Maybe not the best course of action, the one proposed by Soni, but indeed, I had nothing else in mind, and when something did occur to me, I was already rushing through the busy streets of a Megvuroz while bathed in the last rays of sunset. The final customers of stores, the people about to enter the taverns to drink the day's stress out, workers rushing towards their house or some other place, it was some rush hour indeed.

With the sides of the street so filled up, I cared about nothing and jumped on the central part of it, the one meant for carriages and wagons, Dart following right after me, not saying a single word, though to be frank, it wasn't as if he could. Thankfully, now that I have calmed enough to [Record], the horse-drawn transport was not as intense as expected from a rush hour. And being a city, their pretty slow speed allowed me to dodge them, some random curses being the most dangerous stuff of this sudden and probably stupid running.

Hardly noticing anything around, I ran by the several buildings I had already seen, be it the [Scribe Guild], the [City's Archive], and then the plaza and the [Viscount's Palace] overlooking it from the right side. From that point on, I had never visited. Still, the main street, the only one to run between gate and gate, continued, so I continued following it, zigzagging between the wagons, carts, carriages, and mounts of commoners, merchants, and even a couple of noble-like people, the latter being the ones to curse more aloud.

_______

Though now that I [Record], I am slightly more aware of what I had passed, and two of the buildings were impressive enough for me to look at them long enough to memorize them.

One was an entirely black tower-like square with neither sign nor banners. Looking heavy just by that, its nature was further defined by its four stories having not a single window but some small openings covered with metal bars. And this building that I supposed was a prison, I would confirm later to be what I imagined it to be, the city's prison.

The other building, or complex, was an elaborate mix of shapes, with rounded-down walls and roofs being the most prominent. Occupying what appeared to be a whole block, streets on both sides, it nonetheless had a single entrance, some enormous, open and crowded at that time, gate that measured some ten meters tall and wide! Two days later, after my first [Record] of these events, I would learn about what it was, the main temple of the Ten in Megvuroz. And not only for the Ten as a whole but also a place for most of the smaller sects and cults of the individual gods to reunite.

_______

I had imagined that Megvuroz wasn't a small city before, but as I ran across it, nearly from wall to wall, I understood that I underestimated its size. The house was some twenty minutes from the west wall, but it took me about half an hour of actual running to see the eastern one!

Now, while most of my running around had been unimpeded, ignoring the curses and complaints of the drivers I molested by jumping around their wagons or the horses I scared along with their riders, just as I saw the wall, my destination ahead, I was forced to stop. And if before learning the reason for the impeded way I was about to curse, the words died in my mouth before being said, as just before the two-horse-driven covered wagon making me brake, an entire row of soldiers, or guards as they did carry the Megvuroz emblem, became visible.

"ALLOW PASSAGE!" One of the front-most soldiers shouted, his chainmail and iron shield blazing red in the sun's dying light.

While I had my reasons, and they were very important, to me at least, I wasn't dumb enough to go and argue with what looked to be several tens of soldiers. Thus I was all prepared to move away, even though I had no idea how could the wagon in front of me or the carriage just past me clear the way. Yet, a moment later, I found out that the words weren't actually directed at me or the drivers but at the passersby to the left side, which to my astonishment responded immediately and orderly, opening an unobstructed path into one of the streets on that side.

{As if they know the guards are going there!} Seeing such a follow-up on the shouted order, I couldn't help but be amazed. Still, just a minute later, as the last of the equally equipped soldiers, full chainmail, open sallets, spears, shields, and swords on their belts, moved into the opened passage, I resumed my rush, entirely forgetting about what I saw. And while I can not chastise myself for not knowing, I can't help but think I could have found out something if I had asked right there, no matter how faint the chance was!

***

On this unknown side of the city, the walls and gate weren't any less impressive than on the other one. Maybe they were even grander, as while I had no chance to examine them, I did feel them somewhat higher and thicker, the iron gates, just about to be closed, appearing fairly more robust than even the arm-thick ones of the entrance set of three.

Ignoring everything but my own stuff, I sidestepped several other people walking towards the same place, rushing into the first (or technically third) gatehouse. To avoid many questions and possible trouble, I immediately flashed the bronze badge of the [Cadowden Trade Guild] and shouted aloud as I nearly crashed into the small room, "Trade Guild! Urgent matters! I need to see the watch's captain!"

Unsure as I am if the manner in which I shouted was the correct one or if the received, just a bit ago, badge was so-powerful as I understood from the veiled words of Gudea and Lelani, I still shouted out the matter about urgency and so on while awaiting any reaction, including hostility for interrupting what, now that I saw, was some ongoing talk between a guard and a richly dressed, gold thread and gems on the vest serving as confirmation, man. But to my surprise and my added respect towards the service people of the Kingdom, the reaction was the one I wished for, and it was immediate!

"Excuse me." The guard half bowed towards the richly dressed man, who, in turn, nodded as he said, "No worries if it is urgent, I can wait for a few moments."

Then, just some seconds later, another guard, in the same omnipresent chainmail but an absolutely closed helmet that allowed not a glance on his face, was already leading me towards one of the nearby towers of the wall, having been called by the unarmored and nearly unarmored, just a short sword or even dagger on his belt, guard that I so unkindly interrupted.

"Tha captain's for today's watch is Kaid. If tha local Guild didn't inform you of him..? He's, well, warrior-like, you know?" The helmeted guard paused for a bit, even stopping his walk as he did, before finding the right words, "-he doesn't like anyone but warriors. And his treatment of merchants is the worst. Behave strong yourself if you can, but if you fail and your [Attus-re] friend isn't a powerful warrior and can take over tha talk, you will not b' able to pressure him with tha badge."

Leaving me with such an explanation, even before I could pass him the already prepared coins, the guard with the closed helmet and a slightly strange accent left the silently accompanying Dart and me before the right, looking from inside the city, tower's doors.

{He only respects warriors?} Armed with some knowledge about the captain I would meet after crossing the door was better than not having any idea, but regretfully I had no idea how to act on it. And while I had no desire to play some role, even if to get on the man's good side, it was true I would ask for his help, so..?

As I brooded over the guard's words, the only thing that came to mind was something I remembered from a novel, [A warrior without his weapon is the same as being naked]. With the city laws about weapons applying most of the time but on arrival and departure, neither Dart nor I carried anything. {Maybe go with that, then? I doubt they will consider it an infringement of anything, especially as I didn't walk around armed, did I?} Having no brighter ideas, I summoned my sword and a dagger. Former for me, the latter for Dart.

"If this Kaid respects warriors, then..?" With Dart unable to go with the speaking role for this charade of thought, I continued myself after a pseudo-dramatic pause, "Then we should appear as ones! Right?!" Maybe Dart considered that I was acting strange or even dumb, but he didn't react in any way, simply taking the dagger and placing it on his belt.

"Well, let's go." Without someone to actually play along, I could only shrug and end the matter there.

***

After knocking and receiving no answer, I pushed the door, entering the dimly illuminated passage without anyone stopping me. Inside, somewhat surprised by the faint light of a couple of oil lamps and not the ubiquitous [Magic Light] items, I attempted to call for someone, even calling out the captain's name, "Captain Kaid?"

As I was about to use [Life Radar], having no doubt that if the guard brought us here, then the captain should be around, Dart suddenly tapped on my shoulder, his other arm pointing towards the door nearest to the staircase leading up.

"So he's in there? Good." Inwardly assuming that maybe the captain was asleep or otherwise busy because he didn't answer my calls, I didn't think much and opened the door right after a light knock.

"I said not to disturb me until the course was ready. So what did you fail to understand?!" I had barely stepped into the pitch-dark room as a low, somewhat hoarse voice entered my ears, immediately accompanied by a chime from my [Danger Sense].

If I had learned something from my adventures in Chubu and its surroundings, it was to absolutely (!) trust the [Danger Sense]. And so I was about to do as I found myself pushed from behind, making me cross the doorway, and then, as a phantom - what else could I call something moving quickly and in the darkness? - Dart moved around me, and a moment later, I heard a bang sound, and then, a few moments later, something crashed against the stone floor.

My adventures (or misadventures) also taught me not to wait for a follow-up attack or dumbly stand and allow myself to be wounded or killed. So, the loud crashing sound was yet to die out as I was already calling out, "[Light]!" followed by an instant summon of the now always-loaded crossbow from my [Inventory].

And I would have shot, even without confirming anything, just as my eyes caught on the silhouette of a person some meters ahead from Dart, but again, a sudden movement of the latter, and I found my crossbow facing up towards the ceiling, Dart's holding it from below.

***

"Ehh, I am truly sorry for that tankard. It wasn't for you two..." A mountain of a man slowly raised his empty hands, showing his lack of hostile intentions as his eyes moved between Dart and me, then ended up locked to the still-loaded crossbow. The latter - even if looking at the ceiling currently - was still threatening enough, fact!

Seeing that his words changed nothing, or because the first wave of surprise (Well, being nearly shot in his own office? I do say it's surprising.) subsided, the man suddenly shook himself, asking in a graver tone, "And actually, you two, who are you?"

"Captain Kaid?" As the man nodded, I did the same towards Dart, who, taking it as a cue to lower his arm, freed the crossbow from his grasp - [Storage] - and as I stored it, I continued, "My name is Lindar, and this is Dart, we came hoping to get your cooperation with a slightly personal matter, even if I do act as part of the Trade Guild right now."

To be frank? It didn't even feel wrong to invoke the Trade Guild here. After all, I already did a lot for them, so why I couldn't use it for something? Especially with me having flashed the [Cadowden], main branch, badge to get here. As for the [Storage] spell use, it was a deliberate show of magic, even if he should have already understood that I was a mage from the [Light] spell currently illuminating the room. It was also some way to show an equal lack of hostility from our side, as indeed, what could the man think with us carrying weapons in a city where supposedly you couldn't have them on you?

_______

Being about two meters tall and no less broad and muscular than the dwarven ambassador I met just some days ago, Kaid was indeed a mountain of a man, and his stats, which displayed to me right as I set my eyes on him for the first time, were nothing less impressive.

NAME & TYPE LEVEL (Hiding anything below average) Strenght 18 Body 15 Force 23 Quick 12 Close-Quarters 21 Slashing 14 Counter-Attack 13 Feint 11 Parry 16 Danger-Sense 17 Identification 16 Leadership 11 Command 16 Terrain: Urban 15 Urler Sword Path, Mentor (Title, never seen before) - Justiciar (First time seeing it on someone else but me) -

Surprisingly as it may be, the unshaven and messy-haired man, with his unpolished steel breastplate, spiked boots and kneepads, and several other elements that screamed out to stay away for him, as, for example, his bruised knuckles, as if he had just beaten someone, turned out to be a petty easy going person.

Our misunderstanding cleared out, and after he explained the reason for such conduct - sitting there in the darkness and with the tower having just some oil lamps in place of the usual magical lights, throwing stuff at people, and so on - Kaid quickly agreed to help, especially after I related that I was searching for two girls under my care.