Light bright enough to have permanently blinded any human engulfed them both.

Darkness followed, and Li found himself back at the cavern, right where he had been before. Around him, piles of inanimate bones and magical equipment lay strewn about, as did countless shattered vials and broken pieces of alchemical equipment tossed about from the fight.

A few fledgling fires were beginning to flutter up, born from flammable alchemical vials and gnawing away at anything flammable they could sink their fiery teeth on. Still, though, because this was a damp, enclosed cavern full of solid rock, it was difficult for the fires to spread quickly, though eventually, everything would be engulfed.

Li went to Azhar's prone body and tapped the bowman on his head, casting a healing spell. As he did so, his leshen form became wrapped in flowing bands of magical energy, reconstructing his human form once more.

Azhar coughed as he raised himself up.

"Back to this form?" he said as he wiped blood from his face.

"Can't be scaring everyone," said Li as he motioned to the slaves and workers still stationed around the cavern. They were still huddled behind cover just as the lich had told them to with his last order.

"They ain't free from that monster's control?" remarked Azhar.

"Because he isn't dead yet," said Li. "Liches can be resurrected so long as one of their cores, their phylacteries, remains intact." He walked over to the sealed box at the center of the lab that held the lich's phylactery. With a strong chop, he shattered through both the strengthened iron bars of the box and the runic barriers protecting it.

Li reached into the box and withdrew the phylactery – a gleaming ruby red orb the size of a baseball. It shimmered in regular intervals, and as its bloody red light flashed and dimmed, it emanated pulses of power much like a heartbeat.

"Then we gotta' destroy it," said Azhar.

Li shook his head. "Not necessary. And I will not budge on that position."

Azhar took in Li's firm tone and nodded. "Aight. I'll be trustin' you on this one."

"As you should." Li put the orb close to his ear. If memory served him right, liches could still communicate through those that made contact with their phylactery even if their physical bodies had been destroyed.

'When you said we would meet again soon, I did not imagine it would be this soon,' came the lich's voice as it rung into Li's head.

'As it just so happens to be, I needed you for something. I'm assuming you won't have any complaints listening to me?'

'Not at all. To do so would be blasphemous. You are one that holds lock and key to power unfathomable and transcendent. Your wisdom is one to be revered and respected.'

'Then I want you to keep up your mind control of these lab hands and slaves and lead them out the portal you made. Get them to follow me out.'

'I shall do that.'

'And don't worry so much about your lost research. If you decide to be stay within my midst, I will make sure that you can continue it, though as I've said before, you may have to change certain parts of it. Taking slaves and lives will only bring unwanted attention to yourself and, if you bind yourself to me, to me as well.'

'Truly? Then most certainly I shall follow within your midst. It would be foolish to reject an offer as generous as this.'

'Glad to see you understand. Now then, let's get these people moving.'

Li pocketed the orb and beckoned Azhar to his side. "We're getting out of here. Everyone else will follow."

As they made their way back to the end of the cavern where the portal floated, Azhar looked behind to see that, indeed, all the beastwomen and labhands were making their way behind them in an orderly manner far too coordinated to have been natural movements.

"They're still bein' controlled?" said Azhar.

"For a good reason. I came here knowing that a lich was manning this operation. I hedged my bets that if I overpowered him enough, he would follow my wishes, and as a result, would let me move this many people out without the hassle of having to deal with their combined panic and hysteria."

"I gotcha' on that, but thing I'm worried bout' is where they're gonna' go." Azhar scanned the small crowd filing behind him and furrowed his brows. "What's this? Twenty, no, almost thirty people. The criminals that got jacked to work here, we can toss back into the dungeons, but the beastwomen, ain't nobody gonna' take em' in."

"A way will be found," said Li. He did understand he would have to tackle this logistics issue, and he did have a last ditch plan of creating a shelter using his spells for them in the forest, but the shelter in question was rather high level and far too impressive to openly use right now. "For now, we get them out. The other two raid teams will be dealing with this same issue as well, and I can't imagine the heroes don't have an idea of what to do with housing these witnesses."

==================

Moving everyone out was a simple matter. Li and Azhar found that there was a way to get back up to the portal involving an elevator system using an enchanted platform of stone, and it was large enough to get everyone up and through the portal in two lifts.

From there, Li led them out of the restaurant, but here, there came a bit of a surprise. Though, come to think of it, Li figured that this was a rather expected result of his actions.

"The hell? Why's everyone out and bout' this time of the night?" said Azhar as his eyes darted from side to side, scanning the small groups of people coming out of their homes, the guard knights raising their helm visors and craning their heads to the night sky.

"Look up," said Li.

"What the-?" Azhar's eyes narrowed, then widened. "It's like there's a star on top of the moon. I ain't ever seen nothin' like it."

Li nodded. A bright twinkle of light was shimmering over the moon, covering it. It was obvious that this was no star – the light came far closer and brighter than the ever distant sparkles of suns light years away. No, this was a light that flowered atop the moon itself, visible in the sky to every single living being upon this planet with eyes to bear witness.

As always, the effects of [Fusion Seed] were flashy. At the same time, it was expected that the detonation of a celestial seed capable of matching the intensity of solar nuclear fusion was this noticeable.

"A star above the moon? Has the drink gotten to me eyes?" said a man a street away. He had come out of a tavern with a crowd of people to witness this awing sight.

"Nay, it's true. Surely, this must be the work of gods," another said.

"Aye, and that is why the temples must be consulted. Surely, light such as this is an omen of good?" came another much more concerned voice.

Li ignored the crowds and made his way back to the Golden Flagon, the set rendezvous point for each raiding party to meet after their jobs were done.

"Did you do that?" asked Azhar.

"Yes, so feel free to treat it as a good omen," said Li. "Now then, going to the Flagon involves cutting through what will now be populated streets. Do you have the badge?"

Azhar fumbled into his pocket and withdrew the same star shaped badge that Meld used to exercise her authority. She had granted one temporarily to each raiding party to prevent anyone from questioning their activities. "Guess I can use this, but it's no guarantee it'll calm anyone's panic. Beastwomen ain't exactly inspirin' confidence with how dangerous people think they are."

Li nodded. "If it comes down to it, I can put these people to sleep if they make a ruckus."

A deeply concerned expression creased into Azhar's brows.

"Not the eternal type of sleep," said Li as he rolled his eyes. "Honestly, I feel like you have the wrong image of me in your head. Now, let's stop wasting time and get to the tavern."