In seconds the guards swarmed. Ignoring Mercario’s warnings, the others in the tent fell over themselves to get away from this rampaging blonde elf.

“Perhaps we should go,” said the Consul. “I doubt the auction will continue after this.”

The battle raged. Try as the guards might, they couldn’t manage to stop the elf from flitting around and out of their attempts to flank. That being said, there were too many for her to handle by herself, and reinforcements were being screamed for.

“You go on,” I said. “I want to see how this turns out.” I couldn’t leave her here alone. I knew that she ran headlong into this by herself and probably knew what she was doing, but I wasn’t about to risk it. If nothing else, I’d need to confirm she was from our world, and see if she had any information we didn’t. Saving her was best for our longterm goals.

Besides which, I thought, glancing at the boy, she saved me.

“No.”

I spun to the Consul. “…’No’?”

“I said before that I’m served best by keeping you close. We leave together.” His eyes moved to the brute. “Make sure you lock the boy away before joining the fight.”

“I don’t—“ The brute and I suddenly turned towards the fighting, reacting instinctually to a guard that was knocked close to us. Our weapons were pointed to protect ourselves, but the guard still held the boy by the arm. “I don’t suppose you can be swayed?” I finished my thought.

“You can still prove to me who you are,” sighed the Consul.

So there it was. I wanted three things - to save the boy, to save the girl, and to get in with the Consul. I could only get two of those.

My head was clear this time. I knew exactly what I wanted most.

I snapped into a lunge, the muscles on one side pulling back to help the muscles on the other side charge forward. Every ounce of force in my body was brought to a single, focused point on the tip of my blade.

And I drove it straight into the Consul’s chest.

He looked at me with knowing eyes. He didn’t seem scared, or pained, or sad, just… satisfied.

With luck, whatever organization he headed would fall apart without him, and whoever was going to raise him would be far enough away to buy us a few days. “I apologize for the inconvenience,” I said.

A hint of smile twitched on his lips. He might have tried laughing, but blood bubbled up out of his mouth instead.

Before watching him expire, I whirled to the brute holding the boy. He had just turned from the battle and went wide-eyed at what just transpired. I threw my blood-soaked dagger at his throat.

It connected right on target with a sickly thud. The brute dropped everything, bringing his hands to his neck. The gurgling noises he made were awful.

I went for his sword with one hand and shoved the boy away with the other. “Get out of here!” I yelled. “Run and don’t stop! Move!” I brought the sword up and finished off the brute.

Used to following orders, the child ran out of my vision. I switched attention to the blonde elf. She was holding her own against four guards, though barely.

“Eyes up, boys!” yelled one of the guards who’d witnessed my betrayal. “Two fronts!”

I stalked towards the battle. Without magic, I’d have to get very physical to end this before reinforcements arrived.

“Need a hand?” I asked the elf. She said nothing, only giving me a contemptuous glance before returning to the fight.

What had been a near standstill at five to one became a bloodbath at five to two. Blow by blow, tempered steel was brought down on four of them. The last one just about wet himself, and would’ve run if we weren’t surrounding him. He dropped his axe, arms held out a bit from his sides, palms down.

“Stop! Okay…? Okay? I surrender. I’m done.”

I caught my breath, taking a second to assess how far anyone else was. Things had gotten surprisingly quiet outside - hopefully, they were all chasing Kevin. “Alright,” I said. “Do you know how to take off these col—“ I turned back to see the elf plunging her rapier into the man.

“I… um, alright,” I said. “Maybe there’s a key or something….”

There was the sound of metal splitting air, and a few droplets of blood flicked onto my face. Two blurry sword tips dominated my vision, too close for my eyes to focus into one. I traced the blade back to the elf, who stared back frigidly.

“Get out of here,” she said.

My confidence hadn’t worn off yet. “Hold on,” I said. “I’m on your side.”

“Don’t care. Get out. Now.”

She was paranoid - a good trait, one that I specifically appreciated. I tossed my sword away. “My name is Jack MacQueen. I—“

“I don’t care. Are you trying to stall me? Why would you help me, then—“

“Please,” I interrupted. “I just need to figure out who you are. If you’re like me.”

Her eyes held mine. In spite of the tension, the seriousness of the situation, my base instincts still managed to excitedly tap me on the shoulder to inform me that she was, in fact, super pretty.

She nodded behind me. “Three steps back. Now.” I did so, glancing to be sure I didn’t trip over a corpse. She kept her sword up. “You’re wasting your time,” she said. “I’m not like anyone from here.”

Those words fluttered up the excitement in me. “Exactly! And by ‘from here’ you mean, ‘from this world of Dungeonia,’ right?”

She looked at me like I was crazy. My excitement immediately balled up and dropped like a stone. “Or… maybe I’m wrong?” I rattled my head. “Whatever. Gone this far.” With a deep breath, I continued. “Like I said, my name’s Jack. I come from a city called Toledo, in the state of Ohio, in the United States of America.”

Her lips parted slightly. She leaned back a little, tilting her head slightly off-center and staring at me with narrowed eyes.

I went on. “Me and my friends got stuck here about two weeks ago, after being somehow teleported into a black room with a book that said ‘Welcome to Dungeonia,’ and instructions to make Dungeons and Dragons characters.“

Her sword hit the floor. Shakily, she brought her hands to cover her mouth, shivering uncontrollably. “You’re… I’m not alone?”

My smile was bittersweet. “No. I’m here.”

The tears welled up in her. She fell to her knees, sobbing. “I can’t…. I was so… so…” Whatever she was feeling overtook her. Somehow, some bit of memory scraped my consciousness - it was Lord of the Flies, how the children started crying when they were rescued. I shook off the thought and started towards her. We’d have to work together to free these people and make our way out.

Or rather, I tried to get to her.

But I couldn’t move.

A kernel of fear sprouted and expanded through me as I realized I’d felt this sensation before - this disconnection between body and mind. It was the Hold Person spell. I couldn’t even shout out a warning to the elf. The most I could manage was to breathe more heavily.

Not that it would’ve mattered. She had stopped crying, but was frozen on her knees, face buried in her hands. Whoever cast the spell had gotten her, too.

I could hear footsteps slosh across the blood-soaked ground. A figure moved into my field of view, though my head was turned down and I couldn’t see a face. Sadly, I recognized the black clothing.

Heller bent forward until he was sure I could see him and only him. “What an interesting turn of events,” he said, smirking.

*******

Kevin swung down from the roof of the inn, jabbed a dagger into the windowsill, and pried open the window to his room. He took one more look to be sure no one was watching, then slid inside.

He collapsed almost immediately. He was used to running, no problem - but that was a mad, circuitous sprint through a miles-long obstacle course of wagons, tents, back alleys and chimneys.

The sound of his door creaking sent him back to his feet, dagger ready.

“…Kevin? You in here?” It was Topher’s voice coming from the streak of light along the door.

Kevin didn’t drop his guard, though. “The second World War happened between 1939 and 1945,” he stated.

“…and ended after the nuking of Nagasaki and Hiroshima,” responded Topher, entering and closing the door behind him. “You seem pretty freaked out. You could've told us you were leaving.”

Kevin fell back into bed. “Some teenage girl was able to tell exactly where I was. Like the Locate Creature spell, or something. Blew my cover. I barely had enough time to Message Jack, let alone you. Had to run around for an hour to make sure the spell wore off, then I came back here for a rest.”

“What’ll you do if she casts it again?” asked Topher. “Or if it’s something that just always tracks us, like what Minerva had?”

“Then I’ll be glad you’re here, won’t I?” He attempted a smile. “Where’s Jenn?”

Topher found a chair. “She’s downstairs, getting us food. Message her if you want anything. What happened with Jack? I doubt he lasted an hour-long run.”

“Had to leave him back in the tent. I’m sure he’s fine - his cover wasn’t blown, and he’s smart enough to not try anything stupid when he’s got no backup. He’ll meet us back here once he’s out.” Kevin found his copper wire. “I’m starving. Grab me something?”

“Can do.” Jenn’s voice was a welcome sound.

His needs met, Kevin tried relaxing. Except he had one nagging worry. He whispered into the copper wire again: “Keep watch for teenage girl.” He bit the wire and sent the Message.

“Um, one just marched upstairs.”

His face scrunched until it was painful - this night wasn’t getting any easier.

*******

The contents of the room were as follows: four ever-burning torches that needed no air or fuel, one table (on which a small ball of crystal, a note, a signet ring and a soft robe sat), one chair, one lever which opened the exit, and at the center of it all, one large, exquisite urn.

The walls were made of stone. Entirely underground, the room was windowless, ventless, and hadn’t been opened since its completion, well over a decade ago. Only one person knew for certain of its existence, and only two more could have surmised the fact - one of whom likely forgot a long time ago. With the exception of the soft flicker of magical light, nothing had moved in years.

Until now.

Slowly, a small crack began to form on the urn. Then more. Still more. In starts and fits, a web of fractures spread across the gold-laced ceramic. Water began seeping through the deeper fissures, putting pressure on the integrity of the whole until it finally - mercifully - shattered.

The water gushed across the floor, carrying with it the naked form of man. He laid there, motionless, without so much as a breath. Eventually, however, like an old thought suddenly remembered, the man’s heart started beating. He opened his eyes.

In what was a new and unpleasant experience, he vomited and coughed simultaneously. Well over a gallon of disgustingly salty water violently discharged itself from his innards. Once the convulsions stopped, he laid still, waiting to see if the strength to move would come before or after his orifices stopped burning. It came before.

He stood slowly, wary of this new body. He dripped water from everywhere. Two shaky steps got him to the chair, which he gently lowered himself into. He grabbed the robe and threw it around his shoulders.

The note was there to remind him of certain words of power, but he didn’t need it. He lifted the crystal from its stand, catching a glimpse of himself in its reflection. Even through the distortion of rounded glass, he could tell he was younger - about late forties, he guessed.

After a few words, blue mist materialized in the ball, then expanded into an image of a musty study. A barely filled pair of old robes wandered around, examining bookshelves.

“This is Brame Halloway. I’m looking for—the wizard.“ He realized that he didn’t know the entity’s name. That couldn’t be right, he thought. He knew it at some point. He must have.

The figure perked up at the noise and twirled around to face Halloway. The image became dominated by a white-bone hand, then a shifting of the room, and finally rested on the grinning, decaying, eyeless face he expected.

“Who’s this, then?” came an old voice. The face didn’t move as it talked. “Who gave you access to this crystal?”

“None who desecrate this refuge shall live!”

“Quite right,” said the old voice to something out of view.

Halloway pulled his robe tighter. “You gave me access. About fifteen years ago.”

“Ah. Well then… Good for you. Goodbye.” The image whirled away from the face.

“Wait! I need your services!”

The view was back to where it started, and the figure was back to his bookshelves. “Sorry, a bit too busy for requests. Lots of work. Lots of… remembering. Let’s try again later.”

“I need a new Clone!”

The undead wizard stopped midreach to a book. Slowly, deliberately, he moved closer, sitting down at the crystal rather than picking it up. “…New? As in, I already made a Clone for you?”

“Yes. Again, this was about fifteen years ago.”

The wizard steepled his hands. After a pause, he said “Then this is the new body I’m speaking to, yes? How are you feeling? Any ill effects? Deformed pieces? Strange urges? Missing morals?”

“I… couldn’t tell you. It only just came to be in use.” Halloway furled his brow. “Only, now that you mention it, my mind does feel a bit… detached. You didn’t do anything strange to this body, did you?”

The wizard sat motionless for a while, then abruptly waved his hand. “Oh, who can remember? I’m sure you’re fine. Just… don’t make any life-changing decisions for a while. And let me know if you start getting extraneous limbs popping up in odd places - it’s probably a feature, but I’d like to be informed, nonetheless. Now, you said you wanted to commission me for another Clone, yes? I suppose I could spare the odd hour for such a promising young customer.” The wizard grabbed some paper and willed a writing utensil into existence. “Who was your contact? Was it Red?” He started writing.

“I’m not sure I want to continue a professional relationship with someone who experiments on my future bodies without consultation or consent.”

The wizard didn’t look up from his note-taking. “Oh, don’t worry. People swear by my Clones. Even Red. Why, just the other day she was absolutely eviscerated by this rather ingenious new golem I crafted. But did she come back any less than a hundred percent? No! She jumped right on the crystal and started lecturing me about trust and responsibility and whatever else it is women go on about. At it for hours, she was. Couldn’t get a word in edgewise. Oh, right - was Red your contact? I should tell you now, she’s in a mood….”

Halloway let a very soft sigh come and go. “Yes, it was Red. Send her by and I’ll transfer the materials you need. Standard fee? The slave trade just suffered a sound hit, but I’m sure I can manage.”

The wizard stopped writing. “Ah! A happy coincidence. My soul-pens are full now, but I happen to be looking for skilled operatives - one to replace a recent loss, and one to expand operations. If you have two go-getting problem solvers you can do without, send them my way and I’ll waive the fee. In fact, I’ll cover the cost of the whole spell - just give your inch of flesh to Red, and we’ll take care of the rest. Do you have anyone in mind?”

Halloway knew that was a good deal, considering the extra cost and risk of moving slaves if Fleethand was discovered. “I do. They’re on mission now, and I’ll have to be sure they didn’t run afoul of some adventurers, but I think you’ll be pleased with them.”

“Then that’s that. A pleasure, sir.”

“To you, as well,” said Halloway, who then dismissed the image with a few more words.

He stood and put the robe on properly, checking and double-checking to be sure every bit of him was as it should be. He made his way to the lever.

There was loud Thunk! and the sound of stone grinding on stone. Just outside the room, two Colme soldiers (who for the life of them were never able to guess why this nondescript part of the basement had to be manned at all times) jumped up and readied weapons. When the wall finished opening, they saw a younger Consul in a wet robe holding up the glowing Halloway signet ring. They didn’t understand what was going on, but they knew enough to stand at attention.

Halloway wasted no time. “You—you are to gather whatever soldiers are on duty and make haste to the circus. Assist them in whatever attempts they’re making to apprehend intruders. When they’re found, inform me. I will decide exactly what is to be done with them. Go.”

The soldier spun around and left.

Halloway pointed to the other. “You. What’s your name?”

“Somasim, sir.”

“You are never to leave my side. If any danger presents itself, you are to place your body between it and me. Is that understood?”

“Yes, sir!” Somasim made no hesitation.

“Good,” said the Consul. He strode out of the room, bodyguard close behind.

Somasim was quiet for a while, then let curiosity overtake him. “Sir, may I ask what’s going on?”

“I have suffered an inconvenience, Somasim.” The Consul hissed the words. “One I greatly wish to repay.”