Mark and his mount stop to drink at a river. He is accosted by a man with a scar on his face, who recognizes that Mark has a bounty on his head. The man wonders why Mark is heading toward Listra, the Merkon’s base, when the Merkon was the one to offer a reward for Mark’s capture, dead or alive. Mark explains that he needs answers. The man, Roan, decides to help Mark cross the river in a raft, and brings him to a hideout with other outlaws. Mark learns that the mark on Roan’s face marks him as a traitor, as he once tried to run away with the Merkon’s daughter.

Roan suggests that Mark join him and the other outlaws in a raid on the Merkon’s stronghold; they hope to steal the tribute kept there. Mark insists the stronghold is too heavily guarded, and that they should instead turn him in to gain entry.

Mark is taken to the Merkon’s lavish home. The Merkon greets him, pleased that he’s been brought alive. The Merkon takes off his mask, and Mark recognizes his appearance as being from his own time. The former explains that he was transported by the blue light in the 1980s, after he escaped from prison.