It took another hour to reach the harbor. It would've been only forty minutes if they didn't stop to eat.

"Aye, I've stayed quiet until now but I can't any longer in good conscience," Ardus had said. "The Gods state that breakfast be the most important meal to bolster the structure known as your body. It seems noon is right around the corner, and that is the deadline for this sort of thing, yeah?"

Alaric had stopped then, letting his gaze sweep over his companions. Mathis stayed stone-faced, but Alaric detected an eagerness in his eyes at the mention of food, though the man was much too disciplined to have made the request himself. Petra also seemed to positively glow at the thought of eating something. As he would expect, the two assassins—Korran and Fiona—seemed indifferent to the others' ordeal.

"Alright. We'll take a twenty-minute break; Petra, I want Wulfur scouting the perimeter to make sure Nolan's group isn't on our trail." Alaric had doubted that a wolf could handle such a complicated suggestion but tested it out anyway and he was surprised when Petra not only didn't point out the impracticality of the task but instead hopped off her horse and whispered to her pet. It was even more shocking to see Wulfur make eye contact with him, then bound off into the bushes.

They went to work on the chicken sandwiches Alaric had bought - two for each person and a flask of crystal clear water to boot. Korran ate like some savage animal - gulping down a sandwich in mere seconds as if his last meal was in the dragon age.

It didn't take long for Korran to glance at Ardus on his left with an unreadable expression on his face. "So - is this how it's always going to be, big guy? You stopping me every time I'm about to make a kill? I can't imagine your Gods look kindly on murder - unless your tribe is more cult than advertised."

Ardus ate much more daintily than Korran, so he took a second to clear his mouth and answer. "Some murders are fueled by purpose. Eradicating evil, for instance, will not upset the Gods."

"Simple enough," Korran responded with a nod, "just call anyone who wrongs you evil and you get a free pass. Quite the loophole you have there."

"It'd be smart not to disrespect the sacred will, for ignorance can only be your shield for so long," Ardus replied with sharpness in his tone. "For someone to be objectively evil they must make victims of more persons than yourself."

Korran scoffed. "Like, say - Nolan?"

"Indeed. But the situation decided it wasn't yet his time, Korran. I imagine fate has an elaborate plan for that fellow."

"Fate's plan isn't worth crap - I had him." He turned to look at Alaric then, "I imagine every person he robs, kills or defiles will weigh on fate's conscience now."

Alaric shrugged, trying to act like that wasn't an anvil he had pushed to the side to feel the weight of later. "I had no choice."

"We both know that isn't true. You're lucky for such a flimsy plan to work, if it could even be called a plan. More like a gamble."

"Aren't all plans gambles?" Fiona chimed in. She'd also made short work of her sandwich.

Korran flicked a dismissive hand at the woman. "Some more than others. His only worked because Nolan had been the leader for decades. It's unusual for a bandit group to value companionship to that extent. I still feel with enough coaxing they would've sacrificed him."

"And your plan was so bulletproof?" Alaric asked defensively. His plan had been hastily thrown together but it had gotten the job done without fail. "Executing their leader - who the ones with authority evidently cared deeply about - in front of them? I don't think you would still have control of your lips to complain otherwise."

That had shut Korran up for the time being. Now, looking down on the dreary desolate harbor, he spoke his first words since then. "Looks like a damn graveyard."

He was right. Small harbors like this one weren't done in towns or cities, so there was no place to reside after docking. More alarming than that, however, was the lack of security. That deterred big boats carrying precious cargo or supplies from choosing to dock at these harbors. Still, Hiedel Harbor was much more gloomy than most.

A single lonely wooden cabin resided just a few feet from the pier which hosted small rowboats that were more likely to have been abandoned than cared for. Even the backdrop of the illuminating grin of the sun was unable to pierce the somber atmosphere of the harbor. Alaric imagined a more superstitious traveler alone at night would get quite the fright from the scene.

It was a great place for a ship desiring not to be seen by many to pass through. Unfortunately for the Greta company, Alaric informants posted at the most discreet routes, and it had paid off. "Looks like we're going grave-digging then," he stated before leading them down the slope bordering the lonely clearing.

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"I expected more. How will we find out answers about the Greta company voyage here?" Fiona asked curiously.

Alaric had to remind himself none of them - besides Mathis - were likely to be born in a city as developed as his own. Official harbors were probably a thing of fiction for them. "Harbors are where ships on jobs check in to document their paths."

"Sounds counter-productive, no? Leaves a paper trail," Korran pointed out.

"They don't exactly have a choice. Official business must be sanctioned to earn the protection of the Bahari Force; that entails routinely docking at harbors to show proof of identity and reinforce the planned route so if a vessel should go missing - the Bahari Force would know what area that occurred in," Alaric explained.

"Are you saying we'll have to deal with the Bahari Force too?" Petra's timid voice asked, laced with unmasked fear. She wasn't the only one uncomfortable with the proposition.

The Bahari Force was the organization responsible for nearly the complete extinction of pirates. It was a task force that first hunted down the most acclaimed pirates and then prioritized the security of the sea—making sure high-value voyages made it through undisturbed. Nowadays, there were stories of their corruption, but Alaric had yet to see it himself despite many instances of meeting some throughout his childhood.

"Not if we're effective," Alaric said in his most confident voice.

To say a run-in with the Bahari Force would complicate things was a grave understatement. Their firepower was next level.

They reached the cabin then. The once rich wood logs had begun to fade due to the constant exposure to the sun and rain, with cracks and warping appearing around the exterior to give it an aged look. The floor creaked as they advanced up the steps and made their way toward the door.

"Follow my lead," Alaric whispered before pushing open a door in similarly bad shape. His eyes took a second to get accustomed to the dim lighting inside the cabin. When they'd adjusted, he was struck by how simple the administration building was. There was a counter on the far side and some chairs chaotically thrown in corners.

What caught Alaric's attention the most, however, was the look of the man behind the counter. He seemed spooked - his eyes wide as the others poured in behind Alaric.

Alaric made sure to approach the counter cautiously, his hands visible the entire time—as well as his reassuring smile. His father had never taught him diplomacy, but there was a natural charisma he had inherited, if the words of his dear mother were to be believed.

"Hey there, friend. How does it go?" Alaric asked the man. He had a forgettable face that would've blended into the background of any crowd, but his eyes were haunted.

The man's reply lacked friendliness and was hurried, though the place wasn't exactly backed up with activity. "What business?"

Alaric dipped his head, ignoring the man's rudeness. "I have some questions about a voyage that passed here a few days ago now. Captained by Ahbrad Scott if I do recall-"

"You're with them!" The man's yell caught Alaric completely off-guard and he took an involuntarily step back, which was all as well considering he found himself looking into the barrel of a revolver.

The man pointed at everyone in turn, his eyes frantic. "All five of you stay still! Tell me who you're with and why you dared to come back. Come to steal more documents, have you?"

Five? thought Alaric. He didn't dare look around to give it away but he suspected Korran was hidden somewhere, quietly maneuvering around the counter to blindside the shaking man. "Look at me," Alaric said, managing to keep his voice even, "I've never seen you and I imagine you've never seen me either - or any of my companions. We're not with this group you speak of but we are interested in what happened."

The man's hand shuddered frenetically and Alaric wondered if he'd be successful making a move for the revolver. He couldn't ensure one of his team members wasn't directly behind though and didn't dare risk moving his head and scaring the man into pulling the trigger.

"What group are you with then?" the man asked shakily. "I'm supposed to believe it's a coincidence that you came asking right after the others earlier today?"

The man's aim shifted to Alaric's left as a man bravely stepped forward, despite his short stature. "You know of the Guerdians, right?"

"Yeah," the man paused to observe Mathis' attire, "Are you one?"

"Aye. We're after those blokes who seem to have robbed your fine establishment today. I apologize that we haven't caught them sooner - seems that they've given you quite the fright. Anyway, we heard they were after that ship my partner mentioned and hoped to get ahead of them, but clearly we've failed at that."

Alaric could see Korran behind the man now, a singular dagger in his hand. The two met eyes and Alaric gave the faintest shake of his head. Mathis was doing well. The man wasn't as tense as he'd been a minute ago.

"Oh..." His gun wavered but he didn't dare lower it fully.

Mathis nodded. "I understand your skepticism but we'll gladly get out of your hair - er," he paused, noticing the man's bald head before continuing, " - erm, head. All we ask is..."

"Is if you can remember the route of the ship I mentioned?" Alaric finished. "They may have taken the document but your memory could still be key to us stopping their path of carnage."

To his credit, the man seemed to start thinking very hard - if the lines of concentration were any indication. Just as Alaric was starting to believe he'd had a revolver pointed at him for no reason, a lightbulb seemed to go off in the man's head. "Stork's Harbor! That's where they're going."

Mathis grinned and Korran approached the man from behind, slapping the revolver out of his hand. The poor man seemed rather close to catching a heart attack and retreated to a wall, huddling against it. "I told you what you wanted to know!"

"Yeah, ignore my subordinate - he tends to get a little antsy around weapons," Mathis said with a pleased grin.

Alaric didn't have time to entertain their pettiness. He hurried to the door and mounted Alpha quickly. His heart hammering seemed intent on making loud music within his chest and his sweat glands were working overtime.

"Woah there, Alaric," called Ardus with the others in tow. "What's with the sudden rush?"

Alaric met their eyes and forced his heart rate to calm down with a breathing technique he had learned from a trainer back home. When he was satisfied he wasn't seconds away from an anxiety attack, he spoke while massaging his temple. "You heard that guy. We're not the only ones after the Greta Company and their loot, and their information seems to be as good as mine."

"Any idea who they might be?" Fiona asked.

"No, but I imagine we better find out."