At the eastern frontier, at the end of the western roads leading into the Great Guran River, lay the port town of Trist. Yes, it shared its name with the Valley of Trist.

The carriage neared the port town, which was already in sight. Strangely, the shadows that had been following them did nothing against them; they didn't even attempt to attack.

Finally arriving at the city gate, they found it closed. The driver immediately dismounted. Usually, there was a small window for the guard on one side of the gate.

“Knock! Knock! Guard! Hey!” the driver shouted, familiar with the town's usual open hours, which were still in effect this afternoon.

The wooden slide opened, and a guard poked his head out. “Who are you?" he asked.

“I’m a merchant looking to trade. Why is the gate closed?" The driver's urgency was evident.

“Show me your papers,” the guard demanded.

The driver hurried back to his carriage, retrieving his documents from a small compartment under his seat. Returning to the guard, he presented them.

“Hey! You changed the magic stone inside right?!” It seemed that the guard was talking to his companion inside. “Yeah!!!” the other guard answered and the guard in the window took the papers presented to him.

“I see, Zach Seron… touch the stone,” the guard instructed, pulling out a stone used for truth verification. “Speak… I’m human,” he said, prompting the driver to place his hands on the stone.

“I’m human?” the driver repeated, sounding uncertain. The guard nodded.

“You may pass… the two of you should come here too,” the guard urged for the other two to come closer to the window.

Percival placed his hands on the stone and declared, “I’m human.” The guard nodded in confirmation.

Finally, it was Simon's turn. Simon, noticeably sweaty, hesitated. He wasn't a normal human, and he knew it. As far as Simon remembered, the security had never been this strict before.

Percival and the driver exchanged glances. “What's the matter? Just place your hands and say 'I’m human,'” the guard prompted.

“Just gonna get over it then… I’m human,” Simon said reluctantly, and the guard nodded. Percival raised an eyebrow. “Can we pass now?” he asked.

“Of course… Open the gates!!! Coming through… sorry for the trouble. There have been monsters posing as humans trying to get inside the town… 'fucking mimics.' We needed to increase our security. Sorry again,” the guard explained as the gate slowly opened.

The driver sighed with relief, finally feeling safe. But as the gates opened, they were met with a silent town. As it was a port town, Simon and Percival expected it to be bustling with activity, but there wasn't even a sound. The guards who had been opening the gates were blankly staring at them.

“The hell… hey, what's the schedule for the ships going into the central?” Percival asked. The guard silently stared at him and shook his head, indicating a negative response.

“It usually goes twice a week… maybe it was because of the mimic attacks that they shut down the operations,” the driver said, and the guards looked at him. The driver felt that it was starting to get creepy.

“Let’s spend a night in the inn then. We will check it out tomorrow. Simon, keep your guard up,” Percival said. Simon nodded. The driver, Zack, knew of a good place; he was one of the patrons of it. He also needed to go to the central as his contact was there.

…

The town had several inns to choose from. They opted for the one closer to the port. The inn owner and her two children happily guided them to their rooms. They had dinner that night and tucked in. They actually stayed in a single room since the driver was afraid to sleep alone.

<--->

The four shadows then started moving, infiltrating the town to test the waters and attempt to take the relic from the driver. They were well-informed about the town, excelling more in urban environments than in open fields and forests.

The main gate lay east of the town, so they headed south in search of a smaller gate. The four could blend in anywhere, especially in human settlements, having been trained since childhood. They referred to themselves as the Leaves.

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Armed with knowledge and skills for sabotage, theft, and interrogation, they differed from the assassin's guild, which focused solely on killing. The Leaves were capable of any unsavory task and had the support of one of the great nobles, the Sen-ran.

Finding the smaller gate closed, their leader produced a small piece of metal and began blowing it. It was a silent sound that only could be heard by the members of the Leaves. Within minutes, the smaller gate opened, revealing a guard who nodded to the four as they entered.

Their footsteps could be heard from behind the gate, eventually turning into a run, a struggle, and then silence.

<--->

On a dark place underground.

A boy awakens from his slumber. He finds himself in a dimly lit facility, likely situated beneath the earth's surface. The shard core embedded within him stirs, urging him to venture north, away from the darkness of the facility.

However, he realizes he doesn't need to go personally. With the allies he has cultivated, he can accomplish his goal more efficiently, conserving his energy as he begins to assimilate the entire facility. Instructions within his core guide him on how to proceed.

“Attack,” the boy murmurs, and from the shadows, movement stirs.

<--->

Back in the Inn.

Simon immediately jumped to his feet, rousing the two companions from their slumber. He hadn't realized he had fallen during his sleep, but the urgent footsteps echoing through the inn jolted him awake. Percival, too, sprang into action, swiftly preparing for whatever awaited them. Within moments, a loud knock reverberated through the room, and Percival hastened to answer it.

The innkeeper stood on the threshold, panic etched across her face. “We're under attack at the gate! You're adventurers, aren't you? Please, we need your help! We'll pay you!” she implored, her desperation palpable. Her husband, a soldier in the town, likely faced the threat head-on.

“We're on it, Simon! Let's move!” Percival declared, turning to the driver. “Remember your mission?” he reminded him. The driver groaned inwardly, realizing he had left the special item in the cart below. Hastily correcting his oversight, he joined the others.

As Simon and Percival dashed outside, they found no signs of intrusion in the parking area. The driver hurried to catch up, and Percival made a decision. “I'll head for the gates,” he announced, gripping his axe firmly.

The northerner looked at Simon and the boy instantly understood that he had to stay if anything happened.

<--->

Percival could hear the screams of commands and brave guards mustering themselves. The guards were on the upper walls. Percival, familiar with sieges from his time on the northern wall, immediately looked around to find the ladders to climb up; there were stairs on the sides of the wall. He ascended them, noting that the siege hadn’t started yet.

“Who are you? You are not allowed here!” One of the soldiers noticed him; he was really big, so it was impossible to miss him.

“It's okay, let him be!” The mayor of the town was there, commanding the defense of the wall. The wall was armed with arrows, magic, and spears.

But what was attacking the walls? Percival thought as he looked downwards to the ground. It was standing like a human, but even from afar, one could tell it was not human.

“It's starting,” the Mayor said without a hint of doubt. He was right, and in a few minutes, the shadows started moving closer. When they were close enough to the wall, Percival finally could see them: a strange shape with limbs, a body at the center, and the face of a child on its head.

“The hell, that’s disgusting,” Percival said.

“We will last the night! They only attack at night! Brace yourself!” the mayor of the town screamed to psyche up the people on top of the wall.

<--->

Simon was bored, though the battle's sounds reached him even while perched on the inn's roof. “Hey, boy! Want some hot soup?” the innkeeper called out, both awaiting the battle's outcome, but Simon declined with a shake of his head.

The sounds of battle persisted for two to three hours before finally ceasing. Simon stood up. “It's over,” he muttered, and the innkeeper nodded.

Then, the innkeeper slumped as Percival handed her a helmet. She recognized it—she had cleaned it every time he returned home. Overwhelmed, she didn’t know how to continue.

“You still have a child to raise; don’t make that face,” Percival reassured her, restoring a glimmer of light to her expression. “He was one of the ones that was caught first,” he added.

Percival waved at Simon and the driver. “Simon, we have to help them. This town will perish if we don’t,” he said, locking eyes with Simon.

“How about your objective? You want to get more help from the central, right?” Simon confirmed. It wasn't that he didn’t want to help, but he was more concerned about the north, anticipating a larger battle.

“I can’t leave it like this,” Percival insisted, it was in his nature to help, from his countless adventurers and exploits, spreading a bit of good would make the world better, that’s what he learned having seen both ends of the spectrum.

Percival wasn't known for thoughtfulness or sympathy. Simon couldn't understand the northerner's mindset. Something must have occurred at the wall earlier; the man was filled with vengeance, and Simon was sure of it.

“I will reward you if you help them!” the driver interjected suddenly. “I’m going to be a millionaire after I deliver this! I will pay you! Help them!” he added, brandishing a metal box.

<--->

The Mayor was still atop the walls when Percival and Simon approached him. They began inquiring about the monsters with childlike faces and their origins.

“They come from the south... these cunning creatures used the forest to conceal their whereabouts, but one of our scouts confirmed their southern origin,” the Mayor said with disdain for the creatures.

“We'll look into it,” Percival declared. The Mayor's face brightened.

“Oh! Are you going to help us? I will gladly reward you! Please!” The Mayor reached out to touch Percival's hand, but Percival withdrew.

“We'll assist, but please refrain from touching me,” he said with disgust.

After returning to the inn to gather more supplies, the two departed from the town heading south.