Although his bosses had told him to rest while they were gone, Easton continued working. It simply didn’t feel right to stay idle, especially when there was still work to be done. Chicken Castle was closed, but the tables still needed to be wiped, the floors needed to be mopped, and the chairs needed to be stacked.

Easton scrubbed at a table until it gleamed, before moving on to the next one. He didn’t stop until all the tables were spotless. Seeing the fruits of his labor brought a satisfied smile to his face. He hoped his bosses would be pleased with his work. They’d given him so much, but all he could offer them in return was his labor. He also enjoyed working at Chicken Castle. It gave him a sense of purpose.

Coco was busy mopping the floor. "I can't wait to see the look on their faces when they get back."

"How come?"

"The floors will be so shiny that they'll need to cover their eyes."

Easton laughed. "I'm sure they will."

There was knocking at the door.

"They're back!" Coco dropped the mop and darted toward the door.

She unlocked it and flung it open. Standing on the other side was a tall man in a scarlet surcoat.

Easton approached him. "Sorry, we're closed."

Ignoring Easton, the man entered and scanned Coco from head to toe. "Is this the first-class beauty you've been talking about, Otto? If so, then I'm thoroughly disappointed. She's as flat as a board."

Coco picked her mop off the floor and pointed it at the man. "Who are you calling flat? Get lost!"

A short, chubby man entered. "That's not her. Knights, restrain them at once and search the restaurant!"

Easton recognized him immediately. He was the man who had caused a disturbance at Chicken Castle a few days ago.

"Yes, sir!" A group of knights streamed into the restaurant.

One of them yanked the broom from Coco’s hand. Two other knights grabbed her arms.

Coco screamed and kicked. “Let me go!”

Easton tried to pry them off her, but a knight grabbed him and slammed him onto the floor.

"What do you want?" He struggled to break free, but the knight held him down firmly.

The short man kneeled next to Easton. "Where is the beauty?"

He must be talking about Alana. Is this payback for what happened earlier?

Easton remained silent.

The knights who were searching the restaurant returned.

"There's no one in the kitchen."

"She's not upstairs either."

The short man held a serrated knife against Easton's face. "We can do this the hard way or the easy way. Now tell me, where is she?"

Coco struggled against her captors. "Don't tell him anything, Easton!"

Easton kept his mouth shut.

The short man gritted his teeth. "Can someone please shut her up!"

Coco grunted. Her screams stopped.

"Coco?" When Easton didn’t hear a response, he struggled with all his might to break free. "She’s just girl! How can you be so ruthless?"

The short man sighed. "Finally, some peace. Where were we? Oh yes, as I was saying -"

"Finish this quickly." The tall man headed for the door.

The short man turned to face him. "What about the girl?"

"She doesn't interest me. Do whatever you want with her."

"Thank you, Prince Darius! I'll put her to work at my brothel right away. And the restaurant?"

"Don’t leave any evidence. Burn it to the ground."

"Gladly." The short man turned back to Easton. "In a way, I'm glad you're tight-lipped. It's always more fun that way. In the end, they always talk."

He brought his knife toward Easton’s face.

***

Breathing heavily, he raised his hefty sword and brought it down. His arm ached, but he continued repeating the motion. With each swing, his toned muscles rippled underneath his skin.

Even with the window open, the hotel room seemed too hot. Sweat trickled down his neck and bare, chiseled back. Although he’d been swinging his sword in his room for the past week, he hadn’t damaged the room's walls or furniture. This could be attributed to his master level control of his sword.

Dugu found solace in sword training. Whenever his mind was plagued with worries, he swung his sword. On the surface, it appeared to be a simple act. But every movement took considerable mental and physical effort to execute. The training pushed both his mind and body to their limits. It demanded so much focus that he would temporarily forget about his worries. When he was training, he entered into his own little world - one that contained just him and the sword in his hand.

With each passing day, he grew more restless. The last time he spoke with Thrax, through the ring, was in Dubin Village. Afterwards, no matter how much mana he poured into it, he couldn’t get hold of him.

He kept track of Hupo's location, so he could find him when he needed to. He’d been living at a hotel near Chicken Castle, ever since he learned that Hupo was staying at the restaurant. He’d also dined regularly at Chicken Castle and met Hupo’s companions.

The scent of smoke wafted into his room. Dugu put down his sword and looked out the window.

Black smoke billowed toward the night sky from a nearby building.

Isn't that where Hupo's restaurant is?

Without a second thought, he put his shirt on, grabbed his sword, and bolted out of the hotel, toward the burning building. He hadn’t forgotten how Hupo had offered to help him, at great personal risk. What kind of man would he be, if he didn’t do everything in his power to help his benefactor in return?

The flames engulfing Chicken Castle cast an orange and yellow glow. They roared as they consumed what had once been a popular restaurant. The windows broke outwards, leaving shards of glass scattered across the ground outside. Now that he was standing in front of the inferno, he could feel intense heat against his skin.

But his resolve didn’t waver. He rammed through the burning doors. Thick grey smoke filled the interior of the restaurant. It stung his eyes, burned his lungs, and left a smoky taste in his mouth. Crackling flames licked the walls and swept across the ceiling.

“Is anyone here?”

There was no response. All he could hear was his own heavy breathing and crackling and popping sounds from all directions. He winced as the extreme heat turned his sweat into steam, scalding his skin.

Coughing, he navigated his way around the maze of burning chairs and tables. The wooden floorboards creaked and groaned with each step. It was difficult to see anything through the thick smoke. He stepped onto something sticky. Crouching down, he spotted a man sprawled on the floor, in a pool of blood.

"It's going to be alright! Hold on!" He carried the man over his shoulder.

Dodging the fiery debris falling around him, he made a hasty exit from the burning restaurant. Once he was outside, he received cheers from the crowd of onlookers. The air outside was refreshing. He’d never realized that air could taste so good.

When he lay the man onto the ground, some of the onlookers screamed. There was no skin on the man’s face, only raw, weeping flesh.

Dugu touched side of the man’s neck and felt a pulse. He removed a healing potion from his waist and poured it into the man’s mouth.

The man coughed and gasped for air.

“Can you hear me? Was there anyone else inside?”

“Dugu?”

Dugu recognized the man’s voice. It belonged to Easton, one of Hupo’s workers.

“Is that you, Easton?” Seeing the once happy man in such a wretched condition pained his heart.

“Yes. Where are you? I can’t see anything. It’s so dark…”

“I’m right here.” As Dugu held Easton’s hand, tears streamed down his face. He saw that the other man’s eyes had been carved out of their sockets.

Don't worry about me,” Easton said. “Coco was taken to a brothel. You must hurry."

He’s still thinking about his companion, even in his current state? What a guy.

Dugu tightened his grip around Easton’s hand. "I'll save her. You need to rest."

Scanning the group of spectators around him, he recognized a face. "You're staying at the same hotel as me, right?"

The spectator nodded. "Yes, our rooms are on the same floor."

"Perfect, please take this injured man to my room. Here's my room key and something for your troubles." Dugu took out his room key and a handful of silver coins.

"I'll be glad to." The spectator took everything in Dugu's hand.

"Before you go, can you tell me where the closest brothel is?"

"There's only one in the city, not far from here. It's a superb place to unwind, but it's quite expensive."

Dugu's eyes widened and his mouth curved into a smile. "Great, I've got a lot of unwinding to do."