After a feast of pastries that Anita had saved for this leg of the journey, the crew were deciding on what to do with the bandits. “We can’t just leave these guys here, but we don’t have much more room in our wagon. Any suggestions?” The question was met with turned heads and unsatisfied looks. “Tie them to the back?” Everyone had turned to Eric, his suggestion had spark similar ideas. “Tie them to the roof?” After similar suggestions, the bandits spoke out in hopes of getting a less drastic travelling method. “Can’t we just sit on the floor? I’ll take being kicked over being thrown off a wagon at high-speed or being dragged across the ground.”

The man’s suggestion was taken, and all three bandits were tossed in to the wagon. “I hope the extra weight isn’t too much for the horses.” Anthony had turned around to face the rogue, “These girls could carry a building! We’ll get to that town today, not a minute later than we’re supposed to. Anita will sit in the extra wagon, along with the artifacts.”

“Why are you guys robing travelers?” Matthew was not new to the concept of thieves, but he wanted to know their specific reasons. “What else are we going to do? We’re no fighters as you can clearly see.” The man looked over his shoulder at one of the bandits in the corner. “Don’t go looking at us, we told you that woman was going to bring bodyguards next time.” The bandits looked as if they were going to start beating each other through the ropes. “Calm down,” Jessica kicked the man in the middle, “you guys will have plenty of time to kill each other when we get to town.”

“Where are you guys from?” It was Eric’s turn to ask the questions. He knew the lower echelon of Lumina wasn’t a prosperous place to live, but there were no thieves, except those stealing for the kingdom. “Umbro, different cities, the three of us.” Eric raised an eyebrow, not shocked but still curious, “The Umbro Kingdom? How is it holding up?” The bandit turned to him, confused, “Kingdom? Umbro hasn’t been a kingdom for over twenty years. We were only tots when it became a republic.”

All the teens looked at each other, completely stupefied. “Guessin you kids are from Lumina? They must not be teaching you a lot about the world.”

“I’m going to ask again, why did you become bandits? Is Umbro that bad now or is it for the money?” Matt was hoping to dig further into his own query. “I told you, we ain’t no fighters. We aren’t intellectuals. We don’t got many talents between the three of us, we’re just early risers who look intimidatin’.”

“You have some skills. You built a camp out in the woods, organized a group and a plan, and you had to get this rope from somewhere” Eric pointed to the rope that was used on the bandits. “You’re giving us too much credit. Even if we could do something, you’re just gonna throw us in the slammer now.”

The wagon began to slow down, the collective looked outwards to see a town not far from them. The town was large, boasting tons of buildings and a labyrinth of paths. “I’ll take you kids to the prison, the boss can show you around town.” The researchers had dumped the kids near a building with an outside barrier of barbwire.

“Geez, this place looks so big.” Brian stated to no one in particular. The group had sat outside the prison building doors, waiting for Matthew and Anita. “Get used to it, we’ll be seeing it for the next two years.” Eric exhaled, “Two years. I wonder if it’s going to be this exciting every week onward?”

“I doubt it. If those monsters are gone for good, and there are no more bandits, it’ll probably be really boring. But hey, can’t say we didn’t put in any work.” The rest of the group nodded, recalling their bruises and injuries from the other day. “Wonder what’s taking them so long?”

On cue, the doors behind the group flew open, Matt and Anita marching triumphantly toward the group. “Now that that’s done, how about food?” A choir of grumbling stomachs had spoken on behalf of their owners. “That’s a yes.”

“What happened earlier?” Adriana had convinced Matthew to go along with her, forcing Jessica to join Eric and Brian. “A lot of things. You’re going to have to be more specific.” The rogue gave him a look of disdain, a look that told him he was about to be slapped. “Fine. First, what took so long in the prison? Second, what happened between you and Jessica last night?”

“Well you see, getting those guys in to prison was easy. The people running the place said those bandits had a reputation for scamming and stealing, so it was easy to turn them in. The difficult part was…I convinced the prison to let them work out their time by doing manual labor.” Adriana just nodded her head disapprovingly. “Matt, you’re too good for this world.”

“As for Jessica, I talked with her last night.” The boy thought back on what happened the night prior, carefully tip-toeing around insult directed at Eric. “She said she would try to be nicer. I think.” The boy had a look of guilt and self-disappointment on his face. “Honestly Matt, that’s more than I expected. I think now we just wait and see if anything changes.” Matt was relieved before Adriana got close, making him uncomfortable again. “Did she say anything…weird?” He nodded, “She did at first, but she dropped it after things got serious.” As the two explored the town, Adriana fell behind a distance before whispering under her breath, ‘I understand why you don’t wanna be with her, but I don’t think you or anyone else realizes how long two years is…’

“How do we look? Brian and Eric had jumped out in front of Jessica, each posing to show off long coats. “Like dorks” the girl snorted. “Hey, Anita said Temperas was cold, we have to prepare.” Jessica walked away, picking out clothes from another rack, “I know, but maybe you should let me pick stuff out for you.” Eric looked over to Brian, “Why didn’t Adriana come again.” The girl picked out two coats and shoved one into each boy. “You guys are more fun to shop with; she doesn’t get excited unless we’re looking at weapons. Also, try these.”

“Hey Anita, what are you doing here?” Matthew had found the researcher at the town’s delivery station. “Checking for mail from my family; I told my husband to send letters here. I’m guessing you’re going to send mail to your brother?” He nodded, grabbing a letter and preparing to write. “I’ve got so much to tell him, I don’t know where to start.”

“Maybe tell him about the ruins, then save the rest for later. I doubt the rest of our adventures will be as crazy.” Taking her advice, Matt sealed his letter and put it in a box to be delivered.

The morning after, Anita had the group coalesce in the lobby of their hotel. “We should reach the port town today and Tempera tonight. Before we do, I need to let you know something.” The teens had focused their gazes on her, “Do we have to fight something else?!” The woman laughed nervously, “No, no! It’s merely a customs thing.” The looks of anger and fear were replaced by curiosity. “When our boat reaches the port, there will be an inspection. Don’t worry, you won’t have to do anything; it’s purely a concern for us adults. The city of Temperas is also home to Alzals. If you see a lizard walking upright, with clothes on, don’t be surprised: it’s just an Alzal.”

“Question, how far are we taking these things when we get to Temperas?” Jessica had tried to watch her words this time, but she had still felt nervous. “We’ll be dropping them off before we reach a place to rest. Temperas doesn’t have wagons, we have cars and trucks.” The teens look mystified at the mention of the vehicles. “You’ll see when we get there.”

“You know, my aunt Shelly lives around here.” Matt had spoken out subconsciously, the trip to the port town being uneventful. “How do you know that? I thought this was the first time you’ve been outside the kingdom?” Anita’s question had made the boy rub his hair, “My family once took a trip to my Aunt’s home when I was six. It was the only time I’ve ever been out of the kingdom.”

“So they haven’t visited since?” Anita had felt a little guilt when Matt had exhaled, “My dad told me she didn’t like the queen. Mom and Dad are friends with her, so…yeah.” The air around the group grew uncomfortable. “How do you feel about her?”

“I…I don’t know. Luke is friends with the princess, but I don’t have a strong opinion on either.”

“Hey look, it’s the ocean!” Brian shouted. The rest had joined in the acknowledgement, captivated by the serene blue. As the wagon grew closer, the sounds of birds became more apparent, the forestation to their right had begun to thin, and a town housing large vessels had come in to view. “There it is, the port town. Those large things on the water are ships.”

“I’ve seen ships before, but never in person. I’ve never seen one made of metal either.” Anita smiled at the cleric’s excitement. “I hope you kids like fish, because that’s about all these port towns have to eat.” The wagon continued until it reached the edge of town, where the boats were. “That’s our boat.” Following the direction Anita pointed at, expectations plummeting when the kids saw their mode of transportation: a small ship that wasn’t much bigger than the wagon. “I know it’s not impressive, but it’ll get us to Temperas and back in a couple hours.”

Upon emptying the extra wagon, the researcher took off. “Anthony is going to find a place for the horses to stay while we’re gone; we won’t have a place for them in Temperas.”

As the boat set sail, the group watched the port town shrink, the other man controlling the ship. “So you said there’s going to be an inspection? Why?” Anita tried to ignore Matt’s question, but he persisted. “It’s a long story. In short, they don’t want people leaving if they’re a citizen. Don’t ask why, I don’t know.” Satisfied with the answer, he joined the others as they looked toward the open blue.

“Hey Matt, look what Eric got!” Brian had signaled Eric, who pulled out a rapier from his bag. “That’s neat, do you know how to use it?” At this, Eric dipped the rapier near the water, bringing up enough water to form a large bubble. “What are you going to do with th-“ Matt quickly ducked under the water flung at him, instead hitting Jessica. “Oops.” The mage was furious, “Hey Eric, try that again; I bet Matt won’t duck this time.” She tried to freeze the water, but the water wouldn’t change. “Wait, why can’t I freeze the water?”

“It’s filled with salt.” The archeologist handed the girl a towel. “The salt in the water prevents it from freezing.” The mage sighed in defeat. “I’ll get you back for this, both you and Eric.”

As the sky began to change color, the group had reached the new continent. “There it is, the port of Temperas. This will be your first time setting foot in Pyora, are you excited?”

“Pyora?” Anita nodded, “The continent. Temperas is only one of many places in Pyora, just like Lumina is only one area in Araponza.”

Upon stopping at the harbor, the boat shook several times. “Is this the inspection?” The teens had froze, unsure of what to do. “Like I said, don’t worry.” The teens studied the boat intensely, hoping to spot the people supposedly inspecting them. After a minute, the boat had risen a little, the adults signaling to the teens that the inspection was over. ‘It’s never easy.’ Anita muttered to herself. “You kids wait here, okay?” The group nodded. “Good, those two will bring the truck and car, then we’ll deliver the artifacts to the museum and find a place to sleep.”

The teens gazed at their surroundings, taking in the dizzying heights and noisy sounds, in awe of the towers that rose hundreds of feet above the ground. “It’s bigger than that colosseum place.” Brian had considered that there may been heights even he couldn’t reach, at least not yet. “Anita, what was that earlier? I didn’t see anyone inspecting the boat, but I felt it sink a little.”

“Matt, you know about the Alzal right?” He nodded, “Yeah, they can turn…invisible. That was them just now?” The woman nodded back, “Not every Alzal is invisible, but the ones that are can’t be seen unless you’re a light user. Some can hide even from light users. Not only do they conceal themselves, they can also hide their clothes and whatever they’re holding.” The thought of what had happened sent chills down his spine.

The sound of honking had caught the group’s attention. “What’s that thing?” Adriana looked at the white box on rubber circles that had was pulling a taller box behind it. “It’s a truck, and the thing behind it is a trailer. We’ll be hauling our finds in the trailer.” After the kids loaded the hollow white box with the artifacts, the truck took off. “Whether it’s a wagon or a truck, he always seems in hurry. Anita, are we going to walk there?” Anita shook her head at the worried mage. “Nope,” the woman pointed to another white box, this one notable for not having an obvious area for putting stuff, nor a trailer behind it, “I have my own car.”

“Seat belts.” The teens had followed Anita’s instructions, Matt getting a front seat, watching intently as she operated the vehicle. “Why do we need these things?” Eric had pulled at the strap. “Cars go much faster than wagons; I don’t want you getting flung out the window.” With a jump, the vehicle chased after the other researchers.

The teens watched as buildings and stationary objects passed by, a blur in their eye. The excitement of going so fast had just as quickly come to a halt. “What’s going on?” Adriana asked from the back. “Traffic.” All around them were similar vehicles, all stopped. “What’s that light up ahead?” Matt strained to see the light over the many cars ahead of them. “It’s the traffic light. Red means stop, Green means go.”

After many traffic lights, turns, questions, and more, the group finally arrived at the museum. Entering the building, the teens had scanned their environment. To their disappointment, the interior was barren, the artifacts they had brought in standing in stark contrast to the empty walls. “It’s not much, but soon this place we’ll attract all sorts of people.”

“You kids can get some rest tomorrow, we have forms and other boring city-adult junk to fill in.” With those words etched in their minds, the group began exploring the city the next day. “This city has a theatre, a mall, a library, restaurants, a zoo, an aquarium, museums of history, science, art, and even banks. I’m not sure what half of those are, but I want to go to them!” Although the group snickered at Eric, they were just as curious at what the city had to offer.

“Kind of wish Anita stuck around to tell us what half this stuff is.” Adriana had convinced the group to head to the library to inform themselves on their surroundings. “We got two years though, we’ll have more than enough time to figure out.”

“Two years to figure it out.” Those words, paraphrased, echoed through fifteen-year-old Matthew’s head. Had it really been one year already? Going back-and-forth, the group had filled the museum to the point they had to take a month’s break. Supposedly it was due to the museum needing to document the finds. After a year, the teens had gotten used to city life, the cars, the various forms of entertainment, and even the food.

Throughout the year, most of them had gotten sick at some point, leaving the group short one member or two, resulting in more work to procure the ancient items. Everything had to be taken from the ruins: chairs, tables, pottery, anything they could carry. Still, they couldn’t complain, they were getting food and board.

Matthew counted the months as they dwindled. He came to realize it was either a matter of time or space, either the museum filled, the ruins ran out of artifacts, or the two-year span was up. When any of those things happened, he and the others would have no choice but to head home. Sadly, no matter how many artifacts were taken or placed, the ruins kept giving and the museum kept taking.

In the many times the group would stop in the city between the port town and ruins, he eventually learned it was called Branton. During certain weeks, the knight would break from the group to deliver a letter to Luke, detailing his adventures.

“Hey Luke, I don’t know if you’re getting these, I never get anything back, but I just hope you’re doing alright.

The other day in Temperas, white stuff was all over the city. Anita says it’s frozen water, which they call snow. I hear it snows in Umbro, we’ll have to go see it. Why? Because me and Adriana have a snowball war to settle, and I want your unbiased opinion on who would win.”

Letters like these were sent every couple of weeks, a little event that helped Matt’s mind ease through the two years, even if he never received a single response.