text: [Themes: fantasy, anti-hero, serious, fantasy]
  
  Year 27
  
  You have to admit, despite the close calls, the stress of changing the layout, and the several times you almost wanted to kill Grahk, he came through and this place is a lot better than you could have expected, if much smaller.
  
  This place is less of a "budding underground town" and more of an underground mini-fortress and really maybe that was a more realistic goal anyway. You have sturdy walls, rooms, and a hidden entrance within the sewer with a couple of durable security doors just in case the militia does the find the place. You also have an escape route dug out far enough that you'd be able to getaway long before they broke in.
  
  But that's just your headquarters. There is another secret area where you hold the gambling games, races and fights. Besides it being a better idea to keep the actual activities (and the plebs) away from your main base, Grahk actually said it would be better structural wise to build two separate and smaller hidden locations rather than just one big one which be a lot more costly to maintain and keep from collapsing. So that's what you did.
  
  Still, you decided to keep one business out of both of the new areas. Namely the Yellow Devil creation and distribution. You aren't having any junkies going in either to get their fixes and YD stinks something awful that it would defeat the damn purpose of leaving the sewers if you were creating it in these nice new areas.
  
  Due to all the expenses you had to pay for with the dwarves, you had to go back to the old methods of pulling heists and burglary because the drugs, gambling games and fights weren't enough. Of course that was mostly you, Zal and Vaughn doing those, because you wanted to make sure it was done right.
  
  On the plus side, it's kept you in shape and your skills sharp. It also raises your respect among the rest of the Crimson Talons since they know you're willing to get right in the thick of things and aren't just delegating.
  
  The downside is you're still not exactly rolling in coin and you don't think you've had real rest since this project began and you're always vaguely tired, but then as they say no rest for the wicked.
  
  The other side effect is you've created a minor "crime wave" throughout Klyton to the point where things are getting out of hand for the militia slightly. Besides the ongoing breaking into shops and homes, your increased production of Yellow Devil has created an epidemic of "meltbrains" as they are called. Didn't help that you got the idea from Camid to start cutting the drug to make it less lethal, while still keeping most of it's "positive" effects for the user.
  
  Still causes a lot of irreversible long-term damage that most aren't coming back from, which now probably makes it even worse. Junkies are living long enough to cause real problems hence the crime wave.
  
  You've been extremely fortunate that the authorities have mostly been turning the city upside down and making mass arrests to every petty criminal they can get their hands on, but so far they haven't done much with the sewers. There were a few close calls with some minor patrols, but Grahk's crew has been pretty good in keeping their real activities (and you) secret. Grahk's Council buddy must have an incredible amount of trust in him or maybe he's just corrupt. You have no idea, you've never met him.
  
  Still, Klyton's uncharacteristic lackadaisical alertness on this matter is going to be coming to an end. Grahk is done with the task and will be leaving soon, which means Klyton will probably be stepping up their patrols down here. Not even the rumors of a killer reptile man is going to scare them away. (You question if this Scales is even down here, surely you would have run afoul of him, with all this work the dwarves have been doing)
  
  But the only concern you have right at this moment is the information you've just heard.
  
  "What?! You're leaving?!" you exclaim.
  "Figured I should let you know. Despite our differences at times, I respect you enough to not just disappear." Zalmora says.
  "Hold on you're going to have to re-explain this again. This is just out of nowhere." You say and take a seat.
  "It really isn't. Grahk and I have been seeing each other for quite some time since he got here for this project."
  "Yes, I've seen you two speaking with one another every so often. Sometimes it looked a little more than that, but I didn't take you for the running off and getting married sort!"
  "What can I say? Grahk made a very good offer."
  "Given what comes out of his mouth half the time, he doesn't even like humans."
  "Well he likes me and I'm very fond of him. Also, I've realized that this life...well it isn't the one I want any more." Zal says waving her arms in the air and making motions about her surroundings.
  "So...what? You're going to go pop out a bunch of bearded babies and be a nice little housewife in some dark underground cavern?"
  "I'm already practically living in an underground cavern now! And dwarves and humans can't reproduce with each other...well as far as I know. Besides, he's already got a couple of children from his deceased wife, so that isn't going to be an issue anyway."
  "But what are you going to DO with yourself? I mean I'm guessing you're going to go back to the Cloudpeake Mountains. Dwarves aren't known for being all that accepting of outsiders at the best of times. You're not likely to have any friends."
  "Yeah, well it isn't like I really have any here either."
  
  You're a little taken aback.
  
  "Wha...? What? What about me and Vaughn? What about all the Talons that respect your abilities?" you say.
  "Those are subordinates, not my friends. You're my boss, not my friend. And as for Vaughn...well okay, you're right about him, but he's hardly enough to keep me around here waiting for the inevitable." Zalmora responds.
  "And what's that exactly?"
  "This whole place is going to raided and all of you are either going to get pinched or killed. Best case scenario, you escape with nothing."
  "That's some severe lack of confidence in your soon to be dwarf husband's abilities. Besides, you were originally enthusiastic about this whole project and the potential."
  "I know I was at first, but the original goal has changed now hasn't it? Look, maybe everything won't be all doom and gloom and maybe everything does go smoothly, but the fact that I realize is that I'm getting old and I'm enjoying this type of life less and less. I soon learned that on the last heist we did and I nearly got my head blown off by the militia."
  "You're hardly old Zal, I mean you're acting like you're ready for the grave."
  "If I keep on this way, I soon will be. Look, I've been giving this a lot of thought for quite some time."
  "So again, I ask what are you going to do with your time? I mean I really can't envision you as some housewife. You're going to get bored and dissatisfied."
  "And how do YOU know that? Maybe I'll find it a great relief not worrying about which shop to rob or whether or not if I'm going to get arrested or killed. And who says I'm not going to find something to do while I'm up there? Grahk owns his own business you know. I'm sure I can help with that in some way."
  
  A moment of silence comes over you and you cease looking at Zalmora. You can't believe you might be losing your best "employee."
  
  It would appear you took it for granted that she'd always be around. Though you did always consider the possibility that she might die in the service of the Crimson Talons just like anyone, but something about this is much different and you don't like this form of parting of the ways. At least not without trying to do something about it.
  
  "What would it take for you to stay?" you ask.
  "Nothing. I told you, I've made up my mind about this." Zal says.
  "Bullshit. You wouldn't have told me at all, if you didn't want me to make the attempt to at least come up with an offer."
  "...I...I don't know where you got that idea from, but I already told you that I came to you about this because I respected you enough to not sneak off in the middle of the night." Zalmora sputters.
  "And I'm not buying it. I don't buy that you're ready to settle down and live a boring ordinary life. I mean I've SEEN you get the thrill even during that last heist where you almost got your head blown off. I mean maybe the safe life does have its advantages, and if you were marrying a Delantium prince who was going to shower you with jewels and a royal palace I'd say congrats and just let you go without a fight. Hell, if you said that you LOVED this dwarf I wouldn't stand in the way, but you didn't say that. You just claimed fondness. You're not moving up, you're just trading one life of compromise for another."
  "You seem to be very interested in my well being...are you actually jealous? Is this some crush you've been harboring because if it is, I'm going to tell you right now that..."
  "No! It's nothing like that. While you don't consider me your friend, I consider you mine, because quite frankly I don't have any either and it's hard enough to have someone trustworthy and reliable in this business as it is. You were the one who gave me all the most important advice that resulted in rebuilding the Crimson Talons to be a viable organization again. And yeah, maybe I didn't listen to all of it, but I do acknowledge that I wouldn't have gotten this far without you and I can't see me getting too much further without you by my side either. I need you."
  
  Now Zalmora is speechless and looks away. You stare at her, but she makes sure to not look in your direction. You know she must be trying to hide obvious signs of being upset.
  
  "Are you alright?" you ask.
  "I...I...yes...I'm fine." Zal says and then turns around and quickly wipes one of her eyes.
  
  Zalmora composes herself a bit and then speaks.
  
  "Very well. I do have one request if I'm going to consider staying. We have to stop selling Yellow Devil." Zal says.
  "What? But that's what kept us afloat! If we hadn't been selling it, we wouldn't have been able to afford the new headquarters!" you reply.
  "Yes, and now that project is over with. We can get by without dealing it. Yellow Devil is going to cause us nothing but trouble in the future. I'm already seeing that, don't you?"
  "Well I'll admit, its got its share of problems, but it's the biggest money maker and a lot of the Talons aren't going to be happy about no longer selling it. Specifically Camid."
  "Look, this isn't a negotiation. This is my stipulation. I'll leave you to deal with the repercussions as you see fit. Grahk is leaving in a week. You've got three days to tell me your decision, because if you value my friendship as much as you claim and you do decide to stop selling, then I'm going to need the rest of the week to deal with Grahk before he leaves, because I'll be breaking not just his heart but an agreement and you know how serious dwarves are about those."
  
  > let Zalmora go
  This is the business you've chosen and sometimes that business takes priority over friendship. You appreciate Zalmora and all, but you're not going to just give up your best moneymaker that is not only going to result in a loss, but also cause discord within the organization.
  
  Not to mention, you are sort of wondering what kind of postion you'll be putting Zal in, if she has to break up with a dwarf. They aren't fond of broken promises after all. He could not only make trouble for her, but you as well.
  
  The cons are outweighing the pros.
  
  "You know what, I'm being a selfish asshole. I want you here for my own purposes and I'm trying to talk you out of having a happy life. That's not what a real friend does, and who the hell am I to question your feelings for the dwarf? Not like I'm an expert on relationships. So I think you should go and leave this life behind. You deserve good things Zal." You say.
  
  Zal looks at you in silence for a moment.
  
  "Fuck you." She says and starts to leave, which causes you to immediately try to stop her.
  "What?! What did I say? I just wished you well!" you exclaim.
  "Yeah, and did you really think I was going to fall for that shit right after your initial speech? I'm not a fucking idiot, thought you knew that by now. You were right about one thing though; you are being a selfish asshole. I ask you for one fucking thing. ONE. And one that will be beneficial in the long run, but do you give it up? No. Obviously you don't give a fuck like you claim and then you tried that totally transparent it's not you it's me shit. Yeah, I'm done. Have a nice life running this place without me boss man." Zal says and pushes you out of the way.
  
  You briefly think about trying to stop her again, but you think that's going to result in real violence. You sort of fucked up. You laid it on a bit too heavy, and you probably should have just been straight with her. At least the goodbye wouldn't have been as bad.
  
  Well there's nothing for it now. You'll just have to move on.
  
  Year 28
  
  The militia's increased activities have put a serious dent in your non-drug related endeavors. People would rather not get caught up in the middle of a war between a violent criminal organization and a violent government organization so the gambling games have dwindled to near nobody and that includes the bum fights too and to be honest most of your bum fighters are Yellow Devil addicts now.
  
  Realizing that now Yellow Devil is the only major money maker, you made your gambling games location into the new Yellow Devil lab since nobody is going to be using it for it's intended purpose anymore. Your main lab is also be better protected and hidden in this way as well.
  
  Of course recently the name "Yellow Devil" has come into question...
  
  "Yellow Angel?" you ask.
  "Yes! I've been thinking, we've already been changing basic YD so much that it's not really the same product anymore. It might as well have a new name. Also it sounds a lot nicer don't you think? I mean what could be better than one of those friendly angels that the Joachim priests talk about? An angel that takes you and flies you up higher than you've ever been. Makes it sound a lot more enticing than a devil dragging you down to hell or melting you." Camid says excitedly.
  
  You have to admit, it's one of the better ideas he's had.
  
  "Hmm, yeah. Actually I've been wondering if we should start expanding and I'm not talking about just here. I'm talking to other places like Hessla, Holgard or even the Delantium Kingdom. I might send you Vaughn to go get another Crimson Talon chapter started." You say.
  "Me? I dunno boss. I mean I suppose Hessla would be okay, but Holgard and the Delantium Kingdom? Isn't that Ebony Claw territory?" Vaughn remarks.
  "What if it is? The kingdom is a big fucking place. They don't get to have all of it and who knows what's going on in Holgard and who's in charge there. The place keeps having rebellions and revolutions. Seems like the place is up for grabs for anyone."
  "If you say so boss. I feel I should also inform you that the militia has been stepping up patrols in the sewers and starting to go into areas they previously were leaving alone."
  "Yeah, we're going to be directly dealing with that. I want us to start trapping the patrol locations first. No direct attacks yet, but those might be coming soon."
  "By the gods, we're actually taking on the militia?" Vaughn asks.
  "We are, because that's the only way we're going to get them off our backs at this point. We need to make it so bad for them that the costs are going to outweigh the benefits and they'll be better off going back to busting meltbrains than trying to wipe us out."
  "But taking on the militia is surely going to require all the resources we have. I mean if you send me and a few others to open up another Crimson Talon chapter elsewhere, won't you be risking getting overwhelmed by the militia?"
  "Well that is certainly a risk, but if you're successful where I send you, that's extra revenue and support in the long run which will help in fighting off those militia bastards."
  
  Vaughn looks a little unconvinced, but like the loyal member he's always been, he just agrees with you. He doesn't really have a choice anyway.
  
  Your choice is determining where to send him. The Delantium Kingdom might be a bit far for right now. You figure Hessla or Holgard will be good enough. You actually even think about Teckleville, though you aren't sure if a small town like that would be that ideal.
  
  Also, despite the fact you got run out of there, you still consider it home and you're a little hesitant to start flooding it with Yellow Angel and recruiting from there. So you immediately dismiss the idea.
  
  > Expand to Hessla
  Vaughn is going to be more comfortable going to Hessla and it's closer so that's probably the best place to expand.
  
  After supplying Vaughn with a good portion of Yellow Angel, you send him and a couple outright thugs and one of Camid's "apprentices" on their way to Hessla. You tell him you want someone to send you a report on the situation by the end of the month.
  
  In the meantime you have everyone available to start trapping portions of the sewers and continue business as usual.
  
  One month later
  
  You finally get a report from Vaughn and he tells you that things aren't going as well as hoped.
  
  Hessla apparently isn't quite as lawless as imagined It actually does have it's own security called the Headsmen. They're fairly vigilant and they report directly to governor Tolen who has complete control over everything that goes on in the town.
  
  What this all means is selling your Yellow Angel there is perfectly fine, in fact it's even getting popular, but Tolen is taking fifty percent of the profits!
  
  There isn't much Vaughn can do though, for now he says you can't expect much profit funneling in from Hessla at this time though he's looking for potential opportunities. You don't hold out much hope though given that this is Vaughn and has never excelled in that field.
  
  On the Klyton front things aren't much better. The militia has suffered some set backs, but it's clear they aren't going to give up. Camid has made steps to set up smaller labs not just in the sewers, but even topside in the more run down areas of Klyton. The best way to keep them off balance is to not let them focus too much attention on any one location.
  
  You think your next investment is going to be in more gunpowder weapons.
  
  Year 29
  
  "So what does Vaughn say?" Camid asks.
  "He says that he's finally worked out a better deal with Governor Tolen, but it's going to require me to be there to hammer out the details." You say after reading the message scroll.
  "Oh. So when are you going?"
  "Not sure. As soon as possible given how important this is, but I almost hate to leave since I'll be concerned about everything that's going on here without me."
  "Don't worry about it boss! I can look after things while you're gone."
  "Hmmm, I'm sure."
  
  While Camid might be genuinely trying to be helpful, ever since the complete transfer to selling Yellow Angel, he's been getting puffed up with his own relative importance. A guy like him and ambition are a dangerous combo.
  
  He already seems eager for you to leave, is he planning something?
  
  Still, this is a pretty important meeting and honestly things are probably never going to completely be calm in Klyton. You're just going to have to have a measure of confidence in Camid that he'll be able to handle shit and isn't smart enough to plot anything meaningful against you.
  
  "Alright Camid, you're up, but we're going to go over so fucking ground rules of how I expect shit to be run around here in my absence." You reply.
  
  You spend a good portion of the day going over plans, routines and what to do in certain events. He's up to speed on most of the stuff, and is at least making the effort to seem completely compliant to your orders.
  
  With some slight apprehension, you pack some of your stuff and leave for Hessla the next day. You wish you could take a carriage to get there quicker, but given the situation with the militia; you'd rather not risk being seen in public around Klyton at all.
  
  Your journey to Hessla doesn't take too long however and it's relatively uneventful. Vaughn told you in the message to meet him at the Sensual Siren tavern and he'd be there every day until you showed up.
  
  As you're asking for directions and walking about the town, you see that Hessla is indeed much different than you imagined. It's more orderly and many times you see groups of the infamous Headsmen that Governor Tolen employs to keep the peace.
  
  Eventually you reach the Sensual Siren and after looking about the dark tavern, a familiar voice calls over to you.
  
  "Hey Boss! Over here!" Vaughn shouts and waves you over.
  
  It's been a year since you've seen him, but Vaughn look a lot different. He's shaved his facial hair in a fancier style and is dressed more..."piratey." You also notice several Headsmen in the tavern who are watching everything going on in the place.
  
  "Well looks like you've gone native." You say sitting down.
  "Oh. Yeah all this. I figured I should look more the part around here. It doesn't hurt." Vaughn remarks.
  "Hey, I don't care. Dress how you like. So are we going to go see Tolen now? I'm a little anxious to get this meeting over with because I'd rather not have Camid running things for too long while I'm gone."
  "Yeah, I understand. How is everything in Klyton anyway?"
  "Same old shit. Trying to stay one step ahead of the militia and still keep everything running."
  "Well I think this new deal I've struck with the governor will put an end to some of that hassle."
  "Sounds good, so let's go see the man."
  "Okay, um these gentlemen will be accompanying us. The governor's sort of a stickler about security." Vaughn says pointing to the Headsmen in the tavern.
  
  You look around and see they're starting gather near you.
  
  "Oh, yeah I figured the governor would have a shit load of his men around at all times. Whatever makes him feel safe I guess, let's get going." You say.
  
  You, Vaughn and a small group of Headsmen all leave the tavern. As you head towards the mansion where the governor, Vaughn talks about how well the Crimson Talon chapter here is doing and that there is possibility of extending to a city called Jicol which lies across the sea. He says the place sounds like it's open territory.
  
  While you're listening to Vaughn, you start to notice that you're taking a lot of turns that don't seem necessary to get to the mansion, which appeared to be a relatively straightforward walk from what you could tell. You look around and you start to feel uneasy as the streets start to get narrow.
  
  No sooner have you start to put your hand by your weapon when Vaughn suddenly shoves you aside and runs forward. It isn't enough to knock you down, but it's enough to catch you off balance and the Headsmen have taken advantage by nabbing you.
  
  You struggle to get free, but the Headsmen have firmly got you restrained. Followed by a few punches and kicks, along with taking away all your weapons and you have the distinct impression that you were paranoid about the wrong person betraying you.
  
  You look up and see Vaughn now standing before you with a dagger in hand. He doesn't look happy, but he isn't exactly upset about this either.
  
  "Gotta say, didn't see this coming from you. Guess more than just your style changed." You say.
  "Stand him up." Vaughn remarks which causes the Headsmen to do just that.
  
  "Better deal huh Vaughn? Was this the governor's idea, or yours? Probably the governor. You never would have had the balls to think of doing this without help." You say.
  "Shut up." Vaughn says and approaches you with the dagger.
  "What for? I'm going to shut up forever soon. I will say this, at least you're doing this yourself and looking me in the eye."
  
  When you say this, Vaughn drops his guard and looks away a bit.
  
  "Heh, I was right, this wasn't your idea. Fucking pathetic." You say.
  
  Vaughn then musters up his resolve and shoved the dagger into your stomach. He then pulls it out and stabs you several more times. You never cry out once and you never stop looking at him the whole time despite the fact he tries to advert his gaze downward most of the time. He never says anything else.
  
  Eventually several of your vital organs have been punctured enough and your blood is leaking out of several holes. The Headsmen that were restraining you drop your body and leave it for the street cleaners to dispose of properly.