Lucia fishes Ren and Sophie out of a river.

  “Thanks Lucia.” Ren says in a tone that shows no emotion. “It’s nice to see you and stuff.”

  “Ah, right.” Lucia says.

  Lucia plops Ren down on some soft dirt. Sophie clamors up despite her broken arms and looks up river.

  “I’m coming back here to capture that wyvern like my emperor ordered.” Sophie speaks with a confidence and dedication unlike her usual tone.

  As Sophie looks off into the distance. In a particular mountain side, there is a cave with what is assumed to be Krosstetche’s lair. Inside there are strange magics and resources hidden within. Though she may not be an expert mountain explorer, she commits this mountain and the paths leading to it to memory.

  Then a giant monster the size of a monster poked it’s head up and stretched. The mountain Sophie was committing to memory gets shoved over and presses up against another mountain. Then that same giant monster clawed up huge swathes of land and collected it in a pile. The monster then pads it together as though it were fluffing a pillow. The monster then laid it’s head down on the new mountain. It was dissatisfied and grabbed a third mountain and padded it in with it’s pillow before fluffing it again. It rests it’s head and snuggles on it’s new pillow. Sophie’s jaw hangs open as her efforts to memorize this location of that particular mountain were laid in vain.

  “Come on. Let’s go home.” Ren says. “You too Lucia.”

  Ren grabs Sophie and Lucia before dragging the both of them back down the mountain range.

  Luard Luminite was enjoying a nice cup of coffee while he listened to a private investigator explain his findings.

  “And so I followed the trail to Halward City. It was there that the trail ended.”

  “What do you mean, the trail ended?” Luard snaps at the man.

  “Look, I found when Ren entered the city.” the private investigator whines. “Marszealous 9th! Halward City’s north gate. She paid the city gate toll and gave her name. I went north and came back here. I checked the toll logbook. I didn't find her name come up before the 9th. Only after, when you returned with her and the Albrinters.”

  “What's that supposed to mean?”

  “It means she came from a village or farming community between here and Halward City, or she came from even further up north and walked past Longcrest city. Walked past or around the capital without batting an eye.”

  “Did you at least check all those villages and farms?”

  “All the ones already on the Elderboar Trail and Meridian Road!”

  “The hells is the Elderboar Trail?”

  “A dirt road along the way! It's not stone paved or anything.”

  “Alright! Forget where she came from. What did she do in Halward City?”

  “She seemingly found work at a place called Vinny's. They are participating in one of the queen’s refugee policies to put some of them to work.”

  “Are you suggesting that Ren was a refugee from one of the countries up north?”

  “If I could, I would have said so. First, even our own citizens and farmers can get hired on with this policy. It’s not exclusive to foreign refugees. Second, that would be an assumption. She could just as easily be a spy too.”

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  “Sure, whatever.”

  “Anyway, I looked into Vinny’s. It’s a sort of odd jobs place. I got a copy of Ren’s work ledger during that time. It seems that she flopped tons of jobs and failed at just about everything she did. She got hired on in a restaurant and couldn’t handle it in the kitchen or the dining room. She tried hard labor, but couldn’t get anything done. She tried clerical work, but I’m told that every document she touched was screwed. Her last job with them was reading stories to kids at a local orphanage. That was the day the Halward City castle was raided and the city flew into chaos as every gang put their differences aside to open the city gates to let bandits and other armed bands inside.”

  “Yes, I remember that national security headache.”

  “And a great number of city folk left after that. They didn’t want to live in the old capital anymore. It can be easily said that she was one of those people. Beyond that, I don’t have any more to add that you don’t already know.”

  Luard gives a heavy sigh.

  “Do you plan on investigating further?” Luard asks.

  “The only other move I can make is to check out every village I didn’t get to.” the private investigator says. “I could do it myself, but that would take a long time. I could probably get some hired help to do it. In either case that’s a lot of time and a lot of money that not even I would recommend you pay for, even if it is me doing the service and getting paid.”

  “Right.”

  Luard thinks for a moment before writing on a slip of paper and handing it to the man.

  “You can go now. Do me a favor and tell the other private investigator in the hall that I’m ready for him.”

  The man takes the slip of paper and leaves Luard’s office. After some time a different man enters. He’s an older looking human man with brown hair that is starting to gray.

  “I take it Matty’s investigation was bad news.” the new man says.

  “No, just a dissatisfactory search result.” Luard groans.

  “Maybe I can help.” the man chuckles. “I can pick up where he left off.”

  “It’s about a new adventurer.”

  The second private investigator of the day pauses at his response.

  “Right, well, about Kanady Vouscherpell,” the man says. “I looked over the accounts she is managing and I had your boy in the treasury do a full inventory. Also, that boy is really resistant to doing his job. He just needs to count every gold coin in the royal treasury. Younguns these days. Anyway, gold is missing from the treasury. Had the boy check everything. Then I got mad at him. Then I had his manager check everything. Unfortunately, I can’t find anyone to blame for the missing money. Of course, Kanady is on the list of suspects. Just no evidence to pin anything on her yet.”

  “Okay!” Luard claps and rubs his hands together. “Whether it was Kanady or not, it’s time to make this a national security problem. Can I trust that you won’t tell anyone that some of their tax gold went missing?”

  “If you couldn’t trust me with that, you would have me killed here in your office.”

  “Great! Glad we won’t be spreading any nasty rumors about wasted and lost taxes. I have enough shit to deal with. I don’t need civil unrest or enemy factions calling our queen’s ability and security into question.”

  “What, you’re afraid of rebellions and stuff.”

  “Have you tried taking money from people and then tell them that the money you took was stolen?"

  “I can’t say I have.”

  “Don’t try it. I would advise against telling people that the taxes you collected aren’t being used for the betterment of the country they live in.”

  “I can only imagine it.”

  “Well, for a national security issue I can use kingdom investigators and not private investigators.” Luard says. “Thank you for your service.”

  Luard takes another slip and writes on it before handing it to this private investigator too.

  “Now, that should be it for meetings today.” Luard says. “It’s time for a break.”

  Luard gets up off his chair and stretches for a bit. As the private investigator turns to leave Luard’s office, a foot punctures the door and starts wriggling around a bit.

  “Oh come on!” a voice cries out from the other side of the door.

  In that next moment, the door opens to reveal that it was Olion Razneck who plunged his foot through Luard’s office door again. Mulbane and Sophie Razneck step inside. All three of them are dirty, appropriately so for people coming back from a mountain trek. Sophie Razneck had her arms in a sling.

  “Ugh, I need more coffee…” Luard groans.

  “We need accommodations.” Mulbane says.

  “Right! Before that, what did you find?” Luard asks.

  “We found nothing!” Mulbane snaps.

  “You found nothing!” Sophie snaps back. “I found the beast’s lair!”

  Ren pops her head from behind the doorframe to Luard’s office.

  “And I helped.” Ren says.

  At Ren’s words Alliot, Bron, Linda and Malo also poke their heads through the door frame. Luard furrows his brow and his jaw hangs loose. It takes him a moment before he speaks in an exasperated tone.

  “How the hells are any of you alive?”

  “I also found this girl!” Ren says.

  From the doorframe, Ren holds up Lucia, the wolffolk girl, like she were a puppy.

  “Wha- what?” Luard stammers.

  “I’m taking her with me.” Ren says.

  “Wha- you can’t just take people!” Luard shouts.

  “I’m taking her with me.” Ren says.

  Meanwhile, Alliot steps in and approaches the private investigator who was stopped from leaving.

  “Terry!” Alliot says.

  Alliot approaches the private investigator with open arms and gives the man a hug. The man returns the hug.

  “Alliot! How have you been, my boy?” the private investigator called Terry says.

  “Aw, great!” Alliot cheers. “Me and the guys just got back from the Evershifting mountain range. You know that weird wyvern that’s making the news and stuff? We just fought it.”

  “Wow! Sounds like you’re all having a grand time.” Terry says.

  “Can you not have a friendly get together in my office?!?!” Luard snaps.