my reminiscence.
"Foiling another VOID operation... seems like just another day in the life now."

I chuckle melancholy.
"Nothing new for me, actually. However, we have seen a lot of VOID presence lately."

Kara crosses her arms and closes her eyes.
"Unless every single person who believes in VOID's ideals and goals is gone, it's impossible to fully get rid of VOID. They've always been around - even after the Treaty of Esaria - they're just more secretive about it now."

I smirk.
"Secretive is relative."

"It's just, you won't find them unless you know where to look."

Amelia thinks as Kara turns to and opens her eyes..
"If what you say about VOID and it's operations are true, then the most logical course of action would be to alert the Mage Guild or Academy of their whereabouts."

Kara adds her thoughts.
"They probably are already aware of many VOID activities and have missions to monitor or take care of things."

Leanna chimes in as our resident Mage Knight of the Guild.
"It's true that the Mage Guild is involved with a lot of suspicious reports of magical activities. I'm sure many of them have some connection to VOID, which the Guild would keep secret so as not to incite widespread panic."

I nod.
"That makes sense. A resourceful organisation like that would have some serious flaws in its intelligence if they were completely blindsided by all of this."

Amy nods.
"What has been said seems sensible."

Zack points to the bag of spheres.
"What are we going to do with those? Someone will probably come looking for them."

Leanna moves towards the bag.
"We'll turn them in to the Mage Guild at the next city and let them know what happened."

She tries to secure the bag when a blue little head pops up.
"Poi!"

The pango dives back into the sea of spheres and we hear contentend sighs of 'poi'.

Leanna seems suprised.
"Pango! What are you doing in there?"

She reaches straight into the bag and pulls him out, much to the pango's dismay.
"Po-i po-i!"

He struggles against her grip but she grabs him firmly.

I humm.
"I wonder, if a pango absorbs a tainted sphere, will the pango become tainted too?"

Amy shakes her head.
"No, the way a sphere is becoming tainted is by becoming supersaturated with energy, thus becoming unstable. A pango's absorbtion of energy is to turn said energy into fuel. He is unaffected by the type of energy absorbed."

Kara looks intrigued. She scoots closer to the pango and tickles him. He giggles.
"Huh. I never knew that."

I smile amusedly.
"If that's the case, why aren't pangos used against VOID? Send them into VOID establishments to absorb the tainted spheres."

Leanna answers.
"Absorbing spheres doesn't happen overnight and when a pango is full he'll stop absorbing energy. Just like we can't eat anymore after we've finished a meal."

Amelia continues without missing a beat.
"Perhaps in the span of a couple of months a pango could remove all the energy within a tainted sphere."

Leanna concludes.
"Exactly, the process is just too slow to be effective during battle."

I raise an eyebrow.
"You two do realise I was joking, right? I am familiar with a pango's abilities, and it's drawbacks. Thanks for the explanation, though."

Leanna's cheeks gain a bit of color and Amelia blinks.
"Oh."

The pango manages to wiggle out of Leanna's grasp and plops down beside me. He stares longingly at the bag but makes no move to return.

Leanna turns to me.
"Incidentally Xerath, why did you randomly snap in the faceoff against the VOID commander?"

I feel my cheeks flush in embarrassment.
"I wanted to add dramatic effect when I sent him to sleep."

Zack looks at me funny.

"It didn't work, okay?"

Leanna looks suprised.
"Wait, you can make people sleep? How does that work?"

I wave my hand in a houghty manner.
"Naturally. I told you the limits of my power. They are few. Everything else is possible. Everything. As to how it works, it's a rather unintrusive power of the mind. It's like a soft voice reminds them of how tired they are. Works splendidly on the average person, however, people with a strong will or strong emotions are unaffected by it."

Amelia seems intrigued.
"What other 'powers of the mind', as you called them, are you able to use?"

"A quite wide range, actually. They go from absolutely unintrusive ones like the Mind Trick, which is basically a soft suggestion to do something certain, and the mentioned Force Sleep, to some more intrusive ones like memory wipes or full force mind control."

Leanna shudders.
"Mind control? Like the Treasurer at Raven Pass?"

I shake my head.
"From what I gathered, my version of mind control would be more potent. From what the Mayor and the guards there said, it was more of an influencing of their own thoughts. My mind control is to completely supress the victims own thoughts. They'd basically be unable to do anything besides to watch what I'd do with their bodies."

Kara looks shaken.
"That sounds absolutely horrible! Why do you know such power?"

"I agree, it is absolutely horrible, and unforgivable to use. Well, I actually have quite a few powers I wholly despise, but alas, I still found myself in the possession of those."

Zack chimes in.
"But if you hate those powers yourself, why did you learn them, then?"

"Because I didn't actually learn them myself. I think I told you how I grew in strength by absorbing ghosts, right? Well, the last ghost I absorbed was something short of a god himself, so I learned this power at that point, along some other, equally morbid ones."

"I see."

The conversation lapses to a natural close.
We finish up eating and begin to clean up. Afterwards, I stiffle a yawn. The stars shine pinpoints of light amidst the black sky and their comforting glow makes me even sleepier.
We've had a long day. As the rest of the group also gets ready for bed, I crawl into my bedroll and close my eyes.
The night is still, and gradually I can hear the soft breathing of my friends as they each drift to sleep. A gentle shuffling noise has me blink open my eyes.
I see the pango slip out of Leanna's bedroll and tip toe on over towards the bag of spheres, glancing back every so often at her sleeping form to make sure she doesn't hear. When he gets close, I softly call out to him.
"Hey, pango."

He turns to look at me, nervously. His voice is equally low.
"Poi?"

"Leave one or two for me, alright?"

He grins widely.
"Poi!"

He shuffles the last few inches to the bag and scrambles inside.
The last thing I hear is a purring of 'poi's as I drift to sleep.