Tailing Eudo

Emile spent the latter parts of his night roaming the still bustling streets of Rising Tide. About every so often a lamp post was erected on the sides of the streets and a familiar orange flame lit his environment.

Emile wanted to get off the main street so he turned down an abandoned alleyway and searched for a quiet road. It seemed like Rising Tide was constructed in a spiral: the center of the kingdom was the marketplace, a place for trade between its citizens in addition to any establishment that might benefit from travelers.

The streets surrounding the main marketplace were occupied by local businesses and services; stone cutters, butchers, blacksmiths, it was where people went to recruit other people rather than purchase goods.

Once you pass the business ring, the final layer of the kingdom is the residential district; some two story houses, some igloos, it looked like there was no code established for the type of house people could live in since they all looked unique.

And lastly, if you followed the main street further down past the epicenter of the kingdom you'd find the King's castle. King Victor's castle was one of the only buildings in Rising Tide that was built with any sense of care or pizzazz.

After exploring the majority of the kingdom, Emile stopped at an out-of-the-way inn that was situated above a blacksmiths workshop. He paid for a room and a bath and stayed in for the rest of the night.

Even without needing much sleep, Emile wanted to make sure he was at his peak for what's to come in the following days.

***

Dressed in a navy blue fur coat and boots, Emile left the clothing store he found this morning. Walking through the streets, Emile noticed an immediate difference in the way people looked at him. He finally didn't stand out.

Emile then returned to the Whale Inn, he didn't go inside, but instead wandered around the street in front. Peering through the window, Emile could see Elder Eudo and his posse of enslaved people.

The issue at hand was that Emile didn't have enough time. The King's banquet was tomorrow meaning he had to become an Elder by the end of today.

He wanted to search for the other Elders, but after thinking it through, Elder Eudo was already a good matchup for him. In addition to that, Emile was worried that if he left to gather information on the other Elders, he might end up losing Elder Eudo.

Elder Eudo was not tied to Whale Inn, he could easily spend the night at another inn or have plans to meet with the other Elders later on. The point is that Emile has already lucked into finding one Elder, he didn't want to risk his luck trying to find someone better.

Suddenly Eudo stood up, and with his chain leashes in hand, he left Whale Inn. A group of five men followed behind him as he melded with the busy street life of Rising Tide.

But Emile stayed vigilant and didn't lose him. About fifteen steps behind, he followed them.

From the Whale Inn, Elder Eudo crossed the business district through narrow alleys and entered the residential district. The homes just after the business ring were the luxury homes i.e. villas, towers, and high-end homes plagued the select few streets.

Eudo continued down the upper-class street until he came to a three-story home carved of cream stone with onyx accents. Comparing it to the houses around, Emile noticed it was the only home he could see with black stone.

A young servant quickly appeared at the gate of the home, pale white skin, pink cheeks, flawless supple skin—she couldn't have been older than fifteen. She opened the gate and allowed Elder Eudo and the two chained girls inside.

For the next hour or two, the house was silent. The five men stayed outside, some leaned against the gate while others sat on the floor. Stuck in the same position as them, Emile leaned against the wall he was hiding behind and waited too.

Boredom slowly crept its way into Emile's head, but the sound of clashing metal instantly caught his attention. Peeking around the corner, Elder Eudo finally returned with the servant girl; however, one of the girls he came with wasn't there.

'One girl yesterday'

'Another today'

'How many people does this guy have under his control?!'

Just as Eudo turned and began to walk away, the front door to the high-end home burst open and an overweight man came running out. Sweat already pooled on his forehead and the man was red as a tomato.

'One of the fat men from last night'

'The one who didn't win a girl himself'

'What a gross pig'

He stumbled down his steps and pushed his fat against his metal gate:

"Forgive my rashfullness, Sir Eudo. Please accept this badge, I was meant to hand it to you earlier but my excitfulness got the better of me." A devilish grin spread across his lips.

"Gimme' this!" One of Eudo's men snatched the badge through the bars and then obediently handed it to Eudo.

"And what is this for, exactly?" Eudo asked without looking back, refusing to look the overweight man in the eyes.

"It has the insignia of King Victor on it, it's the invitation to the Summons. You'll need it tomorrow night, don't lose it!" The man strained the emphasis of those words until he wheezed.

Elder Eudo nodded in understanding and then continued walking away. He slipped the badge into his front right coat pocket and hopped into the first alley he came across to return to the business district.

Waiting behind the corner of the entrance to the alley, Emile was close behind Elder Eudo.

"Where to now, boss?" Emile heard one of the men say.

"I need to discuss something with the other two—it shouldn't take long."

'The other two?'

'The other two Elders?'

'They're meeting up right now?!'