text: e monster no doubt left. It smells pretty bad in here, but it isn't like the stench of something rotten, it's more like a strong chemical smell that burns your nostrils.
  
  The deeper you go, the more slime there is and the stronger the smell, you're practically gagging at this point. Whether there is another blueshell in here or not isn't going to matter much longer because you're about to leave before you become overwhelmed by just the smell.
  
  Then that's when you get lucky and spot something that you guess are eggs. They look oval shaped and seem to have a hard shell so that's good enough for you. You grab as many as you can and shove them into your bag. You're really going to have to bathe after this.
  
  With the eggs in the bag you run out of this foul cave as quick as you can partially vomiting the whole time. In fact you actually start to feel like you're going to pass out and that's when you start to wonder if this slime on your hands from the eggs isn't also poisonous. You wipe them as much as you can on your clothing and soldier on. Just as the little ball of light that's following you starts to go out, you see the light of the outside and then you also see a sizable fire and smoke. You were so busy with your task, you sort of blocked out the distant sounds of the battle outside.
  
  Upon exiting the cave, the smell hasn't improved, though now charred crepitan flesh is filling the air. Small fires burn on the sparse grass and you see the burning carcass of the creptian. Whatever power Yvette didn't think she was capable of she was clearly wrong.
  
  You hear some sobbing which you can only guess is her, you follow the sound and see her sitting on the ground with her face in her hands.
  
  "Yvette? What...What's going on? I certainly hope you aren't crying because killed that thing." You say.
  "No! (sob) I'm crying because I didn't kill it quick enough! Look over there!" Yvette shouts and points to a body not lying too far away.
  
  You walk over and see Kelium and he's completely blue. He was hit face first with the spit (He's got translucent blue goo all over his head) and whatever happened afterwards obviously took effect immediately. His face is twisted in a manner that its very apparent his death was pretty painful.
  
  Still feeling a bit sick yourself, you quickly take some of the anti-venom you bought. You just hope it helps and you aren't slowly dying. You go back over to Yvette who is still upset.
  
  "Yvette, it's bad what happened, but it really isn't your fault. I mean this was a dangerous job, any one of us could have died. I mean you killed the beast which means you have more power than you thought you did, that should count for something right?" you say.
  "But what about Kelium? I mean we were supposed to keep him safe! What are we going to do?" Yvette answers.
  "Okay, first off, you don't even need to worry about it. I know how to handle Dr. Gossey. I know it's going to sound strange, but I don't think she's going to be as upset as you are. But I do have to ask, what exactly was your assignment?"
  "Just to practice my magic in the field and report the results. They have a way to tell if I'm lying or not."
  "So we don't need to cut off a piece of that burning crab snail as proof then?"
  "No, but I'm wondering if I'll get marked down for being the cause of someone's death during my assignment."
  "Yvette, you need to put that guilt out of your mind. Seriously. Kelium's death wasn't your fault. It really wasn't. To be honest, if Kelium hadn't gone out and gotten himself wasted last night, this whole expedition might have gone a little more cautiously. Under the circumstances I'd say we did the best we could have done. Just tell them you tried to be the voice of reason. All of this has truth to it, you just have to know how to spin it and you have to believe it yourself."
  "I...dunno...I just wasn't brought up that way..."
  "Of course you weren't, but there really isn't a good reason why you should possibly suffer a lowered grade because other people fucked up right? Come on, let's get back to Hessla, I'll go over everything with you along with way there and on the way back to Klyton. I want to head over to the shoreline though and wash this slime off first though."
  
  You spend your remaining time with Yvette going over the fine art of "telling the truth." Again, it's silly to you anyway, because she REALLY didn't do anything wrong and she's just blaming herself. However, if it's going to help calm her when she has to go before this magical lie detector then you don't mind helping. Not like she deserves getting a bad grade.
  
  By the time you're taking the carriage ride back to Klyton, you're feeling a little better. You guess you're not dying of blueshell poison, then again it just got on your hands, you didn't get a load of the stuff in your face like Kelium did.
  
  At some point you fall asleep on the trip to Klyton and Yvette wakes you up when you arrive.
  
  "Hey, wake up, we need to switch carriages to go to the university." Yvette says.
  "Huh? Wha? It's night." You say.
  "Yes, but we should still get to the university a little after midnight. Should be enough time to get some sleep before seeing Dr. Gossey. Of course I also have to go before my professor to give my report too. What's on your agenda?"
  "Um...nothing. No classes. In fact I'm not heading to the university."
  "Wait you don't live on campus?"
  "Me? Nah, I prefer keeping my personal life and school a bit separate in that regard."
  "Oh. I see. Where do you live?"
  "It's nowhere special really...so hey I have an idea, why don't you just worry about your wizard report tomorrow. Like I said, I'll go see Dr. Gossey and talk to her about what happened. I've worked for her before and I know exactly what to say, she'll understand, trust me."
  "I'm still nervous about the report."
  "You'll do fine. Just keep in mind what I said. You didn't do anything wrong and have nothing to feel guilty about."
  
  You aren't sure what else to do to alleviate her fears, so you just go for it and kiss her on the lips before she can even do anything about it. She's in shock and pushes you back.
  
  "Wha...what?! Why'd you do that for?!" she exclaims.
  "I dunno. I like you...and you still seemed to be worried so I did the only thing I could think of that calm you."
  "Seriously?! That's what you thought? You think I'm just some empty headed damsel that's going to fall for all the honeyed words you've been telling me since we've been on this trip? I know how you've been looking at me; I'm not stupid you know! In fact you're right this ISN'T my fault! It's YOURS! If we had worked together as a team, Kelium might very well have lived!"
  "Oh fuck...forget it. I'm sorry, don't turn me into a toad."
  "I don't need to, you obviously already have the manners of one!"
  "...Okay...I'm just gonna leave. Good luck on your report." You say and just take you leave before Yvette can continue yelling at you.
  
  Well that could have gone better. You just couldn't help it though; you thought her whole modest demeanor was cute and alluring, probably because you don't encounter many girls like that. Maybe it was for the best though, not like you would have had much of a future with a girl like that.
  
  In any case, you're going home with a bag of slimy monsters eggs. You push Virgil out of the way when you get to the Welcome Mat.
  
  "I'm in no mood, you fucking drunk." You say and slam the door behind you.
  "Sheesh, you're very emotional." You hear him retort.
  
  You collapse on the bed and sleep. (At some point in the night, Elana curls up by your feet.)
  
  Later...
  
  You wake up and immediately make your way to the university. You sort of hope you don't bump into Yvette, because you'd rather not get into that mess again.
  
  After an uneventful trip, you get to Dr. Gossey's office where you see her writing something out.
  
  "Hey, that was quicker than I thought! I trust you have the eggs in that bag?"
  "Yep, but careful, they still got some of that poisonous slime on them, you can just take the whole bag. No way I'm getting that clean again." You say and place it on a table.
  "Not surprised. Hope you didn't get sick...but I guess if you're here then you must have had the forethought to prepare yourself. Um...where is my assistant and the other one?"
  "Oh, Yvette had to give a report to her wizard professors, but I'm sure she'll show up here later to collect her coin. As for Kelium...well..."
  "(Sigh) Damn. I guess I should ask how it happened."
  "I don't want to speak ill of the dead...but he wasn't exactly careful. I tried to tell him not to directly attack the blueshell and that the eggs were good enough, but he really wanted to impress you by bringing back one alive. He didn't really think that out however and well to make a long story short, he got himself killed and if it hadn't been for Yvette's magic, I probably would have died too. It was terrible."
  
  Dr. Gossey shakes her head.
  
  "Sounds like Kelium. He always was eager to impress and please. I always told him safety should always take priority. Certainly a loss, but at least you got the eggs, that's the most important thing."
  
  And of course just like you figured, Gossey's concern was more about the goal than the lives involved in it. You take your fifty gold and once again leave a bit richer.
  
  You know exactly how you're going to spend some of it too. You leave the university and head to Madam Moonlight's place.
  
  "Haven't seen you in awhile, will you be having your usual?" the elven madam asks.
  "Um, no not today. Got kind of a special request this time." You answer.
  "Well if you got the coin and it doesn't involve killing someone, we can probably accommodate."
  
  You explain in some detail about what you want exactly and the madam says that's a simple request and thought you were going to ask for something elaborate like an orc hermaphrodite to shit and piss on you while you sucked a centaur cock.
  
  "What?! NO! That's disgusting! Why the hell would anyone want that?!" you exclaim.
  "You'd be surprised, we cater to all types here. Don't judge." Moonlight scolds.
  "Look whatever, just set me up and no horse cocks or shitting orc freaks!"
  
  After a few minutes the Moonlight comes back to take you to your girl. You enter the room and see a short woman with light brown hair dressed in a robe.
  
  "Hello, I'm Yana and I need you to help me complete my spell ritual. I need your wand in my magic circle..." The woman says while seductively walking over to you.
  "(Sigh) NO. Your name is Yvette and you're shy. Not some fucking aggressive trollop! Got it?" you order.
  "Okay okay, got it! Sheesh, you're very emotional."
  "Yeah, so I've heard."
  
  > Time passes...
  Year 25
  
  "Look, I dunno anything about what that old bastard does in his spare time, I just pay my rent and mind my own business." You say.
  
  The militiamen give you a look like they don't quite believe you.
  
  "Just an innocent in all this eh? Bullshit. Trobart says you're a rogue through and through." One of them remarks.
  "Yeah, and one of your neighbors, Randi I believe? She says you even have ties to the Crimson Talons." Another adds.
  
  You nearly want to laugh, but you resist since you don't want to piss off the militia unnecessarily.
  
  "Really? You're going to believe a whore and some guy that sells alcohol illegally in his basement? They're just trying to save their own asses by making false accusations! You turned my room upside down and didn't find ANY stolen goods. And if I was a Crimson Talon, do you really think I'd be living in the shithole that I'm currently living in?" you answer.
  "Didn't say you were a Crimson Talon, just said you had ties to them. And if you think just because we didn't catch you with anything that you're off the hook. You deny that you're a criminal, but as I said, it's obvious that you have no visible means of support, so you have to be doing something illegal." A militia officer says.
  "How do you know I don't have a proper job? You're just making baseless assumptions."
  "Am I now? I don't think so. I think it's obvious that you're just some second rate pissant sneak thief that is so pathetic at your own lowly trade that you managed to avoid our eye for so long. In fact I can imagine you probably TRIED to join the Crimson Talons, but they just kept you on as an associate bitch because you weren't good enough to be a real member."
  "Interesting theory. Is this going somewhere?"
  "YOU'RE going to be going somewhere if you don't shut the fuck up and listen closely to my offer!" the militia officer exclaims, getting in your face.
  
  You sit back in your chair and remain silent. The militia officer continues to stare at you assessing your every tell your face might be giving off.
  
  "It's like this criminal scum. You're on our fucking list now. I've got your name, I've got your ass. Your best bet would be to just get the fuck out of this city, but I know you. You probably think you're smarter than me. Well you ain't and you're gonna get caught. Maybe not now. Maybe not even next year, but you WILL fuck up. And when you do, I'm going to make sure they put you in the smallest hanging cage we got. Believe that."
  
  The militia officer then pulls back a bit and adopts a less combative stance along with a calmer voice.
  
  "Now, all that being said...we do have bigger fish to catch and if you did... say have ties to the Crimson Talons then MAYBE you might know where their hideout is. If you helped us with something like that, then well maybe I might be inclined to not keep such a close eye on you."
  
  Well it's times like these that make being a criminal not so much fun, though honestly as the years have been going on, you're starting to wonder why you ever thought it was fun in the first place.
  
  You haven't really much contact with the Crimson Talons since Zalmora visited you that one day asking you to join. All you did hear is that Tom isn't in charge anymore and was killed by one of the more aggressive members who took over. Word says he's a real tyrannical asshole, which might explain why none of the Talon members that have gotten arrested haven't actually ratted on him themselves.
  
  It also explains when you have bumped into a couple of their members randomly in the taverns, they've been less than friendly and warned you to stay out of their territory. (Which you most certainly have been doing for years now)
  
  You do know that their headquarters is still in the same location. You don't know why the militia doesn't know where it is though given how they've increased their own activity as of late. The militia can be remarkably blind at times.
  
  "Look, if I did have dealings with the Crimson Talons, I'd help you out, but I just don't associate with such people. Apologies." You say.
  
  The militia officer doesn't look pleased by your answer, and you sort of wonder if he's going to end up throwing you in jail anyway, but he lets you go.
  
  "Okay then, but remember I gave you an out today and you turned it down. Be seeing you soon criminal."
  
  You get up from the chair you've been sitting on for who knows how long and walk out the door, though not before one of the militia shoves the back of your head. It's frustrating, but any dealing with the militia that you walk away from is a victory.
  
  From the militia barracks you make your way back to the Welcome Mat, which is practically destroyed at this point. At least it is on the inside. The law-abiding inhabitants (Or at least the criminal ones that didn't get caught) are busily trying to gather and clean up the mess the militia made of their homes. You imagine Trobart, even with his ratting bullshit on you isn't going to be able to keep this place any longer.
  
  You enter your own ruined room where upon Elana comes out from whatever hole in the wall she was hiding in and squeaks at you.
  
  "Hey Elana, glad to see they didn't get you girl. Now let's hope they didn't get anything else either."
  
  You find a chair that wasn't destroyed and check the hiding spot you have in the ceiling of your room. After checking and pulling out your small locked container you breathe a sigh of relief. Your small savings are still intact.
  
  You'll be needing it too, because everything else was taken. Your weapons, your tools, everything that you use or need in your profession. Granted it wasn't a lot, but it's still a loss. You'll also be needing to find a new place to live.
  
  As you're pondering your next move, your door with the broken lock opens up. It's Virgil and he appears to be sober for a change.
  
  "Damn, they really did a number on yer room too I see." Virgil says.
  "Yeah, but it's still my fucking room. What the hell do you want, I don't have any money so you can go get drunk." you say.
  "And I wasn't askin'. Sheesh, I was just coming in here to see if you were around. I wanted to apologize for bothering you all the time for money actually."
  "Oh?"
  "Yeah...I mean I dunno if you noticed but I haven't been around as much lately."
  "Hmm, I did notice a reduction in our usual encounters over the past month."
  "I've been trying to get my life back together. Get myself right with Joachim again. Part of that is me apologizing and trying to make amends for all the times I bothered you."
  "Oh yeah? You got a bag full of coins for all the times I gave you money for booze?"
  "No. I wish I did. I know how you like money...I might even give you a lecture about that, but I'm not really in any position to do so. I first need to get myself right with Joachim and then I might be able to guide others into his light like I was supposed to be doing in the first place."
  "Not sure if you preaching at me is any better than you hitting me up for booze money."
  "I'm sure to you it isn't, but I'm here to apologize anyway and if there is something within my power to help you, just let me know."
  "Well, thanks I suppose. Can't really think of anything I need from you though, unless you got an idea of a new cheap place to live at that isn't completely a shithole."
  "Not really, unless you want to sleep in one of the poor rooms at the Church of Joachim. That's sort of where I've been staying lately. Would have been living there before, if I hadn't gotten asked to leave for my...weakness. Guess I might be living there for good now. Just as well. It was time to move on."
  "Don't think that's going to work out for me, but thanks for the offer."
  
  Virgil nods and then says something about Joachim's blessing be upon you.
  
  You finish packing up and when you're only a few steps away from the Welcome Mat, it suddenly occurs to you. Your family's old inn. It's still abandoned. You could easily stay there and that would at least save you some of the costs.
  
  "Should have thought about that in the first place." You say and make your way to the inn. Of course as you begin to do so, you realize you're being followed. That officer wasn't fucking around when he said he was going to have eyes on you all the time.
  
  It takes some time, but you end up losing them, but now you're practically on the other side of the city! If this is how it's always going to be, it's not going to matter where you stay.
  
  Maybe it is time to leave Klyton, which you suppose you don't mind since things haven't been the greatest here, but you just hate being chased off like this.
  
  Of course there's always the option the officer suggested.
  
  You don't really have any loyalty to the Talons, so if it did help you out in the long run, well it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world. It might even help you with less competition around that is actually making it harder for everyone else. Ever since the change in leadership, the Talons have also been selling Yellow Devil which has been causing a bit of a minor crime wave, what with all the extra junkies running around causing problems. (Even at your stomping grounds, the University)
  
  Of course being a rat is a pretty damn serious offense in the criminal world (Even if it goes on all the time) and if the Crimson Talons ever did find out, it probably wouldn't go well for you.
  
  > leave Klyton
  You're a lot of things, but you ain't no rat. Besides, it isn't like it's going to make a difference anyway except maybe getting yourself killed if word got out.
  
  Your best bet is to seek greener pastures so to speak. Without another thought you make your way to the carriage station.
  
  Holgard comes to mind, but there's always some sort of rebellion or power struggle going on there. You'd rather not have to deal with being in the middle of that mess. The Delantium Kingdom is at war with some other nation, so you'd rather avoid the possibility of suddenly getting press ganged or conscripted into military service.
  
  The only other place is Hessla, which at least you're somewhat familiar with. The trip to Hessla is uneventful and when you arrive the same power structure is in place. Tolen is still the governor and his Headsmen provide the order. At least some things remain consistent.
  
  After spending a few days in Hessla you realize you're going to have to find some more reliable way of earning coin because thievery here is too high risk with low reward. Most people here aren't exactly rolling in coins. Shops are always well protected so is anyone who does have a lot. At best you might get a pirate that's flush with ill gotten loot, but you'd probably have to get one right off the ship because they spend it like water.
  
  Not to mention the Headsmen are probably more vicious than the militia. They might not be as observant, but they don't need to be. Unlike you, folks here tend to have no qualms about ratting out thieves where upon the Headsmen deal out swift justice.
  
  You need to find something suited to your skills.
  
  The first thing that comes to mind is piracy given that you're here in the heart of it. Granted you're no sailor and you have little knowledge on what exactly is involved, but it is something you imagine your trade might come in handy.
  
  Not really knowing how this is done, you head to one of the docks looking for work.
  
  First one you try is a big dark skinned bald man who is standing by a large ship with several cannons mounted in it. He looks intimidating, and seems more surprised that you even approached him rather than annoyed.
  
  "Um, you lost landlubber?" he asks.
  "Landlubber?" you respond.
  "Yeah, that's definitely you. You ain't a sailor and you sure as hell aren't a pirate."
  "That obvious?"
  "Given that you even approached me, you might as well be wearing a sign. So whadda ya want?"
  "I