Within the Capitolium, Meglin placed his three "slaves" before an old man wearing a white coat and thick glasses. He asked Meglin to have the slaves sit before him. The suspense increased, though he looked frail, the man seemed respected by all present. He spoke as if he were the head of this place, so they were apprehensive about the possibility of being discovered. However, turning back was no longer an option.
After Meglin sat the three before the old man, he rose from his chair and said: "Good morning, I am Dr. Arty, head of the Capitolium and master of the Grand Duke's Ministry of Science!" At that moment, everyone was certain the old man was important. The old man walked toward Adonis, Aura and Markel, beginning to analyze them with some strange tools. They were expecting something meticulous and complex, but the old man merely brought a strange item close to them and wrote some notes in his notebook. "Well, I think you're ready to go!" concluded Arty.
Without understanding anything, they were released to leave. On the way out, Kal noticed the doctor was still looking at them. "Strange, there's something here we're not perceiving," thought Kal leaving with them all. "Someone is watching us," whispered Yorin to Kal. "I noticed. I believe this doctor knows something. We need to be careful, this could be a trap!" whispered Kal back.
As they walked through the bustling streets toward the next phase of their plan, Kal remained alert, his golden eyes scanning the crowd for any sign of danger. The feeling of being watched did not diminish, and he knew they needed to be extremely cautious.
Reaching a more secluded alleyway, Meglin stopped and turned to the group. "We need to check our surroundings before proceeding. Something isn't right," he said, voice low and tense.
Adonis, still bewildered by how easily they had been released, nodded. "That doctor didn't really examine us. It was as if he was letting us pass on purpose."
Aura, still under the magical disguise, looked at Kal. "What do we do now?"
Kal looked at each of them, gauging the concern on their faces. "We need to continue the plan, but with even more care. If this is a trap, we need to be ready for anything. For now, let's return to Catoni's house!"
Cruxe, who had been silent, finally spoke. "We have to assume they know more than we're seeing. We continue the plan but ready to fight if necessary."
With a reinforced plan and renewed determination, the group followed back to Catoni's house. The Capitolium was increasingly behind them, but the sense of imminent danger did not leave. Kal knew the mission was risky from the start, but now with the new uncertainty introduced by Dr. Arty, the tension was even greater.
"Stay together and attentive," said Kal, voice firm. "Anything strange, don't hesitate to act. We're too close to our goal to fail now."
With all the strange feelings, they returned to Catoni's house, the arena entry now guaranteed. Back at Catoni's house, Adonis asked: "Aura, do you know what those items were that the doctor used on us?"
"I've never seen that type of item before, but it caught my attention too!" said Aura.
"Do you think that artifact could be some kind of thing to identify us?" asked Yorin.
"I can't say for sure, but I believe so," Aura responded.
"But the old man seemed to know more than he let on," said Kal.
"It doesn't matter anymore, you wanted to get into Hwin's arena, didn't you? Now take advantage of the opportunity," said Meglin.
"We really want to get in there, but we won't be thrown into any trap for it!" added Adonis.
"In any case, any special artifact can be a huge problem, and even not knowing what that was, I can say it wasn't common," said Aura. Sahara, who didn't know much about artifacts, held her whip firmly.
"Why all this fear over a small item? I don't understand much about artifacts, I just know my whip is called Glarkruon, which means the red viper in the ancient language, but I can't understand the fear!" said Sahara.
"Artifacts are powerful forces in this world, Sahara. I've said this to all of you many times. Artifacts are separated by rarity. They start from a common item and can be rare, masterpiece, and finally legendary. Of the latter, there are only twenty known artifacts throughout the world, and they can change the entire world. But even if that artifact the doctor used was just a rare item, it could still be very dangerous!" concluded Aura.
"Yes, yes, I studied a little about artifacts during my travels!" said Meglin. Then Aura stood up and turned to them all.
"Of all our weapons, only Sahara's whip and Adonis' staff are named, because they are special. I don't know their properties fully, but I can say they are not legendary items and maybe not even masterpieces. Still, they are powerful enough, especially Adonis' staff. That's why we need to be careful before heading to the arena!" Aura concluded.
"Now that you mention it, I can remember Hwin using something on his finger that shone before he fired that strange magic," recalled Yorin.
"Yes, I saw that too. That was definitely an artifact, I just don't know its level of rarity yet!" said Aura when Aiya and Arphaxad returned from their searches.
"I overheard what you all were saying and I have one more important piece of information I almost missed. Many people think Hwin has the nickname 'The Golden' because he loves gold, but he earned that nickname from the other Fingers because he sought rare artifacts. Hwin, despite everything, was never a slave trader but a treasure hunter!" concluded Aiya.
The group fell silent for a moment, digesting the new information. The danger seemed greater than ever, but also the motivation to continue the mission.
"This changes a lot," said Adonis pensively. "If Hwin is an artifact hunter, he probably has some of the most powerful items in his possession. We need to be prepared to face him."
Kal nodded resolutely. "No matter what he has, we have to bring Draka and Ninea back. We'll save the slaves and put an end to the Fingers' influence."
Arphaxad, with a determined expression, added: "We're all in this together. No matter what we face, we will win."
The group spent the night preparing for the upcoming battle. Tomorrow, they would enter Hwin's arena, ready to face any challenge they might encounter, knowing the future of many depended on the success of their mission.
That night, two Nannu scouts were patrolling the outskirts. "I heard King Relon is looking for a bride," said one of the scouts.
"If it were me, I would be too. Only he and Princess Lilla are left of the old royal family. If something happens to them, the lineage of Nannu's kings will end," replied the other scout.
"But what about the princess? Won't she get married?" asked the first scout.
"If she was looking for a suitor, I would definitely put my hat in the ring!" joked the second.
"Cut it out, we're both nobodies - lowly, classless plebeians. If they do marry, it will probably be to the Felwave brothers, or even a prince and princess from another kingdom," said the first, lightly tapping the second on the head.
"Yeah, we're nobodies alright. If we die out here, I don't think anyone would even notice," said the second gloomily.
Suddenly, an arrow pierced the right eye of the first scout, knocking him from his horse dead. The second scout became frantic and turned to gallop back toward the capital, but noticed golden eyes peering from around the trees in the gloom. Suddenly, the horse the scout was riding was struck hard and killed, knocking the scout to the ground instantly. "Who are you? What do you want?" asked the scout, drawing his sword though trembling with fear.
Emerging from behind a tree came two bright crimson eyes. Approaching was a pale man with long silver hair and bright crimson eyes. Startled, the scout attacked, but with a barehanded move, Set disarmed the man and knocked him to the ground.
"Deliver a message to your king," said Set coldly and threateningly. "Tell him that at nightfall on the next day, I will be at his gates with my men to kill them all!"
The scout, not fully understanding, quickly got up and began running desperately without his horse. Ionna then angrily approached Set. "You let him go? Now we've lost the element of surprise!"
As she approached Set, two golden-eyed soldiers swiftly drew their swords and placed them near Ionna's neck, paralyzing her with their speed even in heavy armor. "What kind of monsters are these people?" she thought, feeling the cold blades against her skin.
"Element of surprise? You drag us into a war against a devastated nation and you still want the element of surprise? Despicable!" said Set, turning and leaving. His soldiers withdrew their swords from Ionna's neck and followed their warlord. Ionna remained paralyzed but feeling growing rage at Set's attitude.
As the soldiers moved away, the night returned to its shadowy silence, leaving Ionna with turbulent thoughts and a sense that a storm was approaching. She knew war was at the door, and that Set was not to be underestimated. The rage in her chest burned, but impotence made her question her next steps. "I need to find a way to deal with this monster, as he may be bad for Volkaron," she thought, watching the shadows disappear into the darkness.
Near the capital, the scout ran panting, determined to deliver the message to King Relon. Each step was a battle against fear and exhaustion, but Set's threat was too clear and terrible to be ignored. He knew Nannu's kingdom's security depended on his swift arrival and the warning that needed to be given.
The first rays of sun began to break on the horizon, bringing a new day, but also the certainty that peace was about to be shattered.