Arnel woke up late the next day. It was already late morning and his three companions were nowhere to be seen. Arnel got up slowly. He missed sleeping in a warm bed more than he thought he would. He went down and an unconscious smile came to his face at the smell of food. His fellow mutants were in the inn and they signal him over. Left with little choice, he went over and sat down. Breakfast was some chow that was good for filling the stomach and nothing else but as Arnel ate, the other mutants began talking about seeing the city.

Arnel groaned inwardly. The three mutants of the Red Creator were in a new city and naturally wanted to see the city. Arnel had been expecting something like this ever since he heard that Meadow was a village girl and even with their mission, he had no real problem with them relaxing a little. The problem was that as a former resident of the city, he would have to act as the guide. To their credit, his companions waited till he finished breakfast before poaching the subject. Arnel could hardly refuse. He console himself that at least this way, he could make sure the three of them don’t get into trouble while exploring the city.

Stepping out of the inn, the three mutants looked at Arnel expectantly. With a stoic face, Arnel gave nothing away but he was wondering where to take them. Ideally he wanted a way to both show them the city as well as help in the mission. After some thinking, Arnel decided to just take them to the important places of the city. They began walking down the street and after a while, came to a small plaza. As they walked, Arnel told the others to take in the surroundings and pointed out the public well. The area immediately around the well was full of women chatting with each other. He began his introduction to the city of Yachium.

“The neighborhoods of Yachium are all organized around the public well. Here the women would take water for drinking, cooking and washing. Most of them also act as the neighborhood gathering point. Come on.”

The mutants walked on and got onto the main street. The surroundings changed almost immediately as pack animals like horses and donkeys pull wagons down the main street. Several merchants’ stalls fill both sides of the street.

“The main street is the artery of the city. Most of them lead to one of the city gates and connect the gates to the inner city.”

“Inner city?” Ransford asked.

“It’s a local term. It’s basically the area where all the Duke and his cronies are located.” As Arnel explained, the group moved on and the others began looking at the various merchant stalls. Arnel slowed and began telling the others where the various items came other. Yachium was a major city in the region and he found himself enjoying this. The mutants slowly move on and after passing the last of the merchant stalls, Arnell stop at the side of a building. He pointed out a three story building further down the street to his companions.

“That’s the Hunt Council building of Yachium. Remember where it is. This will be one of the main buildings of resistance and we need to take it as soon as possible when the fighting starts.”

The three mutants of the Red Creator began looking at the building in earnest. The large house was made of stone and was in great condition. From where they were, the group could see through the wide windows that the interior was done in colors that remind you of a tropical forest. The yard out front was small but was overgrown with many wild plants. If they hold the door, the three of them could easily imagine a score of arrows raining down from the upper floors. Hunters are known for their bow skills.

“What kind of resistance should we expect?” Jeffery asked.

“When the alarm sounds, almost all the hunters in this city would make for this building. Once they realize they lost the main gate, the Guardsman of Yachium would pull back to the barracks but those that can’t make it there will head here instead. For some reason, some of the higher ranked hunters are missing from the city but we still need to take the building or the Hunt Council will use it as a base.”

“How do we do that if all the hunters in the city would be here?”

“Speed. The Kin has a map of the city I drew for them but when fighting starts, things get confusing. One of you need to lead them to this location. Hopefully we can overwhelm them before the hunters set up their defense.”

“What about the Blade and Mage Council?” Ransford asked.

“I’ll show you the buildings later. Keep their location in mind especially the Blades Council building. I think the Mage building will be the easiest. They haven’t been the same since the demise of The Grand.”

Following the main street, the group move towards the eastern section of Yachium. The trip was quicker as the mutants were no longer stopping at the merchant stalls. Arnel’s warning of the Hunt Council building has reminded the three of their mission. As they walked on, the group passed a patrol of Guardsmen.

The residents of the city clear out of the way of the patrol and the mutants did the same. Arnel was slower than the rest. When the patrol pass, Arnel look at four Guardsman and realized he knew all of them. More importantly, he saved one of them before. Young Aaron was leading the patrol, no doubt a promotion for surviving the attack that afternoon at the edge of the Great Kar Forest. The bitter irony of the situation taste like bile in his mouth. Giving a silent sigh, Arnel shook his head and lead the other mutants onwards.