Q3 Part 2

DEBUG_HERO stepped back in bewilderment. He whirled, looking for any sign of where to go or what had happened. Scanning where the house had been, he found no trace of it other than the lack of snow where it had been. He briefly wished that he had Anara with him to explain what kind of magic had been used, but discarded that as useless wishful thinking. He had to do this part alone. Once he had directions to the map, DEBUG_HERO could rejoin his friends and enjoy a much easier and far more companionable life.

DEBUG_HERO began to circle the area in ever widening circles, scanning for any sign of where Talon might be or for her clever traps. He eventually reached the outside of the tableau and threw his hands up in frustration, "TALON! Where are you?"

A slice of stone lifted up from the ground with snow defying gravity staying in place atop it. With the grace of a dancer, a raven-haired woman stepped up out of the hole. Long legs almost distracted from the sharp dagger and her equally sharp gaze.

"Talon?" DEBUG_HERO asked. He raised his hands slowly.

"Why are you here?"

"I need your help with something," he began.

"No. Stop bothering me," Talon moved to go back into her hole.

"Wait! I just need directions to a map. I'll exchange for the information. Gold, tasks, information, or anything else," he said as persuasively as he could.

"Tasks?"

DEBUG_HERO nodded eagerly, "Yes! Sure, what do you need done? We can benefit each other."

Talon stood there a long time just studying DEBUG_HERO. Finally she gave one sharp nod and put away her dagger, "We have an accord. Which map?"

"The map to the Ring of Daenar."

"Reasonable."

"What task do you want me to do in exchange?" DEBUG_HERO asked. He couldn't bring himself to saying 'deal' himself until he knew what kind of task he would be doing. He was not about to walk down an immoral path for a ring, no matter how useful.

"Cousin was enslaved in province_2 recently. You will help me free my cousin. Let's go," Talon began to walk past DEBUG_HERO towards the pathway down after closing her stone hatchway.

"I didn't say I had agreed," DEBUG_HERO protested.

Talon stopped and stared at him with piercing green eyes, "You do not want the map? Then go find it on your own."

"What did your cousin do to get enslaved?" DEBUG_HERO asked.

"Doesn't matter."

He gave her a flat look and waited.

With a humph she answered, "Likely wrong place at wrong time. King doesn't pay attention to province_2 so slavers and bandits can do what they want. My cousin was travelling through and was caught. I received word of this a few days back. Satisfied?"

"Alright, let's go," DEBUG_HERO agreed without any indication of their displeasure at the slander of his father's name. In any kingdom it was hard for the king to prevent every group of bandits from operating. Slavery was legal and quite normal in province_2, so DEBUG_HERO was suspicious that Talon's cousin had gotten themselves into trouble. Perhaps they had accumulated a debt they could not repay. Whatever reason it was, DEBUG_HERO would now have to help them get free.

He looked at the lithe woman and admired the way her thick ass moved as she led the way down the path in front of him. After a couple of minutes of silence, DEBUG_HERO cleared his throat, "So, we will need to collect my friends from village_4 before we go."

Talon turned around, still walking down the path with no regard for how easy it would be to topple off the cliff when walking backward, "No."

"What do you mean, 'no'? We could use their help to free your cousin!" he protested.

"No."

"This is ridiculous. They are my friends and companions. They will provide us with skills we do not possess. If we get into fights they can help," DEBUG_HERO said persuasively.

"No. If you want them. You can forget the deal. Deal was you and I. No companions," Talon said.

"You're being unreasonable," he protested.

"We do not need your harem, prince," she stopped in front of him and stared up at him. So she knew who he was? So she had insulted her father purposefully, perhaps as some sort of test. She continued, "Choose now. Me or them?"