Eric slid to a stop at the base of the ladder, his chest heaving with the effort of sprinting while carrying the girl. He gently set her down on her feet, then dropped to his knees. The girl was crying silently but made no effort to move. She stayed right next to him, watching him with wide eyes as he caught his breath. He looked up at her and offered a comforting smile.

“Don’t you worry,” he said shakily, still breathing heavily. “I’ll just catch my breath, and carry you out of here.”

She nodded silently, still too shaken to speak. Peering around the eerily lit space, she shuffled a little closer to him. They remained like this for about two minutes, until they heard voices shouting from down the tunnel. The thieves had worked out what had happened finally and were rushing towards the market entrance, trying to catch whoever had grabbed the girl.

“Quick, on my back,” Eric panted. He had no time to rest further. “I can’t carry you the same way and climb the ladder.”

She walked behind her and put her arms around his neck. Her skin was alarmingly cold to the touch, but he bore the discomfort. Once he was sure she was settled securely, he rose to his feet and started climbing the ladder. He went slow so he didn’t disrupt her, but the extra weight was burning his arms and legs as he forced himself upward. Forgetting stealth entirely, he hit the wooden cover with his fist, knocking it up and to the side.

“Hold on tight,” he warned the girl. Then he scurried up the last few rungs as fast as he could. The torchlight in the market area was almost blinding compared to the tunnels below. By the worst luck possible, Anders was standing, mere feet away from the entrance, and had turned as Eric had sent the cover flying off. He was stunned in shock for just a moment as he tried to understand just who Eric was. But as he saw the girl, his faint suspicion hardened into certainty.

“Hey!” He shouted at Eric, but he and the girl were already free of the ladder, and Eric had shifted the girl back into his arms. Ignoring Anders’s challenge, he turned sharply on his heel and ran for it. Anders tore after him at once, and Eric ducked and weaved through the crowd, trying to gain distance. Anders simply bowled men and women aside as he gave chase. Eric could tell at once that he couldn’t outrun the giant, burdened as he was by the girl.

Thinking quick, Eric dove to the side, behind a cart holding cloaks for sale. He snatched one off the rack as he moved, flinging it around his shoulders and wrapping it around both himself and the girl. The merchant, of course, opened his mouth to protest at this theft but fell silent at once as he caught the gleam of the silver coin Eric had produced from his purse. It was equal to ten coppers, all he had on him. Eric held one finger up to his lips in an unmistakable gesture for silence. The man swallowed, then nodded, and Eric threw the coin at him.

Anders tore around the corner the instant the merchant had squirreled the silver coin into a pocket of his tunic. The giant man lumbered over to the stall, looking left and right for any sign of Eric. Luckily, many people wore cloaks like his, as the night was getting colder, so Anders couldn’t immediately make out any features of the people around him. Confused, he rounded on the cloak merchant.

“Did you see a man run past here, carrying a girl with silver hair?”

“No, sir,” the merchant replied smoothly. “And please keep your voice down. This is the quiet market.”

“Don’t you lie to me!” Anders thundered, reaching out and grabbing the front of the man’s tunic. “Where did they go?”

But the merchant was having none of it. “Guards!” he hollered at the top of his voice. The sheer volume of his voice shocked Anders, and he let go without thinking. Two city guards were there in a flash, wearing iron breastplates and carrying thick clubs. They placed themselves between Anders and the merchant, pushing the larger man back. Seeming to realize he’d been rumbled, Anders, cursed loudly and walked away. One of the guards paced after him to make sure he left the area, while the other turned to ask the merchant some questions.

Eric and the girl were already several feet away, turning towards the main road. Now that they were out of the tunnels, it was easier to move quickly. The fear of being caught lessened with the distance they put between themselves and the market until Eric could feel himself breathing more easily. There was no sign of Anders or any of the other thieves around them as they reached the Heron Tavern.

“Papa!” The girl shouted with glee as Eric led her into the warm tavern and she spotted her father. “Papa!”

The man who’d hired Eric whirled around at the sound of the voice, and ran over to his daughter at once, shouldering aside two people as he did so. He scooped the girl up into his arms and spun her around once. His eyes were filled with tears, but he smiled widely all the same as he hugged her tightly. Just over her shoulder, he locked eyes with Eric and gave him a silent nod of gratitude. More than a little uncomfortable at the touching scene, and still winded by his actions in the past hour, he slid into the first empty seat he could find.

“Thank you for saving her,” the mother said. She’d approached without Eric noticing her. “We don’t know what we would have done without you.”

Eric tried to wave his hand and say that it was no big deal, but she stopped him with a gesture. Also smiling through sad eyes overflowing with tears of fear and relief, she took Eric’s hands in her own. Then she did something very strange. She lowered her head and kissed his dirty, scratched knuckles. Before he could react, she’d placed a coin purse in his cupped hands.

“Thank you,” she said again. “You did a great thing today.”

Another two levels, he thought. And forty silver to boot. That wasn’t a bad starting point, he thought. So if he completed the optional objective, the reward was doubled, it seemed. But he didn’t know if it would stay that way. Mandra the barmaid was weaving her way through the crowd, a broad smile on her face. She gave the reunited family a hug, which they returned eagerly, then she made her way over to Eric.

“So you’re the one who saved little Mari,” she said, turning her smile on Eric. “I wondered where you’d gone. Good work, dear.”

“Thanks,” Eric said sheepishly. He’d never enjoyed being the center of attention, and now people around the taproom were looking at him in approval. Most of them had even clapped a few times. “I just got lucky.”

“Well, luck or no,” Mandra said with a wink. “Your room and food are free tonight, dear. Stay the week while you get on your feet.”

“Thanks,” Eric said again. He didn’t bother to mention that he wouldn’t be here a week. “But for now I’m too tired to eat. I think I’ll turn in for the night.”

Mandra patted him on the cheek. “Alright, dear. I’ll send some water up in case you get thirsty in the night. Sleep well.”

Eric staggered his way over to the stairs, being slapped on the back by each of the patrons he passed. He paused at the first step and looked back at the family. The girl was much more relaxed now, eating and talking with her parents as if the entire ordeal hadn’t happened. She caught Eric’s eye as he turned, and a huge adorable smile spread across her face as she waved at him. Grinning in return, he waved tiredly and continued up the stairs.

The bed was clean and soft, and to his tired brain, felt like a cloud when he collapsed upon it. The window had been left open to admit the cool evening air, a welcome contrast to the heat coming off a charcoal brazier beside his bed. He rolled over onto his back and stared up at the wooden ceiling of his room. He was amazed at the attention to detail that went into the room around him. He could clearly make out each line in the wood. What an impressive game, he thought. Then his eyes slid closed, and he was asleep.