<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline">In the morning the Bremen Town Musicians and Jack, Totti, and Nihil left the cottage after talking with Rufus and Olivia. Jack offered them all three of his treasures, but they both refused after hearing his tale. <span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline">“What about your curse Nihil?” asked Curtise. “Do you think you could regain your memory and not endanger your family?” <span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline">Nihil shrugged. “It was with an Aedra, so I doubt there are any thorns attached, but I don’t even know where I’d start.” <span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline">“Surely there’d be people missing a family member.” said Tybalt. <span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline">“You forget he made the deal during the Winter Assault,” said Totti. “You weren’t here for it, but none escaped completely unscathed. Even the most well-preserved families within the Keep ended up losing at least one family member. Most would simply assume the person is dead by now.” <span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline">“Yet, the deal stated that the family should be protected and prosper,” said Baldwin. “That means whoever they are likely have been doing well–perhaps miraculously so. There can’t be that many families that both lost a member in the Assault *<span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-style:italic;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline">and*<span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline"> have prospered since.” <span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline">“Hmm, you make a good point,” said Totti. “People are recovering yet, but a family that was in the Keep and has prospered since the Assault would be harder to find.” <span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline">“You are all forgetting,” said Nihil. “I am double cursed. Moreover, I have no memories of my family at all. Even were we to find them, I doubt they’d recognize me and, of course, I’d not remember them at all. And we still don’t know why an Aedra would even agree to such a deal. Even at the cost, it’s still very one-sided.” <span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline">“Unless, of course, the Aedra had plans that your family could enact,” said Jack. He looked far less bedraggled since his curse had lifted. “My mother put the Wandering Curse on me so that I could find some treasure for her, of that I’m sure! Where she and my brother went, I do not know, but surely if I’d found what she wanted, she’d have returned that instance! Therefore it is reasonable that the Aedra wanted something–something Nihil’s deal would allow to happen.” <span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline">Everyone in the group shuddered. Nihil looked particularly unhappy. “That would be deeply troubling. However, unless we can find them there’s no way to know.” <span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline">“Well, you and Totti helped me, so it’s only fair I help you! Besides, it’ll be interesting to see how things changed!” <span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline">“And I’m helping too,” said Totti. “After all we’ve been through I don’t want to miss out!” <span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline">“One more thing.” Jack handed Chanti the golden harp. “Here! You can have this!” <span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline">“I–but–what?! I can’t simply take something like this!” <span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline">“You called it out, you get to keep it. Besides, if I keep that thing half the countryside’s liable to rob me over it!” Jack said, grinning. <span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline">“Oh! So now *<span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-style:italic;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline">I<span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline">* get to be the one robbed, eh?” Even as he asked, he stroked the harp’s cords. The human figure reshaped into a hen and the size shrank. Anyone looking at it would think it a regular hand-harp covered in some cheap gold paint. <span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline">“You’ve got three body-guards. Besides, I couldn’t hold a tune in a bucket! That harp deserves an owner who can use her properly.” <span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline">Chanti made a deep bow. “I thank you Jack, and I’ll never forget this! I’ve got quite the range, especially now, but I’ve been wanting a woman as part of the group.” <span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline">“Now you have one! I hope we can meet again soon!” <span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline">“We’ll be performing at Sir Brightleaf’s wedding and you’ll likely see us around the Keep.” said Chanti. <span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline">“And we won’t forget what you told us about Nihil,” said Curtise. “We’ll help if we can.” <span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline">“Thank you!” said Nihil. <span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline">–Next Part Below– </div>