All proud of himself, Ed joyfully ran to Goro and others. “Oooh,” he said as they stood by the barn and glared at him. “Did you see how I tamed the dragon? Were you guys like all scared when I went to meet him?”

“Nope," Logan answered, half annoyed. "I actually hoped when he started to lick you that he would not stop there,”

“Not funny,” Ed said.

“And here is his robe,” Logan said and picked the long white robe that was hanging by the door. “And since you like him so much, we let you have the honor to take it back to him.”

“Oh, thank you,” Ed said, not noticing the sarcasm in Logan's voice.

Before Ed had a chance to run back, Goro cleared his throat and said, “Please, remember, Ed, you’re not responsible only for yourself now. Your life now directly impacts Reina as well if we are to trust what MOLI says. Not to say anything about the hell that your getting hurt here or dying would do to your parents.”

“Yeah,” Reina added. “Think about your mother.”

“That was a dick move,” Logan said as well.

“But I knew the dragon would not hurt me.”

“And how did you know that?” Goro asked.

“Daaa! Dragons don’t hurt those who they know would not hurt them. Or those who are not scared of them. And I was not scared of him,” Ed explained, not understanding how they do not know this.

“Is that a great knowledge you acquired in GOT, did you?” Logan asked.

“Shut up.”

“But that knowledge is rather limited. Do I need to mention Tolkien’s Smaug? According to him, dragons like Smaug were greedy, blood-thirsty beasts, only caring about their treasures. Did you think about that?”

Ed scratched his head, lost to words. “I guess you’re right,” he mumbled, suddenly not so sure of himself.

“Why don't you go and give that robe to him. Let's not keep him waiting.”

The naked bold man stepped out of the water as Ed threw him a robe. To Ed's shock, he saw a body full of scars, one bigger than the other.

“Give me a minute, and I'll open the back door for you,” the man said so everyone could hear him as he stepped toward the house.

“Did you see...” Ed asked them. “His body is full of scars.”

“Wonder if got those ones as a dragon or as a man,” Reina said.

They stood by the door, waiting to be opened, when Logan saw something in Goro's face that made him nervous. “You look... upset. What do you think about this?” he asked.

Goro caressed the handle of the sword he tied behind his back, weighing the words as to see if he should answer or not. In the end he said. “Well, I guess you should know. That man, or whatever it is has some answers to give. And I plan to get them out of him, one way or another. It would be smart not to interfere with me when I do that.”

Reina sighed. “Yeah, he has some answers to give me as well. On account of my whole team being butchered as if they were a flock of sheep.”

“For me, it's more than that,” Goro said. “More than a job. It seems, however weird it may be, that my daughter disappeared inside this world. I'm here to find her.”

“Oh,” Logan said.

“So, I need to know what this MOLI is all about. I don't think you people can give me any answers. And I, for one, don't enjoy playing this kind of game.” The grip on the sword just got a bit harder, knuckles going white.

“I asked MOLI where my daughter is, and it seems that was privileged information.”

“Oh, you have to pay for it.”

“It would not even let me do that. My Standing went below zero. And only after I saved you from the fire, Ed, it went back up. So, now, it says I'm still five hundred ducats short. But I'm not ready to wait any longer.”

“I can land you my ducats, Mr. Goro,” Ed offered readily. “I think I have enough. MOLI, can I land ducats to another person?”

“She said, yes. I can do that. And of course, she just charges a ten percent transfer fee. That's good isn't it?”

Logan snorted. “Worse than the banks.”

“I want answers, not your money, kiddo.”

“Yeah, but... if it helps you find your daughter, screw it. You can have it. Just pay me back when you can.”

Before they could say anything else, the back door swung open and a voice from the darkness inside said to follow him.

Goro grabbed Reina's hand, pulling her back as he said, “I'll go first. You cover our back.” The sword was tilted just an inch out of its scabbard.

They did not need to stumble against any table as the oil lamp was soon lighted, obviously for the visitors' benefit.

The big bald man carrying it lead them down to the cellar where two oil lamps were already lighted.

When they all got down, the man offered them to sit around a table made of a wine barrel, offering them a jug of wine in the process.

“We do not have much time, so I will be brief,” he said. “I asked you to come here to do a job for me.”

“What do you mean you asked us to come here?” Goro asked.

“Just what I said. I asked you to come here. I was the one contracted you.”

“Doesn't make any sense,” Goro said. “What is MOLI?”

“It's not what MOLI is. It's who MOLI is,” the man answered.

“Please, no riddles. We want answers and...” Goro demanded.

“No need to get upset, Swordmaster. I have no knowledge to explain to you the extend of the system and the beings who run it. Do not even have the right to talk about it. So, all I can say MOLI stands for Merchants of Life. It's a sort of association by beings from all over the universe. They formed this entity to fight the darkness and destruction that usually proceeds it. There are a few humans, a very few humans who were initiated in the society. Their exact numbers and members I do not know.”

“Well, that explains... almost nothing. Even if we are to believe it all," Goro said.

"I don't buy it either. Why did you say you called us here? Just to butcher us?” Reina asked questions of her own. “And what happened with the dragon?”

“He is the dragon,” Ed answered. “You're a shapeshifter aren't you?”

“In a very limited way. First of all, I have contracted and asked your group to offer the Joker protection. Not to go and shoot at anything that moved.”

“But you attacked us!”

“No, I didn't. They started to shoot at me, and all I wanted to do is chase the hoards of teethers of reaching you. Have you not noticed how I lighted the fire around and away from you? Circling you? Do you think I missed you by chance? That I could not burn you down completely on the first go?”

No answers came back, so the man continued. “So, you did notice how I did not really intend to burn you all down, right? I mean, you set up the campfire at the worst possible place. There were thousands and thousands of those little creatures coming your way. And you shoot at me for trying to help?”

“We did not know.”

“You're not children not to know. You were contracted because you were supposed to be wetted warriors. Soldiers of war."

“We should have been told.”

“What was told to you and what wasn't told to you really does not matter. You take on a responsibility to learn. And adapt. Don't blame others for your own ignorance. But it was easier to squeeze the trigger than to turn on your brain cells. So typical. I am starting to think that I made a mistake of hiring you.”

“So, you mean, the homeless dude was sent by you?” Ed asked.

“I do not know who found you. But I know I contracted MOLI for the job. And I paid a lot of money for it.”

“Of course you did,” Logan said. "It seems MOLI likes those ducats a lot."

“So what do you want us to do?” Ed asked, eager to know.

“The person who runs this place, Queen Vanca, has turned to darkness. She has created a portion that makes me into a beast, into a dragon. Yes, she has done that to me. Out of joke or pure malice, all on the account I did not serve her food the way she so desired on one occasion. Every time there is a double full moon, I turn into a dragon. And then, she blackmails me to do her dirty work. To burn down her enemies and distant cities that rebel against her. If I don't do it, she will not give me any more antidotes to turn back to human form. Also, she has my family locked away. Another reason is that I have to do what is asked of me, no matter how vile and evil it is. So, I need someone to... save my family. And find me the recipe of the antidote. That is your job. That's why you're here.”

“Wrong," Goro said firmly and stared at their host. "I'm here to find my daughter.”

“And who is your daughter?”

“Her name is Ella Masuko. She is a researcher at Elvin Biotech Corp. MOLI said that she is an alchemist here.”

“I do not know anything about your daughter, but if it says that she is an alchemist here, she would be doing the work for Queen Vanca. Probably locked in the Alchemy and Science dungeon in the main castle, doing her work there. You will most likely find her there.”

“This seems like a very difficult quest," Ed said. "So. what are you ready to give us in return if we... are to accept it.”

“You each get 100,000 ducats on completing it successfully. "

“So, let me get this straight, you are telling us that you want us to get your family out of the prison, find this… antidote that would set you free, risk our lives to do so. And all you’re ready to pay us is like… meager 100,000 ducats? I understand that just a trip here is like 2000 ducats! No, no, no. I think we have to renegotiate here.”

“I’m ready to give you free room and board in any Dover's Taverns establishment in all sixty-nine worlds. For as long as you may need it.”

“Sixty-nine worlds?”

“Yes. My clan has a presence in all of them.”

“That's nice, But... You might not be Smoug selfish, but I’m not going to fall for it. We… would require at least… 500 ducats more.”

“What?”

“The kid is just kidding," Logan jumped in. "I mean, of course he’s right about you paying us adequate wages, and-"

“But he said 500 ducats more only?”

“He probably meant that a day, didn’t you?" Logan said and bumped Ed to start shaking his head affirmitively. "I mean, the fee would have to be doubled. We have already lost… like eight members of our team. I mean, on account of you yourself killing most of them.”

The man sighed. "Maybe we can do... something like that in case you are sucessful."

“Well, now that we know that the shooting was just all one big misunderstanding and that we are all to be friends, we can all just shake our hands, and… what do you say… twenty percent of fees upfront, the rest on delivery?” Ed said and extended his hand eagerly.

“Ed, please, stop negotiating. It should be fifty-fifty,” Logan corrected him.

“I won't give you millions of ducats after you behaved like a bunch of fools. I doubt now that you will succeed at all. Maybe I should have... done things differently.”

“Maybe. Maybe you should have,” Goro said. “A lot of should-haves here. Should have told us what we should have known, but your level of communication is a lot to desire off. I think that's a reasonable request. ”

“Fine, I will give you ten percent.”

“It's twenty or nothing,” Ed said.

Dover sighed again, suddenly feeling very weary. “Fine. As long as you complete the contract. So, you agree then?”

“Yes,” Ed was the first one that answered.

Goro followed by nodding his head down.

“Fine, I have authorized MOLI to make the transference.”

Suddenly Goro got up from the table, looking rather upset.

“Why is that information no longer available for purchase?!?” he asked, all upset. “Oh, I see… So Dover… oh. I understand. I apologize.”

“What was that about?” Logan asked.

“It seems I do not need to purchase any information about my daughter. Dover had told me already where I can find her, and have done it for free.”

The bald man nodded his head. “If she’s an alchemist like you say she is, it could only mean that the evil wicked queen has her, locked away, forcing her to produce the missing code.”

"The missing code?"

"The one that would permit her to build monsters, beings, anything, out of thin air."

"You can do that?" Reina asked.

"Well, she can't. Not yet. But, if your daughter is as good at alchemy as you're at sword fighting, she might be getting what she needs sooner or later.

“So, then it’s decided," Ed said happily, not enjoying the mood suddenly going darker. "We go to the castle, save Goro’s daughter together with Mr. Dragon's family, and find the antidote. Hum, I think that’s rather exciting, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, but I do not see… how we would need you in this quest,” Goro said.

“Oh, I’m so going!”

“Even if it means your death? And you know, what will happen if you die?”

“I don’t care.”

Their host stepped in to end the discussion by saying, “He needs to go with you.”

“Why?” Logan, Goro, and Reina all asked at the same time.

“He’s a joker. He’s the key.”

Ed had a big smile on his face when he tabbed his chest and said, “You see. I’m the key. Now, do you want to see your daughter again or not?”