Cassius wasn't anything like I expected—far from it. Based on what I'd heard about the man, I pictured someone more rugged, swarthy, arrogant, slimy. A greedy, muscle-bound creep with total confidence in his own strength, superiority, and charisma. In short, someone fit to be the leader of a large, if crude and ragged looking, group of bandits. What I got... was not this. At least, not at a glance.

No, this effeminate man with his doll-like features wasn't at all what I expected. Frankly, he looked and felt completely out of place in these ruins with these other bandits. If I was being honest, I would've said the same about Havik if not for her standoffish attitude and verbally explicit propensities. I wasn't sure if it was her looks or the way she carried herself, but something about Havik felt... noble almost—like a highborn raised in the wilds or something.

Havik's beauty and posture set her apart from the other bandits in a way I could probably understand with a bit of time to think on the matter, but Cassius? Cassius was an anomaly all his own. Everything about the man set me on edge. His black eyes especially made my skin crawl. He was utterly repulsive, but not in the same way as Darrel. No, looking into his eyes was almost like...

Almost like looking at Jessie...

No... like looking at the thing that was wearing her skin.

I couldn't help a small shudder at the thought and tore my own eyes away from his. Instead, I turned my attention to the Spellblade sitting in its sheath on his desk, and that's when I noticed something that made my heart skip a beat. There, on one of the many thick metal bolts embedded within the sword's guard, I saw yet another one of those strange runes lit up with a soft glow. That made two in total, which meant... what?

I'd already surmised the first rune gave me access to my telekinesis, and that if there was one rune there'd likely be more, but why now? What does it mean, and what does this rune do?

I didn't feel any different from before. There was no new knowledge or instincts that came to mind. Maybe I had to actually hold the sword? My bound hands twitched, and I could feel the magic in my body rising within me, eager to be let loose, but I held it back. I didn't want things to devolve into chaos just yet. I still had a ton of questions and from the sound of it, Cassius was willing to talk, though talking to him was the last thing I wanted to do.

In fact, something inside me was screaming at me to take back my Spellblade and plunge it into his chest, but I did my best to ignore the intrusive thought. I wasn't so bloodthirsty or stupid that I'd risk an attack without knowing what I was up against or what kind of situation I was in. So, with one last look at the sheathed sword on the desk—my sword—I forced myself to meet Cassius' expectant gaze once again and spoke.

"What kind of deal would you want with me?" I asked, trying my hardest to hide my unease, "you already have everything I own."

I had a few ideas about what he might want out of this supposed deal, but I figured it might be best to play ignorant. Cassius' expression gave no indication whether I'd made the right move or not, and his pasted on smile didn't change as he replied.

"Really? I'm not so sure about that myself," he said before waving a dismissive hand, "but that is a discussion for later. More to the point, if the reports are to be believed, you, Miss Sparkle, are a powerful woman."

With feline grace, the bandit leader pushed back his chair and stood up, though he remained behind his desk. The man was tall and thin—slender beneath his exotic brown robes, but not overly so. His pitch-black hair reached all the way down to his waist, and the look only exacerbated his uncanny beauty. He set both his hands down on the desk, his fingers splayed out and his dark eyes lowering to the blade in front of him.

His calm smile twisted strangely, and I suddenly found I couldn't quite read his expression or his tone as he continued. "Several brigands slaughtered, including Haelda and Golimer, recovery from wounds that should have been immediately fatal, and most fascinating of all, reports of... unnatural capabilities."

Slowly, he reached out a hand to touch the Spellblade's scabbard, but seemed to think better of it at the last second. He pulled his hand away, then placed both hands behind him as he straightened up and looked at me. "Honestly, I was hesitant to believe any of it, but then my dear Havik brought you to me herself."

At that, I cast a glance back at the woman in question. Though her expression was studiously blank, I could see her jaw clench with some kind of suppressed emotion. Likely anger or something close to it, knowing the woman. Burkin, for his part, glanced at his fellow bandit, his brow furrowed slightly in concern. Before I could glean any meaning from the look, my attention was pulled back to Cassius as he continued.

"Yes, she brought you here, and though you may not look it, there is a certain air of strength about you, but it was this—" he gestured to the sword with a sweep of his hand "—that convinced me that you were something truly special. I believe we both know what this is and what it means, Miss Sparkle." He flicked his eyes from me to the blade, "If this is the genuine article—and I'm quite certain that it is—then the reports are not only valid, but make much more sense. An unknown Spellblade wielder traipsing about in some backwater woodland is quite the curious thing," he returned his gaze to me, "care to tell me how you came to be here?"

Taking a chance, I chose to ignore his question and redirect, "I could say the same thing about you," I replied, "looking at you, you don't strike me as the type to lead a bunch of bandits out here in the middle of nowhere."

I wanted to ask about Mauri and almost did, but decided against it. He hadn't brought her up at all, and if the woman was true to her word, she might have been trying to get me out of here. Cassius probably already knew about Mauri, but I didn't want to mention her name just in case, so instead, I chose to get more information about the eerie man himself. For a moment, he didn't answer, and I wondered if I'd crossed some kind of line, but then he chuckled and shook his head.

"I suppose I don't quite fit the bandit archetype, do I?" he replied with a small shrug. If he'd noticed or was annoyed by me dodging his question, he didn't show it, "You may be right at that, but I do have my reasons, rest assured. But that story is incredibly dull in comparison to the revelation that is your very existence, and now that I've confirmed the claims with my own eyes, I'd like to proposition you for a job that I'm beginning to think only someone like you can handle."

"Are you... implying that you're going to give me back my sword?" I asked, unable to quell the rising hope in my chest.

"If you agree to the proposal, then yes," he answered without hesitation, "you'll need it if you're to complete the task I require of you."

That doesn't sound good...

I swallowed nervously before asking, "And... what task might that be?" I tried to sound more confident than I was, but judging by the amused look Cassius gave me, I doubted I was successful.

"The task should be a simple one for a Spellblade wielder such as yourself," he replied, "you simply need to do what Havik and Burkin failed to do. Bring me Qaedis' head and the location of his vault with it."

I should've seen that coming, but I didn't. The request completely threw me off, and my response was anything but elegant. "I... wh-what?! You're really asking me to—"

"Kill Qaedis the Seeker? Yes," Cassius cut in with that same plastered on smile, "a tall order to be sure, but necessary, you see. That man has something in his possession that I desperately require, and if even half the stories of what you Spellblade users can do are true, then I have no doubt you can get me what I need."

"A-And what's in it for me if I agree to do this?" I asked, trying to stall for time while I gathered my thoughts, "Qaedis already offered me a reward just for finding your base."

I winced as the words slipped out, but figured it couldn't hurt anything at this point. Cassius probably thought he already held all the cards. He might've known about the Spellblade and that I could use it to cast magic, but the fact that he still allowed me to get this close to the sword meant he either didn't have as much information about what I could do as he thought, or he knew and was confident he could handle himself should I suddenly attack or try to take back my weapon.

I really hope it's the former, but even if it's the latter, I wonder...

"Ah, I suppose that answers the question of why you were wandering the woods," Cassius said with an understanding nod, "but even so, I'm confident I can give you more than whatever Qaedis is willing to offer, whatever it might've been." His smile widened a touch, "Once you've taken care of Qaedis, you may have your pick of whatever is contained within his vault. I feel that is more than fair compensation, don't you?"

No, I don't!

I wanted to scream the words out loud, and I almost did, but I didn't get the chance. Before I could respond, I was shoved aside by Havik who stepped in front of me and jabbed a finger in Cassius' direction.

"That's all well and good," she nearly growled, "but what about my reward, huh? I brought the bitch back to you alive, just like you wanted. Now I want what's mine, and then I want out."

Cassius wasn't fazed by Havik's interruption in the slightest. His reply was calm, his false smile didn't change, and he never took his eyes off me as he answered, "If Miss Sparkle agrees to assist me, then you shall have your freedom, Miss Kultaina, just as I promised."

Wait... freedom?

"Bullshit!" Havik snarled, slamming a gauntleted hand down on the desk, "that wasn't the deal, Cassius! All you asked me to do was bring her back here, and I did. You didn't say shit about her agreeing to anything!"

"Vikky—" Burkin began in a warning tone, but he was cut off as Havik continued.

"No, Burk, this is bullshit," the blonde bandit pressed, "I did my part, and he's been dangling this over my head for way too Goddesses damn long. I'm sick of it!" she placed both hands on the desk and leaned toward Cassius, her eyes narrowing dangerously as she hissed, "give me back what I'm owed, Cassius. No more bullshit. No more excuses. I've done my part. I. Want. Out."

For a long moment, no one else spoke. I wanted to use the opportunity to sort out the implications of what I'd heard, but the tension in the air was too stifling. I turned to see that Burkin's expression had grown stony, his unmangled hand unconsciously gripping the shortsword at his hip. Havik just glared expectantly at Cassius, but Cassius... still only had eyes for me. Not once had he turned to face Havik, nor did his porcelain features give anything away.

"Well, Miss Sparkle?" Cassius finally spoke in his same calm tone, "We're all waiting on your answer. Will you assist me in my endeavor and win my precious Havik her freedom from this life of brigandry?"

"Havik?" I asked, turning to the other woman and ignoring Cassius entirely, "what is he talking about? The way you two are talking... are you... do you have some kind of debt or something?"

I'd known there was something strange about Havik's behavior and her role as a bandit. This was my chance to learn more about her and her situation, and I wouldn't waste it. Havik grit her teeth, and for a second, I thought she wouldn't answer, but after a moment she spat to one side, which finally earned her a disapproving scowl from Cassius, then spoke without taking her eyes off the bandit leader.

"Nothing too complicated, really," Havik replied in an almost casual tone that didn't match the fury in her golden eyes, "this piece of shit and a ton of his goons ambushed me on my way home a couple of years back. He stole my birthright and forced me to work for him in return for what he took. I can't return home without it, and I've been under his Goddesses damned thumb ever since. Simple as that."

And she brought me back here after he promised to return whatever this "birthright" is and set her free. Now it's all starting to make sense. When put into perspective, she was likely just trying to incapacitate me during her second attack, but Mauri never gave her the chance.

This doesn't explain everything about her weird behavior, but I can put a few pieces of the puzzle together now.

"But now, this motherfucker wants to back out of the deal. Again," Havik spat, "and I won't have it, not this time. Give me back my targe, Cassius, or I'll take it back myself."

"Oh?" Cassius replied, finally turning to give Havik his full attention. He raised his brows in a mix of surprise and amusement, "And how do you expect to do that, Miss Kultaina? We've already established that you are far from my equal in combat, and I doubt you've improved much since then." He held his hands out to either side in an inviting gesture and grinned at the incensed bandit, "Are you willing to fight me for your chance to reclaim your birthright? Knowing that you may lose more than just the shield?"

As the words left his mouth, I felt a strange pressure. I couldn't place it or what it meant, but the air grew oddly heavy at that moment, and a small shiver ran down my spine. Through the fear and confusion, I realized that the pressure felt strangely familiar. It took me a second, but as I looked into Cassius' eyes, I remembered.

This... th-this is the same feeling I got from the Headhunter!

Alarm and horror made me take a step back, but that was all I was able to do. My body wouldn't move beyond that. I was frozen in place, my body trembling as memories of that night flashed through my mind. All that blood. Jack's headless corpse sprawled out on the table. That thing hanging above me with its giant mouth full of all those teeth—

A massive hand slapped itself atop one of my shoulders and I jumped, a small yelp tearing from my throat. I whipped around to see the giant form of Burkin looming behind me, his steely eyes boring into mine with an odd intensity.

"Focus, girl," he hissed so quietly only I could hear, "we'll need you for what comes next."

"Wh-wha—"

"Yeah, I can't beat you in a straight-up confrontation, not with what I have right now," Havik conceded before giving Cassius a nasty smirk, "but what if I had something that could even the odds?"

Cassius' arrogant grin fell into a bemused frown, but he didn't have time to respond before Havik moved. Several things happened at once then. In a movement so quick I barely caught it, Havik snapped out her arm to grab at my Spellblade. Almost at the same moment, in a move that really was too quick for me to process, Cassius made his own move. In the blink of an eye, the man was over the desk and rushing toward Havik. In the next second, he had the woman by the throat, pressing her struggling form into the wall next to the entrance.

Before I could process what had just happened, Burkin shot past me to make his own grab for the sheathed blade with his good hand. Far faster than his large frame would suggest, he snatched the sword up, succeeding where Havik failed. Without a moment's pause, he turned and shoved the sword, scabbard and all into my chest, nearly knocking the wind out of me in the process.

"Take it and fight, girl," Burkin growled, "or none of us are making it out of this room alive."

Out of reflex, I grabbed hold of the Spellblade, and the moment I did, my fear and bewilderment were briefly replaced with the instinctual understanding I'd been missing regarding the new rune embedded into my sword. A brief bout of vertigo made me stumble a bit, but I recovered quickly and glanced around to see that Burkin was already rushing to Havik's aid, his shortsword drawn and a war cry escaping his lips.

I watched in amazement as the massive bandit raised his blade and swung down at Cassius, then in horror as the bandit leader raised his free arm and batted the incoming blade away with contemptuous ease. I wasn't quite sure how to explain it, but the movement didn't look natural. It was quick and jerky and the arm didn't twist right, but I was distracted from that fact by the look Cassius shot me as he deflected Burkin's attack. There was fury in those soulless black eyes, but also something else.

Is that... fear?

The look was gone as fast as it had come, so I couldn't tell for sure what I saw, and both he and I were further distracted by Burkin's continued assault. The man wasn't deterred in the slightest by Cassius' ridiculous strength. He simply continued to rain down blow after blow like a machine, all of which Cassius blocked or parried with seemingly no effort. All the while, he continued to hold Havik against the wall with only one hand—that is, until the woman pulled her own sword free from its scabbard.

Using what little leverage she could, Havik stabbed out at Cassius, aiming for his unprotected throat. In yet another unnatural looking movement, the man let Havik go and slid to one side, as if pulled by some invisible string. He avoided not only Havik's savage lunge, but a particularly vicious swipe from Burkin's blade.

The two bandits were on their leader before he could retaliate. I'd already seen Havik fight and knew she was a talented swordswoman, if not as good as Mauri, but Burkin was no slouch either, even crippled as he was. Together, they were able to keep Cassius on the defensive, but looking at him, the man didn't seem all that hard-pressed.

His every move was strange and eerie, with his limbs and body twisting at odd angles to block or avoid blows that should have struck home. What's more, he was fending off attacks from bladed weapons with nothing more than his bare flesh. I was unnaturally strong, sure, but even I couldn't do something like that.

Just what is he that he can do something like that?

The frown on his face looked less like he was concerned about his chances and more like he was annoyed at the whole situation. That was when I realized things might not have been going as well as they seemed. This feeling was only cemented into certainty when Havik took the time to call out to me.

"Any time you feel like pitching in with that magic of yours, feel free!" she snarled, "This shit ain't as easy as it looks, so if you're gonna help, then get your thumb out of your ass and fucking do something!"

And just like that, Burkin's earlier words came to mind and the realization of what was going on hit me like a sledgehammer.

We'll need you for what comes next.

They'd planned this all along. My capture, the lack of patrolling bandits in the building, Burkin's concerns, Havik's demands of Cassius, and the return of my Spellblade. Havik had probably used herself as a distraction so that Burkin could grab my sword, and now they were waiting on me to help them kill Cassius. It had all been for this moment. It was all so roundabout, but this had likely been Havik's plan from the very beginning.

She needed my help. She still needs my help! And I actually might be able to do something...

The revelation of Havik's circumstances and the fact that she brought me here to help her get out of her predicament was like a weight lifted off my shoulders. Given her actions and the way she spoke, Havik wasn't exactly a saint. She'd used me for her own ends, but it was for a reason I could wholly sympathize with. The woman was desperate, and even if I didn't agree with what she'd done, there was no way I could stand by knowing what I knew now.

And beyond that, I also feel like I can't leave Cassius alone. Something in me is telling me to end his life, and I'm starting to think I might have to. There's something wrong with him. I don't know what, but he's just like Jessie somehow. I can feel it.

The man scared me on a primal level, and that, more than anything, is what spurred me into action. Trying to think on my feet, I reached once again for the magic within me and this time, I let it out. Heart pounding with a mix of fear and determination, I raised one hand shrouded in magenta light and pointed it toward Cassius.

The moment he noticed what I was doing, he disengaged his attackers. He used his unnerving movements to weave right past the other two bandits and rushed straight for me, an ugly snarl marring his too-perfect face. In a panic, I latched onto the man with my telekinesis and ripped my hand to one side as if tossing him aside. At my startled command, the bandit leader was lifted from the ground and violently flung into and right through the double doors.

The doors were apparently more flimsy than they appeared because they snapped right off their hinges and were sent flying outward right alongside Cassius. For a brief few seconds, I stood there, stunned at what I'd done, but the shock didn't end there. Through the now very open doorway, I watched as Cassius hit the opposite wall with an audible crack and slump to the ground, before his limp body slipped right down into the pit in the center of the room just outside.

That wasn't what surprised me, though. The real shock was the ragged sight of Alius Tempus who'd been making his way up the dilapidated steps when the bandit leader came shooting out of his chamber. And if that weren't surprising enough, Mauri was there too, already on the floor and engaged in a battle with the two bandits who'd been guarding the doorway.

Well, that explains why no one rushed in to see what was going on...

I wasn't the only one frozen in bewilderment at the situation. It seemed everyone had stopped what they were doing to watch Cassius as he fell who knew how many stories to the ground below. Once his body was out of sight, all eyes turned toward the open doorway and, more specifically, to me. The two guards were badly injured, with the larger blond man pressing one hand to a deep cut just below his ribs and the snake-like man on his knees and sporting several lacerations in different places.

Even with all their wounds, they still took a moment to look me over with surprise and even a bit of fear.

"U-um," I began, entirely unsure of how to proceed. I shook my head, trying to focus on what mattered at that moment, and ran through the doorway and past the two injured guards who did nothing to stop me, "Mauri! Are you okay? What happened? How did you get here and what is he doing here?"

The questions came one after the other, but once I started, I couldn't stop. At the last question, I glanced over to where my fellow prisoner still stood, but Mauri cut my inquiries short with a hand on my shoulder and an exasperated chuckle.

"Believe me, Amethyst," she said with a not unkind grin, "I have all those questions and more to ask you, but maybe now is not the best time?" she nodded toward the giant pit, "Who was that?"

A sudden gurgling cry caught our attention, and we both turned to see Mauri standing over the thin guard, her gleaming blade pierced through his chest from behind. While the bigger guard was distracted by the sudden ambush, Burkin approached him from behind. He didn't even bother with his sword. He simply wrapped one massive arm around the man's neck and the other around the back of his head in a stranglehold.

With barely any effort and an expression carved from stone, he pressed his good hand into the back of the guard's head until there was a muffled snap. The struggling bandit went limp immediately, and Burkin let his body drop to the ground. The thin guard, who'd been stabbed through the heart, was also sprawled out on the ground and very much out of commission. With the death of the two guards, Mauri grunted, flicked her blade to one side, and slipped it back into its sheath at her hip.

"Well, I suppose we all have a lot to explain, it seems," she commented with a rueful smirk. She looked over to Havik with a questioning raise of her brow, "Care to fill me in on what that was all about?"

"Later," Havik replied, her grim gaze never leaving the pit as she moved closer to the ledge and peered down with a scowl, "to answer your earlier question, that was our great leader, Cassius, and I can guarantee that little magic trick wasn't enough to kill the man." She raised her head to look at me, then to Mauri, "He's still down there, and when he wakes up, he's gonna be pissed."

"Oh, of that, I have no doubt," came Alius' inappropriately chipper voice from the staircase. All eyes turned to him as he made his way up the rest of the stairs and toward Cassius' room, "And with that in mind, I'd like to retrieve a few things before the inevitable storm arrives, so if you'll excuse me..."

With that, he stepped into the recently vacated room and began searching the various shelves, weapons, and armor. Leaving him to whatever he was doing, I returned my attention to Mauri.

"Mauri," I began, "back there in the cave, what happened?"

Mauri frowned, then shared a look with Havik before turning back to me and replying with a grim expression that matched Havik's own, "Havik is right. If their leader really is still alive, then it is best that we focus on finishing him off first. Story time can wait until after all is said and done, and we are safely out of this mess."

I wanted to argue, but I knew they were right. My answers would come, but now wasn't the time to press for details. I could feel in my gut that Cassius was a threat that couldn't be ignored. And so, I clamped down hard on fears and worries and resolved to finish what we started. Not only did I get my Spellblade back, but I now had a new spell at my disposal, and I was itching to use it.

Next Chapter: Episode VII – The Bandits ~ Part IV Estimated time remaining: 39 Minutes