Lurona city [southern shores of Fuminao Legacy Kingdom], local time [1793.12.28]

They took their seats in the rented carriage in silence. Both deep in thought and ignoring the driver.

After the third question, the man just shrugged and walked to his cabin at the front. They were paying him for an hour, so he didn’t really care.

A few moments later, Zeph woke up from his stupor and asked an important question. “Are we able to get reinforcements in time?”

“No,” Makani said absentmindedly. “Aisha and Kwan are at the Administration Center right now. Even if we send a messenger, they won’t be able to send their people or arrive in time.”

Zeph used all of his detection Spells, one after another. Then, he formed an Air Sphere, enclosing their cabin.

Makani reacted a moment later, forming three more Spells that washed over Zeph’s Veil.

It wasn’t much, but with the help of the Air-Magicule genius, Zeph felt much safer.

He took out Lurona city’s map from his backpack, checking the distances. They were three Earth hours by carriage from the headquarters, so almost one and a half cycles away, and the Administration Center was even further northeast, just by the Shrine.

“If we send a messenger now, they can make it back in two cycles, I think. That should be enough,” he analyzed. “If we use the electric net, we can inform them faster…”

Makani sighed heavily, slumping down on his seat. “It’s not it. Deporting means that she is already detained, probably on her way to a ship or local aerostation. We have to get there in a cycle to make a claim personally, before the night hours. And we can’t use the Electrical Communication Network for an emergency message without either a city-wide emergency, a bought-out slot, or a Landlord’s permission…”

Shit! Why is the System so useless in situations like this? They have their global network, why not share a bit?! he thought, clenching his fist and cursing mentally. We still have almost three hours before the first night-cycle; we can still work with that! He reached down once again, pulling out the third tome of the ‘Detailed Map of Traffic’. We need to employ Bonds in the future, the link doesn’t have any distance limitations… his thoughts were interrupted by what he saw on the map. There was an empty hole for the aboveground traffic in the whole region; his hopes for a quick shuttle ride, like when they entered the city, dashed. Predictable, we are in the lower, poorer area…his jaw clenched, there weren’t many options left for them.

“My Tower is north of the Inn,” Makani said in resignation, anticipating the question. He looked at the floor as Zeph flipped furiously through the city map. “It’s useless…”

The Vermilla islands’ ports were almost two Earth’s hours to the west. They needed to start moving right now. Even with directions from the broker, it would take at least half an hour to deal with the bureaucratic mess on the site. Assuming their operatives there were accommodating.

Zeph hit the small table with his fist, almost breaking it.

His hand, that is, not the table.

“It’s a fucking trap!” he shouted in pain and anger, shaking his throbbing hand with a grimace.

“Bah! Are you a genius or something?” Makani rolled his eyes. “The broker was clear enough with his warnings. Also, he evidently knew about the alchemist girl before today, so the deporting is most probably all they did. The question is, are we going to engage?” He asked seriously, ignoring Zeph’s glare. “We don’t know what their goal is. As much as the trap is obvious, we are, theoretically,” he raised a finger, “as safe now as we will be at the port. We can assume they know our position if they managed to spread the news in one day all the way here. We should assume they can attack even now.”

Zeph forcibly cooled his head. This whole situation was as strange as irritating.

“No backlash is expected from attacking us in the open?” he asked, plopping down on his seat. He didn’t even remember standing up. “It looks distractingly similar to forcing us into an area without witnesses, though.”

Makani shook his head. “You are too preoccupied with your own… vision of the world, I would say.” He took out an amulet. It was malformed, looking more like a relic from the past. “We know one thing for sure. They don’t want to kill me. This… artifact”—Makani was still cautious with his wording, but Zeph could understand what he was trying to convey—“will make sure they are targeted by my Tower in the future in such a scenario. As for being seen in the open? Who would be seen, you think?” he asked, hiding the trinket under his robe.

Right, Zeph facepalmed. “But that doesn’t change the fact that they are luring us into their territory. It’s an almost open challenge…”

“Exactly,” Makani nodded, tinkering with the space under his shirt for a moment longer. Zeph wasn’t sure what the Manacaster expected when showing the amulet, but he poked Gru to get a better look at the thing when it was visible. Thankfully, the little guy was able to understand something Zeph wasn’t privy to. He just got a vague confirmation from his little companion. “In case someone is killed, they will probably claim that we knew about the dangers and accepted the challenge. It had happened a few times in the past. Worse yet. If I live, how do you think my statement would sound under scrutinizing Skills? They are targeting you.”

Double Shit… “Then if we don’t come… But what if you go, and I return to the Inn?”

“If there is any reason to this maneuver, you know what would happen. We can’t get separated now,” Makani looked down dejectedly. “I apologize for making you go out like this… This shouldn’t have happened…”

“Where is your non-killing society now, wise man?” Zeph asked jokingly. “Don’t worry about that, but this is bullshit… If we go there, we will just present them with a convincing alibi. Or, at least, a politically useable one. We should bail,” he declared.

“…”

“Don’t look like that at me,” Zeph said with a frown. “And you, Gru, shut up! I am not going to risk our lives for one, unknown girl, your hunches be damned! But…” Zeph stroke his beard, thinking. “Am I their target? That doesn’t make much sense. My level is too low to be a threat…”

“One less participant in the tournament means at least three more opponents for the rest of us,” Makani reasoned. “But true, killing us is a bad idea overall. I am not sure if that’s what they are after…” he said with a shrug.

“Is there any other reason for forcing us to travel into a ‘lawless’ district?” he asked skeptically. “The second option, that I can think of, is to capture one of us and force us to share information. I have placed it as a second only because the possible Soul shenanigans are too risky in most cases. It would be the first choice of any organization back in my… country,” he stopped himself from speaking too much. They weren’t in a safe place. “Anyway, I can’t see any other reason to lure us there.”

“You had it hard, that’s for sure,” Makani admitted, resting his head on his hand. “But we can’t ignore the possibility of a standard scouting. They may just want to know our equipment, fighting style, and Spells.”

“Without us having any equipment on ourselves? No, it’s unreasonable. I would rather put my coins at the assassination attempt,” he said, crossing his arms. “Especially because reacting this fast means they are constantly monitoring our Guild. Which means they probably already have a good grip on how we fight, at least for the most part.”

“Hmm,” Makani relented, thinking about their encounters of the day. “Or it could be all a coincidence… We are assuming a lot of things right now. I admit that the broker’s tirade was very convincing, but I am not so sure anymore… Or maybe that was the trap in itself?” he was getting visibly lost in his own reasoning – the famous “they knew that we knew” loop.

“Hoping for a positive outcome?” Zeph asked seriously, breaking that chain of thought at the bud. “We should always plan for the worst-case scenario, though. The worst part is, we are unable to call for a backup. Even if this is a coincidence, we are going to step into a problematic situation. And those documents…” Zeph paused, seeing hesitation in Makani’s eyes as he mentioned them.

The man sighed, turning his face away from the file dedicated to the Irra Turiel that was laying before him. “Her inventions aren’t that great. I am sure she has earned a lot of Exchange entries and Soul fragments, but none of them is truly useable,” Makani started summarizing. Zeph took the file and started reading. He didn’t have a chance to check the details yet. “They are so underdeveloped… Not even functional. I think she is trying to wiggle her way away by gathering System achievements. Not sure about that, mind you. But, honestly, if that’s true then it’s much more impressive than those trinkets she created… What do you think about her?” he finally asked.

“How much do you think she owes?” he asked absentmindedly, reading through her file. Makani wasn’t wrong. “If it’s more than 100 000, we won’t be able to even pay out right away…”

“I would be surprised if it’s more than a few thousand,” Makani snorted at the idea. “Business isn’t that easy for normal people, my prince. If people traded in millions of gold casually, I am sure someone would invent a higher denomination already.”

“Har, har, har,” he deadpanned, looking up from the papers. “And how am I to know that, when my ingenious peer is getting at least three orders of magnitude less for creations comparable to mine?” He smacked the file with the back of his hand, looking him straight in the eyes.

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“No…” Makani’s face paled even more, somehow. “Don’t tell me those inventions are worth that much?”

Zeph wasn’t going to confirm. Not here. But if the knowledge and Earth’s people's creativity were any indicators… “She has potential, Makani.” He sighed, closing his eyes. “She tapped into a few very important fields of study… But I still don’t like this. We can try to find her later, without potentially risking our—sorry, my life.”

He placed the documents on the table and they both leaned over them. True to what Makani said, the girl’s inventions were quite impressive on paper, but none of them were fully functional. The caustic potions worked only on standard metal alloys, the scouting devices depended on the infrastructure placed beforehand, and her ‘power armor’ was useless for people above 50 Power. It was questionable if they could count on her to help with anything before the Duels.

On the other hand, she invented them with minimal resources in her hands, and was able to produce the prototypes at minimal cost.

Zeph not only saw a future in those inventions. He also understood what would have to be studied and developed before even attempting the prototypes she has created. He saw what parts were necessary – or, at least, he believed he did. The Mana battery proficiency was the last thing on his mind, as all three inventions had to use that knowledge in some way, directly or not. And her mindset, even if she mimicked existing works, was exactly what he was looking for.

But, in his mind, the chances that it wasn’t a trap of some kind were non-existent.

“Zeph, she’s the only person that checks all of your requirements,” Makani said with a little more conviction. “Looking for her later may be impossible. In a city that is known for innovators… I would rather search the streets for other talented individuals, but you saw yourself how that worked out,” he looked up with puppy eyes.

“When did you become a battle maniac?” Zeph asked with disgust. “Where is your self-preservation instinct when we need it the most?!”

“Taking a vacation in the hot springs.” He grinned. “Let’s just say, your explanations about proteins bore some fruits. It would be very hard to pin us down, assuming we don’t split up.”

Zeph’s eyebrows raised. He managed to modify his Spells? That… certainly is more assuring. But still…

Seeing his hesitation, Makani continued. “We have enough money to visit the local mercenary venue, you know?”

That sentence hit a bullseye.

He ignored Gru’s happy emotions overflowing from their bond. “Well… If we are going to do this, we need to do some shopping first…”

~~~

Zeph and Makani entered a tavern. It was a known meeting spot for the nearby mercenaries and a commission center, acknowledged by the city’s administration. The first floor consisted of a dining area, but the bar on the far wall had an atypical, small section dedicated to paperwork. By it, on the left wall, Zeph also spotted a board with pinned-up documents.

There weren’t many patrons present, as the dinner was normally served after the last day-cycle. The bar was manned by a tall—even for Corora’s standards—man wearing a simple black apron over casual brown clothes. They walked straight to him, hurrying slightly.

They already wasted almost 15 minutes at the market, buying a few handy tools and ingredients.

“Welcome,” the man said, tilting his head. “What can I help you with?”

“Is there a team ready to take a commission immediately?” Zeph asked without preamble.

The man’s eyes squinted slightly. “I need to ask a few questions first…” he paused, looking down at the documents Makani was shoving his way. Those were standard identification documents, showing they were executives from the Sepia Familia Guild. While scanning them, he straightened slightly. He looked back up. “Thank you. We do have a few teams available, indeed. Should we go to a meeting room?”

“”Yes,”” they answered together, nodding.

“Silka! Take the front for me!” he shouted to the kitchens behind him, receiving a muted confirmation a moment later. “Follow me.” He waved his hand, walking alongside the counter to the staircase tucked in the corner of the room.

The man guided them to a conference room on the third floor. It was heavily decorated with wood, giving off a vibe appropriate to an old-school tavern. They sat down in comfortable armchairs surrounding a coffee table, and when the last of the standard security enchantments finished activating, the man spoke again.

“I am Izaac, nice to meet you two. Am I correctly guessing that you are in a hurry?” They nodded. “You would have to pay extra. What kind of job are we talking about, and do you have backing of any other organization? Let’s be honest, a rush order from a newly formed Guild doesn’t sound safe. Most of our teams won’t like it.”

“Blackwind Tower,” Makani said, showing his medallion.

“Leilucia Temple,” Zeph took out the orphanage amulet.

The guy’s eyes bulged. “Are you serious?!… You should have started with that!” he shook his head to compose himself. “Ahem, well… That should be enough. What do you need then?” he asked, slightly embarrassed.

“Guarding mission to Vermilla ports and back to our Guild at the inland ports of the Rake River. We received something that can be considered a warning or a challenge, so we are expecting an attack of some sort,” Makani explained.

“Sepia Familia…” Izaac mumbled, trying to remember something. “Wait, aren’t you the ones with the scheduled Duel tournament next year?”

“The very same,” Zeph nodded.

“And going by your affiliations… You are the Guild council members, or something similar, aren’t you?”

Zeph and Makani looked at each other briefly, before turning back and nodding. Izaac sighed heavily, scratching his head. “That… definitely complicates things. From what I see, a problematic fight is almost guaranteed. Possibly with a high mortality rate. And we only have mid-level teams immediately available… How much time do we have, by the way?”

“We don’t. Otherwise, we would contact the Guard,” Zeph said. “We have to be at the ports before the administration of the local mercenary company finishes for the day…”

“Chasem…”

“We can pay a hundred gold total for ten people,” Makani interjected, making the man pause. Zeph wasn’t sure, but it seemed that for Izaac it was a lot. “It’s not because of the high stakes. I don’t believe our opposition is ready to commit fully. But I don’t want any complaints about injuries or equipment lost. But if you can get us any kind of specialist or post-70 veteran, we are ready to pay accordingly.”

Izaac stood up, determination visible on his face. “Wait here, I will see what can be done.” He rushed out of the room.

~~~

Zeph was fiddling with an uneven metal bead in his hands, trying to ignore the inertia-induced pull as their carriage drifted on the snow to change directions.

Drifting carriages… Now, that is an idea for a game in Kwan’s entertainment center, he thought with mirth while trying to balance out the Mana spinning in the bead. Sadly, the blacksmith had to make them quickly right there, so instead of perfect spheres, they resembled slightly malformed teardrops.

He had to work with what he had, though. At least the detection beads worked without problems.

“What is he doing, again?” Hamar asked skeptically. His team of ten was working overtime to secure the road ahead for their wild ride, while he played the role of their personal guard. He wore full plate armor and used a tower shield and a war hammer. Because of that, there wasn’t much space left in their cabin.

“Enchanting stuff, don’t worry about it,” Makani answered while Zeph tried to ignore them and concentrate. He would rather not have the bead explode in his face. His new reinforced leather armor wouldn’t help him much if it did.

“I don’t think those small things can help with anything… Not to mention those leaf bundles…” the man said, glancing at the small pouch filled with small, spherical wraps.

Zeph didn’t bring much in terms of firepower with him, not even his pistol, so he decided to revive a part of his old arsenal on the way. This time, he had Makani with him, so the smelly-smoke bombs had a chance to take the stage once again. Of course, he didn’t have the same ingredients, but the alchemy/pharmacy stall owner knew her ingredients. Arguably, this version should be even more potent.

“… Think of it as distraction means. Like the Green Elk Beetle’s chemical spray,” Makani tried to explain.

“Oh, that could work with you. I see now. I guess, La-Einar won’t be of much help in a fight,” the man nodded to himself.

“I would argue about that. A good distraction can end a fight immediately, like—”

“Can you two shut up for a moment?! We will discuss that later!” Zeph interrupted them, desperately subduing the Mana as their carriage took a sharp turn.

~~~

Their two carriages and five riders stopped before an old building in a small square. The horses were steaming in the cool air and breathing heavily. If not for the riders warning the vehicles ahead, they would have never been able to arrive this quickly – the infrastructure in the area was old and chaotic.

The buildings around the square looked differently, too. They were made from gray stone blocks, with a minimal amount of decoration, bringing to mind a medieval fort. Especially because of the narrow streets and multitude of stone bridges linking the multileveled parts of the port.

They left the carriage as the riders surrounded them for protection. Zeph, Makani, and Hamar unhurriedly walked up to a three-story building with big, reinforced double doors. They were as prepared for a possible confrontation as they could be. They had also sent a few messengers to inform Kwan and Aisha, as well as the headquarters. Makani hoped their opponents won’t be able to intercept every one of them.

Entering the building, they were met with a smallish room and a heavy, dark atmosphere. The lighting wasn’t the worst, but the place was filled with smoke. Six guards, sitting at two tables and playing cards, were smoking from something resembling small hookahs. Seeing the newcomers, two of them stood up and cautiously moved closer.

“Yes, you need somethin’?” The taller man asked.

Looking closer, their equipment was far from being in pristine condition. Parts of metal plating were replaced by hardened leather, and Zeph was sure the armor wasn’t cleaned even once in the last few months.

Actually, it looked like the guys and gals here might have a slight averse to water in general.

“We may have a deal for Suise, if that’s the right place?” Zeph said, raising his eyebrow.

The two men exchanged looks before answering. “It is. It’s about our alchemist, isn’t it?” the shorter one asked.

“Yes. Is that a problem?” Makani squinted at them.

“No. Boss said to bring anyone interested directly to him.” The taller one turned and waved at them. “I will show you the way.”

The tension didn’t dissipate despite the invitation. Both sides observed each other in the corner of their eyes as they walked by. Behind the door at the back of the room, a big hall with three long tables was present. The furnishing was rather primitive, with crude benches in place of chairs, and the place stunk. Food scraps were laying on the floor and on top of tables, suspicious liquids stained the surfaces, adding to the exotic aroma of the establishment.

They were guided to a wooden staircase on the right wall, which took them to and through a balcony of the hall, leading further to stone steps embedded in the wall. On the third floor, at the end of a long corridor, the Head of Suise Mercenary Company awaited them. From behind open double doors, he was observing as they walked through the corridor.

He was a grizzled man in a full plate of much better quality. His face was full of scars and wrinkled like an old sailor's after years of exposure to the sun. His black, lush beard was in disarray only achievable after years of neglect, but the hair on his balding head was almost white, diminishing the wild and dangerous aura his looks emitted otherwise.

The man was sitting behind an ornamental desk, leaving them to stand before him.

A minor powerplay? Zeph mused. Uh, Aisha would love the challenge...

“So, I take you are here to fight for the right to our poor alchemist gal?” he asked in a gruff voice as their guide left the room. He put his head on his hand, taking a better look at each of them. “I am starting to get curious. What did she do to attract so much attention, hmm?”

“Not your business,” Makani said firmly, surprising Zeph. “I really hope your previous guests told you what you are getting into, though. Be a nice bug and scuttle away from this conflict, will you? How much did they pay?”

The man guffawed, hitting the desk with an open hand. “You hear him?!” he spoke loudly, still laughing. “That’s how you should open negotiations, not play with your arse like those welks!” He spat to the side, losing his merry mood. But looking back at them, he once again smiled widely. He spread his hands on the table. “But there’s nothin’ for me in that, ain’t it? Be more convincing, my fella!” His smile widened even further as he wiggled his eyebrows. “I have all day to hear ya, HA!”

Makani sighed, massaging his temples.

Zeph wasn’t sure what was going on here anymore.