The sun shined bright and strong in the sky. The journey to Lucon had been relatively uneventful, but as soon as Caelus, Mira, and Elise stepped out onto its bustling streets, bidding their benefactors farewell, they felt the stark contrast between this city and Willowstead. The city was alive with trade, filled with massive scaled creatures, known as behemoths, drawing carriages, tourists excitedly exploring sights, locals enjoying their everyday life and the occasional adventurer boasting about their latest conquests. Stalls lined the streets, selling everything from enchanted trinkets to rare spices.
"Sure feels a lot different from Eldralis, huh?" Caelus mused, glancing around at the city's structures
Elise nodded, fascinated by the town's atmosphere. "Yeah… it's livelier but also rougher."
Mira kept quiet, her hands fidgeting with her coat as she kept close to them.
The party explored the city, witnessing many of the city's common occurrences.
"Three pounds of sun steel, straight from the east!! Only for twenty gold a batch!" one vendor yelled
"Four bags of Aftabian spice! Straight from Hajar to the south of our great continent! Four bags for one hundred gold!!" another continued
"Those don't sound like bad deals, to be honest..." Caelus muttered to himself
"No time for bargain fishing, dummy..." Mira shakily uttered, "Let's keep walking..."
As per her suggestion, the party continued through the city until they came across a building with the sign Behemoth Station looming over it.
"It should be worthwhile checking this place out, right?" Elise questioned
"We can only learn by seeing!" Caelus answered
Upon entering the station, an attendant, dressed in simple uniform consisting of the colours of the banners hung around the hall, came into focus.
"Final announcement! The behemoth departing toward Ardent will be leaving soon! If you wish to board, do so quickly!"
Upon hearing those words, the party walked over at a quick pace, paying the thirty gold for their three tickets at near record speed. As they made it to the boarding area, they found their carrier to Ardent relatively easy. They boarded a large, sleeping behemoth covered with an assortment of brown fur, with a reinforced saddle-like seating area strapped to its back. As they were the last of the passengers, the tamer-a young looking boy, dressed in attire typical of servants and escorts-finally mounted the furry beast, tapping it awake.
The behemoth groggily opened its eyes, standing up slowly as it yawned and let out a calm, low bellow.
"Welcome, passengers!" the tamer called out, "On behalf of the Behemoth Station, I would like to thank you for using our service! Please enjoy your trip to Ardent!!"
As the beast started walking, the city of Lucon was a brisk sight as the beast took little time to reach the city's outskirts. As the behemoth continued on the journey, slimes scurried out of a large chest strapped to the back of the behemoth's saddle. They were equipped with strapped-on trays covered with an assortment of snacks, drinks and many more refreshments.
"Please, help yourselves!" the tamer spoke, turning his head back slightly as he mainly focused on guiding his furry friend
"I never knew public transport could be this nice." Caelus says with a small smile on his face as he reaches out to one of the slime's trays
"I question the decision to have slimes do this, though..." Elise utters, quietly nibbling on a cookie
"Well," Mira starts after downing a gulp of water, "if you look hard enough, you can find a bunch of docile slimes. And they're small enough to fit a bunch of 'em into that big ass chest, so it's more helpful with business. Especially with how many people find them adorable." she finishes as she pokes a slime
"You seem to be well educated on this..." Caelus probes as he takes a bite of some bread with ham
"W-what's that supposed to mean?!" Mira replies, her eyes looking away with slightly frantic glances
Though the other travellers were deep in their own conversations, one hushed yet intense talk immediately drew the party's attention.
''I've heard that the rebels have started working with the notorious gangs of Ardent. To go this far just to challenge the government is honestly crazy!" one man uttered
"Well, I've heard that some nobles want to completely wipe out the bloodline of the old monarchy! Not a single trace left!" another woman whispered, her voice filled with shock
Caelus shifted his gaze away from the buzzing locals, then noticed Mira shifting uncomfortably in her place, pulling her coat tighter to herself. He had noticed it before-her reluctance, the way she stiffened when asked about Ardentia-now she curled into herself, as if she wanted to disappear.
He could've said something. Should've.
But instead, he let it go.
After about an hour, with the sun near its peak, the behemoth was past the gates of the City of Dawn: they had made it to Ardentia. As the beast continued walking toward the station, its passengers looked at the city upon its back, with the place living up to its moniker. The buildings reflected the sunlight, not harshly like most materials, but with a soft, mesmerising glow.
"It's beautiful..." Elise breathed, looking in awe
"Just what the hell are these buildings made from?" Caelus muttered to himself
"Lumestone..." Mira meekly said, "It's made from a material called Lumestone... it's rare in most places... but it's near abundant in this country."
"I see." Caelus replied, making more observations
The behemoth had finally made it to the station close to the city's central square, laying down on its belly to let the passengers get off.
"Thank you again for using our service, dear travellers!! We hope you come again!" the tamer announced in gratitude
"Well then!" Caelus stretched as he got off the saddle, "Let's see if we can find some info on our buddy!"
Navigating Ardent was not without difficulty. No one was being particularly helpful with information. It was clear the city had many things to hide from outsiders.
"A Celestial Blade?" one mother replied when asked, clutching her child closer as she looked at the party, "Why would you want to know about that..."
"It's important you tell us anything you know, ma'am!" Caelus pleaded
"I'm sorry. I don't think I should speak on it..." she uttered as she shuffled away from the group
"Dammit all!" Caelus grunted in frustration, "No one in this city is being of any help!!"
"I didn't think gathering info would be this tedious..." Elise pouted, crouched next to Mira
"At this point, asking people is all we can do..." Mira spoke, annoyance creeping up in her speech, "No matter how tedious it is..."
"Ugh! Fine!" Caelus exclaimed as he walked toward a back alley. The alleyway quickly led to a cosy enclosure behind what seemed to be a tavern but not too far away from the rest of the city. In said enclosure, the party find a shady looking man minding his own business, chomping down on an apple.
"Excuse me!" Caelus called out, "I wanted to ask you if you know anything of a Celestial Blade?"
"A Celestial Blade, you say?" the man replied, his cloak slightly sweeping back revealing his face a bit more, "Well, word on the street is that they got him locked up. The guy couldn't even get a good night at the inn..."
"Do you happen to have more detai-" Mira probed before being interrupted by the clanking of metal boots. Three men suited in the armour of the Ardentian infantry approached the group, white and gold cloths flowing from their uniforms as they moved, faintly shimmering under the glow of the city.
"You four. What are you talking about." one of the men demanded, a hand already placed on his weapon
"Just a casual conversation," Caelus replied smoothly, raising his hands in a mock surrender, "didn't know talking was crime now."
Elise giggled as another of the guards focused his gaze on the shady man. "It depends on what you're discussing... conspiring with criminals is a serious crime in Ardent. In fact," he takes a step closer to the group, "we might have to take you all in for questioning."
"Yeah, I think we'll pass." Caelus replied
That was all it took.
The soldier closest to them immediately drew his sword and swung at Caelus. As he dodged swiftly, Caelus noted that the blade seemed to be made of Lumestone, as the air around the blade almost hummed with energy. The other two soldiers quickly followed suit, drawing their Lumestone weapons and engaging the party in combat.
"Shit!!" the cloaked man exclaimed as he realised the current situation
The shady man fled as fast as he could at the first sign of violence. Elise struggled fending off her opponent with a dagger. Mira moved her sword with fluid and precise reactions in tandem with the soldier's attacks.
"I'd recognise those movements from anywhere!" Mira's opponent exhales sharply, "That's swordplay used by the royals!"
Mira didn't let his revelation distract her. She continued at a relentless pace, leading to her striking his gut with the flat of her blade with enough force to knock him out.
Elise's struggle continued on. Her opponent's skill almost overwhelmed her, but she was able to hold her own, observing his footwork and habits. As the soldier thrusts his weapon at her once more, she quickly sidesteps, taking advantage of his lack of balance to shove him into the area behind his other standing comrade: his comrade who was quickly sent flying by the force of Caelus' punch.
As both the unconscious bodies of the soldiers rolled onto the main street, onlookers gathered and whispers began filling the gathering crowd: the commotion had drawn attention.
As the call of more soldiers could be heard down the street, a figure quickly settles on the rooftop of the tavern.
"Greetings, good people." he speaks out, "I advise you come with me, if you want to avoid trouble."
"Now who the hell are you?" Caelus asks crudely
"I am a Royal Guard of Ardent." the man replies, "I hope you can place your trust in me. If not, place your trust in Lady Mirabelle."
"Lady Mirabelle?" Caelus and Elise utter in unison as they turn to look at Mira.
They all exchange glances with one another. As the clatter of armour becomes more prevalent, they reach a silent agreement. There was not much choice, after all.