As she approached, Dawn noticed several of the men nod to each other, one running inside another door set into the side of the wall. A few seds ter, Devon emerged and spotted her. To her shock, he ordered his men to surround her, and turned babsp; As he did so, however, he shouted, “Dawn, I am sorry about this, but we are being watched. Py along, they are too far away to hear anything.”

  Hearing this, Farah rexed her grip on her on, and Dawn rexed again. As they were escorted into the gate’s office, they heard chattering from the guards back at the st gate, though they were uo uand it. Onside, Devon had half the meurn to the gate before sitting down and for the two of them to sit down.

  “My apologies about the ued reception. It appears someone must have gotten drunk and said something they shouldn’t have. A few days after we arrived, we noticed a few people poking around and watg us, and we were told in no uain terms that we were to capture you, take your staff, and kill your fox,” Devon expined.

  Before Dawn could protest, he raised his hand and tinued, “Do not worry, I still io keep my word. We just have to py pretend a bit. Once I realized what was happening, we all talked about our future, and it has been decided we are leaving, dangerous as that is. Since we don’t io be around here long after you pass through, we got in touch with some… less than legal folks, you could say. Thanks to that, we were able to acquire some useful things.”

  Devon then waved one of his men forward, who removed his helmet, revealing Gee, who had inally opposed Niphru. As he stepped forward, he reached into a pouch at his waist, removing several syringes. Stopping beside Dawn, he handed over two marked with green bands, and expined, “I wao make up for my poor behavior before, and thank you for helping me see that I was wrong. As such, I took a few risks, and acquired these cos. They are closer to a poison and antidote than anything else. The red-banded ones I have are the initial dose, which results in a state of near-death until the sed dose, marked in green, is applied. Thehe course of a few hours, the effeds. We have already tested them once, and I will let you test them on me as well to prove it is safe.”

  Surprised by this statement, Dawn looked to Devon, who simply nodded before speaking, “It was his work that found this possible solution, and we are quite certain it will work. To make it even more ving, however, I would like to ask you to pierIphru with a small bde. As a healer, you should be able to make certain it does no damage. If you leave here without your staff, and holding a seemingly dead fox with a knife in it, then it will be obvious we did what we were ordered, and no one else should try to stop you. Would you be willing to do that to help with the illusion? We do o take your staff no matter what, as we ’t fake that, but I assure you that it will be returo you by the end of the day.”

  As he finished speaking, Farah started to ask a question befee interrupted while holding the other twes towards Dawn, “While we do io keep you here for a while, we do o take the first step immediately. Pie of these, please, and I demonstrate it.”

  Somewhat fused by the whole ordeal, Dawn randomly picked one of them, and Gee ha to Devon before sitting on the flainst the wall. Once he was settled, he bared his arm a Devon ihe co.

  “I hope this will help you feel more at ease,” Devon remarked, putting the empty syringe down before. Turning to look at Farah, he tinued, “I saw you were about to say something before, feel free to do so now that we have gotten started.”

  Nodding, Farah asked, “Why is it yoing to such extreme lengths? I’ve run into your kind before, and you are never o others. This doesn’t make sense.”

  As Devon began to respond, Gee toppled to the ground, unmoving. Instead, he turo Dawn, requesting, “As you see, the effects set iy quickly. Please use one of the antidotes on him, and we tinue while he recovers.”

  Dawn nodded, moving to the man and kneeling down to apply the antidote. Devon, meanwhile, replied to Farah’s question, “Well, to begin with, most of those who serve the Church of flict begin at an early age, and their thinking is shaped almost pletely by the teags. My men and I are outliers, we mostly joier in life after various events that predisposed us to see them in a positive light, such as saving our vilges from twisted beasts.”

  Nodding towards Dawhen tinued, “We were sent to her vilge to kill a ‘monstrous fox’ only to find that almost everyone became hostile when asked about it. After hearing it had bee away into the forest, we went hunting. After a number of ued events, Niphru here returo towe knowing the risk, in order to warn everyone of a risk to the vilge. Due to his ce, I made the decision to go against our orders, and work with him and the rest of the vilge. During this time, he helped save many of our lives, so we owe both Dawn and Niphru quite a lot.”

  Hearing this expnation, Farah nodded before leaning back to think for a while. Simirly, Dawn sat back, bringing Niphru into her p aing him, quietly discussing the ideas they had been given with him. While he still had trouble moving, he could at least nod or shake his head, so she wao respect his wishes as well.

  Several mier, Devon stood, waving all but one of the remaining men outside. After grabbing Gee’s limp form, he dragged him into a room behind his desk. As he did so, he requested both of them move back there as well, expining, “I have to tinue seeing other people, and this should have been enough time to disable you, so you o be out of sight just in case our watcher es by. I’ll e get you again soon.”

  Nodding to him, they both joined Gee ioreroom, though Dawn did pause to request, “Could you please send someoo tell Morris what is going on? I’m sure he be trusted, since I am supposed to learn from him, and my mother trusts him.”

  In response, Devon chuckled before telling her, “That won’t be required, actually. While we are not permitted to i with mages, there are some ways around that. Morris has been w with us and is kept informed. He will act suitably upset when you meet him, but simir to this, it is all an absp; He will be st ier to ‘attack’ us a your staff bad drive us from the city. This is the way we decided would end up with the highest ce of everyoing what they want safely.”

  While surprised by this, Dated his cim, as he had been very open with her so far, and given the way things had progressed so far, the ces of him trying to trick her seemed very low. Nodding to him, she quickly removed her neckce from its mounting oaff, then hahe staff to him as she ehe room.

  Before closing the door, Devon remarked, “Huh, that is very abnormal. But rick, I think I will suggest it to some of my men as well. Very clever. And this way you even still have the ability to use magic, this is great! I was somewhat worried about that aspect of the pn, but now I rest easier. Thank you, Dawn.”

  For the hour or so, Dawn and Farah exged stories quietly while listening to the arguments iher room. Eventually, Gee dragged himself back to a sitting position against the wall, groaning as he did so. After a quick disoriented look around, he focused on Dawn aioned, “Damn headache… This stuff isly what could be called pleasant. How long has it been?”

  After being informed of what had happened, Gee remarked, “I guess it is something that only works a few times then, st time I was out for three hours. Perhaps that is why it was cheaper than I expected, normally things like that cost quite a bit. But at least it does what we tht?”

  Nodding to him, Dawn asked about his story, and they tialking for another hour before Devourned. When asked if she would be willing to go the extra step, Dawn looked at Niphru, and after he firmed it was okay a final time with a nod, she o Devon as well, holding out her hand.

  Unlike she feared, what she was handed was less a knife, and more of a giant needle. She had worried before, but something so narrow and without sharp edges would be much easier to trol. What made her much happier was when he also pulled out a tiny pouch, expining that it was a numbing agent as he ha to her.

  Smiling at his thoughtfulness, she thanked him, quickly applying it to Niphru’s side, and with Devon’s assura was an intended use and safe, also having him swallow some. A few moments ter, she firmed he was uo feel much of anything, and after hugging him, ied the tents of the syringe Gee passed to her.

  After Niphru went limp, she cautiously poked through his skin with the spike, fog on healing the eime, using the process to ensure she didn’t damage anything important as she did so. Even though she knew he agreed with it, she still couldn’t help but cry while she did so.

  Seeing this, Devon rubbed her back, stating, “It is okay, Dawn, everything will be fine oneet with Morris outside.” Snarling a bit, he tinued, “Since you have dohis, it is safe to tell you now, our little watcher is also waiting outside, fortunately, he is clueless, and Morris and I have a nice surprise for him. That damned fool demanded your staff, and is unaware that doing so means that your teacher has the right to use any degree of force he desires. As the actual guards, we have tenuht to hold onto it, but he sure as hell doesn’t.”

  With a sinister smile, he offered his hand to Dawn, tinuing, “We agreed to leave him alive so he report back, but this will work quite well, I think. Let’s go meet with Morris. And I am sorry for not asking your name, but could you please put your arm around Dawn and act like you are trying to fort her, ma’am?”

  Farah nodded, standing up as Dated the man’s hand, and followed them out. Dawn shifted one hand from supp Niphru to double-check that she still had the antidote before returning to holding him with both arms, and Farah nodded before putting an arm around her shoulders. After verifying they were ready, Devon pulled a tiny mana crystal from a small crevice beside the door and crushed it under his heel.

  Moments ter, the door exploded inward, a rge rock smashing into the wall behind it. Morris stormed in, his face a mask of fury, ily shouting as he flung various rock projectiles around. Behind him, barely visible, was a robed man clutg Dawn’s staff and shaking in fear. Devon waited until the man looked towards him, the at Morris, receiving a sb of rock to the chest that left a huge dent in his armor a him sprawling to the ground.

  Mrabbed Dawn’s shoulder and directed her outside, quickly whispering, “It will be over soon.” Immediately afterward, he shouted, “Get to the other side of the gate!”

  g both from having to hurt Niphru, and the suddeimution of her senses, Dawn scurried outside, almost running into the man outside as she spotted a shattered hole ie and darted through it. Ohrough, she spun around, peeking around the edge.

  Morris had exited the room and was surrounded by men with dented armor either on the ground or slightly embedded into the wall. Advang on the man holdiaff, he swung his own staff, smming base into the ground. With a horrible grinding he fgstones underfoot rippled upward, trapping the man and tinuing to tract.

  The man’s screams rapidly grew in pitch before his legs snapped like twigs and he fell over onto the rocky ptform unscious and dropped her staff. Morris snatched it out of the air and stalked through the gate, grabbing her by the arm and pulling her along the road a short distance before turning into an alley.

  With a wave of his staff, Morris sealed the alley with walls of sto ead before sitting down aing out a deep breath. Patting the ground beside him, he told Dawn to sit before speaking, “It takes a lot out of me to mao drum up emotions like that. We o wait some time or I might do something troublesome.”

  Dawn looked down at Niphru as she sat, worried she might have jostled him and hurt him, but was gd to see it appeared she had kept him steady the whole time. Morris noticed her gaze, quickly remarking, “It should be fine now, that bastard saw you running and the state you were in. Lets get everythiled now.”

  As he handed her staff back, she o the wall beside her, a it there instead, her focus on Niphru as she began to slowly remove the bde, healing as she did so. Farah, meanwhile, sat oher side of the alley staring at Morris with a wide-eyed expression of shock.

  Finishing her extra and healing efforts, Dawrieved the antidote and applied it, finally looking up again as she stroked Niphru’s head and held him to her chest. After several more deep breaths with his eyes closed, Morris faced Farah and apologized to her, “I am sorry you had to get involved in su event, ma’am, things have been very chaotic tely, and our expected pn was made impossible. Thank you for helping Dawn during the journey, Kel has ranged out a few times to keep an eye on her, and has only good things to say about you and yroup.”

  Farah simply nodded, numbly, as she sat against the wall. While she had met with mages before, and evehem fight, none had casually thrown around the level of power she had just experienced, and it made her feel like a child thrown into the wilds again. It would take time to get over the shock, she thought to herself.

  Fog on Niphru due to an odd feeling she had while healing him, Dawn found that she could feel the effects keeping him unscious, and they did respond to her attempts to remove them. Putting her full focus into it, she mao signifitly reduce their presence before exhausting herself. Rather than taking hours, as expected, Niphru began to stir just a few moments after she finished, his head twitg and ears swiveling.

  After several minutes of hugging him and making sure he was fine, Dawn finally returned Niphru to her hood. Seeing this, Farah and Morris both rose, the tter colpsing the walls he had made after a nod from Dawn.

  Following a quick versation with Dawn, Farah split from the two others, heading along the inside of the wall around the city. Dawn, oher hand, froze in shock as she exited the alley. The road had been pletely empty when they left the gate, but now… She couldn’t help but shiver in fright at the sight of so many people. There had to be at least twice as many people along the road as her vilge had entirely! Somehow, it was even worse than what happe the gate, there were just far, far too many people.

  Morris had walked several paces away before he realized she was not following and turned babsp; Seeierrified appearance, he suddenly remembered this was the first time she had been in the capital, and where she was from. Feeling stupid, he quickly hurried back, bringing her bato the alley to attempt to calm her.

  After she calmed down, Dawioned an idea she thought would work, at least short-term until they got to the tower. While it wasn’t something Morris liked, he had to admit that having her just keep her eyes closed and holding his hand to guide her would work much faster than other methods they could try, and gave in. It certainly would take much loo try to find a less busy path, or wait for people to clear out. While he could order the streets clear earlier, he had a reason everyone would respect, while now he did not.

  With a sigh, he offered his hand to Dawn, and they begarip to the mage’s tower he art of. Fortunately, Daleased with the idea of discussing things along the way, as it would keep her mind off the sounds of so many people around her. Sihis was the case, Morris spent the time they were walking to expin how daily life worked iower, and that they would get her registered ohey got there.

  Shard