There are things in life that you can't help but stop and process. The revelation that I, for whatever fucking reason, have seemed to garner the attention of one of the worst Daedra outside the more obviously evil ones was one of those things.

My stare on the paper held as I tried to reach some form of understanding of the position I found myself in. The attention of ANY Daedric Prince is bad news, and I just so happened to catch the eye of the patron Prince of Cheese and Madness.

That made me afraid. If the Accounts of Madness were of any indication, the fact that he's involved in this situation means that I may very well be doomed to madness by the end of my journey, whenever that may be.

"Oh god…" I muttered, suddenly feeling very nauseous as the paper fell from my hands. I stumbled back and fell to the ground.

This was bad. This was very bad. This was so unbelievably bad!

Damn it, damn it, damn it!

Allowing myself to fall on my back, I gazed up at the stone ceiling. While the situation is bad, dwelling on the negatives is probably not the best option. This guy is the God of Madness, but if I recall correctly, he is also the Hero of Kvatch… and the only thing I know beyond that is most of those bad stories are of him before the Oblivion Crisis…

Maybe he's a bit better now? After all, if the quest in Skyrim is any indication, he is capable of some form of benevolence. He had The Last Dragonborn"fix" Pelagius the Third's mind… right?

Even if it's not, I'm going to pretend it is, because since I'm stuck with the eyes of the Lord of the Madmen on me, I at least want to try and not be paranoid about it. Perhaps this entire situation is like a contest with someone else, maybe Molag Bal, or Mehrunes Dagon. I don't know, but I don't want to think he's got bad intentions for me. He did lead me to a Dragon, and now I have the second word of Unrelenting Force. So maybe he's trying to help me?

Blind optimism is the strategy. As sad as it is, it is the best defense I can come up with to fight him and his influence. If I give in to whatever newfound paranoia this knowledge brings, then I might as well go and get myself committed… if they have asylums here, anyway.

If not… then a deep hole will do.

But I digress; I can't let myself dwell on however many bad situations my mind can come up with, because that will only ensure his hold over me becomes strangling.

Is that kind of avoiding the problem?

Kinda, but how do you fight madness besides just not letting it get to you?

I am not insane -not yet anyway- and so long as I don't let myself go insane or get my own mind broken, I should, in theory, be all good.

… Right?

Probably not, but I hope so…

As I laid there, I heard the whine of Dogmeat, and I rose up slightly to see him cautiously approaching me, walking around the dragon's bones as if afraid they were about to spring to life at any second. Which isn't exactly an irrational fear, all things considered.

"Hey boy," I greeted as I sat upright. He came up with his ears flat and his tail between his legs, as if he were afraid of me. I just offered my hand for him to come and sniff.

He gave me a hesitant look for a moment before sniffing it. He licked it for a few seconds before putting his own head in it, allowing me to pet him. I sighed happily, removing my helmet as he came closer and began licking my face. It was small things like this that would keep me sane and safe from Sheogorath.

I sat there and let him lick all over my face. Normally I would have shooed him away, but right now, that simple show of affection was enough to keep my mind off of the demons that wanted to plague it. Sadly though, we couldn't stay like that forever, so I wiped my face off and put the helmet back on.

"Alright bud, let's get out of here. We still have some stuff we need to do today." I stood up, and began looking around. "Normally in ruins like these, there are shortcuts to the entrance or the surface itself. Let's see if we can find one."

With that said, I began looking around. "Not sure how you feel about it, but I don't want to have to go back and deal with all those spiders," I told him. "Bark if you see anything like a pull chain or something; a lever, maybe…" I paused for a second as Dogmeat went looking around.

While Dogmeat went searching, I began grabbing the axes I lost, starting with the one embedded in the Dragon's skull, and then scouring for the Battle Axe, finding it along with some Dragon Scales in pretty good condition. They might be useful to hang onto if I ever figure out how to make them into armor.

As I began picking them up, a thought occurred to me. "Hmm… Maybe I am going a bit out of my mind. I asked a dog to tell me if it finds a pull chain or a lever, like it knows what-"

My thoughts were interrupted as I heard Dogmeat start barking over in the corner. When I went to check out what he found, I was a bit floored.

There he was standing next to a damn pull chain, sitting as happy as can be. I glanced down at the dog, a degree of disbelief crossing my face. How the hell did he…? I know I asked him to look, but how did he know what I asked him to find?

I couldn't help but take a deep breath. Don't think about it, just roll with it.

—-

"Good job, Dogmeat…" I rubbed his head affectionately as I pulled the chain. "Okay, yeah, you need a new name," I told him as a rock began shifting by the wall before sliding into the ground, revealing a small passageway. "Hmm… How about we try Rex? We'll see how you like that." I decided, earning a curious whine from the dog. "Rex is shorter and easier to remember, not to mention I don't want anyone thinking you are emergency food."

Thankfully, the pathway was easy to follow, just a long narrow tunnel with enough slopes that I was almost surprised we never got to the surface. When we arrived at the end, there was another pull chain, because of course there was. With a quick yank, the exit opened up, and almost immediately I was left coughing as smoke filled the passage. I recognized the place we came out, just next to their little camp.

"Fuck, forgot about the potatoes," I said between coughs, before two frostbite spells formed in my hands, and I began extinguishing the small smoke hazard.

It wasn't hard to get the situation under control, the charred potatoes chilled and dumped. Unfortunately, I didn't have anything to help clear out the smoke, so I began looking for the Black Dogs' exit, because I would rather not have to go all the way back out of the Rat Cave if I could avoid it.

"Damn man, what happened in here?" I heard an unfamiliar voice ask from behind me. The man wore a black vest, black pants, had his hair long, with the mercenary group's insignia boldly tattooed on his bare shoulder, and was carrying a satchel.

"Oh, some dumbass forgot to put out the fire and burned some perfectly good potatoes to a crisp," I explained easily. "Who are you?"

The man shook his head, "Sorry, not a lot of time to talk. I'm just here to deliver your payment, and I got a message from Kin," he explained, as he reached into his bag and pulled out a bag of gold and a note.

He held them out for me to take. Good, this was a chance to find out about what the Black Dogs are up to, and maybe get some proof about their attack.

I reached for both the bag and letter, the spells in my hands changing from Frostbite to Ice Spike. Once I was too close for him to dodge, I fired both of the spells in my hands right into his eyes. He was dead on the spot, falling back and dropping the objects he was carrying.

After he hit the ground, I took out my knife and cut the strap on the satchel, removing it from his body and looking inside. While looking through what was inside, I couldn't help but frown as I read what was in the letters. There were details for the upcoming assault on Feoh, but nothing directly proving the Prime Minister's involvement with it, or battle plans.

However, that wasn't to say there wasn't anything I could use, as I found some details about the attack that would be of great help.

For instance, it says here that in order for the attack to be successful, they need to conquer it and entrench themselves within hours. Ur is ready to respond to a major threat at a moment's notice, but the primary issue is that they are unsure how long it will take for them to mobilize in the event of an emergency.

However, if they were to capture Princess Prim Fiorire alongside Princess Alicia Arcturus, they could use her as leverage against Ur. Prim's parents adored their daughter to a fault, and they wouldn't risk anything that could hurt her.

They know Alicia has a bleeding heart, and that in a fight she would never surrender willingly. Someone had informed the Black Dogs that the best way to strike at her is through her people or Prim. To my surprise, they praise Alicia as a competent fighter, strong enough to bisect Ogres with her own strength and a very good military commander. However, her heart and love for her people are her biggest weakness, as well as a lack of foresight. She doesn't think ahead, only focused on the moment.

This may not be anything directly useful, but it did give me some insight as to how the fortress fell and didn't get recaptured in the first place. If the OVA is anything to go off of, they abused Alicia's love for her people to get her to surrender, captured Prim to make Ur surrender, and from there their momentum was difficult or impossible for them to stop.

They got two fortresses for the price and men of one, and because of that I can only assume men were lining up to join Vault.

It's almost impressive, but thankfully this gave me some ideas as to how I was going to keep them from falling in the first place. If I can make sure they can't take advantage of the weaknesses that Alicia does have, then in theory the fort might stand a chance. But that's only half the problem, since if Prim is captured, then the reinforcements from Ur will be less than useless. Making sure she is safe and sound is another objective, but most importantly is having it so they can't get so entrenched that they have the advantage when the reinforcements arrive.

If I can keep them from gaining a foothold, they'll get caught with their pants down between the defenders and the cavalry. I am no expert on military strategy, but I am almost certain the first rule of a siege is making sure that you don't get sandwiched between the fort you're trying to conquer and another army.

Now it's not perfect by any means, but at least I have a way to prevent the biggest military blunder in history. Hell, with any luck, this will cripple Vault's efforts, and he may just need to give up and run away with his tail between his legs like the cowardly dog he is.

I was about to leave, but then I remembered the note and gold that the mercenary was meant to deliver. I grabbed the coin purse and tied it to my belt, before opening up the note from Kin.


Samson.

I have an update on my research and new orders from Vault.

My research on James' magical blood has had a breakthrough. While it took me most of the time he was here to find the location of this ruin, the laboratories and devices within the Black Citadel have accelerated my progress tenfold! Not only have I managed to discover more magical anomalies in the kingdom, I have a reason to believe these are somehow connected to the naturally occurring magic within James' blood. I believe it may be possible to gain a natural magical affinity, like James has, through these sites.

As such, Vault has new orders. Each location I discover shall be converted into an outpost, starting with yours. Naturally, this means you are to set up a base there and maintain it for the foreseeable future, and that you are also responsible for claiming any slaves and materials needed to convert it into a proper base.

I am eager to hear your next report.

Signed

Kin.

Archmage of the Black Dog Service Nation.


I frowned at the note, wanting to punch myself for my stupidity. Of course, giving him some blood for a quick handful of gold was gonna fuck me over in the long run. I can at least take solace in the fact that they can't get the benefits of killing a dragon like I can. This does mean that anymore ruins that I find are probably going to be well fortified and packed with Black Dogs, however.

The only comfort I could take was that to keep those new bases secure and safe meant he probably has fewer people to fight his war… But that's just wishful thinking on my part.

With a sigh, I put the note with the others in the satchel and threw it over my shoulder. Maybe if I can show this to Alicia or Prim, I can get the fortress on high alert, maybe give them a better chance… I hope.

"Alright Rex, let's get on out of here," I told the shepherd as we made our way out through the opening the Black Dogs used to get in. As I made my way outside, however, I couldn't help but wonder: Was the courier arriving there mere chance, or design?

I wanted to think it was just good luck… but I couldn't ignore the possibility that the Mad God did something to ensure he arrived in time for our paths to cross. My eyes closed, and I took a deep breath. If I start thinking he is influencing every little event, then I might as well check myself into an asylum and start ranting about cheese and shit.

When I reached the mouth of the cave, I frowned at the sky. It was evening, with only a few hours of light left. However, the small mercy was that finding my way back to the road wouldn't be an issue, as I had a clear line of sight to the road, and I found myself walking downhill with Rex in tow.

"Okay, now which way is Feoh?" I questioned as I looked back and forth, spotting a fork in the road along with a sign. A short walk over, and I read easily that it was back the other way, with the fork leading to two separate villages or towns. I didn't bother remembering their names, as my main concern was the fortress. I turned around and began heading back down the road to Feoh.

Not wanting to be stuck in the middle of nowhere in the middle of the night, I decided to run back to the fortress-city. I didn't want to potentially miss Alicia and Prim's arrival, even though I knew I might have already. That job took much longer than I thought, and it might have cost me, but I needed the money to make sure I could get an early warning to Celestine, so that she can get the others to make preparations to defend themselves.

However, as Rex and I ran, I stopped to a halt when I noticed someone damn near sprinting down the road towards me. A bad feeling welled up in my gut, and I couldn't fight the urge to stop and prepare to defend myself…

… Only to realize that the man moving at an almost alarming speed was none other than Courier Carl.

"Carl?" I couldn't help but ask aloud as he got closer, slowing to a stop and seemingly not even winded by the sprint he just took to get to me.

"Do I know you?" he asked, prompting me to take off my helmet briefly. "Oh it's… uh… you!" he exclaimed, but that just made me look at him in confusion. "I apologize, I never learned your name when we spoke before," he explained, rubbing a hand across the back of his neck, my own eyes widening because I realized I had never given him my name.

"No, that's entirely on me, sorry about that… James, James Hind," I said, holding out my hand for a shake.

The courier's eyes widened in surprise for a moment. "You're James Hind?" he inquired, and I simply nodded. At my confirmation, he reached into his own satchel and fished out a coin purse, as well as a note.

"I've been looking for you, got some things I am supposed to deliver," he politely informed me as I took the small bag of coins. "I have a payment from a Ser Rath? Creepy and crazy, that one. Didn't make a lot of sense when giving my instructions."

"I can imagine…" I muttered sardonically to myself. "Thanks Carl, but before you go, how much did you want for that cure disease potion?" I asked, putting my hand in the purse.

The mailman did some calculations in his head. "About… A hundred coins?" he estimated. Unfortunately, these bags weren't enchanted to get the amount you wanted out, so I offered him the Black Dogs's payment purse.

"I'm not sure how much is in here, but for now take this. When I come by later to write a message for Celestine, I'll get whatever change is left."

"That's generous of you," he said happily as he took the bag. "Would you like to follow me back to Feoh?"

I nodded, putting my helmet back, before we both began running back to the fortress.

When we arrived, it was just about nightfall. Carl was very polite in helping me get through the crowd by flashing a special badge to the guards. They allowed us through the guards' quarters, since the main gate was still flooded with refugees. But as we moved through, I noticed something that rubbed me the wrong way: Olga's sleeve and Chloe's glove, situated on the nearby table.

"The hell?" I muttered as I grabbed them. They were just sitting here, tossed onto the table unceremoniously, and left there.

A frown found its way onto my face as I realized that neither of two things had happened. One, they hadn't started looking, which was bad enough considering they might have been kidnapped.

Or two, they just didn't care enough to start looking. Either way was a bad look for the guards, since even me taking them elicited damn near no reaction.

"Is everything okay, James?" Carl asked.

I shook my head negatively. "No. On my way into the city, two people in my care were captured, and I gave these to the guards to try to find them…" I told him as we continued through the quarters. I couldn't help but feel angry at this… wasn't it their job to help people?

Carl frowned. "That'd be the Captain of the Guard's doing," he informed me. "He's been issuing strange orders from what I understand, but no one has been able to figure out why. Things like theft and murder are looked into, but kidnappings have been remarkably… untouched. Many people suspect something foul is going on, but no one has any proof."

Why do I get the feeling I know exactly why?

"Who's this captain?"

"Captain Hargar, real nasty man. I've heard rumors that he was once a Black Dog."

Of course he was, every single bad man I know of has some connection to that bastard.

"No one's been able to prove it though, but I heard Lady Arcturus has been looking into the suspicions about him."

Well, at least she has an idea something is wrong. "Well, at least someone is doing something, but…" I paused as I looked down at the glove and sleeve. "Now it's been well over a day since they went missing, and nothing's been done about it." I started squeezing them in my hand. "And now they're god knows where, getting who knows what done to them!"

Carl opened his mouth and closed it, before looking down at Rex.

"Ah!" he pointed at the dog. "Why don't you see if your dog can pick up the scent?"

I would've given him a flat look if I wasn't so damn aggravated. "Well, what's the worst that can happen? He doesn't pick up anything, and you are still in this situation?"

A sigh escaped my lips, "Alright, what's the worst that can happen?" I asked as I crouched down to Rex's level. "Alright buddy, think you can help me find some people?" I held the glove and sleeve out to him and let him sniff it. He sniffed and sniffed, before barking and running off…

"Well, I'll be damned!" I exclaimed as I took off after him. "I'll see you later Carl!"

Rex ran through the city, leading me from into the slums, then back out, around back alleys, through squares and damn near all over the place. I couldn't help but wonder if he actually had a scent, until he stopped in an alleyway and began sniffing around until he found a corpse of a man.

He was huddled in the behind some boxes, just out of sight from the street. In addition to that, there were some odd things about the body and around it that didn't make sense to me.

First off, the body was of a sleazy-looking man, and he had been dead for a while. Then, there were signs that he wasn't killed here. The blood patterns on the ground made it seem like he was dragged, and his positioning was too artificial, as if he was placed behind some crates. No one would have seen him for a while.

He was also too well-dressed to have been one of the normal civilians of Feoh. His clothes were finely made, ignoring the blood of course, but why on earth was someone like him dead and dragged to an alley?

His throat was slashed; he would have died almost immediately, but strangely enough there were some bloody bandages nearby. But if he had died within moments of this happening, why would there be any bandages at all? Did he hurt whoever did this? I grabbed the bandages and held them to Rex.

"Think you can follow this?" I asked as the dog sniffed the bloody cloth. Rex barked a few times before leaving the alley, with me following close behind. I'll report the body later, but I have a feeling that he deserved it.

Rex led me to a richer part of town, stopping at the door of one of the manor houses in the city in a richer district, where he led me to another alleyway; but this time there was no corpse, only more bandages. Once again, I allowed him to pick up the scent of whomever I was following, but I was getting a bad feeling about this whole situation… If anything happened to those two elves, I swear I was going to tear whoever is responsible apart.

Following Rex took me all over the city again, until we finally ended up in a market square, where he barked a few more times before vanishing into the crowd. I was about to call out for him when I heard a very angry, very familiar voice.

"Unhand me!" the voice cried out, prompting me to push through the crowd to find the source.

"You half-breed bitch! I'll make sure you regret ever doing that!" I heard an angry man respond, followed by Rex barking and making a fuss around the area where the conflict was happening. "Someone put a muzzle on this mutt before I put it down!"

That was my cue to force myself through the crowd as fast as I could to reach the center of the impromptu gathering. And when I reached the center, I found myself staring at a not wholly unsurprising sight. But at the exact same time, it was.

My eyes traveled from Rex, who was busy barking and causing no small degree of trouble for the men surrounding a very upset Half-Elf, now wearing a long brown hooded cloak and with a bandage wrapped around her arm, currently having her limbs restrained by four men.

"What the hell is going on here?!" I asked loudly, drawing everyone's attention to myself.

Chloe stopped struggling for a moment, looking at me with wide eyes that spoke of recognition, but not entirely of relief. "You?" she asked quietly, as if she didn't want to believe she had been found by me.

"None of your business," their presumed leader said with a voice that sounded like he gargled tar. He was a bald man that stood about a whole two feet shorter than me, sporting a large nasty bruise on his cheek, and wearing clothes that made me think he was a noble of some kind, with the minor exception that he was letting his gut just sort of hang out of his shirt. For a brief moment, my mind wandered to the fashion of this place, and quickly came to the conclusion that people here seemed to favor wearing less, even the men, and I am not okay with that.

"Now move along before I have my men here beat you into the dirt. I have business with this half-elf bitch."

With that, he tried to start leaving, but my hand snaked out and grasped his shoulder firmly.

"You don't get to tell me what is and isn't my business," I said firmly as I spun him back around to face me. "Now explain to me what is going on before I lose my self-control and make you a whole head shorter than you already are."

As aggressive as my attempt at intimidation was, I was not about to let ANYONE drag away ANYBODY. Not even someone as hostile to me as Chloe is.

From how his face morphed from anger to fear in the span of a second, I had a feeling I managed to convey a rather scary image. After all, I was dressed head to toe in full Iron Plate, with a low voice, a giant axe on my back and a sword at my hip.

"Let's not get hasty now," he surrendered with his hands up. "You want an explanation? Alright," he said, before pointing at Chloe. "This woman right here stole my coin purse."

"I did no such thing!" Chloe denied. "This little human bastard bumped into me, then showed up with these men trying to take me away!"

"Bah," the small man exclaimed, clearly not buying it. "All half-elves know is to lie, cheat and sleep their way out of any problems they get themselves into." He turned to me. "As you can see, I have the situation well in-"

As the man had begun turning to walk away, I made sure to grab him again. "Not so fast," I interrupted. "How do you know she's the one who stole from you? I don't see a lot of places to hide something as large as a coin purse on her." I pointed out… although I knew she could hide things as big as a lock picking set on her person somehow, I wasn't convinced she could hide a bag of coins as easily.

The man sputtered for a moment. "I-I-I… W-well, you see, they are crafty; she might have hidden it away somewhere to pick up later!"

"So let me see if I get this straight. You are ASSUMING she is the one that stole from you without proof or evidence?" For a brief moment, I saw Chloe's eyes widen in disbelief. I was unsure what exactly she was thinking at the moment. "Sounds to me like you were just fishing for an excuse to grab someone off the street."

After my not so subtly accusation, the man's face turned tomato red. "Are you implying something sir?! Should I get the guards involved in this matter?!" he threatened, but I couldn't have felt less in danger if they had their weapons out.

My eyes narrowed. "So your first reaction to theft was to have your men try to restrain and carry off a girl who you don't even have the solid proof of being the one who stole from you?" Pointing out how bad the situation looked, especially to the nearby onlookers, would make it harder for them to actually get away with this. After all, if the guards did get involved, it would look like he was just throwing around accusations. "You tell me what I should think, because to me, it's looking more and more like an abduction."

I put a hand on the sword at my hip. An unspoken threat was being made, and I was pretty positive that if the guards were to actually show up, I'd be on the right side of the law.

The small man let out a low and pathetic growl. "Release her," he forced himself to say, earning surprised looks from his men and Chloe. "Now," he commanded. His hired thugs let their hands off the Half-Elf, who quickly got away from them. To my surprise, she actually came over to my side.

"I won't forget this," he said threateningly as he and his men began walking off.

We stood there and watched them until they were out of sight. "Well, that was easier than I expected it to be." I started before looking down at the Half-Elf that had taken a spot next to me. Her ears drooped slightly under my gaze, before I grabbed her by the wrist. "Now I think I am overdue for an explanation."

I led Chloe to a less busy town square with a fountain, and sat her down at the edge of it. I stared down at her, and she kept her gaze level on the ground. Neither of us spoke, and Rex decided to take a seat right between us. I had so many things I wanted to ask: what happened, where did they go, where is Olga, why was her arm cut, why did I track her to a dead man…

"So…" I began, trying to figure out exactly how to approach this situation. "What happened? If I recall correctly, Lady Discordia had agreed to remain in my custody. Then next thing I know, you both are gone, and I'm left worried sick about what had happened to the two of you."

I tried to remain as calm and civil as possible. The reason being I was tired. Scratch that, exhausted. I fought a bunch of Black Dogs, a dragon, went all the way back here in considerably heavier armor, and I was still trying to process the fact that this entire situation can be blamed on a god of madness…

I was not in any mood to chase down Chloe again. So, despite my IMMENSE desire to scream and yell at her right now, I did not want to chase her down again if she began to feel threatened by me or my tone.

Chloe thankfully did not run, nor did she even try to dodge the question, and simply took a small breath.

"I…" she began, trying to come up with the words. "… I do not wish for my Lady to end up like so many other Elves that travel in human lands. I am sure you have gathered that I do not like humans. As a matter of fact, I would go as far as saying that I hate your kind." Her gaze traveled upwards to me. "Humans also terrify me."

I blinked. "What?"

I had known about her hatred for us, but terrified?

"Humans are cruel. I do not treat you with distrust simply because of racial prejudices. The true reason is far deeper than what I would ever willingly share with one of your kind," she growled out. "Out of every creature I have ever met in my life, only humans are the ones who practice cruelty for the sake of it." Her eyes drifted over to Rex. "Of all the monsters in my Queen's lands, of all the years I have been alive, there is only one fact that has remained true: Humans are the only creatures in the world that CHOOSE to be as vile as the creatures you fight."

I couldn't help but glance away at that. Despite my desire to argue against it, knowing exactly what she was talking about stopped me from doing so. I remembered the OVA's fourth episode showing Chloe as a child, being treated as less than an animal. Whatever argument I could offer wasn't going to change her mind.

"How does that explain why you ran from me?" I asked instead. After all, she was fine with traveling with me before.

"I thought I could keep myself under control, keep myself from panicking at being surrounded by humans again… but I could not," she admitted with shame leaking into her voice. "I am Lady Olga's Knight… but being surrounded like that…" she trailed off.

I sat down not directly beside her, but close enough. "So you panicked?"

A single nod came from her head, as she said in a low, quiet voice, "Yes."


As James had pulled the two of them into the crowd, the anxiety and slowly building fear began reaching a boiling point.

Her plan was simple: Steal his Satchel, and flee the kingdom with her master using the funds she knows are inside it. She had seen him put coins in it before, and it wasn't an unreasonable assumption to believe there was more inside. However, once she and her master were submerged in the crowd of people, being pulled along by their captor, Chloe felt anxious, terrified, and years and years of trauma buried a lifetime ago began to resurface.

To her credit, the former slave tried to retain her composure to enact her plan to claim James' satchel, and had managed to cut the strap holding it to his body while holding onto the shorter half of the cut. The longer part was pulled free of James, and he had been none the wiser for it. However, while she had managed to claim what she needed, her terror had reached its peak.

Being surrounded by humans shouldn't have inspired as much dread as it did. She had spent many years of her life surrounded by them, and many more around monsters just as vile as mankind.

And yet, while she and her master were submerged in the crowd, being pulled along in a grasp tighter than she would have liked, but lighter than she had expected, she found her own mind and years of mental training and conditioning all betraying her in this very moment.

She was surrounded on all sides, the faces around her turning into the ones that haunted her nightmares.

She needed to get out of this, she needed to escape this horde, she needed to be free!

Her heart hammered in her ears, and she found herself struggling in James' grasp. Luck was on her side, or so she had thought in the moment that her hand, sweaty from her panic, had managed to slip free of her own glove when her feet planted themselves firmly in place as she tried to force herself to the closest edge of the crowd. However, in her current state, her rational mind did not think correctly, and in turn her own arm grabbed Olga's. Before any protest could be made, she pulled hard enough that the other woman's own sleeve was removed, just as her glove was.

Her Mistress had fought her briefly, and had said something, but Chloe could not hear. Her ears were ringing with the laughter and grunts of men from her youth. It was only after they found a dark and quiet spot did her senses finally return to her.

"Chloe, are you alright?" she heard her Queen ask. The concern in her voice was humbling, but to hear it addressed to her made her feel ashamed in a strange way. Lady Discordia should never have to worry about anything, herself included.

"I… Yes, Lady Olga," she said, trying to force herself to be calm and composed.

The Dark Queen's normally stern and regal eyes softened considerably for a few moments. "I have known you for a long time Chloe. I know when you are lying to me."

Chloe found her will to continue her attempt to salvage her own pride crumble under the knowing gaze of her Master. "I apologize, Lady Olga. But being surrounded by humans again…" she trailed off. "It brought memories best left buried in the past to the surface. I… I panicked."

Admitting that she lost control of herself like that… it pained her, pained her to fail her master, to go against her wishes.

With a sigh, Olga pulled Chloe close in an embrace. "I understand your past haunts you Chloe," she spoke slowly, making sure her subordinate had enough time to process what she had said. "In truth, I should have asked if you were comfortable doing it, but instead I presumed that you could handle it."

Her words, while aimed to comfort her, had the unintended side effect of cutting deep. There was nothing more damaging to Chloe than failing her Queen. No humiliation, no pain, no defeat that would bring her as much anguish as failure. She loved Olga, more than she could possibly realize, as such disappointing her in any way, tore directly at her heart.

"I am sorry, My Lady… I thought I could handle it," she said quietly. She then noticed her Master's gaze trailing down towards the satchel she had taken.

A curious eyebrow was raised. "You stole from him?" the Dark Queen asked, her voice not betraying how she felt about the deed.

It became difficult to look her mistress in the eye for a moment, as she carefully grabbed the bag and held it out for Olga to take. "I… Yes, I did," she admitted, feeling a certain degree of shame build up as her Queen gave her a severe look.

Her Queen's gaze was hard as her tone went from comforting to scolding. "I did not teach you to be a thief," she said. "Humans are thieves. Humans steal. We do not." Her every word felt like a dagger being thrust into Chloe's gut. "Did I not teach you better? Was I not clear enough?" She pressed a hand to her face. "I expected better from you, Chloe."

"I just wanted to set you free…" confessed the blonde, head bowed to the floor, unwilling to look her master in the eye. "I do not know what they had planned for you… but I refuse to allow you to walk blindly into their clutches!"

While it was an undeniable fact that she loved her Queen more than she realistically should, her desire to see her safe overshadowed even her loyalty. "Humans cannot be trusted, and I will not let them have you… even if it means I must go against your wishes…" she almost whispered the last part. She didn't know how her master would react to her saying such things, so she tried her hardest to make it as inaudible as possible.

Olga's eyes widened for a brief moment, before taking a softer look.

"Chloe…" she began quietly, her hand reaching out and pushing her subordinates' chin up to face her. Looking at her face now reminded her of when she first met the Half-Elf in her tower so many years ago, tearfully pledging her everlasting loyalty to her. The Dark Queen wanted to explain that it was her choice to do this, as her own pride as a Dark Elf compelled, but found the words failing her, her lips curving up slightly in a small smile.

"Thank you."

For a few moments, Chloe's eyes widened in surprise. "Lady Olga?"

"While I do not appreciate you going against my wishes, I must admit that I would rather this than the alternative of being a prisoner." Her gaze returned to normal once she finished speaking. "However, this presents the issue of being stranded in the middle of a human city without any real supplies, or even a plan on where to go from here," she pointed out, gazing out to the street, watching humans pass while they were cloaked in the shade of the alleyway.

"Well, we have the human's satchel. I'm sure that it…" Chloe reached inside, only to find her hand coming up empty. "What?! But I saw him put things in here, coins and other things!" She reached in and tried her hardest to pull out anything, but her hand grasped at nothing.

Olga glanced back at Chloe's struggle with the bag. "This is because you're looking for things HE put inside," she informed her subordinate. "These enchanted bags create separate pockets for separate people. Anything his hands put in, only his hands can withdraw. Just like anything you put in, only you can withdraw from it."

It took Chloe a moment to understand what she meant. "So… this is worthless to us?"

"I would not say that exactly. As rare as it is, it is useful for carrying around many things, but as far as claiming what James had stored inside? We simply cannot."

The words echoed in Chloe's ears. She had stolen this satchel… for nothing? A part of her was infuriated at the blasted bag, another part of her felt some type of remorse for doing it… but that feeling was quickly squashed down. She had nothing to be sorry about; after all, he was only a human.

With the original plan to use his money and supplies to get out of the city now unfeasible, Chloe tried to come up with another plan, only for her Queen to begin walking towards the street.

"Lady Olga! Where are you going?!" Chloe asked, alarm filling her voice as the Dark Elf willingly walked towards not only daylight, but a crowd of humans.

"We will need funds for food, shelter, and our eventual exit to this city. Now come with me. Perhaps we can sell the satchel and other unneeded items we have, so we can afford something," she told Chloe as she stepped onto the street.

Almost instantly, they could feel the eyes of every passerby and bystander gazing at them. While Olga did not like their gazes, she ignored them, and instead kept her eyes out for any kind of merchant stand.

As they walked the streets, Chloe couldn't help but feel uneasy. Numerous people's eyes lingered on them, more specifically her rear, and her Queen's bust… She could track their eyes easily enough, and she did not like that so many people were open with their perversion. As ironic as it was to admit, she preferred James in this regard. She knew he stared every so often, but he caught himself quickly and averted his gaze.

These people though? They didn't even try to hide it.

Soon, they found themselves stopping in front of a small, fat man that had crossed their path. For whatever reason, he had the gall to not only stare, but stand in their way as if he were their destination.

"My, my, what do we have here?" he asked with a voice that sounded like he gargled tar. "Not every day you see elven beauties like this here."

Chloe was about to openly tell him to step aside, but her Mistress merely ignored comment and man both altogether. She simply walked around him, not even sparing a glance down or back, treating him less than a man who tried to get their attention, and more as a small piece of trash on the large street. The surprised expression on his face as he was blatantly disregarded was something that filled her with a certain degree of satisfaction.

The Half-Elf moved to follow, walking around the man who was openly fuming at being ignored, only to stop dead in her tracks as he shouted at her. But what he said did not matter nearly as much as what he did after.

"DON'T IGNORE ME!"

*SMACK*

Every onlooker suddenly threw their hands to their mouths and gasped. Even Olga stopped to look back after the sound. It took a few moments to understand what they had just seen and heard. Chloe felt the stinging pain in her rear that brought up many bad memories of her youth, and turned slowly to look at the offender.

A brief conflict occurred in her mind. One part of her mind said he wasn't worth the effort, but every other part was screaming much louder.

The small man opened his mouth to say something, but the words never left his mouth as he was cut off when he and everyone else witnessed the world's fastest spin kick.

Her shoe collided with his cheek so fast that it sent him sprawling out onto the ground, unconscious, and face first in the dirt. Although it did nothing to alleviate the sting of his hand, seeing him hit the ground like the trash that he was brought her some small satisfaction.

It also sent a message to the onlookers: You try anything, and she will not hesitate to knock your lights out.

Moving on from that brief encounter, Olga had managed to find a general goods store/pawn shop. If they could sell this bag here, then they would be all set. However, as it turns out, bartering is neither of their strong suits.

"I'll give you two gold for this," the man behind the counter said as he examined the bag in front of him.

Olga's gaze narrowed. "I believe you mean two hundred at the very least," she corrected, but the shop owner gave her a flat look in response.

"No, I mean two," he confirmed. "This thing looks ready to fall apart. It's dirty, got burn marks, the leather is tearing, and the strap is broken. It would cost me more to fix this than I'd get reselling it. You get two, take it or leave it."

Chloe looked outraged. "It's enchanted to fit as much as you can carry in it!" She tried to counter, taking a candle, dropping it in and then out again. "See?!"

The shopkeeper maintained his unimpressed look.

Despite his passive face, she tried to convince him, putting various items inside it and then withdrawing them. However, nothing seemed to sell the fact that it was bottomless, least of all that most of what could be found in the store would easily fit inside. Even as she dropped numerous items and withdrew them one by one, he maintained his uninterested expression.

"Look, I can tell you're desperate for some coin, so how about we make a deal?" He leaned forward on his counter, and pointed at Olga. "That crown looks valuable. I'll give you the two hundred in exchange for that."

The audacity of that human made Chloe irate at the offer. She looked ready to attack if it wasn't for the fact that Olga clearly had enough, and turned on her heel to walk out.

"We are leaving," she said plainly, and the Half-Elf complied with no argument, not even a word towards the shopkeeper, who had the audacity to ask such from her Mistress.

Despite that initial failure, the two tried again and again, with different vendors in different places, to sell the bag for what they knew it was worth. But as the day dragged on and evening fell on the city, they found themselves at something of a loss. Neither had expected this to be easy, but it was becoming more difficult than either had bargained for.

Yet, despite their difficulty, they found themselves relieved in a way that no one had dared try anything repulsive towards them, save for the one fat noble earlier. Since he discovered quickly that anyone who lays a hand on them is destined for a quick dirt nap, no one else had the courage to make an attempt. They traveled everywhere they could think of to try to sell the bag, but none were willing to give them the amount it was worth.

This resulted in them navigating the poorer district, hoping to find someone to purchase the bag from them.

They were getting desperate, to the point Olga began to consider parting ways with her crown, given to her by her people when she had set out on her sacred duty, merely to have shelter for the night. As painful as the thought was of parting with it, they needed food, water, and a roof over their heads by nightfall, otherwise… she did not wish to entertain the idea of two tired, hungry, thirsty and near defenseless women walking the streets after many had gone to bed.

Olga led them back down a well traveled street to the pawn shop. She had decided her crown was a small price to pay for enough money to get a room at an Inn.

"Here again?" asked the other as she recognized the sign and street. However, Olga said nothing as she pushed the door open and entered, Chloe following close behind. Once inside, they noticed they were not the only ones inside, another well-dressed man browsing the shelves as well. The blonde half-breed instantly didn't like the look of him, but managed to keep calm and focused enough not to let it show.

"Ah, you're back." The shopkeeper noticed as Olga approached the counter. "You reconsidered my offer?"

As the words finished coming out of his mouth, the Dark Queen's knight was about to deny it, only to watch as her Mistress reached up to her own head. "I wish for five hundred gold pieces at the very least," she informed calmly. "This is part of my culture, and to part with it is difficult. I request suitable compensation."

Her statement caught the attention of the man browsing, but rather than do anything outright, he opted to watch events unfold. The shopkeeper however frowned.

"Oh, you're one of those," he dragged out with a heavy and exasperated sigh. "For that? One seventy-five."

"What?!" Chloe cried out. "You offered two hundred before!"

"You're right, I did. But then you tried to sell me on one of the most commonly used sob stories I've ever heard." His voice took on a mocking tone as he imitated other customers. "Oh, this has been in my family for generations. This is more valuable to me than all the gold in the world. I can't stand to part ways with it! I've heard it all and then some a thousand times before, lady."

Chloe felt her anger rise at this shopkeeper's arrogance.

"Why you-!" She was half ready to attack then and there.

His expression remained unchanged as he leaned forward on the counter. "And you know what? For talking back to me, let's lower it to one fifty. And for the hostility? One twenty-five," he continued. "You want to make it even lower? Go ahead and keep talking."

To say the Half-Elf looked ready to kill was an understatement. The only thing that stayed her hand was her Lady, who simply raised her hand to halt Chloe in her tracks. It was a silent command to stand down and remain silent, and Chloe had no choice but to comply.

"I was prepared to part with it for the agreed amount, but I will not stand for being given less than what it is worth," Olga told him, as she turned to leave.

However, the other man in the shop got between them and the door. "Hold on now," he said in a slimy voice as he placed himself in front of them. "Now, what were you trying to sell that fine crown for anyway? If it were me, I wouldn't dream of selling something so beautiful."

Olga looked at him with contempt. "Unless you wish to make an offer, begone with you. I am in no mood to speak to every human I come across."

"Well, I do have an offer," he readily supplied. "You see, I am something of a collector of Dark Elven artifacts, and I can tell this is a genuine Dark Elf crown, isn't it?" he pointed out; Olga was almost surprised, however she didn't let her face show it. "I'll be more than happy to pay you for its worth, if you're willing to part with it."

Olga glared down at the man. "And what do you believe it to be worth?"

"Five Thousand. Easy."

The shopkeeper in the back perked up. "Wait, what?!" he called out, leaving the counter to approach the two. "You're telling me that is a genuine Dark Elven crown?!"

The customer nodded. "Indeed, and in remarkable condition, too… In fact, I'd wager you've left your land just recently… haven't you?"

Well, that wasn't untrue. "I do not believe that is any of your business, human," Olga told them defensively. "If you wish to pay me for it, you will supply me with the coins here and now."

Again, to her surprise, the man simply opened his coat and began reaching inside, only for the shopkeeper to chime in.

"I'll give you six thousand!" he offered, making his would-be customer pause.

"Seven," was the simple counter offer.

The shopkeeper, not to be outdone. "Eight!"

"Don't make yourself any more of a fool, we both know you don't have that much! If you did, you wouldn't be running a pawn shop in the poorest district in the city," remarked the other.

"Just because it is stretching into my personal funds doesn't mean I don't have the coin," he countered. "And besides, I know there are some nobles who won't hesitate to spend a fortune just to get their hands on a genuine piece of Dark Elven regalia."

"Well then how about this," challenged the collector, before looking at the Dark Queen and making his next offering. "Ten thousand," he said in a smug-sounding tone.

The shop owner looked alarmed by this. "What's a man doing with ten thousand gold in the slums?!"

"Looking for rare treasures, obviously," he said, eyeing both Olga and Chloe in a way neither of them were too appreciative of. "Now, unlike before, I do not have ten thousand coins on hand. If you were willing to accompany me to my home, I would be glad to give you everything."

The two women exchanged a glance, before nodding. "Very well," Olga agreed, allowing the man to lead them away from the shop and through the city one more time.

"Lady Olga, I don't like this…" Chloe quietly confessed as they followed the man. "I feel like he's leading us into a trap."

The Dark Queen nodded. "Indeed. However, he does not seem to know we expect treachery," she pointed out. "If he tries anything, you have my permission to take any action you believe is best."

With her Mistress' permission, Chloe readied herself. She would stab him in the back before he could betray them.

He took them to a run-down building, one that had clearly seen better days, but nonetheless followed the man inside. It looked horrid, trash was all over the place, and it became evident to them both that when this man had called himself a collector, it was clear he was a collector of junk. The door closed and clicked shut, locking and trapping them inside.

"I believe I wasn't upfront with you. Allow me to fix that. When I said I was a collector of Dark Elven artifacts, I should have said I was a collector of Dark Elves," he corrected, taking out a small knife and holding it threateningly. "Now, someone has issued a pretty big reward for you. He sent word yesterday to keep an eye out for any Dark Elves, and lo and behold, here you are. And I got you all to myself," he said with a sickening smile.

Although they knew they should feel threatened, both the Dark Queen and her Knight only felt insulted. "I do not know what I find more pathetic, the fact that you thought a knife would intimidate us, or that you could handle capturing us alone."

Chloe, as if to make her point, slowly pulled out the sword from her own belt. It was a one-sided fight at best, if one could call it a fight at all. Chloe was tired, hungry, and thirsty, but that only served to make this fight more pathetic. Their would-be abductor made a single attack, one the half-breed easily avoided as she grabbed his collar and put her sword to his throat.

"Chloe," Olga spoke slowly. "If we are to stay the night in this place, do not make a mess, unless you wish to clean it."

For a moment, Chloe wondered what she meant, but understood quickly. He was dragged upstairs, and led towards the second floor window to be killed and dumped quickly. However, in one final attempt to save himself, he swung his knife wildly and made a deep cut in her arm, but ultimately it was a futile effort. He expected some helpless women, not a trained warrior.

Before she disposed of him, she had checked the bag of coins he had offered them before... and felt her a seething rage as the 'coins' were nothing more than a sack of pebbles... Damn human would have played them for fools if they had believed him! She dropped the bag, pulled his head back and pressed her sword to his throat and dragged it across his neck.

His throat was sliced open, and his corpse tossed out into the alley. Despite throwing him out the window, Chloe couldn't help but wince in pain at her arm. She raided his cabinet and found some simple rags that would make for temporary bandages.

Once her arm was wrapped, she looked out the window at the body. Odds are he wouldn't be found for a while, not like murder was anything special for human lands. By the time anyone cared enough to notice, they would be long gone… or at least, that was Chloe's hope.

In truth, though… She had no idea where they were going to go. They had no plan, no idea where to go now that their home has been lost to them. Being among humans was one of the last places she had ever wanted to be, only just above being anywhere near her former master.

The thought of that man still terrifies Chloe to this day, even though she could kill him if she wanted. If she was correct, he would be an old man by now, but that didn't change the fact that even his name inspired fear.

"No… Don't think about him," Chloe told herself as she turned and went back downstairs. Before she did, she made sure to close the windows on the second floor. For a brief moment, she thought she saw James across the street in an inn, but she dismissed it as her mind playing tricks on her.

She returned to the ground floor and saw Olga examining the cabinets. "It is done, Lady Olga."

Her Queen nodded. "I see." She closed her eyes and sighed. "Unfortunately, this man did not keep his pantry stocked. I will see what I can make. In the meantime, I would like you to clean up this pigsty, as I do not know how long we will remain here. I refuse to live in filth."

Chloe nodded and began collecting the trash and refuse that their now deceased host had allowed to pile up. She had the foresight to grab a large basket that he had been throwing his clothes into, and use it to gather the trash. Once filled, she would dump it onto the corpse, hoping that maybe burying him in refuse would help prevent his discovery.

While Chloe cleaned, Olga took part in one of the few joys she had in her life: Cooking. She was never going to trust a monster to make her meals, and Chloe… She had enthusiasm for the culinary arts, but lacked the talent the Dark Queen had.

To the Half-Elf's credit, she tried her best, it simply never truly set in. She could handle tea, but anything beyond left a lot to be desired.

It was both fortunate and unfortunate that this human had something in his cabinets. Fortunate, because it meant they wouldn't go hungry; unfortunate in that she could not truly make anything with the ingredients he did have. However, Olga wasn't one to simply give up when it came to preparing a meal with limited options.

He had lacked anything grand, as one would expect, so she had decided to make a simple stew, due to the fact that there weren't other palatable options with the ingredients at hand.

She worked on creating their stew while Chloe cleaned, and by the time she was done cooking, Chloe was done cleaning. It was almost amazing how different the house looked without the trash of a human littering it. Preparing two bowls, she placed them on the small table.

"Chloe, come," she ordered, and the Half-Elf swiftly complied.

She sat down, opposite of her Mistress, and put her hands together. "Thank you, Lady Olga."

Olga merely nodded, before she began eating, with Chloe following suit. Their meal was slow, savored, their first proper meal since being forced out of their home. Neither spoke, as there was no need to. Simply enjoying the time and food together was a much-needed break from the stress of the past few days.

Once they finished, Chloe took their emptied bowls and placed them in the sink to be washed later. "Lady Olga, may I ask what we are going to do in the morning?" she questioned, watching the older woman close her eyes and reflect carefully.

For a time, Olga kept her eyes shut as she thought. "I have given this some thought, and unfortunately I cannot see many options for us as things are," she finally said. "With the Black Citadel lost to us, and the fact I cannot return to the land of my people, our options are limited at best."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that given our situation, we are stuck between living among humans or risking isolation and attacks from monsters," Olga simplified for her subordinate. "Neither option is desirable; unfortunately, I am not strong enough to stop them from attacking us if we choose the wilds, but the idea of living in one of these cities is equally unappealing, simply because humans are beasts in their own right."

Despite having said that, a small part of her had to acknowledge that wasn't entirely true. While it is true most humans were no better than the northern creatures, James had every opportunity to take advantage, but refrained. As much as she hated to admit it, she had to respect him to a certain degree, given that he seemed to be above the savagery of his fellow man… that is, if he was even a man at all.

Given his strange power to call forth strange, primal, reality-bending words, it might mean he is not human. Not entirely, at least. That is off subject, however; her point remained that their current options were undesirable.

"I cannot decide which is the lesser of the two." It was a terribly difficult situation that they found themselves in; caught between a rock and a hard place, as the saying goes.

"Might I suggest sleeping on it, Lady Olga?" Chloe suggested, hoping that rest might help clear her Queen's mind.

Olga nodded once, and allowed Chloe to lead her to the master bedroom. It was cleaned as well as it could be, the sheets replaced with spares from the closet, and Olga stripped down to sleep. Without worry that a human might take advantage of her in the night, she could sleep comfortably naked, a small pleasantry she knew she would have to savor from here on out.

The windows were locked, blocked, and even barricaded with a wardrobe; her door was closed and locked, and there in the pitch blackness of the room, Olga allowed herself to drift to sleep.

On the floor below, Chloe took the couch. As much as she would have liked a bed, she preferred to be ready, in case any filthy humans got any ideas to try to break in. She slept light, but ready to fight back, with her sword resting at her side, and a knife under the small cushion she used as a pillow.

She, however, found herself unable to fall asleep, guilt beginning to eat away at her in the dark and silence. Despite her desire not to feel any kind of remorse for a human, she kept thinking about him and the fact that despite everything she wanted to blame him for, he ultimately was not to blame. He was doing his duty, even though it went against hers, and she couldn't fault him for that.

If he hadn't, then… That was a fate she didn't like thinking about.

Without his intervention, her Queen would have been defiled and enslaved. He had gone against his own people to ensure they could escape unmolested.

And how did she repay him? She berated, argued, insulted, and in the end stole his things and ran away.

Was he mad? Angry? She would be, if she were in his shoes.

Sitting up, the Half-Elf let out a heavy sigh. She was tired, but her mind kept going back to him, now that there was nothing else to think about. It didn't help that his bag sat on the table in front of her, as if taunting her.

He had been leagues better than many other humans she had met, and while that was not exactly a high bar to clear, he was the only one that had. They knew he would occasionally let his gaze linger, or stare a bit more than one should, but she couldn't blame him for that. Not when she does it with her Master, although she has gotten better at hiding it.

It is only natural to stare at beauty, isn't it? Unlike the lecherous gazes they had encountered all day today, he was the only one who would avert his eyes or catch himself and stop without being prompted to. He had shared his food with them, done everything he could to make them comfortable while in his presence…

A groan escaped her lips as she slapped her cheeks. She needed to focus on something else! Anything else!

She tossed and turned on the couch, trying to focus on anything else she could think of.

How about the situation and how it was… in a way her fault?

No, that won't do.

What to have for breakfast with Lady Olga?

No, that will be decided by her Queen in the morning.

Hmmm… Her Queen, Lady Olga…

Her Queen was just upstairs, sleeping in nothing at all…

Ah, a perfect distraction.

Chloe laid there still. She had seen her Mistress nude before, but that didn't mean it was any less wonderful a sight. And laying there on that couch, Chloe allowed herself to indulge in a little fantasy of her own…

She imagined her Queen finally realizing her own feelings for her, kissing her, running her hands all over her own curves and approaching her unmentionables.

While she imagined this, her own body imitated it. Her own hands were Olga's in her mind's eye, slowly and sensually making their way down to her core before-

Her hands stopped just short of the act.

As much as she wanted to, there was something that didn't feel right. While her fantasy was one she had pleasured herself to many times before, it simply didn't feel right. Her mind was too focused on that she was trying to distract herself, rather than simply dealing with the cause of her restlessness. She put her sword to her belt, and opted to take a walk, hoping to clear her head.

She threw on a brown cloak, moved the barricade slightly, and squeezed herself out the door. Walking the streets at night, empty as they were, was not devoid of risks, and she knew that. Still, she couldn't think of a better way to spend her time, since sleep clearly wished to elude her grasp, much to her own annoyance.

It might be foolish to walk around alone at night, especially in a city filled with humans, but she was prepared to fight if she had to, and she wouldn't tolerate anyone trying to take her freedom from her. She just needed to clear her head, figure out where to go from here now that they were in this situation, and stop thinking about James. Now that her Queen was safe and sound in bed, she couldn't help but let her own thoughts wander free to other things.

She walked and walked, until she realized it was going to be morning, the sun starting to peek over the horizon. It was time to turn back, so she spun on her heel and hoped she would get back to her Mistress uninterrupted.

Only she didn't account for something distracting her.

"HELP! SOMEONE HELP!" A girl cried out, and Chloe simply couldn't stop herself from investigating.

The voice came from an alley, and looking into it, she saw a woman, her shirt torn, skirt hiked up to her waist; a man stood over her, wearing fancy clothes that seemed out of place. He held a sword to her throat, clearly intent on using the threat of death to keep her silent.

"Shut up before I cut your tongue out! You're valuable to me with or without it! You're going to make a fine slave once -"

He stopped himself as he heard boots rushing towards him. He only had a few moments to act in defense as Chloe charged him, barely swinging his sword fast enough to cut into the Half-Elf's arm before her own was at his throat, quickly slashing it open. She watched the noble crumple to the ground, holding his neck in a desperate attempt to stay alive, but it was a pointless effort. He went limp mere moments later.

For a moment, all Chloe could do was blink at herself, her actions, and that she had just gone out of her way to help someone. She hadn't even thought about it, really, just-

"Oh, Goddess bless you, miss, thank you!" Her ears registered only moments before two arms wrapped around her body and squeezed. Again, she could only blink in surprise as she registered what had just happened…

"It's okay," she said softly, patting the woman on the back.

This was… different. She had encountered many things in her life, lived among monsters in a land uninhabitable, served a majestic Queen, and been a slave to humans for many years, but somehow this was one of the most unexpected things that had ever happened to her.

It was strange though; she had thought she would feel disgusted by being touched by a human, but this? This was more pleasant than she would ever willingly admit.

"He-he wanted to…" the woman tried to say, but a few more soothing pats on her back managed to calm her down. Chloe wasn't sure what to say, so caught off guard by the situation that she honestly had no idea what to do.

"You're hurt!" the woman then pointed out.

Chloe nodded. "I was."

"Here, those bandages need changing," said the woman, carefully taking her arm and untying the bloody cloth. She then reached into her own bag and wrapped some fresh ones around the cut.

As speechless as Chloe was, she couldn't help but ask, "Why are you doing this?"

"The Goddess teaches us that every good act should be answered with another."

Her reply was simple, and reflective of what Chloe knew of the Goddess that Humans and High Elves worshiped, but she had never seen those teachings in practice, not like this anyway.

"That should do for now."

Chloe examined the new wraps. They were tied well, too well for it to have been done by a normal civilian.

"Are you a doctor?" she asked, lowering her arm.

The woman simply nodded. "Yes, my husband taught me all he knows, and I tend to the clinic when he is away," she informed her savior. "If it isn't too much to ask, could you please walk me home?" she asked, obviously shaken by the whole ordeal. "I would feel safer if you escorted me."

Chloe thought about it for a few moments. She wanted to return to her Queen before she awoke, but…

She looked up at the morning rays, now barely touching the rooftops. "Very well, just let me move this man out of sight," she finally told the doctor, carefully grabbing the corpse and dragging it behind a box and out of sight.

"Are you not going to report this?"

And risk arrest? Not likely.

"No, something tells me that would only be a hassle for both of us. Best leave him where he is, it is no less than what he deserves," Chloe stated.

"I see…" The doctor nodded in understanding, allowing Chloe to lead her out of the alleyway.

They walked quietly, with the blonde only a few steps behind her. "What were you doing out so early in the morning?" the Half-Elf finally asked as they turned down another street.

The woman looked down for a moment. "My original intention was to see if there were any here in these poor areas that might need medicine or any kind of aid I could offer. I had done so before, in the early hours of the morning, to look for people that might be too sick to move, or have been hurt and cannot come."

With a raised eyebrow, Chloe awaited her to continue.

"Normally I would have had some assistants go out to bring people to us, but in the past few months we had been restricted to only those who could come in by themselves," she said bitterly. "The Prime Minister and his cronies have been making so many poor decisions that I cannot help but wonder what they could ever hope to gain from it." Her tone spoke of resentment. "I do not know why he has changed things, but people have been left to suffer for too long. I felt I had to do something to help people, and for a while I was."

"How does that lead to that man standing over you?"

Her frown deepened. "The man you saw was one of my regular patients at the clinic. I saw him every week or so to get treated for something or another. Stomach pains, cuts; you name it, he got it. He had more than enough to buy his own healing potions from an alchemist, but… I think he would visit to see me."

"And you didn't think there was anything strange about that?"

"No, I did… I just never…" she hesitated. "I never thought he would have tried something like that…" She spoke slowly, as if trying to register her own words as they came out. "Do you have any idea why someone could do something so horrible?"

As a matter of fact, she did.

"In my experience with your kind, humans are among some of the cruelest, vilest, and damn near evilest creatures to ever walk the face of the world," she said, remembering her own past. "It's your nature to exploit those that can be, and to discard those that can't."

The other woman frowned. "I… supposed I cannot really argue that given what happened, but I don't think it's fair to say we're all bad," she argued. "Unless you think I am bad too, that is."

Chloe glanced over at the doctor and sighed. "I don't know yet. I barely know you and am only doing this because…" she began trailing off as she realized she had no real answer here.

Why was she helping this woman? She had done more than she ought to have for a human, but at the same time, she couldn't come up with a reason for or against it, she simply did.

"Because…?" pressed the doctor, but Chloe simply looked the other way.

"I don't need to explain my reasoning to you," she said defensively, but failing to truly convey that she HAD a reason at all. "How much further till you are home? I have to return home before my…" She struggled to find an appropriate word for what Olga was to her, without addressing her as Mistress or Queen.

"My mother," she settled on. It wasn't exactly the most accurate title, but this woman didn't need to know that.

"Not far now, just down this street. Thank you again."

It was strange to be thanked, but Chloe didn't reject the gratitude.

They finally arrived at a large manor house. "Here we are…" The doctor said with relief in her voice as she made her way to the door. "Would you like to come in? I can fix something up for you."

"No, I must return to-"

"Your mother, right. Still, thank you again. If you ever need anything, don't hesitate to ask; you know where I live, after all," the doctor said, before walking inside.

Chloe stood there for a moment, thinking. While she wasn't sure she would trust another human in her life, a strange warm feeling spread through her chest once the woman was safe in her home, but it was accompanied by a new feeling of shame. And unfortunately for her, she knew why.

She had never thanked James for all he had done to get them away from the other humans. Freeing her, helping save her master, getting them both out and protecting them from that strange… thing in the cave…

All that, and she never once said the words, thank you.

Damn it, she shouldn't feel like this towards a human of all people! If it were her Mistress, she would be doing her damnedest to make up for it, but to feel this shame and guilt towards him?!

She didn't like it, she didn't like him… but regardless, he had helped them.

A sigh escaped her lips. It wasn't like there was anything that could be done about it. She would never see him again.

By the time she returned to the abode they had taken temporary residence in, she was thankful to find it still locked, with no signs of forced entry. She got to work preparing some tea for her Queen when she woke up. Soon enough, she heard her begin walking down the stairs, and into the living room. Wordlessly, Chloe got to work serving the tea.

"Thank you, Chloe."

Chloe nodded respectfully, taking a seat opposite and pouring her own cup. They sat there peacefully in the darkened room, "My lady, may I ask if you have managed to come up with a plan for us?" she eventually asked.

The Dark Queen nodded as she set her cup down on the table. "I have been thinking about it, and have decided it might be better to look elsewhere for a new home. As much as I would like to remain close to Nidavellir, it may be safer for us to look elsewhere for a place to stay."

For a pure-blooded Dark Elf like she was, the decision to move away from her home might have been one of the hardest she would ever make. She spent the centuries alone in her tower, waiting for the day she'd be able to return home to safety with her people.

However, as time passed, the likelihood of her ever being able to do so lowered considerably, especially now that her Citadel has been taken. Now, one of the few things she has left is her pride, along with her dignity.

Those were all she had left besides Chloe. Her magic was almost completely gone now, her home had been taken over by humans…

"We will need money, supplies, and some idea where to go." She paused, leaning forward. "In this instance, you would probably know where we should go better than I."

For a few moments, Chloe waited for her master to continue, only to realize that she wasn't going to.

"Oh… I…" She began trying to think of a response. "I have been places, but I am unsure where I could suggest. None of the places I have lived before meeting you could ever be described as pleasant."

"I have taken that into consideration. Despite it, regrettably, your experience with human lands is better than mine." The Dark Queen rested her arms on the table and interlocked her fingers. "As much as I would like to avoid living in close proximity to humans, living in the wilds is more dangerous. While I do not doubt your capabilities, you are but one person, while they are many and more difficult to kill. I believe your chances would be better against human opponents if you ever must fight."

The Dark Queen's Knight looked down at her own tea. "I… I would like some time to consider, perhaps see if I can learn of anywhere that might be better than here," she requested. If she was going to be the one to decide where it would be best to go, she needed information, and as much as she could find out.

Olga simply nodded. "If you feel you require it, then I will not stop you." One of her hands went to her tea cup, and she slowly sipped from it. "As far as I can tell, we are safe for the moment, so take your time and inform me of your decision when you return. I do not wish to stay here any longer than I must."

With her Queen's permission, Chloe left to learn what she could about other human lands. As much as she herself detested the idea, she would not argue with her Mistress.

She spent hours wandering, seeking all the information she could; from the library, to second-hand accounts, to even asking the Courier what he knew of the surrounding lands. All information was valuable, but unfortunately not all was helpful. She learned of a town outside the human kingdom, where another Dark Elf lived. However, from what Chloe leaned, it seemed she lived among humans willingly.

She deemed it as a possible place they could stay, if only temporarily, while trying to figure out a better location.

As Chloe made her way to return, she tried to cut through a market, slowly pushing past people, only to find herself caught and restrained by four men.

"I finally found you," a slimy voice said. It was the man she had kicked yesterday, the one who had smacked her buttocks in a poor attempt to get their attention. "I'll make sure you pay for humiliating me like that…"

"If you don't let me go right now, I swear I'll-" she began, only to have a hand slam over her mouth, muffling her voice.

"Don't worry, when we find the other elf I saw you with, she'll be joining us." He looked at his men. "Take her away," he ordered. His men followed the instruction with no qualms, no one even so much as lifting a finger as to help her. She struggled and thrashed around in their grip, but the hand on her mouth prevented her from calling out for help.

She hated to admit it, but she was too restrained to get out of their grip. She needed help. Opening her mouth as wide as she could, she bit down on the man's hand, forcing him to remove it or risk losing it. As soon as her mouth was free, she yelled out, "UNHAND ME!" for all to hear.

"You half-breed bitch!" shouted the one who held her mouth as he cradled his hand. "I'll make sure you'll regret doing that!"

Before he could do or say anything more, a dog charged into them, barking all the while at the man. "Someone put a muzzle on this mutt before I put it down!"

As if on cue, after those words left his mouth, a large man in an imposing set of Iron Plate armor broke through the crowd.

"What's going on here?!" he asked with authority, but Chloe couldn't help but look at the newcomer with wide eyes and disbelief.

"You?!"

She didn't believe it. She had seen him only a day ago…


"And that's pretty much it," she finished, and I just sat there, taking in everything she just told me. I'll be honest, I still felt upset. At the same time, though, I felt a considerable wave of relief that they weren't in danger.

"So… what happens now?" she asked. Her voice made it sound like she expected some form of punishment for what she had done, and I won't argue that she didn't deserve one.

"Well, for starters, I want to make it clear how upset I am," I told her easily. "I have been helpful to you, given you more freedom than I should have, and what did that get me?"

As I was about to continue, she interrupted me, with words so quick I almost thought I imagined them.

"I'm sorry."

She kept her gaze locked onto the ground as she spoke, and killed the words in my throat before they even left.

While sorry didn't exactly make up for what she did, the fact that she even apologized at all was bigger than what many would think. It's no secret she hates humans, or maybe human men would be more accurate. She has a temper, and I doubt she would apologize to anyone under any normal circumstances, especially not to humans.

This told me one thing. She meant it. This woman isn't one to lie, not that I know of. She told me her opinions of me well enough, even though it wouldn't help her. Nor did she try to lie about taking my satchel… hell, if she hadn't said she did, I would never have known where it went.

Chloe is many things, but a liar isn't one of them. As such, I was willing to give her a second chance, but not before I got a little payback for all the worrying she made me do before.

I don't know if it was the relief that they were alright, or that I was tired from a long day of fighting and dragon killing, but I wasn't in the mood to dish out anything severe. So instead, I took off my glove and smacked her in the back of the head. It wasn't a hard smack, but enough to throw her head forward a bit and get the world's meanest glare.

"While I would like to do more, honestly I have had a long day. So how about we make a deal?" I offered, putting the glove back on.

Chloe eyed me suspiciously. "What kind of deal?"

"You give me back my satchel, and I'll give you guys enough money to get out of the city and go wherever you want; no ifs, ands, or buts about it," I told her, taking the bag of coins out for her to see. "I get my things back, you and Olga get to walk free."

She clearly didn't trust it, though. "How do I know you won't just follow me back to her, and we end up in the same position we were in before, as prisoners?"

"Because, to put it in simple terms, I have more important things to worry about than you," I told her plainly. "You want to take your Queen and go off somewhere? Fine. At this point, I have fulfilled my obligations to you and your Lady. I got you away from Vault and his merry band of rapists. While the original plan was to take you in, I can't afford to worry about you trying to escape while I am busy trying to avert catastrophe."

Now the Half-Elf looked absolutely confused. "What are you talking about?"

"This fortress will be under attack soon. Tomorrow, the day after, a week from now… I don't know exactly, but I need to do everything I can to prepare for it. Did you think Vault and his Black Dogs just wanted to defile your master and yourself? No, they want every woman in this kingdom on their knees. You and your Olga were just going to be the prize trophies for them to show off."

Chloe processed those words for a few moments. "They're going to attack here?" she asked for clarification as she pointed at the ground. "How do you know?" she asked, and I simply handed her what I had recovered from the courier. She read the letters, and processed the information.

"I… I must get My Lady out of here!"

She looked about to take off, but stopped for a moment, seemingly remembering I was still here. It became clear she wasn't going to leave for Olga immediately, not while I was standing here. She looked conflicted between going straight back to wherever the other Elf was, and not wanting to lead me to where they had taken refuge.

I sighed. Her distrust of me, while somewhat understandable, was ridiculous. Hadn't I done enough to think a little better of me?

Well, if any kind of mutual trust, or at least respect, is to be formed, someone has to take the first step. "

Alright, tell you what." I held the bag of one thousand coins out to her. "You can have this. I'll be here tomorrow morning for my bag," I told her, dropping it in her hands, and watched as confusion crossed her face.

"What's this?" she asked, looking back up at me. Clearly, this was not the outcome she was expecting.

I turned around. "You're not my prisoner anymore. You'll need money to get out of here, but you won't go to her while I am here. Consider this a show of good faith that you'll do right by me tomorrow," I told her before I began walking away. My feet only managed to take a few steps before she spoke again.

"Why are you putting faith in me?" she asked, her tone angry and confused. "I ran from you, stole from you!" she exclaimed. "I would not have extended this same generosity towards you… So why are you giving it to me?" Her tone changed again, this time reflecting trepidation and hesitation.

I turned my head to look at her. "Because I don't hate you," I explained. "Am I angry at you? Yes. Am I upset you had me worried for no good reason? Oh, absolutely. But I don't want either of you to be caught up in the mess that's coming soon. In the end, that satchel, even if you don't return it, is replaceable. You and your Queen are not." The look and her face reflected guilt and remorse. "Have a good night Chloe… And, in case we don't see each other again, I wish you two the best."

With that, I left her there alone as Rex and I left the square. Now, I needed to convince Carl to take a letter without payment… Hopefully, that won't be too hard.

"… Thank you."

I barely heard it, but when I looked back one last time, I saw Chloe looking down at the ground. Whatever she plans on doing, I hope it works out. I'd hate to learn all my hard work getting them this far was for nothing.

As I left her there, I couldn't help but think this was a gamble. I have no reason to believe she would ever return my things, and any amount of generosity given up to this point was rewarded with nothing but mistrust and betrayal for everything I had done. Yet still, I want to believe something is there, some kind of honor or integrity that will keep her from just running off with my things.

It felt foolish, stupid even, to put my hard-earned money on the idea that she'll even consider giving me my stuff back…

But if she was, why did she argue against it? Why not just take it and run? Why did she look so conflicted about it?

Maybe it's me being an optimistic dumbass, but I think she's better than just making off with my money again. She wouldn't have apologized or thanked me if she didn't mean it.

"What do you think, Rex?" I asked the dog at my side. "Do you think I did the right thing?"

Rex gave me a quick bark. Not exactly sure what it meant, but I like to imagine he agrees with me.

By the time we got back to the post office, I was mentally preparing myself for negotiation. Pushing the door open revealed Carl sitting behind the counter, his head resting on it. For a moment, I thought he was asleep until he looked up and smiled, reaching under and pulling out a few things.

"Ah, Sir Hind, good to see you again," he said, standing up from his seat and walking around. "I have already taken the liberty of procuring you a quill, ink, and paper to send your message," he provided. "I figured that since you would be here anyway, I would take the payment you had given me for the potion and throw in the cost of sending the letter to Geofu."

I looked confused for a moment. "Really?"

"Yes sir!" he said, nodding happily. "The payment was well over the price of a single cure disease potion, about eight hundred coins," he explained. "And since you wanted to send a message to the Goddess anyway, I figured I would consider it payment for that as well."

Oh… Alright, no negotiation needed, then.

"Alright, I'll get started."

I took a seat and began writing.

The message was simple, and not. I did my best to explain the situation and give her an understanding of the events going on, and that Feoh will require help real soon. I needed to make sure that she understood that Vault had an army of mercenaries and monsters, and that he was going to try to take over. Furthermore, I made sure to inform her that he has agents in every fortress.

I was tempted to include names, but there were only two that I actually knew of that gave us any actual help, and that was Beardsley and Grave. Another issue was that I didn't exactly have proof of their betrayal. It would just be my word against theirs, and while Celestine has been very trusting of me, it would still be a wild accusation, especially without anything to back it up… Damn it.

I figured that making it vague, that Vault told me he has people in high-ranking positions in each fortress helping him, might be better. If she starts having trusted individuals investigate, maybe they could come up with proof of betrayal? Especially if they don't know it.

Another thing I made sure to include is that she couldn't afford to trust ANYONE of the male gender. Since what Vault wants to make is a rape nation, she cannot trust anyone who could be swayed by the head between their legs.

The irony of the situation wasn't lost on me, since I'm a male myself, but I would rather have that blanket warning than risk leaving room for anyone to slip through the cracks via position or history.

Once I had finished writing it, I put it in an envelope and handed it over to Carl; who, strangely enough, was approaching me with a small sack of coins.

"Ah, thank you. I'll deliver this once you leave," he said, putting it in my hands.

"What's this?"

"That is what's left over. There are still about two hundred twenty coins left, since I'm not going to take more than I have to from my one customer," he informed me.

I couldn't help but smile. "You're a good man, Carl. I hope we can do business in the future."

We both left the post office and went our separate ways. Carl went for the gate, while I returned to the inn. I made sure to pay them for the room and a warm meal before I went to bed. Since Princess Alicia is back, I hope I'll find a way to get in touch with her tomorrow, so that I could warn her of the incoming siege and give her all that I got from the Black Dog Courier about it.

But the biggest question is, how was I going to get to her?


Special thanks to Little White Mouse for proofreading this, couldn't have done it without you buddy.

So, now you guys know what the Dark Elves were up to. I had originally wanted that segment to be longer and a bit more detailed, but after talking with my editor/proofreader, I scrapped everything I had and had to rewrite it and recontextualize it.

I'm not entirely sure how you guys will like it since I figured I had to compress two days worth of activities into one single part of this chapter do we couldn't really explore their thoughts or what was going through their heads at the time beyond what is written. (I'm sure someone better than me could have but I am me… so yeah.)

SO sorry this chapter is a bit late. It kinda dragged on a bit longer than I thought. Not to mention I had to completely rewrite the flashback scene entirely from the ground up. I wanted to give Chloe a bit of time in the spotlight since I figured she was the one telling James what has been going on with them. Make it clear that while she hates Men, human women aren't really people she hates as much. She has a certain degree of honor and altruism, seeing as she is willing in the VN to make deals and respect them in order to free her master. That is loyalty, but something else to consider is the fact that Olga would have taught her things about Dark Elves as a people. They don't lie, cheat, or steal, and Chloe doing that is looked down upon by her Master. Which then bleeds into the feeling of guilt and shame that she stole from James in the first place.

This chapter went from one I wanted to write, to hated every second of it fast, and I am afraid that might be a bit reflective in the writing. But I figured done is better than perfect and as much as I would like to keep this and try and make it perfect, I feel I spent a lot more time on it than I probably should have. So here it is.

I can only hope you guys like it.