The three walked for about half an hour until they came to a run-down hut with a lopsided roof and a window that looked like it was on the verge of shattering, as if a rock had been thrown at it. "We're here," Madison announced. He went up to the door which, to Daryl and Liam's surprise, was not even closed all the way. The boy gently pushed it open and called, "Dad? Justin? I'm home."

There was no answer, and Liam started to get worried that maybe the hut was raided. "You, uh..." Liam started. "You think they're alright?"

"Yeah, they're probably just sleeping," Madison explained. He took a look at their confused expressions and smiled. "I know the place looks pretty bad, but, well, this is the best we could get. It's always looked like this." The boy stepped in and the other two followed. Liam tried to close the door behind him, but it creaked stubbornly and got stuck once it reached a certain distance. "Oh, that old thing never closes," Madison explained. "It's fine, though. We don't really have anything worth stealing anyway."

Daryl and Liam looked around the space they had just entered. They knew the hut was small, but somehow it felt so much smaller on the inside. The main room they got into was almost empty except for a small desk by the window, and it was hardly large enough to fit the three of them. Through the moonlight they could see that the air was filled with an alarming amount of dust particles. Other than that light from the window, the place was pitch dark. There was not a single lantern or torch to light the place for the night. If the residents knew the place well enough, though, it was likely they would not need the extra lighting. For Daryl and Liam—especially Liam—the darkness would be hard to navigate through. By squinting his eyes, though, Liam could just make out a short hallway ahead of them with two rooms on either side.

Madison pointed to the room on the left and said, "That's where Justin sleeps, but she can sleep in the other room with Dad so you guys can share it."

Liam raised an eyebrow. Justin's a she? Gods' sakes...I might be alright with Daryl killing the parents.

"We'd appreciate it," Daryl mentioned.

Liam looked up to try and read Daryl's thoughts again, but he still could not make out what he was truly thinking.

The door to the room creaked open and a young, frail looking woman in loose fitting clothing came out with a stretch and a yawn. She had long, ebony hair and Madison's hazel eyes. In one hand, she carried a dimly lit lantern that was still enough to light the cramped space. She rubbed her eyes and looked in their direction. "Madison...?" she called quietly. "Is that you?" Her eyes blinked open and she saw two other figures standing behind her brother. One waved at her with an awkward smile, and the other startled her with his dark, looming presence. She jumped up, the sleepiness in her eyes vanishing upon seeing the two. The lantern swayed back and forth from her reaction.

Madison put his hands up in defense of the two. "It's okay!" he assured. "I just wanted to help them. They were attacked by people at the black market. I don't know if they're still after them, but I just wanted to be sure they'd be alright."

The woman gave him a puzzled look, but then noticed that the tall man had some dried-up blood on the top of his forehead. She followed where it came from and surmised that it came from his scalp. She walked toward him hesitantly and asked, "Can I take a look at your wound?"

Daryl nodded and bent his neck forward, feeling the warmth of the lantern over the gash.

The woman furrowed her brow and examined it. She felt his head around the cut and could tell that it was a shallow wound. She heard Daryl grunt after touching his head, and the blood that dripped down after feeling around it told her that it was still fresh. "I'll patch it up for you," she decided. "Don't want it to get infected."

Daryl raised his head and nodded. "Thank you."

"We have the supplies in Dad's room," Madison explained. "It's a bit cramped in there though. C'mon." The four of them made their way single file to the room on the right, with Madison leading the way. He pushed the door open to reveal a tight space, as he warned, that was occupied by a sleeping, skinny man that looked about Daryl's age and an infant sleeping by his head. They slept on the floor, a thin blanket under the child.

Madison's sister handed him the lantern and maneuvered around the two carefully to get to a cabinet at the opposite side of the room. The woman pulled out some cotton and bandages from the top drawer and turned back towards Daryl. "I'll fix you up in the other room," she whispered, stepping out towards the room across.

"Alright," Daryl agreed, turning around and grabbing Liam's wrist.

"Wha--?" Liam stopped his protest when he caught eye of Daryl glowering down at him, as if he knew that he was thinking about telling Madison his true intentions while he was gone. His expression slumped into a straight frown back at him while he reluctantly followed the swordsman into the other room.

The room opposite of the one they were just in was essentially identical to the other, the only difference being that this room did not have a cabinet. "Sit down for me," the woman ordered. Daryl obeyed and sat down cross legged while the lady started to pat down the seeping fluid from his head.

Liam stood behind Daryl, feeling awkward in the tight space and the lack of anything he would feel comfortable talking about in front of the girl. He wanted to either talk to Daryl alone or Madison alone, but he supposed that he might as well clear up the tension with some small talk. "So, your name's Justine?"

The woman rolled her eyes and answered, "No, you heard him right. It's Justin."

"Ah," Liam responded. "Sorry about that. You must get that a lot."

Justin pulled out the bandages and replied, "It's fine. Mom and Dad just have a weird sense of humor, I guess."

Liam straightened his mouth and nodded slowly. "So...where is your mother?"

"Probably in a different village," she answered, applying the bandages to Daryl's head. "She works at a tavern a long way from Autumnfront. It takes her a long time to come back with money for us. Hence why we're all starving."

"Why couldn't she find work in this village?" Liam asked.

"Have you seen it around here?" she retorted, ripping an end of the bandage off and giving her patchwork on Daryl's head a final pat. "Everyone's either rich, poor, or some kinda criminal. I mean..." She crossed her arms and looked the two men in her room up and down. "I'm assuming that's what you two are, right?"

Daryl responded with a confirming grunt, while Liam scratched the back of his head nervously.

"I'll take that as a yes," she responded, putting her arms at her sides. "Not that I blame you guys. Madison and I aren't exactly model citizens. There's hardly any real work to offer here, so that's why Mom decided to travel. For our sake."

Daryl felt the bandage on his head and stood back up, making Justin back up upon realizing how tall he was again. "Thank you for the help."

"You're welcome..." she responded. She looked the swordsman up and down with a different look in her eye. The whole time she had looked skeptical, yet somewhat concerned, but getting a closer look at Daryl, a faint smile formed at the corner of her mouth. Justin took a breath and asked, "Can I help you with anything else?"

"No," Daryl answered hesitantly, a bit puzzled by her shift in attitude.

It became clearer what she was getting at when she pushed her hair back and placed her fingertips on the top of his chest with the airiness of a cloud, sliding gently towards his midsection. She met his gaze with tempting eyes and asked, "Are you sure there's nothing else I can do?"

Liam leaned back with bewilderment. Uh, did I miss something?

Although he knew what she was doing, Daryl noticed a hesitation in her eyes that told him she did not really want to act that way, yet there was a certain precision about the subtle motion in her hips and the way she pinched the fabric of his robe that told him she had done this several times before. Her brother's the thief. She's the whore. Daryl placed a firm, yet understanding hand around the woman's wrist, stopping her from going any farther. "I'm sure," Daryl answered, lowering her hand back to her side. "The bandages were enough."

There was a combination of relief and disappointment in her reaction, as if she was thankful that he did not accept the offer, but knew she was missing an opportunity to earn some tokens.

Liam relaxed his shoulders a bit after seeing the swordsman's rejection. Okay, I'm glad to see that's a line he won't cross, at least.

The swordsman looked back towards the other room, where he could see her brother holding the lantern, looking on with sad eyes. He lifted his expression after realizing the attention was on him and he called out, "Justin, how about we sleep with Dad tonight and leave them be now?"

She looked up at him with shame in her brow and nodded back. "Alright." On her way out, she whispered in Liam's ear, "I'll be here for you, too, if you like."

Liam flinched away from her and replied a little too loudly, "No, no, I'm fine!"

"Justin, come on," Madison urged, glancing back at his sleeping father and hoping that Liam's outburst did not wake him up. The man just rolled his shoulders a bit and continued his slumber.

The woman did as her brother asked and walked back to the opposite room, giving Liam a final, forced smile as she walked through.

Madison nodded at the two of them with an upbeat smile. "I'll leave the lantern out here for you guys," he stated, placing it quietly on the floor and grabbing the side of the door to his room. "I know it was a crazy night for you two, but I hope you sleep well!"

"Yeah," Liam responded with a furrowed brow, his fears growing more prominent knowing that the next morning might be Madison's last. He pushed a smile at the corner of his mouth and finished, "I wish the same for you, Madison."

"Well, good night, then!" the boy ended, closing the door to his room, leaving the swordsman and the sorcerer wondering how they could all lay down together in that tiny room.

Liam exhaled and set his bag on the floor. He took a deep breath and turned to face Daryl with a stern expression. The swordsman was in the middle of unstrapping the sword at his side and kicking off his wooden sandals. Daryl still had that cold countenance on his face, as if nothing that Madison and his sister did for him had fazed him at all. The boy helped him out of a chaotic situation, yet all he seemed to care about was getting comfortable in his victim's home. Liam felt his blood boil watching him. How can he act so casual? The sorcerer breathed through his nose for a moment to calm himself down. "Listen Daryl," Liam started, "we should talk."

"Before we do," Daryl interrupted, resting his sword against one corner of the room and placing his sandals right by them, "how about you show me what's been in that bag this whole time?"

"That's what you're worried about right now?" Liam snapped, trying to keep his voice down.

"Those men got knocked out somehow," Daryl continued, glancing at the sack in question. "What's in there? I'm not talking about anything until you show me."

Liam held his tongue and shook his head in a slow frustration. He crouched over his bag and motioned with his hand for Daryl to come down with him.

Daryl narrowed his eyes. "You want me to get close to what's inside after what I saw?"

Liam rolled his eyes and explained, "You'll be fine as long as you don't touch it."

Daryl remained skeptical, but he crouched over the bag across from Liam, keeping a safe distance.

The sorcerer opened it up and motioned with a nod of his head for Daryl to look inside.

The swordsman took a cautious breath and stepped a little closer to peer inside. He raised his eyebrows with confusion. "Another bag?" Inside was a sack that looked almost identical to the one that carried it, except this one seemed to be made of thinner material and was tied in a knot. Squinting his eyes, Daryl tried to see if he could make out what may have been inside the second bag, but from what he could tell, it was just filled with books and other supplies. There's no way it's just supplies.Daryl scowled at the sorcerer. "This doesn't make any sense. What happened to those men that got knocked out?"

"Look," Liam ordered, reaching a hand towards the second bag.

Daryl backed up a bit, thinking Liam might have been up to something.

"I'm telling you you'll be fine," Liam assured, "just watch."

Daryl leaned back in hesitantly and watched Liam reach inside. His eyes widened when he noticed five thick, golden sparks of electricity emitting between Liam's fingertips and the inner bag itself. There was a low buzz coming from the electricity as the sorcerer slowly moved his fingers. The light from the electricity brightened up the room slightly. Daryl was still unsure what it was Liam was trying to show him. He already knew Liam could control lightning. "You're...casting lightning?" Daryl guessed.

"Not me," Liam answered, still fixated on the electricity on his fingertips, "the bag."

"The bag? But how?" Daryl questioned.

"Same way Eagle Eye sees into the future," Liam explained.

Daryl jerked his head back and looked up at Liam, taken off guard by the mention of Eagle Eye. "What are you saying?"

"Remember what your boss said about the false eyeball?" Liam continued. "How it has the ability to tell the future? Well, that's what we sorcerers call an enchantment spell. It's a type of sorcery that's cast on a physical object. You can enchant objects with just about any kind of sorcery. For a lightning sorcerer like me, I can enchant an object to electrocute anyone that comes into contact with it."

Daryl took a moment to understand what he was being told. He remembered the high-pitched crackle he heard when the men entered Liam's bag, and surmised that it was the sound of lightning striking back at them after making physical contact with the inner bag. "I...think I understand... The inner bag acts as a defense mechanism, to ensure nothing of yours gets stolen. Now I see why you lent it to Rigby." At first, the swordsman admired Liam's smart thinking to keep his belongings safe from thieves. Then, Daryl's eyes widened after realizing something about what Liam was doing. "Wait, how come it isn't electrocuting you?" he asked, feeling like he already knew the answer but did not want to believe it.

"Isn't it obvious?" Liam asked, lightening up his attitude with a smirk. He threw up a shrug and answered, "Electricity has no effect on me."

Daryl's nostrils flared upon hearing the sorcerer's confirmation and seeing the smug look on his face.

"That's right," Liam gloated, "I can get struck by lightning right now and all I'd get is a tingly sensation. Pretty awesome, huh?"

Daryl frowned in response and looked away. "It's disgusting."

"Disgusting?" Liam repeated, raising an eyebrow and feeling his own appalment rise again. He closed his bag and crossed his arms. "I'd say what's really disgusting is the way you're acting."

"Hmph," Daryl grunted, offering no real argument.

"That's it, huh?" Liam questioned. "You're gonna get all nice and comfortable in here for the night and then just kill the kid tomorrow?"

"Shut the door," Daryl commanded, wary of the shabby structure of the hut and how the others in the opposite room might have been able to hear them.

Liam straightened his mouth and brought the lantern into the room before shutting the door behind him. He set his bag against the corner to his right and placed the lantern in front of the right wall. He looked back to Daryl to see that he was already laying on his side with his back to him. Liam shook his head with further frustration at the swordsman and sat down behind him. "I'm not letting you sleep just yet, Daryl!" he declared.

Daryl responded with an elongated exhale and said, "I'm doing my job, Liam. Just as I have been for thirty years. Nothing you say to me will make me stop now."

"So, what you're saying is that you've always been a snake?"

"That is our symbol, yes."

"You know what I meant!" Liam snapped, trying his hardest not to scream out the words. He looked back at the closed door to listen for any possible disturbances his volume may have caused but heard nothing. The sorcerer looked back at Daryl and continued, "Haven't you thought about how much you'll hurt these people if you go through with this? Think about the girl, his father, the baby! Can you imagine what it would be like for the mother to come back just to be told her son's dead?"

Daryl laid there in silence, thinking about what the man was saying to him.

"You're really just gonna turn your nose up at all this?" Liam continued. "They give you a place to stay and treat your wound, and that's how you're gonna repay them? With murder? Does their kindness mean anything to you?"

Kindness...With Liam's last question, an image came to mind. It was a pleasant one, unlike the usual memories: a man wearing a straw hat, his squinted eyes closed with the brightest, closed smile. Daryl squeezed his eyes shut for a split second, trying to push even that memory out of his mind, and broke his silence with, "I've always valued kindness."

Liam paused his questioning to narrow his eyes and wonder what was going through Daryl's head. "Then what will you do, Daryl?"

Daryl was quiet, and then he answered, "Exactly what I set out to do."

Liam was stunned, completely mortified by his inhumanity.

Daryl turned his head back to look into Liam's disgusted, almost betrayed countenance. "They won't be the only people I've hurt," Daryl explained.

"You...you're a monster..." Liam stammered out, that horrified look still on his face.

There was hardly ever anything that Liam said to him that actually got to him, but after being called a monster, he could not find any sort of argument in his defense. With that in mind, a sorrowful look redefined his expression, to which Liam's countenance softened. "Why do you think that old man wanted me dead, Liam?" Daryl asked. "It's because you're right about that." Daryl turned back over on his side to look away from the sorcerer. Thoughts of his past life reemerged in his head, and he closed his eyes hoping that his dreams would greet him with a pleasant distraction. "It's too late for me, Liam. All I can do is carry out the job I was assigned. And make sure Mallory doesn't turn out the same..."

The swordsman's last statement stuck out in Liam's mind. He's thinking about Mallory... That's it then. It's not too late for you, Daryl.

***