"Are you positive ladies wear such obscene attire in these parts?" Mathis asked with a look of genuine horror as he eyed some ribbon-style silks that promised so much skin, a sun burn was possible.

Alaric chuckled softly. Guerdians were from a rare breed of army regiments who considered endorsing prostitutes as stress relievers to be taboo. Even during their pillages, they considered it indecent to take the women of their worst enemies, which was a stark difference from general army culture.

"Some women aren't skilled enough to seduce only with their tongue, so using their body as an aid is necessary," Fiona stated without Alaric's humor.

Mathis frowned at her explanation. "Why would seduction be necessary in the first place?"

Alaric observed the most emotion he had seen from the Kiershan in his brief time of knowing her. Irritation flowed across her face as she said, "Quite myopic, aren't you? Some people lack metal spears, so they must settle for metaphorical spears in order to survive."

"Let's stay on course," Alaric interjected, sensing Fiona's tenderness on the subject and the storm brewing. "We've already wasted plenty of time. We should be there already when the others reach the harbor."

They'd quickly found a clothing store upon entering the city, considering there were plenty to go around. Alaric had purposely avoided finding a store in the heart of the city, since he knew that was where the more popular stores and stalls were typically located in cities.

He moved to the male section and eyed the available cloaks of poor, used quality. They were towards the back of the store, which was typically where the impoverished shopped. It was a new experience for him, but somehow felt less demeaning than he expected.

He picked up two hooded cloaks after intense inspection, ensuring that they smelled less like ripe animal feces than the footwear located just a few feet away. Not exactly fitting for a noble, but they would have to do. The two cloaks might've been a brighter blue once but now they were of a dimmer indigo blue, sporting carelessly sewn patches at random intervals around the surface. Korran had critiqued the authenticity of Alaric's lower-class cloak, saying it made him stand out like a right fool to a sensible eye, but Alaric suspected the cloaks would meet his apparently lofty standards.

"Oh, would you two like some cloaks as well?" Alaric asked the pair looking on skeptically.

The look the two gave him seemed more fit for an enemy than their leader.

≫ ──────── ≪•◦ ❈ ◦•≫ ──────── ≪

According to the storeowner's directions, the harbor was a straight line eastward and the trio wasted no time navigating the crowded streets. The store owner had been shocked by Alaric's speech, considering the quality of attire he was purchasing. Alaric's brother was great at changing his own accent and speech to disguise the royal timbre embedded in it but Alaric had failed at adopting such a skill.

His thoughts wandered to his own city as they passed characters of all sorts who all walked with great purpose, despite the untimely hour. It was a stark contrast to the low-end villages he'd braved recently, where the atmosphere was one of malicious cunning and a damp maleficence. The general disregard for the others who shared the road, other than to maneuver around them in their hurry made Alaric feel right at home.

He remembered times when he'd look out from the highest windows of his family mansion and observe the people below - his people. He would grin at the many different styles of the humans below, some more funny-looking than others but he'd always be enamored with their purposeful strides. No matter the class that their attire dictated, everyone was a product of their own world, striving to better it with each destination their legs led them to.

It made Alaric start thinking of the future from a very young age, a future where he too picked up a brisk pace to reach a destination.

As they made their way deeper into the city, Alaric's eyes fondly caught a different type of traveler. They didn't walk at a brisk pace, but their coasting feet were guided by as much purpose as anyone's. They drifted through the crowd routinely, their eyes scanning entire bodies in a split second for the sign of an oblivious golden goose.

Back home, Alaric had been closer to the pickpockets in the city than any noble children growing up. He was fascinated by the thought of kids fending for themselves, being responsible for putting food on their own plate and the bravery to take such enormous risks to do so. Looking back, there was probably an element of guilt at play. He had more chefs ready to serve him than he did fingers, and he never wanted for anything gurdees could purchase, yet he was the same age as these boys, born in the same manner.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

He started to accompany them on their pickpocketing expeditions, though he made sure they knew he wouldn't directly participate. After all, he had no need for the jewelry and gurdees they stole. When his mother got word of his dealings she sat him down and sternly hammered home the point that distancing himself as a spectator didn't rid his hands of the immoral crimes committed.

It was an obvious truth, but hearing it from his mother whose kind eyes narrowed and twisted downward to match her lips when she got irritated, prevented him from ignoring the sound logic. He distanced himself completely then, losing his first true friends - because, in the process of stealing for survival, they'd become hooked on the thrill of it.

"Alaric. Hey, Alaric!"

Mathis' voice pulled Alaric from the sting of his memories. He realized that he'd stopped to stare directly at the pickpockets. The oldest couldn't have been over thirteen, but they had sensed his attention and glared venomously at him.

"I thought you said we're keeping a low profile, not trying to get into fights with thieving vermin," Mathis remarked.

Alaric bit back his ready retort that, given the context of the current job, someone would call Mathis the same. "I thought I recognized one of those kids from somewhere," he said instead. "I must've imagined it. Let's keep moving."

Alaric commanded his mind to focus on the task at hand. He had a feeling with the unplanned hiccups so early on, this job would only get more complicated. He traced his breastplate, reveling in the feel of the assiduous engravings that made up the emblem of his home.

He imagined if his mother could see him now her frown would widen, because he was no longer a simple spectator.

He was a participant.

Alaric made a silent promise to his mother that he wouldn't get lost in the thrill and only do what was necessary for the success of his plan.

Thankfully, once they reached the harbor it wasn't long until Korran and the others appeared from the forest path. Sometime during their wait, the sun had fully drifted away to be replaced with the watchful gaze of the serene moon.

Alaric could sense the unease that wafted off the trio even before they reached them. Petra especially seemed badly shaken.

"Something wrong?" Alaric asked in a hushed tone. Around them, activity was still bustling around the harbor, with people returning from the city to board their ships and the many vendors who made stalls selling essentials such as food, wine, weapons and the like, still expecting customers of the nocturnal variety.

Alaric made sure to note the locations of the visible invigorators. These were officers of the law, typically appearing in major cities to minimize crime and keep the area safe and profitable for the Monarch of the region. These men were paid well, which tended to make them rather motivated.

Ardus grunted, casting a composed look back the way they'd come. "We encountered some...shady characters on the bridge."

"Judging by the words of one of them who was trying to reign in the other, it seems they have something big planned. Considering the vicinity of the harbor and the confirmation that there's another group in play, I've a bad feeling about this," Korran stated grimly.

Alaric hesitated, looking around as if he'd be able to pinpoint the group they spoke of and discover their intentions. "We'd better move quick then," he said finally. He handed Korran the hooded cloak he bought for him and to his dismay, the boy hardly glanced at it before removing his worn cloak and switching it with the new one. Alaric felt a wave of shame for his effort to find the grandest two while Korran seemed to just regard them as materials.

"There's the harbormaster's office we're after," Alaric continued, gesturing toward a two-story building with a slate roof ingeniously crafted into the curved shape of a ship. Two invigorators stood on either side of the building's entrance and it was a given more was nearby. "Here's the plan; I'll show my family seal and ask to see the logging of the arrivals within the last twenty-four hours, acting as if I've come to ensure that the supplies on the ship are accounted for. My family doesn't have influence in this jurisdiction, but there's a good chance whoever is behind the counter will not know that. However, if for whatever reason I'm denied, the responsibility will fall on you, Korran, to steal the documents while I distract the attendant."

Alaric realized then that he'd simply assumed Korran was an experienced thief because of his deathly silent and quick fighting style. When his eyes met Korrans though, he gave him a self-assured nod that quelled Alaric's rising doubts.

"Great, the rest of you-"

A deafening boom shook the ground and caused what felt like Alaric's heart dropping like a stone into his stomach as he lost his balance and fell on his side. Only Korran, Fiona and Wulfur managed to stay upright. Alaric regained his footing quickly, looking to the source of the shouting to find two ships on fire - or rather what was left of their burning remains. No simple accident could have caused such a reaction.

The wheels turned quickly in Alaric's mind as he took in the scene before whipping his head back in the direction of his team. "The office! This must be what the other group planned, which means the ship is probably still docked here. We have to find out the name of the vessel!"

He had scarcely finished his sentence before Korran bounded off in the direction of the harbormaster's office. All around them, chaos reared its ugly head; it was obvious the harbor was under attack but no one could decipher from where, causing a frenzied panic from the sizeable crowd that the invigorators could be seen trying their best to contain.

Ardus, Mathis and Fiona looked ready to follow Korran's lead but Alaric stopped them. "Only Fiona goes to help him. The rest of us will try to find this group you guys spoke of and figure out who they are once and for all."

"That explosion was not from a simple bomb," Mathis said somberly as Fiona continued toward the office. He had his spear drawn and twirled it idly in his hand. "We can assume that they have a pateral or more on their team."

Alaric shrugged, hoping he came off as indifferent, which hopefully sparked some confidence in them. "We have one as well."

Mathis looked at the nervous Petra skeptically but said nothing.

Ardus drew his greatsword, his hand comfortably gripping the large silver handle. It had been a while since he'd spilled blood.