Nessa was more magnificent than I could have ever imagined. The city was an endless maze of sandstone buildings, the roads disorganized, crisscrossing wherever they could find a path. One turn led us to a bustling market full of vendors selling bright silks, delicate pottery, and local food and spices. While we were passing through, I caught sight of someone selling a familiar meat on a stick, and this time, I made us stop and bought one for everybody. The meat was spicy, with a hint of curry flavor. It tasted like heaven. While on the road, we had decent food thanks to my raiding of the Hunters’ Guild’s pantry before fleeing Danver. We were able to put together some decent meals during our journey here, but this mystery meat on a stick put it all to shame.

  After a full belly and some more exploring, we entered a courtyard populated with at least thirty perfectly carved statues, all human, each distinct from the other. Some walked in one direction, others in the opposite. A few had packs on their backs, and others held items in their hands. Taken as a whole, it looked like a snapshot of any random street in Nessa. It took up a significant amount of space and disrupted the flow of traffic considerably, but I appreciated it nonetheless. It was art for art's sake, and there was little to none of that in Danver.

  Val pointed me in the general direction of the inn she had discovered for us, but we meandered and took our time getting there. It was a strange feeling being around so many people again. Dark thoughts about how my presence endangered every person in Nessa tried to creep up from the deep well of my mind, but I pushed them back down, unwilling to believe it. It was going to be different this time. No one was going to get hurt. All we had to do was gain access to the portal, and we’d be gone.

  We ended up on what looked like a main road, leading to the center of town, and my anxiety rose as I noticed that one in every ten or so people that passed me were not human. They were players, mostly Kurskin as expected, but I was still surprised by the number of Dalari in the city.

  It was uncomfortable being near so many players, to say the least.

  Hey, Val. What are the odds that news from Danver has reached Nessa before us?

  “I would expect some players to be aware of what happened in Danver. There are rare abilities that allow for long-distance communication. Also, some abilities can make travelling easier, like Bhatri’s teleport ability. Or your Speed Check skill, but that has limited casts at your current level. A high-level player could make good time with an upgraded version of it.”

  So, some players could be looking for us?

  “Possibly,” Val said. “If I overhear any players speaking of Danver, I will notify you. As for the NPC population, I doubt word has spread among them, but a man on horseback could make the journey from Danver even faster than we did. Someone making haste like that would be coming to inform Nessa’s leadership, so 50/50 odds at least a few elevated NPCs in Nessa are aware, and 70/30 odds that some players are aware.”

  Would there be a bounty out on us? Like from the NPCs in Danver, I mean. Obviously, the players want to kill me.

  “If I were to guess, any NPCs remaining in Danver would have been reset by the Voxals. It’s the easiest way for them to clean up the mess you made. Therefore, no one will blame Danver on you, except for the players.”

  Val had mentioned the possibility of a reset before. My stomach sank at the thought of rolling back a human mind to a safe point, as if it were a computer that had been infected with a virus. If Val was right and there was a reset, then all the memories NPCs had made in the last few months were gone. I didn’t want to think about what was going on in the minds of those who had lost someone as Danver burned and didn’t even remember. Some new mothers might not even know the name of the baby they held in their arms. The implications were devastating.

  My dark thoughts were interrupted by a commotion down the street. Some people turned and hurried away while others were attracted to the source, their curiosity outweighing their caution. I was one of the latter, and therefore, so were all my friends.

  “Let’s go see what’s going on,” I said.

  “Yes!” Kitz said, excitedly. He was holding up far better than I had thought he would in a big city. I knew once the wonder wore off, he’d begin yearning to be free of the masses again.

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  “I’m up for anything,” Tabby said.

  “Are you kidding?” Delen said. “Why seek out trouble? It finds us well enough on its own.”

  “Do not be afraid,” Ersabet said. “John can protect you. And if need be, Kitz, Tabby, and I can protect John.”

  “There’s nothing dangerous,” I said quickly before Delen could speak. “No one is running away. Come on.”

  I led everyone through the crowd and pushed my way through until I caught a glimpse of blue skin through a break in the crowd. My interest piqued, I took us laterally through the crowd, aiming for one of the many large statues dotting the streets of Nessa. The statue towered as high as some of the nearby buildings, with a base at least a foot off the ground. It was further from the action, but it provided a better view.

  We all squeezed onto the base of the statue, and Ersabet picked Kitz up with ease and sat the boy on her shoulder. The kid was a bit old to be sitting on someone’s shoulders, but he didn’t seem to mind.

  Ahead, the crowd formed a circle around a Dalari, and to my delight, a Kurskin who was crouched and ready to fight. I couldn’t hear what was being said, but the Dalari appeared deeply offended by the Kurskin. He ranted and raved while the Kurskin stayed at the ready. For a minute, I thought there wouldn’t be a fight until the Dalari finally finished his diatribe and slammed his fist against his chest three times. Then he charged.

  The Kurskin sprang forward like a coiled spring. He soared through the air and tackled the Dalari in his midsection. The move was so fast, it had to be a player ability.

  The Dalari flew back, the Kurskin atop him as they skidded across the sandy street. Before their momentum came to a stop, the Dalari rolled backwards, flinging the Kurskin off. Both opponents quickly found their feet. The Kurskin drew his blade, and the real fight began.

  I heard Kitz gasp as the Dalari conjured a bright blue spear in his hand and snapped it at the Kurskin. The tip of the spear crackled with magic energy as the Kurskin deflected the blow. The Dalari flowed gracefully with the deflection, spinning like a top. He brought the spear around and dipped it low at the last second, tripping the Kurskin. The lizard fell on all fours and immediately launched at the Dalari like a rocket, using the same skill as before.

  This time, the Dalari was wise to it and managed to sidestep the tackle, but still took a glancing blow to his hip from the Kurskin’s rock-hard shoulder. The Dalari’s face wrinkled in pain and rage, and he threw the spear at the Kurskin who had just rolled to his feet. The spear missed the lizard’s head by inches, instead embedding itself into the chest of one of the onlookers beyond.

  The powerful throw launched the poor man off his feet, and he landed flat on his back. Those around him pushed against the crowd, trying to distance themselves from the injured man. He convulsed violently, as if struck by a seizure, and the conjured spear glowed brighter and brighter before suddenly blinking out and crumbling into dust.

  My attention went back to the fight, and the Kurskin was on one knee, his hand pressed to the ground. A white streak shot from under his hand and splintered across the surface of the earth directly toward the Dalari. The agile alien jumped just as the streak reached him, and a shard of ice erupted from the ground. Instead of impaling the Dalari, it sliced across the back of his leg and flipped him through the air before crashing to the ground on his side. The Kurskin said something, drew his finger across his scaly throat, and spit on the ground.

  The Dalari found his feet and returned the gesture with a smile. Then, what looked like specks of blue ice raced through the air toward the Dalari. It took me a moment to realize it was the dust from the disintegrated spear. It flowed like a swirl of snow caught by the wind, coalescing next to the Dalari. Within seconds, the spear had reformed in the air, glowing bright as ever.

  The Dalari went on the offensive, and the spear followed as if carried by a ghost. The spear poked and swiped on its own accord as the Dalari attacked with fists and feet. Even with a sword, the Kurskin couldn’t keep up against the assault and received two consecutive stabs from the spear – one in the shoulder and one in the thigh. This was followed up with a hard kick to his side from the long-legged Dalari. The Kurskin crumpled against the blow, and the Dalari hammered his fist into the lizard’s head, knocking him to the ground.

  Without taking his eye off the Kurskin, the Dalari snatched the floating spear from the air and stabbed it into the Kurskin’s heart. The spear glowed brightly again as the Kurskin spasmed. It was as if the spear was sucking away his life force. When the spasms ceased, the Dalari yanked the spear free, and it dematerialized. This time was different. Instead of crumbling to dust, it was as if it turned to smoke, vanishing into the Dalari’s body like it was drawn by a vacuum.

  My mouth was agape at the display of power and skill, and I was thankful to be watching the fight instead of participating for once.

  “We should leave,” Ersabet said. “We will draw attention to ourselves now that the fight is over.”

  “I’ve half a mind to go trick that Dalari into helping us out while we’re in Nessa,” I said. “I’m sure I could cook up a convincing lie. We might need someone who can fight as well as he can in our crew, at least for this part of our journey.”

  “You will not,” Ersabet said emphatically. She grabbed me by the arm and hauled Delen along with her from our elevated position on the statue's base. “I’ve had enough sightseeing. Let’s make haste to our inn, so that we may rest. Perhaps after, you will begin to think rationally.”

  I didn’t resist as Ersabet pulled us away from the crowd. She seemed out of sorts, which was saying a lot for my typically perfectly composed companion. When she glanced one last time over her shoulder to glimpse the victorious Dalari, it confirmed my suspicions.

  Ersabet knew him.