Hal quickly explained to Odell and Fiona how he had just met Sabia that day. The royal duo had crossed their arms in unison and nodded as Hal told them the story. He explained how they had run off, and he was forced to look for them, leading up to meeting the green Aqueenian girl and coming up with a plan to shake off the pursuers.

"So, you see,” the Netzian soldier explained, “We came up with a tactic to lure the spies into a clear shot.”

“So, you were just acting before?” Fiona asked with a hint of disappointment, “And here I thought you had found a love, who was also secretly a dangerous person! A forbidden love!” The princess added as she watched Sabia slide her long Needaimus back into its bag. The mysterious green Aqueenian girl chuckled as Fiona spoke.

“I assure you, I have no relations with this girl,” Hal said bluntly.

“Ah, I wouldn’t mind,” Sabia said in a flirty tone as she pulled herself close to Hal. He blushed and turned away from her.

“My duties as an olde– Netzian soldier come first,” he stammered in a more nervous tone than usual.

“Should we give those two some space?” Odell not so silently whispered to Fiona.

“We should, but we really can’t afford to lose Hal again,” the blue princess replied.

“Ah, your right!”

Hal cleared his throat to get the attention of the royal pains.

“The day is nearly done, and we only have a little to show. Nevertheless, we should head back now.” As he spoke, he pulled himself away from Sabia’s grip. “I thank you for your aid this day; we must be going now,” he politely added. Sabia frowned, but Hal didn’t notice as he walked over to the royal duo.

“Don’t you want to give her your contact or anything?” Fiona whispered.

“If we agree on a meetup spot, we can give you a little more time. What happens in Nun stays in Nun, or so they say,” Odell added in a hushed tone. The Netzian soldiers’ response was only a heavy sigh.

From behind them, Sabia giggled.

“Don’t you worry, I have a feeling our paths will cross again in the future!” she said to Hal as she made a small wave.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

“Could they be fated, lovers?” Fiona asked. Her expression lacked only sparkles in her eyes.

“She doesn’t look like she would try to kill you!” Odell added while his Fiance, Cecilia, momentarily floated in his mind.

Hal grabbed each of the royal pains by their ears and began to pull them away.

Sabia waved for a moment longer with a smile on her face. Her smile quickly parted as someone new approached from behind—a Netzian dressed in a plain white suit with a white tie. Even with most of his body covered, it was clear that he was well-built. Voltage yellow hair shot from his skull in a jagged style, and his eyes glared with a cool electric blue. On his knuckles, several pieces of metal had been surgically implanted.

“That is enough playing for now,” the man said to Sabia. She rolled her eyes.

“Do you not care if I find true love, Thorir,” the green Aqueenian asked.

“If you were capable of love, I might,” the Netzian answered in a gruff voice. “What did you find out?”

Sabia chuckled.

“We have two active groups in the town, neither are any concern. Everything can continue as planned,” she explained.

Thorir muttered for a moment as he blankly stared into space.

“Speak up!” Sabia shouted. It was enough to break him out of his trance.

“I believe they have an authentic Bentulousian warrior; I’d like to fight her,” Thorir answered simply.

Sabia sighed.

“You will have to go to the leader for that one,” she muttered, “I’m more worried about Dia Mond being a wild card. She performed well in Quenth, but we’re talking about assassinating the Mayor of Nun now,” she relayed.

Thorir paid no mind to Sabia’s concerns and got lost in thoughts once again. In his mind, he only had room to visualize future battle moves against his next opponent.

She groaned and began to walk away. The Netzian followed after, though he continued to stare off into space.

“Do you think she’d use her height effectively?” he pondered aloud as he continued a visualization of fighting a Bentalousian warrior. Sabia didn’t bother answering; she was thinking back to the better conversation she had had with Hal, even though she had done most of the talking.

They walked down a long, busy street from the jungle jim shopping center.

Elsewhere, the team reunited at the inn. They all were tired and only exchanged little words over a quick dinner. Hal shared the story of the spies, and the royal pains told the rest of the Netzian soldier’s new ‘girlfriend’; Hal denied the claims and filled the team in on Dia’s planned appearance at the main beauideal arena. Nothing else of importance was discussed after. It was decided they would sleep and discuss first thing in the morning. The more important matter for most team members was how to divide the rooms.

It eventually was decided that Gwyn and Hal would share one room. Fiona and Harlan would share the next. Odell and Rheba were given the last. Neither the ashy grey prince nor the brown-furred warrior knew the reason, but the other four divided to ensure that those who snored were isolated.

With room delegations over, the team spent their first night in Nun. Hal, Harlan, and Rheba tasked their Needaimus with keeping watch through the night—independent of each other’s knowledge. None liked that one trio had encountered spies and feared the worst could happen in their sleep. In an emergency, the metallic creatures could wake a mortal up by bonding, though it was the most unpleasant wake-up call imaginable. With guards on duty, the team slept soundly through the night.