"I can't imagine what the price of a rare demon at Black Market could be at all," Yoichi whispered, continuing to think about the fact that Oakenfair might be somehow connected to Hollowgate.

"Why are you so curious about this? You know very well that taming demons and then reselling them is something that goes against the morals of us tamers. That's why Hunters are seen as renegades and spend their lives homeless," Takuma pointed out, scolding Yoichi.

​​

"Take it easy, man. It was just a thought out loud," the young Nightblades tamer replied. Indeed, for a few seconds, Yoichi had been seriously considering a trip to the Black Market.

When he and Takuma got back on the road, they rode slowly for the first few minutes. That way, they hoped the distance between them and the Hunters' delegation would increase.

Yoichi couldn't get the image of that horned kabuto out of his head. That samurai helmet reminded him of his master's, left behind in the highest room of the Dojo. He could not help but wonder if Ryutaro was still healthy and alive.

The clear waterway that housed the large family of corals took a slight detour, following the meander it had carved over hundreds, perhaps thousands of years. The land curved gently westward, shifting the river's trajectory dangerously toward the Southborne Mountains.

The full moon illuminated the entire valley, allowing the travelers to stay on track toward Oakenfair. The second day of travel was also coming to an end. Yoichi was well aware that, in just five days, he would have to reach his destination, find the blacksmith Shusaku and return to Ambershire.

The hope that Shioko would be able to save Princess Sui had never left his mind. He trusted his guildmate completely, and after the recent events, he looked forward to holding her once again.

The Waveless River climbed over a small hill, and the horses of the two adventurers rode that uphill stretch without objection. "There they are," Takuma exclaimed, whose feet were resting on the back of his horse. "The Hunters have stopped there. They seem to be setting up camp."

Several hundred yards away from their current location, a small lake of crystal-clear water lay in the middle of a series of hills that formed a natural basin.

Although the Valley of the Northern Waters was famous for the many streams that ended up into the great northern ocean, that lake looked like the heart of a small oasis. Lush vegetation rich in flowers and colors lined its shores, hosting small animals and peaceful water demons.

The harmony of that uncontaminated place was then abruptly interrupted when they looked up: the delegation of Demon Hunters had decided to spend the night there and was preparing the tents and campfire.

Although they were far away, the sight of Yoichi allowed him to scrutinize those unknown enemies better, trying to get more information about their origin and their objective. Even if he did not know why, the young tamer of Goldhaven was somehow attracted to those criminals to the point of feeling curiosity about them.

All of the Hunters seemed to be busy pitching tents and setting up supplies and weapons in a common space. Everyone except the man with the kabuto. Together with his giant rhino demon, he was quenching his thirst in front of the lake shore.

"Yoichi, let's go! This way!" Takuma exclaimed. At that moment, taking advantage of the noise made by the tools to set up the camp, the two adventurers had a chance to slip away unnoticed.

"We should also look for a place to spend the night. I'm exhausted, and so are the horses," Yoichi spoke. "We'll ride for a few more miles, get away from here and take a nap," he continued.

"Yes, that sounds like a good idea", Takuma confirmed, spurring his horse on and heading down the 'safe' side of the hill, hidden from prying eyes.

As he rode, Yoichi continued to think about the Damned Catacombs, the dungeon marked on the map. The comparison to the Blackvault Mines was inevitable: the one time he had entered a dungeon, despite the unexpected encounter with Ogai, Kenji had received many XP points, and he had dropped valuable crafting materials.

Was skipping the Damned Catacombs really the right choice? Would he really come back to the Valley of the Northern Waters once he was reunited with his companions?

Trying to interrupt those thoughts forcibly, Yoichi shook his head. Your goal is something else, Yoichi. Focus, damn it! He thought.

Time passed slowly during the night, and the two exhausted travelers decided to stop at the foot of the Southborne Mountains, several miles away from the lake.

First, Yoichi called Ichiro back to its demon tooth, thanking its for supporting his weight for all that time and giving it some rest. Soon after, when he turned to Takuma, he noticed that he had already lit a small bonfire and was intent on surrounding it with sharp rocks to mitigate the action of the wind.

The north wind made itself felt during the night, and the temperature dropped dramatically, decreasing more than ten degrees. Luckily, since they always chose to take shelter among the trees, the two friends could take advantage of the fire to warm their tired muscles.

When he took off his two backpacks, Yoichi reached into his bag and pulled out all his demon teeth. Ichiro's was carefully tucked inside its pants pocket, as it was too valuable. In the horse demon's saddle were the most important items, including the tear amphora.

Yoichi looked at the other two demon teeth in his hands and focused primarily on the one containing the Hikigotsu. "What was it called... oh, yes," he muttered to himself, catching the attention of Takuma, who was rummaging through his backpack looking for something.

"Algamok!" the young tamer spoke, sticking the greenish demon tooth into the ground a few feet from the bonfire. Unlike the moment after the wild frog demon's taming process, the magical thorn was no longer damaged.

The thickest part of the item opened as if it were imitating the petals of a flower, and a thin greenish current floated through the air with an irregular trajectory. In addition to the green color, a pungent stench brought Yoichi back to the Boneside Swamp.