Devon's gray cloak flowed behind her as she stepped into the shack. A wave of lavender followed. Two other people in hooded robes followed her and took positions on either side of the front door, blocking it completely.

  Her eyes flicked between the three of us before settling on me. "Well, look who I found. That makes things simpler." A wide, fake smile spread across her face. She stepped forward.

  I could feel pressure all around me as she walked toward us. I reached for my sword, but my hands shook so violently that I could hardly move them. I took a deep breath to calm my nerves, but it was like throwing a cup of water on a bonfire.

  "Don't do that." With a light smile, she walked up to me and patted my breastplate. Looking over my shoulder, she smirked. "You brought your little pet with you, too. I heard you were keeping one around these days." She looked down at Vral like she was little more than a pebble. "You always said you wanted a dog, but I just don't see it. Not my thing. But, if a filthy gobin's what gets you off, then who am I to judge?"

  "Pet?!" The word exploded from Vral's mouth like cannon fire. Vral stomped up to the taller woman without hesitation. "Alex, who is this bitch?"

  "Yappy, too." Devon's lips scrunched up. She still did that, even now. "Definitely not my thing."

  I felt the pressure around us shift. It felt a little lighter. "Vral, this is Devon."

  Vral's eyes narrowed as she sized Devon up. "I thought you'd be prettier." She thrust her finger at me. "And I'm his filthy goblin. Get it right, cunt."

  Devon looked at me, then down at my finger. "Ah, I see. You domesticated it."

  "Fuck off, Devon." I shoved her hand off my breastplate. "You don't get to talk to her like that."

  "Want to test that theory?" She fluttered her eyes at me.

  Vral scoffed. "What the hell are you doing here, cunt-face?" The goblin scowled up at the woman, her crimson eyes flashing murder at the taller woman.

  Devon smiled widely, showing her dazzling, flawless teeth. "Feisty. Just your type."

  My teeth audibly ground together. "Answer her, Dev."

  Devon's head whipped around, her eyes flashing at my words. "Don't talk to me like you know me. Have some damn manners." A wave of power washed off of her and slammed into me. It felt like hot knives slashing into my skin. Air rushed out of my lungs, and the edges of my vision darkened as her eyes bored into mine. Behind her, Vral's legs nearly buckled. A hiss of pain slipped past her lips.

  Stand tall. Do not waver.

  My sword's words filled my mind. As it spoke, a rush of power flowed into me. On my hip, I could see the large ruby set into its pommel glow in the dim light of the shack.

  Devon looked down at my hip. "That really is quite the sword. I think I'll be taking it today."

  Elna, frozen all this time, stomped her foot. "Well, I don't know what this is all about, but I don't take kindly to people arguing in my shop!" The gnome squawked like an angry bird behind Vral. She even pumped her arms. "I don't know who you people are, but if you're going to cause a commotion, take it somewhere else! My Mittens hates violence, you know!"

  Devon's entire demeanor warped. Instead of barely constrained rage, her face became a mask of kindness. Turning away from me, she held her arms out. "Elna! You don't recognize me? It's Devon, your favorite customer!"

  Elna paused as she looked at Devon. She adjusted her thick glasses but didn't say anything for several long moments. Squinting, she slowly nodded, and a smile cracked her face. "Devon... I... I do know you! You're the one that... that... oh, my. I don't know where my mind's been lately." The gnome shuffled up to Devon. "How do I know you again?"

  With the sickliest sweet tone I'd ever heard, my old friend said, "You're making those incredible potions for me, remember? With the roots you were so interested in."

  "Oh! Devon!" Elna turned around and marched toward the rear of her shop. "Hold on, dear. I've just finished the newest batch. I'll have it right out for you." The gnome shuffled into the back room. When she opened the back door, that smell struck me again. I realized I remembered it from Farvad's workshop back at the temple.

  When Elna disappeared, the scowl returned to Devon's face, and she tapped her foot on the floor as she waited.

  "Why?" That was the only word that came to me.

  "Why what?" Devon snapped.

  "Why do this? Why work with some evil cult? You could be more than this."

  Devon tossed her hair over her shoulder. "You don't know me. Stop acting like you do. You were just some loser I fucked when I was young and horny. You never mattered."

  Vral hissed, "Bitch."

  I knew the heroic "change your ways" talks never worked, but I had to try. It was either that, or... "You don't have to do this, Devon."

  One of the men chuckled behind me. Devon turned and smirked. "This guy."

  I knew it wouldn't work, but I needed to keep her talking for a bit longer. Vral was slowly inching toward the men in the back. I took a step toward Devon, blocking her view of her. "What happened to you?"

  "You think I'm going to spill my deepest, darkest secrets and all the traumas of my life just because you asked?" She rolled her eyes. "For what it's worth, I'm happy you still have such a big heart. But, Alex?"

  'Yeah?"

  "Grow the hell up."

  Elna shuffled back into the room, a handful of potions in her hands. "Here you go, deary. Six potions, just like you asked. I've even perfected them." Devon took each of them and put them into her belt pouch.

  "And the recipe?" Her voice took a hard edge.

  "Oh, that's right. Here you go." Elna reached into her pocket and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper. She went to hand it to Devon, but her hand wavered.

  "It's okay. We're friends." Devon's voice hardened further.

  "I... Why... Did I agree... to... this?" Confusion washed over her features. Something was wrong.

  "Don't you remember?" Devon asked, and her voice softened again. Her words became honey. "Because you're struggling, both mentally and financially, so we decided that I'd be taking over for you. That way, you can rest, and I can use these potions to save lives."

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  Words appeared in my vision.

  You receive the quest [For What It's Worth]

  [For What It's Worth]: Your old companion has sworn herself to the darkness. Despite your wishes, she is beyond redemption. Whether you flee or fight, you must survive.

  Without hesitating, I reached for my sword and pulled it from its sheath. Holding it to Devon's throat, its power washed into my body. "Elna, she's not a good person. Run. Now."

  Both men shouted behind me, followed by the sound of two swords being drawn. Elna shrieked and stumbled backward. "Thief!"

  Vral's hand darted forward and snatched the recipe from Elna's bony fingers. Faster than a blink, she threw the paper in her mouth, chewed, and swallowed it. "Not today, bitch." Her face blanched. "Pluh. That tasted horrible." She drew both her daggers and spun around.

  I went to twist my hips and cut Devon's throat, but before I could, she turned. Her eyes met mine, and my hand hesitated.

  "I'm sorry, Alex." Her tone was genuine. Why?

  Before I could process her words, there was a sharp pain in my stomach. Then, I was flying across the room. I slammed into a shelf. Glass and a variety of multicolored liquids turns to mist as I shattered it. Then, I was outside, glass shards filling the air around me. For an instant, I watched as a cloud flitted through the blue sky overhead before crashing into the cobblestone road with a loud clang. Glass hailed down on me, cutting my skin everywhere there wasn't armor.

  "I'll fucking kill you!" Vral screamed back in the shack. A series of shouts and the clashing of steel filled the air.

  I needed to help. Groaning, I tried to stand to my feet, but something was holding me down. Worse, the pain in my stomach was excruciating. Looking down, my heart skipped a beat. A long, slender sword was impaled in my belly down to the hilt. I reached down and tried to pull it free, but it held fast. It was buried in the cobblestones. My vision swam, and I nearly threw up.

  A man screamed back in the shack. The roar of flames followed. The entire back half of the shack exploded. As it did, the door ripped off its hinges, and one of the two hooded men fell to the ground with one of Vral's spider daggers embedded in his neck. He reached up to touch it, but before he could, the dagger shimmered and vanished. The man sputtered as blood poured through his fingers where the dagger had been.

  I felt my rapier twitch in my stomach. With a jerk, it ripped free and flew through the gaping hole in the shack where I'd flown through. Blood began to pour out of the hole in my armor. I felt my head swim. As I fought to keep conscious, more clangs of weapons and a dozen curses sounded from the shack, then the other man screamed, and Vral yelped.

  "Fuck!" Vral shouted as she leaped out of the hole in the wall. A wicked gash was opened up down her left arm, which hung limply at her side. She landed on the street, rolled, and scrambled to my side. "Alex! Are you—" Her eyes grew wide when she saw the bloody hole in my armor and the rapidly growing pool of red liquid around me.

  "Vral... Run..." Those were the only words I could say.

  "No... nononono!" She tore at my armor's straps with her good hand. A moment later, my breastplate pulled free, revealing my blood-soaked tunic.

  "Go..."

  "Where are your healing potions? We need to patch you up."

  I shook my head. My vision was filled with sparkles. "...I used them... to heal you... and Tristan... at Embermist."

  She shrieked and pressed her hands to my stomach. "Fuck, fuck, FUCK!" Her red eyes met mine. "Don't fucking die, asshole!" Tears fell from her eyes onto my face.

  Devon walked out of Elna's shack with the old gnome thrown over her shoulder. "I spent all this time, all this energy, trying to set everything up just right so we wouldn't have to take this stupid woman hostage. All I needed was her brain to fry, and I'd get what we needed. Then you decided to show up and ruin everything." She spat at the ground. "Why? Why are you even here?" She kicked open the little gate that surrounded Elna's shack, which shattered into a hail of toothpicks.

  My vision swam. "Vral." I sat up, causing a gush of blood to pour out of my stomach. "Run." Looking up, I saw that Devon was marching toward us. She'd dropped Elna like a sack of potatoes, who splayed out unconscious on the stone road.

  "No," Vral growled. "You don't get to do that." She unslung her pack, reached inside, and withdrew a familiar scroll. "Fuck Farvad. We come first." She fumbled with the scroll's binding. When she couldn't open it, she tried to tear at it with her teeth, but that was all the time Devon needed.

  The woman shot forward into a lunge. Her rapier flashed, then shot from her outstretched hand. Vral saw it and tried to roll away, but Devon's rapier impaled her thigh. With a wave of her hand, the rapier pulled free and flew back into Devon's hand.

  "Ugh!" Vral screamed as she clutched at her leg. Stupid whore." Vral wobbled to her feet and drew one of her knives. "You can have her." She pointed toward Elna with her dagger. "Just leave us alone."

  Devon tilted her head and grinned. "No."

  Vral cursed and limped backward a step. "Why? We're nothing. Nobodies. Why not let us go?" I could see Vral angling her arm to throw the dagger.

  "Because you were always going to die. You being here today simply moved up the deadline." She moved to lunge. That was my moment.

  [Provoke]

  As my skill took hold, I nearly blacked out. Using it on Devon was like going up against a waterfall with a bucket. But it worked. Before the rapier left her hand, her arm torqued, aiming the blade straight at my chest.

  [Iron Skin]

  The blade shot forward and struck my tunic, but it wasn't able to pierce through me. Even still, it buried a good inch into my chest. The pain gave me a rush, and the dizziness in my head cleared. Reaching for the hilt, I snatched it and threw it away, toward Vral. The goblin plucked it from the ground. With a mighty cry, she thrust downward and buried it into the cobblestones.

  "Got it!" She immediately stepped on the hilt.

  Devon laughed. "Did you really think that would stop me?" The woman muttered something under her breath, and flames appeared in her hands. "Die, rat." Devon thrust her hands forward, and a wave of flames shot at Vral.

  "No!" I reached up to intercept them, but I knew I was too far away.

  Vral dove, but she was too slow. The inferno caught her limp arm. Vral shrieked in pain as the smell of burnt flesh filled the air. She writhed on the ground, clutching at her smoldering arm. She groaned as her skin burned, but when the flames went out, she scrambled to the rapier and grabbed it with her good hand. "I'm fine!" She didn't sound fine. "Don't worry about me! Just promise me that you're gonna kill this bitch!" I watched as her body started to shake. She was going into shock.

  Anger, hot and raw, flared within me. Whether it was strength, adrenaline, or shock, my vision cleared, and my hands stopped shaking. The feeling returned to my face. And a single thought entered my mind: It didn't matter if I died. I would kill anyone who hurt someone I loved.

  I looked around me for anything I could use to fight. There, mere inches from my fingers, was my shield. Just beyond it was my sword. I reached out and took both in my hands, then wobbled onto my feet. I felt blood pour out of my wound as I took a step forward and pointed my sword at the brunette bitch in front of me. Her eyes widened, and she took a step back.

  My sword's voice echoed in my mind. Wield me, my hand. Wield me, and together we will destroy this pretender. We will destroy, or we will be destroyed, with glory. That is how it should be.

  I felt a wave of power rush through my limbs. For the first time, I focused inward and tried to speak with it. What is your name, sword?

  I could feel it hesitate. I have no name, my hand. Tools such as I require no name.

  I spat out blood. This might be our final moment. If we're going to die together, I want it you to have a name they can write legends about.

  I could feel it hesitate. My name is yours to decide. In turn, I will grant you my power.

  My sword's pommel flashed, and for the first time, I could see the sword's spell in my mind.

  [Greater Heal]

  I felt the pain in my stomach vanish. The sound of glass tinkling to the ground surrounded me as the glass in my skin was pushed out by my sword's spell. More words appeared in my head.

  [Devouring Flames IV]

  [Blood Drinker III]

  [Heart Seeker III]

  [Swift Killer III]

  Power flared within me. Every muscle in my body swelled, and my mind cleared. The pain in my stomach subsided, if only a little. Wicked red flames erupted from its blade, casting the entire street in a red glow. The blade transformed from metal to crackling black and red embers.

  "Devon."

  The brunette had recovered from her initial shock. With a grin, she spoke in some guttural language, and more flames roared to life in her hands. "You gonna beg now?"

  I shook my head. "I don't care what happens to me. I don't care what happens to this city. I don't fucking care what happens to this world. Right now, I only care about one thing. I'm going to drive this sword through that black fucking heart of yours. And when you breathe your last breath, I hope my face is burned into your spirit so deeply that you never forget what happened to you today."

  "Oooh, so scary." She smirked and stepped toward me, her flames guttering with every step.

  I took another step forward. Let's kill this bitch, [Embermist].