“Here we are,” Largo said, looking at the distance. “Good old Nerosal.”

He was voicing what was on everyone else’s mind. Even ignoring the series of disagreements, the party had been outside far too long. Usually, a hunt would last a few weeks at most. This time, they had been out there for over a month. Thankfully, the amount of money earned was worth it for most. Dallion had no idea what everyone did with their money, but even he could see that it vanished faster than it was supposed to. Hunters definitely had a different view on life. Back when Dallion had been in the Icepicker guild, most of the people discussed how they’d save enough to buy their own home, possibly in one of the better neighborhoods, and potentially their own inn or tavern. It was no secret that the majority of awakened taverns were, in fact, run by former guild members who had gone into semi-retirement. The more industrious even went on to create their own guilds. Hunters had no such plans for the future. They were very much for the moment.

“I’ll drop some armor that needs fixing at your place,” Rei-Alika told Eury. “No rush.”

“I’ll have it done by tomorrow,” the gorgon replied. “…evening.”

Several people of the party let out a snort. That was one of the gorgon’s peculiarities. The moment she went back to the city, her whole attitude changed. Always the early bird in the wilderness, she’d spend the majority of the morning in bed. So far, even Dallion hadn’t managed to get her to break the habit.

“Next hunt should be a few months away, unless something comes up,” the gorgon continued. “So everyone has a chance to rest up a bit.”

“What if the princess thinks otherwise?” Largo asked.

The question filled the air of unease.

“I doubt it. Either way, I’ll let you know if there are any changes.”

“You’re the boss, Eury.” The large man shrugged.

The city had changed quite a lot since its latest upgrade. Already a major city of the county, now it was elevated to co-capital, which meant that the countess’ own troops were also present, occupying five new forts built just to serve as their barracks. On the surface, everything continued as normal. The former Lord Mayor continued to govern in the countess’ name, the city guard kept doing their usual patrols and doing their best to minimize the mirror pool’s activities… In reality, everything was different. Most of the old deals done between the local nobles and members of the public—guilds, organizations, merchant alliances, or others—were on shaky ground.

“Hey, Dal.” The usual guards greeted them at the main gate.

This was one of the things Dallion still couldn’t get used to. No matter how much he insisted, they continued to refer to him as “the hero.” In fact, the city guard was the main reason that the phrase had caught on. Being subordinate to the overseer, a vast number of them felt personal gratitude at his actions. Thankfully, none of them knew that Dallion had almost shared family ties with her.

“Keeping the world safe from the Star?” one of the new rookies asked. What made it sadder was the awe and honesty streaming from him. Right about now, Dallion would have very much preferred a dose of irony.

“Just some standard hunting,” Euryale replied with a smile, making the rookie tense up. She, too, was well known in guard circles. Given the lieutenants and captains turned to her for help was enough to scare most of the common guards. For a while Dallion had wondered why until a rather talkative breastplate had shared that the rumor was that Eury was believed to be the overseer’s fixer. “Did anything new happen while we were gone?”

The rookie immediately looked to one of the older guards for help.

“They made the palace bigger,” the other guard said. “And added two more barracks. With the countess spending more of her time here, I suppose it was to be expected.”

“The captain of the east fort was looking for you. Didn’t sound urgent.”

Dallion sighed. When a guard stressed that something wasn’t urgent, it meant that it was. Dallion had deciphered that months ago, as had everyone else of the party.

“I guess I better go see him.” She turned to Dallion. “It should only take a few hours. You’ll be fine?”

“No worries. I’ll change and get some rest.”

All the hunters said a quick goodbye and split up, each doing their own thing. The first place Dallion went was to the gorgon’s workshop. The route he took was the same as always—fewer people would chat him up that way, and more importantly, fewer guardians. Even so, he’d get the customary greeting by houses as he passed by. Apparently, there seemed to be an unofficial guardian hierarchy: area guardians took precedent, causing item guardians to wait their turn.

The more he walked, the more he felt the trappings of the city: fine smells of food, flowers, and spices, cool air, and a general feeling of life. All that was lacking in the wilderness. At the same time, Dallion could also feel the effects of the city domain. The countess and the local nobles pretended to cast a blind eye, but he knew that they were keeping tabs on him, as they were keeping tabs on all of the powerful awakened in Nerosal. It was all part of the usual game, though Dallion wished he hadn’t been forced to join it so early on.

“Excuse me, Mister Darude,” a clear female voice said.

Turning around, Dallion saw a fury. She was dressed in a fine set of clothes, but Dallion knew them to be a servant’s uniform, just as he knew who had sent her.

“The general would like to invite you for afternoon breakfast.” The offer was polite, but just as Euryale had her form of coded conversations, so did Dallion. This wasn’t a request he had the privilege to refuse.

“Of course.” There was no use arguing or even asking whether he could wash up. For the general to want him now, the matter had to be urgent. “Lead the way.”

It seemed a lifetime ago, when the Star had taken Dallion to see the general for the first time. Back then, Dallion didn’t suspect the true nature of his acquaintance. The only thing he wanted was a proper shield to be able to pass his guild entry trial. He had gotten the shield—for which he had been grateful—but also his first taste at crooked deals. Now, he was going there again, and he still owed the general two favors.

Despite the many changes of the city, the club which the general liked to frequent had remained the same. That is, all but the general’s personal room. It had gone through a new remodeling, as it often did. With artifacts falling out of favor due to recent events, the man had replaced them with the next craze of the day: ancient paintings and exotic pets.

“The general will be with you in a moment,” the fury said with a slight bow. “Would you like me to bring you anything?”

“I’m good,” Dallion replied. As much as he hated the general, he felt sorry for the fury as well as all the rest forced to work for him.

“If you change your mind, don’t hesitate to let me know.”

The door closed without a sound as the servant exited. Left alone, Dallion took advantage to look at the new samples of the general’s collection. All the creatures were in cages of gold and crystal. At first glance, they seemed quite peaceful, even fragile, but as Dallion knew well, some of the most dangerous things in the wilderness had such an appearance.

Most of the creatures were far too exotic for him to make out, but there were a few he recognized, more specifically a crystal shardfly locked in a cube of pure transparent crystal. As far as Dallion could tell, there was no way of opening that cage, leading to questions how the creature could survive inside.

I used to be like that once, Gleam said. When I was very young. I guess that’s how he got her.

Do you want to talk to her? Dallion asked.

What’s the point? I don’t know her. And she certainly is nothing like me.

Aren’t you being a bit harsh?

She’s never seen the wilderness. I doubt she can even talk properly. Whoever found her caught her as a chrysalis. She was born inside that cage.

The notion made Dallion feel his heart tighten. The Green Moon didn’t appreciate that. However, there wasn’t much Dallion could do at the moment. At his current level, he doubted he could even scratch the crystal cage, let alone smash it.

The door suddenly opened, putting a quick end to Dallion’s thoughts.

“Sorry about the wait,” the general appeared, wearing an expensive suit made entirely of black opal threads. “Had to wrap up some negotiations. Of course, when I learned that you were back, I simply had to see you. Couldn’t have you go off on another month-long trip throughout the wilderness.”

I’m sure, Dallion thought, but said nothing.

“Admiring my new acquisition?” the general asked as he went to his desk. That too was new, made entirely of crystal. As usual, two male furies accompanied him—a constant reminder of what would happen to Dallion if he tried anything. “It was quite difficult to procure. It was caught in the wilderness of the Calum province, all the way north.”

“It’s not.” Dallion stepped away, making his way to the desk. “It was bred in captivity. They must have found the chrysalis.”

“Are you sure?”

“Pretty much.”

“Well, that’s a bit of a disappointment. Then again, you can’t win them all. I’m sure I’ll find someone to sell it off to, or make a swap. Now that artifact value has dropped, it’s almost no longer fun dealing with them.”

There it was, the word that hinted what the general’s next request would be.

“Let me guess.” Dallion slid his fingers along the desk. It didn't seem to have a guardian. “You found something you like?”

“Actually yes. I’m still negotiating for the exact location, but it’s likely I’ll have a job for you in a few months.”

“See you in a few months, then?” Dallion began to turn around, when suddenly one of the furies emerged next to him.

“Not so fast.” The general’s tone changed. The pleasantries were done with. Now he was no longer a charming host, but the man who was owed a debt. “I heard that you’ve found the location of a cloud fort.”

Crap! The general wasn’t supposed to have found that, not yet, in any event. As a rule, secrets for sale were difficult to remain hidden. Dallion had hoped that the merchant who had sold Eury the information had kept her mouth shut, but apparently that hadn’t been the case.

“I’m not interested in the location. What I do want is something from the fort.”

“I don’t know if I’ll be part of that hunt,” Dallion said. “I haven’t earned my hunter’s emblem yet.”

“Then, I suggest you do something about that, and quickly.” The general leaned forward.

Dallion nodded.

“Even if I go, there’s no guarantee the city will have it. There’s every chance the place has been looted.”

“I’m sure that it has, but what I’m seeking isn’t something that could be obtained easily. At least, not unless you have very specific information. Very specific and very expensive.”

The man nodded to one of his guards. The fury disappeared for a moment, then reappeared again, holding a small cube of crystal.

“You can say that crystal is the flavor of the day. It’s quite expensive. There are only three places in the world from which you could get it. And the most special thing about it is that it has the power to encase absolutely anything. I bet that even if you put the Star in one of those, he won’t be able to escape.”

The cube looked pretty average. No bigger than a person’s fist, it had a slight purple tint to it. More importantly, though, there seemed to be a piece of cotton encapsulated inside.

“Ever wondered what clouds are made of?” the general asked. “The fury type of clouds. Even in the past, it was never common knowledge, known only to a select few of the most powerful furies. According to legend, all it takes is air, water, and the living heart of a cloudfish. Now, there are no cloudfish. I haven’t even found a valid picture of the creature, but their hearts remain. This—” he pointed to the cube “—is a heart fragment. It cost a tremendous amount to get. I want the real deal—a whole heart encased in aether crystal. And you will be the one who’ll get it for me.”