The air was brimming with tension, Ben gazing at Bulgar, then at the hooded male. Neither side was able to let up; the hooded male's head turned now and then to his surroundings, and Bulgar was tapping his club against the ground in a syncopated rhythm.

  "Hah… 'ye must be a demon! There's no other possibility!" Bulgar accused.

  "Demon?..." The hooded male replied.

  "Demon?!" Ben added, his expression struck with fear.

  "Look at 'im! No man, or woman, dares to conceal themselves like that if it weren't something to hide!" Saliva flew as Bulgar explained.

  "Imagine this, Ben! We kill a demon, rip its horns off, and showcase it to the queen! I bet she'll be surprised!" Bulgar added, approaching the hooded figure slowly.

  "Guaranteed promotion for you is what you forgot to add! I'm not fighting!" Ben shouted.

  "Suit yourself!" Bulgar replied.

  "I apologize for kicking your messenger, but we—" Before another word was uttered, Bulgar's club came rushing down from above in a falling arc. The hooded male side-stepped their attack, the club hitting into the ground, cracks forming into the cobblestone. Whilst the orc was pulling their club out of the ground, the hooded male created more distance between them by jumping back, and they tried to retreat further, but fell to the realization that he was now cornered in this back passage with a colossal orc and a terrified spectator. Bulgar lunged forward, throwing his fist towards the hooded male. They responded quickly, ducking underneath Bulgar's fist as it clobbered into the wall behind him. The male circled behind Bulgar, lightly punching him in the back before pacing backwards.

  "Hah, you hit like a woman, demon!" Bulgar said, pivoting around with momentum, swinging his club violently at the hooded male's leg. They slipped just out of a hair's grasp of the violent swing, clenching his fist tightly, and crouching while Bulgar's expression turned grim. The hooded male unfurled a ferocious uppercut onto Bulgar's chin, launching him several feet skyward. Ben's eyes traced upwards in a gaping gaze, following Bulgar's airborne body that eventually crashed down with a loud thud. One of Bulgar's tusks was discarded onto the ground nearby, puddled in blood. Bulgar slowly sat up, realizing his club wasn't in his hand, and blood was oozing out of the right corner of his mouth.

  "... Aargh… I didn't think you would hit so hard…"

  An extra set of footsteps approached from behind, the sound of a blade stabbing into the ground. Ben let out a sigh, and the hooded male turned.

  "Finally found you halfwits, who could've thought you'd be lured back here," Zahari said, dragging her blade against the cobblestone ground, approaching the hooded male.

  "You've got a mean right upper… Mean enough to almost send a 300-pound orc into orbit." Zahari said.

  "You're peculiar, but… What does that matter at this point? You've got an audience with Queen Virelda; she wants to see you." She said.

  "And consider yourself lucky… Very, very lucky."

  Zahari adds, moving a lock of hair out of her view.

  "An audience with the queen?..." Ben questioned.

  "Ah, what a lucky bastard!... I try to kill 'im, I get punched into the air and I get NO promotion, I mean, c'mon 'cap, can't I get a little something extra?" Bulgar whined while rising, gargling and spitting blood to the side.

  "I'll think about it. You, follow me." Zahari said to the hooded male, turning about face. He followed behind her at a slight distance, watching her every move.

  "You're not trying to trick me, are you?" He asked.

  "Trick you?... The queen would be dissatisfied with my actions if I were just to decapitate you; besides, you're making this easy for me and you by coming along willingly." Zahari replied.

  "I wouldn't be upset if you tried. I did kick your messenger boy for following me. I apologized, but I still feel bad because without a doubt, he can't fight." He said.

  "Yes, Ben is most definitely not a combatant. You, on the other hand, are. What's your name? You could be pretty useful to Phithia if you want to make money using your… Talents." Zahari explained.

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  "I'm not interested in doing dirty work for Aegium… My interests lie elsewhere, and if I tell you my name, are you going to tell the whole world?" He replied.

  "Oh, please… There's not a soul in the world who cares about a name without a title, but I'm just intrigued at this point. We'll probably never meet again, so the least you can do for punching my heavy lifter is tell me your name." Zahari said.

  "... It's Veyric." He said.

  "Veyric?... What kind of name is that? Never heard of it before." She replied.

  "You're saying that like I had a choice," Veyric responded. Zahari and Veyric had finally made it out of the passage. While walking through the marketplace, the number of people had doubled, and the basket stands that were full of fruit and fresh fish had completely diminished to the equivalent of a handful. Veyric's hand pulled the hood of his cloak down tighter over his features again. Zahari briskly peered back at Veyric, and for a moment, she almost bumped headfirst into a passerby, but she maneuvered out of the way swiftly.

  "Keep a good eye on me! It's easy to get lost when the marketplace gets going!" Zahari shouted.

  "I see," Veyric uttered, but his voice was lost in the noisy haze of the ongoing traffic of pedestrians. Veyric and Zahari were down back at the harbor, preparations being made on a small sailboat. "We have to sail?" Veyric questioned.

  "Hm, you're definitely not from here," Zahari replied.

  "How could you tell so easily?..." He asked again.

  "Boating, fishing, and harvesting sea fruit are a part of our identity. You'll see much more once we're on the water." Zahari explained.

  "Captain, the boat's ready! I hope you arrive back in time. We still have one more ship to unload." An apprentice said.

  "Noted." She curtly replied. Zahari gestured for Veyric to board the sailboat. Once he was on it, she followed suit, raising the sails, and the keel advancing on the water. From her pants pocket, she took out a compass, holding it in her left hand, closing her eye. Veyric's head turned to observe Zahari.

  "Winds that veil this world. Become my keeper, and usher my voyage in your unprecedented might." Zahari chanted whilst holding onto the sailboat's helm. The boat was cruising away from the harbor, seagulls squawking, and Zahari's apprentices waving them off. Just as they hit the open sea, Veyric felt a strong gust of wind blow by.

  "What did you just do?" He asked.

  "You… Really don't know?" Zahari glanced over at him, pocketing her compass.

  "No, I don't know," Veyric said.

  "It's a utility incantation," Zahari replied.

  "What does it do?" Veyric questioned.

  "You'll see," Zahari said, tilting the helm to the right. Moments after Zahari replied, the winds gathered momentum quickly, the sailboat's speed tremendously increasing, water rippling in its wake. The gusts of wind nearly pulled Veyric's hood off completely, but he held it down.

  "Why keep your hood up? No one else is around or even nearby right now. If you can tell you're being followed, you should also know when you're safe," Zahari said.

  "It's… Not that simple." Veyric replied.

  "Yeah?... I originally thought you were a brave cultist sneaking around Phithia. Glad that I'm wrong, though… If I were in a bad mood today, we would've fought." Zahari said whilst adjusting the helm again.

  "I won't pry any further, but please keep your wits about you wherever you go. If you decide to leave Phithia and venture into any of the other kingdoms, it won't be as easy as it has been here. I overlooked things today because hooded figures aren't unusual in this area, but after our little incident last month, I've become a bit skeptical." Zahari explained.

  "Today's been a lucky day for me, then," Veyric said.

  Far ahead in the distance, the view of another land of Phithia came into view. Veyric stared, and as he tilted his gaze up, he could see the black spire of a castle peaking out amongst the other minimal structures that glorified its colossalness.

  "Let me guess, that's where the queen is staying?" He asked.

  "Surprisingly, no. She's only there during the day for business and trade." Zahari replied. Afterwards, Veyric's gaze assumed out at the open sea. The waters were calm and glossy, mirroring the sky above, while the winds remained resilient and remedying. Occasionally, a flock of birds passed by, and the sails on the boat flapped energetically. Veyric was nearing his first destination out of the many.