Sultan Abdul sat on the porch of his villa in Boca Island the first island in Costa the country beside Alba. A bird perched on his table as he drank tea with a letter tied to its neck.
He picked it up, stroking the birds head and read through it:
Dear father,
I have sent this letter to fill you in on the events that will soon take place in Alba. I cannot say for sure I'll come back alive, but all I can say is that as the heir to the throne of Alba, I shall do what I can to protect my people. I have entrusted my life and the life of our people in the hands of The Cross Heart Adventurers. They have proven to be very loyal and kind people.
Alba might been taken over by the Ichi army, and if that happens only God knows what they will do to our people. I have discovered the identity of the person who leads this army, and he so happens to be someone who our people highly respect. Leon of the World Adventurers threatens to ruin the peace in Alba. This is a serious issue, but please leave this to me. I will make sure it doesn't happen even if I have to take my life. Please do not worry about me and don't come either for your own safety.
Yours sincerely,
Aziz
The sultan frowned at the letter, unable to form words as he stared at the piece of paper. "T-this utterly inconceivable. Ichi Army. Leon."
Baki, the head of the guards, took the letter from the sultan's hand. "Who would have thought a government official would stoop this low?"
The sultan rose to his feet. "I must do something about this, or my son will kill himself."
Baki grabbed the king by his arm. "Forgive me if I speak to brashly your majesty, but please be patient and think about the situation. If you show up, that would be exactly what they wish of you."
"But I can't just sit and do nothing."
Baki sighed. "Unfortunately your majesty, we cannot leave here for your safety. We left the country in the hands of the prime minister. Let us have faith in both him and the prince."
The sultan sighed. "I'm still worried."
Baki smiled. "The prince would not send that letter if he didn't believe he would make it. Let us just pray for their safety."
Sultan Abdul nodded, settling back in his chair. "Then I'll leave our country in the hands of my son."
.....
The Cross Heart Adventurers went on their knees immediately they got to Gilam, kissing the ground while the royals just laughed at their antics.
"Water," Shinzo mumbled.
"Sweets," Octavius breathed.
"Alcohol," Luna added.
People on the streets turned to look at the crazy kids panting heavily on the ground. They ignored the stares, storming into a shop to buy water. In the same shop, Aiya sat with one of her subordinates behind her.
"Why did you choose this island captain?"
"It's where the prime minister stays, so I'm expecting something big to go on here," Aiya said while Paolo and Octavius demanded water from the shopkeeper. "I have my suspicions that whoever was on the call that we caught will come after him." She took a sip of her beer. "It's to find out how the Cross Heart Adventurers are involved in all this."
The shopkeeper placed five cups on the table and the two chugged it down with fervor. They smiled blissfully, that hit the spot.
The two turned their heads as the same time as Aiya, the water in their mouth shooting out like a canon.
Aiya's eyes widened, her hand stretching to call them out, but Paolo grabbed Octavius' hand and their crate of water before rushing outside.
"Interacting with the navy would be a bad idea right now," Paolo said.
Aika clicked her tongue. "We're following them."
"Roger."
The other three Cross Heart Adventurers waited not too far from the bar.
"Do you think it was a good idea to send the both of them?" Aline asked.
"It's a simple errand, they'll be fine," Luna said.
"Paolo tends to attract trouble, so I'm not too sure."
Truer words were never spoken as Paolo and Octavius led a whole pack of navy officials towards the crew.
"Looks like something is chasing Paolo again," Aline said.
"And he's leading them right to us," Luna panicked.
"The navy's here!" Paolo shouted.
"Because you led them right to us," Shinzo snapped as they started their jog round the city.
"More people are here," Paolo mumbled, pulling up near his crew.
"I sense a lot of them," Octavius said. "I'm guessing it's the Ichi Army; they must have guessed we're fine."
"We're splitting up," Paolo announced. "Everyone meet up at the legislate house."
They all nodded, splitting into different directions. Aiya scowled at the action.
"They split up huh, I'm guessing it's for more than us chasing them," Aiya said before stopping her men. "I'll follow the captain while you guys stop."
"Roger."
Paolo ran with Anisa, Shinzo, and Octavius. Luna, Cairo, and the prince also went another direction and Aline went on her own. They encountered enemies but defeated them as they ran.
Aline crouched in front of one of the men she had just beat up. He struggled to breathe, his body shaking at the pure might of the female in front of him.
"You were talking to someone on your hub." She lifted his head off the ground, no hint of friendliness on her face. "Mind telling me who it was."
At the same time, word had reached Leon of their presence in the town. Leon grinned, staring out his window. "Let's go greet those fools, shall we?"