Carlos was dead. He knew that the moment he saw the expression on the hulking warrior’s face. And it didn’t take a genius to figure out what had gone wrong, either. Judging by the way his expression had changed, the man, whose chitinous, rust-red armor looked half-melted, had run afoul of the Crystal Spiders, and the disagreement had pushed him into kill-on-sight territory. In Jariq, or the surrounding Red Wastes, such an attitude was uncommon – they were the backbone of order within the desert city – but in the rest of the Radiant Isles, that wasn’t necessarily the case. Out there, they were known as assassins and spies, with neither label garnering the support of the populace.

A brutish club appeared in the warrior’s hand, and in less than an instant, he’d cocked it back and was swinging it down at Carlos with enough force that Carlos’s meager endurance would doubltess shatter beneath it. The woman he’d met while dragging himself through the desert shouted, and Carlos tried to spring away, but he knew it was a useless gesture. He had high agility and dexterity, but after spending the past three days trying to escape the keep, he was exhausted to the point where even standing up bordered on difficult. Dodging a blow from an obviously gifted warrior was out of the question. Still, he tried.

The club descended, and for a moment, it felt like time slowed. The scene resolved itself into such detail that he could see the runic etchings along the weapon’s haft, the metal protrusions at its head, and the resigned yet committed expression on the wielder’s face. He winced as the weapon fell, preparing himself to have his skull caved in.

Then, out of nowhere, a pale figure in dark clothes flashed before him. A hand – moving faster than Carlos could even perceive – slapped the club’s haft, skewing it just enough that it swept past Carlos’s shoulder, missing him by barely an inch, to crash into the desert floor. Sand and rock geysered into the air, evidence of just how much force had been contained in the blow. Carlos fell into the resulting crater, tumbling three feet down to land on his back.

“What the hell, Talia?” grunted the warrior, turning to face the suddenly still figure. Carlos flinched back as he beheld her pale, green-veined visage. Once, with her heart-shaped face, wide eyes, and perky nose, she might have been very pretty. Maybe even beautiful. But now? That effect was ruined by her pointed lack of expression, pale skin, and prominent green veins. There was something else there, as well. Something alien that Carlos couldn’t quite place. But regardless of her appearance, she was his savior. That put her a notch higher than her other companions, at least in his book.

“He has done nothing to us,” the girl said in a rasp that reminded Carlos of two rocks scraping together. Calling it unnerving would have been a vast understatement. “We do not kill without reason.”

“He’s one of them. You know what they’ve tried to do to us,” the big man growled, pointing at Carlos, who hadn’t moved. Even if he wanted to challenge the group, he was skeptical that he had the energy to climb out of the crater. Instead, he turned his attention to the other members. Beside the warrior was an even bigger, dark-skinned man with dreadlocks and a short beard. At a few inches taller and quite a few pounds heavier, he should have looked intimidating. However, Carlos was perceptive enough to recognize that the man wasn’t a physical fighter. Nor did he fail to notice the pockets of his vest, which were bulging with vials and, presumably, alchemical components. Carlos knew a craftsman when he saw one.

Next, he looked at the other woman – a tall, slim blonde who couldn’t have been more different than the pale girl. With slightly tanned skin that spoke of a life outdoors, a high ponytail, high cheekbones and features that, on Earth, would’ve been at home on magazine covers, she was undeniably gorgeous. And as she faced the big warrior, fury danced across her face.

“He was barely on his feet, Zeke!” she shouted, matching his volume. “And he knows what’s in that shimmer!”

The big warrior – Zeke – took a moment to compose himself, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. As he did so, the dreadlocked alchemist said, “Might want to hear what he has to say for himself. Maybe he’s not here for you two.”

That statement confirmed Carlos’s suspicion that they’d run afoul of the Crystal Spiders, and far enough that the assassin’s guild had tried to kill them. It didn’t bode well for Carlos’s survival, but at least he hadn’t been crushed beneath the man’s first strike. That counted for something. He shifted in place, but stopped when he heard a low growl from behind him. His heartrate spiked, but he kept his motions slow and deliberate as he turned his head to see what new threat had presented itself.

“Watch him, Pudge,” said Zeke. “If he tries to climb out of that hole…well, stop him. Don’t hold back, but try not to kill him.”

Carlos almost wet himself when he turned to face down a full-grown dire bear, and one that radiated the power of an elite-tier monster. It chuffed, spraying Carlos with drool. But it didn’t attack. Did this warrior have some sort of monster-controlling skill? Or was Carlos missing something?

“Don’t hurt him, Pudge,” said the blonde woman, in a tone that would brook no disobedience. Then, she glanced at Carlos, giving him a brief, albeit icy, stare before adding, “Unless you have to.”

“Tucker, Talia – watch him,” Zeke said. “Abby? Can we talk about this in private?”

The woman – Abby – nodded, then the couple left Carlos’s line of sight. That gave him a few moments for his mind to catch up to everything that had happened. Not for the first time, he wished he didn’t have the manacles around his wrists, ankles, and neck. With those restrictions in place, he couldn’t even inspect the people around him. Certainly, he had a vague impression of their power level – they were all at least evolved, and probably over level twenty, which made them incredibly dangerous, even if he had access to his own skills – but beyond that, he was blind.

However, one thing was certain – the group he’d stumbled upon could help him. Not only did they have the levels, but if Zeke’s strength and the unnerving, pale girl’s speed were any indication, they had the stats to back it up. He only had to convince them not to kill him, which seemed increasingly less likely with every passing moment.

Finally, he took a breath, then said, “My name is Carlos.”

The giant alchemist, who suddenly had a glass globe in his hand, said, “You said that already.”

The pale girl interjected, “Rudeness is unnecessary, Tucker.”

Tucker snorted in derision. “Yeah – just because we’re probably going to kill him doesn’t mean we have to be rude, right?” the man said. Then, after looking Carlos up and down, he added, “Could be a good chance to re-stock, though. Zeke could keep it fresh.”

The girl, who, until that moment, had been unnaturally still, flicked her eyes in Carlos’s direction, said, “That is true. Waste not.”

“You’ve gotten a lot more comfortable with that in the past few months,” Tucker stated. “Good for you. Self-acceptance is the key to happiness, I always say.”

“You have literally never said that,” the pale girl stated, her mouth twitching up into a slight smile. It was the closest thing to an expression she’d showed. Then, she fixed her eyes on Carlos, and he felt a shiver of fear – or at least, discomfort – flow up his spine. Her eyes were wide and objectively beautiful, but like the rest of the girl’s appearance, they were wholly unnerving. Part of it was that she still hadn’t blinked, so far as he could see, but it was mostly because those eyes did not belong to a human. It wasn’t noticeable at a distance, but around her irises danced a green, barely visible flame. “My name is Talia. It is nice to meet you, Carlos.”

“Um…yeah,” he said, trying to look anywhere but at her eyes. “Nice to…uh…meet you too. What are you all planning to do to me?”

“That is up to Zeke,” she said.

Tucker knelt beside the crater and ran his hand through the sand. “You should probably know that Zeke doesn’t really care for assassins, though,” he said. “Tried to kill him a couple of times, from what I can tell. That was before we met, though, so who knows how true that is?”

The guild tried, but they hadn’t succeeded? That didn’t track with what Carlos knew. Usually, when the Crystal Spiders decided it was time for someone to die, there wasn’t much that person could do to stop it. There were people the guild of assassins considered untouchable, due to personal or political power, but in those cases, the organization simply wouldn’t take the job. But the Spiders did not fail. Every target was paired with more than enough force to get the job done, almost to the point of overkill. So, the mere fact that Zeke had been a target and survived spoke to the warrior’s power, which only made Carlos all the warier. And he was already on edge because of what he’d seen in the keep.

A few moments later, Zeke and Abby returned. “What’s the plan?” asked Tucker.

“We pick up him and head back a few miles,” the warrior answered. “We’ll interrogate him in the tower, where we know he can’t escape.”

Abby added, “And if he says or does anything to suggest that he is an enemy –”

“Anything else,” Zeke interrupted. She glared at him, and he shrugged. “What? He’s a spider. You were there the last time they attacked. And with the goblins. He’s got a long way to go before I even think about trusting him.”

Carlos saw the woman’s jaw flexing in annoyance, but after only a few seconds, she let out a deep breath before saying, “Fine. You’re right. Spiders can’t be trusted. If he says or does the wrong thing, Talia gets to eat his heart.”

Carlos’s breath caught in his throat as his mind processed what he’d just heard. The pale girl wanted to eat his heart? Suddenly, the previous conversation between Talia and the big alchemist made a lot more sense. The moment he made that connection, he considered making a run for it. He knew escape was impossible. He was exhausted, shackled, and, even if he wasn’t, he had a feeling that he wouldn’t fare very well against this group. But still – having his heart eaten if he made one wrong move…

Talia turned on her heel and stalked off. She hadn’t changed her expression. Nor had she said anything. But even Carlos, as unfamiliar with the woman as he was, could feel the anger crackling through the air.

“Crap,” Abby said, massaging her forehead. “I shouldn’t have said that, should I?”

Zeke answered, “You know how sensitive she can be. She’s just gotten used to doing it. It’s going to be a long time before she’s comfortable threatening prisoners with it.”

“I’ll go talk to her,” Abby said. “You’ve got this, right?”

“I think we’ll be fine.”

With that, Abby disappeared, following after Talia and calling her name. Zeke knelt, extending his hand into the crater. When Carlos hesitated, he said, “We’re not going to hurt you. For now. You have my word on that.”

Carlos didn’t see how he had any choice in the matter, so he took the man’s callused hand and allowed himself to be dragged out of the crater, which was deeper than he’d first thought. How hard had Zeke hit the ground, to make such a crater?

Zeke hauled him out of the hole, then pulled him close. “I’ll promise you one more thing,” he said, his voice barely more than a whisper. “You make one wrong move, and there won’t be anything left for Talia to eat. Got me?”

Maintaining his composure, Carlos nodded, “I got you.”

Zeke gave him a long stare before releasing his hand. Then, he added, “And I know all about that little spider tattoo you’ve got. I’ve survived your poisons before, and I’m even better equipped to do it again. So, don’t try it.”

“Never intended to,” Carlos lied. If he’d had access to his skills, he would’ve already done so. Perhaps it was better that they were locked away, because he didn’t think he would’ve survived such an encounter. Perhaps if he could observe them for a while and plan an ambush, but in a straight-up fight? He wasn’t so deluded that he thought such a confrontation would end well for him. Even if he managed to kill one or two, he’d still have the others to deal with. Besides, he needed help if he was going to head back into that keep.

No - he fully intended to behave himself, at least until he got what he wanted. After that, he would reevaluate his options.

“You can walk, right?” Zeke asked, suddenly holding a canteen in one hand and a bit of dried meat in the other. He handed it over. “I can put you on Pudge’s back if you can’t.”

Carlos glanced back to the hulking dire bear, then shook his head. “I…uh…I think I can manage,” he said, taking the offered repast. “Where did you get –”

“No more questions,” Zeke said. “We’ve got a lot of ground to cover, and I don’t want to be out here at night.”

Carlos could agree with that sentiment. In the light of day, the Red Wastes were merely dangerous to traverse, but after dark, the place grew truly deadly. If he’d had access to his skills, he would’ve been confident in his ability to survive, but with them, he would be a sitting duck. So, after taking a bite of the dried meat, which he couldn’t identify, he took a sip from the canteen and followed Zeke through the desert.

Behind him came Tucker and the dire bear, and Carlos could feel the monster’s eyes boring into his back. It was unsettling enough to make him miss a step, but he quickly recovered and continued on his way through the desert. For more than an hour, they trekked past sand dunes, boulders, and the odd vegetation until they finally reached a wide, open plain that was far enough from the shimmering barrier that concealed the keep that Carlos could no longer see it.

“This will do,” Zeke said.

“What’s going on?” Carlos asked. “We need to find some kind of shelter or – oh…my…God…”

Suddenly, he was looking up at a five-story tower, which was constructed of a white, marble-like stone with red veins. Each floor of the tower had an elaborate balcony with a banister that appeared to have been carved by peerless artisans.

Zeke glanced back at Carlos, and with a small smile, said, “Welcome to the Crimson Tower.”

Then, without another word, he strode forward. The doors opened of their own accord, allowing him entrance. It also revealed a glimpse of the interior, and Carlos couldn’t help but notice a huge statue which dominated the center of the ground floor. Even with that short look, he couldn’t mistake the subjects, either, because he’d met each of them that very day. Everyone was represented, but Zeke held a position of prominence, marking him as the tower’s master.

“Who are you people?” he muttered.

From behind, Tucker gave a chuckle before gripping Carlos’s shoulder and saying, “I had that same reaction. Wasn’t as impressive when I first met them, but yeah – you either just got really lucky or…well, let’s not think about the alternative, yeah? Come on in.”

Once again, Carlos considered taking his chances with the Red Wastes. He couldn’t be that far from Jariq, and he’d traversed the desert at night before. But that was with his skills. Doing so without access to his full power was tantamount to suicide. Not to mention that these strangely powerful and mysterious people would likely object to his leaving. So, with a dejected sigh, he stepped forward, climbed the steps, and entered the tower.