When Kal and the others arrived in Zoarlath, it was already night. The streets were dark and little busy, an unusual quiet hovered over the Duchy's capital. Arphaxad, worried about Eron who had followed the girls, suggested they take advantage of the night to look for him.
"We need to find Eron, he may be in danger," said Arphaxad, his voice heavy with urgency.
However, Adonis quickly denied the suggestion, visibly worried about the risk of being discovered. "We can't risk it. The night is dangerous, and we need to stay together."
Aura, looking at the group, asked if it would be possible to look for Master Hadon in the city. "What if we looked for Master Hadon? He may give us shelter and hide us."
Yorin shook his head negatively. "That's too dangerous. Looking for Hadon can expose him and all of us."
Then Kal turned to Adonis and asked: "Where are we going, Adonis? What is your plan?"
Adonis took a deep breath before answering. "I'm taking you to a friend's house. He can shelter us and give us information about the city."
As they walked through the narrow, shadowy streets, they noticed there were few soldiers in the capital, something that intrigued them. Aura reminded everyone about what Set had said earlier.
"Set mentioned the Duchy would soon enter a war. The soldiers' absence must be related to that," she said thoughtfully.
The group finally arrived at a small, discreet house on the city outskirts. Adonis knocked on the door in a specific pattern and an older black man with graying beard and tired but friendly eyes opened the door.
"Master Adonis, my old friend, come in," said the man, looking at the group with curiosity.
"Thank you, Catoni. These are my friends. We need a safe place to spend the night and some information," Adonis replied, relieved to finally be in a safe place.
Catoni led them inside and, once settled, began telling them about the city's situation. "The soldiers have been mobilized for war. The city is relatively calm, but there are many mercenaries and bandits taking advantage of the troops' absence. It is a dangerous place, especially at night."
Thinking of Draka and Ninea, Kal asked: "Sir, have you heard anything about slaves being brought into the city?"
Catoni replied. "Slaves are always arriving in this city, young man."
While the group was sitting in Catoni's modest home's room, his granddaughters Hilda and Hella appeared at the door. Seeing so many people gathered in that small space, the girls thought they were having a party and ran inside, jumping with joy and screaming.
"Look, there are a lot of people here, let's play!" Hilda shouted, as Hella accompanied her with a smile.
Aura, charmed by the children's energy, got up and went to play with them. The girls' laughter echoed through the room, bringing a moment of lightness to the tense atmosphere.
Meanwhile, Catoni continued answering the others' questions. Yorin, always direct, asked: "Sir, do you know the mercenary Hwin?"
Catoni nodded quickly. "Yes, he is very famous here in the capital. He has a large slave and relic trading business. But he makes more money from his underground fighting arena. Believe me, being a slave in his hands is terrible, but being taken to the arena is an even worse fate."
Everyone's eyes met worriedly, concerned that Hwin may have taken Draka and Ninea to that place.
Sahara, with a tone of urgency in her voice, asked: "What kind of atrocities happen in that arena?"
Catoni took a deep breath before answering. "I've never been there, but I've heard many stories. They say the slaves are used to entertain sadistic guests who pay fortunes. They are thrown into the arenas and become food for the strange creatures brought directly from hell. There is also torture, sodomy, and worse."
Silence fell over the room as everyone processed the information. The worry on each face was evident. Adonis, trying to stay calm, said: "We need to act fast. We can't let anything happen to the girls."
Kal, with a determined look, agreed. "We've got our plan, tomorrow we'll put it into action!"
Adonis approached Catoni with a concerned expression. "Catoni, it won't be too much trouble if we stay here tonight?"
Catoni smiled, revealing deep wrinkles on his face."I told you last time, only you young ones can change this wretched place. I have a feeling your presence here will change something. The only thing I can do is help however I can!"
Adonis was grateful for Catoni's words, squeezing the old man's hand. "I don't know if we can change anything here, but I can say we'll try!"
Meanwhile, Arphaxad, who was also playing with Hilda and Hella, noticed Catoni's workshop door ajar. Inside, he saw an improvised bed and it seemed someone was lying on it. Before he could ask anything, Pudin, the spiritual cat, whispered to Kal that she was sensing a spiritual presence and pointed to a dark alley.
Kal turned to the others and said, "I need to check something out."
The others were confused, since they couldn't see or hear Pudin. However, Sahara, hearing what the cat said, volunteered to go with Kal. Markel, not wanting to leave Sahara alone out of jealousy and fear she might get hurt, also volunteered to come along.
"I'll go with you," he said firmly.
Yorin observed the group rising and commented: "It seems our group is splitting up. Kal, Sahara and Markel are going one way. Me, Adonis and Aura will go another, while Arphaxad has volunteered to investigate the slave market alone."
Everyone agreed to the plan. Seeing Kal's team leaving, Arphaxad quickly got up. "I can't just sit here while children are enslaved."
He collected his gear and departed, leaving only Yorin, Adonis and Aura at Catoni's home.
The team split up, each following their own path through Zoarlath, determined to discover the girls' whereabouts and put an end to the mercenary Hwin's atrocities. The night was just beginning and the city, shrouded in shadows and secrets, awaited the next moves of the Seeds of the Kings.
Meanwhile in Volkaron, Ionna was in the midst of her preparations when she heard the sound of the sentinel's trumpets from Emarlal's gate. Intrigued, she mounted her horse, trying to imagine who was arriving in the capital. "Could it be an early attack from Nannu?", she pondered. When she reached the gates, a crowd of common folk was already there. From the top of his watchtower, the sentinel, using magic to project his voice over distances, announced: "Enter the Warlord of the Duchy, Set, and the army of golden-eyed men!"
Ionna was perplexed. "How did these men make a week-long journey in just four days?" It was unimaginable even for legendary warriors. As she pondered, a man of androgynous appearance, with long silver hair and deep crimson eyes, entered riding a white stallion. Behind him, armored men with golden eyes like gold crossed the gates, gaining the admiration and fear of all there. They numbered only one hundred and fifty men.
Ionna, observing, remained stoic, only pondering the Duchy's aid. "Only one hundred and fifty men for a war?", she thought. However, the time it took them to arrive in Emarlal intrigued her more. "Those men must have been transported by some powerful, ancient magic, for I do not believe that with such heavy armor they could have arrived here in just four days."
She quickly rode to the palace, where the regent queen awaited them. She positioned herself beside her as commander of Volkaron's armies, while Regent Queen Alexandria, with her son Flamarion at her side, received Set in her halls.
"Welcome, Warlord!" said Alexandria.
"Call me only Set, Your Highness!" responded Set, prostrating himself in a show of reverence. Alexandria approached Set, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"I hope the Army of Golden-Eyed Men proves as deadly as I have heard!" said Alexandria.
Set, at that moment, remembered the massacre of his men. To keep his malignant aura from showing, he quickly responded: "The Queen will have no regrets."
Alexandria then turned to Ionna and ordered her to prepare the troops as quickly as possible. Then she ordered her servants to ready her war armor. Ionna realized Alexandria herself would be on campaign and, without another word, departed to carry out the orders.
Tension rose in Emarlal as war preparations advanced. The combined forces of Volkaron and the Duchy of Saladon were poised to march, leaving a trail of uncertainty and fear across the continent.
Back in Zoarlath, Kal, Sahara and Markel followed the direction indicated by Pudin, sensing the spiritual presence emanating from somewhere ahead. The trio advanced carefully through Zoarlath's dark alleys, alert to any suspicious movement. The night was cold and the silent city, except for the sound of distant footsteps and muted whispers.
As they turned a corner, they came upon a grisly scene: a man lay dead on the ground, surrounded by bandits rummaging through his body, stealing his belongings. The spiritual presence Pudin had sensed came from the dead man.
Kal, Sahara and Markel exchanged looks, understanding the gravity of the situation. The bandits, upon noticing the arrival of the three hooded figures, laughed, believing they were unwitting, easy tourists to rob.
"Look here, more prey for us!" mocked one of the bandits as others approached confidently.
Kal took a step forward, his serious expression hidden under his hood. Sahara and Markel prepared, aware of what was to come.
"You've picked the wrong night for this," Kal said firmly.
The bandits advanced, scorning the veiled threat. The first bandit, brandishing a rusty knife, charged at Kal, who nimbly evaded and delivered a precise blow with his left hand. The knife flew from the bandit's fingers and he fell to his knees, dazed.
Markel, with his superhuman strength, grabbed two bandits by their collars, lifting them off the ground like rag dolls and throwing them against a nearby wall. The impact was so hard the men lost consciousness instantly.
Sahara, moving with the grace and agility of a dancer, used her whip to disarm two other bandits. With quick, precise movements, she wrapped them up and brought them down, leaving them stunned and disoriented on the ground.
Kal, taking advantage of the confusion, slid between the remaining bandits, his exceptional combat skills on display. With a combination of punches and kicks, he downed three more men, who fell to the ground unconscious.
The fight was swift and decisive. The bandits, who had underestimated the three, now lay scattered through the alley, defeated and unconscious. However, one bandit, seeing his companions fall one by one, decided to flee. Running desperately, he shouted:
"I'm going to tell the boss! You'll regret this!"
Kal tried to reach him but the bandit disappeared into the shadows before he could stop him.
Sahara approached Kal, still catching her breath after the fight. "Should we go after him?"
Kal shook his head. "Not now. We need to find out more about what Pudin sensed."
Markel, still vigilant, looked around, ensuring there were no immediate threats. "Let's find out who this man was and what happened. We need to be prepared for what comes next."
They approached the dead man's body, determined to find answers and ready to face whatever else came their way.
Kal, Sahara and Markel stood around the dead man's body, the nighttime atmosphere strange. At first, Kal thought the spiritual presence came from the dead man, but Pudin, analyzing closer, noticed something. She approached a fallen bag next to one of the bandits and found a crude necklace made of strange black iron with a red stone in the center.
"This is it, Kal," said Pudin, holding up the necklace for him to see. "The spiritual presence I sensed comes from this necklace."
Kal took the necklace, observing it closely. The moment he held it, Sahara, with a shocked expression, recognized the object.
"That's Nia's collar!" Sahara exclaimed, visibly shaken. "If her collar is with these bandits, that means..."
Kal quickly interrupted, trying to calm her. "It means Nia is still alive. We'll find her too, don't worry."
While Markel tried to console Sahara, Kal whispered to Pudin, questioning the meaning of the strong spiritual presence in the collar. "Why do you sense such a strong spiritual presence? Does that mean she died?"
Pudin shook her head. "Not necessarily. A strong spiritual presence doesn't mean the owner is dead. It could just be that she has a strong enough spiritual connection to leave remnants in the collar."
Kal reflected on this, looking around. He knew he needed more information. He turned to Markel and said, "We need to interrogate one of these bandits. They may have more information about what happened to Nia."
Markel nodded, ready to act. They searched the unconscious bandits and chose one who seemed most susceptible. Kal and Markel dragged him to a nearby wall while Sahara stayed back, trying to compose herself.
Kal splashed some water on the bandit's face, waking him slowly, coughing and groaning in pain.
"You're going to tell us everything you know about this collar and where its owner is," said Kal firmly, holding the collar in front of the bandit's face.
The bandit looked at the collar and then at Kal, fear in his eyes. "I...I don't know much, just that we were paid to bring the items that were with him and..."
Kal leaned in closer, his voice low and threatening. "Who paid you?"
"It was...it was Boss Lark! He wanted the items, I don't know why! I don't know, I swear! We just did what he said!"
Kal looked to Markel, who nodded. They knew they now had a valuable lead. This Lark person was involved, and that meant Nia could be in his hands or someone from his group.
"We need to find this Lark," said Kal, standing up.
They tied up the unconscious bandit and departed back to Catoni's house, aware the situation was growing more dangerous with each step. Kal and his friends' resolve only increased, knowing they were closer to finding the girls and saving Nia.