“Of all the places we could meet, it had to be this place?”

“The decor not to your liking?” said Ishran mirthfully as he gestured for Soleil to take a seat and signalled for the waitress. “I can assure you that the food and drink are quite palpable in comparison to your usual haunts.”

“With a generous side of condescension provided the moment you step in the district.” Soleil replied sardonically. Taking her seat she orders a glass of Irdac wine as the waitress hands her a menu. Seeing Ishran raise an eyebrow at her choice , she gives him a cheeky grin and cheerfully says. “Hey, since you are paying I might as well indulge myself.”

“So your solo objection to this meeting place are the other patrons?”

“They are more an annoyance, basking in their opulence and smuggery. What I dislike is how much I stick out in this place. Any tracker worth their salt will find this meeting an excellent opportunity for information.”

Leaning back and crossing his arms Ishran said gravely. “Are you in some sort of trouble presently?”

“Not at all. But it pays to be cautious in my line of work. You will not believe the number of information brokers and middlemen who get ambushed and hustled by all manners of people.”

Taking a sip of his own wine, Ishran savours its rich flavour as he observes the waitress returning. “The rice dishes they serve here are quite delicious if you are still undecided.”

Seeing Soleil shrug in response he smiled and ordered two sets for themselves as the waitress arrived to place Soleil’s drink before her. Taking their order and departing, Ishran smiled and enjoyed the callipygian view receding towards the kitchen. Still gazing forward he addressed his companion with a question. “And what sort of ruffian would think about harassing people conducting such an honest business?”

“Believe it or not it’s the ones of law abiding heroic dispositions. The kind who aren’t familiar with the rule of neutrality associated with the organisation. Seeking justice or what not.” she said with a shrug though the last statement carried a mocking tone.

“No one in the criminal underworld dares cross the Aieris Malam?”

Soleil’s eyes widened for a moment at the mention of the name before she replied coolly. “I am surprised you learnt the name, though I would suggest you refrain from uttering it in public. To answer your question however, only the desperate or stupid would think about crossing the organisation. If you want to survive in the underworld you don’t piss off the people holding the deck of cards you play from.”

“So they basically control all of the Mercidium’s underworld activities?”

“As far as I know they are not directly involved. Being direct competition invites a lot of animosity and burns bridges, which the higher-ups seem to want to avoid.”

“Do they have connections to the other kingdoms of the world?” continued Ishran, his curiosity and intrigue rising.

“I’m just a small fish in a vast lake Ishran, I don’t exactly have their manifest of intentions and if I did I probably wouldn’t be sharing it so loosely.” said Soleil tiredly. “I hope you didn’t invite me to dinner just to talk about my line of work.”

“Certainly not, pardon my inquiries, a simple scholar’s curiosity.” said Ishran with a slight grin as he bowed his head in apology. Reaching into his bag under the table he pulled out a box wrapped in thick white cloth. “The first matter involves our previous interaction, the second would be information.”

Seeing the wrapped up box, Soleil crossed her arms and frowned. “No refunds Ishran. Not on those kinds of goods and especially not after you personally checked it before buying.”

“You misunderstand. I need this disposed of.” Seeing her look of confusion he decided to elaborate. “The item was fine, but the experiment I ran with it may have been too much for it. I won’t bore you with the fine details but the item is broken now and I can’t just throw it in the bin.”

With an audible sigh Soleil nodded and took the box, placing it under her seat and resting a foot on it as she spied their order coming towards them. Ishran gave the waitress a smile and pressed another five silver coins into her hand after she set down the food and was preparing to leave.

“Such a generous tipper, do I get the same as well?” quipped Soleil.

“Oh hush you. It is expected and she is rather cute.” chuckled Ishran. He paused for a moment to make sure said waitress was further away before continuing. “The second matter is information. I am seeking knowledge on the situation at the Twin Water Strait, how dire it is, and if there is any passage to the port El-Thesia despite it.”

“There still is passage to El-Thesia of course.” hearing Soleil say that Ishran’s eyes begin to bright briefly but that light quickly faded upon hearing her continue. “I believe you can take ships chartered for one of the port towns of Hanabi, go up to Reppu and from there depart to Scillia and then you should be able to get a carriage through Empyrical territory to the Combine.”

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“I meant direct passage Soleil, trust me I already know of the ‘scenic’ routes.” said Ishran, his tone with a twinge of annoyance.

“Time to answer the first part of your question.” said Soleil. Taking a drink for her glass she continued in a quieter tone “Passage through that strait has become so dangerous that no ships from any kingdom are willing to chance. Something has riled up the corrupted wastelands of South Braethis and the Fanged Wilds. It started with the wastelands, the plague of undeath surged in intensity and ships which sailed too close soon found themselves under attack from undead horrors. Then a few weeks later as though in reaction, monster activity in the Fanged Wilds increased and leviathan attacks on ships sailing closer to that region became guaranteed. The combination of these events quickly closed off any further travel utilising the Strait.”

“Does anyone know what is causing this? And are they trying to do anything to remedy it?” inquired Ishran.

“Word is that there are several questing groups tasked to both locales to investigate at the moment. But the cause and who or what is responsible has not yet been ascertained. And naturally my people are quite interested in that line of inquiry”

Ishran picked up his spoon and sullenly began to eat his meal. This was more information than what he acquired at the commerce guildhouse but depressingly it seems that it has hammered in the fact that he will not be able to leave more than ever. The meal, while delicious, offered him little enjoyment, though the brief look of surprise and content on Soleil’s face did have him crack a smile.

After a moment of silently eating Ishran spoke up again, his tone deflated. “Well, that pretty much sounds parallel to what I heard at the guildhall. Based on the latest news brought in by a Tagawan ambassadorial delegation, it's beginning to look like my options are becoming increasingly limited and poor.”

Soleil who was in the midst of a bite choked and coughed. Pounding her chest lightly as she cleared her throat she asked a curious looking Ishran. “A Tagawan delegation? That is news to me. Are you sure? Do you know where they are from?”

With a raised eyebrow Ishran replied with an even tone. “I saw the ship come in and had time to converse with the harbour attendants who spoke with them so yes I am certain. As for the latter of your questions I am going to assume you mean which region correct? Han a bee? If I’m recalling correctly. Their sigil looks like a bird framed with a swirl of fire.”

“Hanabi. And that sigil you mention should be the sigil of the Shogun’s house.”

“Anyone you might know?” asked Ishran. He remembered that Soleil had once mentioned she was half Tagawan when he asked and her earlier reaction was quite unusual.

“Not likely I think. I am not exactly familiar with any of my kinsmen.” shrugged Soleil. She resumed eating her food, returning to her normal calm which Ishran was familiar with.

The sudden shift in demeanor was noted by Ishran. He had a feeling that she was being rather evasive but knew better than to try and pursue the matter. It was not his to pry into, and he rather not antagonise Soleil by probing for unnecessary knowledge.

While chewing on her latest bit, a sudden change came over Soleil, as though she just recalled something or had an idea. She quietly regarded her companion, saying. “Hey Ishran… How badly do you want to get to the Argentum Combine?”

“Enough that I am inquiring from you and your sources for any potential available options.”

“Alright, I do know about one option for you. Do bear in mind however, that it will be part of a job and it is fairly dangerous.”

Straightening in his seat Ishran felt once again a glimmer of hope, this time mixed with a fair amount of intrigue. There must have been reasons this was not brought up earlier. He nodded and indicated for her to continue on.

“This job requires a construct mage of adept proficiency, the exact details on what is to be expected of them to be revealed by the contractor upon meeting and discussion.”

Ishran frowned as he had not heard any of this at the University. Which means that there is a fair bit of cloak and shadow with this job if they are not going to go through the official channels.

“They are being rather secretive as I’m sure you have surmised, but I understand that the contractor means to establish a travel route to the Argentum Combine by going through the Rakta desert.”

“Shut the front door. How by Ysvari’s glowing eyes do they think they are going to do that?” exclaimed Ishran.

Shrugging her shoulder Soleil sighed and said. “I don’t know, but apparently a fair amount of gold has been invested into the endeavour. They are keeping their cards close to the chest so I am guessing that they have some level of confidence and don’t want to be potentially copied by competition maybe?”

“I suppose it is worth investigating at least. When can you arrange a meeting?”

“If you think you can live without dessert we can head over there right now if you want.” grinned Soleil.

“Oh come now the desserts here are quite divine. You can take me there after.”

“Very well, but I do have one condition though.” hearing that Ishran tilted his head in question, to which Soleil continued. “I want you to take me along with you for this job. Bodyguard or partner, it's up to you.”

“Is this related to that Tagawan delegation by any chance?”

“Maybe, maybe not. Maybe a sudden urge to adventure has struck me. My reasons are my own but I can assure you that you will not be inconvenienced by them. Do we have a deal?” Soleil said as she stretched out a hand.

The secrecy of this whole affair made Ishran feel nervous. But as it currently stands, it is also the only fast option to travel to the Northern territories. The wine, the desperation and the curiosity got the better of him. Smiling, he reached for Soleil’s hand.

“Deal. Now can you enlighten me on the identity of the contractor or is that supposed to be a surprise as well?”

“Ha! Not a secret no. Our potential employer is a rather infamous merchant within the Mercidium. A statue to things shady and scummy, he goes by Malik Saltrus.”