Short break

 Apologies, dear reader.

I’m afraid life is getting busy during the summer.  We will resume soon!

Chapter 2 - Saving a Stranger

 "Why does he have to stay here, of all places?" Jesz asked as she paced back and forth in the small hut. It was the perfect size for her, but not much more than that.

"We can't take him to my dormitory," Ouxps said. He watched her from his seat at the table. His cloak hung on the back of his chair, leaving him in the white and purple robes reserved for clerics, in particular clerics who worshiped Murphy, the god of Randomness. "The priests would go crazy!"

"And I can't take him!" Chloe said from the bedroom next door. Of course, with only 3 rooms, they were all next door. "Besides, your home was closest and we had to get him somewhere fast."

Ouxps leaned over the table with an exhausted sigh. "I've done what I can, but there are only a few clerics that can regenerate a whole hand!"

Jesz walked into the bedroom with a growl. Chloe sat next to the bed on the only other chair Jesz owned. She had a bucket of water next to her, along with towels and bandages. Laying in the bed was the man in black, unconscious with a wet towel on his forehead. "Swing this around in a circle, will you?" Chloe asked as she handed a damp towel to Jesz.

"What? Why?" She'd learned long ago that it was just best to do what Chloe said, so she began whipping the towel in a circle next to her. "Hasn't he been healed?"

"The dart had some sort of poison on it. He's burning up. Ouxps tried an antidote spell but this stuff is pretty potent. Alright, hand me that towel." She took the one off of his head and held out her hand expectantly. When Jesz handed it to her, she let out a little sound of surprise when she realized that simply swinging the damp cloth had made it very cold. Chloe dabbed at his face with it before laying it on his forehead.

"Did you find anything on him that might show us who he is?" Jesz asked.

Chloe's cheeks turned a rosy pink. "Of course not! I'm not rifling through a strange man's clothes! I'm not that kind of girl."

Jesz smirked and nudged her in the rib. "Prude. I'll look." But she was not much better, blushing as she felt around for any pockets. The once-upon-a-time thief had no trouble sticking her hand in someone's pocket if she didn't know them, but as the man lay on the bed with his brow knotted in some unknown concern, she found herself empathizing with him, mesmerized by him. He had a complexion almost as dark as hers, but his features were exotic. He had short black hair that was swept up, but when he opened his eyes in delirium, they were so dilated their color could not be determined. A bag had been tied around his stump of a left forearm to cover it. He was handsome and in distress.

Chloe stood up. "Watch him while I take a break?"

Jesz nodded and was soon alone with the stranger. The hushed conversation between Chloe and Ouxps made Jesz feel worried, even though she didn't know anything about him. There was a decent chance he wouldn't make it through the night. She gently ran her fingertips in his hair before examining him more closely. Now that she was alone with him, it was easier for her. Fingers trained to use a quick, light touch scanned his body, which was stronger than she expected. She found an inside pocket with small blades, another with vials, a third with long needles. There were numerous items throughout his robes, and the more she discovered, the more concerned she got. But instead of getting concerned for her welfare should he wake up, she was concerned for his should anyone else discover the weapons and tools of an assassin.

"Ming... it's not right..." he moaned.

She put her hand on his cheek. "Shhh... just rest. It's safe here." As she sat up, she found the dart on a little bedside table and picked it up. The moment she brought it close, her nose was flooded with the scent of an alchemist's study, a sickly sweet musk but far more concentrated. "Ah!" She quickly put the dart back down as light-headedness caused her to feel dizzy. "It's some sort of nightshade, I think," she said loudly enough for the others to hear.

"Nightshade? That narrows it down. You know there are thousands of varieties, right?" Chloe called.

"Think Angel's Trumpet or Belladona."

"Concentrated? Th-th-then he should be dead by now!" Ouxps replied in a soft tone.

Chloe walked back into the bedroom. Jesz had her hand on the man's chest, under his robe as she felt for more weapons. When she saw Chloe, her cheeks flooded crimson and she sat up stiffly. "I was, uh, just looking... uh, for more weapons! Any weapons! For weapons. I haven't found any weapons yet."

"Right. Look Jesz, it's getting late and I don't know how much more we can help him. Do you want us to stay with you tonight, just in case?"

The man clenched his fist and arched his back. "No! No, don't do it!" he cried out.

Jesz nodded. "I'll watch him. It will be all right. You guys can go if you need to." Chloe nodded, but before she got far, Jesz added, "By the way, has Aryx returned yet?"

"Not yet. He's not the best at night. I'm sure he'll find me in the morning. We'll keep looking for Occam's Gazer then."

***

Somewhere in Kells, a barrel made its merry way down a narrow street, which led to larger and larger streets. A number of unfortunate souls, either awake from insomnia or for some deed best left for the night, found themselves having to jump out of its way. It was picking up speed.

Kells was a very large city, and like most large cities, it suffered from an excess of roads. This made getting around the city difficult*, but for a barrel having a night on the town, it meant lots of routes to explore. This particular barrel was enjoying a roll down the main thoroughfare, "Whatever You Do, Don't Go Down That Rd," when a loose stone caused it to veer off to the side and run into a lamppost. The lamppost creaked and fell over. The sound of the glass shattering woke up an old man who had been sleeping on some coats nearby.

"Wot! Who! Criminy!" he called and jerked into a sitting position. As he did, he knocked the empty bottle off of his chest and sent it skittering along the ground, just under the foot of one of the city's guards. To keep from falling, he grabbed onto a nearby pole. Fortunately, he managed to keep his footing. Unfortunately, the pole was part of a system of scaffolding that stretched for miles. The guard's weight was too much for the piece of wood and it snapped, setting off a chain reaction down the length of the scaffolding and out of the guard's sight.

"Oh crap," The guard looked around, and, seeing no one other than a sleeping old man, turned around and quickly walked away from the scene of the crime.

***

Chapter 1 - Deals in the Dark

    It was a dark and stormy night... well mostly dark and for a number of reasons, not just the weather. Dark nights were when dark dealings took place, and dark dealings usually led to stormy times, especially in the city of Kells.

    This was doubly so on Dupin Avenue. It was a popular place for these sorts of things because there were no windows that opened up onto it and no roads branched from it. In fact, it was so popular, there was a sign-up sheet with timeslots. At precisely 13 minutes past 11, a group of cloaked, stiff figures approached a trolley on one side of the street, while a group of cloaked, hunched figures approached one on the other. Cloaks were in that year. The tallest of the stiff figures carried an ornately-adorned wooden box the size of a cat. He put it in the trolley, which had two ropes attached to it, one in front and one behind. A figure on the other side emptied a pouch of coins onto their trolley. One member from each group pulled on the front rope of the opposing group's trolley, while another held onto the rear rope of their trolley as it was dragged away. This was the safest way of doing a shady transaction like this, as no one had thought to invent the internet yet. Unbeknownst to them, another cloaked figure watched the deal go down from a rooftop.

    "Crap! We're late! Plan B!" The rooftop figure stepped back from the edge and tied a blue ribbon onto a knife. which she threw to the far end of the avenue. It sailed silently over the alley and the building across the way. Down below, two more figures that, you guessed it, also wore cloaks, watched the knife with its blue tail. Each one had their back against a wall at the end of the street, flanking it.

    "Blue. I told you it wasn't at 11:15, Ouxps," the taller of the two said. Her cloak was green and a long braid of brown hair spilled out of the cowl on onto her shoulder. "You remember plan B?"

    "Oh come on, Chloe, of course I remember plan B!" Ouxps said, whose name sounded like the word oops. "I came up with plan B! I just didn't want to have to do it." Ouxps' voice was young and shook with nerves. Hints of a white and blue robe could be seen peeking out from under the cloak that he held together in front of him. "Let's g-g-get on with it!"

    “Just wait until Jesz gets into position,” Chloe said. They leaned over and peered down the street. The two groups were done with their exchange and already heading to the opposing ends of the street, the hunched one towards them. Chloe kept her gloved fist up until the rooftop figure slipped down the wall using a rope and landed behind the approaching group. The very instant Jesz landed, Chloe lowered her hand and she and Ouxps started down on either sidewalk. When they had taken a few steps, Chloe pulled open her cloak with a flourish and brought her hand to the hilt of a sword. It was showtime.

    "Hey, wait a minute! You were supposed to come from the East end!" Chloe was loud but her acting skills were terrible. She was on one side of the street, Ouxps on the other. She turned to him and walked into the street. "You're just trying to rob me, aren't you?!"

    Ouxps' acting skills were even worse. But that was nothing new on Dupin Avenue. "I w-was not! You were trying to rob me! This i-i-is the East end!" He, too, walked into the street, but pulled out a purple staff and held it out behind him. Chloe held out a longsword so that the two of them were effectively blocking the way out. The group approaching them hesitated.

    Jesz held back a snicker. In an instant, she assessed the group from behind. There were four and she knew three of them well: sell swords. The first was a brutish man with thick forearms who carried the box in a backpack he wore. His name was Shane Rod, a thug in every sense. The second was a woman named Noemi Madde who was known as a capable hedge witch and pickpocket*. She stood taller than Shane but her arms and legs were easily as thick as his. In the front of the group stood Fedelmid Fedlimid, the so-called “face” of the group and a deadly marksman with a crossbow. His unfortunate nose was both broken and hooked. But the last person was too obscured to be identified, and was standing between her and Shane.

    I've got to get him out of the way! She slipped out a stiletto dagger and snuck up behind him. Not only was she quiet, she was fast. But as she got within striking range, the blade in her hand trembled. Jesz couldn’t see anything beyond the black cloak, but she still knew where to put the stiletto so the pink-eyed man wouldn’t even be able to cry out. She bit her lip and sheathed her weapon.

    "What d'ya think yer doin'!? Git outta th'way!" Shane roared. Chloe twitched at his voice.

    "I ch-ch-challenge you to a d-d-duel!" Ouxps ignored the others as best as he could, focusing instead on Chloe.

    "You would not dare to strike at me!" Chloe said in her wooden performance. She glanced at the others and winced each time they spoke.

    "Stand aside!" announced Fedelmid. His voice was nasally and tense and his crossbow was held at the ready.

   

    "Madde, gel, give 'em one of 'em whastits. Y'know, that brew what make 'em inta cats or toads or somesuch." Shane's words drew a soft growl out of Chloe.

    "I ain't usin' these on just any whoever you tell me to!" Noemi said and stepped away from Shane. She was holding a vial with a blue glow in her hand. "Yer not me boss!"

    "IN THE NAME OF WEBSTER AND ALL THAT IS HOLY, USE 'WHOMEVER,' NOT 'WHOEVER,' WHEN REFERING TO THE OBJECT OF A SENTENCE! And it's 'my boss'! Who taught you all how to speak!? 'Ain't' isn't even a proper word!" Chloe turned to them with the oppressive aura of a million frustrated school marms. It was such an unexpected and impressive outburst that everyone other than Jesz and the pink-eyed figure took a step back, even Ouxps.

    Score! Jesz grinned as Shane's backpack was now within reach and everyone's attention was firmly fixed on Chloe. The stiletto blade came back out and slashed open the backpack easily.

    Fedelmid scoffed. "How dare you correct the grammar of my associates and I!"

    Chloe turned on him fully, a second, shorter blade in her off-hand. "It's 'of my associates and me,' you pompous twit! You would never say, 'of I,' would you? WOULD YOU?!" As she menacingly advanced on them, Jesz was fairly certain she could hear a distant choir singing something in Latin**.

    "N-no ma'am!" Ouxps squeaked out.

    Jesz pulled the blade back and slipped her light fingers into the gash left behind. She could feel the wood of the box. One tug was all she'd need to free it!

    Everything went wrong all at once. Something large and black fell from the sky, or at least from the top of one of the surrounding buildings. It slammed into Shane, knocking him to the ground and tearing the backpack, and box, away from Jesz. Madde dropped the blue vial in surprise. When it shattered, it made a thunderous noise and a bolt of lightning spread across the ground like a net. Fedelmid cried out from the shock and fired a crossbow bolt, but it missed its target and nearly hit a cat, who jumped up with a yowl and darted away. In its blind rush, it smashed into a barrel and ran off. The barrel teetered, tottered, and fell on its side before rolling out of sight.

    "It's an ambush!" Chaos ensued as the sell swords scrambled to escape. When Fedelmid and Noemi dragged Shane away, they inadvertently bowled Jesz over. In seconds, they were out of sight.

    "Ugh! Aryx!" Chloe whistled and pointed to the fleeing posse. A crested goshawk that had been sitting statue-like on a rooftop took wing and climbed high in the night sky. Then, Chloe and Ouxps ran up to Jesz and pulled her to her feet. After a brief chant from Ouxps, an orb of pure light illuminated the street. Jesz' cloak had been pulled off, revealing a short, lithe girl in her 20s with skin like rich clay, short, red hair, and crimson eyes.

    "Are you okay?!" Ouxps asked.

    "What the heck was that!?" The three of them looked over at the mass that had fallen. It was a man, dressed in black clothing. He was bleeding profusely from his left hand, or at least where his left hand should have been, and a dart was stuck in his neck.

    Jesz rubbed at her rear and walked up to him. When she nudged him with her foot, his head turned and he groaned.

    “Did he just say ‘Ming?’” Chloe asked.

    Jesz shook her head. “No, I think he said ‘Mean.’ Someone must have been really mean to him.”

    “Mnnnggg…” Ouxps repeated. “Iinnnggg…” 

    “No, it was more like ‘Meeeeeeemmmm’” Jesz said. Pretty soon they were all copying the sound trying to figure out what the man had moaned.

    “No, Ming….” The man lifted a hand and opened his eyes, staring at the sky. But then he went limp. The only movement he made was soft breathing.

    “We should get this guy to the healers,” Chloe said and leaned over to try lifting him.

    “What?! No way! He just cost us a lot of hours of work on this job! Why should we help him?”

    “It’s not like it’s his fault! I very much doubt that he was planning to lose a hand and fall half-conscious on a ruffian.”

    “So? He’s bad news! Look at him! All that black… Sure sign of a bad guy, I tell you.”

    “Guys….” Ouxps put his hand up, but he was ignored.

    “That’s ridiculous! Everyone around here wears black!”

    “Uh, yeah. Everyone around here is a bad guy. And what about the dart? Good people don’t end up with darts in their necks!”

    “Guys!” Ouxps fell to his knees and held his hand to his head. Jesz and Chloe stared at him as he let out a scream. Purple light shot up around him and illuminated the entire lane for several seconds. When it faded, Ouxps was standing with a playful smirk on his lips and purple eyes.

    “Oh no. No no no, not you, again!” Jesz said, waving her open hands in front of her and shaking her head.

    “Hey, babe,” Ouxps said with his hands on his hips. His voice was deeper, smoother. The wink he gave Jesz made her shiver.

    “Murphy…”

    “One and the same. I thought it was time I came down to see how my favorite avatar was doing.” Murphy said through Ouxps.

    “Your only avatar, you mean,” Chloe corrected. “What do you want, Murphy?”

    “Hey now! Is that any way to speak to a god! I could smite you, you know! Eh, who am I kidding? I’m too lazy for that sort of thing. Just listen up, will you? This guy is important to me, but you need to keep him out of sight, got it? No healers, no guards, that sorta thing.”

    Chloe and Jesz looked at each other with concern. “What about the Gazer? This guy just ruined our chance to get it,” Jesz said.

    “Oh, you still need to get it. That’s important, too. Look, they’re both important. You’re just going to have to figure out how to do both. I dunno, make him join your little team or something. Oh! Looks like my time is about up.”

    “Wait, can’t you tell us anything about him? Why Occam’s Gazer so important to you?” Chloe protested. All she got in response was a wink and a pucker before Ouxps’ eyes faded back to their normal blue and he stumbled. Jesz caught him.

    “Is he gone?” he asked. “What’d he say?”

    Jesz sighed. “Looks like we’ve got a freeloader to take care of.”

-----------------------------------------------------

Starting Fresh

 Hello Dear Reader(s)!

I hope you enjoyed the previous 12 chapters.  Since it's been ages since I last wrote anything in this world, and I have since written two books, I would like to start this story over again.  It may or may not follow the same plotlines as the previous version.

This started out as an experiment, to see if I was able to regularly post a story that was written chapter by chapter. In the end, I started plotting things anyway. It's just who I am and how I write.

So now I have come up with some general outline and will be fleshing it out as I go along. I will post regularly, but it might be interrupted by updates in case I am unable to get a chapter completed on time. At the moment it is and will remain free, but if I start gaining a readership, I may create a Patreon. 

And this time I am making one more change. Once in a while, I may make a poll with options on how to proceed. I'll keep the poll open for a week. At the end of that time, whichever option has the most votes is how I shall proceed with the story.  Since I am building my readership form the ground up, though, don't expect to have a poll for a while. I need to establish characters as it is.

With all that said, I hope you enjoy the revamped version of Murphy's Law.

-Spencer Hixon

Chapter 12 - Flirting with Disaster

 The sun beat down on the docks mercilessly, as if it had a vendetta against the very pavement that lined the nearby shops and could only make do by slowly cracking it over the course of several decades.  Spend more than a few minutes there and you would leave with a severe sunburn.  After a full day, however, and you would have a hardy tan, contrary to logic.  The only thing that made it bearable to live or work there was the constant 5 mile-per-hour breeze that coated everything in a fine layer of salt.  As such, every piece of exposed metal was soon rusted over if not cleaned thoroughly each day.  At regular intervals along the shore, fish markets would attract customers by assaulting them with the putrid smell of half-rotten mackerel - a sure sign of a good market in Kell.  Surly characters of all sorts hobbled, sauntered, strutted, dragged, and snuck about the place - anything but plainly walked.  It was a place where if the merchants didn't swindle you out of your purse, the throng of thieves would.  Despite all these things that some would call deterrents, droves of people lined the narrow street and boardwalk.

"I simply do not understand.  Why are there always so many people here?" Mel asked as she stood under an awning to keep in the shade.  Eaups was bent over a short dividing wall of stone and shell that was only waist-high, watching someone in the distance.  Beside him Aryx periodically pecked preened himself and glanced about at the crowd.  "And what is the forsaken mephitis?"

"Forsaken... huh?" Eaups said distractedly, not looking away from the pair.  They were engaged in a conversation with a rather tall, lanky man whose straw-colored hair was thin and shone in the sun.

"The stench.  It smells like carcass and man sweat."

Eaups didn't answer right away, but when Mel leaned against the wall beside him, he jumped in surprise.  "Oh!  I'm not staring!  What?  Oh, the smell?  It's just the market..."

"What are you looking at?" Mel asked him as a curious smile appeared on her lips.  She followed Eaups' gaze to see Jesz holding Manfred's arm as they talked with a rather sea-worn man.  Mel looked back and forth between the couple and Eaups several times.  The wistful expression that creeped onto his face was undeniable.  "Do you have a thing for-"

"Mel!  Eaups!"  Jesz waved at them and ran up to them as Manfred and the man followed.  "I think we found a ride!"

The man walked awkwardly, as if he hadn't developed his land legs quite yet, but there was a strange jerking that rocked his entire body with each step in a way that neither Mel nor Eaups had ever seen before.  He had a thick stubble that was so wild, it had to have been groomed that way.  His sun-bleached hair had apparently once been red, but was now starting to turn grey in places.  Dull green eyes darted about once in a while, animated with caution.  Combined with the salty aura thick enough to be tasted, he gave the general impression of a man who truly did have sea water in his veins.  Beside him, a large black dog trotted along.  It had a hint of white around its muzzle and a small knick in its left ear.

Jesz bounced to a stop in front of Mel and Eaups with an irrepressible smile, rocking from heel to toe as she spoke.  "This is Scurvy Legs McGee!"

"Call me Legs," the man said in a rough voice that made Eaups want to buy an absurdly large bucket of snack food and sit in a room full of people watching a brightly lit screen.

"Legs here has a boat that's heading to Oakley Island!"

Legs shook his head with a spray of salt.  "We're only headin' near the isle, little miss.  But the cap'n might be convinced to drop ya off, fer a price, that is."

Mel narrowed her eyes and walked up to the man, who was a little shorter than she.  Aryx obediently hopped along the low wall to remain close to Mel, but a sudden bark from the dog sent up a flurry of feathers.

"You are not the captain, then?  I demand that we speak with the captain!"

"He never goes ashore in Kell.  Tis the smell."

"What?  Well... I suppose that makes sense.  But how do we know he will honor your offer?"

"I'm first mate, miss.  I speak for him.  He trusts me.  Tis why he sent me here; to look fer bodies to work the schooner."

Manfred stepped past the noisy encounter between the dog and Aryx and spoke up.  "He said they're shipping art to some neutral island village nearby.  It sounds too strange to be made up."

Mel shot a glare at the dog and made it cower before replying.  "I am not convinced," she said.  "Perhaps there is another ship that can take us."

"We've looked," Jesz said under her breath.  "No one else wants to go near that place."

Eaups rolled his eyes.  "Gee, could it the curse I told you about?"

"Curses don't stop the crew of the Crimson Zephyr," Legs chimed in, getting strong looks from the others.  He looked back and forth between the sets of eyes, then took a step back so they could talk amongst themselves.

"Something just does not feel right," Mel said as she leaned to the side and crossed her arms.  "He seems... shifty."

"Everyone is shifty around here," Manfred said, then smirked and nudged Jesz.  "Including this one."

"Hey!"  Manfred chuckled at her blush and even the punch she landed on his arm.

Eaups stepped away from the wall and into the huddle.  "Look, we don't have any other option, right?  We have to go with them or wait until Murphy-knows for another ship to show up, if it even happens." He looked up at Legs and nodded.  "We'll go with you."

Jesz stared at Eaups' back and leaned in close to Mel.  "What got up his ass?"

Chapter 11 - A Grand Pain

The man's skin resembled an old leather chair that had been left in the sun and then used to soak up dirty bathwater. Over long years of penitence and guilt, the frown-lines in his cheeks had become deep fissures that would qualify for sight-seeing tours had it not been for the overwhelming caustic scent of medication and ointment. They framed a short, stubby nose and thin-lipped mouth. Along with the jowls that flapped against his chin whenever he became excited or animated, his features gave the man the distinct appearance of a hound that had willed itself to walk upright and study metamagic theory for 40 years in a dark tower. He was wearing a robe that at one time had been filled with thick stripes of vibrant, living colors, but had, like his face, worn out until everything was just an off-shade of grey.

"Mister Sydai?" he asked in a stern tone that made everyone in the room feel like they were about to get detention. Eaups peered out from behind Mel with the familiar look of innocence that nearly always graced his face.

"Y-yes Grand Hierophant Bernard?" He was greeted with a basilisk stare.

"The dormitorium is strictly off-limits to guests. You are an Avatar; surely you know this."

"Yes, sir. They were just leaving, sir," Eaups replied, lowering his gaze.

"You are supposed to be an example to the other students," the hierophant said. He stared at the group, sizing up each person individually. "Miss Adina. Must I tell your father that you have been fraternizing in a man's room?"

Mel shrank back as a good deal of blood drained from her face. "N-no Uncle."

"When I introduced you to Mr. Sydai, it was purely for professional reasons, and I expect it to remain professional. The fact that you dragged along... her," he said, sharing Jesz in his cold gaze, "is bad enough. And who is this?"

Jesz, who did not seem to care one way or the other that she was being verbally chided, spoke up. "That's Manfred." This earned her a punch in the arm by Manfred and a gentle kick in the foot by Mel.

"...I see. Mr. Sydai, as you know, I am very busy with the preparations for the Great Council of 6. I'm far too occupied to be called in for every noise complaint in the dormitories. I assume this will no longer be an issue." This last sentence skirted the line between statement and question.

"No sir, w-we were just on our way out."

"Out? You'll do no such thing! Your... friends," Bernard said with a sneer in his tone, "should be leaving, but you will remain exactly where you are. Or have you been so preoccupied with your gallivanting around that you are unaware of the decree?"

"De-decree? We haven't... I haven't heard of any decree, sir." Eaups had already drawn back to his desk.

"By Royal Edict, no one of the noble houses, member of the royal family, high priest, or Avatar is to leave the confines of his or her place of residence until further notification, excepting that the confined is on an official duty with escort. The last time I checked, Mr. Sydai, you have yet to be given a Mission by your deity, so you will not be leaving these grounds."

Jesz started to protest, but before an intelligible syllable could pass her lips, Bernard interrupted her with a stiff, bony index finger. "Do not waste your breath. The Spatlese Guards have been on high alert for an intruder discovered last night in the royal palace, and no one has seen Aska, the highest Judge in the Skepian Court, since this morning. Doubtless it is the fault of the intruder. And on top of this, I've learned that one of the Great Faculties has been missing for weeks. The Eye was just on loan to us... what am I going to tell the Patriarch?" Bernard trailed off, muttering mostly to himself as he turned away. He had lost all sense of location and presence of mind as he rattled on about chores, dead friends, and fish that he was sure was off but he had to eat it anyway or else insult his host.

"S-sir? Grand Hierophant? Bernard?!" Despite the group's attempts to bring him back into reality, the old man turned and shuffled off down the hallway, leaving them behind.



"What... was THAT?" Manfred asked.

"My uncle. He makes sure all the gods and their Avatars are given equal representation in the Pantheon. And he sometimes... forgets where he is." Mel was looking down the hallway as Grand Hierophant Bernard disappeared around a corner. "He is a very busy and important man."

"He's a loony," Jesz said, earning a sharp glare from Mel. "Whaaat? It's true! He's older than dirt and is more enchantment than man by now." Jesz unapologetically tossed the Gazer from hand to hand as she walked towards the door. "Come on, let's go. You too, Poindexter."

"But, but I can't! The decree! The Hierophant! He'll hang me by my toes!"

"Psh! Yeah right!" Jesz was grinning mischievously at him as she walked back into the room and pushed him towards the door. "What was it he said? An official duty and bodyguards. Manfred?"

"Yeah? I mean, stop calling me that!"

"You want to go to the Oak Forest thing, right?" Manfred nodded to her in response. "And your god Murphy told us to do what this guy wants. Sounds like an official duty to me!"

Eaups' eyes widened as he realized what she was getting at. "What? N-no! It doesn't work like that!"

"Oh? Why not? You've got your mission, and we're your 'escort.' We won't let anything happen to ya, right guys?" Mel and Manfred both agreed and started to help pull Eaups out of the door, adopting the same impish expression as Jesz.

"Yeah, we'll keep you safe. And besides, rules are there so that we don't have to follow them," Manfred said.

"What? That doesn't-"

"If you get in trouble, we will all take the blame. I will make certain Uncle knows it was not your idea."

"Heh, yeah! We're practically kidnapping you as it is!" Jesz smirked and pushed him the rest of the way out of his room, shutting the door behind her. "Do you want to complete this mission and find out what that thing does or not?"

Eaups let out a long sigh and slowly nodded. "Yeah... I do..."

"Well then, let's get going! What's the fastest way to the docks?"

After putting up the required amount of resistance, Eaups finally gave in. "Fine... we'll go. But if we get caught, you guys tied me up and carried me against my will, got it?"

Manfred leaned in close, his crooked smile gleaming in the light of a nearby window. "We can always arrange that."

"N-no thanks... L-let's go this way. We'll have to go out the back way, through the kitchen if we don't want to get caught."

Chapter 10 - The Eyes Have It

"What... the heck... was that?" Jesz asked between breaths. She had slammed her back against the dark grey stone wall of Eaups' dormitory room in exhaustion. It was a simple, clean room, one that looked like the person who lived there was either OCD or never home. There was a dresser, a desk with a few religious paraphernalia placed neatly along the edge, a bookshelf that reached from floor to ceiling with books placed neatly in order of size, and the bed with folds so sharp and neat that they had become a permanent part of the fabric.

"Sshh!! Not so loud! I'm not... supposed to have... guests!" Eaups was also panting as he leaned against the large wooden door.

"Well we could not go... to my family's house," Mel said as she lay on the bed, an arm over her eyes. It was probably the first time a female ever graced Eaups' bed, though the circumstances were not as he would have liked. "They would shoot first..."

Manfred pulled the chair out from the desk and sat on it backwards, the back between his legs. "I don't know about you guys, but I think that was actually kind of fun." The rest of them shot glares at him. "I'm just saying, no one got hurt... well, none of us anyway."

"Remind me why we have not turned him in yet?" Mel asked, returning the crook of her arm to her eyes.

"Murphy wanted us to help him," Jesz replied, pushing away from the wall and folding her arms in front of her. "Does this have something to do with your Mission, Eaups? I mean, you've met Murphy before, right?"

He nodded to her. "Yeah, but I'd never been possessed by him before. There's a ceremony we perform where we commune with our god in spirit. It's just, he always wanted to play poker."

"What mission? What are you talking about?" Manfred had pulled out a long needle from somewhere on his person and began to pick his teeth with it.

"I'm the Avatar of Murphy, the god of Fate. I have to do what he tells me. That's my Mission. I'm supposed to have a team of helpers, my Companions. That's you guys," Eaups said, pointing to the others vaguely. "Apparently, my Mission is to help you achieve your destiny." He gave Manfred a half-hopeful smile. "You... wouldn't happen to know what that is, would you?" This just got a shrug out of Manfred.

Jesz started to pace around the room, swinging her legs stiffly in front of her. "Whatever his destiny is, it better pay well. Something tells me we aren't going to get paid for that last job."

"We are not in this for the money, Jesz. We made an oath to help Eaups, even if we come away empty-handed." Mel rolled into a sitting position, her arms resting on her knees.

A knowing grin worked its way into the red-head's features and she began to toss a small golden ball from hand to hand. "Oh, I wouldn't say 'empty-handed' exactly."

"Is that the Gazer?"

"Heehee!" Jesz swiftly pulled the ball up to her eye. The mechanical iris contracted and began spinning with a pleasant whir. "Let's see... what did she say about it telling us the truth?"

She peered at Mel with the Gazer. Through the small hole in the back, she began to see words appear around her, or more appropriately, they appeared in Jesz' mind.
Melody Adina Tanger
Age: 22
Height: 5'10"
Weight: 158 lbs
Occupation: Noblewoman, Austringer, and Companion.

"Your name is Melody?!" she blurted out and giggled. It seemed that the longer she looked, the more information it would give.

"Hey!! I hate that name! Where did you get that?" Jesz continued to look through the Gazer, but soon the taller woman was lunging at her, trying to take it. "Give it to me! We can use it on our mystery man over there!" It quickly became a sisterly game of keep-away, with Jesz hunching over and turning her back to try to keep Mel away from it.

"It's mine! I picked it up! No fair, your arms are longer!" Suddenly, everyone paused as the mechanical eye slipped from Jesz' fingers and landed on the floor with a dense thud. It rolled loudly up to Manfred, who picked it up out of curiosity. The moment his finger grazed it, the Gazer's pupil dilated fully and the iris stopped spinning. The gentle vibration that had come from it before ceased completely. Manfred raised it to his own eye, looking over at the pair of girls who were paused in mid-nelson.

"It's not working." he complained, tapping it a few times on his leg before trying it again.

"Jesz! You broke it already!" Mel said. Eaups walked over to him and took the device, trying it out for himself. It remained still and silent, giving him no information. He quietly walked over to the bookshelf and pulled out a few tomes, placing the Gazer on the floor as he sat down and spread some books out in front of him. The others just ignored him.

"I didn't break it! You shouldn't have grabbed it from me!"

"Shh! We don't want to be too loud, remember?" Manfred interjected. Jesz and Mel both shot a glare at him.

"Maybe you broke it? It didn't stop moving until you picked it up, right?"

"Yes, maybe you are here to sabotage us. Are you positive you do not remember anything?"

Both of the girls had stopped fighting and had come up close to Manfred with accusing expressions plastered on their faces. He leaned back in the chair defensively. "I... I remember running along the rooftops at night. I think I was injured, dying." His hand raised up to his side, where the small hole from the night before had become considerably larger and showed the healing wound beneath. It had already begun to scar over. "Suddenly, everything went purple... and the next thing I know, I'm in your room and you're taking off your..." He stopped and gave Jesz an innocent smile, getting a scowl in return. "Shoes..."

"Purple? Sounds like Murphy's doing, alright..." Eaups said distractedly, his eyes never leaving the books that he was flipping through.

"You guys keep mentioning him, but why would he choose me?"

"Who knows? Why do the gods do anything they do?" Mel said with a shrug, returning to the bed. Several moments of awkward silence passed. Manfred took the opportunity to look over each of his new acquaintances and try to develop his first impressions of them.

That one, Mel, is always so serious. She doesn't trust me. I don't think she even likes me, and I don't blame her. I don't know if I like me. But she did save my life...
Eaups is so nervous and innocent. I think he needs to get laid. But at least he seems trustworthy.
Jesz... is a bit unpredictable, but kinda cute. In a cut-your-throat way. I wonder if I have a thing for flat-

"AHA! I knew I'd seen it before!" Euaps cried cheerfully as he jumped into the air straight from his cross-legged sitting position. He was holding a heavy tome entitled "Ackmee's Catalogue of Holy Trinckets and Tincktures" in his hands and beaming at it.

"Seen what?" Jesz asked him curiously. "That eyeball thing?"

"Yes! It's called Occam's Gazer! It says here is was part of a set but it doesn't mention anything else about the set. According to the book," Eaups said, his tone getting more serious as he pushed past Manfred and splayed the book out on the desk, "the Gazer was designed to be used by the Avatars of the gods." He ran his finger along a line of text as he read directly from it. "When one who hath been Chosen by a god layeth a finger upon the Eye, it prepareth itself for its new master. Once the ceremony of Rayban is complete, the Eye will reveal to the Avatar his true path."

"Chosen?" asked Jesz.
"True path?" asked Mel.
"Layeth?" Manfred muttered.

"It doesn't say much else... Only that the ceremony is to be preformed at some temple in the Oakley Forest."

Mel furrowed her brow in thought. "I have heard of that. The Oakley Forest... I believe it is on an island between Mayford and Drysen. I was told that it is a dangerous place. Neither country claims it because neither wants anything to do with it. They say men have sailed to the island only to return hundreds of years later."

Jesz, who had been using the tip of a dagger to pick at something in her teeth, picked up the Gazer and turned it over in her hand. There seemed to be writing on the bottom of the Gazer, but it was in no language she had ever seen before. "I'm sure we could be in and out, no time at all. We did agree to follow you into any danger..."

"I didn't agree to that," Manfred said, but was largely ignored.

"I want to go! If this thing can show me what I'm supposed to do as the Avatar of Murphy, then what's a few hundred years? Besides, I'm sure Murphy will keep us safe!" Eaups' eyes were sparkling with hope and excitement at the prospect, as if he had just been told he was going camping with Mountain "Lion" Jack, the object of his childhood affections. As he looked up at Manfred, his expression changed subtly, from overwhelming joy to overwhelming hopefulness. "You'll come with us, won't you Mr. Chosen?"

Manfred pulled back just a little, unprepared for the display. He glanced up at Mel, who was ignoring him, and Jesz, who was biting her lower lip. "Look, I'm not... chosen or anything. I don't know anything about this Murphy or whatever. And I want to remember who I am and what I'm doing here. ...But I suppose I do owe you guys for saving me. I'll go, but only if you promise I'll be back this century."

Eaups' smile returned full-force and he crossed his finger over his heart. "I promise! Avatar's Honor!"

"If we are going to go to Oakley Island, we better get our supplies ready and look for a ship. Provided we can find one with a captain that crazy." Mel stood up and stretched her arms over her head, pushing her bust out a little to get the boys' attention. She brushed up against Jesz, who had been smiling at Manfred, and smirked. Mel never missed an opportunity to show her up. "Sooner is better than later. I am sure someone will be asking about Aska soon, and I would rather not be around when trouble comes looking for us." They all agreed.

"Alright! We'll meet down at the harbor then?" Eaups asked.

"Yes, in two hours. We will travel light. Manfred, you go with Jesz..." Mel had picked up her bow and had opened the door to Eaups' cell of a dorm room, only to find a rather humorless man blocking her way.