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Dougal fell asleep almost immediately after Maika was finished tending to his wounds. He was surprised how drained he felt, but between all the running and everything else that had happened that day, he knew he shouldn't have been. It didn't take long before he was quietly snoring on the strange ursar's bedroll, and dreaming of happier times.

The dwarf was a light sleeper though, and he awoke several times when the door budged open. Each time it would send his heart into a fury as his body readied him to action, yet each time it was merely Maika looking in to check on him as she touched his forehead with a paw and leaned over him to check his wound.

Her kindness was touching, and slowly he was beginning to feel bad about his plan to leave her home. It felt like he was running from her. When he decided to leave, it was the dead of night. There was only a sliver of a moon in the sky, and save for the distant barking of a dog, there was no noises that could be heard. The others in the tiny house had gone to sleep, and Dougal wondered where Maika had ended up settling, considering he was in her room.

The dwarf decided not to question it. Perhaps, he thought, she was merely sleeping in the front room, or with her friend. Or perhaps she was still up. Assuming that to be the case, Dougal was quick to put his pants back on. He looked around and once his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he found his other clothes folded up next to the bedroll. He put those on, and then opened the window.

Clambering out as quietly as he could, he eased the window back into position and slinked off.

_ Why do you care for her feelings? _

Oh lovely, you're still there, Dougal thought, his brow furrowing in agitation.

_ She's a filthy bear. _

She's an ursar_, not a bear,_ Dougal intoned. And I care because she is a kind person who saved our lives.

_ They are foreigners, they don't belong here! _

Just like that time in Olaraa? Dougal thought. Distracted with his argument, he barely noticed the peril in front of him. He almost let a gasp slip from his mouth as he spotted some Mithril Blades down the street. He ducked into a darkened alleyway and waited a few minutes after they passed to continue on his way.

_ Feeling guilty, are we? _

I feel guilty because she was nice,_Dougal shot back, his anger rising. _It has nothing to do with what you did.

_ You mean with what _ we _ did, the voice corrected him. The words stung, and Dougal feared to know why. You are just as culpable for what happened in Olaraa as I. Perhaps even more so. We did what had to be done. Olaraa is Laren's land, and it won't be taken away from us by those bears. _

Spurning allies because they do not follow Laren is exactly why your Hands lost the War of Ideals, and why Olaraa is losing to the Legion. Now shut up and let me focus! Dougal started to run as he got nearer to the Burrows. The sooner he could get home, the sooner he could distract himself from his own thoughts.

_ Run all you want. You can't escape the truth, boy. _

I refuse to accept your reality, old man. Those ursar--

_ Were a plight, and you know it. _

Cursing, Dougal kept going and did his best to shut out his thoughts. He knew that there was no point in arguing. He would be wrong no matter what he said.

The dwarf was grateful for the ample amount of shadows that blanketed the city, providing him with the means of hiding from the guards. Once he reached the Burrows, there was fortunately far less of their presence in the area, giving him a clear run to the Hideout.

When Dougal flicked the hidden switch to slide the altar open, an arrow whizzed past his face. He could've sworn he felt the fletching brush the tip of his nose as it rose upwards. He fell backwards as he shouted obscenities at the archer below him.

"Damn it, Jinn! What the hell are you shooting at me for?"

"Is that Dougal?" he could hear Albert mumble, sounding half asleep.

"Of course it's me!" The dwarf snapped back, clearly annoyed with how his guildmates were acting. "Who else would it be?"

After a moment, Jinn clambered out of the Hideout and slid the altar back in place. His nose twitched and he said, "You don't smell different, so you're not an illusion. You're the real Dougal and not just some elf in disguise, at least."

"Of course I'm real!" Dougal yelled. He was trying not to be loud, to avoid drawing attention to them in case anyone was walking by, but it was hard not to raise his voice.

"I'm merely surprised, is all." Jinn sauntered over to him and sat down on a broken pew, next to where Dougal stood. He set his bow down on the ground. "You were injured badly. I didn't think you were going to make it out of that situation alive." A thin smile crept across his muzzle. "I suppose you really are a lucky dwarf."

"I suppose so."

Dougal dug into his pants pockets and pulled out a cigar that he'd been saving for when they returned from the market. He bit the tip off, spat it out, and lit it with his magic. He could feel the smoke fill his lungs, bringing him a familiar sort of comfort. A plume of smoke escaped his lips as he sighed.

"That's better."

Jinn looked at him, puzzled. "When did you get that? We didn't go to a humidor."

Dougal held the cigar between his teeth as he spoke. "I swiped it from someone while we were in the market. He looked fairly well off for someone so close to the Burrows, especially if he's carrying around a more expensive smoke like this, so I figured he wouldn't miss it too much."

Shaking his head, Jinn sighed. The dwarf took a seat next to him and looked up at the starless sky, disappointed that he couldn't see their light from inside the city.

"Are you okay?" Dougal asked after a long moment of silence between the two of them. "I'd been... worried about you."

Jinn laughed at him. "You, worried about me? That's a new low for you. I'd have to wonder if that wound affected your head somehow."

"S-shut up!" Dougal's face felt hot. "I shouldn't have said anything to you. Now it's gonna go to your head or something."

"Heh, I'm only bugging you." The gnoll chuckled. "I'm fine, though. They couldn't catch up to me. After we separated in the alleyway, I doubled back the way we came. I don't think they figured out where we split up and they must have assumed that you were already long gone, because they came straight for me without hesitation."

"Didn't they call for reinforcements?" Dougal was certain that by the time Jinn had left him, the Mithril Blades should've regrouped and brought more of their allies into the hunt.

Jinn shrugged. "I didn't give them a chance to surround me. I ducked into a warehouse near the Burrows and took a few minutes to compose myself and recast my illusion. From there I was able to casually sniff out their locations and avoid them until I could return to the Hideout. No one followed me once I entered the Burrows."

Dougal breathed a sigh of relief. "That's fortunate then. The last thing we need is someone finding this place."

"What about you? How did you survive?"

"It's a bit of a longer story, I guess."

Dougal told him everything, from the moment he passed out until he escaped from Maika's home. He left out the details of who had saved him. There was no shortage of bad blood between gnolls and ursar for a number of reasons, and while he didn't think his friend held those sorts of grudges, he figured it was best not to mention a few details, especially since he didn't understand how deep the feud between the two races went.

When he finished telling Jinn his story, he was beginning to feel light headed again. He wasn't sure if it was the cigar he was smoking or the loss of blood, but it was undoubtedly a combination of the two. He flicked the dwindling cigar butt away into the darkness and rested his head in his hands.

"You got lucky. Real lucky," Jinn mused, nodding his head. "It's a pity that this happened though. What should we do now?"

It wasn't unusual for the guild to pack up and move suddenly. However, usually there were warning signs that things were going awry. Back in Olaraa, when it had just been Dougal and Albert operating on their own, they had to leave in a hurry when the Mage Corps had caught on to them. But that had been expected, as security had tightened around the city and he could get a sense that people were trying to scry his location using their magics.

So far, none of that had occurred yet. Either this Cormac person that was hunting them knew about him and knew how to catch him without giving away any clues, or he was simply a very smart noble. That bothered Dougal that someone out there was trying to outsmart him. Few had managed to do it, and fewer still had been in opposition to his goals.

The other thing that bothered Dougal was that he hadn't been in Altair nearly as long as he would've liked, at least not compared to the other cities that he'd set up shop in. He'd been able to rob Olaraa and Sanctuary for years before packing up, where as he'd only been in Altair for a scant few months.

"We'll just have to wait for Freya to contact us," the dwarf said finally. "We can't do anything until we've at least spoken to her. I don't want to leave her behind."

Jinn gave a huff of a laugh. "I'd gladly leave her behind. She's too sneaky for my liking, and I've never cared much for the way she comes and goes as she pleases."

Dougal could only smile at his friend's distrust. "Sometimes I think that the only person you can ever trust is me."

"That's only because we've been together for so long." Jinn dropped his head a bit. "We know the skeletons we keep in our closets."

"Albert has been with us for just as long."

"He's a brat," Jinn stated, as if that were reason enough to want to distance himself from the younger dwarf.

"Maybe so," Dougal began as he eased himself up from his seat, "But he's still a good lad. Petrus, on the other hand -"

"Is a sniveling pup," Jinn said, cutting him off before he could finish whatever thought he had. "Were he my offspring I'd smack him every time he started wailing in his inbred manner."

"You already do smack him," Dougal pointed out, "A lot, actually."

"He deserves it."

Dougal smiled at him, feeling a bit of normalcy return to an otherwise abnormal day. He looked around the area they sat in and debated setting up magical wards around the church to alert him should anyone come near, since it would give them some warning if the Blades were getting close to the Hideout. Yet on the other hand, doing so would likely alert them to his location anyways if they decided to search out places that had magical energies when they shouldn't have them.

Similarly, setting up a watch rotation could be dangerous as well. Not only would they be opening up the Hideout more often, but any Blades would certainly notice a being loitering inside of a burned out, ruined building like the church.

_ Thinking of cutting and running just because things get a little difficult? _the voice returned, sneering in his pretentious manner.

"I have no intention of running now," Dougal said, punching the palm of his hand. The sound startled Jinn, and the gnoll looked at him curiously. "We will get the last two fragments of the Sylvan artifact and retrieve their relic. We've made it this far, and I refuse to stop now."

"So then what's the plan?"

"We wait for Freya's information on the location of the last two fragments and go from there. With any luck, the heat will be off us in no time." Dougal stood up, stretched, and yawned. "In the mean time, I need some sleep."

"I'm surprised you're still up and about," Jinn told him. "I was expecting to have to toss you down below and hope Albert would be able to catch you."

"Funny," Dougal said dryly. "I can make it down the stairs just fine by myself."

The pair stood up and moved towards the altar to open the Hideout. Dougal stopped and called to Jinn.

"What is it?"

Dougal fumbled a bit with the words, unsure of how to say what was on his mind. Usually he had no problem coming up with something to say, but when it was emotional, he always felt awkward and embarrassed.

"I just wanted to say..." Dougal looked up and met his friend's golden eyes. "I'm glad that you're okay."

A thin smile appeared on Jinn's muzzle, and he nodded before he opened the Hideout. There was no friendly ribbing between them, and as descended, Dougal could feel the gnoll's paw lightly resting on his shoulder as they descended.

* * * * *

The next day, Dougal was busy preparing a simple breakfast of sausages and bread for everyone when the Hideout opened. Aside from a casual glance upwards, no one bothered to watch to see who was coming inside. All four of them knew who had come to pay them a visit. Dougal went back to focusing on breakfast when Freya dropped down from above.

The woman skipped the last few steps, choosing instead to leap from the middle of the staircase and plummet to the floor. She landed quite gracefully and her long black hair fell neatly around her face. As she stood, she brushed the hair from her eyes and placed a hand on her hip.

"Good morning, boys," Freya said with a smirk. "It's nice to see my presence greeted with such warm smiles and an even warmer meal." She had soft looking skin and a darker complexion. While she was broad shouldered, she was mostly skinny and had a thin face. The woman was from a tribe of plainsmen called Knorians. As a people, the knorians were known to have a greater respect for the natural world compared to the rest of their kind, though there were some exceptions like Freya who preferred the comforts of the city to those offered in the wilds.

"Oh shut up, Freya," Petrus said, "Dougal was cooking for the rest of us, not for you."

"I never said that," the dwarf said quietly. "I'm pretty famished myself so I might eat everything on my own."

Jinn looked up from his book and snorted. "Freya."

"Jinn. Friendly as always I see," Freya replied, the mirth momentarily fading from her voice. "Still got yourself nose deep in those books. I'm surprised you can see the words past that giant snout of yours, much less read them."

"At least I know what a book is," Jinn shot back as he turned the page and continued on.

"You can keep your books. I'd rather enjoy being out in the city and living instead of hiding in this hole."

Jinn looked up at her with a scowl. "'Living' is an interesting way of saying how much you love the company of men." He sniffed a few times, trying to pick out the subtle scents that the knorian woman had brought in with her, and cringed. He opened his mouth to speak, but he spotted Dougal glaring at him out of the corner of his eyes and remained quiet.

Dougal went back to tending to breakfast, making sure it was cooked as it sizzled in the pan. "This is gonna be good," he muttered to himself, waiting to see how Freya would respond.

"Don't give me that look," Freya snapped and crossed her arms. "How dare you place your morals upon me. I can do what I please." She glanced in the dwarf's direction and added, "Dougal, is this how your guildmates should be treating me."

"Keep me out of this," the dwarf replied with a hint of a sing-song tone in his voice.

"Hmph, after I come all this way with the information you ask for, you treat me like this," Freya pouted mockingly. "I suppose I'll sell the information to someone else then. Someone who can use it more."

Dougal began to plate some food and held it out for Freya to take. "You wouldn't do that because you know I've got more gold than anyone else can afford to throw your way. So shut up, eat some breakfast, and then we'll talk."

"Let's meet after dark then," Freya suggested as she took the plate and began shoveling food in her mouth, the sloppy sounds of her chewing easily heard over the sizzling meat that remained in the skillet. "I'd rather not talk here. Perhaps somewhere a little more comfortable."

Dougal couldn't help but notice that look that she gave Jinn after saying that. He didn't understand why she egged him on. He understood even less why Jinn would always take the bait.

"Good riddance, then," Jinn said. "This room could do without you."

"I have better places to be than in a dog's home," Freya replied as bits of food fell from her mouth. "Why do you waste your time reading? Don't you have a bone to bury somewhere?"

Dougal could sense the shifting of mana as both of them tapped into their magical powers. His stomach stung and he could feel the tattoo growing hot on his skin.

"As much as I'd love to watch you two duke it out," Dougal said as he rose, setting the skillet aside, "I don't want to be cleaning up the losers' blood."

"Stay out of this, Dougal," Jinn said. "She's had it coming for a while now." His teeth were bared, showing his pink gum line. His eyes were intently focused only on Freya, and he paid no attention to the other three beings in the room.

"Says the dog!" Freya said. "It's like I can't even come here without being berated by this beast. It's always something that he complains about, and I've had it!"

With a sigh, Dougal stepped between them. No doubt either one of them could probably injure or kill him with ease, but he hoped that they would respect him enough not to try to charge right through them. Either way, he needed to do something, and there was really only one way to separate the two of them: by force.

Both of his hands shot out to the side, bidding them to stop. "Enough of that, both of you!"

Neither one was paying him any attention. Not that he expected them to listen to him. Dougal tapped into his magic and recited a pair of words, "Jirogue iseuhundar".

The air felt like it had grown thin, and Dougal's hands felt incredibly hot. The magical energies that Freya and Jinn were generating were being stolen by the dwarf. Two glowing balls of mana floated over his palms and grew until all the energy the pair had was stolen from them. He clutched them as hard as he could, and after a moment, they collapsed into each other and the bright lights from the implosion shone from between his fingers. Seconds later, the lights receded and seemed to be absorbed into Dougal's skin, traveling up his arms and towards his stomach.

The act had left him weak, but he couldn't let them see that. Too much mana in his body would take it's toll, and casting more spells would cause problems. He wouldn't be able to do that again if they decided to continue being stupid.

"I'm tired of these stupid arguments!" Dougal shouted. "If you're going to keep this up, then I'm going to have to kick you both out and leave you to be someone else's problem."

Freya smirked at him, in her usual manner. As soon as the heat of the moment faded, she no longer had any bluster left. "It's fine. I had no intention of staying here anyways. It stinks just a little too strongly for my tastes."

Jinn growled and opened his mouth to respond, but Dougal gave him a harsh look. The beastman shut up instantly, but he continued to keep his eyes on the knorian woman.

"You still wanted to talk. Where should I meet you?" Dougal asked as she moved to climb the stairs and leave.

"Meet me at the Rusty Nail Pub after dark," she told him. "It's east of here, but still within the Burrows. Even one as short as you won't be able to miss it."

"I'll see you then." Dougal dismissed her as quickly as she could, and maintained a hard look at Jinn. Once he heard the altar slide closed, the gnoll finally began talking.

"Why did you stop me, Dougal!?" he said. Albert and Petrus slinked back against the wall as the gnoll paced around the room in a fury. "She's an annoying, wretched woman! The only things on her mind are men and money. She's the last thing our little group needs!"

"She's one of the people that are ensuring our guild can function effectively," Dougal said as calmly as he could. However, Jinn was testing his patience. He didn't approve of Freya's actions or behaviours either, but at least he could recognize that her information was essential to their operations. "If we didn't have access to her information network, where would we be now?"

"We'd have one less whore running around," Jinn said, his nose wrinkling in disgust. "Do you even know what she smelled like?"

"I don't want to know," Dougal said quickly, cutting him off. "I think you need to calm down. I appreciate your thoughts as much as anyone else but you need to take it easy and relax. She's not here anymore, and we won't have to deal with her for a while, if ever again."

Jinn scoffed. "We'll deal with her again. I know you can't resist all the information she always has." The gnoll rolled his eyes and moved back to his bed roll just to slump himself down on the floor.

Dougal breathed a sigh of relief as his friend let the topic go. It was tiring having to deal with Freya and Jinn always arguing when they got together in the same room. He was grateful that the former was useless on a job, and was better suited to her own devices so she could gather intel. It meant that she wasn't around to cause problems with Jinn.

"Um... Dougal?" Albert said cautiously after a few minutes. "Are you really going to go to that tavern to meet with Freya?"

"Yeah, why wouldn't I?"

"Well, it's just that..."

Petrus cut him off. "You're a wanted criminal! We saw the posters that the guards were putting up all over the market place!"

Dougal hadn't realized either boy had been out of the Hideout. Furthermore, he wasn't aware that there had been a bounty poster.

Come to think of it, Dougal thought, How did those Mithril Blades we ran into the other day recognize me?

"It's fine," he lied. "I'll be alright. This is the Burrows. We know the guards never come here. No one will think to look for us."

"Doesn't that make it the most likely place they'll search first?" Albert asked.

"Maybe Freya is setting you up for an ambush," Jinn mumbled as he fumed in the corner. "Maybe she just wants to sell you out because the Mithril Blades are paying her more."

"You have no idea what she is or isn't doing," Dougal said with a shake of his head. "In fact, I'm going to this tavern regardless of who is looking for me and prove to you that it's not a trap."

Jinn shrugged at him. "Don't expect me to bail you out if things go south again."

Dougal just grinned at him. "I don't intend to be caught. Isn't that the first rule our guild has?"

"Your funeral," Jinn sneered. He reached over and grabbed a plate. "Now give me my breakfast and maybe I won't be so grouchy."