As they stood in front of the gate for their papers to be checked, they could hear music from behind it. Stepping past the walls, they arrived at a plaza with a crowd gathering in front of a small orchestra. While the musicians were playing instruments that produce sounds similar to the ones from Earth, only half were similar in appearance. Only percussion instruments greatly resembled the ones Ryder was familiar with. It was a strange sight to the gang, though the reasons were different for the rider and the dragons.

  The gang inquired about the location of the Guild’s building before making their way there. Along their path were a sparse amount of citizens playing their own instruments at their homes. Instead of sounding noisy, the separate tunes were harmonious enough that it came off like the city’s very own theme.

  On the street where the Guild was located, there were dozens of shops related to instruments and music sitting next to it. Even the Guild’s sign, “Valhalla”, was decorated with musical notes. Right as they stepped into the building, Ryder’s ears perked up before turning in the direction of a group of children.

  “What’s wrong?” Brown asked as she shifted into her human form.

  “I thought I heard a familiar tune.”

  “Someone from your world did live here before.”

  “Makes sense.” He nodded and entered.

  Each common branch of the Guild buildings has a similar structure. There’s the lounge where its members can rest and interact with each other; the request/bounty board arranged in ascending difficulty from left to right; the counters where members deal with Guild businesses with the clerks; and finally, the booth where the information broker sat. There’s also a second floor where offices and meeting rooms are located.

  Gleaming through the request board, Ryder spotted the onyx knight’s request at one of the highest ranks of difficulty. He picked it up and headed for the front desk.

  “You’ve successfully registered the request ‘The Onyx Knight’. The refresh period for this request is one week. Would you like to purchase the information the guild has on this request?” The clerk with green, feline ears asked with a polite smile.

  “Yes, and I would like to buy a map of the city as well.”

  The clerk nodded, pulled out the obsidian slab, and informed how much Ryder needed to pay. Once that was done, he strolled to the broker’s booth and placed the request poster on the counter. The broker was a short man with flat ears, a handful of wrinkles, and a well-trimmed brown beard smoking a pipe. When he was about to speak, he closed his mouth, leaned forward, and stared at Green and Purple, who were both standing behind the teenager. Then he took a deep breath and puffed out a mouthful of smoke before speaking in a gravelly voice. “Most that fought against the Knight died.”

  We’ll be fine.” Ryder squeezed a polite smile.

  “S’that so? Youngins these days…” He shook his head and opened a book sitting on his desk behind the counter. “Around half a century ago, a half-Felmier girl called Cybele Miuzika was born with the ability to manipulate nature however she wished. Her strength was so prodigious that, by the time she was a teenager, there wasn’t a mage in the same field who could rival her power in the entire continent, or so I was told.” He snorted.

  The teenager raised his eyebrow, but didn’t interrupt.

  “Her father, Dion Miuzika, was an influential musician in the city. This is because his unique songs and the instrument he invented, the piano, had attracted the attention of many of his peers. His influence was so great that the city’s name was changed to honor his contribution. However, thanks to her ability and both of their fame as musicians, the city, which was once dismissed by greater powers around it, had become a nuisance. The bounteous crops grown here became highly sought out by merchants, and visits by nobles who wanted to liven their extravagant parties with music frequented. When neighboring countries tried and failed to annex the city peacefully, they resorted to assassinations.

  When Cybele was a teenager, Dion died in one of those attempts. However, she survived, thanks to her childhood friend, Attis Zeker. Both of them were known to be inseparable since young, and when they reached adulthood, their friendship sparked into a fierce love. They became a well-known couple to all citizens and visitors of the city - Cybele, the guardian of Miuzika City, and Attis, the captain of the guards, and her personal escort.” The short man took a deep breath from the pipe and puffed out another smoke. Purple’s horns buzzed with the color of his name as his eye twitched.

  “One day, a plague struck the city, and people started dropping like flies. Despite Cybele’s best efforts, she could not grow a cure that would save the people. Once it was determined the plague was magical by nature, the mayor hired a wise mage to solve the problem. When the mage arrived, the solution he proposed incurred the anger of all citizens - Cybele had to be sacrificed in order for the entity to be killed.”

  Purple lifted his head slightly.

  “Many protested, including Cybele’s loved ones, but the wise mage insisted that there wasn’t any other solution. As the death count rose with each passing day, they relented, and the girl’s execution date was set. On the day of her sacrifice, with the help of the wise mage and the lives of several guards, they captured the creature and bound it next to her inside a magic circle. Right before she died, she cursed Attis for not fulfilling his promise to her. Something about not protecting her until they meet their natural ends, as it usually goes.”

  Green let out a confused and somewhat conflicted growl.

  “That seems… extreme.” The rider furrowed his eyebrows.

  The short man snorted. “Extreme, the youngin says.” He released another puff of smoke.

  Ryder pursed his lips. “Is that all? Did he just become… that after she cursed him?”

  “No. He transformed into the Knight during the battle against an army from Phlenx, a neighboring country.”

  “Eh?” He blinked.

  “The army invaded soon after Cybele’s death. There were speculations, but none were supported by evidence, so I will offer none. Without the city guardian’s protection, Attis and his fellow guards would’ve been decimated. It was ironic then that his curse became a blessing. He transformed into a soulless, immortal being after he was felled in battle and wiped out the entire battalion by himself. Once every one of those soldiers was dead, he walked over to the piano sitting between the city and the jungle and stood there until today. He’ll attack anyone that gets close to it.”

  “Waitwaitwait, hold on, does this mean-”

  “Here’s the address to where Cybele’s sisters and their descendants currently live.” The broker placed a small piece of paper with three lines of neat writings on it on the counter. “And there’s the exit.” He pointed at the entrance. “One word of advice: don’t destroy the piano. A few idiots tried to do it with a bow, and the knight chased them down before turning them into minced meat. Don’t even think about hiding behind the walls too if you provoke him, else you’ll find yourself branded as a criminal.”

  “Wait, I have more questions-”

  “The sisters and their descendants will answer them. Next.” The short man gestured to the teenager to move aside.

  When he glanced back, he saw two teams standing behind him, waiting for their turns. With no other choice, the rider sighed, grabbed the paper, and left the building with his dragons.