Elix healed Ren with his last Vitri potion. When Ren awoke, he healed the rest of the party. After they all regained their bearings, they turned on Elix for an explanation as to what had happened. Not wanting to give his secrets away, Elix had returned to level 5. He now understood that he had the ability to increase and decrease his level. He could only go up to his level cap, but anything in between seemed to be easily manipulated.

  "What happened? Why did they let us live? They had us; we were completely overwhelmed!" questioned Dorgo, looking at Elix for answers.

  "Yeah, how are we alive? Those bastards were hell-bent on taking us out!" growled Latrus.

  Ren had called Pon back into her card form. He stood silently, assessing the area and seemed to be in deep thought. Elisa was sitting cross-legged next to him with a face like thunder. Ren turned to Elix.

  "I can't explain this; the last thing I remember before the poison smog got me was commanding Pon to guard me when I inevitably lost consciousness. Hey, kid, did you see what happened?" Ren, like the others, was staring at Elix.

  Lef’s voice spoke to Elix telepathically. Oi, do not tell them anything. I know you’re travelling with them, but these kinds of things are best kept to yourself for now until you understand more.

  Feeling on the spot, Elix said the only thing he could think of with such little time to prepare.

  "A legacy Cardmancer got out of that carriage, and he was not happy about the delay. Apparently, they were heading somewhere important and were not meant to stop. Once he saw what the other members of his guild had done, he was furious. He said something about me being an insect and insignificant. He killed the three for holding up the journey and then proceeded to command the driver to use a portal card."

  Elix knew that the others were passed out during the remainder of the battle, so he prayed that his explanation would be believed.

  "A legacy Cardmancer, like Ren! Sounds like he was in a rush to get somewhere. You are one lucky squire! If he had chosen to kill you, it would have taken moments," said Elisa, who seemed to believe the story.

  Elix surmised that she thought so lowly of him that she would never assume he defeated a guild Cardmancer and then held his own against a monster.

  Ren eyed Elix suspiciously for a moment, then answered, "It’s lucky you were not harmed and could restore me. I knew you would come in useful. And you guys scolded me for bringing a new squire with us," laughed Ren.

  As Elix’s explanation was accepted, they all agreed that they had a lucky escape. The rest of that day consisted of Elix checking the map and following the road to Delamare city. It was high noon when they reached the outskirts of the city. The land of Delamare lay before them. As they crossed its border, the air itself seemed to change, becoming fresh, with an easterly breeze making them all feel more refreshed.

  "Ok guys, just up ahead is the entrance to the city. They will have guards at the gate. You all know the drill, let them know we are SunSiro guild, show them your guild crest cards, and we should be able to pass through into the city without question," spoke Ren.

  Elix got nervous, he wasn’t part of a guild and didn’t have a guild crest card.

  "Not you. You are with us and will be able to pass into the city as our squire," said Latrus, who had noticed the look on Elix’s face.

  They reached the outer wall of the city, its stone face dull and cracked. Moss grew on most of the stones, and brown vines clung to the wall like thin ropes, giving the appearance that they were holding the wall in place. They approached a large archway where they met two guards.

  "Who are you?" asked the first guard. He was old and had an aged face. His eyes were pale blue and seemed to be enchanted with card magic. The guard’s eyes scanned them all.

  "We are SunSiro guild members on a quest. We require supplies and lodging for the night." Ren held up a card that glowed red; an M.i. box appeared, but there was no text within it. Instead, a coat of arms was displayed. The guard eyed it suspiciously, then nodded.

  "Very well. And what about the other?" he asked in his shrill voice.

  "He travels with us; he is our squire. As per the law of this city, we vouch for him," replied Ren.

  Elix shifted, he couldn’t help but look suspicious. He noticed the guard’s eyes looking him up and down and lingering on his shirt pocket. A few moments passed, then the guard spoke.

  "Very well, go ahead." He stepped aside and left the path open for entry.

  The party walked into the city through the stone arch. Elix’s eyes were immediately filled with the bustling city that lay inside the walls. Stone buildings lined the streets, each one made from the same stones as the outer walls, with the same vines and moss growing on them.

  "Cards! Cards for sale!"

  A bearded man with crazy eyes ran up to the party. He opened his long coat, and lining the inside were various cards of all kinds.

  "Get lost, you loon," growled Latrus. He brushed the man aside with his large arm, as the party walked on, the man scuttling down an alleyway without protest.

  Dorgo was eyeing a building up ahead.

  "Hey Ren, I’m heading off. I will meet you back at the usual place in a few hours."

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  Dorgo made off in the direction of the building. All of the street-level buildings were dwellings. They had dirty windows and junk outside of them. Elix looked up and saw that above the rundown homes were storefronts and places with various signs displaying what kind of store it was. One building had a sign that displayed a potion; another had a flagon of ale depicted on it.

  "This place is awesome," he said as he continued to walk a little behind the others.

  "Hey kid, is this your first time in a city?" Latrus had slowed his pace to walk with Elix.

  "Yeah, I haven’t seen anything like this before."

  Elix, who had grown up in the farming region of Heath village, was in awe of the different kinds of people he was seeing.

  There were Druen bartering with traders at street level, arguing over how many Teth certain cards were worth. Elves swiftly moved between buildings using the external stairs, disappearing into the stores above street level. He noticed a strange-looking being sitting on a crate outside one of the street-level homes. The being had large, pointy ears, much larger than an elf. It wore small, round glasses and had large feet with no shoes.

  "I wouldn’t bother with him, kid. He’s a MIB, probably ordered to sit outside that home until its master returns," explained Latrus.

  Elix used Unveil:

  Finx

  Level 19

  Finx are a peaceful race; their strength lies in knowledge. Prone to gambling and are said to never turn down the chance to wager a bet. Be careful, these silver-tongued creatures will have the Teth from your inventory and the shirt off your back.

  Upon reading the M.i. message, Elix looked away, taking Latrus’s advice.

  As they walked the street, a woman dressed in rags rushed past them. She stopped, summoned a card, and the next moment, a creature appeared. It was small, with rolls of fat and floppy ears that hung down past its head dragging on the floor as it slowly walked on all fours. The creature opened its mouth wide and inhaled. A pile of rubbish at the side of the road was hoovered up into the creature. The woman recalled it and ran off down a side street.

  The noise of the city was a busy buzzing din, and everywhere Elix looked, something he had never seen before was happening.

  "Hey, we are here!" shouted Ren from up ahead.

  They had stopped at a rather run-down building. The lower level had a wooden door with all kinds of damage and three windows which were dirty enough to conceal what was inside. To the left of the front of the building was a spiral staircase made of stone. The upper-level building was more presentable, with large windows, and a much cleaner door, with a hanging sign sticking out of the side of the building. Upon the sign were two mugs of ale.

  "This is the Nook," Ren pointed up to the upper level.

  Elisa looked up and sighed. "Why do we have to come here? You know I hate this place, it’s full of peasants and undesirables. Can’t we find somewhere else?" she scoffed while folding her arms.

  "You know this place is a gold mine for news and info," replied Ren with a grin.

  "You just want to gamble again. I am telling you now, I will not be a part of that behaviour," Elisa scowled at Ren.

  For once, Elix was on her side, he didn’t like the look of the place. As he watched, a Druen came tumbling out of the door and rolled down the steps, landing sitting at the bottom in a daze. He looked up at the party, got to his feet with a wobble, then nodded and proceeded to stagger off down the road.

  The four of them climbed the stairs and entered the tavern through the door. Once inside, Elix felt the eyes of the various groups inside fall on Ren and the others. He felt Ren’s aura intensify, and almost instantly, all the eyes averted their gaze.

  They walked across the room between the various tables of different shapes and sizes. The tavern looked like it had been thrown together; nothing matched, and almost everything was old, splintered, and breaking.

  "Urgh, my feet are sticking to the floor. It’s even more disgusting than I remember. If any of these specimens even talk to me, I’m going to take their head off," muttered Elisa.

  The bartender smiled as they all approached.

  "What will it be, Ren? The usual?"

  He was a Finx. His appearance was similar to the one Elix had seen on the crate in the street earlier. This one was wearing an apron and had an eye patch on. Elix surmised it was from a previous bar fight.

  Looking around, he could see holes in the walls with scorch marks around them, and there was even the odd arrow sticking out of a random piece of furniture.

  After conversing with the Finx behind the bar, Ren purchased rooms for himself, Latrus, and Elisa. As a party, they had an individual pot that held Teth for things they might need on their quest. Elix, unfortunately, had only 5 Teth to his name.

  "Sorry, kid, if you don’t have the funds, you’ll have to make your own arrangements," growled Latrus.

  Elisa laughed as Elix stood there with a blank expression.

  Ren chimed in, "They have a point. There are plenty of lodgings around the city. I think it would be good for you to explore and meet us back here in the morning."

  Elisa grinned, "You know he just wants every Teth for his games, shows how much you matter."

  Elix didn’t even respond. He was getting tired of the party he was travelling with. Ever since he had met them, they had been less than welcoming. Even Ren hadn’t shown him any card magic or told him anything constructive about getting stronger.

  "Yeah, you’re right. I’ll meet you tomorrow. Cya."

  Elix turned and headed out of the bar.

  Once he had gone, Ren sat down on a bar stool. There was a glass cabinet that covered the back wall behind the bar, and inside were various cards on small glass stands with beverages depicted on them.

  "Three Icebergs," said Ren as the others sat down. "So you both know that I brought that kid with us for a reason, right? I am certain that when we return from the ruins, he won’t be travelling with us."

  Ren picked up the long, thin glass that the bartender had placed in front of him. As he took a sip, he breathed out a cloud of icy mist.

  "You know I hate surprises, but we trust you. We know you didn’t burden us with a level 5, G rank because you thought he would help us," Latrus downed his drink in one gulp, and a cold breath poured out of his mouth, freezing his fur slightly.

  "Everything will become clear once we get to the ruins. Anyway, I’m going to head to the back rooms here. I will see you both bright and early tomorrow."

  Ren got up and made his way toward a door to the left of the bar. Elisa picked up a glass and drained its contents slowly. She looked around, huffed, and bid Latrus good evening.

  Elix walked down a side street, feeling angry. After saving the party from Jud, he was slowly realising that every guild member he had met hadn’t really lived up to his expectations. He wouldn’t class any of them as heroes. Ren seemed vague and self-serving, Elisa was one of the angriest people he had ever met, and Latrus and Dorgo barely paid him any notice.

  As he walked around, he began to wonder if he should strike out on his own and ditch the party.

  "Hey, Elix, don’t make any rash decisions," Lef’s voice entered his mind.