Ruby burst out laughing at Lux’s city-raid excitement. “Lux, you are a delicate human, we will not be taking you. You would just slow us down.”

  Her words hit him like a cold bucket of water, cutting through his excitement in an instant. Lux pouted, unable to help himself. He really wanted to see what was inside a city vault! “Can’t Novgar carry me? Please! I really want to come!” He didn’t care how ridiculous he looked, clinging to Novgar’s back, they’d all seen it before anyway.

  Ruby’s reply was fast, “Lux, a city raid is nothing like the low-level wild dungeons you were taken to. It will be extremely dangerous, even if you are attached to Novgar.” She paused, maybe searching for the best way to convince him. “In this city raid, not only will we be dealing with city guards and the raid group, but we’ll also need to keep our presence hidden so bounty hunters don’t come after us. It is not a place for someone who cannot even defend themselves against a low-level monster.”

  The logic was flawless. Lux stopped arguing, he accepted he wasn’t going. As he turned her words over in his mind, another realisation hit him. Having a Magical Security Ward wouldn’t be enough to protect a city, not really, not if it could be broken. He would need to hire guards in case the Magical Security Ward ever failed.

  Another thing to drain Silver City’s funds! Lux was sure guard wages would not be cheap, not with the number he would need. He quickly pulled out the book where he was keeping all his plans for Silver City and added city guards to the list.

  He doubted he’d still be around once the city got big enough to need an actual guard force, but he wanted to leave Silver with a guide for what to do once he was back on earth. He was tucking away the book when Silver spoke. “You can go with Twiggs.”

  Lux’s head snapped up. His eyes went wide. Was this permission? Elation started to well inside, but then it fizzled as quick as it came. Twiggs wasn’t in Silver City.

  “Um… I sent Twiggs to get the Frozen North Glacial Bees, he is not here.” Lux’s heart hammered as he waited. He really hoped Silver hadn’t planned the raid around Twiggs being there.

  “I am aware. He will be waiting for us at the meeting point.” Silver’s tone was calm, effortless.

  Lux felt his breath hitch, his heart fluttering for real now. “Then… I’m coming, right?” Silver nodded.

  A sound came out of Lux, half laugh and half shout. He was going on a city raid! Even though he knew it would be dangerous, he couldn’t turn it down. This was like being in a real-life game. Who knew, maybe he’d even find legendary treasure!

  While Lux was swept into his daydreams about fabled loot, Ruby’s sharp voice cut them short, “Silver, you can’t be serious!” Silver ignored her.

  Novgar’s grin nearly split his face. “Lucky Charm! With you there, Novgar will bring back lots of spoils!”

  Ruby rolled her eyes at Novgar and focused on the maps. The three with real experience started to plan in earnest, their voices quick and technical. Lux couldn’t keep up. He decided he’d get more use watching the brick warehouse construction, and Ruby promised to fill him in later.

  By the time the sun began to set, Lux realised he’d spent way too much time at the construction site. “Ah! I need to go!” He cursed himself for getting so caught up, his feet pounded the dirt as he sprinted back to camp.

  The first thing he noticed was Magenta waiting. She wore black skintight pants and a long-sleeved shirt, the effect was striking, enough to make Lux lose track of his thoughts for a moment.

  Magenta broke the silence first, “Delicate human, don’t die tonight.” The smirk was chilling, Lux was glad he wasn’t trusting his life to her tonight.

  A quick scan of the area showed only Magenta and Novgar waiting. “Novgar, do you know the plan for tonight?” Lux barely finished the question before Silver and Ruby arrived.

  All eyes went to Silver, tension thickening the air. “It’s time.” The words rang out like a bell.

  Magenta wasted zero time, a portal shimmered into being before Lux could process what was happening. Novgar didn’t leave room for hesitation, a massive green hand grabbed Lux’s arm and pulled him in.

  “Lux! I got the bees!” Twiggs’ excited voice greeted him as they stumbled out of the darkness, landing under a bright, full moon. Lux could see the green-haired man heading his way.

  “That’s fantastic news!” If Twiggs had the bees, that meant city funds would start ticking up again. Lux wanted to ask a million questions, but his surroundings distracted him.

  They were in an open field at the fringe of a forest. Off in the distance, he could just make out the shape of a city wall. And drifting across the field, familiar voices, Azura and Violet had joined the party.

  Violet sidled straight up to Silver as soon as she spotted him, “Azure, Novgar and I will head to the city vault. Is there anything in particular we should gather?” Lux couldn’t hear the reply, just watch as everyone split up, fading toward the city.

  This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

  Everything happened so fast it took him a moment to realise, he was left alone with Twiggs. “We should get going as well. We need to be ready for when the ward breaks,” said Twiggs. Lux didn’t reply. Panic was rising fast.

  “Twiggs, what do we do! They’re leaving without telling us the plan!” His eyes darted to the retreating raid party.

  Twiggs gave a soft smile and patted his shoulder. “We are not heading into the city. Our destination is a farm outside the city wards. We won’t be anywhere near the fighting.” Lux felt his heart slow immediately.

  Then it clicked, Silver had let him come only because he’d be safely out of danger with Twiggs. Lux didn’t feel bad, he was just glad to be included. “Why are we heading to a farm?”

  “To get the secret stock of Icebreath seeds that the city lord has procured.” Twiggs grinned, twigs in his hair quivering with excitement.

  Lux thought about this. “This is a coincidence, right?” He remembered Azura talking about how rare those seeds were, and now here they were, at the very farm where the city lord just happened to have them.

  “Of course, Lux. It’s not like we made up a story about the city lord to get your approval to get the magical wards and the seeds. That would be silly.” Twiggs looked completely innocent.

  “Yeah, silly.” Lux echoed, forcing a laugh. “It would be very stupid for me to even think that.” Nope, he wasn’t going to believe it was all made up. It was just coincidence.

  Twiggs reached into his bag and dropped a bland looking stone on the ground. “This is a find-me stone. If we get separated, come back to this spot.” He handed Lux a rough, cold stone. The moment he touched it, Lux could feel a tug in his mind drawing him to the other stone.

  “That rock,” Twiggs pointed, “will guide you to this one on the ground.” Lux nodded. Twiggs started moving, skirting the woods until they reached a small cottage.

  The house looked perfectly ordinary, lit from within, smoke curling from the chimney, a neat white fence around a carefully groomed lawn. Except for one thing. Dark figures were patrolling the yard.

  Twiggs crouched and whispered, “This is unexpected. Why are there guards? Is there something else at this farm?”

  Lux peered harder, just able to glimpse weapons glinting in the moonlight. The idea of sneaking past all those guards made his heart sink. Two people could not get through all that.

  Then a bush rustled behind them. Lux whipped around so fast he nearly knocked himself over. “Oh gods, we’re caught!” His heart hammered in his chest.

  But Twiggs just laughed, waving upward. Above, the branches knotted together, forming a thick curtain of leaves. The “threatening rustling” was just Twiggs bending the forest to hide them.

  “Ah. It was you providing cover,” Lux muttered, face heating.

  “Don’t be nervous, we won’t get close enough for discovery. I just want to find out what’s going on. The information we got must be wrong.” Twiggs inched closer, shrubs paving a silent path, tree trunks shifting to block any line of sight. It was clear this was Twiggs’ domain, and the forest itself was his helpful assistant.

  They stopped at the edge of the farm. Voices drifted on the breeze:

  “The next batch should be arriving soon.”

  “I can’t take this anymore, it’s too depressing seeing them and not being able to help.”

  “Shh! Even with these stupid collars, we’ll die if one of the uncollared overhears us.”

  Lux frowned, struggling to follow the conversation. “Next batch of what? Collars?” he whispered. Twiggs just pressed a finger to his lips for silence.

  A sudden thunder of hooves. The front gate opened, and a caravan rattled in. In the moonlight, Lux’s eyes grew huge as he watched chained men, women, even beast kin being herded out of the wagons. The guards marched them toward the cottage’s cellar doors.

  “There really is an interspecies trafficking syndicate!” blurted Twiggs.

  Lux shuddered as a sickening thud echoed after one of the captives was punched in the face. “I know I have no combat skills, but I don’t think I can sit here without doing something, Twiggs.”

  Before Twiggs could answer, an alarm blared, slicing through the night, “SOMEONE BROKE THE CITY WARDS! DESTROY THE FARM, LEAVE NO EVIDENCE!”

  Guards turned on the chained prisoners instantly. The first kick sent a man sprawling, chains clanging against flesh.

  Lux’s stomach twisted. “Twiggs! They’re attacking them, we have to do something! Right now!”

  Twiggs didn’t move at first. The twigs on his head stiffened, black veins spread across his skin, and when his eyes opened again, they were pure white, no pupils at all.

  Lux scrambled backward. “Damn Twiggs, you scared the shit out of me.”

  Twiggs stood there, motionless, except for his hair, which writhed with some eerie pulse.

  “Twiggs?” Lux called, voice thin.

  “Twiggs… Honestly, you are creeping me out.” And still, nothing.

  Without warning, the ground split open. Roots exploded from the earth, impaling guards, dragging others down as they screamed. Blood splattered across the grass. Lux gagged, nearly fell over. “Holy crap! That is brutal!”

  Twiggs strolled forward, casual, as if taking a walk, while his roots shredded the slavers like they were nothing at all. Lux crept after him, muttering frantically, “You recognise me, right? I won’t get skewered, right?”

  When they reached the scattered bodies of the chained captives, silence had settled over the yard. The only people still breathing were wearing shiny metal collars.

  Lux stepped past one fallen guard, suddenly the man’s eyes flickered open. Lux nearly jumped out of his skin. The guard moved his finger in the dirt, slowly tracing the shape of a jar. Then he wrote HONEY.

  Lux squinted. “Honey jar? Why would you write that now?” But the man’s eyes rolled back, and he went limp.

  Lux hurried to Twiggs, who was still lost in his murder trance, staring at nothing. Lux grabbed his wrist. “Okay, Twiggs, let’s go raid the pantry. There might be something important in there.” He focused on a task instead of the devastation before him.

  Inside, the cottage looked almost too normal, wooden table, six chairs and a cozy hearth. “Great. Looks safe enough,” Lux muttered, “like someone’s grandma lives here.” He began opening cupboards until he found a honey jar.

  He popped the top and jumped as a rolled-up parchment inside started to hum. Lux reached in, unrolled it, and nearly dropped it. Sparks danced over a glowing blueprint of the same collars from outside. Lux shrieked, stuffed the scroll back in the jar, then jammed the whole thing in his pouch. “Nope. That’s my limit. Silver can take care of this nightmare later.”

  Back outside, the cellar doors gaped wide. Flickering torches cast wild shadows down the stairs. Groans echoed up from below.

  Lux groaned louder. “Oh perfect. Creepy basement and of course I’m the idiot who has to go first.” Lightening the mood with humour was the only thing Lux could do to stop himself from having a full-blown panic attack. Tonight was way past the limit he could deal with otherwise.

  Gripping Twiggs’ sleeve like a lifeline, Lux started down the steps, muttering the whole way, “Congratulations, Lux. You’ve officially become the dumb guy in a horror movie.”