"It seems we at least have something to work with, don't we?", Zakari chipped in.They all looked at him, confused for a moment by what he meant by that statement."We can all thank Raven for finding us some favors to call in when the time comes", he added. "Of course, Aiden did most of the work, so he gets most of the thanks", he continued with a small smile as he glanced at Raven.She squinted her eyes in response to Zakari's words but eventually looked away after a few seconds when Diane spoke."Well, that is right. We have some favors to call in when we need them. Which means that right now, I have to go get that dummy and see what he came up with after a night of existential thought"Connor, Deirdre, and Reinhardt wore puzzled expressions when they heard Diane's words, with Deirdre vocalizing her thoughts, "who", she asked. "Aiden?", she added soon after."Yes, he might look like he is sulking, and he might be, but there is one thing I know; he won't do that without finding a sol
"So, what…?", she asked.For a moment, the tension in the air increased dramatically. The three girls looked at Eleanor at the same time, their thoughts going through the implications of this statement. Eloise and Aiden were the only people who remained unfazed at that moment. They both looked at Princess Eleanor, but their expressions remained neutral.Deirdre was about to speak, but Diane gestured for her not to as she asked Aiden a simple question…"Should we leave?", she directed her question at him.Aiden looked up at Diane for a moment before he turned back to look at Princess Eleanor and spoke. This he did as he slowly stood up from his seat…"Your highness, as I told you from the beginning, I already have teammates, and we will be exploring the island ruin as a party. So, I appreciate the fact that you came to invite me yourself, unfortunately, I must decline your offer", he said.After saying this, he stepped away from the table and followed Diane, Raven, and Deirdre as they
Fraser and Lloyd walked through the streets of the town as they separated from the rest of the group in completely different directions.Lloyd kept pace with Fraser but was otherwise confused by what Fraser was doing and where he was leading them to. He followed quietly as they left the bright part of the town, coming to the darker parts of the town. There was a gloom in the air. It was at this moment that Fraser stopped and chose to explain his thoughts to Lloyd."In both elf and human communities, so long as there are some that don't live up to the standards of society, with the presence of alcohol in any form that they can access, you will find places like this", he started. "I would advise that you keep your hands to yourself as the smallest things you do can trigger a big reaction", he continued.Lloyd nodded and followed when Fraser resumed walking. He turned a corner nearby. This move led them into a dark alley; along the walls were people who sat, slept, and stood in different
"I felt that you two were not riff-raff, and since you chose to help me, I thought that it would be good to return the favor", the middle-aged man said."Well, we appreciate it very much. That was quite the journey; I believe we would have lost our way if we came alone", Fraser said."Yes, what is this place anyway?!", Lloyd asked.The middle-aged man smiled and responded without wasting time, "This place is the reserved spot for those who are well off. There is nothing to it than that… A better tavern for them to drink their fancy wines and make their fancy talks", he explained."Oh?", Fraser reacted. "We are probably not that fancy, but it won't hurt to check, right?", he added."Of course", the middle-aged man responded. "So long as you can get past the guards at the door. They also have entry fees for those who wish to enter. It's a bit expensive, but it is worth it, to get the answers you seek"This statement caught Lloyd off guard and his eyes narrowed almost immediately, but Fr
On the other side of the world, back to Aiden and his situation, on the morning of the third day, there was a high-pitched whistle that tore through the city, piercing the ears of every person in the city, irrespective of where they were in the city.This happened early in the morning, long before it was daybreak, waking every person that was asleep, and affirming the diligence of those who chose not to.This loud whistle left the city awake and bustling with activity. Lights came on and every one of them moved to a place where they could get a good view of the island that was floating in the sky. They all looked up at the island for the following quarter of an hour. Unfortunately, no one saw anything change about the island no matter how long they chose to look at it.Aiden and the rest of the group had also been woken by the shrill whistle, and after five minutes, they lost interest in looking up at the island."Something must be happening that we can't see, at least not yet", Andre
An hour went by and just as the hour passed, right down to the second, the sight of every person blurred and they lost control of their bodies.There was the warp that brought them into a vortex and even though it lasted for just a few seconds, it left many disoriented as they popped out of those warps in space, one after the other.Aiden appeared out of the warp and he landed a little disoriented, but he quickly caught himself to avoid falling. Around him, the rest of the group popped out one after the other.Around them, there were a lot more people, and many of them lost their balance as soon as they appeared.Aiden took a look around and to his delight, Princess Eleanor and her friend Eleanor were nowhere to be found. This was very acceptable and he looked at the rest of the group, taking a count to see if they were missing anyone, and a few seconds of scanning later, he ascertained that no one was missing.He was just about to speak when he turned to look behind him.At the same
This discussion did not take long for them to conclude… Aiden chose to go into the cave. Since they were still unsure about what the noble team scouts had seen, it would be best to have a relatively capable person take on the job.There also wasn't much to talk about, and Princess Eleanor seemed to have taken heed to Aiden's advice and was no longer disturbing them. She was watching everything they did, however, with Eloise right there with her.After picking out representatives from each group of people to act as scouts, they walked into the cave together. Aiden was part of this group of people, and he chose to trail slightly behind the group. As he walked into the cave, he moved to one side of the cave and let his hand brush along the walls as he walked.No one seemed to care much about what he did, as each of them had their eyes opened wide to try and pick out anything that was out of place in the cave. Anything that they could report to their groups.You could imagine the looks on
Aiden and the rest of the group watched the large crowd of arcanas in front of them turn into specks in the distance after a few minutes. As they watched, Princess Eleanor came up beside Aiden and asked in her normal voice, not that there was no need to disguise much."Now what?"Aiden was not the one who answered this question, rather it was Deirdre, and she did so by speaking to Eloise who stood quietly in her little space."Hi, Eloise", she greeted in her normal voice.She had not spoken since they were brought onto the island, and her voice made Princess Eleanor pause in her tracks while it made Eloise raise an eyebrow in surprise. Deirdre did not take off her disguise or do something that would prove her identity, she simply continued speaking."The plan is the cave", she started. "Hopefully we are right and make it through safely", she added. As a footnote to her explanation, she turned to Princess Eleanor and said the following, "Your Highness, if you would be patient, and help