Saiya watched as the volunteers made final preparations to the wagon. They worked to secure the horses in their harnesses. She yawned, thinking back to the night before. Despite her need for rest, they ended up working until well after midnight to get everything prepared. Saiya didn’t know why Zeltara had decided that this needed to happen as soon as possible. Sure, they were on a time limit, but they still had several days. They could have told the volunteers to come tomorrow. But Saiya expected nothing else. For all her intelligence, Zeltara could be impatient. At least she wasn’t as bad as Kaztos.

  Speaking of her friends, they stood next to her and tried to rub any lingering sleep out of their eyes. While all four of them slept in, the late time to bed ensured that they wouldn’t get enough sleep. The church bunk beds also left much to be desired as well. While Saiya could appreciate the church using donated funds for the community, they could have at least spent something on comfortable beds. The Al’Yanda had better sleeping conditions, and they slept on the ground in the wilderness. Now that she thought about it, Saiya hoped they hadn’t been missed at the caravan last night.

  Mileas came out of the church and walked over to the volunteers. She exchanged pleasantries with them, then began to help. Zeltara let out a hum and then quietly said, “Mileas isn’t what I expected for a noble. She seemed snobbish when we first met, but she’s quite a hard worker.”

  “Of course!” Kaztos exclaimed, making Saiya flinch at the volume. Everyone around the wagon stopped and looked at him. He called out an apology and looked away, embarrassed. The volunteers got back to work.

  “Try to tone down the volume, Kaztos. I’m pretty sure half the city heard that,” Zeltara said.

  “My apologies. I guess I’m excited for today,” Kaztos answered in a more reasonable volume. “But it’s to be expected. She’s likely been an apprentice for a few years now. That’s bound to leave its mark on anyone.”

  Saiya glanced over at Kaztos. “What do you mean by that? Does the church train members to follow a certain behavior? Punish undesirable traits?”

  “Of course not,” Kaztos said. “They wouldn’t do anything like that. It’s just that the work leaves an effect on you. Helping the community teaches empathy, and learning to conduct prayers helps teach discipline. Mileas is likely still the same person as before, just with a new appreciation of hard work and charity.”

  Ah, her internal bias got involved. Saiya knew she needed to keep an eye on that. It would have been unfortunate to say that directly to the priestess. She wouldn’t have taken that well. “Sorry. I shouldn’t have thought about it like that.” She can’t be assuming things like that because of earlier experiences.

  “It’s alright. Just try to be more mindful in the future. The church is always there to help people like us.” Kaztos turned back to watch the work ahead of him. Saiya crossed her arms and stared down at the ground. That’s what she got for opening her mouth.

  Zeltara leaned over and whispered in her ear. “Kaztos is partially right, but don’t be afraid to speak up. He tends to take things at face value, so I appreciate your more skeptical viewpoint.” Saiya glanced up and saw the smile Zeltara was giving her. She returned it and loosened up. Her friend was right, and Saiya shouldn’t let Kaztos get to her. Last night must have affected her more than she thought.

  “So, Kaztos. Why do you have such a high opinion of the church? I never attended, and from the sounds of it, neither has Saiya. You’ve spoken about it before, but never went into detail,” Zeltara said. Kaztos smiled.

  “I first went when I was ten. Things had been rough for me at the academy. My classmates had finally learned the history of my family. They weren’t very kind about it. The church proved to be a refuge away from school and home. The priests there helped with my growing doubts and taught me much. I am heavily indebted to them.” He paused and looked over at them. “I know you two haven’t had the best experiences, but the church was there when I was at a hard time in my life. If it weren’t for them, I wouldn’t be where I am today. I’ll always appreciate what it does in the world because of that.”

  Saiya never thought of it that way, but it made sense. But that just left one question in her mind. Why didn’t they offer her the same courtesy? Saiya could only recall their cold behavior in the days after the accident. Was it just something about her?

  “I’m surprised to hear that. I’d have thought they wouldn’t have accepted you, being a Molinar and all. It’s why I never went. I figured that those in service to the Amedori wouldn’t appreciate an elf skulking around,” Zeltara said. Kaztos then chuckled.

  “I thought that as well at first. It was more of an accident that I ended up at Urada Church than anything else. But let me tell you something the head priest Vellatar told me. It is not up to the church to enact or interpret the Amedori’s actions. Instead, they are to help those in need as the holy lords instruct us to do. No matter who ends up on their doorstep. They let either the Amedori or their angels spread their will on the world. The church is just here to help. Whether that be through sermon or charity.”

  Zeltara looked taken aback by the explanation. “Interesting. Maybe I should have attended at some point.” Saiya wondered about that herself. Perhaps things would have been different. Though she couldn’t imagine her parents allowing it. They never had a high opinion of the church.

  “That would have been nice. We could have all become friends earlier.” The three exchanged smiles before turning back to the wagon. Mileas and the volunteers appeared to have finished setting everything up. Most of the men went their separate ways except for two who jumped onto the front of the wagon.

  Mileas walked over to them. “Alright, everything should be ready. I’ll be at the front of the church waiting for the signal. Are you three ready to go?”

  “Of course. We’ll have this settled before you know it,” Zeltara said. The priestess nodded and then signaled to the wagon. The driver got the two horses moving at a walk out of the garage and down the road. Zeltara then turned to Saiya and Kaztos. “Alright, let’s follow along at a distance. Remember, don’t interfere.” She looked over at Kaztos while saying that. He raised his hands nervously.

  “I won’t get involved unless the drivers’ lives are in danger.” It was the most they could expect from Kaztos. Zeltara nodded and started walking. Saiya and Kaztos followed her.

  They settled in about a hundred feet away from the wagon. Fortunately, foot traffic in Mousafont remained slow, so they had no trouble keeping an eye on the wagon. While they didn’t know the exact route, Mileas told them they were heading toward a dead-end street in a poorer area of the lower district. It was for the best, in Saiya’s opinion. The last thing they needed was to explain why there weren’t any supplies on the off chance the Kolidato didn’t attack. She briefly wondered what Zeltara would do next if that happened. Hopefully, they wouldn’t need to find out.

  As they moved into a poorer area of the city, the number of people on the street decreased further. They maintained their distance and kept an eye out. Saiya then noticed the drivers’ growing anxiety. She tugged on Zeltara’s sleeve to get their attention.

  “Are the drivers saying anything? They’re becoming paranoid up there.” Zeltara turned and concentrated on the wagon ahead.

  After a few moments, she said, “The two are muttering about seeing something in the alleyways. They’re not sure if it’s their imagination or not.” Saiya grasped her weapons under her cloak. Her eyes darted to the alleys on either side of the street.

  “Could it be the Kolidato gang? They might be scoping out the transport,” Kaztos muttered. While not grabbing his hammer, his arms fidgeted at his sides.

  Zeltara said, “Maybe, but they could also be paranoid. I’m pretty sure Mileas warned them about what was going to happen.”

  “It makes sense that it’s them. They’ve probably been keeping an eye on the church,” Saiya said. “How else could they have figured out about these supply runs? The odds of randomly running into them are low.”

  “Maybe they're keeping watch on the church,” Kaztos said. His voice carried the uncertainty all of them felt about the statement. Zeltara shook her head.

  “If that was the case, then why haven’t the guards spotted anyone yet? They maintain a solid presence in the area. Mileas never mentioned seeing anyone either.” Saiya wondered as well. A gang member could be watching in disguise, but the logistics of it felt off. She doubted the gang kept a team on standby whenever a shipment went out. And that they had hit every recent shipment. Something else was going on.

  “Do we know exactly who Mileas talks to about these supply runs?” Saiya asked. Zeltara’s expression turned disconcerted in thought.

  “You think that someone has been ratting her out?” Saiya nodded. “That possibility has more merit, but I can’t know for sure. Kaztos, do you have any ideas?”

  “I agree that it’s a possibility. It’s likely that Mileas would have to keep the guards up to date about this. That’s not even accounting for the volunteers she is using. It would be too easy for someone to pretend to help just to gather information.” Saiya scowled at the thought.

  “You mean the plan could be doomed from the start? This might be completely pointless, then.”

  “Not necessarily,” Zeltara said. “At the very least, we’ll have more information to go on. If there isn’t an attack, then at means that we’ll have to investigate the volunteers. We’ll still have a lead to go on.” That helped ease Saiya’s worries. If nothing else, they could at least get something out of this.

  “That’s assuming they haven’t just decided not to attack. Our defending the church might have just scared them off temporarily,” Kaztos said. Zeltara waved the concern off.

  “That’s also a possibility, but that still means that we can try another decoy. They’ll have to bite at some point.” The conversation died down as the three continued to follow the decoy wagon. By now, they had moved into an area bordering the elf district. Few people traveled the road. Zeltara had them move further back to avoid suspicion. Saiya kept an eye on the passing alleyways, but saw nothing of interest.

  A few minutes passed before Zeltara said, “Get ready. I think it’s going to happen soon.”

  “Are you sure? I don’t see anything,” Kaztos said. Zeltara’s right ear twitched.

  “There’s movement in the alleys nearby. At least half a dozen people. Can’t make anything specific out.” By now, the drivers were throwing glances at the alleyways on their right. Something was stalking them. Saiya tightened her grip on a throwing knife.

  She glanced over at Kaztos. “Remember. They haven’t killed anyone during these raids. The drivers know just to give up the supplies. So don’t charge in.” Kaztos fired an irritated look towards her.

  “I’m well aware. Why are you getting on my case?” Saiya rolled her eyes.

  “We both know why. I don’t mean to offend you. You just tend to let your emotions get the best of you.” Her poor attempt at consoling him only seemed to rile him up. She stopped herself from saying that it proved her point.

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  Fortunately, Zeltara stopped them before things could escalate. “Enough! It’s starting.” She pointed forward, taking their attention off each other. After a few moments, the first man exited the alleyway. He walked in front of the wagon, forcing them to stop.

  The three of them ducked behind a building and peeked around the edge. One by one, six more people walked out of the alley, surrounding the wagon. The five men and two women stood there wearing familiar red vests. Their ploy was working. They didn’t have to hunt down and interrogate potentially dozens of volunteers.

  Saiya watched as one of the gang members had a conversation with the drivers. She didn’t know what they were saying, but Zeltara didn’t seem alarmed. Now they just had to hope that the exchange happened cleanly. The drivers dismounted the wagon and walked to the side. The gang members approached and took the decoy boxes out of the wagon. To Saiya, things were going well so far.

  Unfortunately, they didn’t stay that way as one of the gang members set down a box. He started to open it when one volunteer spoke up. He began approaching the inspector before another gang member punched him in the stomach. Saiya watched as the driver collapsed onto the ground. The gang member gave the downed man a few kicks. Fortunately, the driver’s distraction wasn’t in vain as the first gang member stopped checking the container.

  At her side, Kaztos’ hands balled up into fists. He stared at the altercation in the distance with undisguised contempt. Saiya knew Kaztos was struggling as he shifted his weight from one foot to the other.

  “We need to do something. He’s in danger.” Zeltara, despite her stormy expression, shook her head.

  “Remember the plan. We have to wait for them to take off, then follow them.” Saiya stepped forward and put a hand on Kaztos’ shoulder. The physical contact seemed to help him settle down.

  “I’m just worried that something is going to happen to him,” Kaztos muttered. Zeltara gave him a sympathetic look.

  “I know it’s difficult, but trust me. The man will be alright. The Kolidato members are just talking about roughing him up a little.” Kaztos still didn’t look convinced, so Saiya added her thoughts.

  “Think of it this way. If we wait, then we have the potential to help more people. We’ll be dealing with the weed at its roots.” He finally conceded and settled back in to watch.

  By now, most of the Kolidato members were carrying a fake container. They grabbed almost everything from the wagon. Saiya watched on, annoyed at how they celebrated their new haul. She looked forward to the time when they could put a stop to them. She observed the surrounding street. What caught her attention was the number of people or, more like the lack thereof. Saiya hadn’t seen any guards pass by yet. Only a few people were walking by and keeping their heads down. Even in a poorer area of the city, there should be somebody. Something didn’t add up, and it made her nervous.

  Zeltara pulled Saiya from her thoughts by saying, “Look, they're about to head out. Don’t get closer until they’re back in the alleyway. We don’t want to alert them to our presence.”

  “But what about the drivers? We should check on them quickly,” Kaztos said. Saiya shook her head.

  “It’s a waste of time. They’ll be fine on their own. We need to focus on following the thieves.” Zeltara took a moment to think about it before answering.

  “Kaztos is right. We should check on them. We’ll just have to be quick.” With the Kolidato members gone, they jogged over to the now empty wagon. Kaztos leaned down and helped the downed driver get up.

  “Are you okay, sir?” he asked. The driver groaned in pain, then nodded.

  “Yeah. Just wasn’t expecting a beating, is all.” He then stepped away from Kaztos. “What are you three waiting for? Go after them!”

  Zeltara gave both men a quick once-over and then nodded. “Of course. Stay safe.” She turned and entered the alleyway the gang members went into without another word. Saiya and Kaztos followed her.

  Fortunately, the Kolidato members weren’t subtle in their retreat. Saiya wasn’t sure if it was because of arrogance or incompetence, but it made their job easier. After only a minute, the three caught up with the thieves and silently trailed them.

  One member spoke up. “Another successful haul. I can’t wait to get back to the warehouse.”

  “Me too,” another said. “But first, we have to meet up with the contact.” The group continued to talk as Saiya considered what she had overheard.

  At first, she thought the gang was a credible threat. Now it felt that they were amateurs. If Saiya had to guess, the only reason they were still operating was because the guards were stretched thin. Just some lowly thugs who had gotten lucky. Though perhaps she wasn’t giving them enough credit. By the sound of it, they had someone feeding them information. Maybe the leadership of the gang was more competent. It didn’t matter in the end, as they were putting a stop to it. Saiya just hoped that they weren’t getting in over their heads.

  They followed at a distance behind the group as they traveled through the back alleys and side streets into the elf district. They had been following for half an hour now, and Saiya was getting nervous. The distance from the church was growing, and any potential help with it. Hopefully, the gang members wouldn’t put up a hard fight. Though if last night was any indication, they needed to gain the initiative.

  The Kolidato members stop on a backstreet, pulling Saiya from her thoughts. Though they quieted down, their earlier jubilation hadn’t gone away. Before she could wonder why they stopped, someone approached the gang. As they got closer, Saiya could make out the familiar uniform of a guard.

  “Ah, that makes sense,” Zeltara muttered as they watched the guard talk to the gang members. One walked forward and handed the official a small box.

  “How deplorable,” Kaztos said, disgust dripping from his tone. “To think someone who swore to protect this city would commit such treachery. We should report this as soon as possible.” Saiya shook her head.

  “That may not be a good idea. We don’t know how deep this goes. If we just freely give the information out, who knows what’ll happen?” Kaztos sighed.

  “True, but we still need to do something.” Saiya nodded, conceding the point. This wasn’t something they could sit on. Kaztos turned to Zeltara. “Can you make out anything to identify him?”

  Zeltara shook her head. “I can’t see anything besides his stature. The Kolidato members aren’t saying anything incriminating either. It’s mostly just meaningless small talk.”

  The three waited another minute as the conversation wound down. The guard and the gang members then turned and walked in separate directions. Seeing this, Kaztos asked, “Should one of us follow him? We could figure out who he is.”

  “I disagree. We should stick to the main objective,” Saiya said.

  “It would also be a terrible idea to split up right now,” Zeltara added. “We need everyone for the coming fight.” She gave Kaztos an apologetic smile. “Maybe we can investigate another time.”

  Kaztos smiled. “Very well. Let’s get going then.” They continued following the thieves. Another half hour passed. As they traveled, the buildings surrounding them continued to become more dilapidated. Cracks became commonplace on the cobbled streets. Debris littered the ground. Most of the streetlights appeared broken. Interestingly, Saiya noticed they were getting closer to the missing section of the city wall. By the time they reached their destination, it was only a few blocks away.

  The Kolidato members came to a stop at what looked like an abandoned warehouse at the end of the street. Outside, another gang member guarded the door. The group briefly spoke with him before entering the building. Saiya and the others stood just outside his line of sight. It would be hard to get closer without alerting the sentry.

  “What now?” Saiya asked. “We found their base of operations.” Or at least one of them.

  Zeltara thought about it for a moment. “Well, the initial plan was to capture them and alert the guards. But now…” she trailed off.

  “But now there are a lot more of them than we expected,” Saiya said. “There’s a good chance we can’t handle this.” A half-dozen people were one thing, but this larger group was another. They would be heavily outnumbered in this fight. Not even close to ideal circumstances, in Saiya’s opinion.

  Kaztos said, “True, but we don’t have much of a choice at this point. Without us, they’ll be free to continue their crime spree.” Zeltara nodded.

  “That, and we need Mileas’ help to join the expedition. Without her, we’d have to figure something else out. And there isn’t much time left” While good points, Saiya still felt that this was reckless for them. But she saw their minds were made up. All Saiya could do was help make sure they got through this okay.

  “Fine, but we need to be careful,” Saiya said. “Now, how are we going to get closer? We’ll get spotted by the lookout if we just walk up to the front door.” Zeltara turned her attention to the warehouse.

  “We’ll have to take care of him somehow, without making any noise. The last thing we want is to lose the element of surprise.” The three stood there, trying to come up with a solution.

  Kaztos was the first to break the silence. “Whatever we decide, we’ll have to be careful. This isn’t just some beast in the wild. It’s a real person. We can’t be too forceful.”

  “But we need to do enough to incapacitate him,” Saiya countered. “That’s just a risk we’ll have to take.” Better him than any of them, as far as she was concerned.

  “So, you would end that man’s life just to make our job easier?” Kaztos asked. Saiya was momentarily taken aback by the vehemence in his voice. She had to stop herself from instinctively lashing out. Now wasn’t the time to get into an argument. Though why did it seem like he always took things she said in a negative light?

  “Not if it can be avoided. Unfortunately, accidents can happen. He’ll be at risk depending on what we decide to do here.”

  “Which I’m still trying to figure out. And it would be much easier to do without you two arguing,” Zeltara complained. The two of them ignored her. Kaztos seemed ready to continue their growing spat before taking a moment to calm himself.

  “I’m aware of that. I just don’t want it to become something should actively try to do. We should strive to minimize the potential loss of life. Even at the risk to ourselves.” At first, Saiya wanted to disagree. Their lives meant little in compared to the three of them. It wouldn’t require a second thought if it came down to it. But debating that point wouldn’t help now.

  Instead, she only said, “Fine.” And let the matter drop. Kaztos seemed surprised, but then turned back to the matter at hand.

  “Are you two finally done? Good,” Zeltara said. “Because I think I have an idea. Look.” She pointed to the sentry. He seemed to be preoccupied, looking up at the morning sky. “The guy is pretty distracted. If we play this right, then we can sneak up and knock him out.”

  “I’m assuming that you want me to do it then? It’d make the most sense,” Saiya said. With her cloak, she could blend in if she were careful enough.

  Zeltara nodded. “Precisely. Do you have a poison that will knock this guy out quickly?” Saiya nodded, a compound coming to mind. She started to search for it underneath her cloak. “Good, then use that. Just make sure he doesn’t make any noise.”

  “This seems risky,” Kaztos said. “He’s inattentive now, but all it will take is one look to have this go wrong.” Saiya shared this concern. Her cloak wouldn’t work as well in daylight. Fortunately, it seemed Zeltara had an idea about that.

  “We’ll keep an eye out. If he looks around, Saiya will just stop momentarily. It’ll take him at least a few moments to spot you. We’ll then throw a rock or something. The noise will distract him and give you a chance to find cover.” Saiya could only stare at Zeltara.

  “That was the best you could come up with?” Perhaps she was giving her too much credit. Kaztos looked similarly unimpressed. Zeltara’s face gradually turned red.

  “Don’t say that! It’s not like I have much to work with here. I don’t know if you noticed, but I’m not exactly built for stealth here.” A good point, but that still left them in a rough spot.

  “I’m sorry, but this still feels too risky. Saiya has too much ground to cover for us to try this.” Saiya couldn’t disagree. Feeling stuck, she glanced over at the warehouse again. After another look over, the obvious solution hit her.

  She facepalmed. “Holy lords above, we’re idiots.” They turned to look at her. “Are there any sentries besides the one guarding the front door?”

  Zeltara looked over at the warehouse. “Not from what I see. I’m not hearing anything either. Why, do you notice something?” Realization settled on her face. “Oh, I am dumb. We can just have you go the long way around. There’s literally a line of buildings beside the warehouse. A back alley will surely lead out over there. You won’t have to risk being in his line of sight until the last second.”

  “Oh, I understand,” Kaztos said. “Why didn’t you think about that before?” Zeltara blushed.

  “I don’t see you coming up with anything. I just overcomplicated it in my head, is all.” That was something Saiya would have to remember in the future. It could bite them in the future if they’re not careful.

  For now, Saiya was ready to keep things going. “I’ll move a street over to get closer. Keep an eye out here, okay?” Zeltara nodded.

  “We’ll be ready to distract him if he stops daydreaming. Just make sure you’re careful.” Saiya nodded before she began her mission.

  She kept an eye out for any threats. Now that she was alone, an ambush could be deadly. She walked down the unmaintained road without a soul in sight. It felt unnatural that a city as big as Mousafont could have such a small presence. Even in the well-off areas, foot traffic seemed limited to only essential travel. It was like everyone was paralyzed, too afraid to leave their homes.

  Though, it wasn’t like Saiya could blame them. It seemed like the literal apocalypse had occurred almost two months ago. How dark it could get at night without the moon and stars still freaked her out. The red hue of the sun was just as bad. It was a permanent reminder of what had happened. It made sense to stay inside and try to forget. In a way, Saiya was thankful that she no longer had the option herself. Before she met Kaztos and Zeltara, the temptation to hide away would have been too strong.

  Saiya made it to the other side of the warehouse. Zeltara had been correct that there wasn’t anyone on this side. In fact, there was another entrance. If it weren’t for the fact that they were there to capture everyone, they could have bypassed the sentry. No matter, time to do her job. She peeked around the corner to see the Kolidato member scrutinizing his surroundings. Unfortunate, as Saiya’s current angle of attack would leave her momentarily exposed. He would most likely see her if she tried to approach.

  Further away, Saiya looked at where Zeltara and Kaztos had been before. There wasn’t any sign of them for a few seconds, but then Zeltara quickly peeked out of the alleyway. Their gazes met, and Zeltara held up a rock. Saiya nodded her head, but didn’t get a reaction. Ah, they were far away from each other. She then gave a thumbs-up. Zeltara returned one of her own before hiding back into the alleyway when the sentry turned their way.

  Saiya pulled out a spare cloth and a vial. Inside was a mixture that would knock someone unconscious after inhaling it. The only problem was that it took over ten seconds of exposure. Hopefully, she could hang on. After dousing the rag, she powered her cloak and stood ready.

  A rock flew from the far alleyway when the gang member wasn’t looking. It hit a streetlight with a loud bang, grabbing his attention. He muttered to himself and took a few steps toward the sound. Saiya took the chance presented to her and rushed forward.

  She jumped onto the back of the thug and covered his mouth with a doused cloth. He tried to buck her off for a few moments before falling to his knees. His arms took lackluster swipes at Saiya before falling to the wayside. He collapsed onto the ground. She let go of him and put the cloth away. That had gone better than expected. Saiya looked up to see Zeltara and Kaztos run up to her.

  “Excellent work, Saiya!” Kaztos exclaimed. She couldn’t help but smile at the enthusiasm.

  Meanwhile, Zeltara kicked the downed man to make sure he was unconscious. “That stuff works wonders. Too bad you don’t have very much of it.”

  “Unfortunately, the ingredients are rather expensive. Yena only gave me a little to use,” Saiya said. She turned to the now unguarded warehouse. “What now?”

  “We could just go through the front door,” Kaztos jokingly said. The three chuckled at the thought. That wouldn’t go well. At least he wasn’t serious about the suggestion this time.

  Zeltara glanced up at the top of the building. “Interesting.” Saiya followed her gaze. The middle of the warehouse roof was higher than the sides. Windows lined the raised center. “I could grapple up there and take a look inside. We would have a better idea of what we’re dealing with.” Kaztos nodded in agreement.

  Just as she was aiming her gauntlet, Saiya called out, “Try not to get hurt this time. We don’t want to carry you back again.” The dirty look Zeltara gave in response made her smirk.

  “Yeah, yeah. I’ll be careful. Not like you never got into trouble before.” Before Saiya could respond, Zeltara fired her grappling hook. The line went taut before it shot her up onto the roof. She then carefully walked to the windows and peeked inside.

  Kaztos sighed. “Well, it appears that we’ll have to wait here. What should we do now?” Saiya looked back to the unconscious Kolidato member on the ground.

  “Let’s tie up our downed friend there.” Kaztos agreed. Unfortunately, they realized they had nothing to restrain him.

  “Well, what now?” Kaztos asked. As he did, the gang member began to wake up. Saiya took note that her mixture didn’t work as long as she had expected. She hurried to grab the cloth.

  “Hurry! We need to-” Before Saiya could finish, Kaztos pulled out his hammer and smacked the man over the head. He collapsed again in a heap. She could give him only an unimpressed stare.

  Kaztos raised his hands defensively. “What? I tried to be gentle. He should wake up from that eventually.” Saiya could only let out an exasperated sigh.

  “Well, what now?” she asked. Kaztos walked to the front door and leaned against it.

  “We keep a lookout for anyone coming out. Then we just have to wait.” Saiya, seeing nothing better to do, reluctantly walked to the other side of the door and leaned too.

  “Fine. I’m sure Zeltara won’t be too long.” The two settled in to wait for their teammate. Everything had been going well so far. Unfortunately, things tended to go wrong at some point whenever they got involved. She hoped that when it did that the three of them would be ready. Otherwise, their careers as adventurers might end before they could even start.