Blind Devotion

by dnd4evr

While on the run from a haunting past, a half-orc warlock finds himself the chance companion of a blind elf doctor. Despite her quirks, he finds great comfort in her company, and the two make fast friends...even if their enemies are never far behind. All original characters that are HIGHLY INSPIRED by the cast of Critical Role.

2. Complex Alliances

"So, favorite color? Wait, do you remember colors?"

Dahlia sighed. The first half hour of walking had been her regaling her various adventures (although Jayce was quick to label them "misadventures") with her previous companions, dotted with similar situations Jayce had experienced while sailing the Lucidean Sea. That quickly began to venture into uncomfortable territory for her, so Jayce had switched the conversation to some version of "20 Questions".

"Yes, I do remember colors, but I don't see a point in telling you my favorite. There are some days I'm not even sure what I remember is even correct, or real, and even if you did act on it, I wouldn't be able to see it. It's practically moot."

"That may be true…" Jayce's voice took a playful tone, one Dahlia was already beginning to recognize, even after only knowing the man for not even a single day. "But consider it braggin' rights! Like...even though ya can't see, you sure as hell know your fork's the right shade of purple."

"A purple fork?! How would that even be possible?!"

Jayce burst out laughing. "I have no fuckin' clue. Sure would be a story though, huh?"

"A conversation starter for sure." It was hard not to smile around him. Habit prevented her from actually smiling, but...it was already becoming an effort not to smile. "That said, my mess kit is actually stocked with silver utensils. It's healthier."

"Huh. Wonder why that is…"

Dahlia continued without prompting. "It's the same reason why the most effective bandages are laced with silver thread. Silver prevents spoilage and decay."

"And the trend continues." Jayce snickered to himself. If that was common knowledge, that would explain why the captain's personal tableware was all made of silver.

Dahlia perked up. "Trend?"

"Me learnin' somethin' new every time we talk," Jayce said, stretching his arms and rolling his shoulders. With the open road around them, and the constant conversing, Dahlia had felt comfortable enough to walk on her own, allowing Jayce the use of his arms again. Of course, as soon as he rolled his shoulders, they once again popped and crackled in a way that made Dahlia shudder in disgust.

"Wherever we camp tonight, I hope it's safe enough that you can take off your armor. That's driving me insane and I won't be able to rest until you're in better shape."

Jayce continued to laugh to himself. He wouldn't mind having his shoulders loosened up in a manner similar to his hands. Although, there was always the possibility that Dahlia had some other, much more invasive method of attending to his shoulders. That wasn't a pleasant thought.

Jayce had to ask now that his mind was coming up with rather horrifying ideas. "Now, just to be clear, you're talkin' about what you did to my hands, right? No cuttin' into me or nothin'?"

"Dawn's light, Jayce! Of course! Even if it wasn't completely ludicrous, I wouldn't perform surgery on a man for such a terrible reason! I vowed to do no harm as a doctor, remember?"

"Give me a year an' I'll be more familiar with your methods, ma'am. Promise," Jayce said, laughing nervously. It was a relief to know no knives would be involved with the correction of his shoulders.

"Honestly, the sharpest thing I'd even consider using on you would be my elbow," she muttered.

"Considerin' you've actually hit me with that, and on a bruise no less, I'm already well aware your elbow's pretty damn sharp!"

Dahlia huffed and struggled to come up with a retort, causing Jayce to once again start snickering under his breath. Traveling with this man was definitely going to be a challenge, but somehow, she found she didn't mind.

"Dahlia, just a thought; You ever do that rubbing thing to your previous companions?"

Her feet wouldn't move. Stock still on the road, Dahlia found herself drowning in a flood of memories of a man who would have haunted her nightmares, if she could dream. The only advantage she knew of her race was her ability to sleep without being tormented by the fears embedded in her past that she could otherwise easily ignore while awake.

It took a few steps for Jayce to realize Dahlia had stopped walking. Turning back to face her, he noted she was, once again, completely stock still. He worried she was going to fall back into whatever had made her mute before.

"Dahlia?"

She gritted her teeth and marched forward, easily closing the distance between them and not waiting for Jayce to start walking. "I don't want to talk about this."

"Right. Next question." Jayce jogged a few steps to catch up and walked next to her. "If you could have any pet in the world, what would it be and what would its name be?"

If Dahlia could see, she would have done a double take. She was nearly literally blindsided by the question. "A what?"

"A pet! An animal you keep around for comfort or companionship, that kinda thing." Jayce was nearly bouncing. He had an answer and very much hoped she'd ask him the same question.

Dahlia really had to think about it. "I...don't think I've ever considered having a pet. I don't see the point. How would I care for a creature when I can barely take care of myself?"

"Bullshit. You do just fine. Although… I kinda feel you're a cat person. Lithe and graceful, ya know?"

"You're just saying that because I'm an elf."

Jayce chuckled. "Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong."

Dahlia sighed. "I don't even know what a cat is."

Jayce couldn't believe his ears. "How the fuck do you not know what a cat is? They're everywhere! Hell, we even had one on the ship! Nearly ate that parrot I told you about. Never tried it again, after the parrot nipped an inch off it's tail."

"Well, if it can't defend itself against a parrot, I probably wouldn't want one." Dahlia couldn't imagine what a cat would be, but it must be quite small and helpless to be bested by a talking bird.

"In its defense, that parrot was a piece of work," Jayce laughed. "Still, next cat I find, you're gonna find out what a cat is."

"If you say so."

Jayce had such an obvious bounce to his step Dahlia could practically hear it.

"And what has you in such a giddy mood?"

Finally! He'd get his chance! "Ask me what kind of pet I'd get," he said, the smile evident in his voice.

"Fine! What kind, if you could have any in the world, would you choose as a pet?" Dahlia couldn't believe she was humoring him.

"I'd tame a blink dog, and name it Puffles!"

Dahlia was so shocked by the answer that she had to stop walking, and the fight against the laughter from her companion's outburst was a losing one. She snorted hard, dropping her head into her hands, but she was careful to only touch her blindfold.

"P-Puffles?!" she wheezed.

"On account it would 'puff' in and out of existence," Jayce said proudly. He really did think of that one all by himself.

"What the- What in the world is a blink dog?!" Dahlia said, gasping around giggles as they resumed walking.

"Ain't fully sure, but I read a book with one in it. A fae dog, tall enough to reach my hip, able to jump instantly from place to place, so long as it could see where it was goin'." Jayce indicated the height at his hip out of habit while they walked. "Just imagine havin' that kind of loyal animal at your side! All the usual games ya play with a pet would have a touch of magic to it, and the mischief you could pull off! Not to mention all the places ya could get into, once ya train it."

"Jayce, your mind is an absolute delight," Dahlia giggled. A fae dog named Puffles. Now she'd heard it all.

"You think I'm joking? We ever come across a blink dog, I'm adoptin' the damn thing and spoiling it rotten. You'll see-" And he caught himself just half a second too late. "Shit!"

Jayce slapped a hand across his face and Dahlia shook her head, albeit with a smile. "Jayce, I already told you I don't mind idioms that reference sight. Just talk how you normally do."

"Just doesn't feel right, like wavin' fresh bread in front of a hungry beggar's nose." Jayce sighed. "I'll get it outta my system, I promise."

"I believe you."

They began walking in silence again, and Jayce noticed the sky was starting to become overcast. He breathed deep, noting the chill in the air, the smell of moisture wafting in on the wind.

"It'll rain tonight," they both said in unison.

Jayce whipped his head at Dahlia, honestly shocked she had not only mused on the weather, but had done so correctly. Dahlia, on the other hand, just tilted her head in confusion as she had seemed to suddenly obtain a strange, Jayce-like echo to her voice.

"You know how to read the weather?" Jayce asked, while wondering how in the world this woman could surprise him any more than she already had.

"Yes and no." Dahlia shrugged. "I'm no druid, but I've learned to recognise the patterns I can sense, and I overheard someone talking about rain tonight in town. Since I can smell moisture on the air and I know we aren't near a body of water, I'm assuming he was correct."

"Well I'll be damned. I recognize it outta habit from my sailing days. The whole 'red sky in the morning, heed Melora's warning' was drummed into my head so many damn times I practically dream of it."

Dahlia tilted her head again as they walked. "What does that mean?"

Jayce turned to her. "What, the red sky thing?"

"Yes, that."

Jayce shrugged as they walked. "It's old salt wisdom. While sailin' on the sea, ya can see farther than ya can on land, especially when it's calm. If ya see a red sky at dawn, that means the sun's reflectin' off low clouds, which are always heavy with rain. Those'll find a way to cross you, mark my words. If ya see a red sky at night, that's 'cause the low clouds've moved on, and night'll be calm." Jayce snickered to himself. "Never thought I'd be regalling Cookie's ramblings to a cleric at the base of some landlocked mountains."

"Speaking of, the incline of the road is increasing," Dahlia said, hoping Jayce was keeping an eye out for those signs. "We should look for the markers soon. And despite being unable to utilize your age old wisdom, Jayce, I do find it interesting."

"Many thanks," Jayce smiled, pulling up his hood as a chill, brisk wind whistled by. He didn't spot any of the markers just yet with a cursory glance, but it would be more important once they came across the byroad that went directly into the mountains. It had to be soon. The Ironseat Ridge was practically looming over them at this point. "We gotta come across one o' them soon; We'll be practically in the mountains if we go too much farther."

"Would the map have the markers on it?" Dahlia asked, shifting to walk a little closer to Jayce. Something was making the hair on her neck stand on end, but she couldn't determine why she was suddenly on edge.

Jayce shrugged off a strap of his knapsack and swung the bag to his front, rifling through the pockets to find the map. "Ain't sure, but'll be a moment to check. Hold on."

Dahlia's ears perked, practically twitching. She could hear movement on the road, but it was subtle, and far. She couldn't accurately tell if it was even humanoid, but she knew something was on the road.

"Jayce," she said in hushed tones, "while you're looking at the map, can you subtly scan the road behind us? I think I heard someone… Maybe something. It may even be following us."

Jayce unfurled the map and held it up, as if trying to match mountain peaks to their drawn counterparts. He slowly made a half turn, and as subtly as he could, glanced over his shoulder at the road behind him.

While the road seemed to be empty, some of the larger rocky debris on the mountain side of the road had a strange shadow to it, as if the shadow was too large. It could possibly just be an animal native to the region, or it could be bandits; Now that he was aware of the threat, Jayce knew to keep an eye out for possible ambush points on the road ahead. And speaking of the road ahead, Jayce finally spotted a lone marker, carved into a flat faced rock, written in the blocky text of the dwarves.

"Well, good news, I found a marker," Jayce said, rolling up the map and slipping it back into his knapsack, which he then replaced back over his shoulders. "Bad news, I ain't completely sure, but I trust ya heard somethin' on the road behind us. Keep an ear out, and let me know if whatever it is tries to close the distance. We've got a fair ways to go yet."

Dahlia nodded, grabbing the back of Jayce's upper arm coat sleeve. If she had to keep an ear out, it would be better if someone else was guiding her for a while.

With Dahlia trailing on his arm, Jayce approached the three foot tall stone marker. As his eyes focused on the dwarven script, the letters seemed to swim and become amorphous for a moment, before finally settling on the common script found throughout most of Tal'Dorei. Jayce came to a hard stop on his heel, staring at the flat faced stone.

Dahlia, not expecting the sudden stop, lightly bumped into his arm. "Jayce? What's wrong?"

"Uh, I...can read this." Jayce didn't know what to make of it. He hadn't studied a single word of Dwarven in his life, and yet, somehow, this whole sign was legible to him. Even though it looked like it was written in the common script, he instinctively knew it was in Dwarven, and he could read it.

"And?"

Jayce couldn't take his eyes off the marker as he tried to make sense of what he was seeing. "It's written in Dwarven. I don't know Dwarven."

"I'm confused. You just said you can read it."

"I'm confused!" Jayce rubbed his eyes with his free arm. When his vision refocused, he could still read the marker. "I've never studied Dwarven a day of my life, and yet this makes perfect sense to me!"

Dahlia was silent a moment, thinking through her experience. "Well, as strange as that is, it seems to be to our advantage. Perhaps it's connected to your powers; I've heard of a spell that will translate anything heard or written for the caster. Perhaps your new abilities gave you a similar kind of boon, but in a more...instinctive way. In any case, until we know for sure, I'm more curious about what the marker says."

Jayce quickly scanned the carving, and read aloud. "You stand at the base of the Ironseat Ridge, once the throne of the mighty titan that moved the world with its earth-shattering hands. Within the stone, veins of gold brought fortune and prosperity to the mighty people of Kymal, long may they stand. Travel north to the Silvercut Road, travel northwest to the mines that sustain us."

"Then this is the split in the road." Dahlia nodded, mostly to herself. "We'll be at the mine soon."

Jayce was less subtle than his previous attempt to check the road behind him, now that he was somewhat rattled. He still didn't see anyone of note behind them, but he didn't trust his eyes at that moment. "Still an hour by my reckon. Let's move."

The two of them picked up the pace and headed down the northwest branch of the road, with Jayce quickly noting worn, flat faced rocks and wooden signs along the way that held symbols for Prosperity, Wealth, Luck, Determination, and Providence. Following their employer's advice, Jayce led them through the branching paths up the mountain, all the while continuing to wonder why he could suddenly read a language he had never known.

"Well, this is it."

Jayce and Dahlia stood before the gaping maw of a derelict mine. The wooden supports suffered from dry rot, and seemed to only be held in place by the remains of the barricade that once prevented trespassers from entering. Only half of the barricade still stood, as the other half had been slowly and crudely dismantled to not only create an entrance for the current occupants, but to also devise some sort of rough decoration, making it look as if the cave had splintered, wooden teeth.

"And?" Dahlia could hear the strange whistle of the rapidly cooling wind past the jagged timber decorations but struggled to fathom what it looked like. "What are we looking at?"

"One thing's for sure; somethin's livin' here." Jayce blew out a nervous breath as he looked over the threatening facade. "Someone's taken the time to rip off the barricade and turn the front door into some sort of ogre's mouth."

"Ah. So we're facing off with a tribe of artists."

Jayce managed a reluctant smile. "Rather morbid ones."

Dahlia gave Jayce's arm a light squeeze. "Jayce, take me to the entrance. I want to try something."

Jayce nodded dumbly and slowly drew up to the gap in the barricade. They'd have to duck to step in, but it was wide enough to give them plenty of space.

"Careful. Top's a bit low here. You'll need to duck."

Dahlia held out a hand in front of her and found the plank above the gap, tracing circles until she found the upper edge. Having established that, she pulled herself under, curled her tongue against her upper teeth, and whistled at an ear blistering volume.

Jayce yelped in pain and surprise, covering his ears as he hopped backward. Thankfully, his resulting curses were quiet, and Dahlia was able to listen to the echoes of the sound bouncing around the corners and curves of the definitely not abandoned mine.

It was an old trick from a previous life, but one that still occasionally proved useful.

"What in the fuckin' hell was that?!" Jayce hissed, rubbing at his ears. "A little warnin' next time?!"

"Consider us even for that ill-advised mimicry you did earlier." Dahlia pulled herself back out and stood up. "The mine heads out for about fifty feet before branching left and right, with the right passage descending deeper into the mountain and the left terminating approximately twenty feet after the branch."

Jayce stared at Dahlia with awe, his hands still hovering by his ears. "Well I'll be a siren's fuckin' supper. You get all that from a goddamn loud whistle?!"

Dahlia crossed her arms and looked incredibly smug and validated. "Of course. I already told you, my hearing is more practiced and focused than most. In fact, I said those exact words."

"Seems like a petty thing to remember…" Jayce mumbled, rubbing his ears a final time for good measure.

"I have a particularly good memory."

Of course she heard that.

The wind began to pick up, screaming past them on that high ledge of the mountain.

"So, Lady Dahlia the goddamn Storm Whistle, we clear to have lunch out of the wind or should we bunk up right here?"

Dahlia mulled over the echoes she had previously heard. "Well, the returned sound was proportional to what I sent out, so it didn't interact with anything particularly soft. Unless we're facing off with something chitinous or made of a mineral composition, we should be fine."

The wind threatened to rip anything loose from the travelers, and both braced themselves against it.

"Plus, I don't think it would be a good idea to attempt a lunch out here!" Dahlia called out over the wind. Jayce didn't respond, and instead just grabbed her arm and pulled her into the much calmer interior of the mine shaft.

"Fuck, that wind is gettin' rough." Jayce pulled his hood down and rubbed his cheeks, which had been rather shocked by the sudden drop in temperature caused by the wind. "That rain's gonna be a fuckin' storm at this rate."

"Jayce, you swear an inordinate amount for a single person."

Jayce rolled his eyes. "You try livin' on a shitty boat with a bunch of fuckin' assholes and see if you walk away soundin' like a damned priest in fuckin' church."

Dahlia traced a part of the wall with her hand. "I feel like that was exaggerated on purpose…"

"Guilty as charged. Now, ya want jerky, flatbread, or mixed nuts?" Jayce sat heavily on the ground behind the more solid part of the barricade and began rooting through his remaining stores of his previous rations. Might as well get through the old stuff first.

Following his voice, Dahlia shifted over to her annoyed companion and sat next to him. "Mixed nuts, please. And a strip of jerky, if there's some to spare."

The wind screeched angrily just outside.

They both paused, listening to the wind scream past the jagged edges of the barricade. Jayce silently handed over the rations, watching the greying light of the world outside. The clouds were thick and dark now. Jayce assumed that the rain may not wait until evening.

"Where…? Ah. Thank you."

Dahlia followed Jayce's extended arm to the small bag of foodstuff, and pulled it into her lap. Within was indeed a pleasant mix of roasted nuts, with a strip of jerky shoved inside.

Jayce glanced over at his companion and noted her current food. "Hey, Dahlia."

She swallowed a mouthful before she responded. "What is it?"

"Ya hear about that roasted nut that went to the town guard?"

Dahlia dreaded what he was going to say next. She could easily hear the mischievous grin in his voice. "Oh no. No, Jayce, I did not."

"Yeah, poor thing was a-salted."

Dahlia audibly groaned and dropped her head into her hands, again only touching her blindfold, as Jayce burst out laughing.

"Jayce, your puns are absolutely terrible." And yet, despite her comment, she couldn't hide the giggle in her voice.

"I did mention I nearly got clocked for 'em," Jayce snickered, catching his breath. He pulled the flatbread and the remaining jerky from the rations and constructed a remarkably dry sandwich. "I hope ya ain't regrettin' taggin' along with me. I got a thousand of 'em."

"Oh gods above have mercy!" Dahlia giggled, finally lifting her head again. "Considering the marked improvement from my previous company, I shall endure the childish wordplay."

Jayce continued to snicker as he worked through his own food, and enjoyed the quiet in the next few moments. The wind seemed to have settled down somewhat, at least for the time, and while it still whistled past the entrance to the mine, its tone was noticeably less angry. Still, they would be in the dark of the mine for some time, and so the wind, and the likely ensuing rain, was no longer their problem.

"Glad we beat the weather…" Jayce mumbled, watching dry brush tumble by and get caught on the edge of the mine entrance. "And, as a bonus, I find it entertainin' to know whatever was followin' us is sittin' pretty in the gale out there."

"If you want to be petty, we could make it obvious we're camping here for the night; Then, if they really were following us, they'd be forced to reveal themselves or spend the night in the rain."

Jayce looked at Dahlia, both impressed and surprised at the level of mischief she just suggested. "I thought clerics were supposed to be the good kids," he said with a chuckle.

Dahlia smirked and swallowed another mouthful of nuts. "I never said I was a cleric. I said a holy man taught me clerical magic."

Jayced laughed, mostly to himself. "Point taken." He privately noted to never find himself in a battle of wits with that woman. He'd probably lose in a spectacular fashion.

"In fact," Dahlia mused, fidgeting with a nut, "if we could manage to keep it out of the wind, a well placed torch should delay whoever was following us by a good hour, at least. That will give us time to safely explore the first leg of the mine, and perhaps bypass a few of the supposed traps to give us a buffer between us and them."

Jayce nodded and rubbed his chin in thought, looking over the area immediately around them. "I got a few torches in my bag, and I think I know exactly where t' place it. Clever idea."

Dahlia crossed her arms. "I thought you said you didn't need a light source."

"They're good for startin' fires, okay?" Jayce huffed as he started rooting through his bag again. "Plus, never know when you're gonna need to start chuckin' fire at somethin'. A torch makes that kinda thing easy."

"Fair point."

The two of them quickly finished the food that remained, had a few swigs of water from their canteens, and set about laying their ruse. To give the torch the greatest chance at burning for its full duration, Jayce determined it would need to be anchored upright, and Dahlia easily found several large rocks to brace the torch in place. Jayce placed it nearly ten feet from the mine opening and slightly behind the barricade, to block it from the wind, and noted with pride that the orange light flickered visibly against the wall that could be seen from outside.

Jayce patted stone dust from his hands and admired his work. "And, as luck would have it, it's gettin' darker out with that comin' rain. It'll be even easier to see this glowin'."

Dahlia nodded. "Perfect. Let's go!"

The two of them began their journey deep into the mine, slowly disappearing from the light they had left behind them. Outside, the torch's glow was indeed seen by an interested party, and several curses were exchanged as they realized their intended target had picked an easily defensible position for a fireside meal.

Then, the wind roared by, whipping through the mountain range, hissing through the dry brush that called the craigy rocks home...and the flickering light went out.

The cave was, of course, dark, but that hardly mattered. After all, Dahlia didn't use sight, and Jayce's predator-like eyes could see as if a dim light was around them. It was all shades of grey, but it was enough. Even so, that whistle probably tipped something off, and a torch would just be asking for trouble.

The progress was slow past the first fifty feet, at the junction. Since Dahlia had already mentioned the left path was a dead end, Jayce led them both down the right path, and immediately noticed the decline through the passageway. The detail was approximated and basic, but Jayce was still impressed with the accuracy of her echolocation.

It was there that they came across their first trap. A trip wire, nearly impossibly low to the ground, set with a precariously balanced twig under tension. Jayce took a moment to follow the hempen rope up the side of the passage, hidden behind a crude wall of dry rotted planks, to spot a makeshift trap door in the ceiling. He could only guess what was behind it; likely logs or loose rocks, but either way, it would do some damage if it had gone off.

As they already knew there was a threat both before and behind them, neither spoke in the darkness. Jayce brought Dahlia up to the trip wire and lifted her arm, indicating he'd like her to step over something. She immediately complied, and he imagined she was grateful for the asist.

Safely past their first obstacle, they continued their descent into the depths of the mine. Dahlia's ears perked up, listening to the sounds of their footsteps bouncing off the walls. Both of them wore hard leather heels, and the clopping sound was distinctive. It would be easy enough to filter that out and listen beyond their immediate vicinity.

Behind them, two hushed voices, garbled beyond understanding from the echoing stone, could already be heard, as the howling of the wind had faded since the turn in the cavern. She tensed, immediately understanding their ruse had failed.

"Jayce," she hissed under her breath, honestly terrified the people behind her would hear. "They're in the mine. They didn't fall for it."

Jayce didn't respond, but paused his step just long enough to glance over his shoulder. He couldn't see anything. They must not be using lights either. His eyes darted around the mine shaft, looking for a nook to hide in, or some place to duck out of sight. The way ahead branched in three directions, with two of them leaning rightward and the third turning a sharp left. He bit his lip, already trying to formulate their best chance against the ambushers.

He barely got out half a syllable before Dahlia pressed a finger to his lips, her head tilting toward the branching paths ahead. Jayce was briefly confused, but then tried to listen. Something was jabbering, coming towards them from one of the paths, but he couldn't figure out which one.

Dahlia must have sensed his hesitation, because she gripped his arm and pulled him down the left path, pulling him away from the crossroad. A mere second after she yanked him into the left passageway, a small creature, no taller than three feet, with a lizard-like muzzle and clawed hands stomped its way past them, grumbling in some sort of guttural, hissing language. It stopped short, turning its head quizzically to look down the same passage Dahlia and Jayce were currently hiding in.

Dahlia held her breath, and Jayce subtly placed a hand on his sword. He could feel the prickling chill of magic crawl up his arm, as if begging for a release. Dahlia's grip on the back of his sleeve tightened, and he could feel his blood run hot with a barely contained fury.

If that thing took even one step towards her…

A voice screamed in alarm, and the sound of several tons of rock crashing and clattering down sent the creature squealing back the way it came. Jayce finally took a second to breathe. Hopefully that took care of whoever was following them. Now, to stay out of the way until that thing brought back reinforcements and finished off what was left of the failed ambushers.

"Do you think…?" Dahlia whispered, leaning away from the wall just enough to hopefully hear if anything moved around the corner. She hesitated to finish the thought. While she was reasonably sure whoever was now under those rocks had ill intent for them, she had no proof. On even the slightest chance they were innocent, she couldn't wish death on them.

"Maybe." Jayce understood what she meant. "We keep movin'. That thing'll be back with pals, and they'll finish off whatever's left of the assholes followin' us. Then, we finish off whatever's left of them, an' that's an easier job for us."

Dahlia nodded, stepping away from the wall and obviously listening for threats. "Right. Good plan. We-"

"Help!"

A familiar voice shocked them both, and they both turned toward the hall with the sprung trap.

"The hell…?" Jayce whispered. He couldn't place the voice, but he knew he had heard it sometime that day.

"That's Al!" Dahlia sprinted down the path, retracing their steps. Jayce struggled initially to keep up, as the comment caught him off guard.

"Who- The half-elf at the Lucky Lady?!" So that's who was following them! Why didn't they reveal themselves?

"I know one of you is a doctor! Please! Help us!"

Dahlia and Jayce turned the corner to a grim sight. The collapsed rock and debris had battered the three of them, but their goliath friend had taken the brunt of it, shielding them with his own body. Even so, the gnome was nursing an obviously broken and bloody arm, and the half-elf's face was streaked with the blood from a gash above his eye.

Dahlia tried to race past Jayce, to attempt to assess the damage, anything to help, as was her instinct, but Jayce blocked her path. He drew his sword and let it flash with eerie, blue arcane energy that licked the edge like oily flame.

"Plan hasn't changed, Dahlia. We move on, and leave them," he hissed, the adrenaline threatening to rise once more.

"Jayce, I smell blood. They're hurt!" she protested, but she couldn't stand her ground when Jayce started walking backward, pushing her behind him. He was far stronger than her, and she would never forget that again.

"Please, madam, sir!" The gnome struggled to his feet, still gripping his arm. "Surely you're aware even a simple mistake can be costly; a lesson we have just relearned with extreme risk to our very lives! It was a mistake to not call out to you on the road, and appeal to you there; it will also be a mistake to take on an entire clan of monsters without our help!"

The gnome's voice was nasal and annoying, but his plea for mercy seemed to get through to Dahlia. She ducked under Jayce's arm and dashed forward, but he caught the back of her coat before she could make it out of his reach.

"Dahlia, I said leave them be!"

The flame crawling up his blade flashed angrily at the tone of Jayce's voice, curling up his arm and licking its way up his shoulder as he held Dahlia's coat. She could not see the display, but she could hear his anger, and the stink of demon magic was beginning to crawl through her senses.

She faced him, determined to stand her ground, even if he could overpower her.

"Jayce, they mean us no harm. We'll have time to ask them why they followed us as soon as their wounds are bandaged and the incoming threat is dealt with. Until then, just trust me, and let me do my work."

Jayce fought hard with himself. On the one hand, it would be very easy to just let them fend for themselves and die. On the other, Dahlia seemed to be decently good at reading people, despite being blind. After all, she had clued in to his panic attack in the shop just from the sound of his breathing.

"Fine. But whatever that was'll be back with friends, and soon." Jayce dropped his grip on her coat and stepped back.

The flame began to flicker out.

Dahlia nodded and again dashed forward, this time making it to the three men battered by the debris.

"Which one of you has it the worst, and are there any broken bones?" she said, reaching out for the three men. She had a rough idea of their location, but hearing their voices would help.

"Uh, I just got nicked on the face, but pretty sure Yosxim broke his arm." The half-elf did a quick, cursory glance at the goliath, who shook his head, even though he was rubbing his shoulder. "And I think Gauth's okay."

She knew they meant no harm, but she still didn't trust them, especially if shouldering a wound was a matter of pride. "Yosxim, call out to me."

"I'm right here, madam," the gnome said, holding out his good hand. "I apologize in advance for the coating of blood you're about to receive."

Upon reaching him, Dahlia found and began to assess the broken arm. The forearm was broken from a crushing impact, and was likely splintered. She knew if she could get the larger pieces in place, her magic could do the rest without scarring or deforming him.

"It's a good thing I don't balk at the sight of blood," she smiled.

Yosxim's laugh immediately turned to a cry of pain as Dahlia wrenched his forearm back into the proper shape. Gauth, out of habit, immediately leapt toward Dahlia, having assumed the worst.

Dahlia touched an amulet underneath her coat. "Dawn's light upon you."

A burst of sunlight radiated from Dahlia's whole being, briefly illuminating the passageways around them. It washed over everyone near her, and within seconds, bones knit and wounds closed, with no mark of the injury remaining after a glow, highlighting the affected areas, faded away.

Gauth removed his hand from Dahlia's collar, clearing his throat awkwardly as Jayce glared him down. Completely unphased, Dahlia stood up straight and shifted her coat back into place.

"Well I'll be…" Yosxim muttered, twisting his healed arm left and right. "Good as new!"

"I'm glad to hear it. Now, this way! I couldn't hear them from the left path; that's probably a dead end and we can use it for cover!"

As Dahlia and Jayce started sprinting down the passageway, Yosxim called after them. "But that puts our backs to the wall!"

"Then do what you will!" Jayce spat back as they turned the corner. He was having incredible trouble keeping his temper in check. What were they planning on doing? Stealing the assignment? Palming whatever baubles they could find from under his nose? Whatever their reason, they could rot for all he cared. Shadowing someone on the road for several hours with no intention of coming forward was not a glowing example of a trustworthy disposition.

If they hadn't set off that trap, Jayce and Dahlia could still be in a game of cat and mouse. He couldn't afford to let those men slip behind them again.

The shaft took another hard left, and abruptly came to a wall. Dahlia skid to a stop and pulled a blade out of the back of her belt, turning to face the way they had come. Jayce arrived right behind her, but as his blade was already pulled, he felt he had a moment to talk before the assumed threat arrived.

"What in the hell were you thinking?!" he hissed, keeping his back to the corner and peeking around. "They were plannin' on ambushing us, and you just helped them!"

"Keep your voice down!" Dahlia said as quietly as she could manage. She slid her feet across the ground, one at a time, until she found the wall Jayce was leaning against. "You said it yourself, Jayce; 'Always be nice to the healers.' Now they know what kind of magic I have, and I'll be more useful to them alive than dead. The next time they come at us-"

A hissing, screeching chant started to throb through the caverns.

"-they won't use their full power."

The chanting began rising in volume as whatever was the source clearly got closer. Jayce risked another peek around the corner, well aware he wouldn't be able to see what was chanting unless it was directly coming after them. He was shocked to see the three men coming down the exact same passageway, and the largest one, Gauth the Goliath, was stumbling along while being dragged by Al. Jayce ducked back behind the corner, and braced to listen.

"How far did those two run!?" Al hissed, rapidly approaching the corner.

"Both of you, hold!" Yosxim said, frustration evident in his voice."We don't know if she was lying when she called it a dead end, and those things are nearly upon us! Hold your ground!"

"I! Need! Light!" a deep voice boomed. The goliath finally spoke. Jayce felt a twinge of fear crawl up his neck at the sound.

"Oh pish posh, when have we ever needed light?! You're fine! Just hit anything that doesn't sound like us!" the gnome spat.

The chanting abruptly stopped and turned into a hissing, squeaking, rallying cry that charged toward them.

"What about when he nearly cut me in half?!" Al said, pulling blades and clearly stepping away from Gauth.

"There's no time for a torch and my magic does enough! Prepare yourselves!"

On cue, Yosxim began channelling magic through a wand, barely lighting the area around him in a dull orange glow. Gauth clearly struggled to focus on anything while brandishing his massive great axe, his muscles tensing for the battle.

A small horde of reptilian humanoids charged into view, screaming some hissing version of a battle cry. Each was wearing scrap armor, made from bits of wood and burlap, occasionally tied together with strips of leather or thin rope. Each one carried daggers and make-shift shivs, or small pouches on their hips.

One of the two winged creatures leapt at the group, slamming into Yosxim, as he carried the only source of light. It cruelly stabbed into his stomach with a dagger, twisting the knife as it buried the blade to the hilt. Yosxim screamed in pain.

Bolstered by the action, two more of the scaled creatures charged at the downed gnome, slashing with their improvised blades. Both managed to cut deeply into the gnome, and the light blinked out as Yosxim collapsed to the ground. Al cried out for him.

Gauth screamed in rage, but another creature whipped a small, sharp stone at him before he could move. It bounced uselessly off his shoulder.

The other winged creature leapt into the air, flapping its wings briefly to hop over the one that threw the sling stone, and dove at Gauth, blade out. The blade managed to find purchase in Gauth's forearm, but the goliath barely seemed to notice it.

However, he was now acutely aware of that one creature's position, and growled deeply into its now panicking face.

Al slipped under Gauth's arm and dashed to Yosxim's side, silent and focused. He spun and slashed, his blade ripping through the cheek and jaw of the winged creature that pinned his downed friend's body to the floor. It screeched and stumbled backward, leaving its dagger in Yosxim's stomach.

Dahlia's stomach was churning. She couldn't sit by and do nothing. Gauth was in the dark, and his good friend had just been, as far as she could tell, slaughtered. She heard him yelling for light, and earlier, knew it was him that reacted so strongly when Yosxim cried out in pain.

She bumped a loose stone by her foot, and immediately thought of something she could do to help. With one hand already in her bag, she scooped up the rock, identified a special pouch, pulled out a small nub of pale moss, and, streaking it across the surface of the rock to leave a lightly glowing, blue patch, whispered in her home tongue, "Illuminate."

The rock began to glow with an inner, white light, sparkling like a fallen star in her hands. As Jayce flinched away from the sudden bright light, she stepped away from the corner that hid them and chucked the rock as hard as she could into the battle.

It clattered harmlessly past the tangled beings, settling to a stop in front of the remaining creatures who had yet to join the battle. They all screamed in unison, shielding themselves from the sudden bright light that proved to be too much for their sensitive, dark acclimated eyes.

Gauth, roaring with rage, ripped the creature off his arm and slammed it, face first, into the blade of his great axe. Its head was instantly bisected across the bias, with the axe finally coming to a rest deep within the creature's shoulder and wing.

With that done, Gauth turned on his heel and leapt toward the three creatures still hovering over Yosxim. They scattered, causing his strike to swing wide. Al had to duck out of the way, but said nothing, looking terrified.

Of the remaining two reptilian humanoids, one ran screaming while the other stood still, rubbing its eyes. Jayce saw a chance and stepped in front of Dahlia, holding out a hand, palm down, at the running creature, and whispered "Die". A crackling energy, blue and angry, shot down the length of his arm, slamming into the creature's back and knocking it to the floor.

Jayce swore under his breath as he saw it writhe. He had hoped that would kill it.

The remaining winged creature screeched in anger, clawing out at Al in revenge of its face. Al easily twisted backward, pulling himself out of its reach. However, that movement put him directly in range of a second creature, which embedded its dagger in Al's rib. Al screamed in pain as the last creature slashed at him, but only scraped the front of his leather armor.

Another sling rock whistled into the fray, harmlessly bouncing off Gauth's temple. Gauth, still blind with rage, didn't even notice it.

Al stabbed his blade right into the winged creature's eye, ripping it out and trailing viscera as it collapsed, dead, next to his friend. Holding his side, he ducked and weaved around the remaining two creatures, putting them between himself and Gauth, who was gripped in the murderous throws of bloodlust. He was feeling dizzy and faint from the pain, but he hoped his large friend would be enough of a distraction to buy him some breathing room.

Meanwhile, Dahlia had been listening, trying to determine the shape of the battle. Gauth was easy enough to track, and she knew something happened to Yosxim...and Al, from his recent cry of pain, but those two were too quiet to find. Her limbs locked up. She could hear them begin to die, and she didn't know how to help.

Gauth had no such reservations. With a thunderous roar for death, his greataxe neatly cleaved through another creature, spraying its companion with blood and bile. The remaining humanoid over Yosxim's body began screaming in terror, paralyzed with fear as it matched Gauth's hate-filled eyes.

Jayce watched both creatures at the far end of the tunnel recover from the previous round of fighting; one picked itself up from the floor, limping in pain, and the second finally managed to acclimate to the sudden bright light. Both started running, the uninjured one unabashedly leaving its companion behind.

He sucked his teeth in anger at his own failure to kill the first one and aimed his arm at its back, hoping, if he hit it hard enough, the magic would rip through it and strike the other. With a hiss of "Just die already!", a blue bolt fired from his arm once more, striking the injured creature in the back of its head, dropping it to the ground.

Its companion escaped.

The final creature standing over Yosxim shook itself out of its fear, and attempted to leap away from the immediate threats surrounding it. Gauth, his axe already in a murderous arch, spun on his heel and slashed through the creature, dropping it to the ground in two twitching pieces.

Seeing the carnage, the creature that had attempted to attack from a distance immediately about-faced and ran the way it came, screaming in fear.

Al, gasping for air and holding his side, twisted hard as he flung one of his daggers, end over end, directly into the back of the retreating creature's skull. The blade was buried up to its hilt as the creature dropped, but Al couldn't take a moment to celebrate. He gritted his teeth through the pain, and dropped to his knees.

"Healer!" Gauth's booming voice reverberated around them as the goliath's head whipped around to find his target. "Save him or I will end your life myself!"

Jayced took a step toward the goliath, his sword still crackling with slick blue flame. His yellow eyes, his pupils unnaturally thin slits in the bright light, locked with the massive, grey man. His voice was calm, even, clearly in command. Gauth found himself staring at the tip of the flaming sword, which came to rest pointed at his throat.

"You fuckin' dare, and I will turn your bones to ash where you stand."

Gauth felt the bloodlust leave him. This small, green man actually scared him.

Dahlia dashed past Jayce while he was distracted. "Where's Yosxim? I can't hear him!"

"Here!" Al croaked, grunting from the pain of his own wound. "He's not stirring!"

She dropped to her knee and slid the last few feet to Yosxim's side. The smell of blood was strong, and she placed her hand roughly where she believed the wound originated.

"Return!" she breathed, a light pulsing through her palm and deep into Yosxim's body. The light pulsed again, through the wound, and the gnome's multiple orifices, as he convulsed with a sudden intake of air.

Al and Gauth almost leapt to his side. "Yosxim!" Al winced, trying to reach the gnome.

"I'm…" Yosxim coughed, fighting to breathe evenly. "I'm alive…!"

"Hush. I bought you some time, but I need to work if you want the rest of it." Dahlia pulled forward her shoulder bag and dug through it, eventually producing a small wooden box with a latch. Gauth and Al leaned over her shoulder to try and see what she was about to do, but Jayce waved them back.

"Give her some space, dammit! She's trying to save your friend and all you're doin' is gettin' in the way!" Jayce then pulled Al back an extra step before turning him and forcefully walking him away from the group. "And," he whispered, "if you want to live, I'll trade ya a healing potion for answers."

Al fought off a wave of nausea as he looked over his shoulder. Unsurprisingly, Gauth was completely enraptured with the work that elf woman was doing on his friend. He'd be getting no help there.

"Don't feel like I've got much of a choice…" Al mumbled, gritting his teeth and trying to staunch the blood from his wound. "Deal. Potion first."

Jayce pulled out a potion from a back pocket on his knapsack and, one arm still gripping Al's, rolled it through his fingers where the half-elf could see it. "Oh no. That's not how this works. Why were you and your pals trailing us on the road? Tell me the truth, and you'll get the potion."

His voice was soft and subtle, but Al could tell there was potent venom in his words. He had seen those blue bolts that half-monster produced. He shuddered to think what would happen if such a bolt was summoned while Jayce's hand was still gripping Al's arm. Al started to feel sick from the fear of it all.

"Alright! Alright! I'll tell you everything!" Al hissed, grimacing from the half-orc's nails biting into his arm. "Soon as we left the table, we got approached by another dwarf. A rival family or something, wanting to buy the mine. They got a tip that it might not be as dry as old Oakenhelm assumed it was. We were supposed to make sure you didn't make it back so he could buy the mine at a reduced price or...something. I don't know that part! Yosxim figured out the details!"

That tracked with what Jayce had assumed. "Fair's fair. Potion's yours."

And to be nice, Jayce even popped the cork off for the man. Al downed it gratefully, waited half a second as his side knit back together, and raced back to his friend.

Dahlia was in the process of stitching the wound closed while Yosxim bit down, hard, on a leather strap she had provided. The wound had been washed somewhat, but was still bleeding, and as such Gauth, Al, and Jayce had a hard time following the needle. Even so, Dahlia's fingers tapped and slid, ever finding the edge of the wound and slowly, but effectively, sealing it.

Dahlia tilted her head toward the goliath. "Gauth, right?"

Gauth just nodded, dumbfounded at her skill. He could barely get through a cave with no light, and she just stitched a wound shut while blindfolded, even when Yosxim twitched every time she pricked him with the needle.

Al elbowed him in the side. "She can't see you, dumbass!"

Gauth grunted in frustration. "Yes. I'm Gauth."

"Please help him stand. And Al, because I know you're right behind me, please lift up his robes."

Gauth grunted that he understood and gently picked up his small friend.

"Uh, madam?" Yosxim chuckled nervously, grunting from the pain. "Must we remove my clothes?"

"If you want me to bind the wound, yes." Dahlia pulled out a roll of bandages from the small box and stuck the needle into a wad of cotton. "Don't worry; I won't see anything embarrassing."

"They will…" Yosxim muttered.

"Just shut your damn mouth, Yosxim. She's trying to save your life!" Al spat, roughly yanking the gnome's robes almost over his head. Gauth respectfully looked away, but all he was missing were less than sparkling clean undergarments that had been soiled somewhat by the blood.

Dahlia dried her hands on a small rag from the box and quickly found her stitchwork on Yosxim's chest. She wrapped a bandage several times around the gnome and used a small dab of pine pitch to anchor it in place.

Then she twisted some sort of ring under her glove, and silver sparks started dancing around her pointer finger. She tapped this magic marked finger to Yosxim's hip, triggering the sparks to swirl around his feet at a dizzying speed before slowly rising as a solid ring of light. When it passed over Yosxim's head, it vanished, leaving behind a surprisingly clean and unspoiled, but still wounded, Yosxim.

"There. Consider the cleaning a free service," Dahlia said with a smile, packing up her small kit.

"You truly are a marvel, Lady Dahlia," Yosxim sighed in relief. He waved off Al, who huffed and stepped away, but the gnome still leaned heavily on Gauth. "Are you, perhaps, in the market for recruitment? As you have already seen, we could benefit greatly from your assistance, and you could-"

Dahlia held up a hand toward Yosxim, palm flat toward him. "Just...stop. No. I can't let people die when I can do something about it; That's just who I am. However, I will not join you just because I 'saw' you half naked and plugged a hole in your chest."

Al snickered.

Dahlia continued. "I don't know your names beyond what I've heard dropped in conversations, and I already committed my talents to Jayce. He is my companion, and I won't abandon him."

"Who said anything about abandoning him?" Yosxim smiled, trying to sound assuring and friendly.

"You literally mentioned recruiting me and not him, and you haven't even said a word to him since we met. Just about every word you've exchanged with us," Dahlia said, crossing her arms, "has been directly to me."

"Well, it isn't him to whom I have been conversing!" Yosxim attempted to stand on his own but faltered, so Gauth picked him up as if he was no heavier than a small bag of potatoes. "You are obviously the more learned of the two of you, and as such are the obvious head of your little band. And as for introductions, allow me; I am Yosxim Warybar Manwor of Emon, scholar of the School of Evocation, and this is Gauthak Gathakanathi the Ghoul, my personal friend and protector. That is Alqinor Jamison, our more recent hire, if you will."

"Al's fine…" Al muttered, mostly to himself.

"I am your student," Gauth said flatly, looking down at Yosxim.

"Yes yes, of course you are. Still have quite the way to go, might I add!" Yosxim waved off the comment and turned his attention back to Dahlia. "So now you know who we are. With that in mind, I will ask again if you will join us. I understand you may require some additional compensation, and I can offer you a good six hundred gold upon the completion of this quest. Consider it a signing incentive, as you are already aware we are in desperate need of your talents."

"I ain't even gonna mention how you're talkin' like I'm not here," Jayce hissed, stepping next to Dahlia. "One of those things ran off, and it'll likely be back with friends. I don't know about you folks, but I ain't gonna be around when they show up."

"What were we even fighting?" Dahlia asked.

"Kobolds." Yosxim nodded gravely at his own assessment. "Cave dwelling reptilian humanoids that are known for being crafty trap makers and as cowardly as a mouse in a cat's den. They aren't well acclimated to light, and so your clever addition of the glowing stone really threw them for a loop, Lady Dahlia."

"Can I-" Gauth began before Yosxim cut him off.

"And I don't need to mention how incredibly useful your work was after the battle. Although I am curious, why didn't you use that burst of magic you had before?"

Dahlia shook her head. "I don't have a lot of magic to spare. And if I'm guessing correctly, Gauth, of course you may keep the stone. If I'm around when the spell burns out, I can recast that for you. That doesn't take up much power."

Gauth and Al looked genuinely surprised while Yosxim just rolled his eyes, then yelped in mild alarm as Gauth bent over to pick up the glowing stone. He set it in Yosxim's lap, who was seated in the crux of his arm. Yosxim was not amused.

Jayce, already annoyed that Dahlia was insisting on talking with this small group of creeps, took the time during the conversation to start cutting the tongues out of the fallen kobolds. He was glad he was wearing armored gloves, but still shivered at the slimy coating each fresh tongue still had. Each one went in the recently emptied ration bag. Seven. That should be at least an additional twenty-one gold once they return.

He stood up from his work and looked over at the still talking group. "Dahlia, I'm done here. Let's get goin'."

Dahlia nodded and turned toward him, but stopped and looked over her shoulder. "I wish you a speedy recovery, Yosxim. Please don't stress the wound for a few days, and take the stitches out after a week. If you see a healer, please let them know so they can remove the stitches before any magic is applied."

"Thank you, Lady- Hey!" Yosxim replied, genuinely miffed Dahlia had turned and left without waiting for a reply. The small group watched Jayce and Dahlia disappear beyond the light of the glowing stone, which continued to illuminate at least twenty feet around them, and quickly dropped off some distance after that.

"So…" Al said, blowing out a puff of air as he was feeling awkward. "How, uh, how likely do you think they've clued in on the plan?"

"That monster spawn is as suspicious as they come," Yosxim spat. "I can't believe someone like him is even in polite society, let alone charming dwarves out of our deserved work."

"Yeah, I wouldn't be surprised if he thinks we're out to kill him…" Al mumbled, looking at the dead kobolds scattered around. Each one was missing its tongue. He shivered and wondered if Jayce had grabbed them as a snack for later.

"Regardless, we can't afford to kill the surgeon. That's twice now she's come to our aid."

"And asked for nothing in return," Gauth added, looking at the bloodstain on the ground that had come from his little friend. "She should be the healer for our group."

"Agreed," Yosxim nodded. "However, she made it clear she won't part with that thing. Obviously, the removal of the problem will give her cause to join us."

"And whose share is going toward that six hundred gold? He only offered us three hundred each!" Al knew the math meant two of them would have to forgo their own reward, and he sure as hell didn't want his share to be lumped into that deal.

"Calm yourself, Al. Gauth and I will donate the money."

Gauth's jaw went tight, but he said nothing.

"Look, I'm not saying the guy is worth keeping alive..." Al was trying as hard as he could not to panic. If he didn't give them a reason to keep that man alive, he knew Jayce would clue in on it and strike first, and he didn't like his chances. "But if we do knock him out, the elf might protest by not working with us. Maybe it's worth recruiting them both. He had his own magic, and you saw his sword! If that isn't an enchanted weapon, I don't know what is."

"Perhaps…" Yosxim mulled over the idea. "If we can manipulate a coming battle to conveniently remove the man, we can scoop up the healer and play the saviors. She would be indebted to us."

Al bit his lip. It was a start. Normally Yosxim could talk circles around him, but he was dead set on getting that elf to join them. Any leverage was good leverage.

Jayce and Dahlia stepped away from the corner at the crossroad, and headed down the rightmost passage heading deeper into the mine. It was so quiet between them that Jayce could hear the leather in Dahlia's gloves strain across her knuckles as she clenched her fists.

"So, what'd you hear?" he whispered.

"Nothing clear, but I got the idea of it." Dahlia's jaw was tight as she whispered through her teeth. "I heard them call you a monster and plot to kill you, and something about manipulating me to join them."

"Still think they ain't out to harm us?" Jayce couldn't even feel smug about being right. Everything left a sour taste in his mouth.

"Well, they weren't, at that moment." Dahlia sighed. "I had already figured they weren't interested in your recruitment…but to flat out plan to kill you. If it wasn't for the fact that I feel sorry for Gauth, I'd say we should just leave them to their fate."

Jayce nearly did a double take. "You feel sorry for that massive goliath?!"

"Yosxim talked over him, dismissed nearly everything he said, and put words in his mouth. Somehow, he's garnered Gauth's respect so fully that his 'student' wouldn't dream of contradicting him. That sounds a lot like an old mistake of mine."

Jayce had so many questions, but now was not the time. They were heading deeper into a mine potentially full of traps and definitely full of kobolds. In fact, he spotted something suspicious just a few feet ahead of them.

"Hold on," Jayce whispered, putting his arm out to stop Dahlia, just in case she wasn't paying attention. It seemed to be warranted, as she bumped into his arm.

Dahlia immediately went quiet.

Jayce knelt down and inspected the suspicious section of the floor. A thin plank of wood, covered in dust, hid a small trigger, just like the tripwire from before. Following the wire he was able to spot, he noticed a heavy axe blade, weighted down with stones, was poised to bury itself in the skull of whoever was passing underneath. Crude, but effective.

"Got a panel this time," Jayce whispered. "Here, I'll lead ya around the side. This way."

Dahlia held out her arm and Jayce pulled her toward the wall. Slowly and carefully, they stepped around the trap and began making their way down the passage.

How could they even camp with that other group in the tunnels? Nowhere would feel safe enough, and half of the day was already gone. Was it even possible to clear out the tunnels and make it back before dusk? If he had known he was going to run into this kind of trouble, he would have stayed the night in town and come early in the morning.

But how could he have known? He only just met them, and it's not like he had any reason to believe they wished him harm…

Jayce looked at his hand. Beyond the usual reasons, anyway.

More of those jabbering voices. Dahlia was already pressed against the wall and Jayce only clued in to them just in time for her to yank him back as well. The path ended abruptly ahead, only heading left or right. Amazingly, the voices they heard were in the common tongue.

"This way! This way!"

"No go that way! Dead end!"

"Oh. This way!"

"Stupid stupid!"

Two small kobolds, one of whom looked quite familiar, appeared from the leftward passageway. The familiar one, in the lead, looked terrified and anxious, clearly hopping from side to side in the passage. Jayce noted the second one did exactly the same, stepping only where the first had stepped.

They were almost upon the two of them. Jayce raised a hand, wondering if he could even get two of those bolts to fire before it was too late-

"SCREEEEEEE!" the second kobold screeched, pointing at them.

Too late.

"Fuck!" Jayce flinched, a burst of power exploding from his hand. Dark, pulsing, blue particles permeated the air in front of him, enveloping both kobolds. One immediately folded in half, hacking as if it was trying to expel a lung, while the other slapped both hands over its mouth and visibly held its breath.

A dagger whipped by him, thudding sickly into the coughing kobold's skull. Jayce didn't have a second to check who that was as the other kobold was backing out of the strange cloud of magical poison, and he needed to act fast. He hissed out the command word and a bolt of that blue magic slammed into the remaining kobold, burning off nearly a third of its face.

"Now it does damage…" Jayce mumbled, flexing his hand. He looked behind him, half expecting to see Al standing there, but there was no one but Dahlia, arms crossed and smiling that smug look again.

"Uh, nice...shot." Jayce stammered. He wasn't quite comfortable with the idea of a blind woman throwing projectiles, but he couldn't fault her aim.

"He made it pretty obvious where he was," Dahlia said, still smiling. "However, you did something new. Did that spell really go off because you swore?"

Jayce waved his arm through the blue mist, harmlessly dispersing it. It didn't seem to affect him. "I...think so? I dunno. Never used that one before. Some sort of poison, I think."

"Well, the coughing made it easy to find a target… Although I'm concerned about recovering my knife." Dahlia placed her hand against the right side wall next to her and stepped as close to it as she could. "I wouldn't be surprised if there was more than one trap in here."

Jayce nodded, although it was mostly to himself. "You'd be right. Saw them playin' some sort of hopscotch on the way in."

"Any way through?"

Jayce scanned the passage floor as he slowly made his way closer to the corpses. Two more tongues for the trophy bag. "Right wall looks clear. I'm grabbin' what I can off the bodies, and I'll get your blade. You make your way through."

Dahlia began shuffling her way down the passage against the right wall, keeping her back pressed to it whenever possible. By the time Jayce finished cutting off the trophies, retrieving Dahlia's dagger, and hopping nimbly between the pressure plates, she had reached the end of the passage.

She let out a much subtler whistle this time, which Jayce only caught because he was close to her.

Both were quiet as Dahlia listened for a moment. "It seems like the path goes left and right. You saw them come from the left side, correct?"

"Yes, ma'am." Jayce was already checking both ways for more of those kobold things, just in case those first two were just a vanguard of sorts.

"Then left seems our best bet to find the rest of them. And I…" Dahlia's voice caught in her throat and she gripped her arm.

Jayce immediately noticed. "Dahlia? You alright?"

"I'm sorry if I end up getting you killed," she whispered, her face fallen.

"Fuck me, Dahlia." Jayce rubbed his face and turned to look at her. "We already knew this was dangerous. Hell, those bastards aside, just havin' you along has significantly upped my chances of livin' through this. Speakin' of those bastards, you handled yourself better than I thought you could; You makin' it clear we were a pair made it pretty difficult for them to murder my ass and get away with it. Besides, we know they're comin' and got a pretty good handle on their plan. They aint' gonna have an easy time of things, and if your clue on that goliath is as good as I think it is, we may even be able to turn the tables."

Dahlia nodded, still gripping her arm, and Jayce worried for a moment she had gone mute again.

"Thank you, Jayce. I...am glad I met you."

Jayce smiled and tapped her elbow. "Give it a week. You'll come to regret it."

She cracked a smile. "Somehow, I doubt it."

"Oh don't worry, you'll cave."

"Oh my god!" she giggled, smacking his arm.

Jayce barely kept his own laughter under control as they turned down the left passageway. "Anycase, here's your dagger."

He tapped her hand with the hilt, and tried to hold it still as she gripped it.

"Thank you," she said, replacing it in the small sheath on the back of her belt. "And I'll try not to make it a habit to throw blindly."

"Eh, needs some work," Jayce chuckled. "Ain't a bad try though."

Dahlia grumbled under her breath, but Jayce caught the smile.

The two of them resumed their previous silence and began making their way down the passage, with Jayce occasionally looking over his shoulder for the glint of light from Gauth's stone. Every avoided trap was another potential barrier between them and the group in pursuit, but their progress was still slow as the traps were well hidden in the dust coating the passageways.

This time, it was Dahlia who pulled Jayce's arm to stop.

"What-?" he asked, startled.

"Shh!" Dahlia tilted her head toward the path ahead, her hand still on his arm. She was silent for several seconds as Jayce barely dared to breathe.

"I thought I heard buzzing…" she whispered, straining her ears.

"Buzzin'? What, like bees?" That didn't make sense. "What the hell would bees be doin' in a mine?"

"I couldn't tell you," Dahlia said quietly, tilting her head toward the ceiling. "Maybe they-There!" She pointed to a sealed clay pot that was suspended from the ceiling, in a small cubby that had been carved to make it less noticeable. "I swear I'm hearing buzzing!"

Jayce knelt down to look for a pressure plate or trip wire like before. Nothing was immediately obvious, but as he already knew they liked to bury the trigger in the dust, he blew across the floor immediately in front of him. Sure enough, the corner of a flat plate of wood revealed itself. What that connected to, he had no clue.

He stood back up. "I don't doubt ya, ma'am. Whatever's buzzin' is trapped in a sealed jug of some kind, and there's a pressure plate on the floor. Maybe that comment about 'monstrous insects' had some truth to it."

"Ugh," Dahlia shuddered. "I hope it's not wasps. Those things will sting you several times before giving up, and it doesn't even kill them, like bees."

Jayce also shuddered, taking Dahlia's arm to guide her around the trap. That was a bug he hoped never to meet.

As her foot touched down on the other side, Dahlia went tense.

"What?" Jayce whispered.

"Gauth's light just went out," she whispered back.

"How do you know?" he asked, checking both ahead and behind them.

"It's been an hour. That's when the magic fades." Dahlia also tilted her head back, as if listening for the other group in the mines.

Jayce looked at her with awe. "You've seriously been countin' a whole damn hour?"

Dahlia sighed. "Give me some credit, Jayce. I can't see the effects of magic, or read a reference book if I forget something. It's just a habit I've picked up from memorizing literally everything I've ever learned."

"Ain't my intent to offend, ma'am. Just impressed is all." He held up a hand in mock surrender, but of course, Dahlia couldn't see the gesture.

"We still need to figure out how to clear the mine," she whispered. "And, if possible, find that last survey team."

"Shit. Nearly forgot about that." Jayce spotted another tripwire ahead and began leading her to the edge so she could step over. "I ain't fond of the idea of spendin' more time in these caves, considerin' what's behind us."

"It is possible they could do part of the work for us. After all, the kobolds were just as interested in killing them as us." Dahlia noted Jayce had lifted her arm again, so she exaggerated her gait to step over the obstacle she couldn't see. She trusted him not to fool her needlessly.

"All depends on how big the mine is, I reckon," Jayce muttered, letting her go for the moment. "I ain't familiar with the average size of these things, but I can't imagine it's much bigger'n what we've seen so far."

Dahlia sucked her teeth, going stock still. Alarmed, Jayce also paused, and he heard it. Chanting. That strange, hissing language. A lot of them, and close.

He slowly turned, facing the end of the tunnel. A makeshift door had just come into view; it had been constructed to separate whatever was behind it from the rest of the mine, but it barely did anything to stop the noise. The very loud, ear grating noise. Jayce grabbed her elbow again and pulled her toward the door, but she tripped from the unexpected burst of speed and nearly collided with him.

She regained her footing when they reached the door, which was ragged enough that Jayce could see through several gaps in the planks and scraps of steel. Now that he was close, he could see a faint light on the other side. Orange, flickering. Probably a fire of some kind. He pressed his eye to one of the gaps to try and assess the situation on the other side.

The cavern looked more natural beyond the door, stretching outward and wide for many yards. The ceiling was nearly three times as tall as the passageways, dotted with stalactites that flickered in the firelight like shadows dancing between bloody teeth. Below, several dozen kobolds danced around a small pyre, burning an effigy of some winged beast while a lone kobold in a ratty robe held aloft a glittering stone, as large as its head.

Dahlia leaned her ear against the door, listening. "It's almost like music…" she whispered softly.

Jayce was about to shush her when the kobold in robes started screeching in their hissing language. Common words were tossed between whatever it was saying, but it was spoken too quickly for him to understand exactly what was said.

"Any idea what they're jabberin' about?" Jayced asked, as quietly as he could manage.

"No… I keep catching the words 'glitter stone' and 'dragon', but that's it." She huffed in frustration. "Those chanting idiots are making it hard to hear the one that's shouting."

As if on cue, the robed one screamed something likely offensive, and the crowd went quiet.

"Pelor has a sense of humor?" Jayce snickered.

Dahlia stuck out her tongue at him, causing him to have to actually work at suppressing a laugh.

Dahlia steadied her breathing and listened intently, mentally filtering out everything that wasn't needed. The crackle of the fire, the quiet chattering of the mob, Jayce giggling under his breath…

The robed one once again held up the sparkling stone, and began chanting something that sounded vaguely like a sermon. Once again, Dahlia caught the words "glitter stone", but this time, she caught something more useful.

"Jayce… I think they believe that rock is a gift from their god. A dragon god." She pulled her face away from the door. "It's got to be precious, whatever it is. Maybe we can use it."

Jayce flexed his fingers and gave the situation some deep thought. It was risky, but it might be a useful plan.

"Dahlia, I think could make myself look like their god."

Dahlia's face screwed up in horrified disbelief. "You can't make yourself look like a dragon! There's a small horde of them in there! If they see through you, you won't just be dead, you'll be destroyed!"

Jayce sighed. "I thought we established I'm a fair hand at this bullshitin' game. These things also think a dragon is their god. What dragon?! The one they're burnin' in the bonfire? They're practically as dumb as their glitter stone. I use my magic, look like a dragon, demand the stone back unless they prove themselves in a brawl...they kill each other off, we pick off what's left, we're done!"

"That is the definition of a 'best-case scenario' here…" Dahlia sighed. "But I think I can help. I know some little tricks of magic to hopefully make you more believable. But you'll have to be noisy. I can't follow you in there, and I'll have to know where you are."

"Got it. Make a fuck-ton a' noise…" Jayce stood up from the door and imagined a dragon. He'd never seen one, but he had read stories about them. Massive creatures, with leathery wings and scaled hide harder than steel. Eyes as tall as a man, and terrifying to behold. Teeth sharp enough to tear through stone as if it was flesh. He imagined himself filling the space around them, becoming the massive, terrifying, awe-inspiring dragon...and tapped a hand to his chest.

Nothing happened.

"Fuck!" Jayce hissed, looking himself over.

"What?" Dahlia twitched, listening around them.

"The spell did nothing!" Now was not the time to suddenly find limits on his new abilities. "I still look like me."

"I'm almost relieved…" Dahlia sighed. "We need to hurry with a plan. Whatever's going on in there sounds almost done."

Jayce searched himself for some burst of power. There must be some way he could enact his plan. Had he run through everything he had already? What if the issue was he had only become people before? Maybe that was the limit. He could only look like a person.

Could he do both? Could he look like a dragon and a person? He wracked his memories, searching for anything. Surely there was something he could do.

"Dahlia, is there such a thing as a dragon person?"

"What in the world?" she whispered.

Jayce clenched his fist so hard he popped a few knuckles, making her twitch. "Just answer me!"

She nearly jumped at his tone, but replied, "Yes. The Dragonborn. They have the same limbs as a humanoid but they are scaled like, and utilize the breath weapons of, dragons."

Perfect. He had never seen one before, but he had a pretty good guess as to what they looked like. Concentrating on the image, Jayce tapped a hand to his chest, almost daring himself not to look for the moment it took to notice the flow of magic through his body.

When he finally looked himself over, he was both ecstatic and horrified; While he had, in fact, changed to look like a heavily red-scaled man with a dragon like face, he had forgotten to imagine this new visage with clothes.

If Dahlia could see, he imagined he would never hear the end of it.

"Okay, that worked…" He huffed, mentally going over a short speech to get their attention. "What can you do with those tricks of yours?"

"If you've ever read a book about hauntings, I can pretty much do what ghosts do to scare people." She started counting on her fingers. "Slamming open doors and windows, changing the intensity of fires, making my voice sound thunderously loud, creating an origin point that mutters devilish whispers, shaking the ground, but not enough to knock anything over… That kind of thing."

Jayce couldn't believe his luck. "You slam open the door and I'll raise hell. Ready?"

Dahlia waved her hands in a panic. "Wait! Is the door even open?!"

Jayce didn't even know. "Yes! Now go! We need to get this rollin'!"

Dahlia threw her hand toward the door, slamming it open with an unseen, thunderous force. Every kobold in the room went deathly quiet, turning toward the entrance to the cavern in surprise...and seeing before them a glorious and terrible man-dragon, a Dragonborn, red scaled, bare, and terrifying in the flickering firelight.

Jayce took in a deep breath, and, mimicking the depth of Gauth's voice, roared "I am displeased!"

The ground shuddered beneath them, as if even the stones were terrified of this dragon man.

The kobolds shivered and whimpered, shoving the robed one all the way across the room, through the crowd, to be unceremoniously dumped, glittering stone and all, in front of Jayce. It scrambled to its knees, and, prostrate, began begging in that strange, hissing language.

Dahlia, back behind the door, hid her face in her hands. She couldn't listen to this.

Jayce also panicked, but was quickly struck with an idea. Making his voice as deep as he dared, he growled, "I will not speak to you in such a holy tongue. You will speak the words of the fallen until I am satisfied."

"Yes god yes yes!" the kobold squeaked, the horde behind it shivering in terror. "We make good, yes? God tell how, yes?"

Jayce did a slow, deliberate nod, glaring across the huddled kobolds as if he was mentally listing their individual punishments. Several ducked their heads down to avoid his gaze.

He held out an impressively clawed hand, palm up and waiting. "I will take back the glitter stone."

The robed kobold leapt to its feet, hugging the stone to its chest. "No no! Please no? Glitter stone gift! Glitter stone power!"

"Then show me!" Jayce roared, throwing his whole body into the force of his voice. "Show me who is strongest among you! Whoever stands, the mighty among the fallen, shall own the glitter stone!"

There was a tense pause, and Dahlia, from her hiding spot beyond the door, held her breath. Please, she prayed to her god, please don't let him die.

The room erupted into chaos so suddenly Jayce nearly stumbled backward and lost his composure. Every kobold was tearing at its neighbors' throats, slashing with makeshift weapons and pelting with murderous sling stones. Repeated cries in their native tongue kept rising over the din, but Jayce stood still, unphased. He couldn't understand it anyway.

Bodies began to pile, and Dahlia grew nauseous from the smell of blood. Several kobolds fell into the bonfire, bolstering it with the sickly sweet, bubbling fuel of their own fat and tissue. Screams of betrayal, recognizable despite the strange language, echoed cruelly around the cavern.

Jayce could feel a bloodlust rising in him, his mouth salivating. He caused this chaos. He liked it.

As suddenly as it began, it ended. A single kobold, blood dripping from its mouth and eye, several wounds visible on its leg and both arms, pulled its knife from the last of its tribe. It turned to Jayce and, weakly but emphatically, squealed its victory.

Jayce was unaware he had pulled his blade, and that it was once again illuminated with the sickly blue flame. The oily fire was licking its way up both his arms, framing the majestic dragonborn in unnatural light.

He held out his hand, palm down. "Receive my gift, chosen," he hissed.

The kobold was rooted to the spot in terror. Before it was the epitome of all it believed to be powerful and invincible. Its god spoke directly to it. It was chosen! It would receive the gift of god!

Jayce released his magic directly through the kobold's face.

The infestation was no more.

"Can't you go any faster?!"

Al grimaced and carefully locked the tripwire in place by pulling the trigger just a smidge tighter and hooking it more solidly into the latch. "If you want to rush ahead and risk setting off another damned trap, you be my fucking guest!" he hissed.

Yosxim swore multiple times and mentally calculated their chances of surviving any more traps. While they had been careful not to set off any additional traps, the first that had broken his arm was still too recent of a memory to make rash decisions sound plausible.

"Every other route was a dead end! They must have come this way!" he grumbled.

Gauth was tense and on edge. His light had gone out some time ago and he was plunged back into darkness, stumbling his way along by direction of Yosxim's voice alone. He had insisted on carrying his small friend, who still held the stone as a kindness. A streak of it had glowed a soft blue for a few minutes afterwards, and he had found that comforting, but even that had gone out now.

Al confirmed the trap was safe to cross, and they stepped beyond it. Every damned passage had been booby trapped at some point, even if all that was there was a pile of dwarven bodies and a leather bag full of papers.

Al had made sure to grab the papers. Yosxim was always reading and might find them interesting at some point.

Sounds of battle, rolling over them like a wave, filled the cavern like a cacophonous swell of music. The unmistakable screeching of kobolds in duress rang about them, and they could faintly see the glow of a bonfire at the end of the passageway.

"What the fuck…?" Al asked, dumbfounded.

"That sounds like a small army! Are they facing that entire horde by themselves?!" Yoxsim gasped. Honestly, that would probably be the easiest way to remove both adventurers from the equation, but he wanted that cleric! She was far too useful to be wasted in a dank mineshaft!

"We must go to save the healer!" Gauth's eyes were locked forward on the only point of light he could see. He wanted to be out of the darkness.

"Al, if you don't move us forward now, I will personally take your share and shove it up your ass!" Yosxim screamed.

Al leapt forward, startled by the outburst, and immediately caught himself from landing on another trap. This one was barely exposed on the corner; a rookie mistake. He carefully removed the pressure plate and anchored the trigger, keeping his hands as steady as possible, each agonizing second filled with the screams of the monsters being slaughtered ahead. It finally snapped into place, and he gave himself a moment to scan the way forward for more hazards.

"I think this was the last one!" he called, hopping back up to his feet just in time for Gauth to shoulder him straight into the wall as the goliath charged past. Al had to catch himself on the remains of a wooden support to keep from falling over. "Watch it!"

The exclamation fell on deaf ears. Gauth was nearly at the light. Nearly out of the darkness. Nearly-

"Gauth! Stop!"

Gauth skid to a halt on his heels, bracing himself for whatever threat Yosxim had spotted.

"Do you hear that?"

Al and Gauth strained to listen in the darkness. They heard nothing.

"Uh, no. What am I supposed to be hearing?" Al whispered.

"Exactly that, you ignoramus," Yosxim hissed. "Nothing. The battle is already over."

"How in the world…?" Al breathed, too shocked to add any volume to his voice.

"We have to get in there now!" Yosxim spat. "If they're both alive, we've missed our chance but we could still salvage this!"

The three of them raced toward the light, bursting through the open door frame into the cavernous room. Nearly the entirety of the floor was covered in kobold corpses, each one mangled and slashed with extreme brutality. Several kobold bodies sizzled and spit within the roaring bonfire, filling the air with the smell of burning keratin. Bloody makeshift weapons littered the ground, glinting strangely in the firelight.

Rising from the ground, slipping something into his knapsack and reshouldering it, was that half-orc, Jayce. Wreathed in oily blue flame, he looked over his shoulder with wild eyes, and even Gauth felt a shiver up his spine.

It was obvious to all of them. This man had slaughtered every kobold, single-handedly, and there wasn't a scratch on him.

Yosxim was terrified. Every plan he had for killing this monster-born being suddenly seemed too meek to be effective. Recruit him, keep him close, make him an ally...that would be their only way to survive.

But it would all be for nothing if that healer was killed. Where was she?!

Dahlia could barely breathe. She was drowning in the smell of burnt hair and flesh, thoroughly permeated with the iron-like scent of blood. She had tucked herself into the hinge of the door, her hood pulled as far over her head as she could manage, pressing her body into the door and the makeshift wall to give her edges. Her barrier. Her space. No one else was in that space but her. In this space, she was safe.

What had started as an amusing ruse had quickly fallen into absolute horror. She had no idea how many kobolds were dead, but had they wished her harm? She was involved in their deaths. She may have broken her vow. She needed to pray, to find a shrine to the Dawnfather and seek answers.

She wanted her life to end, but not like this. Not when they found her. Not at their hands.

All Jayce saw in front of him was more warm blood to spill. Three men, one of whom even admitted to plotting his murder, stood there at the door to the cavern, staring at him in awe. Good. He deserved their respect, their fear. Now they knew who they'd be messing with.

He paused. Something was off. Something was missing… Someone.

Where was Dahlia?!

The bloodlust immediately faded, and the blue flames around him flickered out. He was suddenly acutely aware of the incredible amount of carnage that surrounded him, and the blood and bile that now coated his boots. He also finally recognized the humanoids he initially considered to be nothing but meat; Yosxim, Al, and Gauth were all staring at him.

Right next to them, hidden behind the door she had burst open with magic, was Dahlia, huddled in a small ball and shaking.

As much as he wondered if he overdid it, he couldn't back down now. "Still think I ain't worth recruitin'?" he called across the room.

"A-absolutely not!" Yosxim called back, trying hard to shift in Gauth's arm to look more commanding, and failing. "We would gladly welcome you both into the fold! Providing, of course, both of you are still available. Where is Lady Dahlia?"

Jayce had the feeling Dahlia wouldn't want to be seen as a shivering mess, despite how disheveled she normally looked. He thought quickly. "Ya passed her in the hall. I had her hide out there while I worked in here."

Yosxim looked caught off guard. "Oh. Of course. We were in such a hurry to get in here; of course we missed her."

Gauth nodded. It made sense to him.

Al, however, had the feeling Jayce wasn't being straight with them. Was he hiding the healer somewhere in the room?

Jayce sheathed his sword and began walking toward them. "You three do me a favor and cut out the tongues of these things, and I'll go get her. Shouldn't take me long-"

"That's disgusting!" Yosxim spat.

"Yosxim, we really don't want to insult him!" Al hissed through his teeth, putting on what he hoped was a disarming smile toward Jayce. Al then tried to subtly motion toward the entire room to emphasise his point to Yosxim.

"I will do this," Gauth said, gently setting down Yosxim in a clean spot by the door. "You rest, friend."

"You really are a treasure, Gauth," Yosxim sighed, trying to get comfortable and wincing heavily. He nearly forgot about the wound in the excitement.

Gauth set to work, and Al joined him. Yosxim, ever eager to simply manage than participate in the menial tasks, occasionally called out if he believed a kobold had been overlooked.

While they were distracted, Jayce slipped over to the other side of the door, hidden from the three other men. Dahlia was gripping the hem of her hood, keeping it taut across her scalp and she muttered repetitive prayers to the god of the dawn.

"Hey. Hey! Dahlia, it's me," Jayce whispered, trying hard to get her attention without touching her. He knew how she felt about that, and he really didn't want to make things worse.

Dahlia muttered something under her breath and whined in a truly heart-wrenching way. Jayce felt remarkably ashamed of what he had done, and when he glanced over his shoulder at the carnage, he wondered how he could ever feel proud for causing that kind of chaos.

"Dahlia, please, come back," he pleaded quietly, trying to move as close to her space as he could manage without actually entering it. She flinched away from him. He wasn't sure why, but that hurt him. "It's over. We can leave now. Please…"

"What did you do?"

It was a whisper, but it startled him all the same. Jayce twitched heavily, nearly whipping around in a half turn to find Al standing behind him.

"I ain't tellin' you a thing, asshole," Jayce spat. "Go back to your friends and finish up. She ain't your concern."

Al crossed his arms and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Look, I know we got off on the wrong foot, but something's wrong with her. This healer won't be able to heal thyself, if you get my drift."

Jayce stood and looked Al straight in the eye. Although the half-elf was a few inches taller than him, Jayce held himself as if he was the larger person.

"She ain't your concern," he said, emphasising every word. "I'll take care of her. And if you really want us to join your crew, you're gonna need me if she ever does this again. I know what to do. You don't."

"Whatever caused this, seems like it was your fault, orc spawn," Al hissed, bending just enough to press his face a mere inch from Jayce's own. "You scared her so badly you broke her soul."

Jayce felt his whole body tense up like a spring. He wanted to beat this man into the floor, to spill his blood, to cave in his face...but he would not succumb to the bloodlust. He was better than that.

"Just get back to work," Jayce spat while attempting to shove Al in a way to spin him around. He missed, and so only managed to barely nudge the man. He did clearly hear the "gathering lunch" comment Al mumbled about the tongues, but he ignored it and returned his attention to Dahlia.

He had to think. How could he get her to surface when she didn't seem to hear him? The last time she was mute, she came back on her own. Would she do that again? How long would it take? This seemed worse somehow, so he couldn't rely on his one experience with her quirk. There had to be something he could do. Some way to communicate with her.

She couldn't see; that was a given. He hesitated to touch her, even in the way she allowed on her elbow; He was concerned any touch right now would set her off. She obviously couldn't hear him, as she wasn't responding to his voice. The only senses that were left were taste...and smell.

He nearly ripped off his knapsack and tore through the contents, digging for the bags of rations. One of the packs included a small store of candied fruit, and he had been saving them for a special occasion, or just when he really wanted something sweet. He remembered the plum and pear pieces smelled particularly strong.

"Pelor, if you're listening, you gotta bring her back," he whispered, holding out a candied piece of spiced pear under her nose. He snapped it between his fingers and held his breath.

She stirred. She sniffed. "Cinnamon…?" she mumbled.

"Thank the gods!" Jayce breathed. "Every single damned one of them." He dropped the piece of pear back into the small pouch and tied it shut again. "You...checked out for a minute, ma'am. I was a little worried you wouldn't be back."

Dahlia squeaked something inaudible and pulled at her hood again, muttering something apologetic over and over.

"Hey, Dahlia, don't be sorry," he whispered, hoping those three men were still occupied while he dealt with this. "You ain't done a thing wrong. I can't imagine what that all sounded like, not bein' able to see a thing. Must've been terrifying. I don't blame you."

"I'm sorry…" she sobbed quietly. "I'm so sorry…"

Jayce was at a loss. He didn't know how to help. "Do...you want my candied fruit? I was savin' it, but I can splurge a bit with my share when we get to town."

Dahlia shook her head, but pulled back her hood. Her blindfold was wet through in patches over her eyes, giving her a rather disconcerting look. "No… I'll be okay. I just want to get out of here."

"You ain't the only one…" Jayce sighed. "I got the other group collectin' trophies for us. Once they're done, we're gone."

Dahlia nodded. "Please help me up."

Jayce was only too glad to.

They returned to the other group, Dahlia on Jayce's arm like before. Once they stepped beyond the door, Yosxim finally noticed.

"Ah! Lady Dahlia, you have returned! As it seems our work is done, would you, perhaps, deign to use your healing magics on me? I'm still in dire straights, as you can see-"

"Yosxim! Seriously, she's fucking blind. She can't see you!"

Yosxim huffed. "You're quick on the draw today, Al. What has you so wound up today?"

Al emphatically gestured to everything around them, giving Yosxim a look of utter disbelief. He couldn't believe that gnome could be so emotionally numb to the situation.

"Right, yes, I see your point. Even so, I am still in dire straights and require assistance."

"Once we're out of the cave," Jayce growled, locking eyes with the gnome. "I ain't riskin' her magic until I know there ain't another fight waitin' for us out there."

"Fair enough!" Yosxim suppressed the urge to pout. He was in pain! Surely she could make an exception for him.

Especially if there ever came a point where the half-orc wasn't talking for her.

"I'm still in dire straights…" the gnome complained.

"Yeah, heard ya the first couple'a times." Jayce groaned under his breath. Heading back to town with them anywhere nearby would be a test of patience. He turned to the half-elf and goliath among the bodies. "You two about done there?"

Gauth held up a slimy handful of kobold tongues, sticking out through his fingers like a fistful of bloody calamari. "I have finished my share!"

"I'm done too," Al gagged.

Jayce left Dahlia by the door and walked over to collect the trophies in the makeshift bag he had been using. It was near bursting, and difficult to close. Jayce wasn't sure he wanted it back in his knapsack, where it could potentially burst open and soil his possessions. He was especially put off by the smell.

"That'll do," he smiled, tying the strings to one of the straps on his knapsack. It would sit on his hip for a few hours, just the walk back to town, then Oakenhelm could deal with it. That was tolerable. "Much obliged."

Al suppressed another dry heave and turned toward him. "Just curious; do you cook that first, or snack on it raw?"

Jayce's face screwed up in disgust. "The fuck is wrong with you?! Our employer asked for proof we killed these fuckers. It was on the damn notice!"

Al coughed with embarrassment as Gauth burst out laughing. "You found the notice too!" the goliath wheezed, causing Al to turn a bit red.

"Yeah, well, reading is Yosxim's department, not mine," he grumbled.

"Can we please go?" Dahlia called across the room.

"Yeah, we're leavin'!" Jayce called back. He turned to Al. "Did you go around the traps, or disarm 'em goin' through?"

Al sighed and rubbed his face. "I disarmed most of them, but I can't say I did a good job. I was a bit rushed. I'm not sure what I did will hold up to repeated abuse."

Jayce grunted in frustration. He didn't want to rely on them to get out unharmed, but it would be quite a bit faster if they came along. "Then I hope you ain't against goin' first. No offense, but I don't trust ya behind me."

"Wish I could say I could blame you…" Al mumbled, already walking toward the door. "As usual, I'll lead!" he called over his shoulder. "Follow when you're ready."

"Great. Just gotta get out an' head to town." Jayce was relieved. As soon as he handed over the trophies and got paid, he could leave this group behind.

"We'll need to camp," Dahlia said suddenly as he walked up.

Jayce looked at her in confusion. "How ya figure?"

"We've been in this mine for nearly three hours," Dahlia said, fidgeting with a ring under her glove. "Considering when we sat for lunch, the sun will be setting in the next hour and a half, and, as it has likely started raining already, by the time we leave, we'll be halfway back to Kymal when the sun sets. We'll be traveling in complete darkness and pouring rain."

"Madam, I am impressed," Yosxim smiled. "You have a remarkably sharp mind, despite your shortcomings!"

"Bein' blind doesn't automatically make her dumb," Jayce hissed, taking Dahlia's arm. "We'll be headin' after your friend."

"Actually, Gauth, where is your stone?" Dahlia asked, twisting toward the goliath.

"Yosxim is holding it," Gauth replied.

Due to his constant complaining, Dahlia already knew where the gnome was sitting. She stepped over to him and held out her hand. "May I have the stone?"

"Ugh. If it wasn't for the fact that I consider Gauth such a dear friend, I would have tossed this sorry excuse for a geological sample some time ago," Yosxim grumbled, but he did hand it over.

Dahlia held it in both hands and gave it a sniff. She could still smell the phosphorescent moss. That made things easier.

"Illuminate," she whispered in her home language. The stone burst into light, shimmering like a star in her hands. She held it out toward Gauth with a smile. "Here. For the way out."

Gauth jogged over and picked up the stone, gratitude evident on his face. He had his light again! He could see in the darkness!

Jayce cleared his throat to get Dahlia's attention. "Doesn't seem the big guy's one for conversation, so just wanted ya to know he seems pretty damned pleased you did that for him."

"Yes, thank you," Gauth quickly added.

"You're welcome," Dahlia smiled, then waved her hand out for Jayce. Her hand bumped his arm roughly where she thought he would be standing, and she opted to be led by his shoulder this time.

"I'm ready," she said.

Jayce nodded. "Right. Well, your friend is out there, and we aim t' follow. Gauth, if you and your pal could go first, I'd appreciate the gesture."

Yosxim protested, especially about not being addressed directly, but Gauth simply picked up the gnome as he had before and headed back into the darkness. It seemed a small favor to him after he had been provided light against the darkness of the tunnel ahead. Gauth carried his little friend into the passageway, his massive frame blocking the light from illuminating the mineshaft behind him.

"I'm gettin' the feelin' you're appealing to the goliath on purpose," Jayce whispered over his shoulder.

"The existence of true altruism is something we can debate at another time," Dahlia sighed. "I just want to find some place to rest, and then...recover from...everything."

Jayce let out a tired chuckle. "I get it. Been a crazy first day, huh?"

"Almost felt like a week. It's hard to believe the sun is setting soon."

Jayce began walking down the passage after Gauth, watching the light shift the shadows around him. "Speakin' of, I ain't fond of the idea of bunkin' down with those assholes nearby. I ain't sure they've dropped the whole 'murder me' plan of theirs."

Dahlia grunted in the affirmative. "Yosxim is the problem. He speaks for the group, and it sounds like he gets stuck on ideas. One thing I found terribly obvious; he wants me simply for the services I can provide and he'll probably treat me like a walking, reusable health potion. That's no better than my previous companions, and I'll go to hell and back before I willingly find myself in a situation like that again."

"Don't blame ya in the slightest." Jayce hesitated before he continued, and sighed when Dahlia tapped his shoulder curiously. "And it's only fair to mention you... weren't yourself for a bit there."

He could feel Dahlia's shoulder's slump just from the increased weight of her hand. "I know. I'm sorry. I...don't know why I do that. I've been told I have a demon in my soul, but it's not the possession one can usually fix with an exorcism."

"Who told ya you've got a demon in your soul?!" Jayce could barely believe his ears. Who would say that to anyone?

"The cleric of Pelor who taught me to unlock my powers," she sighed. "It explained some things, honestly. How I would lock everyone out, mood swings...Other things. I couldn't find a diagnosis in any of my books, so… I guess a demon in my soul makes sense."

"So...you're sick?"

"In a way that can't be fixed by medicine, science, or surgery." Dahlia tensed, fighting another, albeit smaller, mental battle. "I don't even know if magic will help. But...I won't force you to deal with my baggage. The moment you ask me to leave, I'll go."

"That ain't happenin'. I made a promise, an' I intend to keep it. You said you'd deal with my demons...ain't fair if I won't deal with yours."

Jayce looked at his hand and flexed it. "Besides," he said quietly, despite the distance between them and the other group, "I'm pretty sure I got a literal demon in me."

"How do you know?" Dahlia whispered.

"Half of it's the curse of my birth. I got this... temper I've had trouble with since I was a kid. Nearly lost it on you once already."

"The shop," Dahlia said.

"Nailed it in one." He could feel his fists go tense as he unconsciously flexed them. "Other half… pretty sure these powers ain't, ya know, normal."

Dahlia blew out a puff of air. "I guessed as much."

Jayce grunted and rubbed his forehead in frustration. "I mean, beyond the obvious. That… whole thing, back there. It made that power flare up. It messed with me. Did something to me. I ain't sure what, but it's like...it took my temper and made it...a thing."

"I'm not sure I understand," Dahlia whispered, clearly confused.

"The one time I ain't good with words…" Jayce mumbled to himself.

They fell into silence as they walked in step, processing what was said, until Dahlia broke the quiet. "Can I…ask you not to tell anyone? I'm…afraid it won't go over well."

"Trust me, I get it. Tell ya what; I'll keep yours, you keep mine. Deal?"

Dahlia risked a smile. "Deal."

Both were startled out of their quiet conversation by a yelp of alarm, seemingly from Al.

"What in the world just happened?!" Yosxim called forward.

"Trap sprung, but we're good!" Al called back. "Just a pot! I caught it!"

"Careful!" Jayce yelled forward, trying not to laugh. "It's full of wasps!"

"AH!"

From the sound of the ensuing panic, it sounded as if Al thoroughly abhorred the idea of holding a sealed jar of wasps. Based on Gauth and Yosxim's reaction, the jar was in danger of eminently breaking.

"We're still good!" Al called out.

"How did they honestly survive this long?" Jayce muttered.

"Probably luck and prayer." Dahlia smiled.

"No! You may not keep the jar of wasps!"

Both were startled slightly by Yosxim's voice nearly breaking with the force of the command, and then shared a quiet laugh as Gauth half-heartedly protested.

"Yeah, sounds about right," Jayce smiled. "I'm still of the opinion we ditch these assholes the minute we get to town."

"While I worry for Gauth and Al, I wouldn't mind. Yosxim just...puts me on edge. Especially knowing what he was planning," Dahlia said.

"We could let them leave the mine, and find a place to camp further in," Jayce mumbled, rubbing his chin in thought. "We still need t' find that surveyin' crew."

"That would keep a more comfortable distance between us, but I have a feeling Yosxim is going to be entirely dead set against the idea," Dahlia sighed. "It's also possible there isn't anything left of the crew, after the kobolds got to them. I wouldn't be surprised if those men had been reduced to food and their supplies to tinder."

The thought made Jayce's stomach churn and he pulled out his canteen to take a swig to settle it. Perhaps it would be a better idea to just leave.

"I'd still prefer to camp where those assholes couldn't get to us."

"I completely understand," Dahlia replied.

"Then that's the plan. We set up camp where we can see them comin'." Jayce still flinched. Even with permission to use his usual idioms, it still felt wrong around her.

Dahlia hummed in agreement, and they continued along. The group ahead of them paused several times as Al did a more thorough job of disarming the many traps left behind by the kobolds, and Jayce made sure he and Dahlia kept their distance. He was amused when he passed the jar supposedly filled with wasps discarded at the side of the cavern.

After what felt like an eternity, it washed over them all. A moisture laden breeze, coupled with the faint sound of rain. The surface was near! Gauth visibly twitched, having to catch himself from running to the entrance of the mine. Jayce didn't blame him.

"It seems we have nearly reached the egress!" Yosxim called out behind him. "Your prediction was spot on, Lady Dahlia. It is indeed raining outside!"

"Then I suggest we follow her suggestion and camp in the cave," Al yelled from the front. "I don't know about you, but I'd rather avoid being soaked!"

"Yes, a stupendous idea!" Yosxim chirped, sounding suspiciously pleased. "And our new companions can join us! I don't know what your travel accommodations are, but my friend Gauth is a surprisingly adequate ration cook!"

If Gauth found the comment flattering, he did not show it. Jayce, however, immediately tried to think of how Yosxim would try to bend the situation to his advantage, and the use of poison immediately came to mind.

"That's mighty kind of you," Jayce smiled, catching up to the first group, "but we'd prefer to camp on our own. You ain't quite proved yourselves trustworthy, and I'm a tad concerned I won't wake up in favor of makin' off with Miss Dahlia here."

Even in Gauth's arm, Yosxim recoiled in what he hoped looked like genuine shock. No one was fooled. "Good sir, you wound me! Why would I plot your untimely demise? You've more than proved yourself capable as a warrior; it would behoove me greatly to consider you an ally, and perhaps a friend, as we could benefit from your particular skills!"

Jayce held up a hand to indicate he wanted Yosxim to stop, and surprisingly enough, Yosxim went immediately quiet. The look in Jayce's eye was threatening and serious, and Yosxim saw the image of the flame-wreathed half-orc flash across his eyes.

"We ain't allies, we ain't companions, and we sure as hell ain't friends. You keep to your end of the cave, we'll keep to ours. You already know the dark don't bother us, so don't fret about sharin' a fire or whatever vittles you cook up. If you do that...you ain't gotta worry if you will wake up."

Jayce turned on his heel and took Dahlia's arm, heading back the way they came. He took the first right, and then the next left, and finally came to a stop when they had reached the end of that passage. He half hoped she wouldn't notice they would be camping past the first group of kobolds they had faced, but he also knew not to assume she was completely unaware of her surroundings.

"Are those kobolds still dead back there?"

He sighed. "Yeah. It ain't too far, and there's only one way they could get to us. It's gonna be a cold night without a fire though."

Dahlia shrugged. "I'm surprised you opted for that, but I know from experience that your coat is quite efficient at retaining warmth. Although part of that may be because I was wearing it over my own."

"Yeah, well, you already know it's my old captain's coat… He didn't skimp when it came to his threads." Jayce shrugged off his knapsack and nearly dropped it from the increased weight of both the trophy bag and the glitter stone he had purloined during the chaos in the bonfire room. Dahlia, as usual, noticed him curse and perked up.

"You okay?" she asked.

He grunted as he shifted the knapsack for a more solid grip and pulled out his bedroll. "I'm fine. Got a good number of trophies, which weighs a shit ton more than I expected, that's all."

Dahlia sat near him, not bothering to go through her own bag. "I'm not going to ask what you got, but I am curious how many."

"Lost count after nine. That bonfire chamber got a bit nuts."

"Oh! Speaking of nuts, could I have the mixed nuts again? Those were good."

Jayce snickered and pulled out another portion from his ration bags. "Want me to toss in the candied fruit? Found out they play nice with the nuts."

"I…" Dahlia tilted her head, and even with the blindfold, Jayce could only just see that she seemed to be confused. "...don't know? When did you get candied fruit? Aren't those expensive?"

Jayce looked at her in shock. "I waved 'em under your nose when you were out of it. Even asked if you wanted 'em. You seem to remember everything. You seriously don't remember that?"

Dahlia sighed deeply, her shoulders going slack. "That explains it… I sometimes black out when I'm having those...moments. I can't remember anything clear afterwards."

Jayce set out his bed roll and sat on it, tapping Dahlia's arm with a small bag of mixed nuts. She took it gratefully.

"What's the last thing you remember?" he asked softly.

"Telling you I would be okay, and to help me up. You said something about trophies." Dahlia shrugged, hugging herself. "Then I shook off enough of the mental fog to explain we'd need to camp in the cave tonight."

"Gotta say, you bein' a living clock has its advantages," Jayce smiled. "Still fuckin' impressed you knew when the sun was gonna set just by countin'."

"You get a feel for it," Dahlia said, pulling open the small bag. "And...let's save those candied fruits for another day. Maybe if we survive a week together, we could eat them then."

Jayce suppressed a laugh in the oppressive darkness. "You seriously think we ain't gonna last a week?"

"Jayce, I am well aware my particular issues make me difficult to get along with, let alone travel with. You're an actual good person, so just knowing you'll have to deal with every version of me, and you almost have, makes me feel awful."

Jayce was about to pull out a pun but stashed it away for later. "Wait, 'almost'? What're you sayin'?"

Dahlia almost touched her face and instead tensely gestured, the open bag of nuts in front of her almost ignored. "I have...bad habits. When I get excited about things I tend to get childish and giddy. I almost never catch it until it's too late."

"Hang on now, it's a bad thing to get childish and giddy?" Jayce snickered, then grabbed the open bag and placed it back in Dahlia's hand. "That's just nuts!"

"You f-!" Dahlia barely caught herself and instead lightly smacked Jayce's shoulder as he burst out laughing. "You were waiting for that one!"

"Oh, gods, for so long," he wheezed.

Dahlia, badly hiding a smile, went straight to devouring a handful of roasted nuts to keep from saying anything to him.

"Fuckin' hell, it's a goddamn blessing to know someone who ain't gonna kill me for my jokes," Jayce giggled, pulling out more flatbread and a wedge of hard cheese. "Haven't laughed this much in a fuckin' year."

"Well, I'm glad I get to be your captive audience!" Dahlia said, trying to sound sarcastic, but Jayce could hear the smile in her voice.

"You fuckin' enjoy it," he snickered, finally breaking into his own food.

The rest of their meal passed in relative silence, with the exception of Dahlia suddenly collapsing into a fit of giggles and, when Jayce asked her what was so funny, she pelted him with a roasted walnut and he nearly burst out laughing all over again.

With calmer moods, Jayce noted he was starting to feel tired enough to sleep. "Dahlia, go ahead and sleep; I've got the first shift," he said.

Dahlia turned to face him. "You don't have to, Jayce. You did most of the work today."

"You did the better work," he shrugged. "You savin' Yosxim was like watchin' a master at work. Your skill is honestly amazin'."

"Speaking of," Dahlia huffed with exhaustion, "I feel awful that I didn't use a spell on him. We ended up not needing any more of my power, and he'll have to sleep tonight with a hole in his abdominal cavity."

Jayce looked at her, confused. "His what?"

"Torso." Dahlia motioned from her shoulders to her waist. "The inside of it, anyway. The majority of organs in animals, including humanoids, is in the abdominal cavity. His particular wound caused a perforation of his gastrointestinal tract, specifically his stomach wall. If he isn't careful about what he eats, he could cause an internal infection or ulcer."

Dahlia took the ensuing silence to mean Jayce was blankly staring at her from an inability to understand what she just said.

She sighed. "Let's just say I hope Gauth doesn't use a lot of spices in his cooking, and thoroughly cooks anything raw."

Jayce sucked air through his teeth. "I ain't familiar with most of what ya said, but I do know spicy food ain't great for an open wound."

Dahlia nodded. "Anyway, get some sleep. I'll wake you in a few hours."

Jayce grunted in agreement, but noticed something as he laid down on his bedroll. "Hold on, ain't ya got a bedroll too?"

"I actually don't," Dahlia said, quietly going through her bag. "I can sleep sitting up if I need to."

"Your former companions were fuckin' assholes…" Jayce mumbled, rolling over.

Dahlia nodded and pulled out a small herbal kit in another, differently patterned box from her medical kit. By the time she had pulled out a small ceramic mortar and pestle, she could already hear Jayce softly snoring.

She smiled, listening to him breathe. So he didn't know about his powers, and seemed genuinely scared about whatever demon gave them to him. That made it easier to believe he was a good person, and he didn't fault her for being...broken. Just like-

She shook her head and pressed her fingertips into her eyes. No. That man wasn't worth her time anymore. He left her for dead, but she survived. She wouldn't think about him.

Dahlia traced a scar under her coat, a pattern she knew all too well even though she couldn't feel it through so many layers of clothes. Lower left rib, nearly center, down to top left of her navel. The width of the crosshilt on his sword.

She barely grazed her cheek, from just below the outer corner of her left eye to just below her left nostril, hidden under her grease paint. The width of the blade on that other man's axe.

She lightly stroked the circumference of her neck, just below her jaw, letting her finger drop to barely halfway, under her collar. The width of the first man's rope.

Three times.

Would Jayce be the fourth?

Al waited patiently. Gauth supposedly had the first shift, but if the pattern held, he would nod off pretty quickly after finishing his food. Yosxim, as usual, would not get a shift because of some surprisingly good excuse, which today was the hole in his stomach.

Al was still, breathing quietly and evenly, his eyes open just enough to see, but to seem closed in the dim light of the dying fire.

Sure enough, Gauth checked to make sure both Al and Yosxim were asleep, and then settled against the wall and listened to the rain...and began to nod. In a few moments, Al could hear the goliath rumbling with a gutteral snore, his chin nearly flush with his chest. Yosxim was practically dead to the world, breathing loudly through his mouth. Al counted to thirty, using his own heartbeat to pace out the numbers.

He softly rolled to his side, paused, then rolled further to rise to a kneel. Again he paused. He counted to ten this time. No one stirred. He finally stood up.

Despite the grit and grime on them, Al's boots were immaculately maintained, a soft and supple leather that was as quiet as a whisper as he stepped through the small camp and entered the mine behind them. He wasn't even sure what he was doing. He knew he wanted to talk to Jayce and Dahlia, although more specifically Jayce, about what happened in the bonfire room, but he had no idea what he would even say. Oh, hi, just wanted to know why you suddenly turned into a simpering idiot. Oh this is normal? Okay, I'll be on my way.

Al's jaw went tight. That sounded like it would go over real well.

And that man was terrifying. That power he wielded… Al alone cut out fifteen tongues, and he knew Gauth did at least that many. That meant the room had at least thirty kobolds, and Jayce managed to slaughter each one of them without a mark on himself...and without the healer. As far as he could tell, she was whimpering in a corner the whole time Jayce was killing those things. And yet, out of the goodness of his heart, Jayce was incredibly gentle with Dahlia. Surprisingly so, considering his race. Were they related somehow? Obviously adopted, if they were. Only family really made sense to him.

Or they were a couple. Al shuddered. He knew he was a kind of half breed as well, but he still felt a kind of repulsion at the idea of bedding anyone with green skin.

Although, Jayce was rather attractive. Especially for a half-orc.

Al shook his head to snap out of it. Whatever their relationship, they were quite effective at their work. Jayce seemed to be able to slaughter anything, and Dahlia had proved that her blindness did not slow her down when she was required to perform more manual healing. Perhaps he could join them instead of them joining Yosxim. Maybe he should start with that. Maybe that way he could finally get the edge on that damned gnome.

Al came to a sudden stop. Not yet. Not while Yosxim still had that necklace. His necklace. He couldn't move on without it.

But he could definitely plant the idea tonight. That would lay the groundwork. Hopefully.

He reached the crossroad, with the hard left turn and the two right paths. Which way had they gone? Al bent down to look for footprints in the dust, but it was still a mess from earlier when everyone had stomped through. He couldn't even tell which footprints were fresh.

Leave it up to luck then. He nimbly pulled out a dagger, placed it on the ground and spun it. It came to a rattling stop pointing to the far right.

Great. The longest, deepest passage. He really hoped they were down there.

At least it would be faster with the traps already disabled…

He knew he was dreaming.

Every time he looked at his hands and they seemed to be the same color as toasted coconut, he knew he was dreaming.

It was odd, being aware of dreaming but being unable to control his actions. Like watching a play act out with his body as a puppet, and he was seated behind its eyes. He was walking through a familiar town that was laid out all wrong, but just in a way that made it easy to get lost. Everyone knew him. Everyone called out their thanks for his work to keep them safe from harm.

He waved back, a big smile on his face. Everyone was happy to see him. Several young women shyly asked for his company to the local park, a restaurant, other places… It left his mind as quickly as it entered. He always said no. They apologized for taking his time.

She walked by.

He watched her. Her coat was too big, her hair was tied back in a mess. Her bag was old, worn, and scuffed. She wore a blindfold.

She didn't notice him.

He ran up to say hi to her. He knew her. Somehow, some part of him knew they were friends.

She didn't notice him.

He yelled. He cried out for her. He knew her name, but couldn't say it. Whatever he said sounded wrong.

She didn't notice him.

He grabbed her arm.

She struck him.

Jayce startled awake, flailing at some imagined foe. Dahlia recoiled, ripping her hands from his arm.

"I'm sorry!" she yelped, her hands up to block a blow to the face.

"Melora's mercy, I'm sorry!" Jayce said, sitting up and hesitating when he noticed he was about to touch her in what he hoped was a comforting way. "Just a nightmare, Dahlia. You didn't do a damn thing wrong."

"Are you okay?" she whispered, her hands beginning to return to her lap. "You were grunting in your sleep. I got concerned."

Jayce sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Like I said, just a nightmare. Kinda a common thing with me, sad to say."

Both fell into an awkward silence. Jayce rubbed the sleep from his eyes in the meantime. Dahlia bit her lip.

"So...it's been a few hours. Time to switch?" she asked, shrugging and sounding unsure. "I'm okay to stay up a bit more, if you need to sleep."

"No, no it's fine. I can take a shift. You sleep." Jayce stood up and stretched, completely forgetting about how Dahlia felt about his shoulders until after he rolled them.

"Ugh," she shuddered. "Jayce, if we can't get to a point where I can work on that soon, I don't think I'll be able to sleep at all."

"Well, this place seems safe enough…" Jayce rested a hand on one of the clasps for his coat, feeling his cheeks flush with the idea of disrobing even if it was only halfway. Regardless, he was curious what she meant about "working on his shoulders", and he was already riled up from being startled awake. "Wanna do it here?"

Dahlia listened intently, but seemed distracted. She was concerned something remained in the mines, something that wished them harm...but then she worried about Jayce, and wondered what kind of pain his shoulders were causing him...and what kind of pain would cause 'common' nightmares. She wanted to help in any way she could.

"Yes. Sure. Let's do it here. Take off your coat, armor, and shirt, and sit in front of me, facing away."

She sounded so professional. Jayce again felt ridiculous.

"Right, just give me a minute."

Jayce unclipped his coat, shrugging it off and laying it gently across his bedroll before moving on to unbuckle his leather armor.

Al peeked around the corner, his eyes struggling to see in the darkness. While he could see, it was no better than dim light, seeing shades of grey and shadows. Even so, he could see Jayce stand and shrug off his coat, then remove his armor, piece by piece. Al found himself dumbstruck by the form and tone of this man, especially since it was easy to ignore the color of his skin in the darkness. Jayce's shoulders filled out his tunic beautifully, his chest barely visible past the drawstring near his neck.

Then Jayce pulled the tunic out from his belt and began to take that off too.

Al bit his knuckle, his eyes wide and his breath hot. Why in the world would that man wear such a blocky coat when he was so damn beautiful?

He watched Jayce's form, solid and strong, sit in front of the healer woman, facing away from her. What in the world were they doing?

Dahlia reached in front of her, her fingertips just barely brushing Jayce's back. He shivered.

"Hold on, Jayce. I can barely reach you."

"Oh, sorry. Hang on."

Dahlia and Jayce both shifted closer at the same time, causing them to accidentally bump together. They both apologized awkwardly in more harmony than unison, and then resettled at a more comfortable distance. Dahlia tapped the back of his neck, finding his position, tracing his spine to the small of his back with a gentle, fluttering touch. Jayce shivered again. Al barely suppressed a whine.

Dahlia shifted up to her knees, resting her hands on the tops of his shoulders. Using her thumbs, she began to gently press into the back of his neck, down across his shoulders, and Jayce seemed to roll his head slightly back and sigh.

Then she drove her thumbs in hard behind his shoulder blades.

"Ah! Fuck!" Jayce winced, trying as hard as he could to keep himself relatively quiet. "The hell are you doin' back there?!"

"I found, and am attempting to break, the deposits of lactic acid within your muscles," Dahlia said simply, as if it was somehow common knowledge. "The reason your shoulders are popping is because, instead of processing the lactic acid as your body should, enough has built up to crystalize and cause pain and soreness. When you pop your shoulders, it's literally the sound of your bones rolling over what is essentially a stone."

"Fuck me…" Jayce mumbled. "No wonder you shuddered every time ya heard it."

"Exactly. Now, it will hurt initially, but it will feel better with time."

Jayce grunted through the pain as Dahlia began her work, finding the knots in his back and pressing hard enough to audibly, and thickly, crack through them. Every wince seemed worse than the last, but then...Jayce began to relax again. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. Dahlia shifted to kneading his back with her knuckles, covering more area and concentrating on his lower back, keeping her hands symmetrical on either side of his spine. Her face may have been half covered with a blindfold, but she seemed focused, determined. Al watched in awe as this Adonis of a man melted into putty as that woman essentially did her best to turn his back into a giant bruise.

Then Jayce moaned.

Al slammed his body back against the corner, a hand over his mouth and his face flushed and hot. He heard Dahlia make a comment about how Jayce was enjoying himself, and he agreed with his typical crass language.

Al was embarrassed to realize he'd need a minute before trying to talk to them, unless he could somehow inconspicuously obscure his crotch. If he convinced them to let him join them, Al would spend the whole time traveling with that image of Jayce in his mind. Maybe it wasn't worth the effort. But then again, his alternative was traveling with Yosxim…

Just thinking of that asshole was enough to shock Al back into a more tolerable state of mind, and body. He blew out a breath to steady himself and turned the corner.

"Dahlia, seriously, you should charge for this. You'd make a goddamn fortune," Jayce said, his head rolled back into her hands as she worked her fingertips into the base of his skull. It felt surprisingly good.

Then Al cleared his throat.

Jayce leapt up to his feet, grabbing his sword from the edge of his bedroll as he came up. Dahlia also scrambled to her feet, although not as nimbly, and pulled a dagger from the back of her belt.

Al held up both his hands to show they were empty. "I'm not here to kill anyone," he said, hoping they'd believe him.

Jayce eyed him suspiciously, but Dahlia sheathed her weapon. "I believe you," she said.

Jayce hesitated, looking between Al and Dahlia, but followed her lead and lowered his weapon. "Fine. I'll trust ya."

Al breathed out a sigh of relief. "Thank you. I was hoping to talk to you both about...well, joining you."

That seemed to catch them both off guard.

"Why?" Dahlia asked.

Al bit his lip and found it hard to look directly at them. "Simply put, Yosxim's an asshole and I'm sick of him ordering me around like a damned slave. Sure, he's fair with wages and all that, but the only reason I joined them was because I thought he'd be smart enough to help me. Turns out, he was smart enough to keep me from leaving."

Al's eyes fell as Jayce and Dahlia seemed to look shocked. "What's that mean?" Jayce asked quietly.

"I had a necklace with an inscription I couldn't understand, so I asked him to translate it. Instead, he kept it, forever dangling it in my face that he'll 'finish translating it tomorrow'. It's one line of fucking text. It doesn't take five months to translate." Al paused and pressed the heel of his hand to his face, forcing himself to breathe to calm down. "I need it back. Once I get it, I can go wherever I want, but I've picked every pocket on both him and Gauth, and they don't seem to have it. I can't find it anywhere."

"Why's it-?" Jayce began to ask before Dahlia grabbed his arm and spoke up.

"We'll help you," she said, her voice surprisingly strong. "We'll get close under the pretense of joining your group, find the necklace, and set you free."

Jayce grunted in annoyance, folding his arms. "Still not sure we can trust you, or let you join after, but...lucky for you, I happen to know a few folks like Yosxim and I got a pretty good idea how we could help."

Al visibly deflated as the tension left him. "Thank the gods. Really, you have no idea what it's like to work for him. If you don't want me along, just get me the necklace and I'll disappear forever. I could probably help you sneak out too, before Yosxim got anything on you."

"Thank you," Dahlia smiled, looking sincere. "If we're lucky, we'll get the necklace back before we're even back in Kymal."

Al tried to grab her hand to shake it in thanks, but Jayce intercepted and clasped his arm. Al fought the urge to blush and kept his face as straight as possible.

"Thank you both, really," he said, shaking Jayce's hand. "I'll talk to Gauth if I can, but I don't think he'll abandon Yosxim for anything short of death."

"Gotta say, I wouldn't mind having a warrior like Gauth on our side," Jayce smiled. "Do what ya can, but don't risk tippin' off Yosxim. We gotta play this right, understand me?"

Al nodded, then pulled away and turned to leave. "Sleep well! And feel free to sleep, because I checked; The whole damn mine is empty now. Goodnight!"

Jayce and Dahlia watched Al disappear around the corner. "Do ya think he walked the whole damn mine just to find us?"

Dahlia suppressed a snicker. "That would explain why he sounded so sure."

Jayce laughed to himself and bent over to pick up his tunic and armor. "Does that mean I ain't gotta worry about wearin' my armor?"

"I'd...actually still feel better if you were wearing it, at least until we were back in town."

"Yes ma'am."

On Al's advice, they both slept through the night, although as per her habit, Dahlia was up early. She had pulled out her herbalist kit and continued to mix a compound while she waited for Jayce to stir. Bruise and crush, make a paste. Add water to thin, move to a vial. Wipe the mortar clean, work on the second stage. Grind to powder, add oil to make a paste. Add alcohol to thin. Move to the vial.

She plugged it with her thumb and gave it a shake, then gave it a sniff. It smelled right so far. She tapped the pad of her thumb to the tip of her tongue. It tasted right. All that was left was a little divine magic.

Dahlia traced the lip of the vial, feeling a spark of her magic flow through her. She wondered what it looked like, when the magic turned the solution homogeneous and, she was told, a reddish hue. A healing potion. She tensed herself, reaching out for Jayce, hoping he was still deep enough in sleep that he wouldn't feel her looking for his bag.

She found his arm and followed that up, ever so lightly touching him, to his shoulder, and her fingers brushed the edge of his knapsack. Like most adventurers, he used his bag like a pillow, both to keep it safe and to lift his head somewhat while sleeping. Unfortunately, she was completely unaware of which orientation the bag was currently in, and was unsure how to slip the vial inside. She found the edges of the leather, following the seams until she found a buckle, and slipped her fingers underneath. It was hard to build a mental image of what her fingers found, but it seemed to be cloth, probably bags of rations or supplies, some bits of metal she couldn't identify, the unmistakable coil of rope, and something very rough was within reach. She was concerned the vial would just break if she dropped it in.

Lucky for her, Dahlia's fingers just caught the edge of an inner pocket, and something made of spongy cork. Likely the other potion Jayce had mentioned. It took an awkward twist, but she managed to slip the vial in beside the original, and slowly pulled out her hand so as not to disturb Jayce.

He twitched in his sleep as she pulled away, and then settled. Dahlia blew out a sigh of relief and cleaned up her kit. Although she hoped he would never need it, she was curious if he would notice he had suddenly obtained another health potion.

With that done, she pulled a small journal out of her bag and a modified pen that didn't use ink. Using a code she had developed, she recorded the events of the day and everything she thought she might need to reference at a future date.

Just an hour left until sunrise.

Yosxim was dreaming of numbers.

New evidence had presented itself, traits and features revealed. He had learned quite a bit about Jayce and Dahlia, even in a short time.

The half-orc was suspicious, guarded, threatened. And threatening. Now that his mind could work in peace, Yosxim analyzed every word the monster-born had said. While his accent was thick, it felt off. More research was needed. And that power he wielded...that strange fire. He would have to see if he could find a spell book on Jayce, or if he was a strange manifestation of a sorcerer, a wizard whose abilities were innate rather than learned. More research was needed.

What was obvious to Yosxim is that the focus of his aggression seemed to be Dahlia. She was why he acted so guarded, and she was the reason he would remain calm. Her effect on Jayce was absolutely astounding; Could it be she had trained him somehow, like one would a dog?

Yosxim was already well aware she was quite intelligent; not just any woman could become a doctor, after all. That meant he would have to be extra diligent in finding a way for her to remain in his employ beyond a simple contract. After all, contracts could end or break. For the greatest advantage, he would need her to remain at his side indefinitely.

Perhaps the reliance worked both ways. Dahlia had a physical handicap that prevented her from functioning in normal society. She was just as dependent on Jayce to interact with the world as that monster was on her to appear acceptable to the average person. If he could hook one of them, he could retain the other as a bonus.

All that remained was to find some kind of irresistible bait…and he may already have had an idea.