Kaztos fought back a yawn as he waited outside the Kolidato gang’s warehouse. He still felt tired from the previous night. The amount of work done ensured he wouldn’t get a solid eight hours of sleep. Unfortunate, but Kaztos guessed that he would have to get used to that in the future. Adventurers didn’t work on set schedules, after all. He glanced to the side to see Saiya staring off down the street. It looked like she was taking her job more seriously than he was. Kaztos focused and scanned their surroundings.

  Cracks in the foundations of buildings. Trash littered the streets. The presence of a growing gang that terrorized the city. Frankly, the condition of this section of the city appalled him. How could any city leadership allow it to get like this? Sure, the current circumstances weren’t the best, but they could at least do something. Though perhaps Kaztos was being too hard. It wasn’t like he knew how to run a city.

  He stopped his ruminations to glance up at the roof of the warehouse. Zeltara wasn’t in sight anymore, likely on the other side of the building. Kaztos hoped she would come back soon. The longer they took, the more likely a Kolidato member would come by and expose them. That’s without saying whatever’s happening inside. Had they discovered their deception yet?

  Turning his eyes back to the street, Kaztos still wished that they could have gotten help. Having some guards here would have been ideal. Kaztos was confident in their abilities, but taking on over a half-dozen men seemed like a daunting task. But that wasn’t in the cards at the moment. No matter, they had gotten out of a few bad scraps before. They could handle this too.

  A solid thump beside him almost gave Kaztos a heart attack. He turned to see that Zeltara had rejoined them. Saiya walked over to stand beside him and asked, “Did you have to startle us like that?” The annoyance in her voice only made Zeltara smirk.

  “Oh, don’t be a baby. You don’t see Kaztos complaining. A good surprise will get the blood flowing before the fight.” Kaztos cleared his throat to get their attention. Now wasn’t the time to let them get into it.

  “So, what did you see?” Zeltara sobered. She crouched down and used her gauntlet-covered finger to sketch in the dirt. She drew a series of rectangles with smaller circles grouped in various areas. Her finger then tapped one box.

  “Alright, so these are the stacked-up containers littering the warehouse. I assume the gang is holding the stolen goods in them.” Zeltara then pointed at the circles. “These are the gang members’ locations.”

  Saiya leaned down. “How many of them are there?” Zeltara grimaced.

  “Fifteen.” Kaztos wasn’t able to hide a wince. Even with the element of surprise. It would be difficult to capture everyone inside. This could turn messy quickly if they weren’t careful. He then realized something.

  “I don’t believe that this is their main base.” Saiya and Zeltara glanced up at him. “By everything we’ve heard so far, the Kolidato gang sounds large. Fifteen shouldn’t be anywhere close to their total number.”

  Zeltara nodded. “So, it stands to reason that this is just one of several bases for them. But that doesn’t really change things.” Kaztos agreed. They weren’t going to dismantle the Kolidato gang today. It was just a fool’s hope that it’d work that way.

  “We could interrogate one of them for their other bases’ locations once we’re finished,” Kaztos said. That would be a consolation prize, at least.

  “We could, but that’s not our objective today,” Zeltara responded. “We can’t go on a crusade against the gang. There’s only a few days until the expedition starts. We just don’t have the time. For now, let’s figure out a plan.” Kaztos conceded the point. He was sure that the city officials could at least handle it, traitors notwithstanding.

  Saiya glanced around at their surroundings. “We need to hurry. Someone could stumble along and find us any minute. I doubt we’ll be able to explain the unconscious man a dozen feet away from us.” The three momentarily glanced over at the still knocked out Kolidato member.

  “Speaking of that, I have to compliment your drug for knocking him out for so long. It looks like it’ll be useful in the future,” Zeltara said. Kaztos found his gaze meeting Saiya’s. Both waited to see if the other would tell her. A few seconds passed, but neither of them did. “Hey, are you two okay?” Saiya shook her head and turned back to Zeltara.

  “It’s nothing. But we need to figure something out. We’re outnumbered five to one.” Zeltara nodded.

  “I have a plan, but we need to be careful. For this to work, we need to get the drop on them.”

  “Why am I not surprised?” Saiya asked. “It’s not like we can beat anyone in a fair fight.” Zeltara brought her hand up and flicked Saiya on the forehead. The blond girl squawked in indignation.

  “Shut up,” Zeltara said without any heat. “Anyway, like I said, I have a plan. First, we need to block off every exit besides the front door.”

  “Why do we need to do that?” Kaztos asked. Trapping themselves inside with their enemy didn’t seem like the best idea.

  Zeltara smiled. “For a few reasons, we can’t afford to let anyone escape the building. It’ll be harder to keep control of the fight if anyone makes it out. One of them could run and get help. We have enough to worry about without more of them showing up.” Seeing Kaztos nod, she continued. “After we barricade the doors, the next part relies on Saiya.”

  “What do I need to do?” She asked. Zeltara pointed up at the roof.

  “The windows up there provide good sightlines of the entire warehouse. I noticed was that there were several people by themselves. The shelving and boxes act like walls to a maze, isolating them. There’s no one watching the front door, so you can sneak in while Kaztos and I keep an eye out from the roof. We can guide you while you're inside to pick the stragglers off.” Saiya looked unconvinced. Not that Kaztos felt any differently.

  “What happens if I get spotted, or I can’t quietly take someone out?” Saiya asked. “I’ll be by myself in there. There’s only so many times I can try to ambush someone before something goes wrong.” Kaztos nodded in agreement. It would be too easy for Saiya to get hurt while they weren’t able to help.

  Zeltara maintained her confident demeanor. “Not a problem. I have a second stage of my plan, but if you get discovered, then we’ll just start it early.”

  “So you have an idea to help her?” Kaztos asked. Zeltara nodded.

  “We’ll want Saiya to hold their attention for a few seconds. Then, Kaztos and I will break open a window. I’ll launch some marbles down and then we’ll go in. There’s some high-stacked boxes, so we can break our fall. The confusion should allow us to take down enough guys to make this manageable.” While Saiya didn’t seem happy, she accepted the reasoning without further criticism.

  Kaztos had other concerns. “What if we’re spotted on the roof? That would put the entire plan in jeopardy.”

  Zeltara waved away his concerns. “They’re oblivious. Most of them are half asleep or talking to each other. I don’t think there’s anything to worry about.” It still felt like a risk to Kaztos, but he trusted her judgment.

  “Very well,” Kaztos said. “So what happens after you drop your flash marbles and we go inside?”

  “We go around and take out as many of them as possible. If the past few days have shown us anything, it’s that these guys aren’t professionals. My hope is that the situation causes a panic. Enough of one to have a few of them run for the exits. We can take advantage of that moment of opportunity when they realize that they’re trapped,” Zeltara said.

  “Then I’m guessing that by the time they reorganize, their numbers will be low enough for us to win,” Kaztos said. It could work, but Kaztos still felt uneasy about Saiya entering alone.

  Saiya shook her head. “This relies on perfect precision and a lot of maybes. I don’t like it.”

  “We’re not in a great situation,” Zeltara admitted with a frown. “It would be better to have help. But we have a job to do if we want to get out of Mousafont. Besides, we’ve gotten out of sticky situations before. We can do it again.”

  Kaztos grinned, just holding in a hearty laugh. “In that case, let’s take care of these thugs. We can be back to the church by dinner if we get a move on.” Saiya glanced at both of them and sighed.

  “You’re getting overconfident. This could easily blow up in our faces. But I can’t think of anything better. Fine, let’s get this over with.” Zeltara gave her a grin.

  “Cheer up! We’ll make it through this just fine. Now, let’s go barricade the entrances.” The three spent fifteen minutes blocking off all the exits except the front door. They used boxes, barrels, and debris lying around to cut off access. For the pair of large doors opening up to the storage area, Zeltara pulled out a rope and tied the vertical door handles together. Hopefully, it would hold.

  As they were working, Kaztos noticed a few people watching them from nearby buildings. For a moment, he feared they were with the Kolidato gang. But it was quickly made apparent that they were just residents of the district. From what Kaztos had seen so far, the gang didn’t hire elves. Then, a feeling of melancholy filled him as he continued to look. They carried the weight of squalor and desperation. Their faces were almost completely devoid of hope. Kaztos felt for them. Compared to his situation back in Urada, life here was terrible.

  He wondered if someday they could do something for them. Something to make their lives easier. Kaztos could recognize that right now, there was nothing to be done. They were just kids at the moment, with no resources or influence. But maybe as they grow older, stronger, and more influential, things will change. They could come back and help make Mousafont a better place for the less fortunate. Kaztos felt new resolve settle over him. They would stop the Kolidato gang and help the people who lived here. Something to give them a little more hope.

  They met again at the front door. Kaztos steeled himself for the battle ahead. He could see Zeltara and Saiya do the same. A few moments later, Kaztos walked towards the front door.

  “Wait. Let us get to the roof first and make sure it’s still clear,” Zeltara said. He nodded. She then gave him a smirk. “Ready to make our way up?”

  Kaztos nervously scratched the back of his head. “How do you suppose I make my way up there? It doesn’t seem like the easiest climb.” There weren’t any usable handholds to climb up onto. The walls were almost completely smooth. The windows were too high for him to reach.

  “I can take care of that. Just try to be quiet.” Zeltara held out her hand. Kaztos grabbed it without thinking. He trusted her.

  Zeltara grinned as she tightened her grip. He had only a single moment to feel regret before she aimed her gauntlet and fired towards the roof. The line went taut, and Kaztos was launched into the air. A gasp left his mouth as air rushed by him. It took everything not to shout. It lasted only a few moments, but fear gave way to adrenaline and exhilaration. No wonder Zeltara risked herself if it meant flying through the air like this.

  This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

  They landed on the lower roof, and Kaztos collapsed to his knees. He gasped for air as adrenaline left him. Zeltara walked to his side and patted his shoulder. “Yeah, the first trip is a doozy. But there’s no feeling like it.”

  “A little warning would have been nice.” Kaztos said. He looked up to see Zeltara smirking at him.

  “But then I wouldn’t have been able to see the look of shock on your face. If it weren’t for our current situation, I’d be laughing. Maybe later, if I can get Saiya with that.” Kaztos shook his head.

  “Perhaps, but it’d be a good way to get yourself stabbed on the way up.” Zeltara shrugged, then winced. She grabbed her shoulder.

  “Man, the extra weight put a lot of strain on my shoulder. I can’t be doing that often.” Kaztos stood up and examined her shoulder. Nothing looked out a place, but he couldn’t get a closer look because of her clothing.

  He said, “Try to be careful then. We don’t want to get injured at this point.” Zeltara nodded and then turned to the window. She peeked inside. After a few moments, she walked back to the edge of the roof and looked down.

  “The front door is clear. Go in and keep out of sight. Make sure you can see us so we can guide you.” Kaztos didn’t hear a response, but Zeltara made her way back to the windows. She then waved him over. Recovered from his surprise flight, Kaztos made his way over.

  For the first time, he laid eyes on the warehouse interior. Just as Zeltara said, the large room was sectioned off by numerous crates, shelves, and boxes. From what he could see, there were fifteen Kolidato members inside. Most of them were alone or in small groups. The largest group comprised five people examining their newly stolen shipment. They’ll have to hurry before they get around to checking inside. Meanwhile, the rest lazed around with no one on the lookout. Zeltara was right about this group being unprofessional. No wonder she was confident about their chances.

  Kaztos looked left to see Saiya waiting at the doorway of an empty side room that connected to the main warehouse. She took a minute to observe the warehouse before looking up at them for instructions.

  “Alright, now we need to guide her. Help me find whoever’s the most isolated,” Zeltara said. Kaztos searched the warehouse and quickly found a good target.

  He pointed to the left. “How about him?” The man was half asleep, leaning against a crate along the wall. There wasn’t anyone looking in his direction or within ten feet of him.

  Zeltara nodded. “Looks good. Let me signal Saiya.” She waved her hand to catch the blond girl’s attention. Once her eyes were on them, Zeltara made hand signals. ENEMY. ONE. ALONE. She then pointed toward the drowsy man.

  Saiya nodded and made her way over. Kaztos could only watch as she snuck around her target. He thought about everything that could go wrong. All it took was some bad luck, and they wouldn’t get down in time to help Saiya. Zeltara put a hand on his shoulder, pulling him from his thoughts.

  “Calm down. Everything will be fine. Saiya knows how to take care of herself. Just watch.” Saiya made it behind the oblivious thug. She covered his mouth with a rag and fought back against his struggles. She held on for a few moments before he fell unconscious. Unlike the lookout outside, she kept the rag over his mouth for another ten seconds before removing it. Kaztos hoped that would mean that it’ll last longer. “See? She’s got it under control.”

  “I can see that. But all it takes is one thing going wrong. I don’t want to see her get hurt,” Kaztos said. Saiya looked up at the two for more instructions.

  Zeltara ordered her to the next target. “I know. But there’s only so much we can do. Try not to worry too much. Worse case scenario? We’ll use plan B.”

  Kaztos let the matter drop and refocused on the current objective. He and Zeltara then spent the next several minutes guiding Saiya to different targets. Kaztos is again thankful that the Kolidato gang was so undisciplined. He couldn’t imagine this working with a more organized group. To Kaztos, it showed just how poorly Mousafont was doing during the current crisis. Thye couldn’t even handle a lowly group like this.

  In the end, Saiya dropped six gang members. Besides the one time she was almost knocked off during a struggle, there hadn’t been any issues. Saiya now hid behind a crate, looking up at them. She then signaled. INSTRUCTIONS?

  “Well, things are going well so far,” Zeltara muttered as she signaled back. WAIT.

  “What now?” Kaztos asked. “There isn’t anyone left by themselves. Saiya can’t take two of them at the same time.” He still didn’t like their odds. Nine Kolidato members remained. Kaztos was on the verge of voicing his concern when he noticed something else. “Wait, they're opening our dummy crates. There’s a chance they’ll discover Saiya during the confusion.” Kaztos didn’t doubt that their ruse would cause a commotion inside.

  To his surprise, Zeltara only smirked. “That’s what I’m counting on. Get ready to break the windows.” Instead of voicing his confusion, Kaztos pulled out his hammer. Down below, the gang members finally opened the crate. It was hard to see, but Kaztos saw that a black powder lining the insides. Their targets shifted around in confusion. One of them shouted in confusion. “NOW!”

  Kaztos almost flinched in surprise, but recovered. He swung his weapon, shattering the windows in front of them. Zeltara aimed her gauntlet and fired a black marble directly into the open crate. The crate exploded into a fireball, leaving him to wonder how she did that. He couldn’t remember a moment last night when she was alone with the crates. She must have sneaked that in at some point. Kaztos shook his head. Now wasn’t the time to get distracted.

  After the explosion, Zeltara fired down several white marbles into the warehouse. The interior flashed blinding white, with cries of pain ringing out across the room. She turned to Kaztos and said, “Let’s go. Go for the ones running or struggling. We need to thin their numbers.” She then jumped down and landed on a pile of crates almost 8 feet below. Kaztos followed her and landed just in time to see Zeltara jump on top of a gang member running past them.

  Nearby, Kaztos can see another thug struggling to stand up after the explosion. He jumped down and hit the man on the back of the head, knocking him out. From the corner of his eye, Kaztos saw a knife bury itself into a man’s shoulder as he tried to pry open an exit. The thug slumped to the floor, clutching his shoulder. Good, it looked like their plan was working out.

  Through the sounds of panicked yelling, Kaztos noticed another Kolidato member struggling to stand. Soot coated her clothes, and small cuts covered her skin. She spotted him and fumbled for a sword from her belt. Not letting her have a moment to breathe, Kaztos charged. His fast approach made her take a step back in panic before wildly swinging her weapon. Kaztos blocked the strike, then smacked her on the head with his hammer’s handle. She dropped to the ground, groaning in pain. A punch to the face knocked her out.

  For a moment, the warehouse started to quiet down. Then the ground began to shake. Kaztos had to drop to one knee to avoid falling over. His gaze swept through the warehouse. While he still heard battle on the other side of the wall of crates, he couldn’t tell what caused that. Another ground vibration jolted him from his thoughts. A shout of frustration from Zeltara followed.

  Before Kaztos could process it, he was up and running toward Zeltara. Hopefully, he could help her before she got hurt. He rounded the corner just in time to see Zeltara fire a black marble at one of the gang members. Nonplussed, the thug slammed his staff into the ground. A dome of stone rose from the ground, blocking the marble’s path. It exploded harmlessly against the earth.

  Kaztos walked to Zeltara’s side as they both stared their opponent down. The Kolidato member looked between the two of them with a frown. He towered over them with just over six feet of height. The man wore a leather chest plate over his clothes and carried a staff almost as tall as himself. A mage, by Kaztos’ observation. They needed to be careful.

  “You’re causing a lot of problems,” the gang mage said. “That’s something the boss won’t appreciate. Hopefully, he’ll forgive me when I bring him your heads.” Kaztos tightened the grip on his hammer.

  “Please, your boss is the last thing you need to worry about,” Zeltara said. “You should focus on the fact that you have a long prison sentence ahead.” The man seemed unimpressed, so Kaztos tried his own luck.

  “Surrender. We have you outnumbered, and have defeated most of your comrades.” By the sound of things, Saiya was still struggling with someone. Kaztos wanted to help, but knew this man was going to be a handful.

  Their pleas fell on deaf ears. The Kolidato mage chuckled. “I’m not worried. It sounds like your friend is having trouble.” A pained shout from Saiya punctuated his statement. He smirked.

  Zeltara looked ready to bolt. “Saiya! Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine, just took my own knife in the arm. At least most of the poison was gone,” Saiya shouted back. A loud thud echoed in the distance. “I’m done. Everyone’s taken care of.”

  Kaztos said, “Stay there and recover. We’ll handle the last one here.” The ground shook before Saiya could answer. Kaztos realized he had gotten distracted and turned his attention back to the matter at hand.

  “Look out!” Zeltara shouted as she tackled Kaztos down. A group of stone spikes rushed through the ground like a wave from where the man had just stood.

  “You seem to have forgotten someone,” the final Kolidato member said. He spun the staff in his hands leisurely. This would prove to be harder than Kaztos first thought.

  “Where did that attack come from?” He asked. Zeltara helped him up as they both faced the Kolidato mage.

  “The attack came from his staff. It glowed before those spikes appeared. He’s using his boots to shake the floor.” The gang member settled into a stance across from them.

  “You guys may become a problem, and the boss doesn’t like those. Still, I’m sure taking care of you three will help me stay in his good graces. Perhaps he’ll even forgive the loss of today’s shipment.” He raised his foot into the air. “Now, stand still.” His foot stomped onto the ground. Kaztos could just make out the release of energy before his vision blurred from the ground shaking. He and Zeltara stumbled, trying to catch themselves.

  From the edge of his vision, Kaztos saw the Kolidato mage lift his staff. With a slam, stone spikes fired towards them from the point of impact. Zeltara was still trying to collect herself, so Kaztos had to push her away. As she fell out of the attack radius, Kaztos had to twist his body to avoid a direct hit. He could feel his shirt sleeve rip from the near miss.

  He landed on the ground, his breath leaving him. As Kaztos tried to recover, he saw their opponent aim his staff at him, smirking. He tried to get up, knowing that he’ll be unlikely to get out of the way in time.

  “Kaztos!” Zeltara yelled as she aimed her gauntlet and fired a black marble at their opponent. The man turned and planted his staff into the ground. An earth wall rose in front of him, blocking the projectile. Zeltara used the opening to look over at him. “Go left. I’ll go right. We’ll keep his attention divided between us.”

  “Oh no you don’t.” Before Kaztos could respond, the earth wall shot towards Zeltara along the ground. She pointed her gauntlet to the right and grappled to safety, her body twisting around from the effort.

  With the opening, Kaztos began to run to their opponent’s right. For not the first time, he cursed his lack of a ranged weapon. He could have landed some kind of blow with that distraction. This fight showed that he needed the versatility both Zeltara and Saiya had. No matter, he’ll just have to make do with his hammer.

  Once he was across from Zeltara, Kaztos closed in. The gang member heard his approach and turned. He stomped on the ground again, shaking the earth underneath them. Kaztos was more prepared this time and steadied himself. He braced for an attack as the Kolidato mage raised his medium.

  Before he could do anything, the man stumbled as a black marble exploded on his shoulder. “Damn you. Stand still!” He turned, revealing his burnt back to Kaztos. The spell he was charging fired at Zeltara, who dived out of the way. Attention now off of him, Kaztos again rushed forward. That’s when the thug turned toward him with a grin. “Got you!”

  His medium glowed with a full charge as it planted on the ground. The first spike rose from the ground. At this distance, Kaztos knew that there was no getting out of the way. His mind raced for a solution. The next spike followed. Panic set in. Kaztos thought back to his training for anything that could help. From the distance, he heard two familiar voices cry out, but he didn’t focus on that. No, he had to concentrate.

  Time almost seemed to slow as stone spikes grew from the ground towards him in a single line. An idea came to him. It was risky, but he couldn’t think of anything else that could save him. Kaztos concentrated as he prepared to meet the attack head-on. Wait for it. The spikes rushed closer, one after the other. They were almost upon him. His forehead sweated with anticipation. If he timed this wrong, he’d be skewered. They were almost upon them. Now!

  Kaztos channeled all the mana he could to his stomach, hoping to absorb the blow. The spike that would impale him shot from the ground towards his chest. He felt a powerful impact as the air left his lungs. He took a step back and clutched his chest, gasping. The rest of the spikes continued harmlessly past him. Kaztos looked down, afraid of what he would see.

  His chest looked fine with only small pieces of stone remaining. The rest of the spike lay shattered on the ground. Kaztos took a breath and thanked both the Amedori above and Dollanti for teaching him enhancement. If it weren’t for that, he would be dead. But now wasn’t the time to think about that. There was a battle to finish.

  He looked up to see both the Kolidato member and Zeltara stare at him in disbelief. The thug stuttered out a, “How...” before trailing off. Zeltara recovered first and slammed her gauntlet into the back of his head. He collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

  Adrenaline left Kaztos, leaving him suddenly weary. He felt as if his energy was all drained away. He released a tired sigh and took in his surroundings. Around them were several downed Kolidato members. Cracks covered the ground, with spikes sprouting in various directions. Crates lay knocked over and shattered around them. The whole place was a mess.

  Zeltara then hopped with a cheer. She then ran over to him. Her hands hovered over his body, as if afraid of worsening potential injuries. He tried to reassure her with a grin, which Zeltara returned with a soft smile. Kaztos then turned to the sound of footsteps to see Saiya walk towards them. A half-grimace contorted her face as she held her bandaged left biceps.

  “You are the craziest person I’ve ever met. Why did you think that would work?” Saiya asked, exasperation dripping in her voice. “Why did that work?”

  Zeltara defended him. “Come on, Saiya. I’m sure that he had a plan. Must've had that maneuver ready from the start.” Both looked at him expectantly. He could offer only an embarrassed smile.

  “Actually, that was just what I thought of at the moment. Just decided to trust my instincts. Luckily, it worked.” Zeltara looked at him in shock before groaning.

  “Saiya’s right. You are a crazy bastard.” She then elbowed him in the chest. “Still, that was awesome. Good job. Just like the goblin camp. Shock and awe.”

  “We were lucky,” Saiya said, crossing her arms. “Things went wrong both times. We just managed to come out on top. Don’t get cocky.”

  Zeltara groaned. “Come on. Don’t ruin the celebration. We just took down over a dozen adult thugs by ourselves. Nothing too bad happened.” Saiya raised her bandaged arm with a glare. Zeltara gulped. “Well, at least Mileas will patch you up. So, no harm... right?” Saiya’s continued unimpressed stare unnerved even Kaztos. “Fine, we’ll all try to do better next time. Sorry that I wanted to celebrate our success.”

  “We can do that later. For now, let’s restrain everyone here,” Saiya said, before turning away. Kaztos and Zeltara both sighed in relief that the conversation was over.

  The three started to tie up all the Kolidato members. It became apparent that they didn’t have enough rope, so they had to search in the crates. As they did, Kaztos found everything from food and water to clothing and furniture. There were even children’s toys. It infuriated Kaztos. Everything here was supposed to go to those in Mousafont in need. Those who were starving or struggling out on the streets. And these men selfishly took that for themselves.

  They weren’t even using most of it from what he could see. Rather, the gang seemed content to hoard it away as people suffered. It’s no surprise the city was having difficulties. Based on everything here, the gang must have raided dozens of places. What was their plan? To hoard everything while the city collapsed around them? Or maybe to use the resources as a bargaining chip? It didn’t matter in the end. Everything was going to go to those who needed it. Mileas would ensure that.

  Soon, the three finished securing their captives. Zeltara called them together and said, “We need someone to alert Mileas. Any volunteers?” Saiya shook her head and sat on the ground, clenching her injured arm. Guess that just left one person.

  “I’ll do it,” Kaztos said. “I won’t be long.” Zeltara nodded.

  “Thank you, Kaztos. We’ll stay here and keep an eye on them.” She then smiled. “Now, be careful. I don’t want to hear any more death-defying stunts from you today.”

  Saiya scoffed. “That’s rich coming from you.” Kaztos and Zeltara laughed.

  “Shut up. Now, get going.” Kaztos nodded and left the warehouse. Immediately, he noticed several people loitering around the area. He figured they had heard the commotion and got curious. They backed away when Kaztos looked in their direction. He left, hoping that they wouldn’t cause problems.

  It took him over twenty minutes to backtrack to the church. He flagged along the way as fatigue got the best of him. Kaztos regretted the late night they’d taken before. Lack of sleep and the fight were taking their toll.

  He found Mileas sitting on the steps of the church, reading a book. As Kaztos approached, she glanced up at him. “Did the plan work?” He nodded.

  “Yes, they shouldn’t be bothering you anymore. But we captured over a dozen Kolidato members. Someone needs to come and take them.” Mileas stood up and straightened her dress.

  “Very well. I’ll go alert the guards. You stay here until I get back.” Kaztos went to argue but stopped as she raised her hand. “Please take a moment for yourself. You look exhausted.” Kaztos conceded and sat down where Mileas had just been. “Don’t worry. We’ll swing by to pick you up soon. Just relax for now.” When he nodded. Mileas started to walk away. She paused and looked back at him. “Oh, good job, by the way.” She then left him.

  Kaztos let out a weary sigh before reaching into his pouch. He pulled out a water skin and drank. The water helped give some energy back, but his body felt like it had a weight tied to it. Still, he smiled, basking in today’s accomplishments. Things may have been difficult, but they’d taken an important step today. Soon, they would leave Mousafont as adventurers. Kaztos couldn’t wait.