Chapter 1

Welcome back sister o' mine

"How much has this place changed since I've been gone?" Ashley asked, looking around at the old buildings, her eyes sparkled with memories. Many different people were walking around, humans, Demi-Humans, and Lithians. A nicely dressed man walked by; a lithian badger followed him carrying a bunch of bags in his hands, the metal slave collar Bareilly visible beneath the nice suit he wore.

    "Wow, seems lithian enslavement has moved in since I've been gone." Ashley noted, frowning, it was obviously not one of her favorite things.

    "Yeah, but there's not much we can do about it, come on that ice cream cart is still there let's go get some." He replied, changing the subject, before dragging her along.

    They lived in a small town, the buildings old; Zora often got the sense that he lived in a real-life fairytale village. It was a small town, but its people were always changing; for this reason, Zora didn't care to take names. He didn't know his neighbors, the only people he cared to remember we're the ones he expected to stick around like shop owners or guild masters. Other than that, life was quiet here, a daily life of killing monsters for small profits.

    Zora had started off leading Ashley but soon was the one being led; she skidded to a stop in front of the ice cream cart.

    "Good morning, what'll you have?" The server asked; he was a middle-aged man with gentle eyes and a bright smile. 

    "Strawberry, please!" Ashley exclaimed with excitement, a broad smile plastered on her face. Zora watched with amusement as she snatched the cone and thanked him hastily; he knew that her favorite thing in the whole world was ice cream. 

    Zora paid the Man, thanking him kindly before taking Ashley's hand and starting off down the street.

    "Come on; we should head home. I left your room untouched since you've been gone." He paused after this sentence like there was more he wanted to say before retaking the lead as they walked down the streets, open Alleys stared at them like empty sockets of a skull. The road gradually became more crowded as they neared the Marketplace. 

    Suddenly Zora heard a sound, like a bag being thrown down some stairs. He glanced down an alley and saw a young brown-haired girl on the ground; she was dirty; her clothes were in the same condition. He turned to his sister, but she had disappeared.

He frowned, but as a man stepped from the shadows, he pressed that to the back of his mind. She was capable; Ashley would be fine. He saw a flash of metal and moved in close enough to hear the conversation.

    "Hey, where's our money." The Man asked, kicking the kid across the alley, she hit the wall with a thud.

    "I t-told y-you, I'll get it to you tomorrow." The kid stuttered, defiantly through the pain.

    "Shut up," the man kicked her again, "you don't get to decide when you pay!" the kid groaned in pain, holding her stomach where the man had kicked her. Zora had seen enough and took a step forward.

    "What's going on here?" Zora questioned the man, slipping his knife quietly from its sheath.

    "Nothing much, why don't you mind your own business before I take your money as well." the man said, turning to face Zora, looking a little nervous. Upon getting a look at Zora though, his nervousness disappeared.

    "Actually, I'm a little annoyed today, so give me everything you have that's worth anything, and I won't slit your throat." The man said, holding his knife at the ready. Zora frowned in contempt, and with a quick hand motion, he twisted the man's arm, he winced and dropped his knife. When Zora let go, the man's eyes widened, and he began to back away slowly, his hands up like he was trying to tame a wild animal.

    "Hey, we don't have to do nuthin rash." He said, before turning and dashing away down the alley, that man had obviously never used that knife before. Zora glanced around; the kid was gone as well.

    "Glad to help, but you coulda stayed to say thanks, at least." Zora called, he then turned and left the alley. He spotted his sister; she was checking out a vendor, so he headed over to her.

    "Hey, where'd you run off to?" He asked, noting that she was looking at spell books; his sister was a mage.

    "Isn't it obvious, I saw something I wanted." she replied, handing the man money as she picked up the book. He was dressed in ragged clothes, a broken smile, and thievish eyes.

    "I spotted them while we were walking." Ashley explained as she put her new spellbook in her pocket. 

    "Hey man, you want spellbook? I got other things too." The merchant preached, trying to grab Zora's attention.

    "No thanks man, I got all I need." The merchant continued to bargain with him, but Zora ignored him as Ashley took the lead out of the crowded Marketplace and onto the empty street; they followed that road for a couple of blocks before their home came into view. It was a small two-story house set in between two shops; from the outside, the place looked warm and cozy. It had been built with red bricks and had burgundy brick decorations. Several tall, rounded windows let in plenty of light and had been added to the house in a very balanced way. The building was rectangular, complemented by the decorative patio out front. 

    The second floor was about the same size as the first. The roof, low and rounded, was covered with redwood shingles. A few round, small windows let in enough light to the rooms below the ceiling.

Ashley bolted forward and pushed open the front door; she had already disappeared down the hall and into her room when Zora stepped through the front door, locking it behind him.

    He stepped into the kitchen and grabbed four pieces of bread from the pantry before opening the fridge and grabbing two slices of cheese. He put them together into two sandwiches before turning on the stove and setting a frying pan on it; he then put both sandwiches in the frying pan. A few moments later, Ashley walked into the kitchen.

    "That smells great." She said, sniffing the air, before walking over to the table and taking a seat. 

    "Hey, so I'm glad to have you back, but it's been eating at me." Zora began. "What happened? When I found you, you were unconscious. Nothing I tried could wake you."

    "It's a little complicated, but the short version, I crossed someone I shouldn't have." Ashley replied, "I don't know what spell they used, but it trapped me in my own mind."

    "I had to sign a contract with those shady people, that lab that sprung up in the middle of our lovely village." Zora told her, "They explained to me that if they were to hook you up to that machine, then I could go in and pull you out."

    "Those people give me the creeps." Ashley shivered, "Let's not do any more business with them." Zora nodded, and they continued eating.

    Zora woke the next morning, sitting up as he looked around, he climbed from the bed and crossed to the closet. Glancing out the window to confirm the time, he quickly slipped on a pair of black slacks and a red shirt before sheathing his knife on his belt and slipping his coat on. Ashley was still asleep, but it was already light outside. I'll have to stop by the guild ward for a couple of bounties, he thought as he stepped out the door.

    The sky was beautiful this morning, a colorful display of blues, pinks, and oranges. The grass sparkled with dew, blinding him for a second as the sun reflected off them. He started at a jog down Main Street, taking an alley to avoid the crowded market; he crossed to Green Street and headed left, he saw the guild ward up ahead. It was a building with a slanted roof, the roof almost touching the ground. The windows poked through the roof on either side. 

    Out front stood a board with scrolls nailed to it. Zora stepped up to the request board, a few bounties were posted on it, too high in rank, but one was a level nine. Zora snatched it off the board, rolled it up, and shoved it into his pocket. He then turned and headed down an alley to his right, but his eyes widened as he stepped into it.

    A wall had been recently erected in the middle of the alley, blocking passage. He glanced around; a small wooden crate sat on the ground next to an old abandoned shop door. A flag pole stuck out from the wall above the door, the flag old and torn, shown the crest of the province of Selcict, which is where he currently was.

    He stepped up onto the crate and reached up, grabbing onto the pole, he hoisted himself up and balanced upon it. Zora leaped over the wall, landing on his feet, he stepped from the alley. Up ahead to the right, the Marketplace bustled with business.

    Well-crafted clothes! Fruits, Juicy, Fresh! Candy Apples!  Merchants called out; a young boy dashed through the crowd liberating people of their wallets. Zora started in that direction, deciding to get Ashley a treat before he headed to claim the bounty.

    Zora stopped in front of the man calling about candy apples. He was dressed in a collared shirt with pink and blue stripes; he wore blue jeans and shiny shoes. Apparently, the candy apple business was profitable. 

    "Two, please." Zora told him, handing him two silver coins. The man nodded in response, smiling as he gave them to Zora.

    "Have a nice day." The man said; Zora nodded and waved before pushing his way through the crowd. He stepped from the crowd onto Main Street and started at a trot down it.

    A couple of blocks later, he stopped in front of his home; he unlocked the door and pushed it open; Zora stepped through, closing the door behind him. A squeal of joy from the other room announced that Ashley was awake. With loud, quick footsteps, she burst into the room and hugged Zora.

    "I thought you left for the dungeons without saying goodbye!" She exclaimed, she looked a little annoyed.

    "Nope, I would never; just stepped out for a little while, I got you a treat." He replied, stepping into the kitchen and setting the tray holding the candy apples on the table. Lilly followed quickly.

    "What is it!?" She exclaimed excitedly, jumping into a chair. She gasped as she saw them. "Yay, I've wanted one for so long, but you never could afford them."

    "Well, while you were gone, I saved money up so I could buy you something when I was able to get you back." He replied, handing Ashley one of the candy apples.

    "Thank you!" She said, with a mouth full of apple. Zora smiled and nodded as he took his own bite.

    "Hey Zora?" Ashley asked suddenly, looking up from her apple to stare into his eyes.

    "Yeah?" He replied, "What's up?"

    "Do you still have that knife you really liked?" She asked, taking another bite. Zora nodded in response, his mouth full.

    "Before you go into the dungeon today, I'd like to enchant it for you." She replied, "I've been working on object enchantments." Zora finished his apple.

    "Have you now; I'm so proud of my little sorcerer." Zora teased lightly, ruffling her hair with his hand.

    "Hey, I'm serious!" She exclaimed, frowning.

    "Fine, I'll let you, but don't mess up my favorite knife please." He teased again as he got up from the table; she took her last bite and followed him. He unsheathed his knife and handed it to her, watching as she waved her hand over the blade, her index finger began to glow as she carved a runic message into the blade. Ashley's finger faded away its light as she finished.

    "That says Stronger than meaning this knife will always be growing in magical power, competing with its owners." She said, handing Zora the newly enchanted knife.

    "Thanks, hey, if I were to buy you a spellbook, what type of magic would you like it to be on?" Zora asked casually.

    "Earth, I haven't learned any earth spells yet." She replied, "Now, don't get killed in the dungeon."

    "I won't; I know my limits, so don't worry ok." Zora reassured her before opening the front door and stepping out into the sunlight; he sheathed his knife as he pulled the door closed behind him. Main Street was a little busy at this time; several other adventurers were headed to the dungeons as well. He started down the sidewalk at a jog.