John stepped out of the carriage, lifting his arms for a satisfying stretch. He released a deep sigh of relief.
The group had finally reached their targeted destination, the city of Albeade and it was unlike anything John had ever seen.
The number of people combined with the congested and frantic atmosphere easily put their past stops to shame. Everywhere he turned to look there was a person. Many of all ages. Young, Old, and anything in between.
Honestly, it was hard to find a gap lacking human presence in the road he currently found himself in. Despite the crowd being so large that you'd see a new face practically every second, the noise was even greater than that.
A sea of voices was filling the air without a second of silence. That was a huge surprise to the party, seeing how they'd just made their way through the town's gate.
From their journey, they were used to more of a quiet coastal experience, not a loud and bustling city. Similarly to the past towns they had visited though, Albeade held many vendors and shops. That was where the similarities between it and other towns they'd gone through ended though.
The wares sold by vendors and shops were more high quality. Also, there were many lines that carried from inside the establishment far outside into the street.
Due to this, at a certain point inside the city, there was a sign saying past it was a no carriage zone. On the sign, the only times it endorsed such a method of travel were 12 AM to 12 PM and unfortunately for the group, it was currently 1 PM.
Mary tugged on John's sleeve, catching his attention.
"Hey. Make sure you stay close, okay?"
"Stay close? Do you think I'm a child?" His head was titled confusedly as he spoke to her.
Mary chuckled at his question which was dripping with frustration. "Sorry. Didn't mean it that way. I'm just saying since it's so crowded things could get dangerous if we don't stay together as a unit."
"Fair enough."
"Let's move."
Upon hearing Ashur's command the group obeyed. Mr. Meyers was covered from head to toe in a simple brown robe.
The rest of them were in the outfits they'd worn their whole trip minus John, who was given fresh equipment back in Inpo.
The adventurers decided not to have disguises so as to not obscure their vision. Mr. Meyers was walking in the middle of the three. Ashur was in the front, Mary to his left, and John to the right.
As they walked Mr. Meyers spoke. "I get the concept of hiding myself due to being in the prime location assassins would look for their intended target, their destination, but is all this necessary?"
Ashur nodded, his eyes scanning all around them.
"Exactly so sir. Of course, you could see this as you standing out but maybe have a look around first."
Mr. Meyers did just as he suggested and that's when he noticed it. Many other individuals walking in the very crowded street, wore robes. They were also covered from head to toe.
"Hmm. I see. So to a degree, I'm also blending in."
"Exactly."
"It's also nice that this place is so packed and loud. This means we can talk at normal levels without the worry of being spied on as easily. We'd most likely notice if someone tried or got too clos-"
Before John could finish his sentence, which was a huge red flag, someone bumped into him.
He grunted slightly at the sudden event. Mary and Ashur quickly turned, eyes sharp and focused in case combat was imminent.
To the surprise of all, their eyes naturally fell lower to see the person who'd bumped into John. It was a little boy.
He had plain brown hair and freckles, his yellow eyes being big and round. An innocent look lay on his face as he spoke.
"I'm sorry mister. I didn't mean to bump into you."
John swiped his hand, giving him a warm smile. "It's fine. Just make sure you're careful of where you're going next time, okay?"
The boy nodded adamantly before running off in a hurry. He slipped through the crowd with surprising agility and just like that, the kid was out of sight.
"Hmm. What a strange encounter," John muttered under his breath.
Mary released a sigh. "John... "
"Yeah?"
"Check your pockets."
His eyes widened at her words, realizing what just transpired.
In a hurry, he ran through it. His adventurer card, which he had put in his new equipment pocket was gone.
He slowly turned to glance back up at Mary and Ashur, an awkward smile plastered on his face. "So. My adventurer's license is gone"
The pair flashed looks of disappointment at his naivete. Mary facepalmed.
"Well, that's really unfortunate."
Mr. Meyer nodded seriously.
"Yeah. Well on the bright side at least you didn't have anything more valuable the child could have stolen."
"Huh!?" John retorted, frustration in his voice. "With all due respect sir, I'd say an adventurer's license is very valuable."
Ashur waved his hand dismissively. "Sure but it's nothing to lose sleep over. It won't have any use unless the person looks like you. Plus you can always get another one if you answer their questions for your credentials properly at any Guild Hall."
"Oh…" John had a dumbfounded expression on his face. "I… forgot I could do that."
Mary released a troubled sigh.
"Anyway. Let's continue on. We shouldn't be longer than five minutes from the council building now."
The group made their way toward the building, facing little to no problems.
They weren't able to sense anything strange either. Things were surprisingly calm contrary to expectations.
After a couple of minutes walking, they arrived at the building.
It had a large pointy roof and a silver tip at the top. Its doors seemed plain, being made of wood.
Guards stood at the entrance, being dressed in simple gray clothes. They bore a crest on their chest, however, showing they weren't mere civilians.
As they approached the door, the guards stepped in the way. One on the left sized them all up before speaking.
"What is your business here?"
John started to say something but before he could Mr. Meyers stepped forward.
He removed his hood, and in that same movement he reached into a pocket, pulling out a wooden tablet. He handed it to the other guard standing in front of the door.
The two came closer together, both inspecting it closely.
Something was inscribed on the front clearly by the amount of scrutiny it was under. After a couple of seconds of silence, they removed their gazes from it. Returning it to him.
"Alright, Mr. Meyers. You may enter."
He nodded and the guards opened the doors. The adventurer's started to step forward as well but a hand reached out, blocking their path.
"What do you think you're doing?"
John's eye twitched slightly, What is it with me and town guards!? He thought to himself.
"Oh, don't worry. They're fine to enter."
The guards turned to Mr. Meyers, giving a respectable bow in response to his words. And with that, the three adventurer's entered the building.
The decorum inside was very fancy. Having mahogany desks and chairs was a sign of the importance of the place if something as expensive as mahogany was everywhere in eyesight.
There were way more guards inside than outside. Most of them turned to check out the new visitors. They cast gazes, some having a serious glint behind them.
John wasn't purposely trying to count but he believed there were around 20 of them.
They walked over to a reception counter at the front. Inside the booth sat a woman, her long black hair was braided to the side. She was very pretty, not looking a day over 18.
She smiled at them. "Would you happen to be Mr. Meyers?"
"Why yes. Is there anything I need to do at the moment?"
The receptionist shook her head dismissively. "Not currently. You may feel free to enter the hall upstairs whenever you wish."
Mr. Meyers gave a respectful nod as a sign of his appreciation. He then walked off a bit away from the reception counter, and both Ashur and Mary followed.
John started to as well, but he was curious.
Not about the woman necessarily but something else. Beside her was a calendar. The date March 18th was circled. It was currently the 20th.
"Excuse me. If you don't mind me asking what is that circled date for?"
"Oh, it was just my birthday. I turned 25."
John's eyes widened. "Wow. Congratulations on seeing another year."
She released a chuckle. "Thank you. It was a good day. I got to spend it with my family." She reached over somewhere behind the desk, pulling a picture frame out. In it, a miniature painting of her, a smaller hunched-over-looking woman, and a small boy were in it.
"That's my darling little brother,'' she said, pointing at the boy, "and that's my grandmother," she pointed at the hunched-over woman.
"You have a nice family," John said, unable to hold back the envy in his voice.
She nodded, a grateful look on her face. "Agreed. I care about them deeply. Well, anyway thanks for the happy birthday wish. I wouldn't want to hold you up, it seems your partners are discussing important things."
John perked up, turning to glance toward his group.
They were currently sitting at a faraway table, and the opening and closing of their lips indicated what she said to be true. He scratched his head, releasing an embarrassed smirk at being late to the program.
"Right. I get distracted sometimes. Anyway, it was nice talking with you."
"Likewise," she responded.
As John started to make his way toward the group, the door to the building burst open.
A man dressed in a guard uniform spoke frantically.
"Somebody quick! We need help! There's an emergency."
All turned their attention to him, many gazes filled with confusion.
Ashur stood up, Mary following him as they walked toward the guard. "What's wrong?" He asked.
"Civilians started getting attacked randomly. The assailants were cloaked in these weird robes and are really strong. I barely escaped! There was one especially scary one, some crazy woman."
The three adventurers had similar looks on their faces as they had the same thought, that it was connected to the group which had been chasing them the entire mission.
The guard continued. "I would ask for help from our own guard but they need to stay here. In case this is part of some plot to attack during this election period. "
He scanned the room, his eyes eventually falling on John and company.
"You all aren't guards. You must be adventurers, right? Could you help us?"
Ashur turned to Mr. Meyers, a searching look in his eye.
From his expression, it seemed as if he was conflicted. Like he wanted to go help but due to the nature of the mission and priorities, he couldn't make the decision himself.
The look was a way of gaining permission as well as trying to communicate his feelings about saving people. Mr. Meyers, at this point, knew Ashur and his character.
"You're free to go. You've accomplished your mission technically already by taking me safely to Albeade."
A look of relief washed over Ashur for a moment but it quickly vanished, a serious one replacing it. "Are you absolutely sure sir?"
Mr. Meyers nodded, turning to John as well. "In fact, I'd rather you go also."
"Me?" John questioned.
"Yes. I don't want another situation like in Mural Town; letting others be at risk just over me. If people need saving, then I request you do so."
John glanced back and forth at the two of them. Mr. Meyers was smiling.
He couldn't explain it, but he had the feeling the man was relieved, or at least the idea caused such feelings to rise in him.
John hadn't thought about it much since leaving the town, but it was possible the death of their carriage rider stuck more with Mr. Meyers than he'd have thought.
He knew full well of the danger he was in himself, being the target of the letter, but having someone who had nothing to do with him be killed for it, was nothing short of evil.
Mary had a hand placed over her hip, having a confident air about her. She swatted her hand.
"Go on now. Help those innocent civilians. The longer you take, the more injured or dead there will be."
John felt as if Annerose had manifested herself through Mary with her hand motion. That's how similar the two were. They truly had a bond like sisters.
Ashur gave a finger salute. "Alright. We'll see you two after handling the ticks."
With that, John and Ashur turned, running out of the building. Their outline became fainter and fainter as the guard led the way.