“Nice to see you made it out alive, Vix.” The constable passed on a hip flask to the bandaged man.

  “Don’t tell me about it. The good professor had some nasty stuff in his collection. Wouldn’t have made it if not for that auburn haired angel…” Drovix swung the flask back, letting the liquid burn its way down his throat, “Say, Don, do you know if this Dana woman is single? Cus’ I think I am in love… What? Why do you look at me like that?”

  “You don’t have priestesses of Selene in Nudstrad?”

  “Nah, the imperial cult doesn’t like the competition.”

  “Figures… Just do us all a favor and keep well away from her. You are in deep enough shit as it is.”

  “What you mean?! I went to do my assignment and that psycho let lose his monsters on me…”

  “Nice try, Vix, but that lie ain’t going to fly. The boss has professor Fierik under custody already. I don’t need to tell you he already had a Seeker question him.”

  “Crap.”

  “Exactly.”

  “Now what?”

  “Well, the monster you so stupidly unleashed to started this debacle, was a Mistbeast. A rare breed. Nobody is even sure if they tiered as Silver or Gold. The good professor spent all the cash the boss lent him to buy the creature and then some.”

  “Don’t tell me…”

  This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  “Yeah. The guy is broke. His family knows about his part in all this mess. They already cut him off. Nobody is paying up and… the boss is out for blood, Vix. And let me tell you straight, the professor’s won’t be enough.”

  The two-man sat in silence at the bench in the temple’s yard.

  “Are you here to kill me, Don?”

  “No.” the older man snatched back the hip flask, “Today I am just a constable, here to identify the survivors from last night and check on a lost kid we found a few days ago.”

  “Citizen of the year.” Drovix snorted.

  “Hey! You should be thanking my good conscience! Why else would I go out of my way to give your sorry ass a heads up?”

  “You are right. Thanks, Don...” he sighed, “How much time do you reckon I have?”

  “You know the Accountant,” Donovan took a swing off his flask, “a week, maybe two if you don’t try to run away.”

  “He always liked them better stewed…” Drovix nodded.

  “And? What are you gonna do?”

  The deserter bit his lower lip.

  “Do you think you could arrange things so I can have a chat with the good professor?”

  “I supposed it won’t be difficult… the man’s life is worthless right now... But why? What do you need Tharon Fierik for?”

  “Well,” he grinned, “it occurs to me that the good professor might know a thing or two about his expensive Mistbeast pet, like where to find it and how to catch it back. And I was thinking, the boss is in a mood, so what better to cheer him up than an expensive present…?”

  *

  “What’cha doing?”

  Zoly was so caught up in eavesdropping on the two men at the other side of the closed window, that she almost jumped out of her skin at the cheery voice beside her ear.

  “Laura! Go away! I don’t have time to play with you!” She hissed.

  “How rude!” Laura pouted mightily, and huffed away talking to her stuffed rabbit, “He should learn manners. Isn’t that right Mister Bunbun…?”

  The little girl stomped her little feet all the way to the kitchen.

  “Mother Amanda! Zoly is being mean to me…! Huh? No one home?” A mischievous light appeared on Laura’s eyes, and she left her bunny sitting over the counter, “Wait here!” she whispered, “I will go find some treats…! Don’t worry! I’ll be right back!”

  And on those words disappeared through the pantry’s doors.

  Many hours later a tired mother Amanda would enter the kitchen, to find a lone stuffed rabbit still sitting on the table…