Prologue
Even this early in the morning, the place is already crowded.
The Gray Flame, at an assured pace, walked in. His blue eyes, peeking from the two slits on his white mask immediately affixed on one of the tables where a woman sat; a beautiful blue-haired elven woman with similarly blue emerald eyes that looked too stands out to be part of Cloudsong assets.
"Ah there you are, I've been waiting for you..." she regarded them.
"You look stunning, Miss Carina, as always,” The masked man said with uncanny smoothness, but the blue-haired beauty didn't look very amused.
"And you, Mr. Gray Flame, never change." said the woman politely, as if letting the words be interpreted as a compliment they definitely were not. "Please sit down."
"There is no need. We won't stay long." Between answering and letting himself be at ease, the masked man tilted his head to glance toward his armor-clad companion briefly.
"That's unfortunate. Their selections are to die for." the woman said, in a more relaxed tone. Her next words kinda explained why she looked slightly grumpy. "Look at the lines. They said it would be one hour until my pancake was ready. It's on me by the way if you changed your mind."
"No, we are good."
"Very well." The blue-haired lady sighed and handed him a brown envelope from her bag. "Your eyes only."
Though nobody could guess the content, it was a brief read. The Gray Flame nodded as he tucked the opened letter into his vest pocket.
"There is one thing," she said. "The intervention from the Council is inevitable on this one. They will send an emissary to aid you."
"The council? That council? It seems information distributes crazily fast these days. Is this one of those last-minute decisions as well?"
"Yes, fortunately after some lobbying, the emissary was hand-picked by Lord Adnan himself."
Behind that white mask of his, it was hard to discern his expression, but his posture clearly showed his perplexity. Clearly, what the woman called fortunate was not at all good news for him.
"Adnan, that sneaky civet. What the hell is he planning this time..." he murmured.
The elven woman merely shook her head, as if the gibe fazed her no more. "Is there a complaint or anything that I can relay? Who knows, this Chivet of ours is known to be a good listener."
"No... just let him do his work in peace --maybe there is some silver lining in this... I guess. Just send my regards to your boss. He still owes me that one and he did this to repay me... gee!"
"I will tell him that."
The very mask he wore looked as if it would show a grimacing expression. "Please don't. I want to keep my salary and paid leave intact..."
The blue-haired woman, despite her nonchalant expression, sounded like she was suppressing a triumphant giggle. "Hmm. You know, this establishment also has quite a colorful dinner menu. And since you declined my offer, I was hoping that you could make it up to me."
Looking at the restaurant, The Gray Flame couldn't help but be impressed as well. Though the food was the main reason why people lined up to spend their money here, the interior quality was also top-notch; it was well-designed with South Coast's warm decorative styling that felt fresh and novel, and at the evening, they also had an ensemble playing a snazzy classical piece.
The fare wouldn't be cheap for sure, but at least Adnan wouldn't be taking his bonus. Besides, he and Carina had been friends for a long time and they didn't meet each other every week.
"It seems I can't say no this time. Fine, since you have decided on the venue, I will decide on the menu."
"No deal, Mr Gray Flame." the woman finally smirked. "It is supposed to be a make-up occasion, and you don't have any say in that!"
"Fine... fine... ink me the date after I returned from this assignment."
"Then I wish you a safe journey, Mr Gray."
"And you, a good day, Miss Carina."
****
The knight-errant remained largely unmoving through the exchange, only the muted groan of well-oiled steel marking the slight turn of his helmet as his gaze fell upon the morning patrons of the eatery. His entire presence wasn't subtle and he never tried to pretend otherwise, making it a strange choice for this old acquaintance of his to specifically ask for his presence, but he refrained from questioning... at least until they were out of earshot.
"I believe she had defeated you quite soundly in that exchange, Ser Gray." The echoing baritone rumbled with amusement, barely muffled by the unreasonably thick full-face helmet. The masked elven man did little to hide his displeasure.
"Heh-- This is the third time she ransomed my pay, and likely won't be the last..."
The duo made their way through the city, that had been in its full swing even this early in the morning. As the Gray Flame's attempt to not appear standing out was foiled by Engelbert's full-armor display, he decided to not bother and lowered his hood, letting his long gray hair free. It was starting to feel sweltering on his nape anyway.
It was early summer, which meant the idyllic, lazy air that had been the trademark of the city had been transitioned into a more energetic tone.
Despite already having Silmetirta Waterfalls (which was the largest in the continent) and Runna village as the tourist hotspots, Alkautsar opens its door to those who still seek a livelier experience a bustling city can offer; for the entire summer, the capital city roads and plaza would be more enlivened by night markets and smaller festive. Every venue and corner would be adorned by lamps of all colors, with pleasant music playing in the background.
"So, pray tell. What is it that the council wants this time?" said the Knight-Errant finally as they took turns toward the main road.
"Well, my friend. It was indeed surprising that the Council was involved itself this quickly..." The masked elf paused to peak at the swift stream below. At daytime, the ever-clear and ever-flowing canals that run beside every main road in the city would serve as the temperature controller that kept even the scorching sun during the peak of the summer at bay. The white trees that adorn the sidewalks would be replaced every few decades, but the waterways had always been there since the first foundation of this city was built.
"And What do they want? Hard to say. But they always have this obsession with the status quo, keeping things balanced. That sort of thing. It is hard to say who is ahead of who is now in the race of information-gathering between them and Varenheim.
The armored titan shrugged, crossing his arms before the right rose to tap his helmet where his chin would normally be. "I believed they didn't have any concrete lead, else we wouldn't even be here in the first place. Or at least I wouldn't. You, my friend, will undoubtedly be entangled regardless."
"Oh well. In that regard then I think The Cloudsong is already one step ahead. Go ahead and read it yourself."
Upon receiving the letter, Big Engelbert scanned it for a few seconds. It was short and concise, quite to the point. "What a timing, eh? I suppose we shall see what the near future holds." He passed it back to the elf with a mighty shrug, no hint of worry in his voice. "We'll be fine, my friend. We have faced worse before, did we not? Now, let us return to our employer. About time we depart."
****
Unlike most major cities in the continent, and despite the generic icon used in the map to indicate a capital city. Alkautsar wasn't a walled city, it was more like an urban sprawl with its spatial layout carefully planned. Ensuring that the city could sustain its own growth over centuries. The result was the newly built houses would be where the city limit was drawn. Having no wall, also allowed the city to have no shortage of open green space. Though there was a concern that the unwalled suburban could result in a poorly arranged layout, the elves seemed to possess a collective understanding of how to be orderly without needing a written law to dictate them.
Out of the proper city limit, and away from any bricked building, there was an encampment located in a semi-open field. The master of that encampment was an eccentric-looking elven man who completely rejected the idea of settling inside the city. When asked why, his answer was as follows:
"Why not? I have been to many places. Buildings and fancy masonry are not where my heart finds its peace. But here outside. It is such a waste of moments to return to my homeland but not immerse myself in its pristine meadows and feel nature's embrace up close."
Sighing as if to prepare himself for more zany exchanges, the masked Gray Flame greeted the aged elven, who currently sat next to a small elm tree, sipping tea and reading the book he himself had written decades prior.
"Morning! Morning! Finished your little stroll I assume?!" The man jumped up from his seat and beckoned the two to follow. Vesemir Barandir looked like your everyday uncle with an unassuming appearance. White-haired and blue-eyed, his lanky features hid a sheer energy that even juvenile elf couldn't rival. Always jovial and enthusiastic, the aged elf pursued knowledge like a rabid hound that camouflaged itself with an approachable if not silly casing; like, what kind of scholar wears a silky suit, monocle, and a top hat?!
"While you were out... or in there, I have asked Stepen to procure me three carriages for our small little trip. One carriage full of provisions we need from the start until we are back. What do you think? I am thinking about getting the second. Clever plan uh?"
The Gray Flame was ready to just shrug it off and let the man do whatever he wanted with his coins, but since he was asking for his opinion...
"I don't think we need that much. The land of Twilight is not a barren wasteland with no game animal to hunt. I am afraid adding extra burden may slow us down."
The aged elf adjusted his monocle before raising his index finger, as well as his husky voice, but just only slightly.
"A-a-a! Better to be excessive with your preparation! That's what I learned during our trip to exploration to Nubia. We lost five good men in that desert... what a shame. Anyway, that's an important part of the plan. Don't you agree Mr Engelbert?"
"Very much so, Ser Vesemir! As they used to say in the army, 'proper preparation prevents poor performance'. It is better to overdo it a little than come up short, is it not?"
The aged elf turned at the Gray Flame smugly.
"See! Now that's what I call smart! Besides, we will have more people on this journey than we planned earlier!"
"So the pamphlet did the trick huh." The masked elf glanced at Engelbert. Like him, he also had no idea what to expect from Vesemir's newly recruited lackeys-- ahem, travel companions. Able-bodied people, trustworthy and fair... back then the sheer naivety was both laughable and pity-inducing the masked elf couldn't decide how he should express himself.
"So where are they," he said, trying to entertain his boss with a slightly forced enthusiasm.
The boss, Vesemir Barandir just stood straight, head facing the road in front of them with both hands resting on his cane.
"They will be here soon. You'll see."
