“That’s the last time I trust a place that claims it’s ‘all you can eat’!”

  “Gary, you ate everything currently in stock,” Rufus sighed as they stood outside the restaurant, to which they now had a lifetime ban.

  It wasn’t the first time.

  “Still, false advertising,” Gary grumbled.

  “I’m sure they weren’t anticipating you when they painted that sign.”

  Both men turned their heads as the door chimed, Jason waving to the chefs with an apologetic smile before turning to them with a dark expression.

  “You lot get banned, and I’m refused their marinade recipe… a grave enemy they’ve made this day.”

  “War it is then,” Gary agreed.

  “Jason, you can’t declare war on a restaurant, because of a recipe, and Gary… don’t get pulled into his mischief,” Rufus admonished, shaking his head as the affliction specialist laughed, wondering why Jason hadn’t been banned as well.

  “Mate, you should’ve seen my Great-aunt Marjory when a member of her church stole her usual ‘bring a plate’ recipe. It was as if the crusades had been reignited. Well, without a war on the holy land, that is… And the recipe wasn’t even that good.”

  “Always gibberish with you,” Rufus lamented as they made their way into the bustling evening market. The air was alive with music and the scent of food emanating from various vendors.

  Within minutes, both Gary and Jason had meat buns in hand, like they hadn’t cleared out a restaurant mere moments ago.

  “Wow, this filling’s amazing, sure you don’t want to try any?” Jason asked, glancing back at the stall with longing. Rufus had no doubt the man would return later to speak with the owner, possibly even work with them if the mood was right.

  “I’m quite fine, thank you,” Rufus said as he suddenly heard the grumbling and shouting of people coming towards them. Was it a pickpocket on the run?

  “Jason?!”

  Rufus recognized the voice with a scowl. Though it lacked its usual snark and conveyed only panic, which matched the young man's demeanor as he dodged through the market, eyes locked on Jason. There was a sharp crack of electricity as Thadwick Mercer appeared in front of them, static still clinging to him as he grabbed the affliction specialist's shoulders, causing the other man to drop the half-eaten bun.

  “Thad?!”

  “Jason, I need your— Ahhh!” Thadwick was yanked off his feet by Gary, who held him aloft by the back of his shirt, the young man staring at the leonid in shock.

  “You know this guy, Jason?” Gary asked, his bronze rank strength keeping Thadwick’s feet far from the ground.

  “I do indeed. What trouble have you gotten yourself into this time, mate?”

  “Something he probably deserves, no doubt,” Rufus stated as he crossed his arms. “I heard you’re reinstated into the Society. A pity.”

  “Oh, Rufus, don’t be like that. I told you Thad’s turned over a new leaf, isn’t that right?”

  “I don’t really care what you or Farrah have to say about him,” Rufus said, looking at the young man dangling before him.

  There was a part of Rufus that hated how much of his old self he saw in Thadwick, not that he had ever been as useless as the Mercer boy. Thank the gods he’d had his pride checked by Ken. Though now that he thought about it, Vincent had mentioned Thadwick’s surprising turnaround with contracts of recent. Nevertheless, he doubted Thadwick had the fortitude to change himself… no, he would need to be dragged kicking and screaming into positive change for it to stick.

  “That’s completely understandable, instructor Remore… I’m sorry to disappoint,” Thadwick apologized… and Rufus wasn’t sure what was more confusing… the fact that the young man actually called him instructor for the first time… or that there was no animosity in the apology. “Can I please be let down now?”

  “Nah, hold tight, this is hilarious,” Jason said, a recording crystal floating up from his hand. “Wait… you never did answer why you—”

  “Thadwick Mercer!”

  All eyes turned to behold the priestess of purity as she stormed towards them, her hair in disarray from the speed she’d been traveling. She looked absolutely murderous, which wasn’t uncommon for the woman, but Rufus knew what her unchecked rage could accomplish.

  “Please don’t let her near me,” Thadwick begged quietly, dread oozing from the request.

  “Strewth, mate, what’d you do?” Jason asked, looking up at the nobleman who now had his eyes locked on Anisa as the crowd parted for her. “She’s like some avenging angel!”

  “What’s an angel?” Gary asked, finishing his meat bun in one bite.

  “That’s not important, speak up, Thad, before we hand you over… You weren’t trying to spread charity to that ice queen, were you?”

  “Absolutely not! Though I… I might have implied her church’s a cult,” Thadwick admitted with a grimace.

  “A cult?! You’re a bloody galah, if you thought that was a good idea.”

  “I don’t know what a galah is, but I promise, I wasn’t thinking,” Thadwick lamented, looking downright desperate as he struggled to get out of Gary’s grasp, who just held him tighter.

  “Well, that’s nothing new,” Rufus said, having seen the man’s thoughtlessness more than he would’ve cared for during the field assessment.

  “Gareth Xandier, release that man into my custody this instant!” Anisa demanded, as she pulled her sword from her scabbard and pointed it towards Thadwick, who still hung helplessly in the air.

  “No, I don’t think I will,” Gary said, eyeing the elf’s sword, his teeth slightly bared.

  “No?! You dare—”

  “Priestess Lasalle, even you must know what accosting a Mercer would bring upon you,” Rufus said, taking a step forward, angling himself between the other men and the furious elf, a golden sword appearing in his hand.

  “I shan’t harm him; I only mean to question him.”

  “Priestess, I’ll admit I doubt your sincerity, based on the last interrogation we both partook in,” Rufus replied, earning a scowl from the woman as she eyed his blade.

  “Yeah, and the sword’s not really helping your case,” Jason said with a pointed expression.

  “I didn’t ask for your opinion, heathen,” Anisa spat towards the affliction specialist.

  “Well, you got it for free cause I’m a generous bloke.”

  “Jason, don’t antagonize the woman holding a sword to my throat, please,” Thadwick said, his eyes still locked on the elf. “Anisa, I promise, this is all a misunderstanding.”

  “If it were a misunderstanding, you wouldn’t have run, and it is Priestess to you!”

  “I mean, I don’t think he’s that wrong. Your church is cultlike if you ask me.”

  “Jason! I know you have a novel approach to religion, but now is not the time,” Rufus scolded.

  “You told them, my church…” Anisa said, looking at Thadwick with furrowed brows, her eyes suddenly flicking to the recording crystal floating above Jason’s head.

  “For that implication, I’m sorry, Ani— Priestess.”

  “Fine. Give me that crystal and be thankful for my mercy.”

  Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

  “Deal,” Thadwick said, snatching the recording crystal from the air and tossing it towards Anisa.

  “Hey! That’s mine!”

  “I’ll buy you another!” Thadwick stated as he watched the elf crush the crystal to dust in her hand.

  “Understand, Thadwick Mercer, that our previous affection for each other ends here. Disrespect my church again, and I’ll see your soul annihilated.” Anisa sheathed her sword and turned on her heels, shoving past the two people whose absence had initially confused Rufus.

  “Our previous…”

  “I thought you said she wasn’t a charity case?”

  Dustin handed Phoebe a lesser spirit coin as they stared at the spectacle, dumbstruck.

  Neil went to speak, only to stop, completely at a loss for words.

  There was Thad in the grasp of a huge Leonid, a sword pointed at his throat from the one Priestess Neil had hoped the noble had put behind him all those years ago… Had he tried to speak with her again? The fact that she was holding a sword to him probably meant she wasn’t trying to sleep with him.

  Small mercies.

  Still, this was worse than he’d anticipated.

  “Gods damn it, Thad!” Neil finally managed as the priestess pushed past him, which received him a look from Thad, who, for his part, appeared absolutely mortified as he caught sight of the healer.

  “Neil, this isn’t what it—”

  “30 minutes, you were missing for 30 minutes…How is this not what it looks like, Thad?!”

  “Looks like trouble to me,” Phoebe said with a smirk as she pocketed her new spirit coin.

  “She’s right on that one, mate,” Jason said with a laugh, only to get a depressed look from Thad. “You can let him down, Gary, I think his team’s got it from here… if they can keep track of him, that is.”

  “You should do more not to burden your team,” Rufus said as Thad’s feet touched down on the ground.

  “I get it, everyone's made their point, I don’t need a lecture on how I’ve ruined my life, though I’m thankful you saved it,” Thad said with a huff as he straightened his shirt.

  “Well, a lecture is inevitable. Did you know his grandfather runs a school in Vitesse?” Jason asked with a grin aimed at his instructor, who scowled at him. “Besides, we only saved your life for tonight. Don’t you have a date in the Mirage Chamber tomorrow?”

  “Don’t remind me! Wait, why do you know?”

  “The Geller and Mercer scion deathmatch is the talk of the town, mate. And the odds are not in your favor.”

  “You’re fighting Humphrey Geller in the mirage chamber?” Rufus asked with a raised eyebrow.

  “According to the town, I’m losing to Geller in the mirage chamber,” Thad sighed before his shoulder was knocked by Phoebe, her eyes intense.

  “I didn’t just train you the whole week straight for you to mentally give up before you’ve even given it a shot.”

  “Aren’t you a Geller?” Gary asked, looking down at the shorter woman who stared straight back at him, her hands on her hips.

  “Yes, but I might as well make it a fight worth having, and a bet’s a bet.”

  “You both should really stop betting on people’s lives,” Thad said, walking over to Neil, who nodded his head in agreement as he lightly assessed the noble, relieved to find no injuries. However, there were lingering traces of healing magic on him… Had this been all that Thad had gotten into?

  “Well, stop getting yourself into situations like this, and we’ll find something new to focus on,” Dustin said with a wave of his hands. “Besides, man, I trusted you!”

  “I truly did try to… actually, you know what, I’m sorry, guys,” Thad apologized.

  Yep… he had definitely gotten into more trouble before this; Neil was sure of it.

  “I want to say I’m surprised, but I’m really not. We’re going to talk about what it means to stay out of trouble later,” Neil said as he took Thad’s hand. “Come on, I’m not letting you out of my sight after this.”

  “It’s so obvious what they’re up to,” Thad laughed as he and Neil watched Dustin and Phoebe walk off in the opposite direction.

  Thad could feel the healer's hand lightly squeeze his.

  “What? You don’t think Dusty’s just walking her home?”

  “Well, I’m sure that’s what Dusty thinks he’s doing.”

  “Huhh, good for him,” Neil said, looking over at Thad. “You know, if she asks to join the team, you’re going to have to let her, right?”

  “I doubt it’ll come to that.”

  “You think they’re going to break up?”

  “No, I just… it doesn’t matter,” Thad said, trying to push the dread of the astral space out of his mind. Focusing on what was present, the feeling of his hand in Neil's. Sensing the steadiness of his aura.

  This was nice… Neil was nice, and smart, and funny, and hand—

  Thad glanced over at their interlocked hands, feeling a zing in his chest.

  He shouldn’t be thinking about Neil like this, not with the clock ticking down.

  No…there were more pressing issues.

  Like the fact that Anisa’s file didn’t seem to exist, yet still everything pointed to him having a history with her. It was perplexing.

  Were there hidden files?

  Was it Clippy’s doing?

  It didn’t help that his familiar was still avoiding him.

  “Why can’t I remember anything about her…” Thad murmured to himself.

  “Who can’t you recall?”

  “What?” Thad asked, realizing his mistake as he closed the files in front of his field of view.

  “Is this about Anisa, holding a sword to you?” Neil asked, looking at Thad with a slight frown.

  “She’d mentioned previous affections…”

  “You really don’t remember?”

  “I have my guesses, but…”

  Neil was silent for a second before he sighed, letting go of Thad’s hand.

  “You and Anisa… sort of have a history.”

  “Wait, I slept with her!?”

  “No! This was before… well, right before you went through your…um, phase. Dustin and I always assumed she was a catalyst, though you hadn’t been doing so hot before then either.”

  “Why don’t I remember this?” Thad said, searching the files once more.

  Yeah, this had Clippy written all over it.

  “You’re not thinking of trying to get back with her, are you?”

  “What? No, she’s not even my type.”

  “You don’t like elves?”

  “That’s not it at all,” Thad said, as he took the other man’s hand in his and started walking again. “I just have different preferences.”

  “Well, I guess if you were still interested, you wouldn’t be calling her church a cult... I mean, I get why you wouldn’t like the church of Purity in particular, but what is up with you and religion recently? Should I be worried?” Neil asked as they walked down the street.

  “No, the Healer seems like a decent enough guy. The local clergy, however...”

  “I wouldn’t really call the Healer just some guy… But yeah, the clergy here isn’t the best, it could be…But I can’t seem to fix it.”

  “You’re not responsible for being the soul voice of reason to a congregation, Neil, you realize that, right?”

  “I know… but I just can’t stand being on a team with a bully.”

  “Sorry it took me so long to get my act together.”

  “Thad, that’s not what I—”

  “It’s fine, Neil… Do you… Are you still fine with being on a team with me? I could let you and Dustin out of your contract.”

  “You want to break up the team? Is that what you meant about Dustin?”

  “I just don’t want to hold you both back. Remore’s right, I’m a burden. I can’t even keep myself out of trouble, and you’re both so great,” Thad said, looking up at the moons. “I wouldn’t stop you if you wanted to leave.”

  “Who would protect you?”

  “Me?”

  Thad felt the grip on his hand grow stronger as Neil looked at him, the moonlight shining off his hair, that zing of desire sweeping through him again.

  How easy would it be to reach out and kiss him? To feel his strong hands pull him close. God, he wanted to taste the moonlight on his lips.

  He was so done for.

  Clippy!

  Thad paced around his room, frustration rising as he kept seeing no response.

  I swear to god, I’m going to integrate every file on my own if you don’t get out here, this instant!

  -Personal assistant has reconnected. -

  -User, you don’t even have a god to swear to. –

  Are you hiding files from me?

  -…-

  I don’t understand why her? Did you think that once I remembered her, I’d immediately find her and confess my love or something? Clippy, I’m like super gay! We don’t have to worry about me turning to villainy for that. Besides… wouldn’t that have been the reason for Thadwick to join the cult in the first place? It’s not even mentioned in the books!

  -…-

  Say something!

  -Do you think we could redeem her? Like you’re redeeming Thadwick? You grew up in a cult, right? And look at you. You got out, can’t she get out too? -

  What? But I …That’s… not where I thought this was going. Clippy, I want us to save a lot of people, but. Anisa? I mean, she may have had ties to Thadwick’s past, but I don’t even fully understand them.

  -You could try. -

  Not with the files hidden, and she would need to be willing to be helped in the first place. And right now, she wants to kill me. If the Builder cult doesn’t have eyes on us already… they probably will soon.

  -She deserves a chance at redemption, too. The goddess Knowledge said it’s possible! –

  The goddess... How...Why, out of everything that’s going on, do you care this much about Anisa Lasalle? From what I understand, the only person who’d apparently care this much was the original…

  Thad stopped pacing and stared into the mirror as the system windows faded from view, his mind racing as everything started to fall into place.

  …Clippy? I don’t want to get you banned again, but… are you Thadwick?

  - Of course, I’m Thadwick! Wait, gods, it’s not redacted… I’m Thadwick Mercer! I can say it. Is that all you needed to Redacted do? This is amazing! -

  Thad stared at the screen, his eyes wide as he looked at the confession, tears filling his vision.

  “Oh, thank god,” Thad said as he sat down on the bed, hands cradling his face.

  -What are you… You guessed right. What’s wrong? -

  I thought… I thought I’d killed you. Oh, god, I’m so relieved that you're alive.

  Tears fell as he let out a shaky breath, feeling almost as if his soul was lighter.

  -You're relieved about me? What’s wrong with you? –

  I’m so sorry I stole your life.

  -User, I’m way over that… you saved our lives, I mean, not fully yet… but without you, I would’ve been lost to the astral… Stop crying, you shouldn’t be crying over me! No one wants to Redacted mourn me! It’s better like this for everyone. -

  What? That’s not true. Your family would mourn you; they care about you deeply.”

  -Trust me, my family finds you far more appealing. They only care about me now because they think I’m you. -

  Thadwick… That’s not—

  -I don’t want your pity, nor do I deserve it. Every action I took led me here. What I want is for you to find a way to save Anisa… Please Thad. -

  I… We can try. At least time is on our side with—

  -A new sub-task list has been assigned for [Foil the Builder], subtask [Purity Unveiled] (Redeem Anisa Lasalle). Once the task is marked completed, the User will gain access to [Redacted]. -

  Did you just?

  -That wasn’t me... -

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