In between chapters, Iron and Zephyr have made their way to the nearest town: Felderwin. Looks are heavily gathered on them, as the cities main populace is halfing and human. But even without visual differences, they would stick out like a sore thumb, considering their odd language and their loud arguing.
"What do you mean you thought the prince was with me? I fell out of the portal way before you guys!" Iron
"He fell down way closer to your speed than mine, he should've been out right after you were!"
"Well, because of *someone* he didn't!"
The argument continued, using the same arguments in quick repetition, and definetely not arriving at any sort of conclusion. After a few hours of walking around the town, they got hungry and decided to postpone the argument and Zephyr ordered some fruit. A total of 5 gold for one days worth of fruit appeared reasonable to him and he paid up. Behind him was now a store clerk unsatisfied, knowing he could've gotten him to pay more.
They sat down at a nearby table, eating their fruit, when a strange man in a red robe stood before them. "And who are you two, if I might inquire?"
The two looked at each other, wondering what he wanted - he didn't speak in a language either of them understood. After a quick movement of the mans hand, he spoke in fluent Sylvan and repeated:"And who are you two, if I might inquire?"
Before Zephyr could answer, Iron gulped down the entire orange and said:"We are bodyguards of the prince of the feywild! You could call us important!"
The man mustered Iron calmly, wondering whether he was saying the truth. "Well, the presence of your.. Elemental kin is not common in the empire, usually they are contracted to our forces. But if you are the protectors of another kingdoms prince, I think you are exempt from the ruling. But where is the prince you are talking about?"
"We lost him on our way here" Iron said, stuffing another half of an orange into his mouth.
"You.. You lost him?"
Zephyr sighed and replied "Yes, and we are currently looking into his whereabouts, nothing that should concern a human, however."
A chuckle emitted from the man in red:"To be honest, I am an advisor of a king myself, I wonder what yours would say after you lost his son?"
Zephyr looked into his face calmly, and revealed his sword under his garments. "And I wonder what yours would say about your head on a pike, because you got involved with matters you have no say in" Iron saw the gesture, and dropped his two large, heavy meat cleavers on the table and kept eating.
The man in red stopped smiling and his tone shifted:" Curious fellows, thinking they could beat a kings advisor in his domain, when both of them are weaker than his left hand man. Bren, I believe we have need for the imprisonment for these two."
And only six seconds later, the table exploded in front of them, a large ball of fire spreading quickly. Lightly wounded Zephyr jumped up and drew his sword, the hilt burned up into ashes behind him. Iron, almost unhurt stood up took his cleavers and charged at the man, swiping at him, but an odd barrier blocked his strikes. The red man teleported onto a nearby roof and another ball of fire hit Zephyr. Zephyr looked around, then decided to follow the man.
Using far step he teleported up to the roof aswell, swiping at him twice, piercing the barrier both times. The wounds around the cuts darkened slowly and the red magician looked at them somewhat worried. Now streaks of fire shot across the ground below, aiming for Iron, but he saw where they came from, taking little damage once again. Iron took the chance and ran towards the disguised man in a nearby food stall, cleaving through him twice, now noticing that there were still two bodies of this person around him.
The man in red also activated far step, now that he stopped to underestimate his opponent. He teleported onto another roof, shooting back a small streak of fire, that Zephyr dodged without a problem. Zephyr followed him, his blade now black he started swirling his enemies blackened blood around him. He went for two swipes again, he connected one strike to his opponents leg and the blood of his opponent seemed to push the blade in. His second sweep however the magician ducked under.
Back on the ground, the both of the versions of the disguised enemy disappeared, leaving behind only a book about a cat prince. Iron looked around, but couldn't find him, so he ran towards Zephyr instead. The other magician copied the first ones trick and also disappeared.
Quickly, both of them calmed down and planned for a place to stay - which proved to be another, maybe even harder challenge for newcomers in these lands.