"I Sat, she is...' could he reveal her name? He wondered. After all, Dricea might have been a fairly well-known person in the realm of Fraradar and beyond.

He pretended to clear his throat, then continued "As I was saying, this is Triva, the youngest of my three sisters."

"Pleased to meet you, Sat, Triva."

"The pleasure is ours, Mr Fracius."

"Oh, for pity's sake, just call me Fracius. That Mr in front of the name makes me feel old. Not to mention that I'm still a squire, not married."

"Alright... Whatever you say, Fracius."

"How come you don't speak, Triva?" he asked Sat as well, but only with his lips. It was then that Sat realised that he understood him, that he understood the language spoken by the inhabitants of this world, but he did not dwell on this for long, he did not have the time for now.

"Unfortunately, my sister is mute. She lost her voice as a child, following a bad accident."

However, at that point Dricea intervened "That's not true, Fracius, my brother likes to joke." her voice was apparently no longer metallic, but perfectly 'human'. This, without even saying it, left Sat, who had not expected her to do such a thing at all, stunned.

"Well, that's no joke to make." the demon looked evilly at the human, he felt he was being mocked, but he also realised there must have been a reason he had lied to him, so he didn't take it too hard.

Sat, for his part, turned red with embarrassment, mentally cursing Dricea.

"What's wrong with your face instead, that you don't show it?"

"I'm just very shy, that's all."

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"I see."

"I don't want to be too intrusive, but what are you doing here in the realm of Fraradar, Fracius?" asked Sat, after getting over his embarrassment from just now.

"I was due to attend a conference before long."

"A conference of what?"

"Of inventors. I was supposed to present my latest invention, as well as discuss a matter with a colleague of mine."

Silence fell, Dricea had absolutely no interest in saying anything, while Sat did not want to seem too intrusive.

"What would you say if I told you a little about my latest invention?"

"If you think you can, no problem, we will gladly listen."

Thus, Fracius told them about his latest invention. In short, it consisted of a slab of a special purplish, semi-transparent stone that allowed one to read what was written on it by infusing it with the ether of one's soul, so that only the possessor of the slab could reveal its contents. He also explained to them that it would soon begin to be used as an 'identity card' in guilds, whether these were guilds of adventurers or not. The plate only needed a few more tweaks, which is precisely why he was to present it at the inventors' conference to which he had been invited.

"Wow, I happen to be planning to join an adventurer's guild."

"In that case, how would you feel about joining the one in the city of Scelevo? I know its guildmaster, he is one of my old academy mates. You must know that I too once dreamed of becoming a guildmaster, but my passion for studying magic took me elsewhere, to be an inventor of magical items."

"I didn't think you needed a recommendation to join an adventurer's guild."

"It doesn't need to, in fact. Only, knowing the guildmaster will only help. Newcomers are often targeted by older members, both in a good and bad way."

"Alright, if you say so, I trust you. I'll gladly agree to be introduced to your old academy buddy."

"Good choice, you won't regret it, I assure you. Just don't make me look bad once you become a member, as I will speak well of you to my friend."

"Thanks again."

So, between one chit-chat and another, evening came. The coachman stopped the carriage near a small group of rocks, large enough to shelter him from the wind.

The evening passed in total tranquillity, as did the night. Fracius even shared his provisions with Sat and Dricea, Triva for him, and the coachman dined in their company.

Just before the sun rose, however, the old man, awake because he was brushing the fur of the bison-like beast, noticed how a hundred metres away from them the ground rose and fell again, getting closer and closer. He had no doubt, it was a kashilo! A huge underground reptile, which attacked its prey by suddenly jumping out of the ground. It mostly lived in areas where the soil was very soft, just like the soil on this plain.