Part of Asher wanted to Recall over to Samantha right then and there and fill her in on what he'd learned, but after hearing about Brian's fears and the trauma he was rightfully still processing, he decided he didn't want to leave the twelve-year-old alone in the forest just yet. Even now, he could see Brian throw the occasional subtle glance over at him, as though confirming Asher was still there and that he wasn't alone in camp.

While he waited, Asher decided to get in some practice with his strange new Ring of the Gourmet. The Taste Tester skill even worked on raw ingredients like mushrooms and berries, and Asher was shocked to discover just how many different species of poisonous mushrooms there were scattered throughout the forest. Samantha had often foraged for them as they hunted, treating them as convenient snacks to fill their bellies while they searched for game.

Just one more thing she did to be impressed by.

Thankfully, it wasn't long before Samantha returned to camp, and Asher immediately dragged her off to the side to fill her in on the conversation he'd had with her brother.

"Seriously?" Samantha gasped, a hand going to her heart at the realization that Brian wasn't holding up nearly as well as she thought he was. "I had no idea!"

"I think that was the point," Asher nodded. "After all these years, Brian probably knows you better than you know yourself. I think he just didn't want to worry you."

"What do I do?" Samantha asked, looking more unsure of herself than Asher had ever seen her while standing within the forest. "If he's still traumatized by the forest, I don't want to keep him here! But we can't just go home, Eight is still after you!"

"I don't think it's the forest so much as it is the thought of being kidnapped again, but yeah, the forest probably isn't helping," Asher admitted. "Regardless, I'm planning on trying to finish this entire ordeal tonight. As soon as the sun goes down, I'm heading into the fourth ring and tackling the Frent estate in search of Eight. If all goes well, it will be safe to head back to the cabin first thing in the morning."

"Okay… Just please be careful," Samantha begged, pulling him into one of her famous spine-creaking hugs. "I don't want you to rush things and end up getting yourself hurt because of us."

"I'll be fine, don't worry," he said, returning her hug and giving her a goodbye kiss. While Samantha went over to have what was no doubt going to be a rather intense heart to heart with her little brother, Asher took a deep breath and focused on the mark he'd placed on Rosh. One Recall later, and he suddenly found himself standing in the streets of Whikoga once more. For once, Rosh was actually out and about, and Asher surprised more than one person when he appeared out of nowhere without warning.

Recall - Lvl 6

Note to self, not the most subtle skill when the marked person is out in public.

Ignoring the gasps and people staring at him like he was a ghost, Asher tugged his hood down over his head and turned toward Rosh.

"Hey there! Sorry to drop in!"

"Would it kill you to mark somewhere else in Whikoga?" Rosh drawled, pinching the bridge of his nose as he sighed. "I get you want to make sure I stay safe, but I'm getting a little tired of being used as your waypoint to the city."

"I can only have so many marks, but I'll see what I can do," he promised. "I don't suppose there's any chance you know anything about the fourth ring and the defenses the nobles have in there, would you?"

"Realms above, Asher, please don't tell me anything more than that," Rosh muttered, squeezing his eyes shut. "Working as a bookkeeper for Draken is one thing, but I do not want to be involved in anything related to the fourth ring. You shouldn't either if you value your life. The nobles are an entirely different beast than Loratta was."

"Don't worry, I'll leave you out of this one," Asher grinned, focusing on his next target. "I've got two other people that might be able to help."

With a thought and another burst of energy, Asher activated Recall again, popping into existence beside Kree as the thief blew on a piping hot kabob he'd just purchased from a street vendor. Yelping at his sudden appearance, the thief all but threw his kabob as he flinched back, barely keeping himself from slipping into his shadow form. Asher chuckled as he reached out with Distortion and snatched the falling kebab by the wooden handle before it could hit the ground, holding it out to the poor man.

"Here you go!" he said, laughing as Kree narrowed his eyes at him. The thief looked like he wanted to snap at him, before quickly recalling just who he was annoyed with.

"Please don't do that," Kree sighed, accepting the kabob and finally digging into it as Asher began leading them somewhere. "I'll be honest, I sort of thought you'd forgotten about me."

Stolen novel; please report.

"Nope, just been a little busy," Asher said, double checking his Incorporated map of the different gangs within the city as he corrected his course. "A lot has happened since we last spoke…"

While the two of them made their way across the second ring, Asher filled Kree in on the relevant bits of information he needed to know. How the thief's intel on the Guild safe house was good, how he'd fought and killed a handful of the senior assassins, even going so far as to mention how he'd gotten a solid lead from one of them regarding Eight's whereabouts in the fourth ring. Naturally, there was plenty he decided to leave out, such as his working with the truthseekers, or his entire conversation with Owl and the Knuckle's declaration that the Head was testing him. There was no need to overwhelm the young thief after all.

But despite his best efforts, Kree was still rather taken aback.

"You killed three of the Guild's senior assassins?!" he hissed, glancing around as though afraid the Guild was watching their every move. "They're not going to let that slide!"

"Kree, that's kind of the point," Asher said bluntly, raising an eyebrow at him. "Have you forgotten I'm trying to take down the Guild? I'm hoping killing Eight will be like cutting the head off a snake, but I'm not so out of touch I don't realize I might need to hunt down the other senior assassins and deal with them as well."

In reality, Eight was really the only person Asher had to kill in Whikoga, as he was the only one here who knew where Samantha and Brian lived as far as Asher knew. But he couldn't help but feel that burning drive to test himself, and he knew without a shadow of a doubt he'd probably try to hunt down the other assassins and deal with them one after another.

Kree grew quiet at the reminder, and the two of them walked the rest of the way in silence. It wasn't until they turned the corner and Draken's manor came into view that Kree let out a soul crushing groan.

"Do we have to go back in there?" he asked, looking fearfully at what must have felt like the belly of the beast to him.

"Come on, Draken was friendly enough last time, wasn't he? Oh, before I forget, here's your pay for the next couple of days," Asher said, tossing Kree a thousand shards and stifling a chuckle as the thief's eyes widened at the orb before quickly absorbing it into himself.

As they approached the manor, a face that was growing increasingly familiar walked up to him.

"Glad to see you're still in one piece!" Thunder grinned, bouncing her crackling mace along her shoulder. "How did it go? With the…" she trailed off, glancing between Kree and himself as she raised an eyebrow in silent question.

"It went well," he nodded, appreciating her discretion. "I have an actual lead on Eight, but I need to ask Draken a few questions. I think he might have some information that can help."

"Draken's made it clear that he's always got time for you," Thunder shrugged, motioning for them to follow her. "Though fair warning, he isn't exactly all that happy after the stunt you pulled."

"He's not?" Kree asked, nearly tripping over his own feet as he looked between Thunder and Asher. "What did you do?" he hissed.

"I may have helped put one of his favorite elites in a particularly deadly situation," Asher shrugged, continuing forward. "It was his idea though."

Groaning, Kree fell into step behind him once more. Asher could tell the poor thief was contemplating making a break for it, but the combination of Asher's promise of easy shards and the knowledge that he'd been marked stayed his hand.

The three of them entered the manor, and Asher was surprised to find Crush sitting in the foyer, watching the door just like he had been the last time he was here.

"Crush? You're still here?" he asked, walking forward and shaking the big man's hand.

"We have no way of knowing how many different assassins were given the hit for me," he grunted, nodding toward Kree and getting a quiet whimper from the easily scared thief. "Whikoga's Guild has at least eight or nine senior assassins in total, which means there could be a good handful more still on the hunt. Not to mention Eight himself might just join in and take care of me himself after all this. At least, that's what Draken said. I think he's just trying to punish me for disobeying him."

"I mean, you did basically get him drunk and then went against a direct order," Thunder pointed out helpfully. "Honestly, if I hadn't told him you'd finally agreed to take in a third element in exchange for my assistance, my ass would have been in the hot pot as well!"

"But we took down yet another one of Eight's senior assassins, and not one of us got so much as a scratch," Asher pointed out. "How could he be mad?"

"Oh boy, you really don't know how the chain of command works, do you?" Thunder snorted. "The end results don't really matter, the fact that we went against orders is what's important."

"Well maybe he'll change his tune once he hears the lead I got from our efforts," Asher said, frowning. "Sorry Crush, I didn't intend for you to get in trouble."

"It's fine," Crush rumbled, waving a hand amicably. "I'm just happy the plan worked. You managed to learn what you needed from him?"

"I have a location," Asher nodded. "What I need now is help getting access to it, which is why I need Kree and Draken's knowledge."

"Me?" Kree blinked, looking more than a little surprised. "Wait, what could I possibly know that might help you? I figured you were just going to give me a new assignment!"

"You're the only infiltration specialist I know," Asher shrugged, clapping the thief on the back. "I figured you were the guy I needed to ask when it came to things like enchanted defenses or the like."

"I wouldn't call myself a-"

Kree never finished that sentence, and Asher didn't blame him. A heavy, freezing aura suddenly pressed down on him from all angles, and if Kree's blanched face and trembling form was any indication, Asher wasn't the only person feeling what could only be the touch of Draken's death aura.

"So… You finally showed up," Draken said quietly, stepping out of his study and staring at them with the closest Asher had personally seen of anger from the gang leader. It was far from an uncontrollable rage, but Draken was clearly rather upset and not doing much to hide the fact.

"Let's have a nice, long talk about using my subordinates without my permission, shall we?"

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