"So who is this friend of yours we're meeting?" asked Captain Howin as he and Lord Tyron walked through the streets.
"He was one of my closest friends in the black market. Though when I started, he wasn't very high in the chain, I personally promoted his division to be one of the few that were below Zhōng and I." explained Lord Tyron.
"How did you guys meet?" asked Captain Howin.
"On a mission, I saved him and he saved me, we were just trying to level up each other." replied Lord Tyron.
"And he found Zhōng and Xing before you could." said Captain Howin, trying to keep up with the details.
"By coincidence, my nephew exposed himself to his apprentice to try to save my life. It's kind of interesting that those two became such great friends." said Lord Tyron with a chuckle.
"What happened to them? I never once seen or heard of Zhōng hanging out with someone." stated Captain Howin as they approached a bar.
"That's because you have, but you assume they were associates working together. And the fact that Zhōng hunted him down after he tried to kill him." answered Lord Tyron. He opened the door and they went inside.
Someone was sitting at a table drinking tea with a bottle of alcohol to add to it when Lord Tyron and Captain Howin joined him. "I brought the best one I had since it's an occasion." he said, offering the bottle to the two men.
"Wish it was for a different reason," replied Lord Tyron, he stopped a waiter and requested tea for him and Captain Howin.
"What work are you doing with the captain of the royal guards?" asked the man, he noticed Captain Howin's spear which is typically not a weapon of choice.
"Captain Howin, this is my friend, Darrius. Darrius, this is my nephew's former bodyguard, now captain of the royal guards, Captain Howin." introduced Lord Tyron.
"So you're the one Zhōng joined within the black market." stated Captain Howin.
"For a while, yes, he and the Poisoner did missions together under me. It was hard to separate them till I task an unforgivable mission." explained Darrius.
"You won't know what happened to the Poisoner?" asked Captain Howin.
Darrius shrugged and said, "Haven't heard from him since he last saw me earlier this year."
The tea was soon served and the three men enjoyed their drinks as Lord Tyron explained to Darrius what happened. "I see, and they have no memory beyond the age of seven?" asked Darrius.
"Not that we know of, they haven't been acting like enemies yet." replied Captain Howin.
"Darrius," began Lord Tyron as he looked at his friend. "You study magic more than I ever did, do you know the spell the Reaper cast on them?"
Darrius pondered for a while as he went over the facts. "It's got to be some kind of dark magic I believe." he theorized.
"Which means?" asked Captain Howin.
"I don't know," smirked Darrius and Captain Howin's face slammed the table.
"Do you know the guidelines for dark magic?" asked Lord Tyron.
"I do, they're powerful spells but they sometimes have a drawback." answered Darrius.
"What kind of drawbacks?'' asked Captain Howin as he rubbed his face.
"Depends, they can be time trials, strength changes, IQ level drops, or sometimes the death of a living thing. Those who tamper with dark magic have to be careful of how they use it on other people." replied Darrius.
"So the spell used on Zhōng and the princess, is it a time trial or death of a living thing?" asked Captain Howin.
"Considering he was trying to kill Zhōng, I say whatever life force he stole from them has to be part of another spell." answered Darrius.
"But what kind? What requires so much life to be taken away?" asked Lord Tyron.
"Perhaps you guys should go to the library, I heard there's a section of ancient spells. Maybe the answers you seek are in there," suggested Darrius. A waiter came to their table with a bill and placed it in front of Darrius. He peaked at it and saw the final cost for all of them as most of the drinks were his. "I assume you're taking this bill." he said waving in front of Lord Tyron.
"Only if you hand over the other bottle that you kept hidden." said Lord Tyron.
Darrius laughed and said, "You're still good at it." He stood up placing the bill in front of Lord Tyron. He then reached down into his bag that was beside his chair and revealed another bottle and put it in front of Lord Tyron as well.
"I thought we drank your best," said Lord Tyron as he noticed the bottle.
"Happy Summer Horrors," said Darrius before leaving the two men at the table.
Captain Howin whistled when he saw the bill in Lord Tyron's hands. "Do you need a hand to pay?" he asked.
"I may be out of one job but that doesn't mean I don't make a living." said Lord Tyron, he reached into his purse and groaned as it was empty. "I should have paid more attention." he muttered.