Jas was a young man from Sylio, a small port town not far from Avinea. It was often visited by sailors, merchants, and any travelers that came through the Midarior Rim, as the town was located on the famous road. There wasn't anything particularly stunning to see for any travelers or any major businesses to strike for any merchants. Yet they still came to Sylio.

The reason for it was that despite Avinea having the biggest port on the east coast of Midarior, it had two problems. First was that the docks on the cliffs, while an impressive engineering achievement, cost too much for anyone willing to sell goods in small quantities. The cranes lifting the cargo from ships below and onto the trading district of Avinea, north of the Royal Palace, were working almost constantly. There were only three of them, making the queues down below, and specifically the position in the queues quite valuable. The king also noticed that and started charging for favorable spots at the given hour. The rate to lift the cargo itself also wasn't anything to scoff at.

Yet people still flocked to it to have their goods dragged up in hopes of selling them to the people of Aldunis. That's because Avinea was practically the only major hub of commerce in the whole of Aldunis. There was still business being done with Grenica and Thabinat, Aldunis' two non-isolated neighbors, but that was only possible by carts, wagons, and caravans. While Midarior Rim was built specifically to accommodate such needs, it still didn't match the power of ships and the relative ease and safety of transporting goods on the sea.

The other problem with having to port in Avinea was the Lower Docks, located in the Lower Waterside. Crime-infested den of thieves, slavers, and cutthroats. They formed gangs that ruled that part of the city. The king abandoned the efforts to reclaim the district, and the gangs never ventured beyond their territory, living in a strange sort of harmony. Docking in the Lower Docks was cheap, but much, much more dangerous. If you haven't got a decent backing from one of the gangs or powerful friends, you were sure to lose your merchandise and more.

That left everyone who had something to sell that could be offloaded fast, to sail to Sylio, a town a day of traveling by ship from Avinea. Originally a fishing village, it had now a port that was comically big for such a small town. People were willing to sell and travel there, but not necessarily to live, as they could just move to Avinea to find work or to Thabinat to live under a warmer sun. Most of the offloading of the goods and any jobs related to it were done by the crew of the ships or the merchants that traveled to Sylio to buy them. That left young people like Jas and his friends with a lot of time, not a lot of money, and even fewer opportunities to earn it.

The only way they could put some coin in their pockets was by leaving Sylio altogether, but then no one would be able to take care of their parents, or younger siblings. They were trapped, and they decided to do the only sensible thing they could think of: beat the shit out of an S-ranked adventurer and steal whatever valuables she had.

If only they actually knew she was an S-ranked adventurer, that is.

The plan was safe and sound. Nothing could go wrong with it in Jes's mind. He felt bad about having to knock out some random woman he had never met, but what else could he do?

He gathered two of his friends and they ventured into the woods at night. Far from Sylio, so as not to be tracked back to it if something went wrong. That way, if the lady would report the attack to the soldiers that patrol this part of Midarior Rim, they would maybe come to Sylio and ask some questions, and not with sticks and fists, ready to dish out punishment. Jas was smart. He had planned it all.

Nothing could go wrong.

It was their first time trying something like this and they had already found a perfect target. Right between Sylio and Avinea, a lone traveler with a cart that must have been carrying something valuable.

They sneaked around the campfire, making no sounds at all. They could be mistaken for ghosts or some agents of a shadowy sect. No - they were even quieter than that, each step placed with utmost care and confidence. They swore the only sound they made was their hearts bearing. Kasper and Mubosh next to Jas, the three mysterious rogues that would soon be a whole gold coin richer. Maybe even two! Who knew what goods the woman could be transporting? The thought of what he could do with his part of the treasure after splitting it three ways made Jas's mouth water.

Finally, they stopped their crawl behind a thick bush on the edge of the clearing where the campsite was. Jas looked at his friends and said, "This is it. She looks like she is in deep sleep," he pointed at Lucia, her chest rising and falling, and echoes of snoring could be heard if someone would listen closely, "so maybe we won't even have to fight at all."

"That's good, that's good," muttered Mubosh, his voice shaking a little. He wasn't the biggest fan of violence. He preferred to listen to stories of the travelers in the inn in Sylio, not live through them.

"Don't worry Mubosh, it's not like we would stand a chance against someone who traveled for a living anyway," Kasper calmed him. "We would just find someone different if they weren't already sleeping."

As much as Jas would want to argue and say that he could defeat anyone, he had to agree with Kasper. The only way they could knock someone out was if they were drunk or blind. Preferably both. He and Kasper were rather skinny, while Mubosh was the opposite, but he hated fighting and would jump at the bark of the smallest dog.

"Okay, so here's how we are gonna do it…"

*****

Keziah watched as the three teenagers crawled around the campfire, stepping on every stick and bark that had fallen from the trees. The rustling of the leaves on the bushes that they grazed while crouching didn't help as well. He had to admit, though, that they were committed. Not once did they waver in their goal, which was presumably to rob him, Lucia, and Annette.

He got some good entertainment out of it. Watching the three boys from the sidelines, he almost found himself cheering for them. They had an idea, and they went for it. Was it morally incorrect and extremely stupid? Sure, but at least they committed all the way through. That was a surprisingly rare quality. One that would make you either succeed when you shouldn't or lose terribly. There rarely was any option in between.

From their little chats, Keziah surmised that they must have been from Sylio. They sounded quite desperate, which would explain why they had gone so far as to attack travelers on the Rim. From what he knew about Sylio, it was a small town of mostly passersby and little to no actual residents. After thinking about it a bit, Keziah could somewhat deduce and understand their situation. They weren't exactly starving, but riches didn't swim their way either.

Their leader, who he overheard the others referring to him as Jas, seemed to be the one who was behind the idea. Clearly, he wasn't satisfied with his current situation and wanted something more out of life. Quiet life by the sea had its perks, but young men like him would only ever recognize them after experiencing more of the world. Just the way they went about gaining that experience may have been unlucky for them.

Keziah noticed that the whispers and murmurs were getting slightly faster and more anxious, as well as the sound they were making. They seemed to be ready to rob Lucia's cart. Thinking about Lucia, Keziah was frankly surprised that she hadn't yet woken up. Surely, as an experienced adventurer, she couldn't allow herself to fall into such a deep sleep while on the road. Maybe she just trusted him that much, which would be crazy, or maybe she was awake and waiting for his move. Either way, it didn't matter because he finally stepped from behind the tree that he had been hiding behind.

He stepped toward the group of three, making little to no noise. What noise he did make, he masked it by timing it with the noise the group themselves made. He crouched behind them as they were ready to stand up and go for it.

"Hello, boys. What might you be doing?" he greeted with a smile on his face. "Need help maybe?"

One of them yelped. The bigger one. The other gasped and turned around. Their leader, Jas, also turned around but looked significantly more composed. Still surprised and scared, though. His grip on the stick that he had been carrying as a weapon tightened slightly and he asked, "Who are you? What do you want?"

"Me? Oh, I'm just a temporary resident of this here little campsite. Lovely place, shame I could only stay the night."

"H-huh?" It took a little time for Jas to process Keziah's words. "Y-you are with her?" He gestured behind, over his shoulder.

"Indeed I am. Were you trying to join us for some food? I'm afraid the rest of it is for my friend who is currently sleeping inside the carriage. He is a big man, needs lot of food, especially in the morning," Keziah lied as naturally as he breathed.

Jas gulped and looked around at his two friends. "Y-yeah, f-food. We… came from Avinea, and didn't pack enough to last through the night," he stumbled a quick explanation.

Keziah decided to spare him the question of why would they travel during the night as they clearly aren't strong enough. "A shame we didn't prepare more food last evening. Here," he gave them some pieces of his emergency jerky, "take this. It should last you 'till you reach Sylio. It shouldn't be that far from here and there surely will be more travelers willing to help. Not to mention berries or other fruits of the forest." His warm smile never left his face.

"Right, th-thank you for your generosity. We will try our luck and follow your advice, then." Jas nodded at Keziah, then at his friends, and they headed south, toward Sylio.