Tye was looking at Harna from head to toe
"Are you sure you can help with finding the Duke's daughter?"
Harna became annoyed
"Yes! With the two of us, we can surely find the Duke's daughter—"
"So, you mind travelling?"
"Traveling where?"
"To the South-east."
The woman was bewildered
"What are you—"
Tye interrupted
"On second thought, never mind. You're not strong enough. Go home and—"
The woman exploded
"You're wrong! I am strong! You saw me at the arena!"
Tye sighed
"Alright, here's the plan: I have work I need to do in the South.
In at least two weeks, you search for the Duke's daughter.
If you're not successful, meet me at the town square of this region. I'll be there waiting."
"What will you be doing then?"
Tye turned to leave
"Just some unfinished work."
{2 hours later}
Tye had reached another market and went to a money changer.
"Greetings, madam!"
"Hello!"
The money changer seeing him, greeted and took some gold coins to change them to silver coins.
"Madam, may I ask: In your opinion, what do you think happened to the Duke's daughter?"
The woman was saddened at his question
"No idea. A young girl like her just vanished overnight."
Tye was a regular customer, so the woman had no problem talking with him.
"It was some days ago I came to the North. I'm thinking of heading to the South. What do you want to do this weekend?"
The woman was shocked as she smiled and said
"You're going to the South? Me too! But I'm kind of short on the money for carriages taking people—"
"What do you say we put in money together and go?"
The woman thought for a while.
"Sure. After all, I need to meet up with some friends there that do this same work as well.
What takes you to the South?"
Tye inhaled and exhaled deeply
"Just finishing something I started."
While he was still talking, the woman handed him a sack of silver coins.
"Thanks! It's getting late. I'll be going to an inn. You?"
"I close by this time. So I'll be going to an inn as well."
Even though the woman lived in this town, she only had business here.
No friends. No family. No home.
Just hopping from one Inn to the other.
And since she's known Tye for a while, and her going to the South would be more productive, she had no other choice.
And unlike the South, the Northern region of Misk has rather hostile people while it's neighbors had friendlier people.
Going side by side, they went to an inn and went to their separate rooms.
While the woman was resting for the night, Tye left the building and was walking in the deep darkness of the land.
With a lamp in hand and a wooden bottle in another, he headed for a tavern.
There were people dancing and singing as they were drunk, and Tye quietly found a seat and sat alone.
The bartender went up to him
"What would you like?"
"Nothing strong. Something sweet."
"Alright!"
The bartender ran off and gave Tye his order.
While trying to leave, the bartender felt a hand holding his.
"Just a moment, please."
The bartender was confused but conceded.
"Duke of this region, what's he like with everyone? I'm new here so I was curious."
The man looked at Tye bewildered
"Well, he's just your typical ruler. Keeps most money for his family and leaves the people with the crumbs—"
"Not that! As in, what's his family dynamic like?"
"Normal folks. His daughter went missing a few months ago.
Some died trying to find her, others gave up. It's been the same thing over and over again. And the Duke keeps spending tons of money to find someone that's probably dead!"
Tye nodded
"True. Or not true. Her wedding was cancelled cause of her absence.
Why do you think she left right before becoming Duchess?"
The bartender smirked
"Cause her fiancé, son of a feudal lord, is a tyrant's son of course."
Tye's attention increased at his words.
"So, why should the Duke just throw away his daughter like that?"
The bartender shrugged
"No idea. My guess is there's something going on from the inside he doesn't want people to know from the outside."
He said chuckling to himself.
Tye exited the bar into the cold night as he walked and turned the matter in his head over and over.
{6 hours later}
Tye had reached a paddock that had men on carriages that would take people to other towns for a fee.
He saw the woman from earlier and they hopped into a carriage and set off for the South.
Nearing the border between the South and North, 5 hours passed and a valley with mountains could be seen.
"Sir! Why not take that path, it's faster!" Tye yelled at the carriage man.
The man shrugged and said
"Haven't you heard? That land leads to the South-western mountain.
Soon to be called, 'Death Land'—"
"Good! I've arrived!" Tye interrupted.
The woman and the carriage man were confused at his words.
"But sir, we're nearing the South. Let's just carry on—"
"If it's dangerous" Tye began
"Then it's the place I need to be."
Before they replied, Tye had went out of the carriage and headed straight for the region.
As he walked for two hours, he reached a point where he could see a village.
From exhaustion, he took out a wooden bottle in his pocket that had energy-giving herbs mixed in.
"This is definitely the place."
He said bringing down his hood as he surveyed a village that had no sign of life.
And after that village, there laid a huge mountain right after the village.
Without knowing what laid within it, he had a job to deliver to the South-eastern Duke.
And the place to that was before him.
***
"We shall not join the Rogues!" Yiss yelled at Kti and Yama.
The rogue members laughed at them and Yama replied
"Don't you know? If anyone hears you even saw us, they'll kill you two."
Lina became grave and enraged
"N-no! I have siblings I need to help! My parents are missing! I can't stay here fooling around!"
Lina's words enrages Kti and he replied
"Too bad! We have people that need us too, but guess what?! The epidemic, Sudden, took them!
And that blasted king Yartar is behind all this.
You're with us or against us—"
"Then I'll join! Let Lina go!" Yiss remarked.
Everyone turned to her in surprise. But the most shocked was Lina.
"That won't be fair. I acknowledge I'm not the only one with problems.
So, I'll join. On the condition that you give us something valuable in return."
Kti and Yama looked at eachother.
"The other day, you were evicted, Lina." Yama's knowledge of such terrified Lina.
"So, what we'll give you people? We'll give your families a place to stay."
"Under the condition you people carry out your first job." Kti said.
"Which is?" They asked impatiently.
"Crafting a poison that when consumed, the user won't know what hit them."
The two doctors' expressions hardened
"Who will you use this on?"
The Rogue members shrugged and replied
"The wife to the governor of Kiltar."
Lina and Yiss were ashened by those words.