Ezekiel’s idea could be summed up in one word: bribery. He intended to bribe at least two of the Legendary Hunters currently within the town they were at for a ride to Zime. This was something that wasn’t feasible originally, since the time that it would take for a Legendary to get from Dross to Zime would be nearly a week. Far too long for one of the city’s remaining defenders to leave.
However, the town they were currently stationed in was much closer to Zime. A week on foot, and a little bit less than that if they used the magical wagons that were taken back by the Sunny merchants. Given the speed that a Legendary, especially a flying Legendary, could reach was astronomical, it wouldn’t take more than half a day for them to fly to Zime with a couple of passengers.
The only problem was whether or not there was anyone willing to accept the bribe. One of the biggest factors was also secrecy, as the payment of the bribe was something that was potentially game-changing. But also, something that Ezekiel had already used as payment back in Dross.
Gravity reducing enchantments. They were something that would allow a Guild to transport significantly greater numbers of goods, in much smaller transports, simply due to the fact that reinforcement enchantments were still dependent on the base material used. Wooden frameworks could only be strengthened so far. Similarly, metal frameworks were often far too heavy for Spirits and mundane beasts of burden to pull for long periods of time. Especially in the desert, where the terrain was an issue.
Luckily, it seemed like he wasn’t going to be getting any backlash from his companions, as they weren’t able to come up with any better ideas.
“Now, the only problem is whether or not there’s any Legendaries that have Spirits that are naturally capable of flying. As well as whether or not they’d be willing to take a bribe.” Ezekiel said after the kinks of the contracts they were going to use were ironed out. “Anyone have any suggestions for that?”
Everyone turned to Cinder, the only resident of the desert in the room. She saw everybody looking at her and pulled back as she closed her eyes in thought. Silence reigned in the room for a few moments as she pondered. Before finally, she replied.
“So long as my information is up to date. There are five potential Legendaries that we can speak to.” Cinder said. “Two of them are Guild Leaders, so they’re likely to take a commission, but only if we can get them both to agree, as there’s a chance that they’ll fear their enemies trying to move in on their emptied territory.”
The Scholars and Ezekiel all nodded in agreement. It was well known, even outside of Tarquessa, that, unless there were alliances in place, Guilds would often fight each other for control over districts and businesses. It was even worse in Tarquessa, where the underworld organizations were much more open and cutthroat with their businesses.
“The last three are members of the underworld. One of them is the head of the casino that’s located in this town, and the other two are a merchant who’s got bad blood with my family, and a member of the unaffiliated Hunters who leads a group of mercenaries.” Cinder explained. “Due to... legal reasons, he wasn’t able to create his own Guild, so he has no legal protections from the Church, nor any rights to Ruins and other Ancient Relics or resources.”
Ezekiel and the Scholars immediately noticed Cinder's pause when she mentioned the mercenary but made nothing of it as they pondered over the information that she had provided them. It seemed like there were only really two options that they could go for. Especially if they wanted to hire a pair of them in order to make good time.
“So, we either get both Guild Leaders, or we get the Mercenary and the Merchant...” Fiana said before trailing off in thought. “I don’t like it, but maybe we should skip going to the Guilds. The conflict there is honestly more restrictive than going with the underworld options. There’s likely no bad blood between the Merchant and the Mercenary, right?”
“No, there’s none that I’m aware of. Unlike the Guilds, Mercenary and Merchant groups tend to work well together in Tarquessa. Which makes them less appreciated by Guilds. Especially if a merchant group slighted one of the Guilds by hiring a mercenary group instead.” Cinder explained.
“In that case, why don’t we try to set up a meeting with both of them as soon as possible. It’ll take me some time to make the enchantments, if they agree.” Ezekiel said. “The sooner we can get a deal made, the sooner we can get to Zime.”
They all nodded in agreement.
“If necessary, we can also add in a few little knick-knacks that I’ve been working on to sweeten the pot.” Ezekiel said as he took out a few more of the privacy artifacts that he’d deployed around the room. “I know that merchants and mercenaries have a harder time getting their hands on Relics and other useful Ancient artifacts. So, perhaps they’ll like something to match what the Guilds have.”
“... Yeah, I’m pretty sure they’ll agree if that’s what you’re offering.” Cinder said. “I’ll start reaching out to them in the morning. For now, let’s get some rest.”
The dread that filled her voice was obvious to everyone. But they knew that there wasn’t much they could do, nor was there much they were willing to pry into, if Celia wasn’t willing to speak up about it.
Ezekiel, as he was still injured, decided that he was willing to go to bed without any issues, especially when Fiana literally pulled him to his room so that he could get some rest. George and Marc accompanied them, as they were splitting rooms for now. So, everyone tried to get some sleep, all of them hoping that this wouldn’t be something that they regretted doing.
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It was two days later that Ezekiel and Cinder found themselves in a rundown restaurant connected to the casino that was run by the city’s underworld leader. The two of them were alone for now, with only Shine there to act as support. The Scholars had decided that they would watch over Riley and Celia for now, so there wouldn’t be any chance of things going bad for them while they were away.
“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Shine asked as they sat in the corner of the room as they waited for the arrival of their guests. “I know we don’t have many options, but surely we could’ve just started walking at this point?”
Shine had broken their silence regarding Ezekiel after he had literally broken down and begged them to speak to him. He conveyed all the guilt and regret he had been feeling but had been pushing away into his apology. Finally, Shine started to forgive him for being so reckless with his life. It was something that Ezekiel knew he had to work on but knew wasn’t going to change anytime soon.
For now, Shine had him promise that he wouldn’t be doing any other attempts to purify the Light of the Radiant Lord any time soon. Something that Ezekiel agreed to just fine, as he was still feeling the effects of what he had done to cure Riley and Celia. Though he had recovered enough to use his magic and would be in good enough condition to do what he needed to for the enchanted objects.
“Like you said, it’s the only option we have right now. And the reason we’re not heading out on foot is because it would likely result in us getting hunted down by one of the various bandit groups, or stray mercenaries, before we even got within sight of Zime.” Ezekiel replied to Shine’s question.
“I just don’t think this is going to go as well as we’re hoping it will.” Shine said.
“Do you have a bad feeling about this?” Ezekiel asked. “Because I’m actually feeling pretty good about this meeting. Though our friend here certainly isn’t.”
Ezekiel turned to look at Cinder, who was fidgeting and glancing around the restaurant nervously. He wasn’t sure why she was so nervous right now, but could understand that, as a local to this region of the world, it made sense for her to know something that he might be missing.
“I guess I don’t have a bad feeling about this.” Ezekiel turned his attention back to Shine as they replied. “I still don’t like offering our services so freely like this. It was bad enough that we did it in Dross.”
Ezekiel was about to reply, hoping to counter Shine’s point with another of his own, but the doors to the restaurant opened up. A heavy atmosphere emanated from the four figures that entered the room. Two Mages with birds on their shoulders walked in. The rest of the restaurant’s occupants shivered in nervousness as some of them recognized these two as Legendary figures.
One of them, a man with gray hair and eyes, dressed in light clothes and armor, stood with a confidence that conveyed a sense of control over the situation. The other, a woman who was fully concealed, was almost like a shadow, but drifted like a cloud in the wind. Her footsteps made no sounds, and it was a lack of discernible features and presence that made her all the more threatening.
The two weren’t releasing any mana, else it was likely that no one in the room would be upright at the moment, but it was clear to those who didn’t know who they were that they were Legendaries. Veteran Legendaries at that. If the scars that lined their visible features were any indication.
Cinder shyly waved her hand, barely noticeable to the rest of the room, but glaringly obvious to the Hunters that had entered. The Hunters headed over to their table, and while the tension in the air had certainly thickened, the various patrons returned to their business. Though it was obvious that some had left, either to spread the news, or to avoid potential trouble.
Seeing each other heading to the same table, the two Legendaries shared a questioning glance, but nothing happened and the two simply continued approaching. The two sat down at the table across from Ezekiel and Cinder. Cinder continued to look incredibly nervous, but Ezekiel portrayed a more relaxed demeanor, not unlike that of the Hunters across from him.
One thing that Ezekiel took note of, however, was the fact that the man seemed to glare at Cinder for a moment, before allowing his face to settle back into a neutral expression. Cinder, for her part, flinched for a second before trying to focus on what was happening right now. Ezekiel shifted in an obvious way so as to draw attention to himself, rather than Cinder.
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“So, I hear you have a deal you wish to make with us.” The mercenary Hunter said. “I have to wonder what it is you have to offer. Especially since you’re dealing with two of us.”
Ezekiel looked at the woman who was also sitting down. She didn’t convey anything with her body language, but it seemed like she agreed with the mercenary’s sentiments.
“Before that, would it be possible to get your names? I apologize, but I’m from out of town, and the local leaders are unknown to me.” Ezekiel said. Turning to Cinder, he was shocked to see that she was diverting her gaze from the mercenary. As if she was ashamed to be seen by him.
“Well, that’s surprising. Last I saw her, my cousin was far more meticulous with her planning. Getting kicked out must’ve really shaken you up.” The mercenary said. “My name is Talon Sunny. That a problem?”
Ezekiel internally groaned. He really didn’t need to be dealing with additional family drama right now. It was bad enough that Cinder’s family was already trying to put a knife at her throat to get what they wanted. If there was any bad blood between Cinder and Talon, then this could go badly quickly.
“You may call me Stella. Leader of the Aramory Merchant Group.” The merchant leader said in a gentle and airy tone. Ezekiel couldn’t be certain, but he strongly assumed that Stella must’ve had some Tempest magic in her ancestry. Regardless of her own, obvious, Obscure magic.
“Thank you. I am Ezekiel Luminance, and my companion is Cinder Sunny. We’d like you to help us screw over the Sunny Merchant House.” Ezekiel said, causing Cinder to jerk her head to the side. “Well, as a side effect of our actual request. Which is simply direct transportation to Zime, as quickly as possible.”
Stella raised one of her eyebrows in interest, while Talon let out a barking laugh.
“That’s by far the bluntest proposal I’ve ever heard. And far more honest than anything she would’ve tried to sell us.” Talon said as he pointed at Cinder. “But I guess you wouldn’t know that. I have to wonder what lies she’s told you to get you to work for her.”
“She works for me. Given that we’re getting her out of the region, I’d think that she’d know better than to try to use us at this point. She’s lost too much already, after all.” Ezekiel said.
“Hah! So, the princess gets kicked out and goes begging to foreigners for help? Sounds good to me. But, if you’re tweaking the Sunny family’s nose, then I’ll at least hear you out.” Talon stated. Stella nodded in agreement alongside him.
“May I?” Ezekiel asked as he gestured to his Void Pouch. The two Legendaries nodded in allowance. Reaching into his Void Pouch, Ezekiel pulled out a handful of the privacy artifacts and threw them into the air. The activated, and spread out into a box formation, wrapping the group in a privacy ward.
Seeing the oily film around them, the two Legendaries looked slightly wary, but Ezekiel waved his hand through the boundary without issue. Talon cautiously followed suit.
“Please step past the boundary, if you would.” Talon stepped outside the boundary at Ezekiel’s request. “As you can see, the oily film that you saw on the inside is utterly unseen on the outside. Of course, my words mean nothing to you, since you can’t hear a single thing that I’m saying. Even the wind isn’t carrying my voice right now.”
Stella’s eyes widened by a fraction, and Ezekiel waved Talon back in. The man looked more intently at the artifacts that Ezekiel had thrown about. While he hadn’t heard Ezekiel’s words, that alone told him that Ezekiel had been using a privacy barrier. Something that was usually only available to the Church and the Guilds.
To have and to use such items wasn’t actually illegal, but it was nearly impossible to get them unless you worked for either organization. Thus, the fact that Ezekiel had so many such devices meant that Ezekiel was more important than the two Legendaries thought.
“A set of ten of these devices will be given to both of you, so long as you, and your Spirits, are willing to fly us to Zime within the course of a day. Protecting us to the best of your abilities. From the moment we sign our contract, to the moment we arrive in Zime.” Ezekiel explained.
“What’s to stop us from selling this information?” Stella asked. “What’s to stop this information from spreading? You weren’t exactly subtle with your demonstration.”
“As I said, you can’t see the oily texture from the outside. I also made sure to make it look like I wasn’t talking according to the people watching us. As such, there’s little that anyone else would know at this point.” Ezekiel said. He summoned back the artifacts with a snap of his fingers. “Besides, I don’t think you want us going to a different person, offering them these artifacts in your place.”
“Maybe we should just take them from you.” Talon stated.
“Then the self-destruct runes will activate. Besides, you know that you Legendaries would rule the world by now if you just took what you wanted without paying. It ruins your reputation, and there’s too many witnesses here for you to get away.” Ezekiel wasn’t bluffing about this. But as he turned to look at Cinder, he couldn’t help but feel slightly frustrated. She was the one that was supposed to be leading the negotiation. Not him.
Cinder wasn’t paying attention, however, as she was still trying to avoid eye contact with Talon. Who looked like he couldn’t care less anymore but was worried about Ezekiel’s mention of a self-destruct rune. Ezekiel knew he had to clear some things up fast.
“The contract we all sign will include the disabling of said runic sequence. Making it impossible to activate unless I, specifically, get my hands on them again. And, no offense, I don’t have any intention of returning to this region again in my lifetime.” Ezekiel explained. “Unless it’s to wipe out the Cult. But I can’t imagine that happening anytime soon.”
Talon and Stella looked interested now that they knew that Ezekiel wasn’t going to basically give them rigged artifacts.
“While this isn’t a bad deal for us, it’s not quite enough for us to agree just yet.” Stella stated. “Shall we get into the actual negotiations now?”
Ezekiel couldn’t help but grin as he forced himself to begin dealing with the two Legendaries in front of him. He could only feel thankful that these underworld Hunters were apparently among the better ones. But, given they also had legitimate businesses, it did make some sense.
“This is going to be a while, isn’t it.” Shine couldn’t help but chime in as they started negotiating.
Ezekiel couldn’t help but agree. Now he just had to get them to agree to his contract, and maybe find out what was going on with Cinder.
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It took nearly an hour of negotiation, during which Ezekiel reactivated the privacy Artifacts. Ultimately, they had managed to get the agreement made, and protection was guaranteed, at least until they got to Zime. This was something that was very good when they left the restaurant as a single group, only to see that they were being tailed by several people.
Luckily, Talon was less than willing to let this go, so their tails were quickly lost when the man flew them directly to their inn. The group was then immediately relocated to Stella’s merchant house Here, Ezekiel finally had a chance to confront Cinder over what had happened at the restaurant.
“I may have left out the fact that I’m not the only person to be kicked out of my family. The only difference is that I’m not strong enough to survive on my own.” Cinder explained. “There’s also the fact that my parents were punished by my father when he refused to enter into what was essentially a slave contract. I... ended up just going along with it at the time. It was a few years ago, but I guess the pain is still there.”
“When she says punished, do you think that means he killed him?” Shine asked. “Because if so, then I’m really glad we managed to get her out of there.”
“I’m sorry, but will this cause any issues moving forward?” Ezekiel had to ask, ignoring Shine’s question. “He won’t be trying to use you to get back against your father, will he?”
“I doubt it. He doesn’t like me for standing by, just like the rest of our family. But he hates my father for actually doing the various deeds.” Cinder replied. “Talon has a good conscience. Which is surprising for an underworld mercenary. So, he’d probably help me instead. As he knows that would grate on my father far more. However, I do think we’ll need to be more careful once we reach Zime. If my family hasn’t pulled out of the city, then there’s a chance that they’ll try to get me back by force. Since it’s apparent I’m not crawling back by choice.”
At this point Ezekiel couldn’t help but feel a sense of worry. Something he hadn’t felt when dealing with Stella and Talon. Worse yet, he couldn’t tell if it was a premonition or not. Given the information, it could’ve easily just been paranoia. He wouldn’t be able to tell until later, when they got closer to Zime.
“Would they really do that? I thought they kicked you out.” Ezekiel asked.
“That was just a part of the punishment. To make me give up everything to go back to them. But since I’ve found a way out, they’ll likely do what they can to force me to do as they want instead.” Cinder replied. “People that would continue to help me after I ran out of usefulness like you all are very rare. To the point that they’re usually killed off here in Tarquessa.”
It was official. Ezekiel couldn’t wait to get out of this desert. Hopefully he’d be able to do something to bloody the Cult’s nose before he left. But if not, he would settle for curing Riley and Celia.
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Ultimately, Ezekiel ended up working for two days straight under the protection of Stella and Talon, enhancing their transport equipment with anti-gravity enchantments. He did this under the watch of the three scholars that were accompanying him. Though George was exempted since he was watching over Riley. But apparently, she was improving, and it was likely that she’d wake up after another week.
Ezekiel hoped that they’d be well into the Fjorya before that happened. As he knew that having her remain in Tarquessa wasn’t a good idea. Getting her out of the desert would hopefully be an incredibly good thing for her.
“Are we ready to head out?” Talon asked as the group of six Mages and two Spirits were gathered in a courtyard with Talon and Stella.
The two groups weren’t too worried about leaving at the moment, as they fully expected to be back the following morning. They also had contracts in place that would likely keep their organizations safe. This wasn’t the first time they had left for short periods of time as well.
“Yeah. I think we’re good to go.” Ezekiel said. He was currently carrying Riley on his back, with Celia resting in a sling beneath his cloak.
It was decided that he was the best bet for this, since he was the most physically powerful. He ended up climbing onto Talon’s Spirit with George. Cinder had decided to go with Stella, as there was still bad blood between her and Talon. While George was there just in case anything happened to worsen Riley’s condition.
The groups, now ready, all lifted into the air. They were quick to pick up speed, and Ezekiel was concerned that they would fall off, given the speeds that they were now moving at. Luckily, they were all strapped in, to ensure they didn’t go flying off the Legendary Spirits as they flew north.
“Listen up! I know you can’t speak right now, due to the winds, so don’t worry about that.” Talon’s voice invaded Ezekiel’s ears. “Your assumption about our speed was only mostly correct. The speeds you assumed were for flying Spirits of different elements. Given that I am a Tempest Hunter, I am able to increase our speed, by at least a little bit, by working in tandem with my Spirit.”
Ezekiel couldn’t help but wonder where the man was going with this. But then he realized that George hadn’t reacted to Talon’s words. Meaning that only Ezekiel was being addressed right now.
“Currently, I’m working on getting us there as fast as I can. So, we should be there by noon.” Talon said. Shocking Ezekiel, as he was expecting at least a six-hour flight.
“Given this timeframe, you need to understand that you are headed into a trap.” Talon said. Much to Ezekiel’s horror. “The Cult has moved more quickly recently. Invigorated by their success in fully taking over the city of Chime. As such, you must be sure to leave the city by the end of the day. If you do not, then it is unlikely that you and your group will remain free. Especially with the ex-cultist in your midst.”
Ezekiel’s blood nearly froze as his emotions started going wild. Not once had Riley been mentioned as anything other than an injured companion. He assumed that someone from the Sunny merchants must’ve informed Talon and Stella to try and make them change their mind about accepting the group’s contract.
“Ezekiel, are you okay?” Shine asked. They couldn’t hear what Talon was saying, as his voice was going directly into Ezekiel’s ears. “Your emotions are going wild.”
“I’m fine. We’ll just need to move quickly when we arrive in a few hours.” Ezekiel said before explaining what Talon had told him.
He dearly wished to ask why Talon was helping him, but he knew that he was currently unable to. Ezekiel also knew that there was a chance that Stella wasn’t truly loyal to the contract and was just waiting until it was completed.
So, for now, he just allowed himself to continue moving forward. Knowing that there was nothing he could do right now and hoping that things would sort themselves out once they got to Zime. Given the number of refugees leaving Tarquessa, he figured it shouldn’t be too hard to get transportation through the mountains, right?