Ban’Koliath and Roland had little difficulty getting directions to the nearest mage of any repute, a fellow known as Allister Secundus. He was the Grand Sage of the Wurm Sea, High Councilor to the Juscalius District of Magical Practitioners and a whole host of bloated titles that caused Roland to roll his eyes. A brisk walk found them in front of a mansion with a conical tower attached on the right side.

“What is it with mages and towers?” Roland asked, letting out a sigh of frustration, “I swear, if I ever decide to set up a real shop I’m going to make it the least mage-y building imaginable.”

The property was ringed by a stone wall with a large open portcullis serving as a front gate. Beyond lay a sprawling lawn complete with topiaries, an oversized fountain, extravagant trim work, and sconces along the edges of the mansion. They took the gate being open as an invitation to enter and strolled up to the front door. Ban’Koliath went to knock but Roland stopped him short.

“Let me do the talking. I know how to deal with this type of character," Roland said with a devious smile. The smile unnerved Ban’Koliath but he stepped back from the door nonetheless.

Roland took the lead though there was a subtle snort from the minotaur that he chose to ignore. He instead pulled out a smooth, slender wooden stick from within the folds of his robe and then grabbed the weighty iron door knocker. With seven knocks he tapped out an intentional rhythm.

“Yes, what is it?” A nasally voice piped up as the last echoing knock faded away. The door knocker came alive, in a manner of speaking, its hollow eyes and mouth moving and shifting as it woke up. “I’m very busy today and I don’t have any inclination to deal with your issues unless you are from the Arcanum Adjustment Guild?” The knocker twisted to face Roland and gave him an appraising eye, “Definitely not. What do you want?”

Roland made an epic display of the twig he’d pulled from his sleeve moments ago. “I’m not here to waste your time. I am here to make a trade. I require the shell of a roc egg, I’m sure you know the one, and I am in very much of a hurry. So I am willing to sacrifice this wishing wand as a trade.”

Ban’Koliath’s eyebrows shot up as he took another look at the twig then back to Roland. Without so much as a word the knocker fell silent resuming its unassuming appearance. Ban’Koliath uncrossed his arms and made to leave but Roland held up a hand.

“Wait for it.”

Soon they heard bolts being undone and locks turned. And soon enough the heavy wooden door swung open. The face matched the voice with perfectly sharp edges, immaculate pink robes, and a well-trimmed mustache. The man extended his hand which Roland accepted and gave a hearty shake. From Allister’s expression, it was clear that had not been what he’d intended.

“Salaman Kane,” Roland said as he shook.

Ban’Koliath snorted but said nothing; they needed the ingredient.

“Pleasure to meet you, Gent Allister,” Roland continued, “I am told you are a mage of some repute in this city and I am in dire need of a spell component. No doubt you’ve heard the Transmission Spring is broken, and my friend and I have a most pressing appointment in Raxal. So, I thought I would see if you would be willing to help my companion and myself out. Parrosean components are so hard to come by; the lesser mages never have these things,” Roland, seeing he had the man’s rapt attention, continued to lay it on thick. “Now I know it might seem suspicious to offer something so valuable, but I didn’t want to come to you with anything insulting. And with the Spring being broken I find myself with few options for expedient travel. A mage of your standing can undoubtedly tell that this wishing stick has a single powerful charge. I was saving it as a gift but desperate times call for crazy thinking. Feel free to inspect the wand, of course, and measure the charge with your skilled eye. But once you are satisfied, will you trade us the shell?”

“I suppose we can come to an arrangement. Let’s take this inside, shall we?” Allister replied sufficiently puffed up by Roland’s silver-tongued flattery.

…….

Ian, Vale, Mal, and Pandora maneuvered as swiftly as they could through the crowded streets of Juscalius. Pandora led the way while engaged in a discussion about Earth with Ian. Vale paid no attention since she had heard it all before and she was far more interested in observing their surroundings. Mal more or less mirrored her but he kept a watch over the group rather than his surroundings.

Ian was still trying to explain a duck-billed platypus to Pandora. Running his hand through his dirty blonde hair in frustration he replied in an exasperated tone, “No, just no. It is not like a rentik. It has flippers and one head.” He pulled out his notebook and drew out a very rough sketch with his pen while they walked. As he showed her the sketch, he felt a tickle on his neck and glanced up catching a glimpse of a shady figure watching them from an alleyway.

Ian’s cop instinct sent a warning blare off in his head. He didn’t react overtly, instead, he took the drawing back and showed it to Vale, “I think we are being followed,” Ian whispered, he gave a flick of his eyes in the direction of their stalker. Vale acknowledged with a quick nod and Ian spun back around popping the catch of his holster loose and stowing away the notebook.

Vale leaned down and whispered to Mal in her native tongue. The wolf straightened his posture drawing himself up to his full height. He lifted his head into the air took a whiff then darted off into the crowd. A gray streak moving fluidly through and around the bustling people, carts, and obstacles while somehow disturbing nothing. He was out of sight around a stone building within a matter of seconds.

“How-?” Ian asked cocking a brow at Vale.

“Years of training,” Vale said interrupting him with a sense of urgency. “I asked him to find Roland and Ban’Koliath and lead them to us. Whether or not they have what they need, we need to get off the streets and Vin’s shop is still the best option.” She cast a covert glance at the spy and found him missing. “He was the scout; there will be more.”

They pushed deeper into the city keeping the docks in sight when possible. With Pandora still in the lead the group formed a triangle of sorts with Vale standing beside Ian. When the crowds jostled them too much, Vale slid her hand into Ian’s and gripped it firmly. He squeezed her’s back and held on tight knowing it would be difficult to find the petite elf if they were separated.

Traffic ground to a halt at a four-way intersection leaving them stuck a ways back waiting for, as Ian said, “the artery to unclog”. The earth began shaking beneath their feet threatening to topple the crowd over. They had enough time to glance at one another before smoke and fire billowed up into the air followed by a roar of sound. The chaos was instant and in the rush of the fleeing mob, Ian lost his grip on Vale. The Ranger and Pandora were swept up in the cross street while Ian was pulled back the way they’d come.

“Vale!” Ian cried out as the crowd swept him away and out of sight. Before he could extricate himself, an invisible force yanked him into a side alley.

Talazar watched from his perch inside the five-story building that occupied the corner of the now mobbed intersection. Moments ago, he had set off the explosive trap that had flooded the street a few blocks up with molten slag. Roland’s former Professor cracked a wide grin as his plan went better than he’d expected. The crowd reacted perfectly separating his target from his companions and making his job that much easier. From his position at the window, Talazar took aim and hit Ian with two spells in rapid succession.

Down on the street Ian felt something hit his chest hard and went tumbling sideways into a brick wall. He used the wall to steady himself and get oriented. The second spell hit and Ian felt incredibly drowsy. A third and final spell struck the wall he was leaning against. The bricks softened until they had the consistency of pudding and he fell through into a room on the other side. He saw two people waiting for him. His fingers fumbled for his gun but he couldn’t get them to obey.

“Hurg,” Ian slurred before everything went black.

“We lost Ian!” Vale shouted over the crowd to Pandora who was barely out of arm’s reach.

“I’m alright! Go!” Pandora shouted back using her smaller size to wriggle through the crowd.

Vale turned and, with some precise elbows and nimble dodges, made her way into the alley where Ian had disappeared. She found him crouching off to one side almost missing him in the shadows. One hand was rubbing the back of his head as he spotted her and got to his feet.

“Are you alright?” Vale asked when she was close enough.

“Yeah, I’m fine, got caught up in the mob. What happened?” Ian asked with an affable smile.

“Someone set off an explosion that triggered a lava flow up the street. It cannot have been a coincidence. So we should get out of here, now,” she said, and slipped her hand back into Ian’s and tugged him along. He followed behind her obediently as they pushed through the crowd to rejoin Pandora. She was chanting out a calming spell to stop the panic and restore order.

“Thank the gods,” she said while wiping sweat from her forehead. “Come on, I don’t want to be here when whoever did that shows up.”