The rich man's eyes turned to them, alighting upon seeing Arthur, “Ah, Arthur! Come, we’ve nearly wasted the night away waiting for you.”

“What is this?” Trenton asked, taking a couple steps forward to include himself in the misshapen circle of chairs as Arthur took a seat across from the half elf and the rich man.

“A lot of old people,” Millie mused.

“Quiet. Very important business must proceed,” the half elf said, his eyes wide and brow furrowed, voice curt.

“For once, I actually happen to agree. Enough time has been wasted already. I suppose introductions are in order, ey? Seeing as we have a fresh round of guests?” The rich man said, rolling his shoulders back and sitting up perfectly proper, much like Trenton had learned to many years ago.

“And here we go,” Arthur rolled his eyes, shifting his weight to his elbow and staring vaguely out the far, grand window, stars dimly twinkling in the distance.

“My name is Sir Bolovin Loe Dravisis Tolby Gangriman Androlomile Pavilius Argwee Zalf Qester Nisqualm Wardrew Lycinal Rou Eber Ulyman Jareese Sarfin Blulphime Hirelat Karisab Obyulus Raskowinay Brodak Gritawe Xavio Tlaginah Frangris Arnum Fibblebum Zilfrad Villat Yon Pragmasian Siblar Pol Shbalse Baldris Tallot Fifalinir Bilbian Gargagris Quanavian Ripwin Camides Moad Weramim Kapice Zavosin Dragovasin Dragovasin Dragovasin Dragovasin Dragovasin Oermic Tibrum Naj Bambupule ;K; Ezihbah Ulvlis Sigrugan Ihltramec Orhm Giss Jahraglah Pavilion Drusiab Slaginothifariam Aeruem Bass Farthus Tarthus Barthus Iyoriman Zitralf Pagral Tisenat Hralth Marmimile Kimat Authagus Shamdis Versilt Siliviman Buerilus Farmew Tus Zaartum Aeteriman Rigil Tomph Effivius Hrathologem Talm Irvren the First. However, you may simply call me Sir Bolovin Loe Dravisis Tolby Gangriman the First, as is customary. I am the only surviving member of the great and powerful Irvren lineage, and expect no less than the finest from you boys…and girls,” the rich man said.

For a moment, Trenton, Leo, and Kiva stood in shocked silence, glancing at each other with awe, all except Millie. Millie looked like she’d just seen the gods themselves, bouncing up and down atop Trenton’s shoulders with no end to her excitement. She leapt from Trenton’s shoulders, immediately bombarding Bolovin with a barrage of her own, questions spilling from her mouth like a spout. And somehow, Bolovin was keeping up with her, his smile only bolstered by the child's awe.

Leo leaned over towards Trenton and Kiva, mumbling softly to them, “D-did he Dragovasin?”

“Yes, 5 times if I counted correctly,” Kiva replied, dumbstruck.

“You certainly have…an interesting name, sir. That name, Dragovasin, is he one of your ancestors?” Trenton asked, slowly piecing his mind together after the mental barrage he’d just endured.

“Ah, yes!” Bolovin sat forward, returning his attention to them. He threw his arms out to the side, pantomiming nearly every word he spoke. “One of the very greatest to ever exist, draconic champion and first wielder of the hell’s everfire! The very earth would turn with his footsteps, the sky rumbling with his shout. You see, many don’t know his true origins, but I do, a tale passed from father to son, to son, to son, to son, some 50 times, a tale my father passed onto me, and a tale I intend to pass onto my own boy. Many millennia ago, he burned to the ground the-”

“Shut up. You’re talking too long, Bolovin,” Wriggley said, lightly pounding on the arms of his far too large executive chair like a child.

Bolovin sat back, aghast, “Wrigley! How dare you! My name is not Bolovin! I happen to hail-”

“Oh gods,” Arthur rubbed his forehead with the index finger and thumb of his right hand, leaning over to speak quietly with their group as Bolovin and Wrigely continued to argue. “I don’t think you could put two more opposite individuals in the same room if you tried. Can’t think of a meeting we’ve had where they haven’t argued over pretty much this exact point at least once.”

“How do you even function like this?” Kiva asked.

“Well, he wasn’t really exaggerating. What you’re looking at is the defense council of Korak,. Unlike most other cities across the world, we have no outside protection from our king or any within his fold. Hell, we’re practically a sovereign state with how little attention the Watcher gives us. I imagine you noticed the wall coming in, the misshapen buildings? It’s because of all the monster attacks we get out here, creatures of every type spilling from the Eternal Forest and Lake Yulith like they’re wellsprings. Not a day goes by where we arne’t in danger, and it’s only thanks to these men, and the city guard, that people can live here in relative peace. Resources are scarce, but Wrigley and his brothers are good at getting in any outside goods that they can. And Bolovin helps fund practically the whole city. I’m…not really sure where he gets the money, but it keeps us afloat. Of course, they’re also both brilliantly talented fighters, but we’re lucky enough to have a strong city guard capable of handling most threats. Just earlier today we got rid of a large one, a drourch that’s been hounding us the past couple months,” Arthur paused, retreating inward for a moment, eyes softening. “We lost many good men to that thing…but no longer.”

“I’m sorry. I can’t even imagine…” Kiva said.

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

“Don’t be,” Arthur said, suddenly sobering and squaring his shoulders, “it’s my job, and one I’m happy to fulfill. These people need me, and I need them.”

“So…is there something you need from us?” Leo asked.

“Yes, actually. If intel serves, Wizard sent you here with a large steel package. Do you have it?”

Trenton concentrated his thoughts, focusing on the package, and a moment later, it appeared in his hand. It was heavy, and drenched in runic magic, much like Trenton had remembered from some months ago when he’d received it. He handed it over to Bolovin, who turned it over in his hands a couple times before setting it down on a small table sitting between the three leaders. Immediately, Bolovin and Wrigley, who were now standing practically toe to toe yelling at each other, stopped, eyes alighting upon the package.

“Is that…” Bolovin said, slowly sitting back down in his seat and inspecting the package before him.

Wrigley stepped forward, squinting down at a small seal hidden between the runes that Trenton hadn’t seen before, “Yes. It is. This is Wizards craftsmanship,” he said, fiddling with various mechanisms on the outside of the box while muttering angrily to himself.

Everyone sat in silence watching him, all except Leo, who shifted awkwardly from right to left, left to right, and back again, “...h-happy birthday?” He ventured, breaking out into a sweat as each of the leaders looked up at him in confusion.

“Oh, right,” Wrigely said, stretching the top of his head with a stubby arm. “It’s not my birthday. Wizard lied to you. He just wanted you to deliver the package.”

“It’s not…your birthday?” Leo said, slowly deflating.

“No.”

“Oh…” Leo trailed off, Kiva patting him reassuringly on the back.

“It’s a rather delicate package, and one of untold importance as well. I thought it odd he’d entrust something of such value to a group of children, but you all proved me wrong. You are indeed capable,” Bolovin conceded, throwing up his arms in defeat.

“What even is it?” Trenton asked, much less disappointed than Leo.

“A defense system of sorts,” Arthur responded, eyes never leaving the mysterious package, which suddenly threw its outer layer outward in a series of piston movements. Wrigely continued working undeterred. “You see, this box you were carrying was actually a powerful magical item Wizard’s been working on for years. You’re all Verulians, right?” Arthur said, breaking his staring context with the box to look at them.

“Me and Leo, not the rest,” Trenton said.

“Just you two, then,” Arthur shifted his attention again, excluding Kiva and Millie. “Do you know why Dasellium is considered the greatest stronghold in the world?”

“The fanaticism for war? All the strong fighters? The Conqueror?” Leo said, running the things he’d been told all his life over in his head.

“Those help, yes. The Conqueror certainly is a marvel, and it’s true that there isn’t a more concentrated power the world over. However, Dasellium itself is beyond massive, some 60 miles in diameter, easily the largest city in the world. Protecting that much land, even for a large and powerful standing army, even for the Conqueror, simply isn’t realistic. Even traveling the city one end to the other can take several days. Now imagine trying to defend it at two opposite points. It’d be impossible. You’d have to be everywhere at once. No, the real reason Dasellium is so well protected is a woman called Aylin, the left hand of the Conqueror. She’s a spatial mage, a one in a billion talent whose spatial magic surpasses even Era’s. If the stories are to be believed, she lives within a tower at the top of the Conqueror’s castle in the city's exact center. From there she powers a spatial barrier, a nigh unbreakable bastion of magic that spans the whole city's perimeter. No one can enter, and no one can leave without her express permission. But a barrier like that one takes an unbelievable amount of energy to sustain. The only other one like it in the world is the one around the Academy, a much smaller barrier sustained by Era himself. Everywhere else simply has to fend for themselves. Simply put, no one else is capable of that level of magic. However, Wizard is a brilliant man, talented and with many connections. He and Aylin collaborated on this box you see before you. When active, it’ll produce a powerful spatial barrier that can completely encircle Korak,. All it needs is power. And unlike a usual spatial barrier, this one can be maintained by the strength of hundreds of mages, not just one. In other words, what you’ve been carrying with you is our salvation, a solution to our problems for good. Once it’s open, we could get the barrier operating in a couple days, assuming there aren’t any major flaws in its construction,” Arthur said.

“Wow that’s…a lot of responsibility,” Leo murmured, swaying slightly on his feet.

“Which is why Wizard lied to you,” Wrigely said. “If you knew what it was, you would’ve gotten too in your heads about it.”

“But why trust something like that to us? If it was really that important, why not hand deliver it?” Trenton asked.

“Walibeld is the short answer. There’s no one as well traveled and experienced as he is, not to mention his strength. Yes, it was risky, what with the target on your backs, but with him nearby, it was actually even safer than Wizard delivering it himself. Powerful magical items like this one give off very powerful auras, magical signatures that monsters tend to latch to, which meant Wizard would’ve been under constant assail the moment he left Wyrm’s Perch. You, however, have a rather peculiar magical artifact. That necklace you wear, boy, the scarab one, distorts the signatures of everything stored within it. Wizard told us it’s the main reason he actually even let you leave the city with the package,” Bolovin explained.

Scarab? The word bounced around his head, latching onto memories he didn’t know he had, concepts he’d never once thought. The necklace was a scarab, wasn’t it? But how did he know that? How did he know that? And earlier, the glowing man, he’d called Trenton a scarab, and it just made so much…sense. But why?

Trenton pulled out the necklace from beneath his shirt, “How did you know that?” Trenton asked, pushing away the growing pain behind his eyes. Even he didn’t know exactly what the necklace was supposed to be, and it was his necklace.

“Simple,” Bolovin said, standing and approaching Trenton until he stood just before him, “my family was the one who made it. The very first Irvren, that being Sir Irvren the First himself.”