A crackle resonates throughout the cave. The scent of sizzling fish permeates through the air.

Alden’s stomach rumbles him awake. “What’s that smell!?” Drool drips from his mouth. It's not clear if it's from his sleep or the alluring smell of breakfast.

“Good. You’re awake. Here, eat this and get ready.” says Leor as he hands Alden a well-charred fish on a stick. “We need to head out now if we want to get to the next town by noon.”

The trio quickly chows down on their breakfast and continues their journey.

A minty freshness fills their noses as they walk side by side, silently along the wet underwood.

Unable to stand the silence, Alden speaks up. “It’s kind of convenient that this GIANT tree fell perfectly to make a bridge for us to cross this water.”

Leor and Ceri pretend to not hear his question.

“So... where did both of you go so early in the morning?” His eyebrows dance up and down, eager to hear their excuse.

Ceri looks around the forest in a panic. “Uh.... I was out getting firewood since the fire in the cave burnt out!”. She laughs nervously, trying her best to avoid eye contact with Alden.

“She helped me carry the firewood, while I carried your breakfast.” says a stone-faced Leor.

“Hmmm…” Alden snickers as he examines Leor’s face and turns to Ceri, who is clearly blushing. “Are you sure nothing happened?”

Leor flicks Alden’s forehead with his index finger. Alden jolts back and rubs his stinging skin. “Stop being annoying.”

Alden scowls, “Hmph! You two are no fun. No wonder there’s no progress between you two.”

Ceri buries her face into her hands.

“...I have no idea what you’re talking about, but listen. You hear that?” Leor puts two fingers to his ear and tilts his head in the direction of the sound.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

The muffled sounds of chatter linger in the distance. “Oh! We must be really close! What town are we going to?” asks Ceri.

“Logtown. It’s the midtown between Thálassa and Lightendale. Many travelers pass through this town as a pit stop in their long journeys”

“Oh, Logtown! I didn’t know this is where we’d end up”, says Alden.

“Great. So now I don’t need to tell you to lay low, right?”

“Why’s that?” questions Ceri.

“It’s because-”

Alden lifts his hand to Leor’s face, stopping him from speaking. “Don’t worry, my good sir. I got this one. You see, Ceri, since you’ve only just started traveling with me as a novice priestess, you have yet to see many parts of the world. Whenever people travel far distances, they almost always stop by midtowns to gather supplies, party, worship their Gods, and so on. And our good friend, Leor, wants us to lay low because, when someone with a high status walks into these places, they are usually targeted by followers and bandits!” He turns to Leor with an anticipating smile. “Did that cover everything?”

“.... yeah. Actually, that was pretty spot on. Good job.”

Alden’s face shines bright with pride.

“How do you know so much, Lord Alden?”

“I’ve been here many times in my travels. However, most famous figures never come here. Usually, I’m accompanied by the Royal Guards of Lightendale. They made sure I was safe at all times. I actually have a really good friend at the Combined Church of Ludwig and Naiomi. Let’s go greet them since we’re here!” Alden hurries through the shrubbery.

Leor swiftly tugs on his cloak, pulling him back to reality. “Stop. You didn’t listen hard enough.” He points to the main entrance. A group of armed guards is standing around the entrance, chit-chatting.

The trio dive behind the bushes for cover.

“Those are the guards that were chasing us yesterday! They followed us all the way out here?”, whispers Ceri.

“Yeah, and look at the guy speaking right now.”

A familiar face stands before the group of armed men. “The hooded man and his accomplice must be in the city! The girl’s robes were too fancy looking. Their destination must be Lightendale. You must capture them before they harm any more of the Gods’ followers!”

“That’s Afzal! What’s he doing with the guards? How come they didn’t arrest him!?” cries Ceri. A bitter taste fills her mouth when saying his name.

“I assume he’s using your “God’s” name to trick them into believing whatever story he fed them” mutters Leor.

“That’s horrible! How dare he use the Gods in such a disrespectful way!” says Ceri.

A clenched fist catches Leor’s eye. Alden’s hand trembles with anger as he glares at Afzal.

The captain of the guards places his hand on Afzal’s shoulder. “Rest assured. We will find them in the name of Naiomi. Men, spread out and find them. The suspects are a man of average height, wearing a black cloak, and a blonde woman in expensive attire. That’s all the information we have on them, so bring in anyone who matches that description.”

The armed men salute with an open hand to their foreheads, and they disperse into groups.

The trio huddle together. “Okay, so we now know who they're searching for.” Leor takes off his cloak and hands it to Ceri. “Here, put this on for now. We need to hide your fancy getup and your blonde hair.”

“They also didn’t mention Lord Alden. I guess Afzal was unconscious when Alden came out from hiding,” says Ceri as she tosses on Leor’s cloak.

“Yeah. This is the plan. We go into the city, lay low, buy a new cloak for Ceri, and find the best option of transportation to get to Lightendale.”

“Oh! Let’s meet up with my friend at the Church! She can definitely help us out” suggests Alden.

Leor rubs his chin. “Hmm... We’ll see about it. Let’s see how our plan plays out first.”

The trio emerges from the forest and disappears into the crowd of people walking into Logtown.