"So what could we possibly help you with?" asked Alex, his eyebrows twisting into an accusing frown. "It's clear that you're much more powerful than we are. I don't see what adding the two of us to your search could accomplish."

"That," began Ulric, "depends on your skills as archeologists." He shifted on the bed and pointed at the two of them, "I understand that the two of you studied under Professor Lardok at the Academy. Do you think you could put your skills to use for me? If you do, I'll make sure you get back to where you belong a lot faster than you might on your own."

Melodi narrowed her eyes, "You say you're from the Academy, but anyone who knows anything about us at all could say the same thing if they wanted to trick us. However, you're right when you mention that if you wanted to hurt us, you already would have."

She put her bow away and took a deep breath before continuing, "For now, I'll help you. There isn't much I can do other than that given the gap between us. But just know that if you try anything funny I won't hesitate to fight you with everything I’ve got!" she finished.

Alex scoffed and crossed his arms, "If she's willing to help, I suppose I will too, and together we'll make sure you don't get away unscathed if things take a turn for the worse. So, what are we looking for, then?"

"As you know, we're in Farnor. Usually, agents from Dellorim wouldn't have any jurisdiction in this country, but thanks to certain events taking place down south, there's an opportunity for us to act. Ardua was built on top of an ancient ruin, and somewhere beneath this city is an item I'm looking for," replied Ulric.

"And just what would that be?" asked Melodi.

"That, I cannot say specifically. I'm here on a confidential mission, and the headmaster of the Academy wouldn't be pleased if I told you the finer details. However, finding the two of you was also on my list of goals, albeit a secondary point of interest. If we find the relic, I can fix the Slingate for you, and we can all return home safe and sound."

"It seems a little too coincidental to me that you would have a mission here while also looking for us and just miraculously stumble across us," Alex said, the disdain clear in his voice.

"I have to admit that I was surprised to find you both here, but funnily enough, it really is just a coincidence. Still, with you located, I can focus solely on finding the artifact. That said, we'll still have to act with a measure of secrecy.”

Ulric let out a sigh and crossed his arms, "If we want to have any chance of completing this task, then we'll need to lay low. The Order has recently moved into the government of Ardua, and if they find out we're here, they'll do everything they can to kill me and capture you two."

"What?!?" Alex and Melodi said in unison.

"Indeed. You two are more than simply lucky that you weren't discovered the moment you entered the town," Ulric said with a sigh.

Alex and Melodi looked at each other with dread. A few moments of silence passed, and then they turned back to Ulric. Their expressions were heavy, and Ulric looked at them with narrowed eyes, "What...?"

"We might have already been detected," answered Melodi.

"When we came into town, we were guided by this strange lady who was giving us the creeps," continued Alex. "She mentioned some kind of a curfew, and while it seemed legit, the two of us couldn't help but feel odd about her. Now you tell us the Order is in town, and we can't help but feel like our worry was well placed."

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Ulric closed his eyes and fell into thought for a few moments. He then suddenly opened them in surprise. "Give me your hands now!" he said, stretching out his own to them. The two of them looked at him with a strange expression, but a loud bang on the door startled them as he urged them to do as he asked.

A second bang came, and with it, splinters of wood showered the floor. The two of them reached out and took his hands. Before another moment could pass, the three of them were whisked away in a bright flash of light, and the door to the room shattered into pieces.

When the light faded from their view, they were standing in an alleyway on the edge of the city. Ulric looked around and quickly motioned for them to follow. Keeping low, the three of them moved through the alleyways and soon found themselves at an empty house. Ulric opened the lock, and they slipped inside.

After setting up another privacy barrier, Alex turned to Ulric and said, "What the fuck was that?! How did you know that was about to happen?"

Ulric smiled bitterly, "When I was stationed back at the Academy I was the head of a certain taskforce. It was a role I was chosen for because of my incredible sensory abilities. I’d been keeping an eye on the entire building and noticed some strange movement downstairs. I wasn’t sure what to make of it, but when you came clean I was able to piece it together just as they reached the landing on the second floor. I wouldn't have been able to get you out of there in time to prevent a battle otherwise.

Melodi looked worried for a moment, "What about Lynn and Eugene?" she asked.

"You shouldn't have to worry about them. Those Order goons were looking for you two, and I made sure that they saw you both escape just before they broke through. If anything, they're already gone from that Inn and are looking for you two as we speak. I doubt they have time to concern themselves with regular citizens."

Melodi let out a sigh of relief and sat down on an empty crate against the wall. "So, what now? Are we just supposed to hang out here till we get a lead on the artifact? Speaking of, why haven't you already found it? It's your mission, not ours after all," grumbled Alex.

"I would have, but my contact here in town was already gone. With the Mages Guild cleared out and the Slingate locked from this side, there isn't much either of us can do except help one another. If we find the artifact, we can smite the Order members who have moved into town. Once that's done, I can unlock the Slingate, and we can all get back to Dellorim.

"However, if we act too soon and attack the Order now, it'll be that much more difficult to find the entrance to the ruins. I also won't be able to unlock the Slingate until the Order member in charge of this occupation is taken care of. Luckily for us, we don't have to worry about fighting the Order Captain of Farnor. Reports say that he was killed by your friend in Dungor just a few days ago," finished Ulric with a sigh of relief.

"Wait, you've heard something about Cypher?!?" Alex exclaimed. Even Melodi had perked up at the sound of that and paid close attention. Ulric nodded and then sat down on a crate across from Melodi. He crossed his arms and closed his eyes as he fell into thought.

"Yes, he arrived in Farnor the same time you two did, but somehow you all got separated," began Ulric, "he met up with another agent from the Academy and it's through him that I learned of Cypher’s whereabouts. With Cypher's location, a report also came through, and its contents were quite surprising."

Melodi and Alex stared at Ulric with eagerness in their eyes. He could also detect a bit of worry and continued, "A few days ago, Cypher actually managed to defeat an Order Captain and his assistants. As I'm told, it was a close battle, but he still pulled it off and is doing just fine now. He's actually looking for you two, but something else came up, and he's dealing with that as we speak."

Melodi and Alex looked at each other with bewildered smiles. After that, both of them seemed to deflate a little as immediate concern for him poured out of their tense bodies. As far as they knew, he could have been captured by the Order or was dead somewhere. Neither one of them had wanted to consider either of those options, but the possibility remained in their minds all the same.

Now that they knew he was somewhat safe, they could relax a little and focus on the task at hand. With their worries about Cypher under control, they were ready to get this job over with and return home so that they could see him. If they had heard about his exploits through Academy agents, then he would no doubt hear of theirs the same way and return to Dellorim of his own accord.

"Alright!" exclaimed Alex as he clenched his fists tightly. "How do we get started on this? I'm ready to get home!"

"Me too! We have to hurry and get this done before Cypher wanders into some more trouble! What do we have to do Ulric?" added Melodi.