Emerging slowly from the sitting room, Enna sniffed, well aware of her puffy eyes, and meandered helplessly into the hallway. A thousand thoughts and emotions swirled within her, but ultimately, she felt that she didn't want to be alone. Peering in both directions, she spotted Finwe sitting on the floor outside Ilya's room.

"Do you know where Sooka is?" she whispered.

He shook his head. "Do you need something?"

"I just don't… want to be alone tonight." She rubbed her arm awkwardly.

"I can help you find her," offered Finwe. "Or you're welcome to sit and talk with me for a minute."

"You're a wonderful person," she smiled.

He chuckled. "You don't even know me."

"You saved my life," she answered simply.

"Anyone would have done that," dismissed Finwe. "One thing my father told me was that if you have the power to help someone, you should always do it."

"Sounds like your father was a good man." Enna slowly slid down the wall to take a place next to the half-elf.

"He was," nodded Finwe. Then after a sigh, he leaned his head back. "Where are you from?"

"The Gilded Enclave."

"Is that in the Gilden Run?"

Enna nodded.

"You know, you weren't that far away…" He watched the wall pensively. "I won't ask how old you are, because apparently that's something you're not supposed to ask women, but I'm only a hundred or so. It's hard to remember… But anyway, I grew up outside the Clemory Marsh. Have you been there?"

"Near," she replied.

"My mom died when I was pretty young," continued Finwe. "I don't remember her much, but I know that my father loved her dearly. Growing up, he and I were very close; we were all we had. He lived off the land and taught me everything I know. But when you're young and living in the marshes, it gets pretty dull. And I tried to be interested in his… things… But ultimately, we parted ways, and not on good terms. Eventually, I found my way into the Mireguard and ended up doing pretty well for myself. Got promoted to second lieutenant, had my own regiment… But then I made a really bad call. Humiliated myself. I'm not even welcome in the Mireguard anymore."

He paused and shook his head lightly.

"I left that life behind me, but what's funny to me is that my worst mistakes still led me to some of the best people I've ever met. I had some very good friends once, brought together under some crazy circumstances. A little less crazy than what you're dealing with, but the thing is… They didn't have what you all have. While we were brought together by circumstance, it was those small moments where the situation wasn't driving us that you could find the holes in our relationships. Some things just didn't mesh well without something pushing us toward each other. That connection that we lacked is something that you all have. I've spent… gosh, four years now trying to find my friends. But you seem to have some pretty good ones. And in saving your life, I feel like I can at least explain to you that one of my dearest friends gave me that scroll. She told me to use it on someone who matters. I've had it for years, and there have been lots of opportunities to use it, but I decided against it for whatever reason. I really hope that you and your friends are people who matter."

Sniffing, Enna wiped tears off her face. For the first time in a long while, Finwe turned to her and was startled to see it.

"Oh, uh…" he reached out a hand, but didn't touch her. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you." Awkwardly, he patted her twice on her shoulder.

"Thank you, Finwe," replied Enna as she struggled to even her voice. "You said the right thing."

"Man, that's two things I've done right today." He grinned, then stood. "You've had a rough day. Do you want me to escort you to a room?"

Nodding, she accepted his outstretched hand as he offered to help her up, and he began to walk her down the hall.

"I think I saw Sooka go in here," he muttered as he tapped on a door and eased it open, revealing an empty room. "…Nope. Uh… I'm sure you'll find her. I'll just go… Yeah… Good night." He walked back to his spot outside Ilya's room and sat.

Chuckling, she continued checking rooms down the hall until she finally found Sooka. As Enna opened the door, Sooka looked up from something she was writing and cocked her head in curiosity.

"Is it alright if I stay with you tonight?" asked Enna.

Sooka nodded, and Enna stepped slowly and sheepishly into the room.

"Are you okay?" asked Sooka.

Enna sighed as she sat next to Sooka. "No, but I will be in time."

Sidling closer, Sooka leaned her head against Enna's arm before retrieving a tiny mouse from her pocket and placing it on Enna's leg, where it sat sniffing about. Smiling, Enna retrieved her tiny flail snail, its shell shimmering an opalescent sheen as she placed it on her other leg and sprinkled some food for it. She noticed that it was bigger than the last time she had seen it, then frowned as she shook the near-empty bottle of crystal powder. She should get some more soon. Somehow. She didn't even know what it was.

Comforting each other, the two sat in mutual silence, and Enna felt safer and calmer as eventually Sooka fell asleep and Enna tranced through the night.

Aribis was flying. Ground rushed past him. Turning back, he saw a black shadow following him. Ahead, an aarakocra resembling a golden eagle ushered him forward. But there was a whisper from the shadow.

"We are all the harbingers."

The trees became familiar. He knew this place… the Gilded Run in the Westerwild. Continuing west, they passed the Titan's Teethstone Mountains. The aarakocran guide continued forward unperturbed, but Aribis glanced back to see the shadow again, now a cloud of thousands upon thousands of crows, an indistinct mass. His heart beat faster as he crossed over the mountains, the end of the known world.

But then the mountains opened into a desert unlike anything he'd ever seen. The sand was black. Nearing it, the aarakocra led him to the base of a black stone spire within the desert. An ornate stone door, thirty feet high, loomed over him.

"It's time you meet him," said the guide.

The door opened to a long hallway. The guide glowed white as he led him through the bleak darkness. The cloud of crows hovered over the top of the tower as the door closed behind Aribis, and they traveled down and down and down into the black.

They reached an open room with a raised dais hosting a statue of a tortured soul, a black carving of someone in agony. The guide led him forward and bowed before the statue.

Kneeling, he said, "I have brought him."

The statue turned toward Aribis, calm eyes peering into him.

"Aribis," it spoke to him, voice somehow deafening while a whisper. Dark. Foreboding. "We finally meet."

With a jolt, Aribis woke in his perch, and he glanced nervously about the room. Kayl shuffled lightly next to him. The house was still. All was calm.

Holding out his hand, he summoned a flame, its holy light splashing over him in comfort. Only… it was different… Darker, somehow… The comfort waned, replaced with an eerie curiosity.

Extinguishing the fire, he turned his eye to the amber ring embedded in his right hand. Only the stone was now visible, the metal ring having vanished into his own flesh. As he peered at it, his gaze fell deep into an endless void, but there in the middle was… a feather? The tiny black frond shivered within the gem. Or was it his imagination?

"What are you?" he whispered. "What do you want?"

Bash's trance lasted a little longer than usual. After generating calming dreams of old jobs that had gone right, he now brought himself back to reality in the early morning darkness. Estimating it to be a couple hours before dawn, he sighed, retrieving his dagger, Daemonsbane. For some time, he played with it, feeling the ethereal blade, running a thumb over the hilt, and tossing it in the air before catching it with a practiced hand.

Before long, he grew bored and considered going out into the main room, but hesitated when he recalled the small pouch that he'd spirited out of the city sewers last night. After weighing it in his hand and hearing the chink of metal, he estimated that it carried a few hundred copper or maybe even some gold. It seemed weighty enough to be gold, but his estimations were thrown off by an irregular object poking at the inside of the bag. Curious, he turned it out on a table and gasped to see its contents.

Not gold, but hundreds of platinum pieces spilled out, decorated with three red sparkles of rubies. Within the pile of money was also a small statuette of the Lawbearer, only four or so inches tall. He picked up this standout and eyed it in the darkness. To his elven eyes, the ivory shone white, revealing each small groove in the substance that reflected the likeness of Erathis. A few days ago, he would have been eager to sell such an item, this high craftsmanship easily fetching at least eighty gold. But now, he felt that it had been a gift from Erathis herself, a reminder of the bond they had made the previous morning.

He laughed to himself.

Yesterday, he mused. That happened yesterday.

Absentmindedly, he lit the statue so that Erathis glowed, a harsh contrast to the previous darkness. The light felt wholesome somehow. Kind. Eddies of dark red magic oozed from his hand into the object before he dismissed it, and darkness fell into the room once more.

Sighing, he carefully placed the statue in his bag on the chair before admiring the swath of platinum on the table once again.

"I guess I have Erathis to thank for this, too," he muttered to himself. "Either way, it'll help us."

Scooping it all up and placing it back in its pouch, he pocketed it and swept down the hallway to await the others in the main room. Finwe's snores echoed down the hall, giving Bash a chance at a grin before he reached his destination.

As dawn broke and sunlight began to poke past the curtains, the manse slowly came to life around the rogue. Sitting at the table, he toyed with the ring dangling about his neck, recalling with chagrin the conversation that he and Enna had had the night before. He'd made himself clear, and he only hoped that she would respect his decision. As it was now, he supposed that the only course of action was to pretend as if nothing had ever happened. It was better than being mean, anyway.

The morning bell tolled in the city, heralding several sets of footsteps that clattered down the hallway only a few minutes later. Aribis, Kayl, Enna, Sooka, and William each made their way to their own seats, spread out across the room haphazardly. Silence persisted among them, as they still had not fully recovered from the previous day. Only Enna seemed busy, flipping furiously through a book of druid spells as she had the previous morning. However, this time her fingers were alight with fury.

Several minutes later, Ilya joined them, Finwe her ever-present shadow as she turned to address everyone.

"Well," she said awkwardly. "Tonight is the banquet at the Marigold Manor."

All eyes turned to her, and as Ilya sat at the table next to Bash, the others followed her lead and took a seat. Bash noticed Enna sit as far from him as possible. He avoided looking at her.

"Do you all have a plan?" asked Ilya. "I feel like this is a great opportunity."

"No plan is the best plan," said Aribis flippantly, waving away the notion.

"I have a plan," announced Bash. "A loose plan," he corrected.

"Mhmm?" hummed William, quirking an eyebrow. It appeared that Bash was not the only one ignoring the events of the previous day. The monk seemed unperturbed by his demonic transformation that had taken place only twelve hours ago.

"I agree with the little one here," said Kayl, motioning to his brother. "No plan is a good plan."

"Okay, this is what we're going to do," continued Bash, ignoring the avian brothers. "We're going to get backup. At some point, we need to face the Ghost again, and I think we need help. So, we should go to the temple, maybe some other people around the city, and ask for help. Oh! And! I got paid last night."

With a flourish, Bash snatched the bag from his waist and emptied the contents – less the statuette – onto the table before the party. The platinum danced heartily to see the light of day, and each person's eyes gleamed at the small fortune that had bestowed its presence on them.

"Oh, my gosh," said William.

Flabbergasted, Kayl turned slowly to Bash and said, "What kind of work are you in, lad?"

"I told you last night. I'm an assassin," said Bash.

"I think I'm in the wrong job," said Kayl.

"I never got paid that amount," agreed Aribis.

"I've never even seen that much money in my life," whispered Finwe to himself.

"This works out well for me," inserted Enna with a short glance to Bash. "I need some diamond dust."

Grabbing a piece of platinum, he flicked it at her and said, "Here you go." Then gathering it all up and swatting more than one stray hand from Kayl, he replaced the pouch and continued with his plan. "I think we should—"

"I'd like to actually be able to help out with all the curses going around," insisted Enna, her irritated eye now focused on him. "I can do the spell, but it's going to require a lot more diamond dust than what one platinum can get me."

"That spell does take a lot outta ya," chuckled Kayl.

"We'll think about that later," dismissed Bash, avoiding her stern gaze. He had never been one for generosity, and she had loved him anyway. Surely she was used to it by now. "What we really need right now is to ask people for help. There might be some people who will help us just because this is a citywide crisis. If not—" he rattled the bag, sounding out the coins "—we have a way to pay them."

"Kayl can help with Erza," offered William.

"Yeah, um…" stammered Kayl. "That's probably not gonna work so well… We know each other a little bit, but… I probably shouldn't call on her again."

"I can handle Erza," said Bash. "What we really need to figure out is whether we want to stay together or split up. I can tell if people are doppelgangers, but you lot can't. But also, saving time might be a good idea."

"You can see doppelgangers?" asked Kayl.

"A lot has happened," explained Aribis. "In a very short amount of time."

"I shouldn't have gotten drunk," breathed Kayl. Then turning his attention to Bash, he said, "I tell you what, pointy-ears—"

"Hang on a minute," said William dangerously.

"What did I tell you about that?" scolded Aribis.

"We could get some supplies while we're out," redirected Enna. "I could scry for people to help, but I need some things to make that happen first."

"I agree with Bash," said William. "The main focus should be gathering an army, of sorts. We need help. We don't have much time left."

"We should start at the temple," stated Bash.

"I mean, an army's great, but… where are you going to send them?" asked Finwe.

"That's a good question," agreed Bash. One that he hoped one of his contacts could answer.

For some time, the group debated on where to go and what to do first. The whereabouts of the Ghost and the doppelgangers, the designs of the Ghost in warning them to leave Agneward, how to stop him before he unleashed an army of abominations – so much was unknown to them that it seemed almost impossible to be able to stop him. But Bash was determined. No matter what, he would stop the Ghost. Maybe – just maybe – if he killed the Ghost, he could reclaim his lost title and prove to himself that he had deserved it in the first place.

He had contacts, and he was going to use them. Peren wouldn't be able to get the job done, but Bash could.

This was his city, and it was his job to protect it.

Prepared with a mental list of prospects, Bash led the group into the city, making his way toward the Azure Temple. The sun illuminated the stone streets, blazing its way through the chill winter morning. As they approached the Bastion's Crest, Bash looked high above him to see Erathis holding her basin of water that poured into the Well while she kept watch over the city. Bash reached a hand up and stroked his clean-shaven face as he realized that now, he was only Bash. No disguise was in place. Should Rolen run into them, there would be no way to conceal his identity. He could be arrested and put to death on the spot.

Erathis protect us, he thought to himself.

They passed the staircase leading to the Well and moved into the temple's sanctum. Tall arches and stained glass loomed over them as they passed through a thousand alabaster pews. Several groups of pontiffs and novitiates roamed around on personal and formal business.

Taking the lead, Kayl shuffled forward and meandered through the cathedral and down a hallway, innumerable doors littering either side. Eventually, they came to a door that he seemed to recognize, and he stopped and turned to them.

"I really hope this isn't…" he started. "Just don't—" He paused again. "You know what, you got it." He waved a hand and knocked on the door.

A moment later, a knight of the White Orchid opened the door.

"Yes?"

"Good evening, sir," began Kayl. "It's the Natural Misfits. We'd like to speak to the High Adjudicator, if that's alright with you."

A bored sort of face came across the knight as he said sourly, "She's busy. You'll have to wait."

"Right… Can you tell her that it's Kayl Redhawk…?"

"And Bash," inserted the rogue.

"And Bash," affirmed Kayl.

"I'll uh… let her know," replied the guard before closing the door. Bash got the distinct impression that he would not, in fact, let her know.

"That actually went better than I thought it would!" mused Kayl.

The group settled in to wait, and idle chatter expounded among them. Aribis told of his third sibling Erk, who Kayl described as "awkward." Enna expressed interest in meeting Erk, and Kayl and Aribis began reminiscing about him for a time. Eventually, conversation died, and time began to pass more slowly. After perhaps an hour, each of them had found a seat in the hallway, Bash taking a place on the floor, Enna far from himagain. Nervousness rattled his chest as he prepared to meet Erza for the first time in a year – at least, as Sebastian.

As time wore on, they began to debate on whether they should just simply leave, or maybe storm in and demand a meeting. Bash felt rushed; the Ghost could strike again at any moment, and they needed to be prepared. While Erza was busy, surely the mention of his name would make her more likely to push toward a meeting with them. At least, he thought that it would. Perhaps aligning himself with Kayl had done more harm than good. If Erza had even been alerted to their presence.

Bash began running through a list in his mind of other lawmasters, but none of them were inclined in his direction. In general, he had tried to steer clear of anyone associated with enforcing the laws that he frequently violated. He and Enna briefly discussed the possibility of visiting the lawmaster over the Dandelions district, but in the end, they both knew that Erza was the one who held all the power. She was the surest way to get help.

Two full hours after requesting an audience, the knight finally opened the door once more, and they all scrambled to their feet, each of them stretching and cracking joints to celebrate a different position.

"Oh…" The guard glanced around. "You're still here. She'll see you now."

They moved into the room, and three more knights watched them warily as they passed through the small lobby before Erza's office. Their cheerful guide rapped on the heavy oak door on the far side of the room before opening it and announcing their presence.

"The Natural Misfits, Kayl, and, uh… Bash?" He glanced back for affirmation but did not wait for it before turning and affirming himself. "Bash."

"Send them in," came an exasperated voice from Lady Erza.

They entered the lavish office where the Head Lawmaster and High Adjudicator sat unamused behind a massive oak desk. After scribbling a final signature on a piece of paper, she turned to them.

She sighed. "You lot again. Listen, I'm very busy. What is it?"

"Lady Erza!" announced Bash, pushing forward and flaring out his arms. "You're even more radiant than the last time I saw you!" He winked.

"Bash… We meet again." She was unenthused.

"It's been a while," he grinned.

"Wait," said Erza, narrowing her eyes. "Why shouldn't I clap you in irons right now? You were that other guy… Peren!"

"What?" laughed Bash, struggling to disguise his anxiety.

"Why on earth did you deceive me?" she demanded.

"I wasn't exactly afraid of you. It was other people. But, all that is behind us now. I need your help."

"If I had a gold piece for every person that came to me and said, 'I need your help,' there's no way I'd still have this job. I could own my own country! What more could I help you with? I tried to help you all before, and you gave me nothing in return."

Sitting in one of the chairs before her desk and acutely aware of everyone's eyes on him, he leaned forward on his knees and placed his fingertips together. He hoped his tunic was exposing some of his chest for her viewing pleasure.

"I know that I was wrong to try to deceive you," he said carefully, maintaining as much eye contact as possible. "I know that I should have told you the truth about what happened with the Lawbearer. And I'm sorry. But this is about more than me, and this is about more than you. This is about the entire city of Agneward."

"So you've said." She sighed. "I'll be honest with you, Bash. I don't have a whole lot more that I can do. If the Lawbearer herself deigned to give you some advice or other help, that's between you and her. Right now, I have a thousand requests for high judgment on several different people. The Dandelions district is in an uproar, and so many people are addicted to whatever that stuff is. We are simply spread too thin. Colosso is finally ending soon, but every year, crime rates surrounding the Exhibition just seem to keep going up. What more can I possibly do? It's only because of our good history that I haven't thrown you all out of my office."

He paused. Clearly, what Erza needed was hope that this chaos would soon come to an end. And that was something he could offer.

"Erathis granted us a weapon that can kill the Ghost," he confessed. "But I think that we need more than just five people—"

"Don't forget me!" protested Kayl.

"—six people—"

"Seven if you count Finwe," piped up Aribis.

"—seven people to defeat him. All I'm asking for is a couple extra hands."

She peered at him closely. He tried to put on his best puppy eyes, and it seemed that his persuasive tactics worked, as her face softened slightly before she spoke again.

"The knights are spread very thin," replied Erza slowly. "We're fighting injustice at every turn. The Exhibition is just a breeding ground for all kinds of problems. Obviously, you feel that this… thing is a threat, and I've seen sufficient proof to understand that some sort of plot is afoot." She took a deep breath. "I can't be directly involved because, quite simply, I have too much to do. But I think I can do something for you. I'll put in a request to see how many knights can be spared. I can't guarantee anything, but I'll give you a missive, and you can go speak with Lord Kirin about the matter."

Pulling out a piece of parchment, she grabbed a quill and scribbled over it for a long minute before stamping a hot wax seal onto it with her signet ring. Then she rolled the parchment and handed it over. Bash received it graciously, running his thumb over the cooling wax, as was his penchant. It had a specific texture while it was cooling that fascinated him.

"Whatever you're going to do, please don't expect me to bail you out again. That was one time."

Bash nodded and grinned.

"Now if you all could please get out of my office…"

Standing, Bash gave Erza a grateful smile before turning toward the door. But before they could leave, Erza interrupted them.

"And you!" She pointed at Kayl. "Don't ever talk to me again."

"… Understood," said Kayl.

"Just hope that we succeed," warned Enna. "If we don't, this city that you're fighting so hard for is going to fall."

Bash closed his eyes at her harsh tone. It was a miracle they had made it this far. And now Enna's frustration might rip their success from them.

"I'm trying to take what you say at your word," said Erza, slightly irritated. "Our city has stood for millennia. Whatever would try to undermine it, I'm trusting you all to handle it."

Bash released his tense breath just as Erza jumped slightly.

"Oh, I almost forgot! This isn't for you, Kayl."

She glared at him as her hand reached for another piece of parchment. He shirked from her stare, and she began scribbling furiously once again. A moment later, she stamped this new missive and handed it over to Bash.

"Show this to Lord Kirin," she instructed, "and he will make sure that the Skywatch doesn't interfere with you all flying."

"Thank you, Lady Erza," grinned Bash. He might not be able to best the Ghost in combat, but he now had proof that he was far more charming that that oversized cat.

An overjoyed Aribis nearly bounced up and down, a stark contrast to his brother, who appeared wholly offended to hear the news, his mouth agape in disbelief.

"Where do you lot go off getting something like that?" demanded Kayl. "I've been here for years!"

"Yes, but you're kind of a bit of a jerk," hummed Aribis cheerfully.

"Well, so are you!"

"There's a difference!"

"What, because you're half the size of me?"

"Exactly! That makes a difference! Now let's go!"

Chuckling, Bash followed his friends out of the office, feeling a little better having actually succeeded at something for once.

With Kayl in the lead again, they made their way to the training grounds of the White Orchid that lay adjacent to the temple. Novitiates trained there with spears, giving the air a sense of organization and discipline. Lord Kirin paced behind the young soldiers, nose held high and eyes critically assessing the group. He barked out commands, his deep voice resonating against the stone walls so forcefully that one of the young lads dropped his spear in a flustered moment.

Kirin paused as the Natural Misfits approached him.

"Yes, what can I do for you?" he asked indifferently.

"We have missives from Lady Erza," said Bash, holding out the scrolls.

Kirin eyed him suspiciously. "Do I know you?"

"No," replied Bash reflexively.

"Wait, I know your group," said Kirin, lively now as he took them all in. "Didn't I arrest you lot?"

"Yeah, ya did," admitted Aribis.

"Interesting… And you say you have missives. What are you, some kind of messengers now?"

"Kind of," replied Bash as he placed the missives in Kirin's hands.

Opening them, the knight ruminated as he took in the information scrawled on the first scroll. Peering back at them, he then inspected the wax seal to assure its genuineness before asking, "'Men to spare'? What are they going to be doing?"

"Fighting a war," replied Aribis.

"A war? What war?" Kirin seemed alarmed. "We're not at war!"

"I mean… you kind of are," pointed out Bash.

"The Ghost we told you about—" began William.

"Yes, yes, the 'Ghost,'" waved Kirin. "We've all heard stories of the Ghost."

Enna muttered something furiously under her breath, but Bash chose to ignore her anger for the time being.

"We're going to be fighting him, and we need some of your men to help," he said eagerly. They were on the cusp of following through on what he'd planned, and a plan coming to fruition was a thrill like no other.

Kirin sighed.

"The people addicted to the black taffy—" began William once more.

"Now that's a problem I can understand!" interrupted Kirin again, and William began working his jaw in response.

"The Ghost is the one making the black taffy!" insisted Enna. "Why can't you people recognize a threat when it's right in front of your face?"

"Enna," chastised William.

Kirin puffed his chest indignantly.

"Half the reason why you all slept tonight is because of what we do during the day," he protested. "All of your beds kept safe against threats that you don't even know about. So—"

"You are the one who doesn't know about this threat," interrupted William.

"I may not be aware of some perceived threat. But we still do our job every single day."

"Nobody's denying that," assured Aribis. "We're just in a position to make more of a concentrated attack, instead of a flailing, widespread defense. That's why we need more people to help us."

"The Ghost can turn people addicted to black taffy into monstrosities," added William. "We have to defeat him before he does it to anyone else, not just wait for it to happen again."

"Now I've heard everything," mumbled Kirin. "Okay…" He paused to think for a long and arduous moment. Clearly, his good sense warred with his orders. "I can spare you three men," he finally said. "That's all I've got. They're fully fledged knights, not novitiates, and they'll be off shift by the end of the day. If you need them at a certain time, you have to tell me when. Am I just supposed to keep them on retainer? Follow you around all day?"

The group muttered among themselves, suddenly realizing that they hadn't known what to do should they get this far. After some discussion, Bash announced that they would send word when and where they would need the knights within the next day; he was confident that Aribis could fly to the Bastion's Crest whenever they needed with urgent speed, if necessary.

Kirin agreed to the terms before opening the second missive and scanning over it.

"You've got to be kidding me," he said. "I'll have to send this to the Skywatch. This applies to you, I assume?" He looked at Aribis.

"And that one." Aribis pointed to Enna. "And maybe that one." He pointed to Bash. "Erm, maybe just all of us would be good."

"I'd be a giant, black eagle," said Enna.

"And I'd be riding a giant owl," added Bash.

"A giant eagle… a giant owl… and a small… bird…" repeated Kirin, eyes darting among them with an exhausted look.

"And… me…?" said Kayl quietly from the back.

Kirin's eyes snapped to Kayl and watched him seriously for a moment.

"No."

Kayl dropped his gaze sadly.

"So, you'll need my men within the next day or two," affirmed Kirin. "Whenever you need them, come here to the training grounds, and we'll get them where they need to go." He seemed exhausted of this conversation.

"Thanks for your help," said Bash, flicking Kirin a piece of platinum as the knight turned away.

"No bribes are necessary, thank you," he protested flatly.

"It's a gift, not a bribe," replied Bash indignantly.

"I am paid just fine." He flipped the coin back to Bash.

When Kirin's back was to him, Bash stuck his tongue out and shoved the platinum piece back in his bag in irritation. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Enna wandering off, and he snapped his attention to her as she approached the young man who had dropped his spear earlier. The boy couldn't have been more than sixteen, and he stood at an awkward attention as Enna approached.

"Milady," he said, bowing his head slightly.

Enna touched his shoulder, and Bash narrowed his eyes as a green energy passed into the boy.

"You can do this," she encouraged. "Plant your feet, and remember that your strength comes from in here." She held her shoulders back and placed a hand on her belly. Bash smiled.

"Uh, thank you, milady!"

He grinned and turned back to his target dummy before throwing his spear and piercing it straight in its hay-filled heart. He cheered heartily and turned to Enna for her approval. She smiled at him warmly.

Bash hated it that he couldn't help but love her. And he hated himself for not deserving her.

Amid this swirl of emotion, he led the group out of the Bastion's Crest. They had their "army." Now they just needed to know where to send them.

An hour later, William, Enna, Bash, Sooka, and Aribis stood at the end of the alley before the old paper mill "Rustler's Rustling Papers," the front for one of Bash's best informants.

"You two should probably wait outside," said Bash to Sooka and Aribis.

"Do I get to go?" asked Kayl.

Bash almost laughed, then quickly composed himself. "You should probably stay with them. Keep them safe."

Satisfied with this response, Kayl settled in with his other avian compatriots as Bash, Enna, and William prepared to enter.

"We're, uh… just going to go for a stroll, I think," said Aribis, and Bash turned to him, confused.

Aribis's eyes fluttered for the slightest moment toward the roof of an adjacent building, and Bash glanced up quickly to see a hiding kenku with its beady eyes focused directly on them.

"Have fun then," nodded Bash with a slight grin before turning back toward his destination.

Their visit to Erza had gone well, but Bash had less faith in Rustler. While they had developed a rapport over the years, Rustler was far from Bash's favorite informant. And with Sooka and Aribis gone, Bash found himself slightly nervous as they neared the old bookshop. What if something went wrong? Would Rustler still deign to offer information to him?

They waltzed up to the front door and opened it, a quaint bell announcing their entry. The little shop was splayed out around them of various books, binders, notebooks, scrolls, and quills inviting them to spend their coin, but Bash's eyes were on the door at back of the room.

A kenku behind the nearby desk greeted them.

"Welcome to" "Rustler's." "How may I help you?"

Bash closed his eyes in recoil from the broken speech and turned slowly.

"We're here to see the big man himself," he mustered.

"The big man himself," repeated the kenku. "This would be" "Rustler."

"Yes," nodded Bash.

"Yes," said the kenku. Bash struggled to keep from rolling his eyes at hearing his own voice once again. "And who might I say" "is calling!"

"Bash."

"Bash." "Who else?" He cocked his head toward Enna and William.

"Enna," said the druid.

"Enna."

"William," replied the monk.

"William."

"Bash." "Enna." "William." "To see the big man."

On the verge of screaming out his insanity, Bash sighed away some of his inner tension and shifted his weight.

"Wait here," said the kenku before scuttling away through the back door.

As the door swung open, Bash was able to glimpse the dark hallway beyond, where a group of members of the Guild of Progress hefted a weighty oak door toward the back.

As the door closed, the kenku's voice floated back to them, muffled and airy, but Bash was just able to make out his name and voice among the other kenku gibberish. Someone replied, and the kenku returned.

"And he will see you now," he said in a powerfully ostentatious voice.

The trio were ushered into the hallway where they could now see that the oak door was being installed in Rustler's office doorway, and its old counterpart lay on the floor. With a cocked eyebrow, Bash noticed that it was filled with crossbow bolts. Sooka and Aribis really had had quite the run-in. They shuffled past the workers and made their way into Rustler's excessive and ornate office, just as Bash remembered. Rustler's equally lavish leather desk chair sat turned about, facing the wall as he rustled through some papers.

"Well, well, well, Bash…" he drawled. "What can I do for you?"

His voice was well practiced and distinguished. Bash wondered what Sooka thought of this talent.

"Ah, my good friend—" began Bash.

"Ah, my good friend," interrupted Rustler. "The last time we spoke, you called me… what was it?" Then Bash's voice radiated about the room as Rustler said, "Listen, you overstuffed vulture."

Enna and William both glanced toward Bash, and he shifted uncomfortably while trying to compose a response.

"What can I do, Bash?" prodded Rustler. "I don't know if you've noticed, but I've had something of a problem lately."

"In return for just a couple things, I can help pay for that problem," offered Bash.

"Bash, Bash, Bash…" replied Rustler. "You know that I have many little birds speaking to me, and I know that part of my problem runs around with you."

It was all Bash could do not to respond in a way that would implicate him or Sooka. He was grateful for Rustler's facing the opposite direction, although he had begun to wonder what could be keeping his eyes so drawn for so long. Occasional sounds of shifting paper continued to escape from whatever it was he was doing, but Bash had grown frustrated, and now he grew fearful. After everything he'd said and done to Sooka, the last thing he wanted was for Rustler to get his hands on her.

At Bash's silence, apparently Rustler had decided that he wanted to see how Bash was reacting. The chair turned slowly around, and in the seat sat the gray-skinned fiend that Bash had come to despise so desperately. William and Enna did not react in any strange way, confirming that Bash alone could see the doppelganger before them.

Whatever effort he had been putting into not reacting to the mention of Sooka was now channeled into fighting to remain calm. Against his will, sight of the doppelganger had flushed his soul with an unreasonable terror and panic. Despite his knowledge of how easily he could kill this thing, especially with Enna and William at his side, the realization of their situation sent him spiraling into a chaotic mindset.

He could not ask what he'd come here to ask. No doppelganger would reveal the whereabouts of the Ghost.

What could he say?

"So, as you can tell, whatever you have to give me had better be worth my time."

Rustler's voice now carried much more weight than even the doppelganger realized. Bash's mind flailed about, desperate to realize something that he could ask that would be both reasonable and unsuspicious.

"What can I do for you, Bash?" "You overstuffed vulture!"

"This is the thing," said Bash as calmly as he could muster. "My friends and I would really like some good weapons. And if anyone knows where those might be, it would be you."

What kind of crap did I just say?

"You know, this is a bookstore…" replied Fake Rustler, confused. Bash understood that. "Are you looking for weapons that are not made of steel?"

Almost sighing in relief, Bash said, "Yes. You know what I'm talking about."

"Information is more deadly than any dagger, which you know is my business. However, secrets come at a price, Bash. And as you also know, my prices are quite steep."

Grinning, Bash reached into his pouch and extracted twenty platinum pieces before spreading them across the edge of Rustler's desk.

"They are exactly that much," gushed Fake Rustler with a gleam in his eye. He picked up a piece and fingered it fervently. "Business has been good for you, I see. What is it you would like to know? I will grant you one question."

Now a legitimate question, Bash chided himself.

"You might be aware that we are in the Colosso Exhibition this year," he stalled as his mind quickly compiled a reasonable and unsuspicious request.

"Oh, yes," replied Fake Rustler. "Natural Misfits!" he said in a nasal voice. "Something I've heard."

"We would love to be able to plan ahead, if you know what I mean. What we would really like to know is… What are we going to be fighting tomorrow?"

Profoundly proud of himself, Bash added in a smirk for good measure, though it was hard to smirk at such a despicable creature.

"Excellent question," remarked Fake Rustler. "That is some expensive information, as you know how much money people throw at what happens in Colosso. Especially since your standings are quite high… But I might know… I'll see."

Standing, the gray body walked over to a bookshelf and extracted a giant ledger, which he slammed down on the table and began flipping through.

"Twenty platinum?" he asked.

Bash confirmed, though he now regretted offering that much. It was too much for this kind of information. But hopefully not too much to be perceived as suspicious.

"I believe that warrants you an answer, though it is very valuable information. Let's see… There was a shipment of a specific type of rock that came from Sunderpeak. It was commissioned by the Silverspire Mages specifically for the Colosso Exhibition Monster Slayer Trials. The rock was… very large, and rumor is that it contains some sort of monster that is saved for the finals, but I'm afraid that is all the information I have. It's all very hush-hush. Now, if you would like to leave a deposit, I could send a little bird to find more."

Despite his intense need to exit the building, Bash knew that dismissing too quickly could arouse suspicion.

"How much of a deposit are we talking?" he asked.

"Ten more platinum," replied Fake Rustler.

Ten platinum! thought Bash. Exorbitant. Ridiculous. Theft!

"Hmm…"

They had a lot to buy with this money sitting in his pocket. Three hundred he'd started with, and now he was down to two hundred eighty. But he knew himself well enough – and no doubt this doppelganger knew him well enough – to know that it would be more in his character to purchase the information than to simply leave. He'd always paid top dollar for his information in the past, though he'd always known when Rustler had tried to swindle him. In fact, he knew now that this type of information would only be worth about eighteen platinum total, including what he'd already learned. Perhaps he'd been too hasty before in his excessive generosity. But either way, he was not the type to leave knowledge unlearned, and he now regretted having developed this reputation. Fake Rustler's eye gleamed as he watched Bash's mind work.

"Seven," demanded Bash.

"You seem nervous," remarked Fake Rustler. "Is something wrong?"

A chill ran over Bash's spine, and he fought to contain it. Was he really being that obvious? Did this doppelganger somehow know that he could see things for what they really were? Were the three of them about to be clapped in irons and taken to the Ghost for his own torturous pleasure?

"I'm a little nervous about the exhibition tomorrow," lied Bash. "That's why I came here. It's a lot of money on the line."

He stood as casually as possible, but he feared that the jig was already up. Fake Rustler peered at him, and Bash worried that he would see right through his façade, just as Bash could see through Rustler's.

For the slightest of moments, Bash felt something touch his mind. The lightest brush of otherworldly presence against his thoughts, and then it dissipated as quickly as it had appeared. He fought a nervous chill.

"You certainly are nervous," said Fake Rustler. "But perhaps it really is just because of the exhibition. Seven more platinum."

Bash promptly retrieved the sum and added it to the pile on Rustler's desk.

"Thank you for your business. And please tell Sooka that my door is still open to her. But the other one may not enter this building. He owes me a door."

"He owes me some money, too, if we're honest," chuckled Bash lightly.

Fake Rustler nodded as if in understanding before saying, "We'll have a runner find you if we find out anything."

"Very well," nodded Bash. "Thank you for your services, my friend."

"Always a pleasure."

Then with a short turn, Bash headed through the door, thankfully hearing the footsteps of his companions following. It was not until he had left the building completely and the door had swung shut loudly behind him that he breathed again. Fully aware that there would be several kenku within ten blocks in every direction, like little ants tending to their nearby colony, he held any comments until a time that he could be sure that they were alone. Meandering down an alley, he glanced around but was unable to spot any of the undoubtedly hidden fiends, but it was only a moment before he spotted Aribis, Sooka, and Kayl fluttering in the street. As he approached, Aribis turned to stare up at a roof.

"Alright, lad, you can shove off now!" he called.

Aribis's voice returned from the rooftops in an exact mimicry, and Bash rolled his eyes. He hated being right sometimes.

"Maybe we should get out of this area for now," mused Aribis.

"Why not?" shrugged Bash, still struggling to appear casual. It was clear that nobody else knew that Rustler was really Fake Rustler, and he could not reveal it here.

"Maybe we could go see Andelvar," suggested Enna.

"That would be a great idea!" said Bash. "You know, for our exhibition tomorrow, it might be nice to have a good weapon." He rubbed his hands together nervously.

"Who were you talking to?" whispered Kayl to Aribis.

"A kenku up on the roof," he replied.

"Oh, uh… good eye."

Bash shook his head as he turned to lead the group toward Andelvar's shop. It was all he could hope that the gnome hadn't also been replaced by a doppelganger. He wasn't sure he could withstand that.