"Fine. We can make a deal. But not here." Jasper jerked his head toward the tavern burning behind them in explanation. An ominous pillar of smoke rose above it, visible for miles in all directions, and he knew it was only a matter of time before someone came looking. While they hadn't done anything wrong - well, as long as one didn't count accidentally destroying a man's livelihood - Jasper didn't want to risk the soldiers from the fort trying to claim their captive. Especially if, as he now feared, Damqa was a traitor.

Reaching into his pouch, he pulled out a length of rope and walked toward the man cautiously. "Hands behind your back, and don't even think about trying anything." The bandit tensed as he approached, but he allowed Jasper to bind his hands without a fight, and followed quietly as Jasper tied him to Dapplegrim's saddle. "Let's go."

They left the fire and smoke behind as they hit the road. They'd only road a short distance before they spotted a small group of people approaching rapidly from the other direction, so they abandoned the path and cut through the muddy fields until they reached the forest. Not daring to stop so close to the fire lest their tracks be followed, they wound around the side of the small mount until they hit a small stream. They followed the waters toward the summit, allowing the creek to wash their tracks away, and stopped when they reached a small clearing with a rocky bluff overlooking the valley.

Slipping off his horse, Jasper led the man over to the edge of the bluff and tied him up to a rotten stump before questioning him. "Alright, you said you had valuable information, so spill it."

"I'm not telling anything until we make a deal."

"If you answer honestly, I won't kill you," Jasper offered.

"That's not good enough," the man shook his head. "I'll tell you what I know if you let me go."

"Really?" Jasper snorted. "Anything else you'd like. Maybe a nice new sword and a mail-order bride while we're at it?"

"I-"

"You know I can't let you go," he cut him off. "If I do, won't you just run back to camp and warn them?"

"So what's your plan if you aren't going to release me?" The bandit challenged him. "You don't have a dungeon of your own, which means you're going to have to take me to the fort. If the traitors don't kill me, the Ammatu will finish the task once she seizes it. So, unless you're willing to release me, you might as well kill me now."

Traitors? The man's use of the plural didn't escape his notice, but he filed it away for later. "If you tell me what you know, the Ammatu will never take the fortress," he replied.

"You sure about that?"

"I-"

"Sure enough that you would bet your life on it?" the man pressed. "'Cause that's what you're asking me to do."

Jasper frowned. The bandit had a point; he hadn't thought through what he was going to do with him afterwards, but he was still reluctant to just realize him. Maybe…His hands twisted with the Scales of Justice.

"This is a spell that lets me know if you are lying," he warned. "If you can promise me that you won't try to warn or return to the Ammatu, the bandits, or any other allies, I might consider letting you go - if the information you give me proves useful."

"I want-"

"No." Jasper cut him off abruptly. "That's as good as my offer's going to get. You can either take it or," he jerked his head toward the nearby cliff. "Or you can enjoy a brief, fully-funded flight. Your choice."

"Fine…I promise," the man snarled.

"All the words," he prodded.

With a sigh, the man repeated everything Jasper had told him, promising he would not reveal anything to his current superiors. He even added a few words, telling Jasper that he planned to head south and hopefully join the service of the former general of Agamīn. While it wasn't a binding oath, the spell told Jasper that he wasn't lying. "Alright," Jasper agreed, "as long as you tell me something useful, I'll let you go."

"What do you want to know?" the bandit questioned.

"Why don't we start with your name and your rank, if you have one."

"Rēmu," the man grunted. "I was a captain in Lord Zahūl's forces, not that that matters much here."

"Why not?" Jasper raised his brow.

"Half our men are commanders that were 'volunteered' for this operation, and we're all forced to answer to the Ammatu," he responded bluntly.

"You don't sound too pleased to be here." Sensing it was going to be a long conversation, Jasper plopped down in the grass, careful to keep out of arm's reach of the bandit. "What is your plan anyway? From what we've seen, it seems like you're planning to seize the fortress to cut off trade between Merôm and Amur-Corsyth. I assume the goal is to force the Empire to divert some of its troops from the campaign for the capital. That does sound right?"

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"Well, I can't speak as to the second part - I'm not important enough to be let on those sort of plans," the man began, "but you're right that our primary objective is to seize the fortress. It's a fool's errand if you ask me," he spat on the ground, "like as not to get us all killed."

"You think the fortress is too strong to take?" Ihra cut in.

"Nah. Our contacts will open the gates once we're ready, but taking the fort shouldn't be an issue. We don't have enough men to hold it. Course," he nodded his head at Jasper. "If your guess is correct, maybe they never meant for us to hold it. Just take it long enough to serve as a distraction."

Sounds like they might have sent you here to die. Jasper felt a touch of pity for him, but pressed it down. "What about your contacts? Am I correct in thinking Lady Damqa is one of them?"

"Aye, the lassie's one," he replied curtly, not offering any further information.

"Do you know why?" Jasper probed. "It's hard to imagine a Corsyth willingly siding with your cause."

"Nobody said she was willing," the man shrugged. "The Ammatu captured her father a few weeks ago. Way I understand it, it's just her and her old man, so when the Ammatu threatened to send her his head, the lass caved."

That complicates things. While Jasper was relieved that Damqa wasn't willingly betraying the Empire, it also made the situation more difficult. If we can rescue her father, that should solve one problem - at least as long as the Empire doesn't find out. While he was able to sympathize with her choice, he doubted the Empire would overlook her betrayal if discovered.

But that was a problem for another day. Shoving it to the side, he pressed his questions. "You mentioned more than one contact. Who else?"

"There's at least one other," the man continued. "A sergeant, I think, but I don't recall his name."

"So, thus far, you've revealed a traitor I already knew about, and told me there's another, but you don't have any idea who they are. You're going to have to do better than that to earn your freedom," Jasper summarized.

The man scowled. "Is that how it's going to go? You'll just dismiss the importance of anything I tell you so that you have an excuse not to free me?"

"I'm not looking to screw you over, but I already knew about Damqa. What about the Ammatu? Can you tell me anything useful about her?"

"The Ammatu is a former captain like me, goes by the name Alikah. She's originally from Sicya and I'm from Agamīn, so I don't know her that well, but I know she's strong. A lot stronger than me," he added wryly.

"Any idea as to her level?"

The man's face scrunched up. "Mid-200s? Maybe a little higher?" He shook his head. "It's not like we shared our stats; I just know she was put in command because she was the strongest."

Jasper hid his frown at the news. His main class was barely above 150 right now; he did have fifty levels in his secondary, so he could almost count as a pseudo-200, but the Ammatu still had him outstripped. And that assumes she doesn't have a secondary class of her own. "Know anything about her abilities?"

"I just told you I didn't," the man cursed. "Look, she's strong, she's fast, she's got better resistance than average. That's all I know."

Again, not so useful. "And what about her camp? Do you know where that is?"

"Aye," Rēmu's face lightened. "That I do. Her camp's not too far from Kaspu's, in an abandoned manor that used to belong to some noble. It won't be easy to take," he warned, "but I can mark it on a map for you."

"And is that where she's keeping Damqa's father?" Jasper bit back a sigh of annoyance as the man shrugged.

"Is that it? Will you let me go?"

"I've got one more question," Jasper replied. "Tell me what you know about the potions, and I'll let you go."

"Oh, those things?" The man's nose wrinkled in distaste. "A bloody curse is what they are. They showed up about a decade ago," he said, "right around the time that the acolytes of Inūs̆ar first showed up."

"Who's Inūs̆ar?"

"The god of the Ḫuedar, if the rumors are to be believed. If you know anything of our history, you'll know we tried to ally with the Fey repeatedly. We didn't realize they were so broken by the last war that they were too afraid to attack again, even when we had the Empire on its heels. But a few years back, rumors started that we'd make contact with another group of Fey, a group who hadn't participated in the previous wars."

The man paused to look Jasper in the eye. "I want to be clear here - I'm just relaying rumors now, so don't get pissed off if your truth spell says I'm lying"

"Got it," Jasper grunted, and the bandit continued.

"The story goes that the Ḫuedar weren't interested in participating directly in the war, but were willing to lend us certain other aids, as long as we were willing to let their missionaries travel freely among us."

"Don't know how true that story is, but I do know that those potions didn't start appearing until after the priests of Inūs̆ar reached our lands. Our lords claim that it allows us to channel the god's blessing but…" an involuntary shudder seized the man, "they ain't no blessing. The feeling of power is intoxicating, and yet…you're not really in control of your actions. Your pain is so muted you don't even realize you're missing an arm until the potion wears off and you're suddenly bleeding out on the ground."

"And then there's the rage. I admit, I've got a temper, but it doesn't hold a candle to the anger you feel when that potion is coursing through your veins. Not to mention the other dark thoughts that run through your mind…" he muttered.

"So this Inūs̆ar is a dark god," Jasper pressed.

"Maybe?" The man shrugged. "I worship Uznâ myself, but I've got friends who follow Inūs̆ar. He's supposed to be a god of wisdom, seems to be pretty benign in most ways; it's just those bloody potions. But that's all I know." He looked up hopefully. "Now, will you let me go?"

Jasper started to reach for a knife, but Nissilât cut in. "What happens if you take the potion more than once?"

"You become stronger, faster, angrier, but it takes a toll on your body and your mind. I haven't seen it myself, but rumor is that if you take too many of them, you end up a gibbering madman. That was the third time I took the potion."

"And?" Jasper prodded as the bandit fell silent.

"Back there in the courtyard, before I surrendered, I saw Marassîn's body lying on the ground, her body twisted and scorched by your spells. And I thought…" he shuddered, and his face turned green, "I thought it looked…tasty. You don't have to worry about me going back to them, cause I never want to take that potion again."

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