The midday sun loomed over a relatively quiet day in the small town of Rauru. Oliver, the owner of the town's only inn, the Brass Lantern, stepped out on to his porch, noting the slight breeze but otherwise remaining numb to his surroundings for the most part. When you live in a town that people only come to on their way to other places, you slowly start to concern yourself less and less with meeting most of the people you see out on the street. An older man, Oliver had been in the innkeeping business for nearly 20 years now and was of the firm opinion that he'd already seen it all. Business had been slow lately, likely a result of the town seeming a lot emptier than usual, which was especially strange given the time of year. Spring had finally come to Labrynna and the Fairie's Woods were in full bloom; normally Rauru would be crawling with travelers hoping to explore the woods and catch a glimpse of one of the mythical sprites, but hardly a soul seemed to be milling about on the dirt roads that weaved through the village.

Oliver eased himself into a nearby rocking chair, heaving a sigh of relief. A short and stocky old man with a generally jolly look about him, he felt that the less time spent on his feet, the better. With business as slow as it was it seemed he finally had the time to relax and kick back that usually seemed to be so scarce. Spotting the gleam of polished ceremonial armor out of the corner of his eye, Oliver knew exactly who was coming and dreaded his arrival. Captain Viscen rarely the left the small military fort that adjoined the northern end of the village, but when he did, it usually involved the old jilted general-to-be rampaging around town asking everyone bothersome questions. If the man wasn't known to be particularly intense about his duties Oliver likely would have brushed him off in favor of staring blankly into the town sprawled out before him, but given his temper and his position, Oliver forced a smile and quickly hopped up from his seat upon fake-noticing the Captain's approach. He crossed the porch in a hurried but still slightly bumbling gait, offering a polite bow to Viscen, who returned a curt head nod in response.

"Good afternoon, Captain. How can I help you today?" he queried, with a hefty serving of fake sincerity. Despite the fact that Oliver knew precisely what the man had come over to ask, he felt it would be better to feign ignorance rather than appear suspiciously informed. Oliver's inn was just inside the gate that marked the eastern entrance to Rauru; most travelers headed to or from Lynna City passed by his store and as such, he was often the first to be asked when Viscen was trying to hunt someone in particular down. But who was it this time? Perhaps the messenger who'd left three days ago and had yet to return? Or maybe that strange Subrosian fellow who'd been skulking about town as of late.

"Three days ago I dispatched a messenger to Lynna City, I'm certain you saw him leave. He was carrying a very important parcel meant for King Richard himself. Have you seen or heard anything about him? Has he arrived in town yet?" asked the captain, stepping up on to the porch. Now on even ground, the veteran captain's height seemed even more imposing. Not even counting the added height from his ceremonial helmet Viscen looked to be at least a head or two taller than the old inkeeper, and thrice as imposing to be sure. Viscen's square jaw, dark and serious eyes, and thick black beard framed his perpetually frowning face quite well. Oliver shook his head sheepishly, feeling a bit anxious that he was unable to give the captain the answer he wanted to hear. Viscen had been known to take his job as the de facto military governor of the town quite seriously, which often involved chewing out townsfolk who were particularly uncooperative with his investigation. Luckily Viscen only heaved a sigh of disappointment and muttered some unintelligible curses under his breath.

"I'm sorry captain, I've seen nothing. I'm sure that if he was in town he would have reported to you immediately upon his return," figured Oliver, nervously.

"Obviously. I'm not leading a detachment of layabout hooligans here, after all," he grumbled. Oliver was hardly surprised that the good Captain had devised a way to interpret an innocuous comment like that as an insult. "That said, he's still a rookie. Just knighted a month ago I think. The roads are more dangerous now too..." worried the knight, stroking his beard in thought. "If you hear anything about him, do let me know, Oliver."

"Well, if I'm not mistaken, I think that's a knight's banner right on that horse over yonder," mused the innkeeper, peering off beyond the eastern gate into the expanse of Lynna Field beyond. Viscen turned to face the distant sound of beating hooves, squinting to see if the innkeeper's suspicions were correct. True, the horse was garbed in the banner of the Seashell Knights, but its rider didn't seem to be moving. As the horse drew closer, the slumped form of a knight in plate armor came into view, and immediately Viscen sprang into action, trotting down the steps of Oliver's porch and into the street, positioning himself to intercept the spooked horse and its unconscious rider before it could get into the center of town and raise a ruckus. Unfortunately for Viscen the horse seemed to have no interest in slowing down or keeping a low profile, forcing the armored knight to dive out of harm's way when the restless stallion tore past him.

The horse galloped at full speed deeper into town, jostling the knight atop his saddle like a flimsy ragdoll as it turned each corner. As it approached the town's center it seemed intent on maintaining its blistering pace but at the same time remained woefully unaware of its surroundings. As the horse attempted to traverse the edge of an ornamental fountain in the center of town, it slipped and ungracefully toppled into the water with a loud splash. This sent the knight flying off the saddle limply, landing with a dull thud on the ground nearby. A trio of knights patrolling nearby arrived on the scene quickly. While two hurriedly attempted to calm the still distraught horse, the third leaned down to check out the downed knight, but immediately pulled back in disgust. The poor rookie had been dead for at least a day, it seemed. Not only had his throat been slit rather brutally, but the entire left side of his body seemed very badly burned. The once shiny new plates of his suit of mail were now blackened and burnished as if they'd been exposed to some intense flames.

Viscen happened upon the scene moments later, immediately rushing to the aid of the slain knight. Instead of pulling away from the stench, the concerned captain only let out a guttural growl of anger, leaning in to inspect the corpse more closely. By now a small crowd of townsfolk had gathered in the town square to gawk at the spectacle. The captain incited numerous anxious murmurs from the crowd as he flipped up the visor of his fallen comrade, revealing the charred and bloodied face of the young knight underneath. A small rolled up piece of parchment was stuck in the soldier's mouth, sealed in the center with red wax. Viscen delicately removed the note from its resting place and broke the seal, his expression growing far more serious as he began to read the missive. Finally he stood up, a look of genuine concern on his face. He turned to the three nearby knights, who snapped to attention quickly after noticing the captain's grave expression and utter seriousness.

"You there, Simonson. Close all the gates, and double the manpower on patrols around the edge of town," he ordered, sending the leftmost knight on his way with a dismissive handwave. "Morrigan and Thames, take Jack's body back to the barracks. Wake the men on the night shift, we'll need all the men in the fort to report to posts on each gate. Whoever did this could be back at any moment. This note they left..." he trailed off, absentmindedly rereading what seemed to be an especially troubling portion of the message. He regained his focus shortly thereafter, and now spoke with a great deal of urgency. "Well, that's of no concern to you. Hurry back to the fort, you two."

The pair of knights struggled to lift the armored corpse up and on to the now calm horse nearby, but nonetheless managed to complete the task with a fair bit of hustle before heading off towards the outpost. Only Viscen stayed behind, his eyes glued to the note. The color had drained from his face at this point, and for once, the townsfolk were seeing the proud and determined Captain genuinely scared. The Captain soon became aware of the crowd of concerned villagers he'd drawn and wasted no time in reverting to one of his favorite activities; hurling irritated orders at the commonfolk in an attempt to feel in control of the situation. Only this time there seemed to be some real worry in his voice.

"Return to your homes, everyone! We have reason to believe that your safety is at risk, but I can assure you that we are perfectly capable of handling the threat. All we ask for right now is your patience and cooperation," he half-pleaded half-demanded. The crowd seemed nonplussed by his first request and continued murmuring even more furiously than before. "I said disperse! We cannot have you out in the open in the event of an attack! Return to your homes immediately or face the consequences!" he yelled, clearly not in the mood to countenance the curious and gossiping nature of the townsfolk today. As he placed his hand on the hilt of the ornamental longsword sheathed on his waist, the bulk of the onlookers seemed to get the message and quickly departed. Only a few stayed behind, reckless enough to ignore the captain's commands and involve themselves in this mess.

Dawn broke over the village of Rauru as he poured over his notes from the last few weeks. He was passing through and on his way to Lynna City to report his findings for the incidents in the last few days. Thefts and vandalism by bandits on horseback was as much as he'd found, but it was strange to him that these bandits would always slip away so quickly, like phantoms. Still, he had predicted another such incident in Raura within the last two or so days, but none came, which struck him as strange, he was on their trail after Symmetry Village not too far from here. There was a pattern to the events, plus consistency, that was all he found so far, he wasn't able to tail them either as his horse could not handle the night so well. Perhaps he should find a way to jack one of theirs to tail them...? In any case he was roused from his lodgings by the town guard as an announcement was made... Something had happened.

Donning his armor and helm with sword strapped to his back, he headed off towards the town square, where the ruckus seemed to be coming from. Upon arrival he beheld a strange scene, a knight, blackened and charred laid on the ground, with a horse that as he walked to scene was being calmed down, now being walked away...

This struck him as strange... Death, rather than theft... Great, either this was another thing he had to worry about, a murderer on the loose, or a crafty dangerous monster, or the bandits he's been chasing decided to up their game... In any case... He approached the good Captain and inquired to the events.

"Hmmmm I see... So he was found dead on arrival this morning. Sizeable burns, and a slit throat... A strange combination if ever I've seen one", he began.

"I'd like to request to examine his body and his horse, as what it's carrying, or not carrying, may give me some insight into what happened... This may be related to my investigation", he requested.

Uuuugh...this sun was gonna kill her. And the walking! SO. MUCH. WALKING. Not that she wasn't used to walking everywhere since Maple decidedly didn't let her touch the flying brooms, and if she was ever caught with a horse or something Maple would flay her alive. But ugh, her feet were killing her. When he arrived in Rauru, she was gonna find the Inn, by the strongest drink they had, and chug ten of them. She didn't get paid enough for Maple to abuse her as a personal errand girl. This was the third time this week she had to trudge to some forsaken land at the ends of Labrynna. Okay, maybe that was a slight exaggeration, but she felt like her feet were gonna fall off at this rate.

At least she had reached her destination now. Rauru was a welcome sigh in the Highlands, and she sighed in relief at the sight of the town. Her first thought, of course, was to go to the Inn, spend all of the money she had with her on a nice meal, a good place to stay, and drink. However, a commotion nearby got her attention. Being as curious as she ever was, she couldn't help but to investigate at least a little. She brushed past some people that were exiting the scene, hearing some man shouting about returning to their homes.

When she finally arrived on the scene, she saw a fairly...interesting sight. A dead knight, along with a few others circled around. Oh great. Likely some idiots who just like swinging around big swords. Just what she needed, really. She hoped they weren't going to do anything stupid...she should really, probably leave and not antagonize the guys that were swinging around giant swords and overcompensating for something, but weeeeelll....

"Wow, I came out here to get away from trouble but it looks like you guys can't even do your job right." She sighed, a small smirk appearing on her face. "And what about us who just arrived, huh? We don't have a home to return to ya know. Maybe ya could do your job and show me to the Inn, huh?" She of course, knew where the Inn was. This wasn't her first time in these parts. She was mostly just legitimately causing mischief right now.

The Captain's already worried face scrunched into a frown of consternation as Sigurd approached and began speaking so casually about the scene that had unfolded before him. Sigurd was an outsider, stationed in Rauru only temporarily as part of his investigative duties as a special agent. Technically agents under the King outranked regional captains (and they were certainly paid much more), but as long as Sigurd was serving in Viscen's fort, he felt that no opportunity to exert his authority over the young knight should go to waste. As Viscen was not of a sufficient rank to know the end of Sigurd's investigations, he assumed that the free agent had been sent to keep tabs on the Captain and see if he was fit to maintain command. This led to a lot of unspoken tension between the two men already, but with the sudden disquieting events unfolding he seem especially not in the mood to deal with Sigurd at the moment.

"Perhaps other outpost captains let you walk all over them, but I am the law around here and you will address me as your superior as long as you're stationed in Rauru. If you are not willing to show me the proper respect, you are quite welcome to requisition the king for a new place to sleep," he threatened, leaning in close to Sigurd and lowering his voice. Viscen was all about maintaining an air of authority while in the town, and needing to discipline his soldiers publicly would reflect poorly on him as a leader. "Granted, it may interest you to know that the last man who departed for the King's palace from here ended up dead. Keep that in mind," he added, darkly. It was obvious that the Captain was not about to be a particularly helpful asset to Sigurd's investigation.

"As this is a matter of village security, my lieutenant will be the first to conduct an examination of the body. He is being sent back to the barracks now for that very reason. You may do what you wish with the body after that, but for now, there are other matters at hand that I can assure you are more pressing," admitted the Captain, sternly. After taking one more worried glance at the note he'd found on the knight's body, he sighed and reluctantly passed it to Sigurd.



Scribbled in barely legible chickenscratch was the following missive:

We know you are weak. It's too late to run to the King now.

We are stronger than ever, and we will soon storm your gates.

It's too late to prepare yourselves. Some of us are already inside.

"I'm certain the threat to attack is a bluff. We've already done plenty of patrols around the area and there's been no sign of any bandit or monster encampments, much less any that would pose a threat to our defenses. We're understaffed, yes, but we're more than capable of withstanding a siege with our manpower, fortifications, and provisions," noted the Captain, practically thinking aloud. "What worries me more is this that last part. 'Some of us are already inside'? If someone could potentially sabotage us from inside the village walls, that would jeopardize our ability to break a long siege," he surmised, anxiously. He leaned in close to Sigurd once more.

"I especially don't want news of this getting out to the rest of the townsfolk. If they find out that there might be traitors in our midst, they'll go off on their witch hunts and the town will erupt into rioting before long," he warned, rather gravely. His predicted outcome seemed comically severe, but at heart the Captain seemed to be concerned with the well-being of the townsfolk and that was admittedly a bit reassuring. "I hate to put your highly important, extremely confidential personal investigation on hold, but would you mind acting in your role as a public servant and asking around to see if anyone's noticed suspicious characters hanging around town as of late? Try that old innkeeper, maybe. I think he's seen a lot more than he lets on, but like I said, be discrete about this traitor business."

Having received the smug satisfaction of bossing around the young upstart special agent who'd been breathing down his neck the last few weeks, the Captain turned to head off towards the barracks, but stopped short when he realized a young mage girl in a white robe had approached the two knights already and was likely privy to a good portion of the highly confidential conversation they had just concluded. The Captain seemed genuinely embarrassed for a few moments, then allowed a brief flash of anger to pass through his body, before finally settling on fake composure and feigned helpfulness.

"Wow, I came out here to get away from trouble but it looks like you guys can't even do your job right."

"I'm very sorry ma'am. This incident is highly irregular for Rauru. We're known for being among the safest places to live in all of West Labrynna and I can assure you that my capable soldiers are currently doing their best to ensure that the village is secure and that the ones responsible for this crime are brought to justice swiftly," explained the Captain, his assurance thick with quasi-sincerity.

"And what about us who just arrived, huh? We don't have a home to return to ya know. Maybe ya could do your job and show me to the Inn, huh?" continued the woman. The Captain resisted the urge to frown this time, instead affecting a smug grin as his eyes settled on Sigurd. What luck! An opportunity to rid himself of two annoyances at the same time had just conveniently presented itself.

"Well, speaking of capable soldiers, I have just the man to help you out!" he responded, cheerfully gesturing towards Sigurd. "This is my finest man, Sigurd. He loves meeting visitors and I assure you he would be happy to shepherd a nice young woman like yourself to the inn. I believe he was just heading there himself. Don't be shy, Sigurd!" he exclaimed, patting the young knight on the back and quickly snatching the note back from him as he turned to leave.



"Please make sure to stop by the fort if you have any more concerns, ma'am. Ask to see the Captain and if I'm available, I'll do my very best to help," he finished, absently, before departing for the fort in a hurry.

A note, he had hoped to examine the body for belongings, whether or not this messenger had already reached his destination or not would give him many answers, but it seems he must wait for now. There was a note on the dead body that the captain had found it seems, and he handed it to him to examine. Barely legible, the note was old, a bit of blood from the slit throat he would guess.



The captain expressed his thoughts, he thought the attack was a bluff... Sigurd though was most worried about the first line. "It's too late to run to the King now", the note presented danger to the royalty. Next was the man on the inside they claimed to have, and that they will storm his gates...

"I see, however if the last line is true, then the attack they claim may not be a bluff at all. What worries me most is the first line about our king. They claim he too is in danger... Meaning... Their man "inside" is possibly at the royal palace...", he explained his thought process to the captain, but no sooner did a young lady come by. He glanced in the corner of his eye and he recognized it, the garb of a witch, he had known of a young witch wandering the land, that must be her.

"And what about us who just arrived, huh? We don't have a home to return to ya know. Maybe ya could do your job and show me to the Inn, huh?"

"Well, speaking of capable soldiers, I have just the man to help you out!" he responded, cheerfully gesturing towards Sigurd. "This is my finest man, Sigurd. He loves meeting visitors and I assure you he would be happy to shepherd a nice young woman like yourself to the inn. I believe he was just heading there himself. Don't be shy, Sigurd!"

And just like that he was turned over to babysitting. He sighed, as this was a matter of utmost importance. In fact he just pointed out that their king could be in grave danger as they speak, but still, tending to the people was also a duty of the knights.

"Very well then...", he turned the note over to the Captain as he went to snatch it, Sigurd knew his place and shot a glance back before turning to the duty he was just assigned. It was definitely frustrating dealing with older and senior knights, he was so young, but he was given the position of a free agent. He was chosen for his seniority or experience, but sharp intellect. Normally scholars in the kingdom could not fight, as such the king saw Sigurd as a rare asset. A knight who could do the work of a scholar as well, but even then, there was pride in many knights, especially those older.

"Now then ma'am, I will show you to the Inn. You may find the location pleasing, as it is rather close to a library and market", he added, walking towards her and then leading her in the direction of the Inn. It was likely she was the mischievous short... He may have to keep his wits about him around her, likely she knew where the Inn was already. She looked the travelling sort, and Rauru was a popular place to pass through.

"I'm very sorry ma'am. This incident is highly irregular for Rauru. We're known for being among the safest places to live in all of West Labrynna and I can assure you that my capable soldiers are currently doing their best to ensure that the village is secure and that the ones responsible for this crime are brought to justice swiftly,"

Wow. That almost sounded like a line he rehearsed specifically for an incident like this. In fact, he almost didn't sound sincere about it at all. Really though, she wasn't surprised. She didn't particularly have much faith in knights to begin with. Most of them probably couldn't even tell you the immediate history of Labrynna or how to make a simple red healing potion. She was even less impressed with his next line.

"Well, speaking of capable soldiers, I have just the man to help you out! This is my finest man, Sigurd. He loves meeting visitors and I assure you he would be happy to shepherd a nice young woman like yourself to the inn. I believe he was just heading there himself. Don't be shy, Sigurd!"

Typical...passing off work that he could do himself onto an underling. She sighed, frowning as she gave the captain a rather unimpressed look. Well, she didn't entirely like this outcome. She could take care of herself, and she really didn't need to be babysat. She knew where the Inn was and knew about the market,though maybe this was what some might call 'Karma' for trying to start something. Might as well go along with it then. At least this Knight, Sigurd, didn't seem entirely...annoying.

"Now then ma'am, I will show you to the Inn. You may find the location pleasing, as it is rather close to a library and market"

Sigurd said walking past her. Well, at least he hasn't hit on her yet or something so he was tolerable at the moment. She had half a mind to walk in the complete opposite direction, but well, she was really tired and her feet were killing her so the Inn was more important than being her usual contrary self. So she turned and followed alongside him, staring up at him with a frown and a suspicious look as if she was expecting him to try something.

"So...Sigurd, huh?" She said. "Thanks for the offer, but I can take care of myself. I've already read all of the books in the Library here anyways." Perhaps a slight exaggeration on her part, but she had read quite a few of them, and she honestly wasn't really looking forward to reading any at the moment. Drink, food, and maybe practice using her Gale Ring. "That was pretty crazy, huh? That dead knight looked like he took a dip in Lava. What do ya think happened?"

There were quite a few monsters out there that could have probably given the knight the injuries he received. However, she didn't recall any of them living anywhere near the Highlands. Unless she was forgetting one, or someone brought one all the way here for some purpose, that ruled them out.

So she did already know, as he had assumed. She went on to inquire on the knight and scene from earlier. As they were nearing the Inn he responded shortly after she finished speaking.

"As a knight it is my duty to assure the public that it is under control", he began. This young mage though was not one to let anything off so easily. She seemed a little arrogant, her likely high intelligence didn't help that either because that assured to her that she was the best. Honestly if it wasn't for his own brother, Sigurd himself may have turned out the same way, the two brothers had each other to look to.

"However I can say this much, it is dangerous now, and that you should start watching yourself a little more on the roads, and avoid them completely at night. I'm sorry I cannot answer you anymore than that", to give details on the investigation was not something he should do after all, he hoped this little girl could see that. Among the knights he was very mild-mannered, almost like nobility, unlike the other knights who spoke like soldiers and the common man.

"And here we are at the Inn, though I'm sure you knew where this was already", he finished, as they stood out in front of the inn.

"If there is anything you need, do not hesitate to call upon the knights. Their duty is to protect the people after all", naturally that also fell to him, but hopefully he can now go back to his investigation.

Typical Knight being all...Knighty. Hiding behind some sort of...code or something and words instead of telling something like it is. It was quite obviously not under control in her opinion, or they wouldn't be trying to constantly reassure people it was under control like they were doing. That next bit though, actually impressed her a little. She assumed most Knights would try to still be all bravado and say that as long as they were around, nothing would happen. Or something like that, at least. Well, maybe Sigurd wasn't too bad then.

"Thanks, but I can look after myself." She replied with a small huff at the offer of seeking the knights out for help. "I travel alone mostly, anyways, and these rings ain't for show." She gave Sigurd a smug smirk as they walked up to the Inn, briefly flashing the ring she was wearing on her left hand. "This is a magic ring, if you didn't know. Could probably do ten times the work that oversized knife you have." She didn't wait for a reply to that, and turned and walked into the Inn.

Ugh, her feet were killing her...she needed a drink.

Oliver was leaning over the porch railing when Sigurd and Syna approached the inn, eagerly trying to catch a glimpse of what was going on around the fountain but too worried to leave the inn unattended, especially with all the suspicious noontime drinkers that crowded the bar. He composed himself a bit as Sigurd drew closer, as the knight seemed unfamiliar; Oliver knew most every soldier stationed in Rauru by now (many of them were regulars at the bar) so the appearance of one such uniquely armored knight with a non-standard issue greatsword left him a bit uneasy. Hopefully this wasn't one of Viscen's enforcers come to rough him up for answers.

Syna, on the other hand, seemed a little too familiar. He'd heard stories of a witch's apprentice with a distinct lack of kind things to say, and he recognized the distinct white robe as well; it was likely she'd been a customer before, but with how many strange characters came through it was hard to recall exactly.

"I'd be careful who you show those rings to. I saw one of those weasely Subrosian folks walk into town just yesterday, wearing some rings just like those. You wouldn't want people thinking you two are in cahoots 'cause I'm sure he's up to no good," mused Oliver, casually, as the girl turned to enter the inn. "Word to the wise; never trust a Subrosian without a shovel in his hand." Oliver's warning spoke to the suspicious reputation that Subrosians tended to hold in Labrynna. You couldn't really blame them; after all, if someone told you that there was a race of hooded hermit people that came from an underground realm, ate lava and used colored chunks of ore as their currency, you would be suspicious too. Many Labrynnans had never seen a Subrosian with their own eyes, let alone gotten to know one. The fact that most of the Subrosians on the continent were either migrant mine workers or uneducated vagrants didn't help matters in the slightest.

Syna would enter the bar to find it a little crowded. The bar especially seemed nearly full up with daytime drinkers, but two seats appeared to be open; one was between a Goron with the look of a traveling merchant and a pair of rather shady looking gentleman in dark somewhat tattered clothes with two longswords proudly displayed on their outer hips. The other was at the end of the bar, adjacent to a Business Scrub clamoring loudly for another cup of water, although his requests seemed to be completely inert on the young female bartender who had her hands full scrubbing an empty mug and looking blankly off into the distance. Of course, there were many empty booths and tables around the common room to choose from, but where's the fun in that?

Meanwhile, Oliver wasted no time in questioning Sigurd on the porch, eager to snag a few details on the incident before Viscen came around and told everyone to hush up about it. "So I assume Viscen has you out cracking heads to try to figure who killed that poor knight, huh. Well, if you've come to check my inn for lowlifes and such, I can't say I've noticed anyone too suspicious here aside from that Subrosian fellow, and he checked out yesterday," explained Oliver. "It may interest you to know, however, that those two colorful characters with the longswords on their hips met with that Subrosian guy in the alley behind the inn two days ago, but they still haven't checked out yet," he continued, gesturing to the two shady looking gentlemen in question (who could be seen through the doorway). "I didn't catch what they were talking about, but considering they scurried off when they realized I was out there too I bet it was something they wanted to keep secret."

Oliver, pushed off the railing with a grunt of exertion, knowing his old body had a long day ahead of him yet. He'd been away from the bar far too long already, and he half-suspected that his part-timer had somehow burned the place down by now. "Feel free to use my tavern to 'pursue this lead', but if things are about to get messy, take it outside. I have enough trouble cleaning up after the drunks anyway," sighed Oliver, shaking his head as he passed through the doorway and quickly made his way behind the bar to grab as glass of the water for the poor parched Business Scrub.

Sigurd grimaced like he was looking at someone who was prejudiced in response to Syna's words. He had a barrier ring on his left hand after all, he was quite unlike his colleagues in the knights. He was one of the very few who could use magic in the order. Still, he let it slide because this wasn't the first time he'd heard those comments on the knight's lack of magic or his sword.

With little delay the man named Oliver came to speak with them. Something on a Subrosian with a shovel, it was certainly suspicious and he should look into it, but it seems Oliver was mistaken, treating Sigurd like he had the lead hand in the investigation on this incident. The good Captain Viscen wanted to maintain his authority in this location, and he respected that, else if Sigurd leaves and his authority is doubted, he would have done more damage than fixed. Still, in light of that he will maintain that this recent incident "may" be related to the string of thefts. After all it was nothing but thefts until today.

"I see, that is very welcome of you Oliver. I suppose while I'm here I should speak with those two... I'm sorry that I cannot stay for long now, as I should also go back to the guard station too", he said. He let Syna on her own way while he stepped into the Inn, his stride was direct as he stepped to the table with the two that Oliver had described. They didn't seem the friendly sort, the longswords they had on their hips seemed more a warning to those who approached than a mark of pride, in his opinion at least.

"Gentlemen, I'd like to ask you two about the Subrosian you had met with two days prior. For what reason did you both meet with him?", he was quite direct, but he wanted to see how they responded. Were they aggressive? Likely they would try and subtly turn him away, still even then, he had something to learn from this.

Ouch.

Looks like she hit a sore spot with that oversized knife comment. Well, if that insulted him then he really needed to get his act together. She would have said more, too, if they didn't already come upon the Inn, and the Innkeeper said something rather interesting. Interesting enough to catch her interest. A subrosian? In Labrynna? That was...well, unusual and just right up her alley! She may not exactly be in 'cahoots' with whoever it was yet, but she was definitely interested in maybe getting to know them. She had heard tales of them only, mostly from Maple.

Mostly, she just really wanted to find out what they looked like under their hoods. Was probably a bad idea to seem overly curious about it, though. She really didn't want to get wrapped up in some sort of criminal activities and then have to deal with knights chasing her down or something. Not that she was scared of the Knights or anything, no. If she did get in trouble with the Law, Maple would probably make sure she never used magic again.

Still though, she couldn't help but to watch those swordsmen and Sigurd from a distance as she took a seat next to the Business Scrub. Maybe a bad idea, considering he seemed a bit like the lecherous sort, but she didn't care all that much. She'd just knock him off his seat, it he tried to get too handsy.

Instead, she ordered a drink, and watched the three guys in the distance. Honestly, she was betting on it turning into an argument about who had the biggest sword and ending in a fight...but hey, a show wasn't that bad. She was having a bit of trouble hearing though, and any conversation the three of them had would likely only be little bits and pieces, unless it turned into a shouting match.

Oliver raised an eyebrow as Sigurd simply strolled up and flatly questioned the two shady men at the bar. The knight must have been quite confident in his skills (and his investigative authority) to so brusquely get to the point, but the old innkeeper simply scoffed and paced away nonchalantly while whistling a tune. It would be better not to involve himself in such matters... but that didn't mean he wasn't going to listen. He just had to look like he wasn't listening. He began shifting around glasses on the shelf for no reason, but appeared quite engrossed in his work.

The two gentleman were not quite as amused as Oliver when it came to Sigurd's straightforwardness. The man on the left was the more heavy-set of the two, and certainly more imposing as well. His grizzled mug was dotted by various scars and the beginnings of an intricate tribal tattoo could be seen around his lower neck, although the majority of it was obscured by his clothing so Sigurd was unable to see what the tattoo was depicting. His hand crept to the hilt of his longsword as Sigurd finished asking his question, and he seemed like the sort of man who would actually be gutsy enough to draw it.

"That's no business of yours, tin can. I don't recognize that armor. Are you new in town? Viscen's new errand boy?" he jeered, his smug grin doing nothing to offset the fierceness of his gaze. His grip tightened around the hilt of his sword, but a swift kick in the shin from his friend seemed to calm him down. Reluctantly he removed his hand from his sword, although not without shooting a very cold stare at his partner before doing so. The other man was a little skinnier and lankier than the first, and despite not looking scarier, he was obviously the uglier of the two, the main factor of which likely came down to his grotesque hook-like nose and beady eyes. Unlike his partner's longsword, which seemed battleworn and very well-used, this man's weapon looked like it hadn't been drawn in quite some time. It would seem likely that the ugly one outranked the grizzled mercenary due to how easy it was for him to defuse the whole situation, but it was hard to tell.

"Terribly sorry about my associate here, sir. He's from the South Shore, and sea rats like him have no idea how to treat a knight in uniform, apparently." There was quite a bit of ire in that last "apparently," but the mercenary simply scoffed and shrugged, returning to his drink and rather rudely paying the other two no attention at all. "As far as our meeting with the Subrosian, well, you see that's actually quite embarrassing, but I'm sure upon hearing the full story you'll understand completely, sir," he chuckled. Unlike Viscen's obvious feigned politeness, this ugly fellow seemed to be quite charismatic and articulate when he wanted to be.

"You see, two days ago my associate and I had a few too many drinks, and we got into a heated discussion with that Subrosian fellow over certain... cultural differences. I won't go into detail, as things were said that I'm not particularly proud of. As the situation escalated and it seemed an altercation was likely to occur, we politely excused ourselves from the company of the inn and went somewhere more private to resolve our differences," explained the ugly yet charming man, with a sigh. "Before we could even draw our weapons, however, I noticed the innkeeper hiding in the shadow of the back door, listening in on our discussion. Embarrassed that we'd caused such a scene in front of the proprietor of this fine establishment, my associate and I bid the Subrosian good night and we went our separate ways. Can't say I've seen him since," he finished, with a sly shrug. Oliver was impressed. For a lie he had just made up on the spot, that all actually seemed quite believable, and his delivery seemed genuine.

Meanwhile, the Business Scrub sitting next to Syna made quick work of his glass of water, and promptly asked Oliver for another, although the innkeeper once again seemed content to ignore him in favor of listening in on Sigurd's conversation. Looking at him, it was obvious to see why the scrub was so thirsty. The vibrant green leaves that most scrubs usually flaunted had begun to wither into a darker brown, and the brown bark of his body had even shown signs of graying. It was as if he hadn't had anything to drink for days, which, for a race of plant people, must have been torturous. Despite Syna's apparently lack of interest in him, his eyes widened as he got a good look at her rings and the robes she wore.

"Excuse me, miss," he interrupted, weakly tapping the apprentice mage on the shoulder. While the scrubs were already known for their nasally, airy voices and manner of speaking, this one seemed to have an especially wheezy voice. "You seem to be a sorceress of some kind, by the looks of those rings. Do you take mercenary work? I've recently run into some trouble while out on the road and I'm looking for protection," he asked. "I was ambushed by brigands on our way to Rauru from Lynna City. They took my supplies, my wagon, and all my money. I barely made it here alive. Nasty business," concluded the scrub, shaking his head. "I've made the trip many times too, and never once have I run into bandits like these. I used to travel with this Subrosian trail guide, a nice young fellow, if a bit strange, but this time I thought I would go it alone and save some money. Look what happened! Oh, Treko, you old fool you..." he trailed off, his concentration broken by the sound of Oliver pouring him another glass of water, which he pounced on as quickly as the last.

"Honestly 'errand boy' is what Viscen seems content with making me", he responded with a smile. The bigger guy here though was... Well, the bigger guy. Also more polite, as he explained his 'encounter', Sigurd could only think to himself how underestimated the knights of this land were... He wagered this man also recognised his fancier armor. Still this man was quite skilled a speaker, but he recognised this way of lying, he did it often himself. Vague yet precise, say what you have deduced that they want to hear, use the status quo as a shield, in this case the status quo was the cultural differences between him and the Subrosian, but for now he had no proof these were lies, so he smiled knowingly at the man in polite calm. It didn't sit right with him the barkeep and this man's explanation of how they knew of each other, plus if these two were so embarrassed by their exchange... Maybe they should check out and disappear... Still in broad daylight and much work to do, he cannot press it without causing a stir.

"I see, I suppose I will keep an eye out for the Subrosian. You two men have a nice day... I will leave you two to your drinks", and with that he turned away and walked towards the barkeep and quietly spoke with him face close.

"Let me know if anything new happens with those two. Also if you see the Subrosian, inform me", he slipped 10 rupees over to him as well.

"In case you need to use some urchins as messengers", he said. As he walked out he also overheard the Business Scrub, was normal to ask for protection with danger about, but he paid it little mind for now. Among those to steal from, a Business Scrub was one of the popular targets...

Still... Hopefully he could return to Lynna City soon. He needed more rupees, he had used up his assigned share almost completely by now.

Syna drank the alcohol quietly, keeping an ear open on the conversation Sigurd and the men were having. It was difficult to hear everything, but she got the gist of it. They weren't talking about the Subrosian at all. No surprise there, really. If they were up to illegal stuff they would never talk to a guard. Sigurd was a bit of an idiot for trying to force the information out of them. He should have tried a more subtle approach, really. She would have been more than happy to talk to them for a little money if he asked, but that opportunity was gone now.

Instead, she turned her attention to this Deku Scrub. He mentioned...a subrosian? There was a chance that could be the same subrosian those men knew. Either way, she was gonna ask about them.

"Ehrm...sorry, I'm not heading in that direction." She replied to the Scrub. "Maple would kill me if I don't come back with what she asked for in a week or so, and I'm probably going to be going further into the Highlands in the next few days." Still, there was something else she could do to perhaps help this Scrub, and get the information about that Subrosian. "Uhm, if you don't have money to hire anyone else I could pay you thirty rupees for information on that Subrosian." She continued, offering the scrub a friendly smile.

"Oh that won't be necessary. I have some emergency cash stored away here in the village just in case something like this happens, I think I'll be fine. Although... I came straight here after arriving in town, so I suppose I have no way of paying for these drinks. I would appreciate some assistance there, if you don't mind," he asked, somewhat sheepishly, just as he finished off his second glass of water. Oliver, who had migrated over towards Syna and the scrub after deciding that their conversation was more interesting than the rest of the chatter he'd been eavesdropping, let out an audible scoff at this request.

"Woah, slow down there, big spender. Do you really expect this young lady to pay for two whole glasses of water all by herself? Ridiculous," he interjected, rather sarcastically. The scrub shot him a rather unamused glance before tapping his glass against the bar a few times. Oliver sighed and poured him some more water. "Make that three glasses of water, oof. Let's see..." Oliver trailed off, counting on his fingers and rubbing his chin thoughtfully, as if this bar tab calculation was some complex equation with a hundred variables. "...I'm no mathematician, but I believe that comes out to a whopping one rupee, if it's not too much trouble for you, Ms. Moneybags," he finished, turning towards Syna to collect the hefty sum. Mumbling under his breath about paying the bills and other such matters, he wandered off to deal with the other customers upon pocketing the single rupee.



"Hmm. That Subrosian. His name is Atticus, he wears a tattered blue cloak and carries a strange boomerang with a red jewel in it. A nice fellow and rather charming but I get the feeling that he's never quite telling me the truth... well, that may just be the suspicious nature of us scrubs," he chuckled. Scrubs, especially business scrubs, were known to be very defensive and wary of the other races, although one rarely becomes a successful merchant without looking out for number one. "He's a very good trail guide and he charges almost nothing for his services, which makes me trust him even less to be quite honest. I've traveled with him at least a dozen times and he seems to know the Highlands very well," he added.

"If he's in town right now, you're probably gonna find him hanging around the stables by the eastern gate. That's where most people looking to head to Lynna City depart from, so he'll probably be out there offering his services. The eastern gate's right outside this bar, you couldn't miss it if you tried," finished the scrub, taking another sip from his glass. "That's all I know about the guy. What makes you so interested in him? I thought you weren't traveling to Lynna City."

Well, Syna certainly hadn't expected the bartender to let her pay just one Rupee for the drinks. That was...well, certainly welcome. Eh, whatever. It worked out for both of them in the end. He got free water, and she got the information she wanted! Everyone wins. So, she listened quietly to the Scrub describing this Subrosian, who was apparently named 'Atticus'. More importantly though, she was interested in that supposed boomerang of his. Sounded like it could possibly be magical in nature from his description, and that just made her all the more curious about this mysterious cloaked fellow.

"Aha, don't worry!" She replied with a grin. "I'm just interested in Subrosians in general. I've never seen one, and that boomerang of his sounds like it might have some magic in it." Like hell she was gonna tell Sigurd about the Subrosian, either. Chances were he and his tactless self was just gonna get in the way and likely scare him off. "Anyways! Thanks. If you're still here when I get back in a few days, I'll be more than help you get back to Lynna." With that, she finished her own drink and got up from her seat, leaving the place at a brisk pace as she headed towards the Eastern Gate and their stables. Some would probably find the speed at which she left somewhat suspicious, but she didn't care. She wasn't doing anything illegal.

In all, this had just turned out to be a good day! She might get to meet a Subrosian and this boomerang of his that may or may not be magical in nature. She assumed it was magical, at least. The scrub mentioned a red jewel in it, and such jewel were hardly ever used for decoration. Maybe she could get her mitts on it somehow? Would he be willing to trade it for something? Maybe she could buy it off of him. Well, she'd just have to ask whenever she got there. Thankfully, she knew the city well enough and arrived at the stables without much hindrance.

Sigurd approached the fort to find it mostly empty. Sitting just outside the northern gate of the town proper, the already small fortress looked even less imposing when devoid of the knights who usually patrolled and trained on the premise; most all of them were likely out and about conducting their own investigations or preparing the town for a siege as per Viscen's orders. The two guards stationed at the front offered a curt salute to the special investigator as he arrived in front of the large metal portcullis barring entry to the main hall and barracks.

"Sir, Lieutenant Shiro wanted me to let you know he's completed the initial examination of Alston's corpse. He's, well, he's... he's awaiting your arrival in the doctor's quarters in the west wing," reported the recruit on the left, nervously. He appeared quite young and obviously new to knighthood, but Sigurd's stature as a special investigator and his unknown intentions at the fort made many of the rank-and-file soldiers at the outpost consider him difficult to approach. Nevertheless, the two gate guards tapped their spears on the hard cobblestone beneath them in perfect unison, and the portcullis slowly began to rise until Sigurd was able to proceed onward.

((Cue music.))

The main hall was larger than it looked from the outside, but due to the lack of windows the lighting made it somewhat hard to see very far anyway. Small torches lining the walls were all that illuminated the hallway as Sigurd ventured deeper into the fort, passing by the (currently empty) armory and turning down a hallway to his left to continue into the west wing, where the doctor's quarters, the officers' quarters, and the map room were all located. This hallway also contained the Wall of Honor, a large section of well-illuminated wall on which various trophies, banners, and other keepsakes representing the garrison's past achievements were displayed. In addition to the standard fare, like Viscen's ceremonial spear and the painted skull of a grotesque horned beast, one item seemed to stand out from the rest and managed to catch Sigurd's eye in particular.

A large and intricately-woven tapestry showing a bloody battle on horseback sat in the center of the other trophies. On one side was an advancing line of Seashell Knights on horseback, brandishing spears and longswords as they charged against their enemies, who were depicted far less heroically. While the knights rode in on majestic white stallions in shining armor, the opposing force seemed to be composed of peasants and ruffians on old donkeys and plow horses, wielding pitchforks and clubs and generally looking dirty and brutish. Clearly a piece of history written by the victors, the tapestry seemed to represent the bloody uprising known as the Highland Rebellion, one of the darker stories from the later days of the old King Ralph's time on the Labrynnan throne.

Labrynna Palace, the home of the royal family, was a massive fortress nearly the size of a mid-sized city in itself. The old Lynna Palace, which still stood when the legendary Queen Ambi ruled the land, was demolished long ago when the royal family fell from power. The many acres of land the palace once occupied were returned to the poor farm-folk that lived in the surrounding regions of the Nuun Highlands. These farmers, known informally as Highlanders, flourished in this area just north of Lynna City, as the demand for crops was high due to their proximity to the largest city on the continent. A proud but simple race of people, they developed their own distinct cultural identity as decades passed, particularly being known for their worship of the harvest and nature.

However, when Ralph reclaimed the throne many years back, he sought to rebuild the magnificent Lynna Palace exactly where it once stood. Unfortunately this land was now home to a great many Highlanders, who considered the fields there to be their rightful home. They believed Ralph's actions were those of an unreasonable tyrant and refused to vacate the land, even when offered hefty bribes to relocate peacefully. The Highlanders rallied together and formed a militia of farmers and peasants to resist King Ralph and his army as they attempted to march in and remove them by force. While the conflict itself was short and relatively contained in just one region, it is remembered as among the bloodiest conflicts in Labrynna's recent history and one of the rare examples of King Ralph needing to use the full might of the military to accomplish an objective. Otherwise Ralph was known to be a king of peace and a shrewd diplomat. Why Viscen saw fit to display such a violent and gruesome piece of artwork seemed strange, but Sigurd suspected that the captain's strange and storied military career might have had something to do with it.

Sigurd entered the doctor's quarters and was assaulted by the stench of death, his attention immediately drawn to the corpse sitting out on the examination table. It was obviously the knight from before judging from the slit throat and the severe burns on the right side of his body, but he had been undressed now, with his charred and bloodied armor disassembled into its component parts and laid out on an adjacent table for further inspection. Although Sigurd initially thought he was alone in the room, he was startled to find that the meek and unassuming Lieutenant Shiro was also there. Despite being a very nice and polite fellow and one of the few people in the fort who seem to actively avoid interacting with Sigurd, he was also such a bland and unexciting person that it was quite common to forget he was in the room to begin with. He was often derided around the fort as being a complete and utter doormat and basically Viscen's faithful yes-man.

"Ah, hello, Sigurd. I wish we could meet under more pleasant circumstances than this, but alas, it seems the town will be seeing some hectic days in the coming weeks," he figured. His voice was quiet and weak, and he had a bad habit of trailing off at the end of his sentences. If you weren't actively paying attention to him he could yell in your face and you probably wouldn't even blink. "I just finished my examination. I would give you my notes, but... well, the captain instructed specifically to not involve you in our investigations and leave you to your own devices. Terribly sorry. I think... y'know... that the more heads on the case, the better, but... well, it seems like the captain doesn't want you interfering for some reason. You'll have to ask him about that, but he's out right now..."

If Sigurd didn't know any better he would think it was just white noise spilling out of this guy's mouth. Could one person's tone truly be this flat?

"You are welcome to perform your own examination, however. Please don't make any unnecessary incisions or otherwise damage the specimen if you can help it. When the doctor gets back later today I'll want to perform a more thorough examination with his tools and assistance, but for now, he's all yours," finished Shiro, patting Sigurd on the back as he turned to leave. "If you need me, I'll be in the officers' study next door," he added as he left, shutting the door behind him to contain that awful dead body smell in one place.

This was not his first visit to Fort Hera, in fact he swept through here many times, though it was the first time he saw it in a state that reminded him of what he read about leading up to war time, which worried him. He was familiar with the soldiers stationed there, but today it seems there were only recruits. Being such a special character, he was always seen as difficult to approach so he simply kept his interactions as cordial and normal as possible. Still for others as he had heard once, he was a figure of inspiration too, since he was so young, but still obtained such a high position. He strove to keep doing that, if he can lead by example, then he shall. The recruit reported to him that Lieutenant Shiro had completed his examination of the body.

"I see, I will go see him now then. You need not be so nervous, at the end of the day we are all allies, so when the time comes, I hope to be able to rely on you, and you rely on me", with that word he gave the recruit a pat on the shoulder and continued on.

As he walked through the hallways he could not help but notice the artwork on display. This was a large fort, and in fact was at one point meant to be a palace, or part of it at least. The very reason was shown to him in a painting as he passed by... The decor was surprisingly macabre when he first swept through, but such is the grisly affair of war and defense. He had some strange intuition about this whole thing, with the highlanders and all... Still he should probably focus on what is at hand instead, and so he continued.

He entered the doctor's quarters, no matter what he would not be able to get used to this stench, still it was an inevitability. It took him a bit longer than it should have for him to notice Shiro, a meek man. He avoided contact with him, but so would the meek in general he supposes. The good doctor gave him the run-down on it all and left him to examine the body. Naturally, do not alter it if he can help it...

"Understood Lieutenant... I know everyone has misgivings about my presence here, but the trail I was following has led me to Rauru... A murder to me also seems unrelated, but I must not leave any stone unturned, lest that trail I'm following may grow cold. Not to mention one of comrades has been murdered, sooner we solve and resolve the issue the better. I understand why the Captain does not want me involved, it would be alarming to the soldiers, that this may be something serious...", he commented. The Lieutenant left him to his devices for the officer's study next door.

"Right then...".

Stab wound, uniform three holes, likely a pitchfork or trident-like weapon. Was not a killing blow, as the wound is not so deep, thanks to the knight armor. Meaning this was likely the first blow, a surprise attack with followup. Fire doesn't kill instantly, but this didn't look like he was doused in oil, no traces of it, and the shape is... Precise, but also long exposure. Meaning he was stationary while being burned... And then likely the killing blow was the knife to the throat here. Dead two days. Since the note was found in the knight's mouth, it further indicated that the knife to the throat was last.

He can imagine it. Stabbed, falling off the horse, then slowly burned by concentrated fire, before being slit over the throat and put back on his horse. The question was... Who had this kind of fire spell? Or attack? It was definitely not a monster, that would have given a different result. This may not be related to his current investigation... But such an odd attack may warrant his attention. Still he would not press it for now, what concerned him most was whether or not this knight delivered his message successfully or not. They were in danger of simply being cut off from reinforcements from Lynna City. If that was true and they would ride to take Rauru, Lynna City would take too long to notice something was wrong, added with the possibility of someone amongst them being a spy... This was quite the dangerous situation. To him this just felt like the first symptoms of an aggressive disease. The worst part was that he can't tell whether or not this knight had succeeded in handing in his message either, the knight was dead for two days... Wait, when did they send him on his journey...?

He finished up making his own notes and tucked them away in his journal, and walked over to the officer's study. He tapped on the door and as he was let in he asked the Lieutenant.

"I've finished examining for now, I'd like to know also when he left to give his message, and the contents of his bag too. If his message failed to be delivered, then this may be more serious than a simple murder", he inquired.

Lieutenant Shiro looked up from the voluminous stack of papers on his desk as Sigurd walked into the room. Subtly, but also with a bit of a haste, Shiro closed a small journal-looking book that he'd been writing in, clasped it shut, and dropped it inside his desk drawer. Obviously it was something he didn't want Sigurd prying into further, but it would certainly make one wonder; what could such a boring, unassuming man know that was worth hiding anyway?

"Ah yes, well, hm... I suppose the captain only forbid me to share the details of my investigation of the body with you, hm... I guess that doesn't include the details like the east gate's departure and arrival log, so, I mean, I could probably give you that..." he thought aloud, rubbing his hairless chin. He began shuffling through the papers on his desk until he found what he was looking for, promptly handing it over to Sigurd. "This is the master copy, which is compiled at the end of each day and archived on a week-to-week basis. Today's arrivals won't be on it yet but it should have the records from Alston's departure three days ago. Unfortunately it can't leave this room, but if you'd like to make a copy of it for your own purposes, you're welcome to use my materials," he finished, gesturing towards the quill, inkwell, and parchment roll on the edge of his desk.



"It takes roughly a day and a half to ride to Lynna City from here, but that's if you ride at full speed and take no breaks; otherwise it's about two days. If Alston stopped at all on his journey, it seems unlikely that he would have been able to make the trip there and back and still find the time to get murdered and carry that note back to us all in the span of three days. It's still possible that he did make it, though... we didn't recover the Captain's note to the king from Alston's bag, though, so there's no way to know for sure... very troublesome indeed," mused the Lieutenant. He suddenly realized that he'd said something he wasn't supposed to, and for an instant appeared to be a little embarrassed before composing himself once more.

"Uh, I'm terribly sorry Sigurd, but I'm afraid I've got a lot of work to do here while I'm compiling all these notes for my own investigation... if you've got all the information you need, I really must be getting back to work..." he urged, politely indicating that he would very much like to be free of Sigurd's prying questions for the time being. This was all beginning to seem quite suspicious, but most of all, the redacted entries on the gate log were the most concerning. There were only three people in the fort with a high enough rank to alter gate logs; one of them was Sigurd, and the others were Captain Viscen and Lieutenant Shiro. Which one of them would want to alter the gate logs? Or perhaps more importantly, who was it that traveled and returned that morning that someone didn't want there to be any record of whatsoever?

"I hope they don't want to talk to us. The guards always act so suspicious around me," sighed Atticus, pulling his hood further over his head to look a little more inconspicuous. He sat cross-legged on an ornate square of rug, fiddling with his boomerang absently. Having developed an acute awareness of the weapon's weight and balancing points, the Subrosian vagrant often took to spinning the thing and flipping it end to end when he felt bored, or anxious, or in this case, both. A pair of guards stood across the way talking to the eastern gate's stablemaster, and Atticus knew that the way they kept glancing over in his direction meant bad news.

"It's their job to be suspicious. Never mind the fact that we both know the suspicion is entirely justified in your case," scoffed his friend, a deku scrub, resting inside an exotic looking blue deku flower rooted nearby. Unlike the row of five business scrubs rooted right outside the gate (lying in wait to ambush outgoing travelers and sell them food, water, lantern oil, firewood, and other supplies at an inflated price), this old crusty shrub was covered in red and orange leaves, signifying that it had been raised as a wild Mad Scrub rather than as a civilized merchant. Despite looking savage, the old scrub appeared quite calm and tranquil, lazily reclining in his flower and smoking a long pipe filled with bitter-smelling herbs.

"Fair point. Although I don't like the wording of 'in your case' when we're both a part of the same racket, Barako," he admitted, with a slight chuckle. "I'm sure you warrant a fair bit of suspicion yourself with those illegal infused potions of yours," Atticus smirked, with a slight shrug. "Let's not forget that the group of bandits who gets you your forbidden ingredients just happens to pay me as an informant. We're both vital cogs in the same big suspicious criminal machine, you see?"

"Nonsense. I just want to bring my medicine to the people of this land, and if the Captain says I can't buy the ingredients legally, I'll buy them illegally. If he says I can't sell my wares inside the village, then fine, I'll sell them outside the village," he ranted, puffing on his pipe a little more vigorously as he got worked up. "That's more noble than just snitching on poor defenseless travelers in exchange for handouts, I think. You're not helping anyone but yourself," he pointed out, sternly. Atticus answered with another shrug and chuckle.

"Pardon me? I help plenty of travelers who wisely choose to compensate me for my services. It's the ones that don't request my help that end up defenseless, which makes it a rather unwise choice in effect," replied the Subrosian, shaking his head in sarcasm-laden fake disappointment. "If nothing else, I can assure you the travelers I snitch on are anything but poor. After all, they wouldn't be worth stealing from otherwise," he chuckled. Barako found the comment to be far less funny and merely ignored his hooded co-conspirator, grumbling to himself between puffs on his pipe.

Atticus perked up as the first potential customer in hours emerged from the eastern gate. It appeared to be a young woman in a strange white robe. Atticus had never seen anyone dressed like this before; mages and the arcane arts were not practiced or supported in Subrosia, where the primary focus was on mining, smithing, and dancing. The only magicians Atticus knew of were the coven of Wizzrobes that dwelt in the cursed Sword and Shield Labyrinth at the base of the grand volcano, and they were reputed as dark beings wielding evil hexes and demon magic. He guessed that she must be a cleric of some kind, perhaps an acolyte of the weird Labrynnan religion they practiced here in this foreign land. Such folk were often kind and welcomed company on their travels, and what's more, they were known to pay handsomely. Atticus approached unassumingly, trying his best not to appear imposing despite sticking out like a sore thumb amongst his surroundings.

"Pardon me, miss. Are you headed for Lynna City today? On your way to visit the Maku Shrine, perhaps?" he asked politely, obviously in reference to the girl's strange clothing. "I happen to be a reliable trail guide and I can escort you there, for a fee. If you've heard about the incident with that poor knight then you know the roads out there can get pretty dangerous for a woman out all by herself," he noted, rather matter-of-factly. His voice was strangely raspy and his accent undoubtedly foreign, unlike any kind Syna had heard. The most odd part about talking to a Subrosian was that you can only read their emotions from their glowing white eyes; they had no perceptible moving mouth, and all manner of speech and expression seemed to originate from somewhere within the darkness of that blue hood.