With the help of the Ground Dragon, they were able to make it to Initium without issue. It had taken them less than a day to arrive. They had left Discite behind with their unique goals in mind. Slowly, they pulled the Ground Dragon to a stop. Initium was almost the same as they had left it.
The streets were still vibrant and people went about their day like normal. Everyone was painfully oblivious of the danger that awaited them. Their peace would soon be shattered.
Carefully, Avic and the others dismounted from the Ground Dragon's back. Avic was intent on finding Amon as soon as possible.
"We need to hurry and find the Old Geezer!" Demanded Avic.
"Yeah, but we still need to take it easy. We left a lot of our supplies back in Discite. We're going to need to gather replacements for the journey ahead. We can split up into groups of two for now. One group can go find Mister Amon while the other will go hunting for supplies. We need to stock up as much as we can before leaving Initium," proposed Custos.
No one argued. It sounded like a reasonable plan.
"Chrono, what about you? You've been tagging along with us this entire time but you haven't told us your plan," queried Eliisabet.
"My destination is beyond Initium in Capri Town. I think I'll tag along with you three until I get there," he answered.
"Fair enough," agreed Custos. "Alright, Eliisabet and Avic, you two can go find Mister Amon. Chrono and I will go stock up on supplies. When we're done, we'll meet you guys back at the tavern."
Everyone then nodded in acceptance before splitting up into their assigned groups. Eliisabet ran beside Avic, dashing through Initium. The surrounding civilians watched in bewilderment, frightened to see that they had returned so soon.
"Isn't that Avic and Eliisabet..?" Asked one man.
"It sure looks like them..." Answered another.
Avic gritted his teeth. He knew he needed to warn them but he didn't have the best relationship with the citizens of Initium. Due to this, he doubted they would believe him.
"Avic, shouldn't we warn them?" Asked Eliisabet.
"We should but I doubt they'll take my word for it. And since you're always with me, I'm not sure if they'll listen to you either. But that's one of the reasons we need to find the Old Geezer! Even if they won't listen to us, they'll certainly listen to him!"
Eliisabet accepted as she continued to run behind Avic. A few minutes later, they arrived at the tavern. Most of the damage had been repaired and it was even open for business. This surprised them given that they had only been gone for around 2 weeks at most.
"Let's hurry inside! Once we find that Old Geezer, we can warn everyone in the town and get the hell out of here!"
Eliisabet and Avic didn't waste another second. They dashed into the tavern, throwing the doors open. However, to their surprise, no one seemed to be inside. Instead, the tavern was ransacked as if a tornado had recently passed through. Tables were flipped over and damaged chairs littered the floor.
"What happened here..?" Muttered Eliisabet in shock.
"Damn it! Old Man Amon! Where are you?!" Shouted Avic.
Avic ran around the tavern trying to find even the smallest sign of Amon. However, it was to no avail. He was nowhere to be found.
"Avic, do you think he might be down in the Room Of Proditio?"
"I sure hope so. But there's only one way to find out."
They then moved toward the back of the tavern before activating the secret switch, opening the passageway down into the Room Of Proditio. A minute later, they had descended the endless staircase, arriving at the final door.
Quickly, Avic used his Hemo Energy to push the door aside, giving them entry into the Room Of Proditio. The red glow of Hemo Energy in the walls immediately caught their attention. It brightened the room ominously alongside its usual strange hum.
However, the room seemed empty. No one seemed to be inside. This was until Eliisabet heard something quite strange.
"Avic, do you hear that?"
"Hear what?"
"Just listen carefully. If you do, you might hear it."
Avic immediately did as Eliisabet instructed. This was when he heard the strange sound of a small child crying. It was faint and could hardly be heard.
"It sounds like it's coming from the back of the room. We should go check it out," prompted Avic.
"Okay, let's be careful though. We don't know what happened while we were gone so we should be cautious."
"Agreed."
The two then slowly moved toward the crying. The further they went, the louder it became. The cry was surely coming from a small child. But it didn't make sense. Why would a child be in the Room Of Proditio? It was a training ground for Sicarius which meant it could become quite dangerous.
Carefully, they then came to a stop and turned toward a concrete door to their left.
"It sounds like it's coming from behind this door. Let's open it," prompted Avic.
Cautiously, the two then pushed against the door using their Hemo Energy. It rumbled as it slid open. This was when they laid eyes upon the source of the crying. They could hardly believe it. It was Lori.
"Lori, what are you doing down here..?!" Quickly asked Avic.
Lori wiped the tears from her eyes before looking up at Avic and Eliisabet. Her eyes immediately widened with relief before she ran over to them, hugging their feet.
"Avic! You're back!"
"I am but where's the Old Geezer?"
Lori then took a step back with a saddened look in her eyes. This signaled that something had definitely happened.
"We were sitting inside the tavern when we were attacked by a group of men in black suits! They took him away!"