Gaius Flich De Boise was a nobleman of little consequence. The most interesting thing about him was his name, which didn’t sound even remotely similar to any other name given to people anywhere in Irevia, and whose origin was known only to his ancestors.
His father, when he’d been a child, had said that the name was from a language not of this world called ‘French’. Such a strange word, french. What did it mean? How did one speak this french? What did it sound like?
Well, in his opinion, if it sounded the same way his name did, he was glad that nobody knew how to speak it. He hated his name with a passion.
“What do you mean you’re all out?” asked Gaius to the bored-looking receptionist of the Wanderer’s Guild.
Which, by the way, was just a fancy way to say ‘Driver’s Guild’ and ‘Messenger’s Guild’. Yes, once upon a time those two had been separate Guilds but, nearly a century ago now, they’d decided to merge. After all, they both offered services that required the workers to wander around the continent and, sometimes, between them. So it was only natural.
“I mean exactly what I’m saying, Sir. We’re out of carriages that can bring you to Tedam. The last one departed yesterday with a diplomat. I am extremely sorry. The next carriage will be here and ready to depart in a week at most.
“Alternatively, you could go with the wagons carrying supplies towards the capital.”
Gaius’ eye twitched at the proposal.
“Absolutely not. Especially not after I booked my ride with over a month in advance,” he said.
“As I said, Sir, we’re extremely sorry. Your carriage was attacked by bandits and the driver is currently recuperating in this structure’s infirmary.”
The nobleman grunted and turned around, stomping out of the building.
The [Receptionist] sighed. She wasn’t paid enough to care for these rich assholes’ tantrums. For the matter, she didn’t even Level Up enough for dealing with them. She was only a Level 18 [Receptionist], not even an evolved Class. Which wasn’t a surprise: you didn’t exactly get many High Level people in her Class, mainly because there was little one could do as just a [Receptionist].
But, she hoped, if all things went well, that in a few years she would hit Level 20 and get the Guild to recommend her to some big company to work as a [Secretary] or something else. That was where the real interesting perspectives opened.
She sighed as she began filing paperwork away. Until the day came that she hit Level 20, she was stuck here. Sure, the guild of Remedia wasn’t small: lots of people went through on a daily basis, especially on Sevens, the last two days of the week, but, even then, the job was repetitive, with little challenge to it. So the Leveling was slow.
The bell on top of the entrance door dinged. She looked up, expecting the minor noble to have come back with more complaints, but was instead surprised when she saw two identical figures wearing the same gray garbs walking right towards her.
“Ah, good morning Miss Arienelle. A wonderful day it is today, are we right?” they said together with a twin smile on their faces.
Arienelle had never met these two. They’d never been in this Guild, or if they had, she hadn’t yet been working here. Still, she knew the many stories that surrounded these two weird twins. They were called Habil and Qabil and had a reputation of being the two highest Level [Drivers] in the whole world. Their actual Level, naturally, was unknown: they kept it a secret. Well, pretty much everything about them was a secret: where they’d been born, how old they were, you name it, it was unknown. All, except for their names.
[Check Records], she thought.
Immediately, in her mind’s eye, a single sheet of paper appeared, and she read through the two brothers’ records. Indeed, nothing new had appeared. Their age was still written down as 27, even though it had been saying that number for the last decade as far as she knew, while the rest was just blank. Well, all except for a single line at the bottom: ‘Last known location: Eriman, Eva’.
“You must be Habil and Qabil, am I right? A pleasure to make your acquaintance! I’ve heard lots of things about you,” she stood from her chair behind the counter and went to shake their hands. They both shook it back warmly and energetically, the kid smiles never leaving their faces.
“All good we hope,” the one on the right, Habil or Qabil she didn’t know, they were literally identical, said jokingly.
“Other than you being forbidden from entering half the capitals in the world for some unknown reason, all good.”
They laughed, then one of them said: “Eh, lassie, it’s just that we bring people who need bringing where they need to be brought, and sometimes that is against the wills of Kings and suchnots. And anyways, kingdoms don’t last nearly long enough for it to be a problem for us,” they both laughed and high fived.
Arienelle shrugged: “Well, you’re not wrong on that front.
“Anyways, to business!”
“To business!” shouted back the twins striking a pose.
“Are you looking for a job?”
“We were. But we think we’ve just found it: the grumpy noble who just walked out.”
“Oh, him? You want to take him to Tedam? Really?” she leaned in closer, whispering cospiratorially, “I would’ve loved to see him stay here, the idiot. It would’ve been satisfying.”
The two smiled evilly: “We’ll up our fee just for your satisfaction.”
She chuckled.
That was the Wanderer’s Guild for you. Everyone supported everyone, more or less, and if you offended one of their own then you better be prepared for shit to happen to your cargo and your letters to be lost somewhere.
Everyone respected the Wanderers.
“Ok, I’ll write it down then. Have a safe journey!” she said with a smile
“Probably not. We’re wanted in Tedam after that last battlefield delivery.”
“What?”
“You don’t want to know dear. It was a gruesome thing. But it had to be done. This, too, will have to be done. Their time is running out.”
Their voices were in perfect sync as they said that, their smiles no longer as friendly as they usually were, their eyes… their… eyes…
Arianelle batted her eyes once, twice, thrice, and when her eyesight focused again, the two brothers were gone.
No. Not just the two brothers. The Brothers Two. That was their name, as much as Habil and Qabil were.
It was only an hour later, after they’d long since departed, that she realized something: she had never told them her name. How had they known it?
----------------------------------------
“Good afternoon good sir,” said Habil as he and his brother approached the man who had been looking for a ride towards Tedam.
“Indeed, a grand day, if I may be allowed to say so.”
The noble turned around and looked at them with barely disguised disgust. Not surprising, since they looked like they came from Aknos, and for some reason people in Eva and Irevia thought of them as savages. Was it because they didn’t have big cities like the other continents did? Well, you fucking try building a city in the middle of a desert with giant sand snakes attacking you at every step!
“What do you want?” he asked brusquely.
“We are Habil and Qabil. We’ve just arrived from our last run. The kind [Receptionist] at the desk told us you were in great need of a ride. We can bring you to your destination in as little as a day,” said Qabil.
The noble’s attitude immediately changed, an oily smile appearing on his actually-not-bad-looking face.
“Ah, truly? Sirs, you’re doing me a great kindness. And in a single day? Impressive! What are your fees?”
“Twenty five gold coins,” they said in a choir.
The noble’s face actually changed color, becoming a few shades redder: “What? Are you serious? For such a price I could normally go back and forth two times in a luxury carriage!”
“We understand Sir, but we’re doing you a favor,” said Habil.
“Indeed,” continued Qabil, “You see, Gaius Flich De Boise, we’ve just come back from our last assignment. We are extremely tired…”
“But we can see that you’re in extreme need. It must be an important affair if you need to reach the city at such speed,” kept going Habil, the two brothers transitioning seamlessly between each other.
“You would also like to know that our services are top notch. Every single delivery is always brought to its destination without a scratch, through rain or shine, bandits or monsters, mountains or deep seas…”
“Although we do apply an extra fee for the deep sea deliveries…”
“Right, right. But there will be no need for that here. We are rated at Mithril Rank in the Wanderer’s Guild, we’ll have you know. Highest rank attainable. Although, the higher ups could’ve chosen a different metal. Like, come on, the Adventurer’s Guild already uses that one for its highest Level adventurers! We could’ve gone for, I don’t know… Orichalcum?”
“I absolutely agree brother. Anyways, sir, our carriage has all the comforts you could ever desire, from food and drink to even a change of clothes. We understand our fees may seem steep, but we can assure you you will be well cared for and brought to your destination without a hitch!”
Gaius looked at the two [Wagon Drivers] and considered them. As far as he could tell, they weren’t lying. And, even though the price for their services was ridiculous to say the least, he didn’t have much of a choice. He was supposed to marry in a matter of days!
“Alright. I’ll pay your price. But you must get me there in a day, as you promised.”
“Absolutely Sir! Follow us, we’ll show you to our kingdom!”
He handed them two piles of gold coins and they began walking.
Their kingdom turned out to be a rickety looking carriage held together by hopes and stitches. As in, there were what looked like meters of string keeping the whole thing together. And yet, the two horses at the front looked energetic, their black mantle so lucid it practically shined with a light of its own, their muscles strong and twitching, ready to run.
All in all, it was such a contrast it made Gaius think these two must have some kind of special Class. Which was to be expected: you didn’t reach a high Rank in a Guild without developing some… shall we call them eccentricities? Yes, that.
“Right this way Sir,” said one of the two brothers. Probably Qabil. Gaius couldn’t for the love of the gods distinguish them.
He stepped on the surprisingly sturdy steps of the carriage and entered… in Larnos.
The carriage was bigger on the inside, the walls made of finely carved wood depicting a library. The back wall was an actual library, books filling it from top to bottom. The tomes looked old and dusty, as if nobody had used them in a lifetime, which seemed both possible and impossible because, when he went to read some of the titles, he noticed that some of these books were hundreds of years old at the very least, some of which were even banned.
The Churches would pay my weight in gold for some of these, he thought, whistling to himself. He thought about reporting these two to the authorities, but then weighed some money against a lifetime ban from the Wanderer’s Guild and decided to stay put.
He sat down on a very comfortable sofa that extended in an ‘L’ shape along the remaining two walls, a small table at the center where one could, probably, eat right in front of him.
A voice came from outside: “Your baggage has been loaded in the back Sir.”
“Good. Can we go?”
“We’re already going, Sir,” said another voice, this one coming from the front of the carriage.
Gaius’ eyebrows shot up into his hairline as he stood and didn’t feel even the slightest sway from the carriage moving. He went to open the door, but found it locked.
“For your own safety, the door has been locked. Falling at the speed we’re going would be fatal at best, non-lethal and extremely crippling at worst. You may look outside from the window.
What window? he thought, ready to ask. And then he noticed the window that had definitely been there the whole time overlooking the world outside. A very blurry world.
How fast are we going? Stars, I can’t see the ground. What level must one be to reach such speeds?
He would never know the answer to that last one.
“How fast are we going?” he asked, out of curiosity.
One of the brothers, he couldn’t see or differentiate which one, answered: “Well, our last test put us at just above the maximum speed reachable by a Ferrari.”
“A… Ferrari? What is that?”
“A very fast car.”
“...What in Airm is a car?”
“A carriage that moves without horses at great speeds using the dead as fuel to run.”
“Ah, so it’s some kind of new [Necromancer] invention. Interesting.”
“...You could say that, yes, Sir.”
And then he sat back down on the very comfortable sofa.
He fell asleep soon after.
----------------------------------------
Habil and Qabil were brothers. Twins, to be precise. Their father said they’d been born old and aged backwards ever since. They’d always liked the concept, and, in a way, he wasn’t wrong. Everyone who ever met them found them excessively jolly. They never understood how one could be too happy or smile too much.
For them, the world was a shithole left to rot under the sun for too long, to the point where greenery had started to grow in some places. They lived to keep those green places safe and, if possible, even expand them. That’s why they did what they did. That’s why they accepted being wanted in half of the world: for a dream, for hope. Was it stupid? Maybe. Yes. Definitely. Would they ever stop? Not until the day they died. Which wouldn’t be for a very long time yet.
The Brothers Two. That was the title the Wanderer’s Guild had given them. There’d been a debate at the time on how to call them: from the simple yet very effective, if a bit excessive, ones, like ‘The Doombringer Twins’, to more mysterious sounding ones, like ‘The Gray Riders’.
The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.
In the end, they’d gone for the title that sounded the silliest and the strangest.
They always did.
Habil and Qabil took a pocket watch out of their coat pockets at the same time, reading the hour.
“Well, it should be thirteen more hours before we get there. Enough time to let him sleep and give him a change of clothes.”
“Absolutely. Hopefully there won’t be too much trouble in Tedam.”
“I have no hopes of that Qabil. But we’re used to it. Anything for the greater good!”
They high fived and Habil, who was currently holding the reins, cracked them. Faster. Faster! ‘Till the Sun had to catch up and Time herself had to ask the Observer for help finding them!
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The Kingdom of Scasce was, normally, a very safe place. Whenever a group of [Bandits] formed, they were quickly and bloodily taken care of.
That wasn’t to say the place was completely free of them. There were groups, big and powerful enough to manage to keep in check even the king’s armies if they worked together. Most had come from outside, be it a bordering country or another continent altogether. And no, we shall not delve into the logistics of moving an entire band of [Bandits] from one continent to another, nor in how they managed to succeed. Just know that it involves a lot of banana peels and a ship.
Habil and Qabil were certain that the journey to the capital city would be uneventful.
Sadly, they did most of their work on Rodar. Apparently, the misfortune there was infectious.
With a cry, a group of over two dozen men appeared in front of their carriage, blocking their way. They wore mismatched armor that looked worn. It was certainly all well maintained.
They had also surrounded the carriage, which came to a stop in a matter of moments just short of a rope that had been put right in the middle of the road. Had they not stopped their mount would’ve… oh, who were they kidding? Their mount wouldn’t have suffered any injury.
A man stepped forward from the group, smiling slightly.
“Good day to you, Sir,” said Habil, tipping a bowler hat that the [Bandit Leader] in front of him hadn’t noticed until then.
“And to you too, fine gentlemen,” he said, nodding his head in hello since he wore a helmet. It was more to cover his face than actually protect it: if someone hit you in the head, with or without a helmet, you went down. Well, unless you had some good Skills.
He looked at the rickety carriage and, for a moment, was fooled by its disastered appearance. It was as if someone had taken a perfectly good carriage, thrown it down a hill, put it back together without caring for the details, then accidentally burned it and repeated the repair process with even less care than before. Anyone in their right mind would’ve considered this bad prey.
Not him. Not the quite well known Fireball Crytus. A nickname he’d obtained because of his ability to throw [Fireball] Spells and making his band of criminals basically immune to fire. A truly useful ability in a world where nearly anyone who learned magic tried to immediately learn Fire-type Spells. And oh, how many times he’d surprised the [Guards] of a city because of this ability.
But then, why would someone this skilled and Skilled attack such a rickety looking thing? Simple: he had the Skill [Detect Wealth]. Normally it was a [Treasure Seeker] Skill, but let’s be sincere here: there were more [Bandits] than [Treasure Hunters] or however their Class is called out there in the world.
“You seem to be carrying quite the expensive cargo, gentlemen. I fear we’ll have to take it from your hands, to make sure it doesn’t fall into even worse ones.”
One of the brothers elbowed the other: “I told you we shouldn’t have gone to see the boy in Rodar. The air of that place always clings to us.”
The elbowed one shrugged: “Bah, this ain’t Rodar. This is just backlash from our nature. What are the chances of a [Bandit] with a [Detect Wealth] Skill appearing in a country that allegedly has one of the lowest crime rates in the continent, and then right when we’re passing through? Even Rodar’s Aura couldn’t do this much damage. It’s narratively too improbable”
They sighed dejectedly and shook their heads.
“If we don’t move we’re gonna be late,” said the one on the left.
“You’re right, brother. We should get going,” agreed the one on the right as he cracked the reins and got the horses moving again.
The animals stepped over the tense rope, even though their legs were in a much too awkward position for them to be able to do that. It was as if the legs had just phased through the material, but that made no sense.
“Stop right there, gentlemen! I don’t want to hurt you, but if it’ll be necessary I will,” and as he said that, he summoned a [Fireball] in his right hand and pointed it menacingly at the nearing carriage.
“Oh, how scary!” fake shouted the one on the left.
“I’m gonna shit my pants!” followed the other, his hand going to his forehead as he fake-passed out… and nearly fell from the carriage. His brother, luckily, was there to pull him back on the box.
Crytus’ left eyebrow twitched, then he shook his head: “You were warned.”
And he let the Spell go.
A ball of fire two meters in diameter flowed outwards, opening up like the most fiery rose in the world. It was a beautiful sight. One supposes that there is beauty even in Death.
Crytus watched the fireball fly towards the carriage and waited for the explosion, his hand already lifting towards his face to shield his eyes.
But the explosion never came.
Instead of the carriage flying into the air and crushing into the ground, horses charred to death, [Drivers] gone, like it always happened when they didn’t surrender, all he saw was darkness.
A void had appeared in front of the carriage.
No, wait, it wasn’t a void. It wasn’t empty. There was something in that blackness… eight orange somethings. And they were staring right at him.
The darkness coalesced.
And the men began to get agitated as, slowly, it took the form of a massive, eight legged, beast that was nearly as tall as the box and as large as the carriage itself.
…
Just like the horses.
Oh fuck. That was an illusion. There were never horses there.
The giant, dark, spider, didn’t scream. Oh, don’t get me wrong, this spider probably could, what with its gigantic book lungs that, somehow, still managed to keep it alive even at its dimensions. But no, this spider knew better than to scream. Instead, it simply chittered.
The sound was ominous but, surprisingly, not very loud. And it was continuous. Almost… as if it was laughing.
Laughing at them, at the [Bandits], at their leader who had tried to burn it down but, instead, had only lightly singed its fur.
“What was it that father always said in these cases?” asked the brother on the left.
The one on the right cracked the reins gently as he answered in falsetto: “‘Down the hatch they go!’”
Then the spider began skittering onwards, not making a sound, picking up speed at an astonishing rate. In the few meters that separated the carriage and the [Bandits] it managed to reach the halfway point of its maximum velocity.
The last thing Crytus saw was the spider’s pincers opening in what he thought was a very ugly, evil and gleeful smile, before its mouth opened wide, wider, wider and wider and then all he saw was darkness before innumerable crunches resounded in his ears and he died.
----------------------------------------
The carriage jumped and Gaius woke up. He had always been a light sleeper, so the ride so far had been Larnos on the earth for him.
Sadly, now he was awake again, and he decided to ask what that had been.
He stood from the very comfortable sofa, which seemed a little bigger than he remembered, and walked the few steps that separated him from the little window that connected the room he was in to the [Driver]’s box, opening it.
“What was that?” he asked as a yawn made its way out.
“Oh, nothing to worry about Sir,” said the brother on his left.
“Just some [Bandits], Sir. We took care of them,” finished the other.
“Bandits?”
And they just… took care of them? Two [Drivers]? What Level are they? I didn’t even see any weapons.
The brother on the right turned towards him with an enigmatic smile as he thought that last part, and winked.
“We did say we were the best on the market.”
“Would you like some refreshments Sir?” asked the other brother.
That’s when Gaius realized he was, indeed, very hungry. It was sudden and felt slightly unnatural, but then again, he hadn’t eaten in…
“How long was I asleep?”
“Around seven hours Sir. We’ve been told light sleepers love our services. Anyways, we should manage to reach Tedam in around five more hours.”
Seven hours? He had slept that long? He hadn’t been able to do such a thing without a sleeping potion for years now. He even had a Skill to solve that problem: [Improved Rest]. Gods he felt more alive now that he had for the last few years.
“I would love to, thank you kindly. Is there any chance I could book your services for the night before my wedding? I could even invite you to join.”
The brothers shook their heads: “We’re sorry Sir…”
“But duty calls…”
“This was a nice diversion…”
“But we’ll soon be going back to Rodar.”
Ah. Well, that was sad.
“I would wish you luck, but there is none on Rodar. You don’t seem the kind of people who need that, though.”
The two brothers laughed: “No indeed, Sir. ‘Luck’ was never our friend.”
The little window closed, and when Gaius turned around a veritable feast was sitting on the table in front of the sofa, which was back to normal.
“Yes, those Gold Coins were well spent.”
----------------------------------------
“How much more Habil?” asked Qabil.
Habil put a hand in his pocket and took out three different clocks, because he liked to show off, and opened them. Three different time zones were checked, from three different continents, and he nodded.
“One hour. I think it is time,”
“Indeed.”
At the same time, they slammed their right feet on the box, the vibration reaching even the back of the carriage.
From inside, they heard Gaius’ voice as he cursed colorfully.
“Everything alright back there?” asked Habil as he opened the small window.
“More or less. I could’ve sworn that wine glass was empty. Anyway, my clothes are ruined.”
“Fear not,” cheerfully said Qabil, “We did say we had a change of clothes if it came to it,” and he snapped his fingers.
In the back, near the library wall, Gaius watched as the little wardrobe door, which had always been there, opened, letting his eyes land on what was probably the most beautiful outfit he’d ever seen (except for his wedding clothes). It was simple, yet extremely elegant: a black button up shirt with a black overcoat to complement it, together with silky black trousers.
Sure, it would make him look like he was going to a funeral, but it was objectively beautiful.
“This is worth much more than what I paid you.”
“Well, you’re lucky we’ve had that one for a long time. The clients who came before you paid for it. Now come on Sir, put it on. We’ll be arriving shortly at your destination.”
The clothes were extremely comfortable.
----------------------------------------
The sun was setting when they reached the main gates of Tedam. Because of the hour, there were few people waiting in line to go inside the town, mostly workers who were coming back from their jobs outside the city’s walls.
Luckily for the Brothers, who were quite the impatient bunch when it came to waiting in line, there was a separate one for carriages, and would you look at that! It was empty.
Their ‘horses’ clopped towards it calmly and, slowly, the [Guards] at that particular line reached them.
“Halt! Show us your documents, please.”
Habil and Qabil calmly dug in their coat pockets and took out two passports marked with the Wanderer’s Guild sigil, handing them over. Another [Guard] walked towards the back of the carriage, with a grimace at its deplorable conditions, and knocked on the window, asking their passenger his documents. Gaius handed them over without question, the [Guard] taking them and giving only a glance to his black ensemble.
Then his two comrades shouted.
“You! You are the Brothers Two! Attack them, now! DON’T LET THEM ENTER THE CITY!”
And then it was chaos.
The carriage moved and, in a moment, it was speeding down the main road, towards…
One of the [Guards] shouted into a Speaking Stone: “Attention! The Brothers Two have entered the city. No matter what, don’t let them reach the palace or any other location of interest in the city! Destroy the carriage or find a way to kill the person inside no matter what!”
Then he turned towards the [Guard] who had taken Gaius’ documents: “You! Newbie! You saw the person inside. What color were the clothes he was wearing?”
The man, because he was well trained, answered immediately: “Black, Sir!”
“Fuck! I repeat, destroy that carriage! They are bringing Black!”
The city was in chaos. Suddenly, hundreds of [Guards], garrisoned [Soldiers], [Mercenaries] and even Skeletons flooded the streets and went to block any access to the three locations of interest: the Royal Palace, the Temple District and the Guild Districts.
A [Necromancer] wearing black and with their face covered observed the scene from a distance and sighed, knowing full well they would fail.
The Brothers Two always brought their packages to their destinations.
----------------------------------------
“What is happening?” shouted Gaius.
The two brothers ignored him, his voice not reaching them even though the window was open.
They were talking among each other.
“What should we use? Blunderbuss?”
“No, too much collateral damage.”
“We could use salt!”
“Unless you have salt big enough to pierce armor it won’t work.”
“OK, how about this?”
“An Infernal Sharpshooter? Wrong world Qabil.”
“Oh, right, sorry.”
Gaius had no idea what in Airm the two were talking about, and when he looked through the window all he saw were tubes of metal with varying openings on one side and wooden or metal handles on the other.
“Hmm… how about this Remington?” asked Habil, taking out of a coat pocket a very long metal tube.
“Nope, doesn’t have enough kick,” answered Qabil, to which Habil just tossed the strange thing down the carriage, where it disappeared before it could even hit the road.
What in the names of the Old is that Skill?
“Oh oh! I know! How about this PPSh? To honor dad’s friend.”
This time Habil took two tubes from underneath the box and shoved one in his brother’s hands, which were no longer holding the reins, which were fucking floating in the air.
“Oh, I absolutely love the idea! Hand it over.”
They put the sides of the tubes with the thing that looked like a handhold against their shoulders, aligned them to their eyes as if they were shooting some kind of crossbow, and then suddenly there was a very loud crack and the ends of the tubes seemed to launch something very small out.
Had he been looking behind the carriage, he would’ve seen two [Soldiers] drop to the ground, their brains splattered on the road and their companions behind them.
Then he got to see the two brothers using these things against something in front of the carriage.
He truly wished he hadn’t.
Then the [Mercenaries] in front of them began to scream and, for a moment, Gaius thought he saw something wrong with the horses, but then they hit the wall of people and it all went back to normal. What wasn’t normal was how… clean the passage had been. No bodies falling underneath, no people flying off to the sides. As if they had just disappeared.
“What is happening?” he shouted.
One of the brothers answered: “Just a normal day of work, Sir, worry not. Now, Habil, let’s get him to the temples. Seems appropriate to me.”
Then the window closed and, when Gaius tried to open it again, he found out he couldn’t. And the carriage didn’t have any other windows other than the one connecting him to the [Drivers].
“Fuck! Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck! I swear, if I die, I’m coming back as a ghost to haunt these imbeciles.”
But there was nothing to fear.
Not five minutes later, the carriage door opened and the two brothers bowed, motioning for him to get out.
“We’ve brought you at your destination, Sir, just as promised, in not even a single day. We hope that you liked our services. If so, suggest us to your friends and leave a Five Star review at the Wanderer’s Guild. We appreciate constructive criticism.”
He walked down the carriage steps and looked around. He could still hear the sounds of chaos.
But, suddenly… it didn’t matter. Not anymore. Because it had all already been decided. So why bother? Why worry.
He thanked the two [Drivers] for their services, assuring that he would speak highly of them. They smiled and nodded in gratitude.
Then, as he turned around to walk towards the temple, one of them said: “Sir, we like you, so let us make a suggestion, one you should follow if you desire to live a long, happy, life with your wife.”
Gaius stopped and turned around: “What?”
“After you celebrate your wedding, don’t stay in the city. Go back to your home as fast as you can. We don’t know when, but something bad will happen. So, please, go away from this condemned city.”
They hopped onto the driver’s box: “And have a nice wedding and a big, happy, family!”
They departed.
And the city trembled as the Skill that had caused them to gain their reputation, the reason why they were hunted all over the world, settled down.
The Skill’s name?
[Wearing Black, They Brought Rȕ̸̦͉͔̰ḯ̸̢̻̭̲̘̟́̇̓n̷͎̫̝̐͌͊̊͂͠]