“Send them in!” Elrick looked at Hanna a bit concerned. The king and queen waited at the throne room, with the few soldiers they could gather around the castle, they were all surprised to receive such unexpected guests.

The main doors opened, a soldier stepped inside and started announcing, “King Elrick Strongheart receives for the first time the King Oyran Goyvar from the Beastmen Plains, with him, the Prince and commander of Khargaz troops, Varos Goyvar!”

As they entered the room, Elrick stood up and began walking down towards the Beastmen King, to meet him halfway through the hall.

Around Oyran, the lionesses quickly made an entry and took position, filling the gaps left by the soldiers.

“King Oyran, it is a pleasure to finally meet you, like our ancestors once did, allow me to shake your hand in friendship.”

Oyran, much taller than Elrick, looked at him from above and then nodded, extending his hand to greet the human king.

“Please come, let’s find a more comfortable place to talk, I believe I may know what brought you here, but I must confess, I wasn’t expecting you so soon.”

Oyran wasn’t surprised to hear it. “What do you know, King of Allard?”

Elrick looked at the Lion and smiled, “I know all about Argo’s incident, isn’t that why you’ve come? Since the war is over, you probably wanted to discuss what our nations will do next. Probably plans to fortify and prepare for the future, in case they even intend to return.”

Oyran smiled “I see, it seems I was right to come here then, you already met the human trader.”

“You mean Riou? Yes, he came here. He and my daughter Eileen.”

“Good! I was counting on it. This will save me a lot of time!”

Elrick frowned at him “How so?”

“I need to find this man, right now!”

The king of Allard became a bit suspicious and showed the king and prince a round table nearby that was set for them to sit. Hanna joined them as they moved.

Oyran looked at her with intent as she approached and then nodded, “So she was really a princess, after all, I believe I have met your daughter, Queen of Allard. Your resemblance and I might say, smell, are really similar.”

“Thank you, I guess I will take that as a compliment. And we heard all about what happened at the Plains from her. My condolences for you son, a shame he had to succumb under Argonian Trickery, I’m sure any other warrior wouldn’t have endured it as long as he did.” said Hanna in a respectful tone.

Goyvar went silent for a moment and then nodded, “Thank you. But that’s not why I’ve come. It is a different matter that urges me to find that trader if you are wondering.”

Elrick nodded and sighed both relieved and concerned at the same time, “Why that doesn’t surprise me?”

“Let me be clear, my business is not with him. But I need him to arrange a meeting with Arthas. None of my trackers, spies, or informants could tell me anything. He just vanished from the plains and I need to find him.”

Elrick and Hanna looked at each other for a moment, “Arthas?”

The king nodded, “The human trader’s right-hand man”.

Varos then added, “And the only connection we have to him is that trader, that’s why we are set to find him.”

The human king nodded, “I see, well, If it’s one of Riou’s companions I can understand why you find it so hard to find them.”

“And that’s why we came to see you, King Elrick Strongheart. As a King myself I ask you to do me this favor and allow me to meet him, immediately.”

Elrik pondered for a moment, the Beastmen king waited for a response with no signs of mischief that Elrik could see. “Well, the problem is that right now he is on a task...”

Oyran widened his eyes in surprise and quickly interrupted him, “So you do command that man!”

The human king chuckled and shook his head, “No, no, to be honest, I don’t think anyone could do such a thing,” he looks at Hanna, “maybe Eileen after they get married, he ought to listen to her then.” He joked and then looked at Oyran with a smirk. “But he is helping the kingdom of Allard, the Norse, and even yours right now. It was not out of a request of mine, but out of a sense of duty.”

Varos nodded, “See My king? He is an honorable man, after all, my judgment wasn’t wrong.” Said Varos as the king just waved at him.

“I see… that’s good to hear. But even so, just meeting him wouldn’t be a problem, would it?”

Varos then added “Maybe the princess then? Could we meet her? Since they are traveling together she must know where to find Arthas”

Goyvar nodded “That would do too.”

Elrick was thinking about it for a moment, and Oyran continued.

“By human tradition, the Trader is to be your family in the future. In a different situation, I’d be concerned about that. But since she is a Lioness now, we are all part of that clan too, isn’t that right?”

Elrick smiled, “It is as you say, I believe this union will bring a great union for both our kingdoms.”

“Agreed, now with Argos gone, we will need to focus on something else but war. So, can we meet with the trader or your daughter? I promise that we just want a meeting with Arthas. Nothing more”

“Well, you are more than welcome to stay here, they should be back in a couple of days…”

“If you don’t mind king Elrik, we are descendants of hunters, we are restless while following a trail. We can’t stop now, nor let the tracks grow cold. I’m afraid we might lose it for good if we stop now.”

Elrick took a deep breath, “Even if you put it that way…”

“Those two already escaped me once, I fear they will do it again if I don’t get back on their scent right away.”

“Well, I can relate to what you are saying, I mean, Riou isn’t known for staying put for long, he is always going from one thing to the other...”

Oyran nodded and became serious, “So you understand my concern.”

The human king nodded, “You can find both in Iris, a city east from here, at an Inn, called the Cooking Goose. They will stay there for a couple more days, at least. You can find them there.”

Oyran smiled, “You are a good friend king Elrick, your trust in me won’t be forgotten. But I shall leave now to seek this lead, but I hope we can meet again soon to continue our conversation.” Said Oyran standing up.

“Agreed, feel free to stop by once you talk to them, you are more than welcome here.”

“We will take that offer then when we return. My people could use a rest before returning. Queen Hanna, King Elrik, until then.” He greeted the human king and queen, turning around, and walking away from the room. Varos lowered his head bidding his goodbyes and went off after Oyran.

“That was easier than expected,” said Varos joining his father.

“Yes, the king wasn’t concerned at all that we would meet with Arthas, nor asked what we wanted with him. Elrik must have the utmost trust towards that human capabilities of controlling”

“He said he knew about what happened to Argos, which implies he knows about the military might behind the trader. He wasn’t surprised by what happened either.”

“Yes, king Elrik may know a lot more than we do, it will be good to talk more with him to understand this mystery surrounding the trader.”

“Also this engagement might be the reason for such a trust. It’s like they are entering the same clan now,” added Varos.

“Yes, that is true, and since the princess is a Lioness, we are also connected. But now, where is Zafira waiting? Tell her to prepare everything, we are departing to this Iris city immediately!”

“Riou, please reconsider it, if Bhalrom goes there now you won’t have the chance to show them the item! We might lose our chance to…”

“Max! Now, or I will go myself! We can meet the lords elsewhere, it doesn’t need to be there.” said Riou, looking at him sternly.

The old man turned to Eileen, but she was clearly on Riou’s side. “I don’t think we should wait either.”

The old man sighed “Apologies, when it's about the council, I tend to lose track of everything else. You are right, we will send Bhalrom in and see what he finds.” he reached for an orange round crystal on the table.

“Bhalrom, do you hear me?”

“Yes, Great Magus!”

“Is everything set?”

“Ursula and Lily are here, they came through that magic door your people opened. We are ready and waiting for your signal.”

Max nodded to Riou, “then go now and find out what's going on in that place, especially on those underground floors, and Bhalrom, don’t go easy on them and be on your guard.”

“Finally! Don’t worry Great Magus, we will sweep the whole place, they won’t be able to hide anything!”

Max looked at Riou and put down the crystal. “With that settled, we can talk about what Tullius wanted with Eileen.” The mage and Riou turned to the princess.

“There were no surprises there, marriage and the throne in exchange for my family lives."

“That bastard! How dare he threaten the princess like this!” added Max.

Riou watched her with a serious gaze, Attia and Bellica that were near the door just lowered their heads and shoulders, averting their eyes from him.

Eileen continued, “He didn’t take my answer and requested another during the party tonight. He probably thinks I’d change my mind somehow in the meantime.”

But something still bothered him as he looked at her, there was this strange, gloomy feeling coming from the princess.

“Should I have a little talk with that man instead of you?”

But she smirked back at him, however she couldn’t fully mask that feeling of uneasiness around her, “you know I’d never make such a deal, right? Are you concerned I do?” she tried to lighten up the subject.

Riou walked at her quite seriously, which surprised her greatly. After all, he was the joker of the two and always handled them well.

He stopped and stared deeply into her eyes. She could not hold it for some reason, and looked away, “What is it?” she asked.

“You tell me, why do I think you are more concerned than what you are telling me?”

“I’m just concerned about everyone, that’s all”

“I know, but you seem to be too concerned. Why is that? Don’t you trust Max? Don't you trust me? Or is something else bothering you?” he asked suddenly, grabbing her attention back to him.

“Of course I do, I trust you both with my life.” But her eyes were still moving away, hiding concern.

Riou nodded, “Then what is it?”

“It's nothing, really."

"If you don’t talk to me, I won't understand it."

"It's just, I already let so many people down, and now I find myself in a similar situation. I feel I’m once again sitting around just waiting. Doing nothing while a tragedy is about to happen again.”

“What? We are working on it, aren’t we?”

“I know, it’s just… even with your help and everyone here. I still feel like we might not be able to prevent it. Allard might never be the same if it happens, there won't be any trust remaining and with the uncertainty that it might come from it, The kingdom will be torn apart.”

Riou smiled “Well, I can just kill that bastard, won't that solve everything?” he joked but this time it was her that didn’t take the joke well.

Max shook his head “It isn’t so simple… you can’t just kill a Lord to solve a situation like this.”

“Why not? Seems very simple to me,” he asked the mage.

“Because of Allardian custom, if a noble without kin like him dies, all his possessions are distributed to whomever he denominated his successor. The power, the lands, and the soldiers would be under someone else in a blink of an eye. Not to mention you would give them a good reason to rally against Longart. Assassination is not viewed in good eyes and would certainly blame the king for it. A fight would erupt before we even knew who was behind it, not to mention that a death of such an important person could send the council away.”

“So I can’t even kill the fucker? Great, I’m loving your plan more and more, Max.”

“That's why I want to use him, Riou! That party will be perfect for us, all lords will be there for the whole night. You can spread the word and investigate all of them at once while can go on and recon lord Griffith’s mansion without getting anyone's attention!” replied the mage.

Riou sighed and turned to Eileen, noticing her concern was still there. “Max plan’s is crazy enough to work. I complain a lot about it, but I do know he has a better understanding of the situation than me, so let's trust his judgment, he is the Great Magus after all Right?”

“As if your plans were much better, at least mine has a structure, timing, and reasoning behind it,” replied Max. But Eileen just forced a smile.

Riou pondered for a moment while looking at her.

“You know that it’s not your responsibility to save everyone, right?”

She shook her head. “They are my people and I am the princess. I have to save them all! I already failed once and many died because of it. So I can't let it happen again." She looked at him. "You understand that I'm concerned about the Council too, but the lives of the people now are equally important to me.” She even looked at Max.

Riou nodded starting to understand the root of her problem, “I see… but people die, despite all our efforts, it still can happen.”

“I was there, I should have been able to do more! If we had known earlier, acted earlier, how many lives would have been saved? But I wasn't strong enough nor capable! I just ran from one side to the other inside a stage they put for us! I failed those people!" she looked at him and shook her head "While all it took you was a day, a single day and you had it all figured out. Why couldn’t I do the same when it started? Why was I so blind towards the traitors? The signs were there, weren't they? I'm the princess, I should have seen them do something!”

Riou squinted his eyes at her and shook his head starting to get a bit angered with her, “It's not your job to save everyone.”

She shook her head “But it is, and they expect it from me! Even now with the soldiers, it was just the same. If they had listened to me, this would be over. There wouldn’t be any deaths! And I could see it in their eyes! Hear it in their voices, they wanted me to do something for them… but in the end, I could not turn a single one of them.”

“Then maybe the problem is you. Have you considered that?” his tone began to change.

"What do you mean?"

Max raised his eyebrows in surprise after hearing Riou’s tone talking to her.

“You can't possibly think that you can jump down the abyss those fools got themselves into and take them by the hand and pull them out of it, one by one! Don’t you understand how wrong that is? You are setting yourself for failure thinking like that, nobody can ever save them all."

Her expression got darker as she remained silent.

Max sighed “Calm down, it is not that bad. Don’t worry too much Eileen, we will prevent any fighting, you have my word”

"No Max! Don’t sugar coat it.”

Max sighed and got quiet.

"What happened to that Eileen that I saw when I came back? Sure of herself, strong and holding everyone together as they fought against a plague and a tyrant? You should raise your head proudly now when thinking back on that time. Because everyone that was there knows that you did everything you could to help them and that’s what really matters in the end. That’s the Eileen these people here were waiting for!"

"Riou! Aren’t you being a bit too harsh... there is nothing wrong with her being concerned. She is the princess after all!" said Max.

"I don't care, it doesn't change the fact that she needs to snap out of it." Riou turned back to Eileen and looked at her from above, waiting until she finally gathered the courage to look up and meet his eyes.

"You have to do it on your own, if you don’t, then just go back to your castle. You are of no use for anyone like that."

"Riou!" Max stood up shouting.

He turned to the magus "I have to go, there is still a plan to follow. But we can talk again later if you want," Riou began to leave the room and Max rushed to him.

"Riou... don't you think you were a bit hard on her? You have to understand, the kingdom she loves is at stake, again! Right after a plague! She is not wrong to think that an infighting at this point could throw everything into chaos. Civil unrest is a real possibility, the kingdom could be no more if we fail these people!"

Riou looked at Eilen and spoke towards her answering him, "Then I wasn't nearly harsh enough! Because I know her better than that, the woman I love is not that weak-minded, she just needs a shaking to get back on track, I’m sure of it."

Eileen widened her eyes as she heard it.

Riou stared back at her as she looked at him “And I can always kill all of the nobles. All at once, so nobody could order an attack on Longart.”

“By the elements! You’d throw the whole kingdom in even more chaos than it is now, not to mention that not all lords are traitors!” Max immediately got concerned.

“Easy now old man, that was a joke! Well, kind of...” Riou smirked and joked at his expenses while glancing over at Eileen. He gave her a small nod holding a serious expression at her.

She nodded back in response and smiled a bit at him. He finally smiled back before leaving the room.

Knock Knock

“We are closed!”

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

A servant opens the front door of the Entertainment establishment known as the Velvet Tulip and surprises himself to find out who was the one knocking at that time.

“Open up, this place is now under investigation.” Said the knight captain Bhalrom, already stepping forward.

The servant quickly moved back and rushed inside.

“Start with the first and second floor, report back immediately if you find anything suspicious!” The soldiers began to spread and search all the rooms one by one.

Ursula and Lilly went to Bhalrom’s side “There is something in the air here, it’s thick…”

“Like some kind of powder that is lingering in the air,” added Lilly.

“Yes, a concoction of some sort, definitely using mana. A very dangerous combination.” said the older mage.

Bhalrom nodded, “At this time of day, they must be using it on all the girls. It’s a magical healing paste that they sell to the girls. It’s the only way for them to cope with the abuse of the day-to-day work. They’ve been using it for decades now to hide their sickness.”

“A healing paste? I never heard of any healing paste like that” said Lilly asking Ursula.

But Bhalrom continued “All lies, they don’t really heal anything, they just mask and numb the girls' senses for the next day.”

The manager walks in wearing very luxurious silky pajamas to meet the knight captain. He was surprised to see Bhalrom, but without showing any hint of fear or concern for his presence there, “If it isn’t the famous Knight-Captain! It’s a pleasure to finally meet such an illustrious and famous person. But I’m afraid you came at a bad time, the Tulip is closed for the moment, so if you could return later today I’m sure we can properly serve you, and your guests.” he smiled at the captain glancing at the mages.

“And you must be the infamous Manager. But as you can see, we are not patrons, we are actually conducting an investigation in this place. So, prepare all keys and open all doors. We will be looking at every room in this place to investigate them for illegal activity, especially the ones on the underground.”

The manager nodded. “But of course, we are always willing to comply with our friends in the military. So, if you follow me, I will take you to the doors.” The manager glanced over Ursula and Lilly and smiled even more.

“Let’s see the gateway orbs first,” said Ursula to the smiling manager. “But of course, as you wish”

Lilly approached Ursula and whispered, “this guy gives me the shivers, what’s his deal?”

“Rumor says he was the top assassin of the guild and asked to manage the Tulip as a reward for some job.”

“Really? Shouldn’t he be in prison then?”

“It’s just a rumor Lilly, that’s why.”

The manager brought them upstairs to the room where the cabinet with the gate crystals were located. He opened the cabinet and showed the four boxes to them.

Ursula pulled the first one that was already opened, infusing it with mana and creating the portal in front of them.

Bhalrom nodded and shouted to the back “Soldiers! Report to me immediately! Operation will start now!”

5 soldiers stepped into the room after his call, all information and waiting for orders.

“You two, this leads to the first ground level, there shouldn’t be anyone there. Make sure of it to open all doors, look at every cranny and leave nothing unchecked! You know the drill!”

“Yes sir!” The two rushed inside. Bhalrom nodded to Ursula that put the crystal back and went for the next one.

She opened the next box and picked the crystal up. She focused and infused mana on it. Took her a few moments infusing the crystal with mana, but then the portal finally opened.

Bhalrom just nodded to the three soldiers remaining and they rushed inside. Ursula quickly put down the crystal as they went in, she was visibly tired and that effort had drained her.

“Do you need a moment Ursula?” asked Bhalrom.

“This was just too much mana too sudden, but I will be fine in a moment.”

“I can do it too Ursula, let me try to open the next one.”

“Wait… at least one of us should be in good shape, not to mention that my pool is bigger. So I will continue” Ursula shook the feeling off and went for the third box while the manager just watched from the sidelines.

“It’s locked,” she said trying to meddle with the large lock. She then shook her head looking at Bhalrom.

“Is it locked? What a shame, isn’t it?!” said the smiling manager.

Bhalrom looked at him very angered “Open it! Now!”

“I would if I could, knight captain. But unfortunately, even I cannot open these last boxes as I don't have access to the floors.”

“Are you telling me that the manager doesn’t go to those floors?”

“Yes… the owner gives the keys directly to the people he chooses. Only they can go there as they please.”

The knight captain nodded and asked for Ursula to step aside. He grabbed the locked metal box and pulled it out from the cabinet. With his other hand, he unsheathed his sword.

The manager just smiled “I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”

“Why not?”

Ursula put her hand on Bhalrom’s shoulder “The crystal will break with the impact, this box is made of some sturdy metal, it won’t be easy to break it without damaging the insides.

“What about that one?”

“That one is even worse, those runes are making the metal even more resistant, magically reinforcing the box structure, it will be even harder to open than this one.”

The knight put the sword back and looked at the lock on the box and then at Lilly “Can you do it?”

Ursula was surprised by the request and looked at Bhalrom confused.

“This lock is a bit bigger, but this much metal should work”

“Put it down Ursula, let her have a go.”

Ursula put the box on the table and stepped back. Lilly focuses and points her finger to the lock, the elven chant is very long and takes a while to complete. But as she was going along, Ursula was nodding to the words and smiling, pleasantly surprised.

When she finally finished, she just touched the lock on the box and stepped back. “Now we just have to wait a few moments…”

“Lilly! You altered that old spell that we learned in the first year of the academy! You even added other element properties! At such an age you are already taking your first step towards the next tier of elemental magic?!”

Lilly just forced a smile.

Bhalrom leaned towards Ursula and whispered “She drove the guards crazy trying to escape the dungeon, she melted many cuffs and locks before they could stop her. Of course, the punishment was harsher every new attempt… and yet she continued on until she could no longer bear it.”

Ursula nodded, remembering all the recent events. The old mage understood the young Lilly’s feeling all too well. Nonetheless, Ursula was really proud of her.

“Look! It is starting! The color is changing!” called Bhalrom getting their attention to the lock that was getting redder and redder.

Its color kept changing as it got hotter and hotter until it became a bright yellow when the metal just melted away.

Bhalrom picked up and opened the box, revealing the crystal inside. He picked and handed it to Ursula.

The old mage began infusing it with mana. As some time passed and nothing happened, Bhalrom glanced at the manager, but the man’s smile and attitude remained unchanged.

Ursula stopped, very tired. “It isn’t working.”

“If someone like Ursula can’t activate it, nobody can!” said Lilly.

Bhalrom rushed to the manager, “What kind of play is this? What are you scheming? How do they open the portal?”

The manager was all smiles “I don’t know, like I said, I don’t have access to it!”

“Damn! What about the other one?”

Ursula shook her head, the rules won’t allow a slow spell like that to work on the metal, it won’t work on that one I’m afraid.”

Lilly pondered for a moment and then looked at them both “Can’t we just blast the doors open instead? Why take a portal there if we can just open the place up?”

Ursula and Bhalrom looked at each other and promptly agreed with the plan. “Let’s go.”

“Allow me to show you the way!” The manager’s smile remained, his amused expression was bothering the three as he promptly showed them the way towards the doors.

As they made their descent to the stairs, they found the first door already opened by the soldiers. Continuing down, the second door was still shut, but the soldiers were working on the other side to get it open.

The third door took them by surprise, it was way different from the ones before it.

It was locked heavily, reinforced with extra thick wood beams and with no handles, just a massive keyhole made of a large piece of metal.

At the button of it, a small delivery window.

“You can’t open this door? How is it cleaned?” Said the knight to the manager.

“As you can see, there isn’t a way to do it from this position. So my guess is that it isn't, because there is nothing in there.”

“Let me try to open it!” Lilly was ready but Ursula stepped in.

“Wait…” she approached the door and touched it, leaning her head and putting her ear to it. “I think I can hear something.”

Thump Thump Thump the manager hit the door with his fist, startling her and making the knight put his hand on his sword. “Impossible! See? There is no one there, so there can’t be any noise.” he quickly added.

Ursula looked at the door, focusing on her hearing once again, but couldn’t hear anything.

“Let’s see then, maybe I can open it!” Lilly was more than eager to test her spell against it.

Lilly once again chanted and touched the metal part with the keyhole.

It started to warm up, change colors but as the wood around it began to release smoke, the metal suddenly stopped warming up and returned to normal temperature very quickly.

Ursula frowned and touched it “It’s cold…”

“Maybe there is too much metal inside, my spell won’t work if it spreads too thin… but I can try to blast it open!”

Bhalrom stepped back and nodded at Ursula.

“Fine, but be careful, there ain’t much space here, you know what that means right?”

“I went to the Magic Academy, I know I can’t use a big one in this tiny space.”

Ursula nodded and stepped back as well.

Lilly closed her eyes and began chanting in elven language once again. As her mana began to gather on her palm and the fireball began to form, the door itself began to react to it. Like before, it seemed to be fighting against the mana it was being exposed to.

“Lilly! Wait! There is a barrier!” shouted Ursula, but the young mage was too focused and already finishing her chant to listen to anything around her.

A fireball was shot against the door! The wood shined in a blue light as the fire approached it, hitting it with force! But that wasn’t the end of it, like a bouncing ball, the fire was shot back at her, to the utter surprise of Lilly that was caught off guard.

“Water Barrier!” She heard Ursula’s voice and saw a water wall being conjured quickly in front of her, right as the fire she cast hit it, exploding and evaporating the water.

Luckily, both spells nullified each other and nobody got hurt.

Bhalrom was quick to act once again rushing at the manager, this time grabbing him by the collar of his fancy clothing and pushing him against the wall. “You knew it, didn’t you? And you didn’t say a word to warn us about it!”

The manager just smiled “But how could I know? I’m just the manager… These doors were already here when I started, and you, you were the first ones to try to pry it open.”

“These runes…” Said Ursula watching the door as the mana inscribed runes began to dim down and lose their blue light, slowly fading away. “These are Von Drampt’s runes!”

“So she created this? Then we get her here to open this damn door!”

“Not Adrea, It’s the old man Von Drampt’s, her grandfather’s handwriting without a doubt.”

“So? Can’t she handle it?”

“There isn’t anyone that I know that can break this kind of protective spell, old man Von Drampt was renowned for his ability to create protective runes that were also deadly traps. And this is a masterpiece of his! It reacts by identifying the attackers mana and spell.”

Lilly nodded “You think it also reacted to my other spell?”

“Yes, since it wasn’t so dangerous or so mana intense, it probably just absorbed the mana and countered the effect. No wonder his runes were said to have a will of their own.”

“Damn, but not even the current head of the Von Drampt house can clear it? She must have the secrets to it! It’s her own damn family for the element’s sake!”

“I highly doubt it, this is way above her capabilities, let’s say Adrea Von Drampt is not the brightest, nor the most dedicated mage… and this, this is something else, this is an enchanting masterpiece if I ever saw one!”

Lilly nodded agreeing with Ursula “But why would the old man Von Drampt do this for Tullius? To reveal such a secret like this and let it sit in a place like this? So exposed…”

“Money? Power?” said Bhalrom.

“He had all that and more, he was revered as the best Enchanter. How Tullius got him to do this is what I really can’t wrap my head around it,” said Ursula.

“But the problem remains, we have to get in there somehow!”

“Let’s check the next door,” said Ursula, more curious than ever to see what she could find.

On the 4th floor, the door was even heavier and better built than the previous. Ursula could see protection glyphs and magical runes all over its frame and on the door itself.

“Look at these metal plates, this thing is sealed shut,” said Bhalrom scratching his head after seeing that.

“And these runes… Lilly, look here.”

“I don’t recognize these runes, I never seen any writing like it before, it’s definitely not elven, common, or Argonian!”

“Neither did I… whoever wrote this, may even be a better enchanter than the Old Von Drampt. Look, this looks like a dragon claw! What could this even mean?”

“And this one a dragon head with large fangs!”

“And Look how the mana flows! Can you feel it? It goes from one to another, it seems they are on some sort of loop, but how did someone do this without blowing it up?”

“Where is the source of the mana? What is providing it to the runes?!” asked Lilly intrigued.

“Ladies! I hate to break your moment, but can we get it open? I mean, since we can see the runes clearly now?” quickly added Bhalrom.

Ursula shook her head “We can see it, but we can’t read them. There is a mana current in these runes, if we try to interfere on it who knows what could be triggered… in the best option, we’d just blow it up.”

“Then let it blow, at least we can get inside that way!” said Bhalrom not caring one bit about what happens to that place.

“May I remind you, knight captain, this is just an investigation, damage to the property will have to be paid back in full” added the manager.

Lilly shook her head “She didn’t mean the door… with this much mana running in these runes, the whole house would be blown out. Maybe the others around it too.”

“Damn it! It’s one thing after the other!”

“We need to study this before attempting to force our way in,” advised Ursula.

Lilly looked at her “Maybe we should get The Great Magus to look at them, he probably could deal with this kind of rune… he is specialized in them right?”

Bhalrom looked at her sternly and then glanced at the manager, “A shame the great magus is not around, if not we would already have brought him with us.”

Lilly nodded “Right, I thought he was in Allard… sorry.”

“We will have to go get the key from Tullius, that’s the fastest way to get in.” Said Ursula as Bhalrom nodded in agreement.

“I thought that it would be better to come here first, take them by surprise. But it seems we underestimated them… Let’s go see if we can get these keys.”

The manager just smiled at them “So, if you are all satisfied now, let me escort you to the door… I still need to prepare everything for when we open later on. And I still haven’t had my beauty sleep.”

“Are you still opening today?” Ursula looked at Bhalrom. “After all that happened?”

“But of course, why would we close when there was no proof of misconduct! Right knight captain?”

“He is right, but I will put soldiers on these doors and on the gate crystals to ensure nobody uses them while we sort this out. These floors are off-limits for the time being!”

The manager nodded “That’s perfectly fine by me. Do as you need, my good Knight Captain, now if you could follow me to the exit… I’m in dire need of my sleep.”

-------------------------------------- later that day.

“I’m not liking this, it’s like nothing happened,” Riou said to the orange ball sitting alone in one of Tulips waiting rooms.

“You know how the law protects the lords, Bhalrom said he was forced to go see Tullius to get the doors opened. I didn’t have any response yet, but he must be there with Ursula and Lilly. So don’t worry, he also put soldiers on the doors and on the gates to ensure nobody went in or out of those places in the meanwhile.” The voice of the mage came on from within the orange crystal.

“And the manager acts as if nothing happened… he sure doesn't show any sign of concern about it.”

“At least we can still use this opportunity to spread rumors, especially before the party where we can take a good look at everyone together.”

“And are you really sure the council will be interested in this thing you gave me?”

“Oh they will, I guarantee it! That will spark our target's interest like a Drakkar that found its prey! They will come out of the dark for it!”

“I don’t see why this is so irresistible for them.”

“Their goal is to gain immortality and they know that Argonian Magic is the closest thing to it that they could find.”

“I just hope you are right about this old man because I don’t like all this waiting around.”

“I know, and I understand your feeling, but it's just a few hours more for our goal. Besides, nobody will be entering those floors. Bhalrom makes sure of it, so if there are people in there, they will be safe.

“I understand, but that doesn’t mean I like it. Wait, someone is coming,” said Riou quickly, putting the crystal in his pocket.

The door opens and the manager enters, “The lords should arrive shortly, and the room is almost ready, my people are arranging it with the things you brought.”

“Good, let me know when it’s ready.”

“I’m sure the other lords will be most impressed, are you sure you are ok with me being the one to help with your demonstrations?”

“Yes, I’d prefer for a neutral party to test it, you will do just fine.”

“I’m honored, so, as we wait for a few more moments for the room, shall I make you company? Or would you prefer a girl, maybe two? Hmm? perhaps my lord would like a younger man this time around? To change and spice things up a bit?”

Riou forced a smile and shook his head, “I’m good as is, and I'd prefer to be alone with my thoughts to prepare. Just let me know when the room is ready and I will wait there then.” Riou pulled a pouch of coins and put them on the side table, beside a glass and a spirit that was left for him. “For your great efficiency in this matter, and constant support.”

The manager smiled even brighter, “It brings joy to my heart to know that I managed to please you, my lord! I will just take that away and leave you alone for the time being. But do let me know if you change your mind about the company!” The manager nodded elegantly after taking the coins and left the room.

Riou sighed and leaned back on the chair. He was about to pull the orange crystal out again when the door opens quickly.

Viki enters the room while watching outside and promptly closing the door, making sure nobody saw her getting in.

Riou squinted his eyes as she turned and walked towards him at a fast, angered pace.

“What have you done to my sister?” she spoke clearly mad at him.

“What? Weren’t you there too? I did nothing.” He said looking seriously at her.

“Don’t bullshit me, I know you talked to her after I left! What did you do to her?”

“You are wrong, I just left. I didn’t do anything to her.”

“Enough lying! I know you did something! She wouldn’t do this crazy thing if someone hadn’t messed with her head!”

“What? I’m not following.”

“She was fine one day, and the next, after meeting you, she just decided that she wants to die! That’s why! You were the only one she met!”

He squinted his eyes at her, “Your sister said she wants to die?”

“She refuses to take the potion! That’s the same as dying for her! She won’t last a month without it!”

“Her curse was already a death sentence after all.”

“Is that what you told her? Did you convince her that she shouldn’t wait? That she was some sort of burden? Is that it?”

“No, I didn’t say that.”

“But you did something! I know my sister, she wouldn’t change her mind out of the blue like that. Someone must have messed with her head! And she was perfectly fine until you arrived!”

Riou chuckled a bit and shook his head “You call that fine? She could barely stand on her own.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” asked Viki.

“I’m curious now, what did she tell you? Did she tell you I did something?”

Viki looked around quite distressed “No! And that’s what is infuriating me the most! Why would she protect you? Did you blackmail her? Threatened her? What did you do for her to want to protect you like that? To lie to me like that! She is dying for fuck sake and she prefers to lie to her own sister to protect a stranger! She should be trusting her sister! So what have you done to her?”

“Calm down or you will get the manager’s attention making so much noise… Tell me, what did she say to you?”

Viki took a deep breath trying to calm down a bit, but she was still clearly mad, “She said you left right after I went off… but I know my sister, I know when she is lying.”

Riou just nodded with a pleasantly surprised smile, Viki clearly noticed it.

“What do you want? You want your blades back? Or that useless necklace? Is that it why you went after my sister?”

“What? No, I have no use for that now. And I know you can’t get it back either. After all, you use it to buy both your freedom. Right?”

“What do you know? Who told you?”

Riou nodded “But then why are you in an even deeper hole now than before?”

“Like you know anything! You have no idea what I went through to get there! What I had to do to keep her safe! And I will keep her alive whatever it takes! So if you hate me because of what I did to you, that’s fine! If you want to take revenge on me, come at me! You wouldn’t be the first! And I will take you down like I took them! My baby sister has nothing to do with what I did to you! So don’t you dare to get near her again or I will cut off those balls of yours just so your dear princess won’t have what to play with anymore!”

He widened his eyes in surprise and let out a laugh, he was sincerely amused by what she said and that threw Viki off completely, she frowned confused at him laughing like that.

“Well, I’d rather keep them if I can. Besides, I don’t have or had any intentions to harm you or your sister.”

She squinted her eyes at him, now she looked with more care, he seemed a bit different now. Viki could not see or feel that indifference, that disappointed look from before.

His expression was loosened up and now reminded her, even more, of the boy she met a long time ago.

Surprised and perplexed she dropped her guard a bit, “Just tell me straight then, was it you that put that idea in her head? You did talk to her, didn’t you?” her tone also changed, her anger was fading as she tried to make sense of what was going on. It was always like that when she got involved with him, she realized it in her mind.

Riou sighed, “that potion is just a nasty poison. If the curse doesn't kill her, that thing definitely will.”

“But… it makes her live longer doesn’t it?”

“Not anymore. And you should trust your sister more, she is clearly the smarter of the family. So if she says she doesn’t need it, believe her.”

Viki shook her head, “but nobody with that curse ever survived a year without it! And the curse can’t be cured!”

Riou went serious, “Maybe she resisted it, maybe the curse went away, maybe it was a blessing from the elements… and maybe now, you two could just leave this place and be finally, truly free from it.”

She forced a laugh “Cured? Leave? It’s so easy for you to say that. She can’t be cured from that curse! And I can’t just leave! It doesn’t work like that!”

Riou shrugged “Then maybe it is because she knows what you are really doing and decided to do something about it. So why don’t you talk to her for a change, be with her instead of leaving her all alone day after day waiting for death? Isn’t that worse than the curse she has?”

Viki widened her eyes after hearing that “She knows?”

Riou stands up and walks by her, tapping her shoulder “Go and stay with your sister.”

Viki's eyes filled with tears, “But I don’t want her to die.”

He smiles at her, “Don’t give her that poison anymore and she won’t.” Viki could feel the confidence and certainty in his words, his eyes weren’t the ones of someone who was lying.

Riou then walks away towards the door.

Viki sweeps the tears from her eyes and turns to him “Wait!”

He puts the hand on the handle of the door “I heard Brigantium is a good place to start over. There is a rich merchant that lives there, I think he wouldn’t mind helping you two settling in… But I guess you knew all that, didn’t you?” He was opening the door and was ready to leave.

“Wait! You asked me about the lower levels in this place, didn’t you?! You want to know about them? Just tell me what you know about my sister and I will tell you all about them!”

Riou stopped completely as he was opening the door “All about them? Do you know what happens there?” he asked as his mood switched up, instantly.

Viki realized she made a mistake “I mean… I can tell what I heard about them.”

“Can you open those doors?”

“No… nobody can without the keys. Only a few patrons have the portal keys, but nobody knows who or which floor they go once opening the portal.”

Riou nodded and looks straight at Viki “I’d go looking for another job if I were you, this place won’t be open for long.” he walks out and closes the door behind him, leaving Viki alone in the room.

“As if that was so simple… I can’t just leave the Black Rose without paying what it’s due,” she murmurs to herself.

The manager sees Riou leaving the room and immediately approaches him, “I was about to call you my lord, the room is ready for the meeting.”

“Let’s get going then, are the other lords arriving? I believe we all have another appointment tonight, it’s a busy day after all and I’d like to get things going as soon as possible”

“Indeed! And I must say, Lord Tullius Partridge parties can’t be missed, one is more memorable than the next! But, please my lord, come this way. The room is right down this corridor. I’m sure the others will be arriving shortly.”

The room was set with a big table in the middle, to its side, two stands. All covered with a long velvet red cloth. The manager walked towards it. “Is everything to your liking my lord? We arranged it as you specified.”

“Yes, this will be adequate.”

The door opens, a servant looks at the manager and nods. “Ah, right on time! It seems all our guests finally arrived. Please, Leon, show them in!” he asked the servant.

Lord Nesdam, Lord Hiard, and Lady Von Drampt quickly enter the room as the servant opens the doors for them.

“That was quick, I thought you said you had to prepare, so I wasn’t expecting anything this soon,” said Lord Hiard looking at the tables.

“What can I say, my people work fast.”

“That’s good to hear, now, let’s see them.” Lord Hiard approached the table. “May I?”

“By all means,” said Riou.

Hiard pulled the cloth revealing the contents on top of the table

A sword on a scabbard, a chest leather armor with some metal plating, and lastly, a cube enveloped by a silky cloth.

“Hum, interesting!” Lord Nesdam was the first to speak.

“The metal on the guard and roughly detailed, it sure looks... simple.” Hiard smiled with a smug face, glancing at the other lords.

But Lady Von Drampt didn’t even care to listen to him, she was already immersed in something that caught her attention. She looked at the leather armor and got completely frozen.

“Madam? Is everything alright?” asked the manager, gathering everyone's attention to her.

“Is this… Is this leather enchanted?”

“Nonsense! Leather can’t be…” Lord Nesdam stopped as he looked where Lady Von Drampt was pointing, completely taken by surprise. There were runes inscribed on the leather, small and clearly filled with mana already.

Riou then removed the cloth from the two stands. “Since you are already inspecting the items, would you care to look at these too? Do you all recognize them?” he asks.

“Yes,” said lord Hiard, looking at the items on the stand while the other two were still quite shocked with the leather armor on the table. “The armor is from Nesdam armorers, and the sword is from a mine manufacturer. You can tell by the well-crafted handle and guard, made of an alloy of gold and silver, covering a base of iron! Now for last, the shield I reckon it has the runes of the Von Drampt family on it..”

Riou nodded “Good, I got these bought earlier today for this test. Can you all attest to the quality and authenticity of these items?”

“Yes, I can attest to it,” Said Hiard.

“Now, mister manager, would you please help me with the demonstration?”

The manager put the leather armor on the stand, right beside Nesdam's armor. He then picked Hiard’s iron sword and stepped back, looking at Riou, waiting for his signal. In front of Nesdam’s leather armor, Riou nodded to him. The manager pulled the sword back and swung at the armor. Hitting it in a downward diagonal swing, making a small cut on the leather.

Lord Hiard smiled proudly, “See? My swords are the best, not even Lord Nesdam’s armor is capable of withstanding such a sharp blade!”

Lord Nesdam smirked, “That’s just a superficial cut, it would do no damage to the user! The armor is clearly superior to the blade!”

“Shut up you two, now you will see what real protection is about!” said Lady Von Drampt as the Manager stepped to the side, towards the shield.

“Please go as hard as you can, mister Manager” Urged Riou.

He complied, the blow was strong, the blade hit it precisely on the middle of the shield and suffered quite a bit from the impact. The edges of the blade were gone where it hit, and the shield barely had a scratch on it.

“See? Magic is better than Iron, leather, or wood!” said the lady with a satisfied tone of superiority.

Riou looked at them, “So, are these results within your expectations?”

As the three nodded. “Mister manager, the next round please.”

With Hiard’s sword, he went to face Riou’s leather armor.

And without notice, he started to hit it with full force. One after the other, switching up the blade sides and angles as he kept attacking it without rest.

Once he finally stopped, not a single cut could be seen on the armor, not even a single thread was out of place.

“That’s impossible! Let me see this sword!” Lord Hiard took the sword and noticed that the already damaged blade was now completely useless, as it was caught between two boulders and became a lump of Sharpless metal.

“As you can see, my armor withstood it. Now mister manager, why don’t you switch to my sword and redo all tests.”

The manager nodded and walked to it, picked up slowly, carefully removing the sheath, revealing the blade to the lords for the first time.

Their eyes widened instantly, the metal color, the edge, and the shining blue runes inscribed on the blade were more than they could expect.

“That color… that blade. It’s living metal isn’t it?” Said Hiard.

“Forget that! Look at those runes! Look how they glow!” Lady von Drampt swallowed hard while Lord Nesdam was out of words.

“My goodness, you three have no idea what it feels to hold this weapon!” Said the manager completely taken by the feeling of power surging in him.

“Mister manager, please, the demonstration.”

“Of course, of course, apologies… I will continue. But this blade is an artifact, isn’t it?” asked the manager, swinging it around with extreme dexterity and ease.

Riou smiled “Nothing of the sort, this is a commonly manufactured weapon. Now, please, proceed with the demonstration. The lords are eager to see what it can do.”

“This is no ordinary blade! But I shall continue, with pleasure!” The manager stood in front of Nesdam’s Leather armor. He swung the sword at it, cutting the whole armor in one go.

“What is that blade!” Lord Nesdam was shocked with the results. “That was reinforced leather! Not even a spell of sharp ice blades could cut through it like that!”

“But this blade did! Why don’t we test the shield now, Mister Manager,” said Riou pointing to the shield?

The manager promptly took his place in front of it and all three lords held their breath in anticipation.

The manager prepared to strike!

“Wait!” Lady Von Dramp rushed to the shield pulling a small metallic needle from inside her dress.

She put her hand on the shield, pouring her mana as she scratched on it a few more symbols. Once she was finished, they flashed in a blue dim light that remained lit after she left.

“Now, let’s see if this sword is as good as you say! This is the best my house has to offer! No blade can damage this shield now!” she smiled proudly.

The manager smiled at it, “Very well, I shall do my best to put your words to test then!” and swung against the shield.

The sword entered the metal and wood deeply, all the way to the middle of the shield. He then pulled it off it with ease and swung it again from the opposing side. Once again, the sword cut through with ease, destroying the shield completely as it reached its already damaged midsection.

“By the elements! It cut the shield!” lord Nesdam smiled from ear to ear.

Hiard widened his eyes and looked at Lord Nesdam, before turning to Von Drampt.

The lady was now pale, her house’s best runes meant nothing against such a weapon and she realized what that meant. She had to be part of that deal no matter the cost now or her reputation would plummet.

“Now for the final demonstration.”

The manager moved to the other stand, where Riou’s armor was. “Are you sure?” he asked Riou, but he just nodded.

The manager once again swung against the item on the stand. The sword hit, at first as if nothing had happened, but upon further inspection. A small cut appeared on the armor.

Lady Von Drampt's eyes went immediately to the glowing glyphs on the armor “Those enchants!? Will they come with the armor too? You are selling them with it, right?”

“Yes, every item will be as you see here. Nothing less, nothing more.”

She nodded to herself, knowing all too well she would need to buy that just to learn its secrets.

Lord Nesdam suddenly laughed out loud, “Haha! Allard will be invincible if we supply these things to our soldiers! We can dominate all kingdoms with ease! Argos included!”

Lord Hiard nodded in agreement “I was skeptical at first, I just can’t believe something like this exists. It's just like those artifacts of the legends! Can you really create these items on a large scale?”

Riou nodded “Yes, well, my artisans and researchers can. But since I paid them for it, the blueprints for these items are mine.”

Lady Von Drampt’s attention switched to the table, there was one more item there. “And this last thing, what is it for?” she asked, very curious now.

Riou smiled, “I’m glad that you asked, this is a bonus. I couldn’t get anything out of it, so I decided to bring it along to the famous Iris auction house to sell it.”

“So this is a one and only item?” asked Nesdam.

“This here is the true artifact! Found with one of the mages that were taken down during Thane's incident a couple years back. I couldn’t do much with it, Argonian magic isn’t my thing. So I thought maybe some lord would like to buy it for some reason, or as a collection item. I heard they liked these kinds of things over here.”

“Argonian magic you say? Isn’t it dangerous then?” asked Lady Von Drampt.

“Well, my mages and researchers tried to do something with this and nothing happened. So I assume it’s safe enough. Mister manager, if you could demonstrate.”

They picked it up and removed the cloth revealing an intricate crafts cube with holes that poured a green dim light out.

He focused his mana on the object and after a few moments, the green light began to get shinier and grow from the cube itself, expanding all over the room.

Everyone looked at it astonished, “What do all these runes do? I can feel a tremendous power emanating from them!” asked lady Von Drampt.

“By the elements! I can feel it in my skin! In my body!” said Lord Hiard. “Shut it down!”

But lord Nesdam was smiling, “No, this thing feels great!”

Riou covered the cube ending the effect completely and shutting down the cube.

“That’s the thing, since nobody outside of Argos can translate these runes, we don’t quite know what they do. And since we can’t go ask them, I decided to take what I can from it instead of letting it store dust somewhere.”

“For that feeling alone I’d buy it!” said Lord Nesdam.

“On the auction, you will have your chance as everyone else,” said Riou with a merchant smile.

“I see, no worries, I will be looking forward to it! Don’t forget to tell me the date! I will be on the front row for sure!”

Riou smiled “Very well, my lords, my lady. Now that the presentation is over, let’s talk about money.”

“How much do you want?” asked lord Hiard.

“With 1.000.000 coins I will provide you with 50 swords and 25 armors, then you will pay me 50% of what you sell monthly.”

“What! For that price we could buy half Allard! And you will want more monthly?”

Lord Nesdam “75 items total, 20k the swords, 40k the armor. Not a bad price I’d say.”

“Not a bad price? Who can pay that?” said Lord Hiard.

“We are not just purchasing the goods, am I right, master Brahm?”

“Smart as always, Lord Nesdam, indeed, you are buying my undivided attention with that price, as long as you can pay it monthly, I will supply it as needed.”

“His attention?” asked Lord Hiard to Nesdam.

“He means he won’t sell these to anyone else but us, that’s the reason for the steep price and the cut. We will be paying 1kk coins but imagine how much we will be selling these then? How much would you pay on a sword like this?”

“100k easily!”

“Do you see now?”

Lord Hiard nods with a big smile, “If we sell them first and then pay, then that price will be easy to reach!”

Riou shook his finger “1.000.000 in advance, please”

“But that’s way too much for us three alone, even if we put our fortunes together we will fall short,” said Hiard.

“Then go ask for loans, get partners, I don’t care what you do as long as I get my money,” said Riou.

“Yes, we will have to make some deals first.” Lord Nesdam nodded at Riou “Give us some time, we will definitely get the coin that you asked for, sooner than later, don’t worry about that.”

“Oh, I’m not worried in the slightest, I’m sure you wouldn’t want me to go somewhere else. Don’t make me regret my decision of coming to Iris for this, nor disappoint the Manager that recommended your names for this deal.”

“Yes, we all have many favors to pay and to call out now.” Nesdam smiled “Some blackmail too, so, if you excuse me, lord Brahm. I would like to get going right away. But we will be seen each other again later on, won’t we?”

“Lord Tullius party? Yes, I will be there.”

Lord Hiard and Lady Von Drampt nodded as well “We shall do the same, until tonight lord Brahm, it has been a pleasure and we are all eager to do business with you.”

“Of course, and don’t forget to advertise this thing, I’d hate to have an empty room on my auction day.” He picked the cube and wrapped it with a cloth to store it.

“Absolutely! Don’t worry Lord Brahm, this auction of yours will be lively, I’ll make sure everyone hears about it!” said Lord Nesdam taking his leave with the other two.

“I will get the servants to prepare your things on a carriage. I will be back shortly.” the manager quickly left the room.

Riou took a deep breath and sat down on a chair. And after checking he was finally alone, he picked up the orange crystal. “Max, they loved your cube thing! Your spell worked like a charm!”

“Well, to be honest, I didn’t do much, it’s not all my spell.”

“I didn’t know the Great Magus was so Humble, oh and your numbers were on point too. They will definitely have to spread the word now if they wish to gather more resources, everyone will know about it before the meeting tonight, I’m sure of it.”

“Yes, nothing better than greed to motivate these bastards. And I’m sure most of these results were because of the spectacle you put up for them. They must have been astonished by what your things can do.”

“It’s a washed-down version but powerful enough to make them drool all over it.”

“I imagine, they had never seen anything like that before, I’m sure. But now that the bait was set, we wait! Just pay attention, and see if you can discover anything at the party! Any lead you get might be important!”

“I know, I know, I’m on it… but Max, what about the lower levels in this place? What’s Bhalrom status right now?”

“He must be still at Lord Tullius house for the keys… it’s taking some time, I hope we hear some response shortly.”

“Keep me informed and tell Bhalrom to hurry, I have a really bad feeling about this place, something really doesn’t add up, but I can’t put my finger on it yet.”

“Lady Umbra? Lady Umbra?” Galan knocked on the door of her room at the inn. “You’ve been there all morning, so I was thinking if I could run some errands of my own, I’d be back late at night.”

“Come inside, servant.”

Galan sighed a bit disappointed and entered the room with a smile on his face. “What can I do for you today, my lady?” Umbra was standing in the dark, no light was lit and no window open.

She looked at him with intent as he entered. Galan could swear that her eyes gleamed with a red light just now.

“I’ve been thinking for a while now. But I believe I might need some help to understand it.”

“Whatever you require, you can count on me!”

Umbra turned and walked towards him. “I’m finding myself in a conundrum, and I can’t remember the last time I’ve been like this. If ever, to be honest with you.”

Galan became a bit concerned “If I can help solve it, I will do my best, my lady.”

“You see, my purpose to have come with him to these places was to better understand my father. To do so, I’m trying to be just like him, an observer and nothing more.”

Galan swallowed hard. “Yes?”

“And I confess that I can understand it better now. I mean, the reason why he does it. But I expected it to be quite a different endeavor. The humans around me are always busy, always doing something, they never take time to appreciate the now. I believe it’s because of their short lifespan, but still, I find it hard to keep up with them sometimes.”

“I don’t think I’m understanding the issue here, what do you need help with Lady Umbra?”

She nodded, “I’m now wondering, how to handle this impartial, bystander position when it could inevitably cause someone’s demise, maybe even my own, if I’m not careful.”

“That didn’t clarify anything, my lady, it actually made things harder to understand. Who's demise you are talking about?”

She smiled “Tell me, what do you see when you look at me?”

“Well, you are a gorgeous woman, strong and decided. Clearly of a noble birth. And I just don’t understand why you take the sidelines and let that man do everything.

“Interesting, am I not a regular human female then? Am I not subservient, powerless, and frail female?”

“Far from it, my lady. I’ve seen you take a dagger to your back and it didn’t even damage your dress! You are clearly not a frail woman nor someone that bows down to others! I think you are some powerful mage, probably even stronger than those lions! not even them could take a dagger to the back like that without any protection and not even feel it! Your ability with mana is clearly on a different level!”

Umbra pondered for a moment, “And all this time I thought that I was managing it perfectly." She nodded and smiled at herself "Well, it’s clear to me now that once again my frail perspective of the human world still doesn't reflect on the reality surrounding me. How enlightening, I need time to ponder upon this realization. You may now leave, Servant.”

Galan was more confused than ever, “My lady, a question if I may… before I go.”

“What is it?”

“Why is that the only ones you don’t refer to as humans or servants are your father and the trader? I mean, I understand the respect towards your father, but the trader? I can’t quite understand why you listen to him that much. He is younger and adopted. As I see it, you should be the one calling the shots around here.”

She smiled “I believe we all have our secrets, don't we?”

Galan widened his eyes, ‘Does she know?’

“What do you mean, my lady? I'm an open book, I'd never allow any secrets between us!”

Umbra became very serious, “A word of advice, servant. If you ever find yourself in a position where you are forced to choose a side, take his, always, without a moment of delay or second thought!”

That advice felt more like a warning.

He smiled and controlled himself, “See? You just did it again. ‘Him’, not brother, not trader, not his name, not servant… not even human, word you love saying to everyone. But not to him, right? Why is that? Why is he the only one you treat differently? Not even the princess gets a pass, or the magus… heck not even Arthas, he is just another servant to you!”

Umbra just walked calmly back to the darkness as he continued to speak.

“It’s not like you are afraid of him, but there is a respect that I can’t quite place. So why do you do it? Isn’t he just like you?”

Umbra looked at him and for a moment Galan could see red glowing eyes and a mouth larger than it should be, just for a moment, as she replied “No, he is not.”

Galan was very surprised, “What is he then?” he asked.

“I don’t know”

Galan chuckled, “And you? You are a mage right?”

“Leave, servant. And I suggest you take these words of mine to heart.”

Galan nodded and left the room in a hurry. ‘She knows! Or she wouldn’t warn me like that, fuck!’ he stops and turns around, looking at Umbra’s door ‘Should I kill her?’ he shook his head and continued on his way and out of the inn.

In the darkness of her room, Umbra closes her eyes and whispers into the dark shadows… “Riou… hear my voice.”

Few moments later and a voice came through the shadows.

“Umbra?”

“I’ve decided on my rewards.”

“Can’t it wait until I’m back?”

“No.”

“Fine, what do you want?”

“I want you to lift our agreement, I may have to kill a human, soon.”

Riou went silent for a moment. “Are you sure about this? May I ask who or why?”

“I’d prefer you didn’t, as the future is yet to be decided and I wish to see how it unfolds without your interference.”

Riou paused once again for a few moments. “Very well… I will let you make that decision when the time comes. You are allowed to kill, if you judge you have to. I trust you will be fair.”

She stepped back from the shadows and smiled, “Humans, they are truly unpredictable creatures,” clearly amused with everything that was happening.

Viki left the room right after Riou and the manager disappeared from sight. Viki was set to go home and see her sister and quickly went downstairs. And as she turned sharply towards the back entrance, she bumped into Vadir.

“Hello Viki, where are you going in such a hurry?” he asked with a smile.

“I have some business to take care of, so if you don’t mind. I really need to go.”

Vadir smiled brightly, with an amusement that disturbed Viki greatly. And as he stepped aside to give her space to move. She knew something was up.

Slowly moving past him, she walked cautiously towards the back of the place, where there was a door to the back alley.

She didn’t see anyone but the usual workers of the Tulip as she moved towards the door. But the image of Vadir wouldn’t leave her mind. Something was definitely wrong, and she was carefully moving from room to room towards the exit.

Once she reached the far back and the door. She leaned on the wall and waited, checking the way she came from for Vadir, in case he was following her.

A long time passed and no one came for her.

More relaxed, she finally left the building through the door and began making her way home through the long alley.

As she was almost leaving it, and entering the street, three large men appeared from the corner and whistled loudly at the alley.

“Shit!” she turned around and dashed towards the other side, but as soon as she started, more of them appeared on the other side of the alley. She was trapped there now.

“Leaving so soon? I wonder what your boss would say if he knew about it” she hears Ciram’s voice as he appeared behind the men he brought.

“Well, I was actually going to talk to him, so if you don’t want me to add your name to the conversation you better step away, now!”

He smiled and shook his head, “No, no, no. I believe that after last night I can’t do that. You didn’t think that I would forget it. I must say that I don’t have a clue on how you pulled that on me. And you see, you put me quite on a spot after that incident. And we can’t have that, can we?” he shows the others around him. “So today I’ve come prepared.”

“Fuck you Ciram, I did nothing, you are just too stupid to know what or who hit you! But that’s not my concern, now step away, I’m really not in the mood to entertain stupid people like you today!”

“Shut up! You will do as I say when I say it! Now go get her! Alive!”

Viki immediately turned, both groups were dashing towards her on the Alley.

There wasn’t much time, she looked around. The door was too far away for her to reach now, but there was a window opened on the second floor not too far from reach.

She waited a moment and then dashed forward, jumping on the sidewall at the right moment for impulse and then quickly stepping on the tallest thug approaching her, using him as a stepping stone to reach the window.

Viki was too quick and nimble, for the large men to react in time and managed to climb up the window as they looked dumbfounded at her from below.

“Viki! Don’t think you can escape this time!” she hears Ciram voice as she enters the Tulip once again.

She quickly moves down towards the main exit and to the street. But Vadir was standing at the door talking to one of the bodyguards of the tulip.

Viki moved back and started to search the enemies through the windows of the second floor. And one by one she noticed that Ciram men were already there, groups of 3 to five people, taking man positions around the place, clearly ready to ambush her when she stepped out.

“Damn, they already surrounded the place!? Ciram is fast.” she looked at the thugs, they didn’t look like assassin guild material, probably some hired muscle at a cheaper price. Ciram was a cheap bastard after all. And was her only saving grace at that moment.

“I can take down one or two thugs… but this many is out of question.”

A thought quickly came to her head as she remembered who else was on the tulip that morning.

“He would help me, wouldn’t he? After all, this is his fault!” she quickly made her way back to the private rooms where she saw him going into.

As she approaches the corridor, she sees Lord Hiard, Lord Nesdam, and Lady Von Drampt leaving one of the rooms in the far back and smiles.

“Where are you going, Viki?” Vadir Voice comes from the stairs in the back.

Viki glances back to see Vadir approaching quickly, she moves forward, through the incoming lords, greeting the nobles as they cross paths.

She glances back and sees that Vadir waits for the nobles to leave the corridor while looking straight at her. Ready to go after her, there was no other way but forward now.

“Viki? What are you doing here?” asked the manager that appeared in front of her.

She lets out a sigh of relief “Finally found you. The guild is trying to break the pact with the Rose and threatened to get me. Vadir is clearly helping them.”

“My goodness! Is that true, mister Vadir?”

She widened her eyes and glanced back as Vadir approached them with a serious expression.”

“I’m afraid it is this time, mister manager, it seems she has been a naughty girl and needs some spanking.”

Viki stepped back confused as to why would he say that.

“This is really troubling… shall we move away from the guest area, I’d hate to trouble them with this internal issue.”

Viki looked at Vadir and then at the manager… Both of them were awfully quiet and waiting for her response. All her senses of danger screamed.

She glanced at the door where Riou was, not too far away from her reach now.

But before she could do anything, Ciram then appears from behind Vadir, waving at her, smiling. “I told you that you wouldn’t escape this time, didn’t I?”

She immediately turned, filling her lungs to shout as she was about to jump at the door. But a sudden hit on her back made everything turn dark for Viki that fell unconscious to the ground.

“Now, what did I say? I told you not to bother mister Brahm again. Now, be a good girl and go with mister Vadir and Mister Ciram.”

Ciram smiled and waved for two of his men to approach and pick her up. Vadir blocked them, “Let me handle this” and went to grab her.

Ciram nodded and looked at the manager, “The boss said he wants you questioning this one, and he wants it later on, today.”

The manager smiled “Today? He wants to work even during his own party? Oh well, it can’t be helped then. Tell the owner that it will be my pleasure to help him with it.”