Across the dim, musty room, a series of taps were heard. Everyone inside drew a frown—seemingly irritated. Even the man who emitted the sound found it so. However, none parted their lips. None had the gall to speak and tell Darwin to stop—although Darwin wished someone did. It was a dilemma.

“It has been four days since we arrived,” Darwin spoke, ceasing his rapping feet. “Two days past the agreed date. But since trouble came, things went far from what was expected. However—”

“However, a clear solution remains faint,” Veight continued. “If you would perhaps grant us more time, things would be favorable for both sides—that I assure you.”

“Hhaaah…” His arms rested on his knees, Darwin crouched, trying to peer through the gaps between the planks under his feet. “Tell me, just who is the person we are waiting for? And what is your assurance that this girl, along with another one, is alive? If your vessel was attacked by Halvsoth during the night, unprepared even, I believe the chances for them to be alive is slim. Though you could say that it’s miraculous that the three of you are alive.”

Marina bit her lip and used her left hand to clench her right. “Our identity does not matter. And I believe we have the right to not tell you. The contract simply indicated that we are ferried back to Libet. Matters regarding who the clients are, and for what reason, was never written. And so, this should be considered a confidential request, if I’m not mistaken.”

Darwin stomped. “All the more reason we should leave as soon as possible.”

“Easy,” William raised his arms. “Though you have the right to know what is happening, there’s no need to rush. Just think of it as a client that must not be turned down. And besides, why the rush? Can’ we keep it the air leveled?”

 

“Fine.” Darwin stood. His feet brought him to the nearest window. “I’ll tell you what is happening and why we should leave. If you can’t give me enough reason to disprove my reasoning, then we’ll leave. If you wish to remain, I don’t care. We’ll leave you behind.”

“That’s!” Marina gasp.

“Oi!” William stood, his brows knit.

“Miss Marina, Sir William, I believe we should let him explain.” Veight urged Marina and William to remain calm.

“But this isn’t—!”

“I do not know the main reason,” Darwin interrupted Marina. “but the situation right now isn’t easy for us either.”

“…” Darwin’s tone earned Marina’s silence.

“Please continue,” Veight said.

“You know I have men watching the ship out in the sea, right? Cole and Drake are just a small part of my crew. Others have been vigilant and had been moving the ship about every now and then. Now the problem lies not with the supplies our ship was loaded, but the situation of the southern waters.”

“By southern waters, you mean?” Veight asked.

“I meant the ships from Laurel.”

 

Darwin glanced around. Marina seemed keen on listening upon hearing Laurel. William too was quiet.

“Like I said, it has been four days. And today is the fifth. From what my men had observed, the first two days were insignificant. The problem lies with the third day and so.”

Darwin paused. He took another glance at the expressions of Marina, William, and Veight. He believed they had a hand or was the main perpetrator, which caused the abnormality in the southern waters.

“Normally, mercantile ships would follow a pre-determined route, usually a few kilometers from the coastlines. Seldom do they travel near Surtur. And seldom do they take their time sailing leisurely. At most, they would try to reach the next port as early as possible. After all, they can’t have the goods perish without them reaching the market.”

A sound argument, Veight thought.

“Ships near Surtur, are usually owned by each kingdom’s military. Now that’s where the problem lies.“ Darwin inhaled. “Some of those ships were recalled. Though it was a great opportunity to relax and remain here, the slight change in some routes the mercantile ships take was puzzling. We could have taken it as a captain’s slip or mishap. However, the constant occurrence tells that it was not an ordinary day for Laurel.”

Marina gulped. William felt a cold sweat sliding down his back.

“That too could have been fine, but the return of the military ships and their obvious increase in vigilance added up to our dilemma.”

“I see.” Veight nodded. “Your reason is understandable.”

“If my hunch is correct, we can’t let Laurel know the reason why we are here—and I can’t have my men get caught in such mind-numbing situation.”

“Then I suggest that you move your men and your ship towards north as we remain here.”

 

“What?!” Darwin glared. “Have you not heard what I said?! I told you it’s dangerous here!”

“I believe so.”

“Then!”

“Matters in convincing the soldiers of Laurel shall be dealt by me.” Veight pressed his hand on his chest. “Though not as convincing as I may look, I have the pardon of Laurel’s Queen, Lady Diane Laurel.”

Marina’s, William’s, and Darwin’s eyes shot wide open.

““You’re…””

A traitor.

 

---

 

Veight wasn’t always a man of grace and elegance.

“Ahahah! That’s the spirit! Don’t let your throat dry up!” Veight urged.

“I’m winning this! Veight!” The man, Albert, raised his mug, a couple drops of ale trickling down his arm. His sleeve down to his elbow was markedly soaked. “I’m not! Losing! This one!”

“That’s if you win!”

Both sides were flushed red from excessive alcohol. However, neither side refused to back down and give the other the win for the night—or in this case, morning.

“I’ll take the job! This time!” Albert took a swig. Then, after downing the contents of his mug in one go, he slammed the mug onto the table with a wheeze. “Your! Turn!”

“I’ve already won!” A wide grin was etched on Veight’s face. With ease, Veight copied Albert—to which Albert loathed.

“You dog! You’ve cheated!” Albert accused.

Albert knew that Veight had a similar alcohol tolerance as him. For years, he had been toe-to-toe with Veight, so he had a grasp on how much Veight could take. But seeing Veight’s balance as he remained standing, he seemed a few drinks short compared to how much he had consumed.

“Ahaha! There’s no way that I’d cheat! Besides, we’ve been watching each other all morning! If I cheated, you’d easily know! It’s not like it’s dark outside!” Veight excessively swished his arm around, a testament of how he had consumed more than what he usually could.

On the other side of the counter, the owner of the inn sighed. “I have been watching both of you. Veight did not cheat, Albert.”

 

“Whaaaat?!” An indescribable expression was painted over Albert’s face. “There’s no way! Can’t you see? He’s all fine! He should be at least! Be like me!”

“I don’t know the reason, Albert. But that’s just how it is. Maybe Veight got used to drinking faster than you could.”

“There’s no way that’s true, Martha!” Albert slapped the table. “My belly’s not slow enough to ad—urrp!”

Martha heaved a sigh. “It’s fine, Veight. You won this match.”

“Alright!”

“Damn it!”

It was morning, and Martha had wanted both to leave. She still had to clean what Albert and Veight had used and switch with his husband to man the counter. However, since Albert and Veight were frequent visitors of the inn, she could not turn them away easily. If anything, she got used to the antics of the two.

“Careful on the stairs,” Martha advised.

“Thaaanks!” Veight replied as he scaled the stairs with Albert’s arm slung around his neck.

A few moments after a few tumbles and stumbles, a door was shut.

“Finally, some peace.” Martha promptly collected the mugs and swept the table clean. “I just hope they don’t go for a second round later in the evening.”

 

Martha could not remember when she became the referee for Albert’s and Veight’s bout. However, since she found it amusing to see the two fight over menial things, she never denied the two to drink at her inn—which doubles as a tavern past midnight.

This time around, Albert and Veight had been aiming for a certain request from the guild. Given the difficulty of the request, only a limited few could accept such.

One could have tilted their head over the matter. Both Veight and Albert could have accepted the request at the same time, but instead of working together, they fought each other.

It was childish—many would have said. Nonsense as would others. But that manner of thinking did not apply to the two. Each wanted to boast over the other. Each wanted to tease the other. They were like rivals, but they never considered each other as such.

“Rivals? No! Were pals!” is what Veight would have said. “We fight over things to keep things lively!”

“Hmm? That dog ain’t better than me. You can’t call someone a rival if they’re obviously weaker than you,” is what Albert would have said. “But the dog ain’t a bad company. Can’t have myself wear gloom all day.”

Somehow, only a few understood Veight’s and Albert’s situation. Martha was among those. To put simply, Veight and Albert simply had been keeping each other company. They entertained one another. If anything urgent arose, each would help the other. In a sense, it was not a rivalry. It was simply how they coped with each other. It was simply how they treated each other.

 

“It’s more of a brotherhood,” Martha explained to his husband once. “Albert and Veight had no family to turn to. Maybe it was chance that the other knew the other’s circumstance and empathized. In any case, after years of hanging out together, this is what they became.”

Adventurers without a family was not a rare occurrence. So to say, it was neither common. Nonetheless, both Albert and Veight were not much concerned with their status. Both had long chosen to move forward and live their life. They had grieved enough. They wanted an environment far from sadness.

That was how both Albert and Veight wanted to live.

Years passed, and they kept at it—that is, up until Albert won over Veight and managed to accept the request they fought over.

The request was a bit odd. It entailed journeying deeper into Alabaster and to return whatever intel they could manage. In other words, a scouting quest. However, the request spanned a minimum of two weeks to a maximum of two months. The pay, however, was generous.

In the small town of Malt, those who are qualified to take the request were few. The requirement was quite high. The request even required an actual demonstration of skills when faced with the requestee. Another option was a recommendation from the guild itself.

“Just up my alley!” Albert rejoiced. “I’ve been frequenting the outskirts of the forest and I’ve been curious about what’s deeper inside. Guess it’s high time to move up!” Albert laughed heartily.

“Tsk! Just wait and see! I’ll head deeper into Alabaster myself!”

All said and done, Albert took the request and left Malt. Farewells were not shared. It was not their style. They simply believed that they will meet after a while and duke it out at Martha’s inn again. That was how it always went. That was how they hoped it would always go.

 

However, fate was harsh. What lied beyond the forest barrier that separated the true nature of Alabaster from the outskirts was harsh.

Albert did not return after three months.

The next month, news flashed like wildfire. Laurel began to move. A specialized unit was formed in order to unravel the depths of Alabaster. And this news shook Veight.