- The First Move

"There must be something we can do?"

"We can't - gods, how many times must I say it. We're ants to those people, we can't do anything to help."

"But-"

"Best we wait and let things take their own course. Randolph will work his hardest, so we just have to ensure the Town Speaker doesn't find anything to use against him, or have a reason to hurt Lia."

Walking down the street, engaged in a thorough conversation, Rian and Lukali argued with each other, as they had been doing for hours at the bar inside the Hunter's Post.

They had just been told the news of Lia's investigation, and the suspicions certain people had against her. Yet nonetheless, they didn't show any signs of distress, especially when Lia asked their opinion on the matter.

Doing what they could, when they could, their loose thoughts eventually ended up in an argument.

Sighing, Lukali thought deeply on the matter, simultaneously avoiding carts and shopkeepers who were busy putting things up for the day.

"I can't believe we've been arguing about this all day long. Can't we get anything done?"

"I know."

Rian nodded his head, agreeing with Lukali on the matter. In his eyes, when they had been told by Lia this very morning that she couldn't leave the city, he refused to leave the Hunter's Post until he found a way around this investigation.

Though Lia had gotten them into a bit of trouble during the Goblin raid, Rian had to admit that in more than one way, she was their leader. And she had helped them overcome their fears, and attack.

Otherwise they might have allowed that goblin monster to continue roaming the forests, which would have led to even more deaths.

"Still though, I can't help but think there might be a way around all this."

Of course, Lukali didn't fail to take notice of this, as his current words were probably the first bit of leeway he had given him in their argument all day.

"Then we agree on one thing, but if we help Lia around this, what does that mean for us?"

"Explain?"

"Well, for starters, let's say we get Lia's travelers ban lifted, then what? We have to find a way to prove this wasn't her, before we think about lifting her ban. Otherwise, the Town speaker will just look to her for any excuse to reinstate it."

"Smart, smart. You're right about that."

Rian sighed, rubbing his bald head with his hand, his gauntlets clinking and clanking at his waist.

"Gods, my head hurts. It feels like every other day Lia just throws herself into trouble."

Lukali laughed, the first laugh he had in hours given their serious conversation.

"I guess you're right. But still, Lia's more than capable of handling herself. It's not her fault trouble seems to find her so often."

"Often? It's more like every other day. I swear that girl is a trouble magnet."

Luakli gave Rain a side glance, somewhat agreeing with him on this.

Lia was the type of person where if trouble found her more than she knew, but he also knew that if they ever found themselves in trouble, she would be the first to come calling.

"Do you regret joining us now? And to think we haven't even met my dad yet, who no doubt is waiting for us back at Kokono."

Hearing this, Rian crossed his arms and held his head high.

"Hell no, this is too much damn fun to think about leaving. For one I got you and Lia, two of the nicest people I've had the pleasure of meeting all my life. Plus, all this trouble isn't so bad. She seems to always get out of it somehow, so I don't suppose it's too bad. But still…"

He met Lukali's eyes and his humorous expression was gone.

"...How do you think we'll fair with your dad?"

Rather than answer in a meek voice, hiding his face and feelings like he always used to do, Luakli thought better than that.

"I don't know. Though, I don't think my dads going to like Lia very much."

"Oh, and why's that?"

Luakli chucked, which caught Rian off guard.

He had seen this boy - this young man hide his own face before four of his father's associates. Rian could only wonder how frightened he would be when he came face to face with his father.

'He couldn't have changed in just a week. Could he?'

The scene was more than surprising, but Rian didn't have a chance to ask, as Lukali's voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Lia's the type to look a man in the eye, whether he had a knife, an ax, or a spear, and threaten him. Especially if it's one of us they're threatening."

When Rian heard this, he somewhat chuckled to himself as well.

"Yeah, I haven't known Lia that long, but still, I can definitely guess her personality."

"I know, I've only known her for a few weeks, yet she's already vivid in my mind on how she'll act when she meets him."

Rian stopped, his sudden halt catching Lukali off guard.

"Rian?"

"You've only known Lia for a few weeks?"

Lukali thought for a moment, but shrugged when he couldn't find the answer he was looking for.

"A few weeks, one, maybe two. I don't know, I didn't keep track. Why?"

Rian rubbed his head again, glancing between Lukali and the ground several times, a question obviously on his mind, but he hesitated to ask.

"You…apologizes but I thought you were Lia's brother, or at least knew her longer than that."

"Her brother?"

Lukali shook his head, waving off the absurdity of the question.

"No, no, no, no. Of course not. I mean, I know she mentioned a brother at one point, but I'm not that guy."

"But you don't know who he is?"

"Not really, no. I always thought the topic was a bit sensitive, so I never questioned her about it. I thought she was talking about Cain, her summons, but…"

A thought crossed his mind, though only for a moment, it lasted long enough to be asked.

"You think it's someone else?"

Rian thought for a moment, but eventually shook his head, waving the question off.

"No, no. I just thought it was a bit weird."

"What's so weird about it?"

"Well, when I think about it all, it just seems somewhat absurd. Hard to believe. For one she has a talking summoned warrior, who can not only use magic, but he's also strong enough to punch through a wall with his bare fists. That alone is incredibly rare, and I'm no scholar, but I doubt the chances I would have ever met one of those types, no matter how many lives I lived."

Lukali nodded along, agreeing with different points Rian made, urging him to go on.

"But when she mentioned a brother - later I thought she was just talking about Cain, so I never questioned it. Not like I'm going to ask a monster of a man like him if they're related, though I doubt it."

"Go on…"

Lukali found himself somewhat hooked on this idea, this suspicion Rian had, and the more he talked about it, the more Lukali was beginning to see the picture he was talking about.

"Well…it got me thinking. Lia told me her parents died long ago, and she was raised by her brother. But if Cain was that so called brother she was tailing about, then that had to be a lie, right?"

"I suppose."

"Then why is it so hard to picture Lia coming from a family. Every time I think about it, I know nothing about Lia. Her family, her background, and all this time I've still been believing the lie she told me back in the mines."

"Yeah…yeah I do see your point. But what if she did have a family, and she just doesn't like talking about it?"

"I thought of that too, but still…"

Rian drifted off, his face filled with questions Lukali knew he wanted to ask but couldn't. Why? He didn't know.

"Yeah, I guess the idea of her having a family isn't too far -fetched, but still, you're right. She knows everything about us and our backgrounds - or at least the gist of them - yet we know nothing about her whatsoever. Shocks me when I think about it."

"Maybe I'm just stupid."

"I don't think so…"

Lukali was about to say more before the inn they had been staying at came into view. Normally this would not have bothered him, but it was what he heard that disturbed him.

In the front of the inn, a man was seen arguing with two guards plated in bright steel armor. At their sides they held two long spears, and though they hadn't seen them yet, due to the sound of the man's yelling, Lukali suspected that would be soon.

"Rian. Look."

Drawing in Rian's attention and snapping him from his thoughts, they both slowly approached the three individuals just as one of the guards seemed at his wits end.

He repositioned his pear, and just as he was about to bring it down to point it at the man, Rian rushed to his side and held the spear up.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold on there - what's going on?"

One of the guards responded, his voice annoyed no doubt from the man's yelling.

"None of your concern. Move along, citizen."

"Uh, hat to burst your bubble here, but it is my concern seeing as I'm staging here for the night."

The two guards gave each other a side glance before the one Rian stopped calmed down and spoke.

"You're with the girl then, I presume?"

"Girl. You mean Lia?"

"Whatever her name is. We've been assigned to watch over her."

Rian frowned, as Lukali tried to calm the yelling man behind him down, which he could now guess was the innkeeper, screaming his head off.

"Watch over her. And why is that? I thought she was only barred from leaving the city?"

"Yes."

The guard nodded his head agreeing.

"However, we've been told to insure she gets back to her place of residence at night, and when she leaves in the morning to take notice of it. This way we can ensure that if she does leave the city and breaks her ban, we'll be the first to know."

Rian, though he still was on his guard, nodded, knowing the regulations this investigation might be going through, and simply wrote this off as one of them.

After all, he couldn't deny it did have its uses.

"Rian."

Luakli called from behind him.

"What is it?"

"The innkeeper says we should leave, at least by morning. He's not getting any business because of these guards, and they're here because of us."

"So what, he wants us to leave? Tell him we didn't choose this investigation, the Town speaker did, so blame her."

One of the guards spoke up, his tone strict and serious.

"Watch how you speak about our Mayor like that, else we'll have to -"

But Rian wasn't having any of it, and because of his large size and stature, as well as his appearance, the guards quickly backed down after his next words.

"Or what? You're going to arrest me? For words? Last I checked I never made any threats, nor have I acted on them. So shut your pie whole and let me speak."

Not waiting to hear a response, Rain turned to the furious innkeeper, who clearly forgot whose life was just saved and by whom.

"Sir, with all due respect we have nowhere else to go. No other inn, I doubt, will accept us thanks to this investigation that's going on. You have to understand that this want' our doing -"

"I don't care."

The innkeeper interrupted Rian, his voice angry and full of frustration.

"I have a business I need to run, and with these two steel knuckle heads here, no merchant will take up a room. So I need you and your friends out."

"Sir, please understand. We'll pay double, just a little longer."

Rian was good at smooth talk as back then he often had to negotiate prices with several merchants for gear and proper tools for the other miners when the higher ups failed on their monthly delivery.

This skill proved worthwhile to the innkeeper, who hesitated in his assault.

However, it all proved in vain when the innkeeper shook his head, his anger returning to his face post haste.

"No. I want you and your friends gone by tomorrow."

And with that, he barged through the front door, not bothering to listen to Rian's pleas.

"Damn it."

He muttered, heading in himself, followed closely by Lukali who tailed him.

When they reached Lia's door, Rian hesitated in knocking, but built up the courage to give three solid knocks to the door, before he turned the handle.

-Knock! -Knock! -Knock!

"Lia, It's Rian, I'm coming in."

The door slowly creaked open, the hinges in need of some good oil.

There on the bedside, Lia sat with her head down, the hair on her head falling to cover her face. She looked upset, and Rian didn't dare try to comfort her, afraid he would only make it worse wit the news he had.

However, Lukali didn't think the same, as he slowly approached Lia, sat down next to her, and slowly rubbed her back comforting her from her distress.

"Lia. Are you alright?"

"...I'm fine."

Her voice was cold and distant, and Lukali could tell she was anything but.

"Lia, don't worry. This will all blow over eventually, we just need to give it a little time, that's all."

Lia said nothing, and Rian - seeing this as the best opportunity, as well as finding the courage in his chest to speak - cleared his throat.

"Lia. I know you're upset right now, but we have a problem. The innkeeper, the bastard that he is, he's -"

"I know."

Catching Rian off guard, Lia interrupted him with her cold voice.

"I heard from up here. But don't worry, before I left Randolph told me something like this would happen, and offered up one or two of the rooms he had available in the Post. So long as we have the coin."

She grew silent for a moment, and both Lukali and Rian were afraid she wouldn't say anything again. But before they could speak, her voice filled their ears.

"I just didn't think this would happen so soon…I'm sorry guys."

Lukali instantly objected, his voice smooth and calm.

"No, Lia. It's not your fault. We'll make do with what we're given. This is just the Town Speaker trying to get under your skin."

Lia scoffed, her composure different then it used to be.

"She's winning. She's already won."

Rian, who had silently been listening to this whole thing, crossed his arms.

"It's never over Lia. We'll do what we have to do. Why? Because we're a team, and whether you like it or not, we're going to help you get through this. Do you understand?"

It took Lia several minutes before she eventually nodded her head, no words coming from her quivering lips.

"We'll give you some time."

With that, he motioned for Lukali to follow him back to their room so they could prepare for packing.

Leaving Lia alone to think to herself, she lifted her head to the closed door, a voice filling her ears next to her.

In the corner of the room, noticeable from the darkness, two red eyes revealed themselves.

"Did you have to make your excitement look like you were crying?"

Lia shrugged, her face all giddy with excitement.

"I'll explain it all later, for now I'm just too excited."

"I can tell."

Cain said, scoffing at the fidgeting form of Lia, as she played with her right hand, where her rune circle sat, glowing a faded pink color.

She smiled as her eyes passed over the image taking up the center of the circle.

A bird, with its wings spread wide.

The sign of her new summons.