Chapter 7

It took them four days to reach their first big obstacle.

Not to say that their journey prior to this was uneventful, but barely anything happened. They ran from a few bandits and monsters, took some of them on successfully, and had trouble keeping Tristina in check while she went on a rampage for food.

Now, they are here. The entrance to Teardrop Forest. Well technically, there was no 'entrance' to the forest. They were at the edge of the forest. It wasn't thick with trees, but enough to prevent the moonlight from illuminating the forest itself. To the left and right, the forest seemed endless and it seemed like the only way to move forward is to go through them.

"Why is it called the Teardrop Forest?" Liliora asked.

"You'll see," Polus said as he climbed on his cart. "Just go straight and don't lose your way."

"Wait, aren't you coming with us?" Liliora asked. Polus did look like he was about to leave.

"I am, but I'm not following the same path you are," Polus said. "The cart will make it hard to navigate in between the trees and Tristina doesn’t do well in cramped spaces. I have my ways to get my cart and Tristina safely across."

"Then why can't we just use your way?" Isaac asked.

"It's, uh, a bit complicated. Only I can use it and even if I want to bring you guys along, it'll take too long. I mean unless you're willing to wait for another week." Polus said.

Isaac sighed. That's not a good idea. "Fine. So we'll see you on the other side?"

Polus nodded. "So long, my friends. Stay safe!" He said as he took off, heading to the right side of the forest before promptly turning left and into it, going out of sight.

"I guess it's just us then," Meng said. "Lead the way."

Isaac sighed as he entered Teardrop Forest, followed by the two ladies. As expected, the canopy of leaves above them blocked of the moonlight. Isaac could barely see what was in front of him, but it changed when a sudden spark of light illuminated their surroundings. Isaac looked behind him to see Meng holding a torch. She handed it to him.

"Thanks," Isaac said as he led the way, torch in hand. Thanks to it, Isaac could see slightly better though visibility was still limited.

It looked like any other forest Isaac has been into except for one tiny detail. The forest was deafeningly quiet. Normally, he would've heard a gust of wind, rustling leaves, and the sound of insects.

But nothing. Except for the crunching of leaves and branches under his steps.

"It's eerily quiet," Liliora whispered.

Isaac said nothing has they ventured on. Since this was a forest, there's no way it's going to stretch on forever. If he keeps going in a straight line like Polus told him to, eventually they'll be out of the forest.

The hard part was to keep track of their way. Since they couldn't see the sky, it was hard to gauge what direction they were facing without having any reference points. Isaac felt like he'd been walking in the same direction, but the paranoia of being wrong was creeping up on him.

They'd been walking for what felt like hours before Isaac finally heard something from within the darkness. Something that sounds like a mix of rustling, buzzing, and splashing.

"Is it . . . raining?" Meng asked.

It sounded like rain. As they trudged onwards, the rain sound got louder until Isaac noticed the ground getting muddy and the wood being damp. It was a bit odd that they could hear the rain and see signs of it, but they didn't feel it.

Up front, Isaac noticed the forest opened into a clearing. That part of the forest lit up brighter than Isaac had ever seen with other parts of the forest. "Looks like there's a clearing there," Isaac said. "Come."

They walked into the clearing and their jaws dropped.

The tall trees stretched far up into the skies, so it looked like the forest left a single opening for the moon to shine through. From above, droplets of water fell from an unknown source up in the sky. There were no dark clouds or anything for the water to come from since Isaac could see the moon and the stars clearly. It wasn't raining heavily or anything, but the droplets of water made it seem like it.

And below it, catching all of the water, was one of the most beautiful sceneries Isaac had ever seen.

The lake in front of them spanned as far as the clearing. From the looks of it, it looks shallow. The lake glowed in bright blue color for some reason, rippling from the droplets of water. It was almost as if the lake itself was a light source, illuminating the whole scenery instead of the moon.

In the middle of the lake was a giant tree, with its roots as thick as one of Isaac's legs. The trunk looked so big that if Isaac got an axe and tried to chop it down, it would've probably taken a whole year to do so. The leaves were so lush and thick but not so much that it covered up the sky.

"Wow." Meng gasped. "It's beautiful."

"I guess we now know why it's called Teardrop Forest," Liliora said as she held her hand out to catch some of the rain. "Where is this rain coming from?"

The group looked up and as Isaac noticed previously, there were no possible sources from which this water could come other than the sky, which is weird since it's clear and there are no clouds.

"I don't know," Isaac said. "But it is beautiful."

"The water is magic," Liliora said as she crouched and dipped her finger in the lake. She examined the sample of water on her fingertip. "I could feel some trace of it, at least."

"Is it dangerous?" Isaac asked.

"I don't think so," Liliora said. "It's similar to healing magic, so I think we're good." As someone with the most potency for magic in the group, Isaac decided to trust Liliora. He stepped into the lake and the water rippled gently as the rain poured gently unto him. He felt bad that he was ruining such serene scenery, but they have to move forward. He'd love to go sideways, but he was afraid he was going to lose his way and sense of direction.

The water did nothing but made his legs wet. Thankfully, it’s only ankle-deep so they would have no problem just waddling through the water. Isaac took a few more steps and when nothing happened, he called the others. "Water's fine."

Liliora and Meng stepped in and waddled along with Isaac. Now that he was in the lake, Isaac noticed something else. Meng and Liliora seem to notice the same thing at the same time.

"Call me crazy," Meng said. "But is the water going up?."

"Good, I thought I was the only one," Liliora said.

From the lake, droplets of water were floating up into the sky. Maybe that's where the rain was coming from. It's just droplets of water floating up and dropping back down.

As they moved through the lake, Isaac could hear whispers in his ear. He stopped in his tracks and looked around to see if he could spot anything.

"What?" Liliora asked.

"Did you hear that?" Isaac asked.

"Hear what?"

"Listen." Isaac listened intently. He definitely heard whispering. It was very faint and soft, so Isaac couldn't make out what they were saying. "I hear whispering."

Liliora looked at Meng for confirmation, but Meng shook her head. "I don't hear anything."

"Me neither," Meng said.

Isaac was confused. He tried to listen for it again but this time, there was nothing. Only the sounds of the forests greeted his ears. Isaac frowned. "I swear I heard . . . nevermind," Isaac said as he continued onwards.

As they took in the beautiful scenery, they made it across the lake in one piece, fortunately. It was an experience that Isaac wouldn't forget.

Their journey then continued in the darkness of the forest. After hearing the whispers, Isaac was on edge. He kept his ears on high alert to see if he could catch those noises again, but he didn’t hear anything. Within an hour, they finally arrived at the other side of the forest.

On the other side a few distances down the road, the terrain changed from grass to sand. Isaac felt the warm wind against his skin which could only mean one thing, they were close to the sea. Even right now where they were standing, the grass and the sand were starting to get mixed.

"Phew." Liliora stretched. "Finally outdoors."

"We were outdoors this whole time," Meng said.

"No, I mean . . . You know what I mean." Liliora said. "Where's Polus?"

On cue, Isaac heard someone whistle to their right. Isaac looked over to see Polus and Tristina, already waiting for them on a nearby hill. He waved at them enthusiastically.

Liliora returned the wave while Meng whispered to Isaac. "You think Tristina can fly?"

Line Break

It appears luck was on their side when they saw an abandoned shack facing the ocean after traveling for a short while. So they decided to make camp for now. They were just out of reach of the waves so they wouldn't have to worry about getting wet.

"Did you see the lake?" Polus asked with a grin.

Liliora nodded. "It was beautiful. One of the most beautiful things I've seen in all my life."

Polus chuckled. "I didn't see it until my third time venturing through the forest," Polus said as he stroked the fire that they made to keep themselves warm. "It was truly a sight to behold. I wanted you to experience it for yourself. That's why I made you go through the forest."

"Wait, so what you're saying is that we could've avoided the forest entirely?" Meng asked. "We could've followed the way you took?"

"Oh, definitely not," Polus said. "But it was worth it, wasn't it?"

Isaac smiled. "Indeed it was," Isaac said. Although his mind kept going back to the whispers he heard in the lake. "Get some rest. We'll continue our journey tomorrow. Looking at the pace, I'd say we'll arrive by sunset tomorrow."

"Give or take." Polus see-sawed his hand. "Let’s hope we can get in without a problem."

"What do you mean?" Isaac asked.

"You're first-time visitors, yes?" Polus asked. "Well, first-timers will have to go through a procedure to enter Losteria. Kind of like a registration. It's just to make sure you're not someone who the Three Coins don't want in the city."

"Like who?" Liliora asked.

"Sovereign Empire, potential spies, anyone who looks like they can't be trusted."

"He means you." Meng points at Liliora.

"Hey!" Liliora exclaimed as everyone chuckled.

"So, let’s hope that doesn’t happen," Polus said. "But if it does, I have some connections and influence. I'll do what I can to help."

"Thanks, Polus," Isaac said.

Line Break

After a while, Meng was fast asleep. Liliora for some reason was still wide awake as well as Polus.

"Thought you'd be asleep by now," Isaac said.

Liliora grunted as she sat down. "Don't feel like it. Especially since I didn't do much aside from walking today."

"I thought you did something in Riverside."

"Meh," Liliora shrugged.

"She got back in time to help me sell a few things," Polus said.

Isaac didn't think much of it, so they enjoyed each other's silence until Polus decided to ask a question. "Isaac, can I ask you something?"

"Sure." Isaac poked the fire with a stick. "What's up?"

"What's the purpose for you to go to Losteria?" Polus asked. Isaac tensed a bit. He looked at Liliora, but she was avoiding Isaac's gaze. "I know you still have some doubts about me, but I meant it when I say I want to help."

"What you're doing right now is enough," Isaac said.

"Yes, but I want to do more," Polus said. He looked like there was more he wanted to say, but he held back. "I just want to repay my debt to you."

Isaac sighed. "It's not that I don't trust you, but what we're dealing with here is bigger than us."

"So, you don't trust me?"

"It's not that." Isaac found it hard to explain without telling him everything.

"We value you as a friend." Liliora interrupted. "And the burden we bear is for us alone. We'd hate to put it on you and put you in trouble." Liliora gave Polus a cheeky grin. "After all, you have your hands full on being the finest merchant west of Arya, don't you?"

Polus sighed. "I just wanna help."

Isaac felt bad seeing him sad. "Tell you what, I'll let you in on something. If we succeed, you're gonna make a whole lot of gold coins."

Polus's ears perked up. Gold coins were something he was interested in. His attitude suddenly changed. "Then I shall deliver you safely into Losteria, mark my words!"

Isaac chuckled. He looked over to Liliora and gave her a subtle nod as thanks. "Speaking of making money, my dearest Liliora, will you be available after our journey?" Polus suddenly asked.

"Uh, what do you mean available?" Liliora asked.

"If possible, I would like you to come work with me as a merchant," Polus said. "You do very well in pulling in customers. Of course, I would teach you everything I know about being a merchant. What do you say?"

"Hmm," Liliora said. "You do know I'm a demon, right?"

"Yes, but you're also a succubus," Polus said as if the demon part didn't bother him at all.

“Demons aren’t supposed to be merchants.” Liliora pointed out.

Polus seemed offended. “Says who? There are no restrictions on who can or can't be a merchant. So long as you have an eye for coins, you can be a merchant. I know plenty of merchants who are in fact demons.”

"Really?" Liliora perked up.

Polus nodded. "They normally do their business down south since it's closer to home with the desert and heat and everything. But there's plenty of them."

"Does the desert remind them of home?" Isaac asked.

"So they say," Polus said. "Though I think it's because the desert gets really hot at times."

Liliora shrugged. "I'll think about it." She said. "And just for your information, Hell is not that hot. I'd say it's more . . . warm."

Out of all the words in the world, he didn't think he'd ever heard someone describe Hell as 'warm'.

"Do you ever feel like going back home?" Polus asked.

There was a long pause before Liliora answered. "Sometimes." She admitted. "It's not like I hate my home or my family. I just want to live my own life, you know?"

"You can't do that in Hell?" Isaac asked.

Liliora shook her head. "Hell is like its own kingdom. I'll admit, it's not a pretty place. But the demons in there are still living beings. We still need food and a home, basically just about anything you'd need to survive."

"I thought Hell is a place where damned souls go," Polus asked.

"That's half true," Liliora explained. "They go there, but not willingly. It's like a prison if you will. There’s not a lot of job prospects in Hell if you ask me. That's why some demons get summoned for work."

Again, whenever he has a conversation with Liliora, he always finds himself being confused.

"I'm having trouble understanding this," Polus admitted. "So, Hell is a place?"

Liliora nodded. "Heaven and Hell are real places, just like how Arya is a real place. It's just up and down. Why does it exist? No one really knows. And like most places, they have a ruler. One for Heaven, and one for Hell."

"You mean like God and the Devil or something?" Isaac asked.

Liliora snorted. "As if." She said, "Nope. Just regular old living beings. As I said, they're just places. It's not for souls who did good or bad in their life. They have their cities and kingdoms and people. The only difference is the people living in them."

"You said souls go to Hell, but then you said it's not for souls," Isaac asked. "What do you mean?"

"I did say it's like a prison, right?" Liliora continued. "Most dark magic users often put curses on souls. After that, they condemn these souls to Hell. For what reason, I have no idea. Suddenly Hell just became the place to send cursed souls to. We didn't ask for it." Liliora grumbled. "My cousin had to work a whole week just to catch escaped souls terrorizing Hell. Had to replace our windows twice."

“So you just have souls floating around in Hell?” Polus asked.

“Yes, and no. Like I said, it’s a prison for them. Since the souls get sent to us, we have to trap them so they don’t bother other people. We don’t really know what to do with them and we can’t exactly send them back since, well, they’re dead. If we release them back here, we'll look like the bad guys.”

So, Hell and Heaven are not as mystical and magical as Isaac thought. It's a place for living beings, just under different conditions and circumstances.

"So, Heaven? Is that a real place?"

Liliora nodded. "I've been there. As horrible as Hell is, I prefer that to Heaven. The people up there are ignorant on another level." Liliora scratched her head. "It's always so bright as well, for some reason. Because the blaring sun wasn’t enough light."

Heaven and Hell. Isaac wondered if he'd ever get to visit these places one day.

"Hell . . ." Polus muttered. "Would they be interested in some of my products?"

"You're not seriously thinking about doing business in Hell, are you?"

"Depends on the situation." Polus shrugged. "Besides, wouldn't that be cool? Polus Longleaf, the Merchant of Hell."

Isaac had to admit, that does sound cool.

"Demons like some exotic stuff," Liliora said. Upon hearing this, Polus took out a small book out of his pocket and started writing. "While human sacrifices are the best, I’m sure that’ll be hard to get on your behalf. Mountain goats would be a close second. Oh, and keep the horns. I know a few demons who would go crazy over those."

"Mountain goat horns?" Isaac asked. "For what?"

"Our horns break frequently. It looks hideous when it does, so we just change them with the horns of mountain goats." Liliora said. "It's popular with male demons. Size matters with them."

"Does it hurt?"

"Not really. Replacing a horn feels like pulling the bones out of your fingers."

And with that image in mind, Isaac went to bed and let Polus and Liliora discuss what kind of stuff they wanted to sell in Hell.

Line Break

Isaac was surprised that Polus and Liliora stayed up through the night. When Isaac woke up, they were still talking about the kind of goods and products that they could potentially sell.

"What about the teeth of a sabertooth tiger?" Polus asked.

"Could work, but the elite demons won't settle for anything lower than wyvern fangs. Or wyvern bladder, for that matter," Liliora said.

"What on earth did I wake up to?" Meng asked as she exited the shack.

"Morning," Liliora said with a beaming smile.

"Morning." Meng yawned. "Did I hear something about a bladder?"

"Liliora was just telling me about what kind of exotic drinks the elite demons would be interested in buying," Polus said.

Isaac almost threw up. Hearing wyvern’s bladder and exotic drinks in the same context was not a good way to start the morning.

"Well, you can wait until we're on the road," Isaac said. "Let's head out."

Line Break

If nothing goes wrong, they're looking for a one-day journey at most. Since it was daytime, Isaac could see their surroundings for once. The Teardrop Forest behind them blew gently from the ocean wind. The sand beneath his feet was white so it was almost blinding to look at with the bright sun. From what Isaac remembered, this part of the land jutted out of the northwest corner of the continent. So if things go well, it won't be long until they reach Losteria.

That's also assuming if things go well.

So they continued their journey. The terrain was slowly changing from dirt to sand the further they traveled. Needless to say, the cart was having a tough time moving forward.

Poor Tristina had to work extra hard to pull the cart so much so that Isaac decided to walk alongside her to lighten her burden. The car wasn’t going very fast, so he could keep up. It didn't take long before Meng joined him on foot, but for a different reason.

"Liliora has been talking non-stop about how to properly disembowel a mountain goat," Meng grumbled. "And the cart is starting to smell like one."

Isaac laughed. "Well, you're gonna have to stick with me then." The two of them walked next to the cart that was struggling along the sands. After a while of walking, they finally met their first group of enemies.

A flock of large vultures with talons as sharp as a dagger. Isaac didn't know what their problems were with him, but they looked like they were ready for a snack. The flock was currently circling high above them, waiting to strike.

"I'm just gonna go inside." Polus scrambled into his cart from the driver’s seat along with Meng. The only ones who could realistically fight these birds were Isaac and Liliora. Liliora can cast combat magic while Isaac has a bow. He wasn't sure how good he was with it, but now was the time to find out.

The first batch dove in towards them. Liliora let loose a fireball onto one of the vultures and it burnt into a crisp. Isaac wildly fired three arrows and managed to only hit one of them by accident, sending it spiraling down into the sand.

Tristina surprised the two of them when she gobbled up two vultures in quick succession. The sound of squishing could be heard as Tristina chewed up the birds. Isaac had never felt so grateful for the lizard’s appetite more than he did now.

Soon after, the second batch of vultures dove down again. Again, Isaac pulled an arrow and fired but this time, he tried to aim. But it's kind of hard to aim when you're looking straight up and the sun looking back at you. By some luck of the gods, his arrow flew straight into the eye of a vulture. He pulled another arrow and fired again. And again, his arrow was straight on target.

"Didn't know you could shoot a bow," Liliora said as she cast another fireball.

"Me neither," Isaac said. He was surprised himself, but it was something to think about later rather than now. He was either a prodigy or was really lucky.

It was probably the latter.

As they fought for another few minutes, Isaac heard a loud screech. At first, Isaac thought it was more vultures, but from the skies descended three figures. It was three people, each riding a giant eagle of their own. Armed with swords and bows, they start fighting the vultures.

"What the–" Liliora was at a loss for words.

"The Three Coins." Isaac noticed. The protection for those aligned with Losteria, as Polus explained. "About time."

Hearing the eagle cry, Polus peeked his head out of the cart. "Is it safe?"

"Yeah," Isaac said as the vultures were getting viciously ripped apart by the mercenaries. "The Three Coins are here."

"Ah, bless them!" Polus immediately jumped out of his cart after knowing that he was safe. "Just in time."

"A bit late, if you ask me," Liliora said. "I almost ran out of Mana."

"Are we good?" Meng asked from the cart.

"Yeah, we're good," Isaac said as he watched the mercenaries kill the last of the vultures. "Come on, let's keep going."

Line Break

The rest of the trip went similarly to that. They get occasional monster attacks here and there but no bandits, surprisingly. You'd think that with a city full of merchants there would be bandits roaming around outside the city but there is none.

Perhaps the Three Coins scared them.

After that relatively easy journey, they arrived at the gates of Losteria by next morning. Their journey got delayed for a bit because Tristina got a little too excited jumping after a larger-than-average crab and broke one of the wheels on Polus's cart.

"These were supposed to be indestructible," Polus grumbled.

"Maybe you just have one heck of a lizard," Meng said as she repaired his wheel.

When they arrived outside of Losteria, it was not like what Isaac imagined.

When it comes to big cities or kingdoms, the first thing you'd usually see would be a big wall guarding the perimeter around the kingdom, to protect from enemy invasion.

Losteria doesn't have that. Instead of looking like a dignified kingdom or a well-established city, Losteria looked very rough. Buildings were scattered unevenly and all of them looked different. There were no tall palaces or guard towers, no grand buildings, and whatnot. There’s not even a theme to the architecture. It’s as if everyone just built whatever the heck they wanted.

Losteria was big. Probably even bigger than the White Kingdom. It sat just at the edge of the coastline which both spanned to the left and right for a few hundred meters before curving inwards into a lagoon.

If there was one way Isaac could describe Losteria, it'd be organized chaos.

The city was bustling with life, even more so than Leadun. There were shops, stalls, and taverns everywhere. Isaac saw all kinds of beings like trolls, elves, demons, something that looked like a walking boulder, and many more. There were adventurers, merchants, mercenaries, common folk, and also distinguished knights.

If it wasn't for Polus, Isaac would've felt overwhelmed. "Welcome to the land of the free, my friend!"

That also describes Losteria very well. It's a free city. You can do what you want, just so long as you don't cross the line. Isaac saw people selling a lot of stuff, he saw fighting, he saw people having discussions in hushed tones, and he even saw a lizard woman doing weird massages on a royal knight.

Suddenly, their band of three people, a demon, and a lizard didn’t seem so out of place in this world.

"This is overwhelming," Meng said.

"This looks fun." Liliora grinned.

Isaac walked up to Polus. "So, any plans on how we’re gonna see the Three Coins? I doubt it’ll be–”

“Stop!” Someone shouted just as they were about to enter the city. All of them stopped as two people dropped down from the sky. Isaac didn’t even know where they came from.

Normally, this is the part where armed guards would stop you from entering the city and ask what your business is. That will determine whether or not you can enter.

But the people in front of him didn’t look like guards. They were armed, sure, but they looked more like bandits. Their clothing looked like a mix and match of everything. One of them had put on a cotton shirt but metal greaves with a leather cap. The other had a robe with heavy metallic shoulder pads. 

It’s like the people of the city also embodied the city’s concept of ‘do whatever the hell you want’.

“Who are you? What do you want?”

“Uh,” Isaac managed before Polus intervened.

“We’re here to do business.” Polus said. “These three are with me.”

“Hm. They don’t look like merchants.” One of them said, “I know you, Polus Longleaf. I don’t know them.”

“They’re not merchants.” Polus said. “They’re newly registered adventurers. I’ve hired them to escort me back here.”

“Did the Pathways not protect you?”

“I strayed for a bit.” Polus said with a light chuckle. “That was on me.”

The guards looked unconvinced. “Show me your Crystal.”

“Our what?” Meng asked.

“Crystal. You are adventurers, are you not?”

Polus started to panic, but this time Isaac jumped in. He fished out his necklace and showed the Aryan Crystal that he obtained from Riverside.

The guards leaned in to get a closer look. “Why is it clear? Isn’t it supposed to be colored?”

Isaac almost told them the truth by accident, but he remembered what the cat lady said to him.

“It didn’t glow for me. The guild I went to said that there might be something wrong with the Crystal, so I’m gonna have to go back in a week or two to test again. Either that, or I probably have no aptitude for anything, so I’m hoping it’s the first one.”

“I see.” The guard seems convinced. “Well, so long as you don’t cause too much trouble, you may enter.”

“Thank you, kind sirs.” Polus said. The guards nodded and disappeared in a blink of an eye. Once they were out of sight, Polus exhaled out of relief. “That was close. Lucky you have Crystal with you.”

Isaac grinned. “Come on, let’s go inside.”

Line Break

“So, how are we gonna meet the Three Coins?”

"Not gonna be that easy," Polus said. "I suggest you find a place to stay first. I'll see what I can do for you. I have connections on the inside, but it might take some time. In the meantime. . ." Polus found an empty spot just outside another shop. He snapped his fingers and his cart turned into a stand. "I'm gonna get down to business."

"I'll help you!" Liliora said with glee. Out of all of them, she seems to be the one most excited about being here.

Isaac and Meng exchanged looks. "Let's find a place to stay first.

"Let's." Meng agreed.

But that was easier said than done. Thanks to Losteria being an unorganized city, the place was very hard to navigate through. Every corner he turned to looked different. It was disorienting. Every street looked different, every alleyway was different. There was no specific landmark to guide them on which way they were headed. The city was like a maze, thanks to its structure.

"Okay." Isaac threw his hands up in exasperation after making the wrong turn for the thirteenth time. "I'm lost."

"How are we supposed to find an inn? Everything looks the same." Meng grumbled.

She had a point. Despite the unorganized infrastructure and seemingly random buildings around them, they all blend in together that everything looks the same.

It's like navigating through a forest. The trees are different and the way they're placed are different and random, but everywhere you look it looks the same.

They kept walking and hoping they'd find an inn soon when someone accidentally bumped into Isaac.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Isaac quickly apologized. The hooded figure said nothing as they continued to shuffle forward.

Isaac was about to let it go, but Meng stopped them. "Not so fast, thief." Meng said. "Give it back."

Thief? Isaac patted around his waist to find that his gold pouch had been stolen. He didn't even realize it.

"Hey, my coins are gone."

"I know. This guy stole it." Meng said.

"Tch." The thief tried running away, but Meng was quick. She grabbed them by the wrist and quickly pulled them out of balance and they fell to the floor. Meng pinned the person's back with her knee as she pulled their arm up. "Ow, ow, ow!"

"Give it back, or I'm breaking your hand." Meng threatened.

"Okay! Okay! Fine!" The thief relented. Meng slowly let go of him. After he stood up, he tossed Isaac's gold pouch back at him. "Damn lady, you're strong."

Isaac made sure the pouch is secure again in his satchel. Now that he had his first experience with attempted theft, he was getting paranoid.

But even with all that commotion, no one even gave them a second glance. It's as if this sort of thing was normal. With Losterian being a lawless city, it probably was a normal thing.

“Go!” Meng said. “Before I–”

The thief moved quickly as they pulled a dagger from under his cloak and lunged at Isaac. His instincts took over and Isaac leaned to the side too much that he lost his footing and fell to the ground. The thief quickly planted their foot and turned sideways to pin Isaac. They were about to stab him, but Meng managed to tackle them off of Isaac.

As the two rolled on the ground, Isaac was back on his feet. The thief pushed Meng away and quickly got up. As they did, their hood got pulled back, revealing their face.

Immediately, the pointy ears gave out that he was definitely an elf. Isaac would describe him as having a slightly longer face than most people with his nose and chin protruding. His blonde hair was tied in a ponytail. His blue eyes were glaring at Meng and he had a nasty sneer.

He was about to move for Meng, but Isaac was quicker. He unslung his bow and drew an arrow in one swift motion. “Stop!” He shouted as he aimed the arrow at him. The elf froze and his eyes widened as he saw that Isaac was about to fire an arrow.

For a moment, they were at a stalemate.

“If you move, I’ll put an arrow between your eyes.” Isaac threatened.

Isaac could see that the elf was weighing his options. Of course, Isaac was bluffing. He could not guarantee that his shot would hit. He’d never used a bow before. But the elf didn’t know that. He was just hoping it would convince him enough to walk away.

“Tch,” The elf swung his arm from left to right. The air seemed to mimic his movement, folding into him as he disappeared along with a gust of wind.

Just like that, he was gone.

Isaac sighed in relief as he put his bow and arrow away. As he expected, the people around them paid no attention. He went over to Meng. “Are you okay?”

Meng brushed off the dirt from her shoulders. “I’m fine.” Meng said. “Stupid thief.”

“Could’ve been worse.” Isaac said. “Let’s find an inn, shall we? I think I had enough entertainment for one day.”

Line Break

"Everyone here is a criminal of some sort.” Polus said as they met up in the inn they were currently staying. “They just come in different shapes and sizes.”

“I guess we’re lucky that the Three Coins didn’t jump in.” Meng said.

“On a small crime like that? It’s beneath them to jump in. Speaking of which," Polus rummaged something from his bag and tossed Isaac a letter. "Ask and you shall receive."

"What's this?" Isaac took the letter. On it was a red wax seal with no insignia.

"That, my friend, is your official invitation to the Banquet of Coins," Polus said proudly. "Had to pull a few strings for that."

The three of them stared at Polus, waiting for him to explain. "What's that?"

Polus looked at them in disbelief. "Banquet of Coins." He repeated as if they would understand the second time. "The largest event for nobles and merchants west of Arya?"

"Never heard of it," Liliora said.

Polus sighed in disappointment. "The Banquet of Coins is like a ceremony. A gathering for the richest of the rich. Naturally, this means nobles, merchants, and sometimes even kings." Polus explained.

"Okay, what does that mean for us?" Isaac asked.

"Well, among the guests of honor would be one of the Three Coins, Captain of the Windy Fleet, Eiko Kamura," Polus said. "You said you wanted to meet them, right?"

This was good news. The purpose of their visit was to convince the Three Coins and the merchant fleet that will be sailing to the White Kingdom that the White Kingdom were friendlies, and also to find out if Losteria mean to do business or invade.

And if anyone knows anything about the merchant fleet, it will be a member of the Three Coins that are in charge of the ocean routes of the Losterian Pathways.

"Thanks, Polus." Isaac smiled. "You did great." Polus beamed with pride. "When is the banquet?"

"About three days from now," Polus said.

So they have a time limit here. They need to find any information regarding the merchant fleet, the Three Coin leader that's in charge of it, and also the traitor, all before they set sail which they don't know when that'll be. If Isaac had to bet, they had until the Banquet of Coins to find out all the information they could since all the merchants will be gathering there.

"That's our deadline," Isaac said. "Polus, I want to explain something to you so you might want to take a seat."

As of right now, he trusts Polus completely despite how they met. Polus had done so much for them that they would've had a rough time getting their mission done if it weren't for Polus. As far as he knew, he trusted Polus as one of his friends.

And so, he explained everything to Polus. Where he, Meng, and Liliora came from. Why they're on an adventure to Losteria, and why they wanted an audience with the Three Coins.

After explaining all that, Polus threw his hands up in exasperation, to Isaac's surprise. "You could've told me sooner!"

Isaac expected some sort of reaction, but this wasn't one of them. "What do you mean?"

"Could've gotten a discount on the invitation if I told you guys were from the White Kingdom." Polus sighed. "They're interested in merchants from other lands. Since no merchants have ever been into the White Kingdom before, they'd be interested in you."

Isaac shrugged. "Sorry."

Polus chuckled. "It's fine." He said. "The White Kingdom, huh?"

"Yep," Liliora said. "None of us were born there though. I was summoned, Meng came from outside, and Isaac was brought in by the White Queen."

"Would love to visit there one day with Tristina," Polus said wistfully.

"Which brings me to my plan," Isaac said. "So, listen up." Isaac took a few deep breaths before explaining. "Meng, you and I will be focusing on blending in. This means getting fancy and learning the proper etiquette so we don't look out of place."

Meng groaned. Formalities were among her least favorite things.

"Liliora, I'm gonna need you to find something out for me," Isaac said. "There's a woman here. Iola's wife."

"Oh, Iola mentioned her," Liliora said. "You want me to look for her?"

Isaac nodded. "Just to make sure she's safe. Iola was worried about her wife and I wanted to reassure him of her safety. And also we need to find this person that will guide the fleet. They'll be from the White Kingdom, but aside from that, we know nothing else. I'll leave it up to you."

"You got it."

"And Polus," Isaac said. "I need you to find out about the merchant fleet. Everything you can find. How many people? Who will be on board? When will it depart? What will it be carrying? Find out everything you can."

"Wait, you're trusting me with a job?" Polus asked.

Isaac frowned. "What? You can't do it?"

"Oh, I can do it alright," Polus said. "But I'm not one of you guys. I'm just here to help."

"And right now, I'm asking for your help." Isaac smiled. "You might not be from the White Kingdom, but you're part of our group now. As well as Tristina."

Polus looked like he was about to cry. Then he bawled as he hugged Isaac and kept rubbing his cheek on his. "Thank you so much! Thank you! Thank you!"

"Bah, get off me." Isaac struggled. "If you wanna thank me then just do what I told you to."

"Yes sir!" Polus saluted and went outside. Isaac sighed while Liliora and Meng just laughed.

Some things never change.