"I've been thinking about that priest who died in the street. The one you used blood magic on... the one you killed."

  She hesitated and drummed her fingers once against the table's edge.

  "If you ask me, the bastard deserved it. What he was doing was pure evil. But I also saw you only incapacitated the guards. Was that intentional?"

  Anzu blinked as the question caught him off guard. It made perfect sense, though. She'd seen him kill a man in the street while watching blood pour from wounds that materialized at his command, while the guards survived. There was no way she could've known what limits he'd tried to impose on his damage output.

  "Ah, that's a great question. So, I incapacitated the two guards first, and then, if you remember, I tried to reason with the priest, which was when he started throwing knives at us."

  Itani nodded slowly, while Anzu shifted in his seat, choosing his words with care.

  "The thing with blood magic, especially at my level, is that it's very powerful, and the priest was constantly healing himself with heal-over-time scrolls. I was trying to only incapacitate him, too, like I did the guards, but his health fluctuated so much I couldn't accurately predict how much damage to output. In other words, it was an accident."

  He scratched the back of his head as his gaze drifted toward the far wall. That was all he was going to say on the matter. He couldn't possibly discuss the glitches he'd just found with his build. At least not until he understood them better.

  Itani's expression shifted into one of curiosity.

  "Oh, so you didn't mean to kill him at all?"

  "Yes, that's right. Tricky thing, managing heal-over-time effects."

  "I mean, I get it about the guards. They were just doing their jobs and probably had families to go home to. But the priest? He was just an evil tyrant."

  "So, you need to understand my position. As an Archsage, I have massive power at my disposal, which is why it would be irresponsible to just kill whenever I felt like it. But...," he looked at the ceiling as he thought about the matter, "there are times when a line needs to be drawn... when killing is necessary. Either way, chance decided the priest's fate, and there's not point in beating ourselves up about it."

  Itani weighed his logic and returned a wide smile.

  "Right. That makes sense. I suppose I've never thought about it that way. About the bigger picture, I mean."

  Anzu studied her across the table. She'd nearly been executed. Dragged into a ziggurat, bound, threatened with mysterious magic, and convicted. The priests would have killed her without any hesitation. And still, felt it was right that the guards didn't die. Many people wouldn't share that view.

  She didn't, at least at first, agree with his reasoning about the dead priest, but he could understand her position. When he was around [Level 50] and had severely limited combat skills, he'd probably have shared her view.

  Something settled in his chest; it was a kind certainty Anzu rarely felt about others. A well-positioned moral compass and also empathy in the face of injustice were the qualities he looked for in people he associated with. He was beginning to think that perhaps Itani could be trusted.

  The bartender reappeared, sliding two clay mugs of ale onto the table, followed by smaller cups filled with amber mead. The sweet and sharp scent cut through the basement's damp air.

  Anzu put up his hand to catch the man's attention before he could leave.

  "Do you happen to have any puffing leaf I could buy?"

  "Sure, but we've only got a northern blend."

  "Okay, sure. I'll take a packet of that."

  The bartender grunted and disappeared again.

  Anzu glanced at Itani.

  "I prefer the southern blends usually because they have a sweeter aroma. But the northern one will do."

  "Better than nothing, right?"

  "Exactly."

  Itani reached for her shot, lifting it with two fingers.

  "What should we drink to?"

  Anzu picked up his own cup, thinking.

  "The most appropriate thing to drink to, given the circumstances, would be liberty."

  Itani's smile widened.

  "I agree."

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  They clinked their mugs together, and the ceramic met with a dull but satisfying tap.

  "To liberty."

  The mead had a lovely burn as it went down. It was sharp, with a honey sweetness that lingered in the mouth. Anzu set the empty cup down and exhaled.

  Itani did the same, grimacing slightly.

  "Strong stuff."

  "Very."

  She reached for her ale, taking a long drink, and Anzu followed suit. The beer was cool and slightly bitter, which was a welcome refreshment after the mead's sharpness.

  For the first time since he got mugged, broke his ankle, and finally had a wooden beam crash into him in Puivert castle, Anzu felt something close to calm, even if it was just momentary.

  The mead's warmth spread across Anzu's chest, which needed to be complemented with another sensation. Anzu set down the empty cup and reached for his pipe, which lay on the table.

  He'd forgotten to include the pipe in the [Illude] spell, but that didn't concern him. Only his closest companions from the old days would recognize it: a long-stemmed churchwarden carved from cherry wood with a dark reddish bowl, while the stem was nearly black and had tiny cuneiform symbols etched along its length.

  The bartender had returned by now and placed a packet next to the drinks. Anzu opened it and pushed the cut-up leaves into the bowl with his thumb, packing it down until the blend sat level. He raised his left hand, on which he wore the [Clay Spewer ], and slowly angled the ring toward the tobacco, casting [Minor Ignite].

  A small flame sparked above the bowl. Anzu drew slow and measured puffs, slowly turning the leaf to an orange ember. Smoke rose upward, carrying a nutty aroma mixed with that of smoky wood. It was a proper northern blend. And unlike the southern versions, which were lighter and sweeter, this one had a darker and earthier aroma. It was good leaf.

  He took a sip from the clay jug to let ale wash over his mouth, and finally felt his shoulders settle.

  "Alright, now we can talk properly."

  Itani had already downed several large gulps from her own mug.

  Anzu raised an eyebrow and smiled.

  "I see you really like your ale."

  "Like I said, it's thirst. And a Ranger thing, too, I think."

  She set the jug down, fingers still wrapped around its handle, and gave him a curious look.

  "So, I've been wondering. How come you let the priests capture us and tie us up like that?"

  Anzu paused his puffing to consider the question. It landed harder than he expected, but she was right. An Archsage with his reputation should have handled those guards and priests without breaking a sweat. The whole incident shouldn't have escalated past the first confrontation. It wasn't something he wanted to announce to others, but Itani deserved to know the truth.

  He puffed smoke at the corner of his mouth and smiled wider than usual.

  "Another great question."

  Itani tilted her head and smiled herself.

  "You see, I've been away for a while. A long while, actually. And something that I don't completely understand yet changed my build, or rather broke it. My spells are as powerful as always, if not more so, but my mana depletes way, way too fast."

  Recognition flickered across Itani's face.

  "Ooh, I see. So you were out of mana when the second wave of guards arrived?"

  "Yeah, that's correct."

  Anzu pulled on his pipe again, watching the leafy embers glow briefly before fading.

  "Now, I could have stabbed them with my dagger, but that would've likely killed them on the spot."

  Itani took another drink, slower this time, and nodded.

  "That makes sense. The priests deserved what they got, but the guards… most of them are just doing what they're told."

  "Right."

  Itani raised her jug and drank.

  "Well, for what it's worth, I'm glad you didn't slaughter half the city guard. It would've made things even messier."

  "Agreed."

  Anzu took another long pull from the pipe, causing smoke to curl past his lips.

  "It's something I need to fix, as soon as possible."

  He set the pipe down and lifted his mug to wash away the dryness of his mouth from the northern leaf.

  "But it turned out for the better. I mean, not that we're fugitives now, obviously, but we know what the Mardukists are after. The reincarnation business."

  The memory of that scroll unfurling struck him again, about how the combination of pain and pleasure in his spine awoke a sensation he had experienced less than a day ago in France, when electricity wrapped around his body. A near identical sensation. There was something deep about it that he couldn't comprehend.

  It wasn't something he could explain to Itani. Not yet, anyway, and perhaps not ever. How could he describe the impossible leap from modern France to this world? How some kind of reincarnation might be the only term that came close to what happened, even if it didn't quite fit?

  Anzu leaned back and drummed his fingers once again against the table.

  "Do you know anything about it?"

  Itani shook her head.

  "No, it's the first I've heard of it. I mean... we've all read tales about it, but that's about where my knowledge of it stops."

  "Fair enough."

  Anzu reached for the pipe again, this time finding the bowl cold. He raised the [Clay Spewer,] murmured the spell again, and drew until the leaf glowed red.

  "Anyway, we're stuck together in this fugitive business now. Do you have any plans for what comes after?"

  Itani hesitated. For just a fraction of a second, her eyes flicked down, and her mouth opened as if she was about to say something, but then it closed again. Her fingers tightened around the jug's handle. Then the moment passed.

  "I was actually about to ask you the same thing."

  Anzu filed the observation away as something she wasn't ready to share. He wouldn't push for it, either. Trust was built slowly, and she'd already risked her neck for him twice.

  He took another swig, letting the silence settle before continuing.

  "So, the first thing I need to take care of is this build issue I have. But before I do that, I need to get my stuff. Like I told you before, my inventory is completely empty."

  Itani didn't ask why. She was a little more reserved now than a few hours ago, but Anzu appreciated it nonetheless, since he couldn't really say why his inventory was empty.

  "I have a Sage's tower in Larsa, and it should all be locked up in there."

  Itani straightened with her eyes brightening.

  "Ah, I was actually planning to travel south, as well."

  "Great. We can travel to Larsa together, if you like. I still owe you a grinding session, but we need to reach my tower first."

  A drop of red rose in Itani's cheeks. It was barely visible in the candlelight but still hard to miss. She glanced down at her mug with fingers tracing its rim.

  And that was normal, as things were different now. Before, he'd been a fellow adventurer, someone to team up with for practical reasons. Now she knew exactly who he was and what he'd accomplished as the Hero of Larsa. But Anzu meant what he said. Debt was debt, regardless of status.

  "Of course, I would be more than happy to travel with you."

  Anzu nodded, satisfied.

  "It's settled then. Now, the only way we can travel right now is with an ox cart caravan. They're horrendously slow, but we don't really have other options."

  Itani's eyes shot up and shifted to an alarmed expression.

  "Oof, forget the slowness. There's a much bigger problem with that caravan right now."

  Anzu's hand froze halfway to his pipe.

  "What problem?"