Rijssen, the Coastal City

The train was finally reaching Rijssen safely after hours and hours of running, stopping occasionally at the towns it passed. The university students and murder suspect had been dropped off at the closest station where the accident had happened, along with the two uniformed women who turned out to be mercenaries. The man in the trench coat was left alone because he was just a normal person on a vacation to Rijssen, at least according to Graham's divination.

"So why did the man choose to murder his companion on the train? And what was the woman doing, going all the way to the front toilet like that?" asked Luuk curiously at his neighbor.

The two men were still sitting patiently, waiting for the train to come to a full stop. Even before getting off the train, the view outside already stunned them with its magnificent beauty, so they didn't mind waiting long inside the train.

Rijssen's train station was located at the outer edge of the city, up high on the hill while the city itself was built on the lower elevation. From the window, they could see the glimmering blue water of the vast ocean and the contrasting, velvety white sand that twinkled occasionally as it reflected the sunlight. The buildings that comprised the city were built in white brick stones with sky blue roofings that matched the natural colors of the ocean and the sky in the background. From up above, it was like they were looking at a sky kingdom on Earth.

"I don't know about his motive since he is a Demise; divinations about him will just end in a failure. However, I can answer your question about the woman. She is a Guile, just like me, so she most likely was resetting her Transformation in the toilet because the duration was up," Graham explained as he got up.

The train had made a complete stop, the sound of its brake pierced the ears despite them being so far in the back. People were already waiting at the station to pick up their loved ones or just to watch the arriving train.

"As to why she chose the one at the front instead of the back, it's because there is already a curse trap placed there. If the target didn't die from the first curse, they would lure the man to the toilet at the back to kill him and made it look like an accident," he added, ready to leave the car.

"So it's a mistake on their part, not expecting another Contractbound who can detect curses?" asked Luuk, putting on his large backpack on his back.

"Probably they tried to use divination, but it failed since I always have anti-divination on myself," Graham replied casually, "The fact that the man hired mercenaries should tell us enough that he already prepared for a lot of different situations, including combat. He just didn't expect that someone would incapacitate them all that quickly."

"What about the other woman? What is she?"

Luuk's curiosity seemed to have only gone stronger by the day.

"The other one is a Contention, so if a fight had broken out, things could get ugly quickly for us," he replied.

Everyone had left earlier than the two of them and Matias, who was still sitting while looking out the window, ignoring everything else. Even Milan van Dijk had left without saying anything since his memory of Graham and Valentine had been erased.

"I owe you one," said Matias aka Virgo the moment the two men walked past him.

Graham gave the man that looked perfectly like a woman a nod and then kept on walking towards the exit at the front. Using the door to the right, they got off the train and took a step on the Station of Rijssen, a big welcome sign hanging above them.

Taking a deep breath, they could smell the hot, metallic stench of the train engine mixed with the fresh, salty air of the city. Graham quickly dragged his suitcase behind him and walked with his cane in his right hand. He hated the smell of the engine.

The station's wall was black and metallic, a complete contrast to the bright color of the buildings in the city. It also gave off a feeling of grandeur, which made them feel small in comparison. Following the other people leaving the station, Graham and Luuk walked outside where a lot more people could be seen.

Right in front of the train station was a large courtyard with the tall buildings of the station surrounding it from both sides. There was a parking lot on the far right that was already packed with motor carriages of different colors, but mostly black and brown while the rest of the courtyard was an open space filled with benches and people spending their lovely time, probably waiting for arrivals.

"Whoa. This is pretty neat!" Luuk gasped in awe.

The moment he stepped outside, he was captivated by the view. The cobblestone courtyard was like a portal leading to the white and blue city down below with gleaming water in the background. The salty air was now finally free of the fumes from the train as he inhaled deeply. A kind of sticky feeling rubbed his face gently the moment the air hit it.

"This is your first time here, isn't it? I also reacted the same way the first time I came here years ago," said Graham nostalgically and then looked over his shoulder, "In fact, Val, do you remember that we reacted even more strongly than Luuk? It was an overreaction, almost."

The two of them walked over to where public motor carriages were parked, waiting for potential passengers. The moment the drivers saw them walking close, they signaled at the one parked at the front and the man quickly waved his hand. It seemed that they had a system in place to make sure no one snatched someone else's passengers away.

"Good afternoon, good Sirs. Do you need a ride?" greeted the driver warmly, his face brimming with a bright smile. The man's accent sounded a little different from people in Sloten, although the difference was subtle.

"Yes, please," said Graham.

The driver offered to load his luggage, but Graham refused politely. He put it inside the trunk himself instead, along with Luuk's giant backpack.

The two men then got in the black public motor carriage and told the driver where they wanted to go. Graham had used divination and found the perfect place for him to stay there with Luuk.

"Please take us to Seaside Lodging on Inktvisstraat. You know where it is, don't you?" asked Graham to the driver.

"Yes, yes of course! Your choice in place is excellent, sir!" complimented the driver and then started driving away.

The moment his motor carriage left the designated spot, the driver behind him filled it, followed by the one behind him and so on and so forth until there was an orderly line created again.

Inside the public motor carriage, Graham and Luuk were taken down the hill to the center of the city, away from the train station. Palm trees lined up on both sides of the road, welcoming them and escorting them, while tall cliffs in the distance far on the left painted the background for them. Looking straight, they could see the sparkling sea water waiting for them, waving playfully for two of them to come.

The public motor carriage ran down the slope quickly, making the passenger rather nervous and worried. However, their worries turned out to be unfounded as the driver skillfully avoided collision with the other vehicles on the road.

"We're entering the city now, Sirs. It seems to be the young master's first time here," he looked at Luuk through the rearview mirror, "Do you want me to tell you about Rijssen, Sir?"

Since Luuk didn't mind the lesson, he nodded and said yes to the driver.

"Well then, let's see. First of all, this is a coastal city, Sirs, so you should try out our famous seafood that should be illegal since it's so good it makes you practically addicted. The produce is always fresh and sourced from local fishermen, so they are brought to the restaurants the moment they are caught. We also have our own local, traditional secret sauce that goes really well with the seafood. You will surely lick your fingers clean, Sirs!" the driver's tone was jolly and lighthearted. It felt like they were currently watching a Television commercial instead of listening to a driver.

"Next, Sirs, is our festival of the ocean that will happen in a week. If you happen to still be in the city, make sure to watch it as it is the biggest festival annually here in Rijssen. It doesn't lose out to Dodenherdenking in Sloten, I assure you. Although we also celebrate Remembrance Day with a festival here, Oceaandag, or the Day of the Ocean, is even bigger in Rijssen. On that day, we offer our gratitude to the sea Goddess for her blessings during the year," the infomercial continued.

"That sounds exciting. I didn't get to see that festival the last time I was here. When is it exactly?" asked Graham, intrigued. He had always loved to see festivals and the likes.

"The Saturday of next week, Sir," replied the driver happily, proud that his passenger was interested in the information he was giving.

"What about the entertainment here? What do people do for fun?" asked Luuk.

Being asked a lot of questions, the driver's mood elevated even more and his driving became even faster.

"People here like to do a lot of water sports, Sir, like kayaking, canoeing, and even windsurfing, especially at this season when there is still a lot of wind and the weather is not too cold. Those activities cannot be done in the winter so people are basically racing to do them nowadays. If you prefer to stay in the city, there is also a lot of options like rock climbing, since we have a lot of tall cliffs, and probably the most basic: fishing, where you can do everywhere here, even in the river."

The driver then kept on talking about everything he knew about Rijssen, which felt like his whole life story out there served on the table. However, Graham and Luuk didn't mind, since practically, they had learned a lot of new things from the man, including to stay away from a certain canned fish product that could kill with its smell.

Besides that, they also learned that there were a lot of smaller islands off the coast of Rijssen and its surrounding coastal areas, which are under the authority of the government. However, not all of the islands were safely secured, especially those more difficult to access. They had effectively become the den of pirates, who would raid cargo and passenger ships alike passing their waters.

Although bad, the problem hadn't become big enough for the government to send out their whole marine fleet to deal with the pirates, however. In turn, it created a kind of mercenary business for sailors that wanted to pass the waters safely. Contractbounds would be hired to be bodyguards to defend against pirates, and the money was enticing enough for a whole group of them to come to the city with that specific purpose.

"So these mercenaries, people with so-called superhuman power, are regulated under...?" Graham interrupted the driver and asked.

"Those are just rumors, Sirs. I don't think superhumans exist. But yes, there is a mercenary guild that is officially registered and managed by a branch of the Rijssen Police themselves. Are you interested in becoming a mercenary, Sir? You look like you can handle yourself pretty well," complimented the driver honestly, looking at Graham's lean but muscular built.

"For now, I don't think so, but who knows if I need money in the future?" he replied vaguely.

Without them realizing it, they had finally arrived at the building with the name 'Seaside Lodging' on it, on the right side of the road. The street they were on had the ocean right behind the lines of buildings on the right, just below the cliff. Besides the one Graham intended to stay at, there were many others like that with various different names and architectural style.

The Seaside Lodging building was surrounded by tall fences that still allowed people to see through, but secure enough to prevent entry. They could see that behind the fences there were compounds that looked like the individual villas they were renting out to people.

After paying the driver, the two men got out of the motor carriage and took their luggage from the trunk. They then entered the white building in front of them, being greeted by a friendly and warm smile the moment they took a step into the lobby.

"Val, this city is still as I remember it. The friendliness of the people is just like the hot sun above us," he complimented quietly.

"Good afternoon, Sirs. How may I help you?" asked the female receptionist.

"We would like to rent a villa. You have a vacant one, don't you?" he asked confidently. His divination had shown him so.

"Yes, Sir. We also have the one right by the cliff, if you're interested. How long are you going to stay?" offered the receptionist politely.

"That sounds good," Graham readily accepted, "We're staying for at least a week, at most a month. Can we pay weekly?"

"That wouldn't be a problem, Sir, but we only accept advance payment. If you agree, may I get your identity cards?"

With a nod, Graham took out his wallet, followed by Luuk who did the same. The two men then slid their identity cards across the reception desk.

Accepting the identity cards, the receptionist said, "The Cliffside villa for a week is thirty-five guilders, Sir."