Day 22:

	Nick walked up to the 3rd floor of the prison, the first floor with 
holding cells.  He didn't have any real desire to see any of the people who were 
being held as prisoners there, but after spending two days hearing all the 
reports of the Kinshou army's progress, he needed to get away somewhere.  The 
prisoners were all in small, barred cells.  Some of the more dangerous ones were 
hung against the wall of their cell.  There was one guard on the floor, another 
one of those imposing knights with the black armor.  The guard let Nick go about 
his business.  Signus had told all the guards that Nick, who was going by the 
name of Barry, was a guest and was to be treated as such.
	Nick walked over to the window and looked outside.  There was no large 
procession of knights coming out of the town anymore, just a few standing guard 
around the perimeter.  Nick was tired from trying to swindle Signus out of his 
money.  He had been trying for two days, but the only thing Signus wanted to 
talk about was "bringing order to Monic".  He stared out the window, thinking 
maybe it'd help him come up with a better way to approach the problem.
	The young man who had talked to Nick before spoke up, "Hey, you.  Who 
are these people attacking the Shadow.  What do they have against my clan?"
	Nick looked over at Araz, "Hasn't anybody told you anything?  The people 
who captured you are from the island of Kinshou.  They're being led by this guy 
named Signus.  He's filthy rich, and even though he's not the smartest guy in 
Monic he's surprisingly hard to swindle . . er, I mean do business with."
	Araz looked confused, "I guess.  But why my clan?  Why do my friends 
have to be killed?"
	A man in one of the other cells laughed, "Ha, he really doesn't know 
anything does he?"
	Nick looked at him, "Who are you?"
	The man was hung from the wall of his cell by a pair of manacles, "My 
name's Terico Jent of the Sword's Edge."  Terico sighed and looked at Araz, "The 
Kinshou army isn't just attacking the Shadow.  They're also going after the Kin 
Shi Tal.  Both clans are expected to fall soon.  After that they'll probably go 
after every other clan in Monic.  They think this thing called the Beloved wants 
them to bring order to Monic."
	Araz looked down, the news obviously worrying him, "Order?  I don't see 
what the death of just about everybody I know has to do with order?"
	Terico stared at him, "Stop feeling so sorry for yourself.  You're not 
the only one who's lost some friends.  A couple of friends of mine named Talon 
and Kurt got killed recently, too.  You just have to take it and go on."
	Araz looked over at Nick, wanting to get off this topic, "So, how do you 
know my brother, Jadax?"
	Nick frowned, "He tried to capture me and take me back to the Spyre 
base," Nick smiled, "but I got away from him.  Are you and Jadax close?"
	Araz thought back, "We used to be.  I remember when we had big plans for 
our lives . . .

      ***************************************************************

	Araz remembered back to a few years ago.  It was a typical night.  Araz 
was exercising in a wheel device that he and Jadax invented to keep themselves 
in shape.  Araz was running in it, while Jadax was busy writing down some notes 
about his latest scheme for domination of Monic.  Araz looked over at him, "Gee, 
Jadax, what are we going to do tonight?"  Jadax looked back at him, looking 
slightly annoyed, "The same thing we do every night, Araz.  Try to take over the 
world!"

      ***************************************************************

	. . . we had a plan, too.  Well, several of them, but they never seemed 
to work out for some reason.  The last plan we tried was the two of us joining 
Spyre.  He joined, but before I did we decided I'd go on a mission into the 
Shadow.  I was just going to get some information and get out, but Jadax double 
crossed me.  I just stayed in the Shadow, they helped me get back on my feet and 
improve my fighting skills.  Sooner or later I'm going to find Jadax and kill 
him.  I would have the last time if I wasn't captured and put here."
	Nick smiled, he sort of liked the idea of Jadax being killed by his own 
brother.  He almost told Araz that he'd help him escape after all, but the guard 
walked within earshot just then, "Well, maybe you'll get your chance someday . . 
. as soon as you've done your appointed time here that is."
	Terico got a disgusted look on his face, "Petty revenge, is that all you 
have to live for?"
	Araz looked upset, "Well, if my whole clan's being slaughtered then 
maybe it is!"
	While Terico and Araz were arguing, Nick looked around the room.  He 
spotted a hanging from the ceiling, obviously sneaking into the cell block.  The 
man had the symbol of the Sword's Edge on his shoulder.  The Sword's Edge agent 
looked at Nick and put his finger over his mouth, signalling for Nick to be 
quiet.  Nick looked over at the guard.  The guard was about to walk around the 
corner and spot the Sword's Edge agent.
	Nick had a choice.  The Sword's Edge agent was obviously there to rescue 
Terico.  If he helped the guard avert the prison break, it might help him 
finally get some of Signus' money in the long run, but if he helped the Sword's 
Edge agent, he could get Araz out of prison.  That could lead to Jadax finally 
being killed, something Nick wanted to see happen.
	Nick Swindle made his choice quickly, "Guard, could you come here for a 
moment?"
	The guard turned toward where Nick was standing, and away from the 
Sword's Edge agent.  The agent leapt down and used the inabikari katana 
technique, endowing his sword with lightning energy.  He struck the guard in the 
back, creating a controlled explosion on impact which knocked the guard across 
the room.  The guard slumped on the floor, dead.
	Araz looked on in amazement.  Terico didn't seem very surprised.  The 
Sword's Edge agent looked at Nick, "Thank you.  I wasn't sure when I saw you if 
you were a friend or a foe.  My name's Valen.  Since you helped me I guess 
you're my friend."
	Nick smiled and nodded.  Valen began the koori katana technique and used 
the icy sword to freeze the bars on Terico's cell before smashing them away.  He 
then cut Terico free.  Valen turned back toward Nick, "I suppose you won't be 
very welcome around here anymore.  You're welcome to come along with us."
	Nick smiled, "Certainly.  I'll come along, for a while, under the 
condition that you free Araz here as well."
	Valen looked over at Araz, seeing the shadow symbol on his shoulder, "Of 
course."  Valen freed Araz from his cell and the four of them left the prison.  
Valen snuck them out the same way he got in, avoiding all the guards that were 
patrolling the perimeter of the prison.  When they got to the outskirts of 
Jekopolis, they were able to get some horses and rode out of town.

      ***************************************************************

Day 25:

	Valen, Terico, Araz, and Nick had been riding for several days, avoiding 
the fighting wherever they could.  Finally they reached the town of Tinta, which 
had been largely untouched by the fighting so far.  In the early morning of day 
25, Valen and Terico had left to continue on toward the Great Sentients' clan 
base.  They said there was information there they needed.  Araz had left to find 
Jadax, heading South after hearing from one of the townspeople that Jadax might 
be in one of the towns there.  Nick opted to stay in Tinta, he knew it would 
probably be a safe place to be, at least for a little while.
	This wasn't the first time Nick had been to Tinta.  He had been there 
several weeks ago.  He was walking to the Roggong Tavern, hoping maybe the 
bartender there didn't remember how Nick swindled him last time.  "Oh well," 
Nick thought, "If he does, there's still plenty more naive people to swindle."  
He also remembered something his father once told him, "Wartime is the best time 
to exploit someone."
	As Nick was walking toward the Roggong Tavern, the air in front of him 
started to glow.  Nick looked puzzled, he'd never seen anything like this 
before.  It glowed brighter until it formed itself into something that looked 
like a gateway.  Out of it stepped a strange looking woman.  She stared at Nick 
with emotionless eyes, "I am Blaze.  Angestal has a mission for you.  You must 
accept."  She held up the gem, "The soul of George Swindle is contained within 
this gem.  If you do not accept, I will destroy his soul."
	Nick's eyes widened.  He stared at the gem Blaze was holding up.  It 
shone in the light with swirling colors.  At one point he could see the swirls 
of color form themselves into the image of his dad's face, with an expression of 
desperation, as if his father was screaming to be set free.  Nick knew it was 
possible this person was lying to him, but over his lifetime Nick had developed 
a keen sense of when he was being lied to and when he was being told the truth, 
and he believed that what this woman was telling him was true.
	He looked into the woman's cold eyes, "Well, you have something I want 
and I'm sure there's something I can get in return for you.  I'm a man with a 
lot of connections, and I can get you anything you need in return for . . "
	Blaze interrupted, "All that is required of you is that you aid us.  You 
will play a key role in helping Elarian obtain the soul of Finn Triaste of the 
Manotic Order.  You are to infultrate their clan and lure Triaste to the 
specified destination.  I will give you further details in six hours."
	Nick frowned.  He'd had enough dealings with the Manotic Order and had 
no intention of putting himself in the middle of their business again, "But why 
settle for a simple service like that when there are certainly better, more 
useful things I can offer you.  I can get my hands on plenty of high quality 
weapons if you're in need of those.  If you'd just spare a little time to . . "
	"In six hours!"  With that, Blaze vanished into another portal.  Nick 
slumped his shoulders and looked down at the ground.  His mentor, the man that 
had taught him everything he knew.  He was reduced to a blinking of light inside 
a gem.  The gem didn't even look like it was worth much money.  How could 
something like this happen.  His father had lived his life by the same 
principles that he had taught Nick, the same principles that should have brought 
him nothing but wealth and success.
	Nick finished walking to the Roggong Tavern, ordering some strong ale 
when he got there.  For hours he sat there, drinking ale and thinking.  There 
must be some way to swindle himself out of this situation.  If he went ahead 
with the mission, he'd probably end up getting killed, he'd almost died every 
other time he'd dealt with the Manotic Order.  Even if he did succeed, though, 
there's no guarantee that his father would get his soul back.
	Nick thought back over the last few weeks.  In particular to his 
marriage to Kilana.  That was another situation he couldn't swindle his way out 
of.  He ended up being married to her, but left right afterward.  He hadn't 
thought about it until now, but he probably hurt that girl when he did that.  
She seemed to have genuine feelings for him, though he couldn't tell why.  He 
was just a two bit con man.
	Not that his swindling had got him anywhere.  He barely had any money, 
he was tired, he was hungry, and that wound in his chest still hadn't completely 
healed.  As he drank his ale he silently wondered to himself where he would end 
up if he kept swindling people all the time.  Would he always be on the run like 
this, would he end up with his soul inside a crystal like his father, or did he 
even have any soul to take?
	He put his hand over the wound on his chest.  It hurt.  Maybe that's 
what a swindler gets, stabbed through the chest over nothing.  He told himself 
that he wasn't much of a swindler anymore anyway, he couldn't even swindle 
Signus.  Nick asked the bartender what time it was.  It had nearly been six 
hours.  Blaze would return soon.  Nick stepped out of the tavern.  He didn't 
know what he was going to say or do when Blaze showed up.  He looked around, 
noticing a sword that some drunken warrior had left lying around.  Nick picked 
it up.  Instead of talking his way out, he would fight his way out of the 
situation.  This is Monic, that's the way things work around here.
	Nick was startled by a voice behind him.  He spun around, expecting to 
see Blaze, but instead he saw another familiar face, Barry Scott Smith.  Nick 
frowned.  Barry nodded, "Just as I thought, not happy to see me, are you?"
	Nick looked away, "I know, I owe you 800 talics.  Well, I don't have it 
so please just go away."
	Barry shook his head, "You do owe me those talics, but I found somebody 
who you owe a lot more than that."
	Barry motioned toward the front porch of the inn across the street.  In 
one of the crude wooden chairs sat Kilana.  Nick's face dropped.  Kilana was 
crying.  She turned away just as Nick looked at her, burying her face in her 
hands.
	Nick dropped the sword and ran to the inn, Barry following him.  Kilana 
looked up at Nick, her face red from all the tears, "Is what Barry told me true? 
 Did you lie to the Reflectionists?  Do you really try to take people's money 
while you tell us you're preaching in the name of the Overseer?"
	Nick opened his mouth, his mind already coming up with a good lie, but 
he couldn't lie to her.  He simply said, "Yes."
	She started crying even more when she heard him.  She choked out another 
question through her tears, "And you weren't captured by the Great Sentients?"
	Nick shook his head, "No, I wasn't."  Nick remembered that Blaze was 
about to show up, "We can talk about this later, but it's really important that 
you go now, you'll be in danger if you don't."
	Barry spoke up, "You're not getting away this time, Swindle.  You've 
hurt this girl.  She tells me the two of you are married.  You're not just going 
to walk away from her."
	Nick looked anxious, "I know.  I'm truly sorry, Kilana.  I want to work 
this out, but I really need you to go for right now."
	Barry held up his hand, "I've heard that before, and I'm not falling for 
it, Nick.  We're both staying right here."
	Just as Barry said that, a portal once again opened and Blaze stepped 
out of it.  Kilana, Barry, and Nick looked over at her.  She glanced curiously 
at the group, "Nick Swindle.  I've come with more instructions.  You are now to 
. . "
	Nick interrupted her, "No, I'm not going to do it."
	Blaze's eyes glowed for a moment, but otherwise she looked calm, "You 
know that if you don't, your father's soul will be destroyed."
	Kilana looked confused, "Nick who is this?"
	Nick looked frightened, but not for himself, for Kilana, "Kilana, get 
inside, now."
	Blaze saw his concern, "This girl is important to you.  Fine, you will 
see what it's like to lose someone close to you, then maybe you'll be more 
receptive to my offer."
	Blaze held out her hand, which began to glow a bright red while tiny 
flames danced off of it.  She pointed her hand at Kilana and fired a bolt of 
energy at her.  Nick yelled, "No!" and jumped inbetween the bolt and Kilana.  It 
struck him, knocking him to the ground.
	Kilana and Barry both yelled, "Nick!" and kneeled down over him.  Blaze 
simply looked at him, as if this was more of an annoyance than anything else.  
She calmly reopened her portal, and left.
	Kilana held Nick's head in her lap.  She looked down at him, "Oh, Nick. 
 Please don't die.  I pray to the Overseer that you don't die."
	Barry looked shocked as he examined Nick's wound.  It was severe.  He 
knew there was no way Nick could survive.  He closed his eyes, and bowed his 
head.
	Nick Swindle reached up, using his last bit of strength to touch 
Kilana's cheek.  He leaned forward and whispered, "I'm sorry."
	After that, he breathed his last breath before slumping over, lifeless. 
 Kilana gave him one final kiss, "I forgive you."