Alex rapped his knuckles against the side of his head. "Whoops. Should I have mentioned that earlier? Slipped my mind. But I don't think that was part of the deal. I'm pretty sure Bridget owes us an answer as to what you and her were—"

A chair skidded across the ground. Claire leapt to her feet, her thorned vine whip coiling out from her wrist in a blur.

Alex didn't even wait to see what she'd noticed. He leapt up as well. The gate within his soul slammed open as he drew on the power he still had — a combination of what remained from the fight and the small amount he'd managed to regenerate since taking on Absolution — and drove his palms together, twisting them and hooking his fingers together as he pulled his hands back.

"Partial Soul Manifestation. Edict of the Shattered King."

Buzzing Riftwarped Energy tore through the room around him, filling it in an instant. It warped the air with murky veins of red and the fragments of a ruined building slipped through the walls as a shadow of a building in the Mirrorlands cut right through the center of the room they stood in.

Alex spun in the direction that Claire was looking, even as a crash tore through the room and the front door slammed open. A large man was already halfway into the room. He bore a pair of jagged blades, one in each hand, and a path of shimmering gray energy twisted in his wake.

The man moved in a streak toward Claire, at a speed that would have been terribly impressive if they hadn't just fought Absolution a short while ago.

Alex teleported. Armament Elegy activated at the same time, sending sludge twisting down his arm and through his fingers to form into the shape of his chainsword even as he rematerialized to the man's side with his chainsword right at his neck.

Even as the man jerked to a halt, the pointed tips of the chainsword digging into his throat, Claire's whip snapped through the air. It ripped one of the swords from his hand before he'd even had a chance to react to Alex's sudden arrival, sending the blade skittering across the ground with a shower of sparks.

The man went stiff as a rod.

"Don't," Alex said softly. The chainsword trembled in his grip. He was pretty sure the weapon was hungry — and there was a meal pressed right up against it. "It won't go well for you, and I don't think you're enough of a challenge for me to waste the effort on."

"What is this about?" Finley demanded, driving a fist down into the table. "Is this how you treat your guests? Attacking them while in discussions? What happened to that reputation you were flaunting about, Bridget?"

"I — I didn't—" Bridget stammered. She caught herself, then shook her head firmly. "No. Weapons down, Neil. Now. What do you think you're doing? The previous order doesn't apply if I am doing business with Ash. Circumstances change."

The large man dropped his remaining sword without an instant of hesitation. The blade clattered to the ground and the magic wake that had been glowing behind him faded before vanishing entirely.

"Ash was one of the names on our kill-on-sight list," the man said, voice stiff as he tried to keep his Adam's apple from bobbing too much and getting cut open by the chainsword's spikes against his throat. "You were in danger. I acted, as is my duty."

This guy is her bodyguard? And why the hell am I on their kill on sight list? It can't just be because I stole a Town Token that all the Great Families were frothing at the mouth to get, right?

Okay, maybe that might be it.

"I apologize for this," Bridget said, voice taut. "It is a misunderstanding. A very large misunderstanding. Please unhand my colleague."

"A misunderstanding is a poorly done calculation in a deal, not an attempt on a life," Finley drawled. "I don't think so. We do not follow demands of those who breach the peace of a friendly discussion. That goes doubly so when we were already giving you a damn good deal. We gave you more than we had to — and you had this brute attack us. It's fortunate Claire was aware enough to notice him coming."

"He — wait. You knew. Claire reacted before he was even in the room." Bridget's eyes thinned into slits. "You were waiting for me to realize who Ash was to bait him into an attack?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Finley said smoothly. "That would be entrapment. Not that I'm above such things, but we were playing very nice with you. More than we should have, really. And for you to spit on us like that… you're going to need to cough up some extra leeway in this deal if you want to keep the peace."

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

"No peace was breached. Nobody was injured," Bridget countered.

"Actually, I think a piece of debris hit me when the door got kicked open," Claire said. She pressed a hand to the side of her arm, then held it up to reveal two very slightly bloodied fingers. "It hurts. I'm very fragile."

Bridget's gaze flicked to the sword that Claire had thrown across the room with her whip just moments before. "I'd hardly say—"

"It is not the place of the aggressor to set the terms of an insult," Finley said sharply. "I demand recompense."

"You did kind of attack them," Alyssa said. "Not that I want to take a side against you… but Neil really looked like he was going for blood. And I'm pretty sure you said something about a kill on sight list."

"Whose side are you on?" Bridget snapped. "And I didn't know this was Ash. Neil was overzealous. That is all."

"Lack of information does not make you immune to consequences," Finley replied with a shrug. "We don't accept that as a solution, much less an apology. I believe you can start by explaining why you have a kill on sight out for us."

"Because there's a massive bounty on Ash's head. But you already knew that, didn't you?" Bridget asked flatly. "Who wouldn't have a kill on sight out for him? He antagonized basically every single Great Family, broke into an Assembly, stole a Town Token, and claimed the first kill of a Region Boss."

"Oh, shit," Alyssa said, realization finally dawning on her. "I didn't connect the dots. You're the one that killed the first Region Boss! How did you pull that off? You were only in the middle of the Local Leaderboard! Damn. No wonder you lot were able to fight Absolution off."

"Signatures cost extra," Finley said. "But I think we may have a problem. If you're planning to try and cash that bounty in, I don't see any reason for us to leave your subordinate — or you — alive."

"Me, personally, I think the bounty isn't anywhere near enough," Neil said. "Definitely not worth any further effort."

Bridget blew out a sharp breath. "We will promise to refrain from reporting your location to the Great Families or pursuing your bounty ourselves."

"Not enough," Finley said with a shake of his head. "What was it you said? Ah, yes. Sweeten the deal." The most up‑to‑date version is on M4VLEMP4YR.

The other merchant's jaw clenched. Her glare bore into Finley for a second. Then she forced her hands to unclench. An idea seemed to strike her as her head tilted to the side, displeasure changing to interest. "This changes things. You aren't at all who I thought you were… and that means I'm more than willing to offer more as well. I'll get you access to something you'll be very interested in."

"What makes you so sure we'll even care?" Finley asked.

"What made you so sure I'd want to work with you on a trade deal?" Bridget countered.

Both merchants bored holes into each other with their eyes for a long second.

"Acceptable, provided you give us the other answer you owe," Finley said. "And provided what you offer is interesting enough. If it isn't, you owe us five hundred credits. Each. Bargain more and I'm going to start quoting old laws. Trust me, neither of us are going to like that. My poor personal standing has nothing to do with just how much damage I can do to your reputation with a very small amount of effort."

With a flourish, Finley pulled a small memory crystal out from his pocket, a knowing grin playing across his lips.

Bridget hesitated for a second. She swallowed.

Then she nodded. Both merchants glanced to Alex, who let his weapon lower. He kept his guard up, ready to activate his Partial Soul Manifestation with a thought, but Neil made no move toward him.

The large man quickly stepped over to his weapons, picking them up before making himself small in the corner of the room.

"How'd you get a Partial Soul Manifestation already?" Alyssa asked. "Weren't you still somehow a Novice back during the Local Leaderboard? What happened?"

"Questions will cost you just as much as they cost Bridget," Finley said quickly. The look in his eyes was like that of a shark in blood-tainted waters. "But I'd be happy to set up a Q&A session. I'll even toss in a discount. Five credits per question. Ten for the ones he actually answers."

Alyssa grimaced. "Never mind. I'll wait this one out. I hate merchants. No offense."

"None taken," Finley and Bridget said at the same time.

"Then Bridget will be happy to fill the silence with that answer she promised," Finley said. "And after that, we can let the proper discussions begin — hopefully without any further interruptions."

Neil winced.

Bridget ignored him. She just grabbed her chair and pulled it back up before sitting down in it as if nothing had happened. Nobody else made a move to return to their prior positions, but she didn't seem to care.

"The purpose of my partnership with the River King's organization is to acquire access to bodies," the merchant said. "I will try to explain this in a way a Nativeworlder can understand. One of my… acquaintances has discovered something of enormous value. A dungeon that will need hundreds of people to clear, and possibly more to discover the true treasure stored within it. That is what his organization will provide. I originally thought that would be sufficient. But if you're here… yes, this could work. It could be quite the opportunity for both of us."

Wait. A big dungeon? Does she mean…

"We weren't dropped on our heads as kids," Claire said. She paused to glance at Alex, a tiny grin playing across her lips before vanishing the same instant it arrived, then cleared her throat and looked back to Bridget. "Too many times, at least. You don't have to dumb yourself down for us."

"Very well," Bridget said with a hungry smile. "Then I will speak plainly. An Ancestry has been discovered. We plan to raid it along, and in competition with, the Great Families. How would you like to join us?"