A sea of fire became his world, the crash of the waves threatening to tear asunder his very core. He fought just to stay upright, the ground swaying as the mage battalion screamed in agony, desperate to stay their only defense. It was futile, the army encompassing dome shredding like paper before god-like fury, before a rain of fallen stars. He watched as their protections were striped away, layer by agonizing layer.

He should have heeded the warnings, taken caution. Instead he had laughed, had relished the opportunity to see for himself how they fought. To 'test' them... What a fool he had been. He pressed a hand to his throat in a lull in the storm, roaring to be heard despite his Skill.

"Attention all units! I'm ordering a full retreat! I repeat, full retreat! Fall back to the—"

A screech sent his head snapping up to the sky, a chill running down his spine. A flock tore their way toward them, blooming with cones of vapor as the constructs flew with impossible speed. The battle hardened soldiers morale shattered, screaming like children as they broke ranks.

"Oh gods they're back!"

"No—No..."

The creations shrieked past the army, seeming to do nothing. He knew better by now. He cursed as he saw his mages wavering, some breaking off to cast personal wards or shields. He whirled, his throat splitting with strain.

"Hold! Hold damn you! None will make it if the barrier—"

He was thrown, ears ringing as he felt sinew ripping, his bones being ground to—

"Aaaaaaaah!"

Xeri woke with a start, screaming as she shuddered, her body covered in a hot, damp sheen. She withdrew, worming herself deep within her nest of blankets as she took deep, ragged breaths.

"What was that?"

She waited, listening to the ever present rain of this damnable swamp as it pittered on the shutters. She waited for something to show her, to tell her what the ever living hells she just saw. But of course, there were no answers.

There never were.

There she lay, watching dust dance as it swirled in beams of grey light, casting her room into relief. It wasn't much, more of a disaster zone with her personal effects strewn about the cramped cubby. A glint caught her eye and drew her attention to the one neat corner in the room, the meticulously organized area containing what truly mattered.

As the pain subsided she sighed, oozing out of her poofy sanctum to roll and plop onto the ground. She didn't bother getting up as she wriggled her way across her room, a puddle as she navigated the sea of discarded clothing.

She slithered in front of her disused wardrobe, adorned one of the most expensive objects in the room by far. It had cost years of her earnings. Years of slaving away for Zasil in the bar as a child, but it had been well worth it. She came upon the pristine mirror. Free of aberration, warp, or distortion that cast her body in a near perfect form.

Teal, semi-translucent, and for all intents and purposes, a three foot deflated ball. She watched as her core danced around the fluid of her body, its slow violet pulsating indicating her distress.

She shifted her magical perception over to an adjacent desk up above. Her gear was laid out in neat rows, her one piece of armor resting upon a miniature stand.

The one piece of protection she needed.

That wasn't to say the cuirass was any good... quite the opposite in fact. She drew herself out, feeling faint as her very essence thinned, her body mass struggling to fill up the confines of an infinitely more complex form. But for all it was complicated, it was easy, practically second nature for her.

Second nature for her kind.

There would be inaccuracies of course, but she would fix that later. She ignored the mirror for now as she strode forwards, approaching the armor which now came to her bare shoulders. She ran her hand on the tattered leather, pursing her lips as she inspected the newly popped stitching. She always did her best, but there was a limit to what she could do. She was no leatherworker. She shook her head as she rummaged around on her neat desk, biting her lip as she produced awl and thread.

"Please... just a little longer."

. . .

A full hour later, Xeri emerged from her room with care and resisted the urge to sneeze as she tiptoed down the claustrophobic, dust filled corridor. After a day like yesterday, she did not want to face him. She held her breath as she passed the threshold of his room, knowing only a single sound would alert the beast.

Worse than any monster she ever faced.

She heaved a sigh of relief as she reached the stairs, the temperamental hallway cooperating for once. She adjusted her quiver, muting the rattling of arrows as she scurried up the short stairwell and pushed, cringing as the rusted hinges of a shoddy door groaned. She held back, trying to listen through the soft drone of the city for any signs of life, poking her head through when she was sure the room beyond was clear.

The screens of the bar were drawn as chairs rested on tables in twilight, the only light radiating from the obsessively neat rows of magical liquor and a pale crystal mounted to the wall. All was still. She grinned, pumping a fist, her wariness forgotten as she strode into the deserted bar and made a beeline for the exit, nesting her core within the protective confines of her cuirass as she reached the—

"Where do you think you're going?"

Her face fell and morphed into a scowl as she cursed, whirling to see the most overbearing man in the world. Zasil stood as one with room, deathly still as he enmeshed himself with the kitchen door frame.

His usual faux mask of cheer was nowhere to be seen, and while that was normal when it was just them... Xeri groaned as she looked into his eyes and realized she couldn't get away.

"Fine, let's just get it over with."

He nodded, popping out of the wall to slip back into the kitchen. Xeri shuffled over to a table, laying aside her burdens to sit. She was dreading what was coming and her head hung low as she stared down at the plain wood, her mind replaying all of the countless lectures she received over the years. She looked up as Zasil re-emerged, carrying two massive platters of steaming fish. She grimaced as one was placed before her, wrinkling her nose as the pungent aroma—a 'delightful' combination of seafood and puss—assaulted her senses.

"Marelurk? What, are we desperate Explorers now?"

She picked at the slimy fish as Zasil sat opposite to her, rolling his eyes.

"Since when did you get so picky? And in case you haven't noticed, I am forced to make arrangements."

He snatched up a massive chunk of the repugnant fish, the flesh melding and sinking into his skin as he groused.

"I'm going to have to let go of Itana and O'Zallen. If they were shit employees, I would give less than a piss all about it, but they're not. On top of that I'll have to run longer hours, which will piss off the remaining crew to no fucking end. I swear if I don't—"

Xeri buried her head in her hands as he droned on, rubbing at her temples despite it doing nothing to alleviate the body wide migraine that engulfed her. It wasn't as if her uncle was ever sufferable, but when he got like this? She cut him off, in a futile attempt to save her sanity more than anything else.

"Would it kill you to... I don't know, at least keep up some of that nice guy bullshit you put on for your face?"

He paused, derailed for a moment before he snorted and presented a pair of fingers, ticking them off as he spoke.

"One, why should I care? It's not like I have to play nice with you. Two, that's rich coming from you, the girl who can't suck anything up for five fucking seconds!"

Xeri sulked as she reached for a chunk of the grotesque flesh, already foreseeing where that particular line was going. She tensed as Zasil took breath, preparing for yet another shouting match over—

"I'm sorry."

She froze, the fish sticking out of her flesh in limbo as her eyes went wide. Her head snapped up, her face alit with concern as she inspected the older slime.

"Are you okay? You never apologize. Wait if you're like this..."

She blanched, filling with creeping dread as she released the only thing it could be. She thrust herself up, quite literally ghostly white as she whirled around in panic.

"Did Thron actually sell us out?!"

Zasil sighed, glaring as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

"No you idiot! If he did we'd already be dead! And do you think that greedy bastard would miss out on a plat a fuckin' moon? No, that's not it."

Xeri collapsed, melding into the chair as Zasil shook his head.

"Gods, you're always so dramatic. No, I'm only saying this because I was... wrong."

Xeri's mouth dropped, gaping at the man as he fixed her with a glare.

"Don't give me that stupid look! I'm perfectly capable of—listen, it's about your business with the guild. Just... go do what you need to do."

A silence fell between them as Xeri sat stunned, the sounds of the waking city filling the bar as Zasil went back to eat. Xeri narrowed her eyes, searching the face of the man who always had his way, who was always so sure that he was right.

"What brought this on? What's your angle?"

He shrugged, indicating the destroyed table and chairs that had been swept into a corner.

"I just remembered we're both working towards the same thing, but we've been fighting over your... 'career' choices so long that I lost sight of that. So, here's the deal."

He pushed back his empty plate, raising a stern finger.

"O'Skall is way too unstable to work with. If he outs you, then we're well and truly fucked. So, after you handle this job you move to cut ties. I don't care how, but make sure he stays silent. I want it done in three moons. Don't make me take matters into my own hands."

Xeri's eyes went wide as she realized what he would do, vividly recalling the stories of his past as she stared at him in horror.

"What?! But we made a deal! If I can just make it to journeywoman I won't have to—"

She faltered as she felt a presence, a will encroaching, asserting its dominance upon her mind.

I may have given up on trying to dissuade you, but I will not keep having you sent on suicide missions. If you don't silence that fool, the deal's off. That's final.

And it was. The younger slime shook, the screech of wood on wood echoing throughout the empty bar as Zasil pushed back his chair, collecting his plate to return to the kitchen. Xeri gazed down at her untouched fish and buzzed with anxiety, her mind racing as she tried to figure out how she could make it in time.

She wouldn't stand for the alternative.

Zasil re-entered the room a moment later and began to prepare for the day as if normal, derailing her frantic thoughts.

"Well now that's over with, what's your plan for the day? "

Xeri was blinded as Zasil threw open the shutters, bringing a cool breeze that carried the mouthwatering aroma of actual food. She prodded at her nigh inedible hellspawn as her vision returned and she sighed, her shock converting to resolve as her mind shifted gears. She filed her troubles away for the future Xeri as she replied.

"I've got something with Bosbie... you know that weird girl from last night?"

Zasil paused, slapping a barstool to the floor with a frown.

"Who do you—oh, her."

He smirked as he resumed, yelling over the cascade of stools as he readied the bar.

"You mean Dawn? That girl who flirted with you in full view and then rushed to your 'rescue'?"

Xeri groaned, covering her face as her body erupted into full flush. Just remembering it was painful. It had been mortifyingly obvious! Stumbling up to her, practically undressing her with those deep auburn eyes. Her gorgeous long hair—Zasil spun as he went behind the bar, a shit eating grin upon his face.

"Why? You getting that monkey to introduce you? I'm happy for you."

Xeri jumped up, her chair falling back as she slid and threw a dagger from her belt. It sunk square into Zasil's moronic forehead, sending him stumbling to the ground.

"No! It's business you sack of shit! He wants me to boost her level!"

Zasil sat up, adorned with a perplexed frown as he plucked the blade from his brow.

"That girl? Bad idea. She nearly passed out from seeing one of the fights. Going out on a request? That's a whole other level."

Xeri watched as Zasil wiped the blade on his skin, the residual fiery orange slime leaving the blade to rejoin the whole. He pointed with the tip of the blade, indicating his pristine forehead.

"Plus she's human, and without a combat class I reckon. Even a fucking giant rat could tear her guts out... Why's that monkey interested in her anyways?"

She shrugged.

"Apparently she's an Enchantress. Knowing him, he probably wants her to fix the lights in the 'warrens or some stupid shit like that. Not like I care. As long as he gives me the coin, I'll do it. Hm, speaking of which, I was supposed to meet him at—"

Xeri looked up and her eyes bulged as they fell upon the pale time crystal mounted to the wall, now glowing with a faint indigo corona.

"Oh shit I'm late!"

Xeri swiped her platter clean, cringing, wishing she could vomit as the acrid chunks of meat joined with her flesh. She snagged up her gear as Zasil tossed over her dagger, her arm stretching to snatch the blade out of the air as she strode towards the door.

"I don't know when I'll be back. I have this. Which will send me to the guild at least. And you know me, if I find any good requests... don't wait up on me."

He nodded as she sheathed her blade and reached for the door, an awful screech filling the air as Zasil cleaned mugs with a jet of steam—

—Blooming with cones of vapor as the constructs flew with impossible speed.

Xeri halted, her hand on the handle as the echo flashed through her mind.

She knew they weren't just dreams, that they were something more. But even if she could suspect what they were, no one had told her... Told her what they really were.

Not even Zasil.

Still. She turned to the only person she would ever trust with this. To the only one who would listen without judgment. She wavered, her words barely audible as she forced them out.

"I, ugh, had another dream last night."

And of course, he would hear. Zasil froze and dropped the tin stein with a clatter, his eyes filled with little seen trepidation as they snapped to her. He spoke with a feverous urgence.

"What was it? Where was it? Was it like the others? Did you see—"

She shook her head.

"No, it was different. Different from all of them. It was a battle of some kind, with strange... weapons and I—I felt—"

...

Xeri watched, a pit forming within her as she saw him make an expression she had never thought he would or could make. She backed away, watching as the man who raised her charged up to her like lightning. He grabbed her and shook, Xeri feeling like a ragdoll in his vice-like grip, the infallibly stoic slime's face alit with pure abject terror as he bent and hissed into her ear.

"Never speak of this again! Got it! If they know—just, keep silent! You hear me? Xeri! Do you—"

She nodded her head with furious abandon and he released her, face in hand as he stumbled away. She reached out to him, her body eclectic with uncertainty and fear as she reached for answers. To the man who gave her a home when no one would. To the slime who gave her everything.

"Zasil? What is happening? I—"

He turned, his form changing, growing, her core freezing over as the monstrous form cast her in shadow.

Leave.

She bolted out of the bar without another thought, tears streaming down her faux face as she ran into the maze that was Gaz'Il the floating jewel.

A prison for the desperate few.