We finally got back to the inn with a few hours of light left. Quickly grabbing a chair I sat down happy to be back.

“Rucksacks on the table and then I will divide the pay,” ordered Nelson. We quickly complied and soon he was dividing it into seven even piles, after a quick double check we were handed our pouches. When I grabbed mine I almost dropped it. It was heavier than I expected. I opened it to see the coins sparkling.

“It comes to almost seven thousand each, luckily they paid in hundred coins rather than tens or ones. Otherwise we would have struggled to get it back here,” Nelson said with a laugh.

“Jessica, best you consider where to keep it, that isn't the sort of cash you want to leave The Hub with, maybe rent a room here for a few weeks and store it there,” Sarah advised. As I was considering this Matt quickly grabbed at me stealing me sword.

“Hey, give that back!” I demanded. He removed the sheath and examined the blade.

“You better get this repaired, it is pretty battered with all you have been doing with it recently,” Matt said, sheathing it then tossing it to me.

“I have to take the rucksacks back to the owner, should be in the basement, Matt will need to repair his axes and you should come too. Don't forget your sword,” Nelson replied as he finished emptying the bags onto the table then picked them all up and beckoned me to follow. I did so and as we approached the door near the bar he knocked and gave it a push to open it. Judging that it opened and his face had a slight smile it seemed the owner was downstairs. Matt followed and when I hesitated Matt grabbed my hand and pulled me to follow. The stairs were a bit dark with very few candles but when we got down to the bottom a large room filled with light and many other things was before me.

“Nelson, good to see you back, I take it everything went well,” called a voice behind some large containers, how he knew who had entered was beyond me, maybe there was a mirror or something.

“High pay considering, here to return the rucksacks and maybe get your repair services if you are free,” replied Nelson.

“Sure, now is a good time. I will be with you in a moment, just got to do something. Take a seat in the usual spot,” the reply was. I followed Nelson to the nearby corner in the right and took a seat. There was a large set of equipment I didn't even know what half of it was but judging by the anvil I guessed was for blacksmithing and forging in general.

“Sorry about that, just making sure there are enough supplies,” the voice said as he came into view. He wasn't what I expected, his hair was white... no that wasn't quite right it was silvery and fairly long. If I saw him from behind I might have mistaken him for an old woman but his face screamed youth and was clearly masculine.

“Just leave the rucksacks there I will put them away later, what do you need repaired anyway?” he said.

“Matt's axes could do with a sharpen and touch up and Jessica's sword could do with some maintenance,” Nelson replied.

“Heard about your little adventures at the feast, pretty rare to join the fray and try again. Fighting Sammie however not your brightest idea on her rules. Ah but where are my manners, I am known as Flamingstorm and the owner of this inn. Can call me Storm if you wish,” as he introduced himself with a slight bow.

“Is it normal to have word travel this fast?” I asked.

“Often people will use this place when they get back from such a contract. It can be one of my busier times, so I get a lot of stories,” Flamingstorm explained as his examined one of Matt's axes. What he did next I didn't fully understand but within a short time the axe shined brightly and showed no signs of damage. He repeated the process with the other axe then gestured for my sword. After handing it to him he examined it carefully.

“A nice sword, the starter ones generally are decent quality but this damage is quite extensive, might need to get the forge running for it. Can I count on you to help out Nelson, show this newcomer the basics while you are at it,” Flamingstorm commanded in a light tone.

“How hot do you need it?” Nelson inquired.

“Fairly hot, this metal is a mix of silver and steel so won't be as easy to work with unless we get the flames a whitish colour,” he said examining the blade further, “Would you like any work done to it beyond repairs? Maybe a slight reshaping more to your liking?”

My confused look must have given everything away since he clearly knew I had no idea what kind of services he could do.

“He is asking if you want to change the design, maybe a thicker but shorter blade, or adding a slight curve to it so it is more like a katana. Unless you want something for sure best not to mess around with it, you can always get it done later or get a new weapon but reversing some of the changes can weaken the blade or might not even be possible without extra materials or a complete reforge,” Nelson explained.

“I guess I should just keep it how it is then,” I managed to slowly say.

“Likely for the best, you heard the girl, no changes. Anyway Jessica if you could pump the bellows to help out I will work on shovelling coal into the furnace, Matt give her a hand will you,” Nelson instructed and with that we got to work on running the forge. It was soon sweltering in the area but still the order came to keep working to get it hotter. When it was at the right temperature the order to slow down but not to stop came. Watching him work on it was interesting. Each hammer swing while wild looking was right at the areas it needed to land, clearly he was an expert at this. He hardly seemed to look away from it except to inspect the flames and bark a command at us to adjust it. My arms were soon feeling sore as I kept pumping the large bellows but finally with a hiss my sword was put into a barrel of water and cooled down. When it appeared again the blade looked better than it had when I first got it, it showed no chips, no signs of damage and even the slightly odd colour pattern had been replaced by a near pure silver finish.

“Look after this blade a bit better, it will serve you well as long as you treat it well, maybe come get a touch up with it every so often down here. Anyway Nelson the usual ten percent fee applies for your contract work, from the group share anyway, also if you are not busy I could do with a hand at the forge for a bit long.” Storm said.

“A nice share then for you, almost seven hundred, as for the forge I would gladly help with Matt but I think this kind of work is a bit much for Jessica at the moment, if you don't mind letting he go rest we will get straight to work,” Nelson responded.

“Excellent, I am sure you can find your way upstairs again Jessica,” Storm replied and with a nod he gave a smile and got back to work. I walked to the stairs my arms aching still and when I opened the door I saw only Sarah still around.

“Looks like you had to work the forge,” Sarah noted with a smirk, “Don't worry after a drink and a few minutes you will feel fine. It is hard work but we get better rates on repairs since we pretty much live here.”

“Where are the others?” I asked.

“Sammie is being Sammie so most likely at the bloodbath as for Emily, your guess is as good as mine,” she replied, “she is a bit of a loner and often just is around to help out with missions,”

I sat down to find Sarah had already gotten me a drink and as I quickly finished it I felt refreshed and as if I hadn't even helped with the forge.

“Is there anything you would like to do?” Sarah asked me, “Maybe we should visit your sister's place, not sure if she will be around but can always go check.”

“That sounds like a good idea, would you join me?” I responded.

“If you will have me I have no problem with it, those two will likely be working the forge for awhile. Part of the reason we get such good rates on the service is we help out when we need work done but he is skilled considering he isn't well known and just an inn owner to most people.” She stated and we both got up to leave.

It was a short walk to reach my sister's house, I am not sure I would count it as a house, it could be a palace or castle more than a house, even a mansion but in this world I wasn't sure how those were applied. I soon noticed as we walked down the final path that every other house up to it was fairly small, clearly I must be easy to read since Sarah quickly explained how when land it allocated to be sold and built on it is generally divided to have a single large plot of land and a bunch of smaller plots at least in residential areas. Often there would be space for a shop or two at the exit of the road to supply those that lived there with the basic goods. As we reached the door I gave a knock, there was no response so after a few moments I decided to open it. There was no fire lit and not much sign of life, I called out but it seemed like no one was home.

“I guess they are not around, we could wait but it is up to you,” Sarah suggested, “I don't really have any plans so I don't mind either way.”

I hadn't really thought of what to do next. I wasn't even sure if I expected them to be around or not but the idea of just resting seemed fine, after quickly making sure Sarah didn't mind we sat down on the large chairs in the living room. While the walk back had been slow and relaxed I hadn't noticed how tired I was and within moments I fell asleep.

However when my eyes were closed the dreams were dreadful. I was back fighting Sammie, every blow echoed through me, every bit of pain renewed. It was hard to keep track of it, it didn't feel like a dream, it felt so real and it seemed to last so much longer. It wasn't even like how Sammie was, she seemed to have twice as many arms all punching one after another without stop. However soon I couldn't stand it any more and my eyes shot open and I ran to the nearest bathroom to empty my stomach into the toilet.

“Bad dreams?” Sarah asked softly, having followed behind me and who was now leaning in the doorway in case I needed anything. I simply nodded.

“They will pass in time, very common after such a fight, not much else you can really do but if you need some company tonight we can get a double room. Having someone around can help, or so I am told,” she offered. I said I would consider it but didn't really want to get her involved too deeply, this was my mistake and I didn't want to drag someone else into it, especially someone that had advised me otherwise. After rinsing my mouth out at the sink we went back to the living room, Sarah tried to help but I brushed her off, I just wanted to not think about it at the moment. I wonder how long these side effects would last, or if they would ever fade. As I thought about it there was a knock at the door. A short pause and another much louder knock which was soon followed by large banging to the point I was worried it might break.

“I think you better get that, I don't have privileges here,” Sarah stated offering me a hand up which I took. As I opened it an unknown figure was standing before me. His armour was extremely heavy looking and I almost wondered if it was a person or just some robot since I doubted anyone could lift such armour let alone move in it.

“Who the hell are you?” the man said, from his voice I guessed him to be in his late twenties or early thirties. I was lost for words.

“I am Sarah and this is Jessica, she was here wanting to see if her sister was here but it seems she isn't,” Sarah said breaking the silence.

“Just my luck see some movement inside hoping to find the commander and it's just some kids,” he sighed and pushed past us into the living room taking a seat as if he owned the place. I looked at Sarah for guidance but she just shrugged and suggested to close the door, sit and wait. As we sat I examined his armour, it was dark, like a starless night. There was no sign of any weapons but I doubted I could ever hope to stand against such a person. The chair seemed to strain in protest and him and he just sat there quietly waiting. I wanted to break the silence but had no idea what to say, even Sarah seemed to be unable to suggest anything and so we simply waited, almost praying for one of the owners to return. After almost ten minutes of waiting there was a sound upstairs followed by footsteps coming down.

“Commander,” the man said kneeling to the now revealed Jasper who was stretching as if just awakening from a nap but most likely was just getting use to being online again.

“Hector, earlier than normal, I trust you have the days report?” Jasper inquired, his voice was stern and unlike anything I had heard from him before.

“Yes sir, the forward fortress is nearly ready and the main supply line to it is progressing as planned, we have no signs of the enemy nearby but I have ordered double scouts to patrol. Our movement would not have gone unnoticed so we should likely prepare for a counter,” he responded. Jasper made a gesture and the man rose.

“Very good, I will come inspect it later tonight. Make sure we have enough supplies to keep it running and are able to reinforce and repair if we are attacked there. Dismissed.” Jasper's voice was still stern as he spoke but he had noticed me and it seemed to have grown slightly softer. The man saluted and left without another word spoken. After he had left Jasper seemed to relax a bit. He took a seat joining us.

“Sorry about that business as usual, normally he comes a bit later so I have a few moments to myself,” Jasper stated examining us, “so how are things today? You seem to be better than last time I saw you but your colour is a little off,”

“She had a real fight to the death with Sammie, the effects of it are lingering,” Sarah explained when I couldn't find the words and Jasper's face went red like I had never seen before. He very rarely lost his temper but when he did you didn't want to be get in his way.

“Where is Sammie,” he ordered, his voice full of anger.

“I don't-” Sarah started but Jasper interrupted her.

“Where is she?” he barked and Sarah was clearly shaken.

“Most likely at the bloodbath,” Sarah replied shakily. Jasper wasted no time, without even equipping armour he grabbed a large sword that was by the door that the sword was almost as big as him and he seemed to have no problems lifting it as if it was smaller than my sword. He stormed out the house and we quickly followed as he marched towards the areas of the bloodbath. It didn't take long for him to find Sammie she had just finished a fight and was sitting to recover while having a drink.

“You!” he barked as Sammie. She looked up calmly as if a friend had called her but a confused expression followed when she saw who it was.

“Can I help you?” she asked. Almost seconds after a duel window had appeared for her, I had no idea what kind but even Sammie seemed to hesitate at it. She accepted it as if it was just another fight.

“Well this is a rare sight, the leader of a faction come to fight one of us,” called an announcer but one glare from Jasper and he stopped speaking. Jasper then slammed his sword down with all his might. Sammie had managed to dodge but the shock wave knocked her against the wall. The stone path hadn't just been broken but completely shattered.

“How is that possible?” I asked Sarah alarmed at what just happened.

“It is most likely infused with powerful wind magic, it should be a lot lighter and produce powerful shock waves on contact,” she replied before struggling to remain standing as the sword slammed into the ground again. Sammie hadn't even been hit but looked like she was in rough shape. The force of the shock waves had sent her flying into nearby walls one even cracking on her hitting it and I knew she felt every bit of pain as if it was real. She readied herself into a stance wondering how to defend herself as her left arm hung lifelessly at her side, most likely broken in several places. Her expression was serious now, she examined rapidly for any options but as the sword slammed down again just narrowly missing as she dodged she slammed through a nearby wall and was dead. While I thought that was the end of it and started to rush to Sammie, Sarah grabbed my arm.

“This is a match not just a duel, you can tell from the counter above them,” she explained pointing at a number one that had appeared over Jasper, “There is nothing we can do till the counter hits the limit of what it was set for,”

Sammie stood up pretty rapidly, she spat as if clearing out blood but nothing seemed to appear. The revival time must be extremely short in a match like this. Jasper wasted no time and rapidly swung his sword cutting Sammie separating her top half from her bottom and the shock wave slamming both parts in different directions. Tears came to my eyes. This wasn't the Jasper I knew. This was some monster taken his form, blinded by anger. As Sammie appeared from the dust with no visible signs of quitting or even showing any emotion she took a stance to fight again but I had had enough and ran to grab Jasper's arm hopefully stopping his next swing. He turned around almost punching me off but when he saw me his expression softened.

“Enough, it was my fault not hers. I made the choice to fight, please just stop hurting her,” I cried. His sword dropped and he looked down at me.

“I'm sorry. I shouldn't have lost my temper, I just can't stand the idea of someone hurting you.” he said, it wasn't him trying to cast away blame but simply stating what had caused such anger.

“Sammie, I shouldn't have attacked you as such, please forgive me,” he apologised bowing before her, he quickly reached into his pockets pulling out some coins and held them towards her, from the gasps of the crowd they must have been worth a lot.

“I don't want your money,” she simply stated.

“Then what do you want as a way I can atone for my mistake?” he asked carefully. Clearly knowing he was in the wrong for his actions.

“The same thing I always want, a good fight, for the next round, lets fight, no special weapons or armour just you and me,” she said as she readied herself. He sighed but nodded and got into a combat stance. I knew he had learn some martial arts but I didn't know how he would manage against Sammie. I don't think anyone knew. With a nod from each of them the fight started again. Sammie made the first attack launching a punch at him but Jasper side stepped and deflected it. He used her momentum to try and get an attack in her blind spot but she instead of going the way he wanted, she had dropped to the ground and tried to sweep his legs from under him with a kick. He staggered and retreated back. He hadn't expected that. He readied himself again and darted out sending a kick towards Sammie's head but she ducked moving in to counter but before she could Jasper swung around and as his first leg touched the ground swung around with his other one lower this time causing her to pull back.

“It is rare to see someone skilled at hand to hand combat,” commented Sarah judging Jasper's moves.

“His father was a fairly strict man who forced him to learn different martial arts,” I replied watching the fight closely. It was mostly them attempting to land a hit with it being dodged or deflected.

“Sammie doesn't get many chances to fight like this, she could be at a disadvantage since she has no formal training to speak of and normally is fighting against a weapon” she answered back. Honestly I didn't know who to cheer for, I guess one was someone I felt like was a companion to and the other was like a brother to me. I could only watch wordlessly as they kept trying to land a deciding hit. The crowd only grow in size, it was a fair size before the fight but with these fighters going all out many couldn't pass on a chance to watch and bet. The huge amounts being wagered was shocking. After minutes of attacks the deciding moment came. Jasper had been leading Sammie towards a spot where the ground was badly damaged and when she tried to dodge his latest attack she slipped and was at his mercy. After an odd move Sammie was defeated and the crowd erupted with cheering and cries. Jasper offered a hand to Sammie and she took it.

“Maybe we can fight again under better circumstances,” he offered weakly, still angry but at himself for losing control.

“Next time leave the sword at home, that kind of thing doesn't really go well here,” she replied. As if he had forgotten about it he picked it up and put it on a holder on his back.

“Come with me I want to make you an offer, you too Jessica and Sarah.” he requested and with that he led us back to his house.