“I don't like this at all.” Corin said.

  As told by the robed figure, Zhi and Nanaua were met at sunset by a guide. Their guide came to get them in a carriage and as they got on they were told to put on a blindfold before departing.

  They begrudgingly accepted the request and blinded themselves as they now got into the carriage.

  “Neither do I, my boy, but we must trust in them.” Simeon replied. “They are both extremely capable on their own.”

  Corin kept pacing back and forth as the carriage went off.

  “If this Oixia knows of our current predicament then why all this secrecy?” Corin kept speaking as if he did not hear Simeon.

  “What could be more important than helping us?” He continued.

  “Corin, we have no idea what the people here in Yranto go through on a daily basis.” Livia replied. “A fight against Titans might be the last thing they want to do.”

  “What? Surely they must also be threatened by Titans! There is no reason for them to not want to help us!” He replied to her.

  “Corin, you don't build a city like this if you are under constant threat from Titans.” She replied.

  He was quiet. Livia was right. Corin could not understand how, but there was no denying it. A city like Yranto was not supposed to exist. No Titan would ever allow it. Yet here they were.

  “But how is it possible?” He asked as he looked to Livia and Simeon. They both shrugged.

  “I wouldn't have even thought that you could appease a Titan with rituals or anything of the like. But we saw that the forest elves are able to exert some measure of influence.” Livia replied. “There must be something similar occurring here.”

  Corin became silent.

  “Do you think anyone here would know?” He replied to her.

  “I asked earlier.” Simeon replied.

  After their encounter with the robed furtive, Simeon had walked around meeting the other denizens of the camp and trying to get any information from them. By the end he had run out of most foodstuffs he had brought.

  “Most of them didn't even question why there was no threat from a Titan.” Simeon added.

  “Perhaps you ought to go out to the city and ask there?” Corin replied.

  Simeon gave him a look that implied he would not be doing that.

  “I have spent all day trying to talk to others who had no interest in being in the same vicinity as I.” Simeon said with a hint of frustration. “If you want to know that bad, why don't you go out and see for yourself?”

  Corin thought about it. He had grown quite tired of his surroundings. He was not sure-

  “Oh that sounds great!” Livia said as she got up.

  She walked over to her husband and grabbed him by his arm.

  “Simeon, we'll be back later!” She said as she dragged Corin out of the camp.

  ***

  “How about this street?” Corin asked Livia.

  “Corin we walked down that street already.” She replied as she led them elsewhere.

  “Are you sure?” He asked.

  “Yes, that third building on the right with the bricks was the one that they threw the glass out of that almost hit you on the head.” She replied without even looking.

  Corin looked over to verify if what his wife had said was accurate. It was.

  “Oh I guess you are right.” He replied.

  Livia had been navigating the duo down the various roads of Yranto since they had left the camp, leading him by hand. Corin could not make sense of what the layout of the city was supposed to be and could not distinguish between the different streets.

  This was further complicated by the teeming masses of furtives walking about. No matter which path they attempted to venture down there were furtives of all kinds on all the streets. Some of the furtives were of a kind Corin had never seen before.

  These seemed very much like humans, but their skin was dark grayish, their arms and legs were very slender, and they had much larger eyes than Corin had ever seen. Whenever they walked by a light source they seemed to cover their eyes and if they stood in front of a stone building their skin blended in so well to the background that it was hard to tell they were there. Corin was amazed by them, as he had never seen them before, but the others around them did not seem to pay them too much attention. As he stared at a pair of these gray furtives he had bumped into a dwarf. Despite apologizing profusely the dwarf was beyond angry at Corin and wanted to fight him. Livia quickly assessed what was occurring and got the dwarf to back away.

  “Let’s try in here.” Livia told Corin as she led him inside a brick lined building.

  So far their attempts to learn anything meaningful about the city had been inconclusive.

  As they walked into the building it seemed very similar to many others they had already seen during their time in the night.

  It was a crowded establishment, with lots of overlapping chatter, some aggressive people, and a general sense of chaos that oozed out of every spot.

  “Ok what do we have left?” Livia asked Corin as they walked in.

  He pulled out a little bag and from it picked two small red gems.

  “This.” He said.

  “That’s all?” She asked.

  They had not brought a lot to barter with and now were down to their last two valuable items. The information they had gathered so far had not merited any of what they had bartered away.

  She snatched one of the gems from Corin's hands and led him to the center of the establishment. There was the barkeep who greeted them with a warm smile. Despite the rough nature of the inhabitants most of those who ran the business were happy to see customers. That is as long as they had something worthwhile to barter with.

  “What will you have?” The barkeep, a hawkling them.

  “I was curious about information.” Livia said as she put the red gemstone on the table.

  The sparrowling grabbed the gemstone and without even giving it a second look pocketed it.

  “About?” He replied.

  “Are there any Giants in the area? Any that might threaten the city?” she asked.

  The bartender took one look at her and then Corin. With no pause he broke out laughing, unable to contain himself. This is what they had experienced in most other places.

  “Ok ok you got me good.” The bartender said after finally ceasing his laughing. “What is it that you actually want?”

  “I'm not-” Livia began but Corin felt the need to interrupt her.

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  “We'll have whatever you suggest, good sir.” He said as he patted Livia's shoulder.

  She turned to look at him with anger still fresh in her eyes.

  The bartender poured from a large barrel into two metal cups handing them over. Corin grabbed them both and brought Livia along to a table. The place was crowded with furtives all about. It was dimly lit and it was hard for Corin to make out the faces of anyone in the place. As he walked along Corin ran into a tall hooded furtive. As he turned to apologize, the furtive had already stepped away.

  “Sorry.” Corin said as the person walked away.

  They continued and found an empty spot to sit down. Once sat, Corin began to enjoy his drink.

  He figured he might as well since they paid for it. It was dark and bitter, different from the one given to him by the dwarves, but he knew that he should moderate himself this time.

  “I just don't understand how not one of them knows about a single Giant in the area.” Livia began. “I mean, is it really possible? That this one bit of land is free of a Titan?”

  Corin drank as he listened to his wife.

  “Corin?” She asked him.

  Corin hastily gulped down the beverage and began coughing.

  “Are you even listening to me?” She followed up.

  Corin began nodding as he continued coughing.

  “Of course.” He said as he continued coughing. “Giants” cough “Yranto” cough “where are they?”

  “Yes, but what do you think?” She followed up.

  Corin thought about it.

  “I don’t know Livia.” He said now finally able to talk. “It does seem as if every person we ask says the same thing.”

  Livia frowned as Corin spoke. That is not what she wanted to hear.

  “Out of all the things that are hard to believe, why is it impossible to think that the Giants have dominion over every single spot of dirt on the continent? Perhaps for some reason this spot is not under the purview of the Giants.” He spoke but Livia did not want to hear that.

  She put her hand to her forehead as she rubbed it.

  “Corin, after all you have seen, you don’t think that everything that goes on in Yranto would attract the attention of any Titan? Is that really what you believe?” She replied.

  Corin could tell that Livia was getting worked up about this. The frustration at not getting any answers was beginning to boil over.

  “Well I don’t know Livia.”

  He could tell that this was not what she wanted to hear.

  “You yourself were asking the same thing in the camp Corin!” Livia said exasperated.

  Now Corin himself began to get frustrated. He had been curious about their situation but they had already looked all over the city trying to find answers. He was tired and he didn't want to deal with it anymore. But when Livia had something stuck in her head she would not let it go, and she would make others focus on it too.

  “Livia, we went all around the city asking and they all said the same thing! Do you think they all conspired earlier today to give the same answer to every stranger? You think that is what happened?” he said.

  “I just-” She began

  “You just what?” He cut her off.

  “Think that everything is a well hidden plot that eludes all of us except for you, the cleverest of all of us? Is that it?” He finished.

  Livia seethed as she looked at him. Although he was still angry, Corin knew that he better do something to calm her down.

  “I'm sorry,” he began “if you think-”

  “Corin!” A voice shouted from somewhere in the room they were in.

  Corin began to turn to see who was calling for him, but heard a voice.

  “Don't.” It was a familiar voice.

  A hooded man sat next to Corin. It was the same furtive Corin had bumped into mere moments ago.

  “You?” Livia asked as she recognized the individual. Her face went from anger to fear.

  Corin had not seen his face and was beginning to feel alarmed. Corin turned and was face to face with the hooded man. He instantly recognized him.

  “Daum?” Corin asked.

  “Corin!” The man called out once again.

  Once again Corin was about to instinctively look over.

  “Did I not just say not to look over?” Daum spoke quietly and in a frustrated voice.

  Corin stared at the former Zifor.

  As the man kept calling out the room had quieted down a bit. Most in the room were looking at the man shouting ‘Corin’ and curious as to what was occurring.

  Corin felt a sense of urgency building up. He did not know why Daum was here, or why the men in the room were calling his name.

  “They are going to come to this table. You must not tell them your real names. They are with Throk.” Daum said.

  Corin's heart began racing.

  “Impossible.” He whispered. “Throk, he should be dead.”

  Corin looked towards Livia. She had the same horrified expression Corin had on his face.

  “Are you armed?” Daum whispered to Corin.

  Corin shook his head. He had not thought to bring any weapons with himself as they walked through the city.

  “Do you know any recently arrived furtive by the name Corin?” The man who had been shouting his name could be heard asking at a different table.

  “Still too trusting.” Daum replied to Corin. He shifted about as he grabbed something from his waistband.

  “Here.” Daum whispered while looking around.

  Corin reached for Daum's hand and grabbed a heavy object with a smooth leather handle. Without looking he could tell he had been handed a knife.

  “I'll wait for you outside. Be discreet.” Daum said as he got up.

  After he walked away it did not take long for the men who had been calling Corin's name to reach his table. As they approached the table, Corin gripped the knife so hard he felt he might shatter the handle.

  “You two.” One of the men spoke.

  Corin turned to look at him. There were two men in front of them now. They both wore long cloaks, hiding the majority of their bodies underneath. Corin was sure they were armed. The one who spoke had an unkempt appearance, with a matted beard. The man behind him simply observed. He was clean shaven. Corin tried his best to hide the anxiety building within him.

  “Yes, what is it?” Livia replied.

  She was trying her best to put on a smile.

  The man looked at Livia.

  “What's your name?” the bearded man barked towards her.

  “Delilah.” She replied. It was her mother's name.

  “Where are you from?” he followed.

  “Oh we're from the Serno valley, a small town called Anthia.” Livia continued as she smiled.

  Corin also tried to smile as he gripped the knife under the table.

  The man interrogating Livia mulled something over after hearing her response. He turned to the other one. He only shook his head.

  What is that even supposed to mean?

  The bearded man turned to Corin now. Corin gritted his teeth in anger just by the look of the man.

  “You know, there's a group of furtives came here not so long ago.” He eyed Corin as he spoke. “From what I heard they're quite the dangerous group.”

  “Dangerous?!” Corin shouted in anger.

  He quickly realized he should not have reacted so strongly. He looked at Livia who gave him a concerned look.

  “How so?” Corin followed, doing his best to regain his composure.

  “Oh from what I've heard they're not from around these parts. Seems as if they came to the continent from the sea. And they've left a trail of destruction as they go along.” The man spoke in a cautious tone.

  Corin seethed as the man spoke. He fought every fiber of his being not to grab the knife and plunge it straight into the bearded man's chest. But he knew he better.

  “That sounds horrifying, we'll have to keep an eye out for that won't we Marcus?” Livia asked as she looked back to Corin.

  Corin still looked at the men. He did not reply to Livia. He felt a sharp pain in his foot as she kicked him under the table.

  “Ah?” Corin began as he looked at his wife. He quickly caught on. “Yes of course. The last thing we want is to run into killers here.”

  He eyed both men intently as he said those words.

  “Yes, if you hear anything about them you will tell us, won't you?” The bearded man stared at Corin.

  “Of course. Who exactly are we telling?” Corin asked.

  “You may call me Massin.” The bearded man spoke.

  “My friend is Riccus.” Massin spoke for the quiet man.

  “We'll keep an eye out for these killers, Massin.” Corin replied.

  The two locked eyes. Riccus whispered something into Massin's ear.

  “Well, business awaits.” Massin said. The two men then turned around and left the establishment.

  As soon as they left Corin stood up.

  “Come we need to warn Simeon. Those bastards are probably looking for him ” He muttered to Livia.

  “Wait.” She urged.

  “Wait? What do you mean wait?” Corin was bewildered.

  Other people around them began to look at them.

  “Sit down.” Livia muttered.

  Corin still seemed incredulous.

  “He's in danger!” Corin whispered.

  Livia looked around them and Corin did so too. He noticed the eyes on him. The whispers amongst the other patrons began.

  He reluctantly sat down.

  “You are correct.” She began in a hushed tone. “They will be looking for him. And they probably figure we'd go right over and warn him.”

  “But they don't know who we are.” he replied almost instantly.

  “They must think we're suspicious after your performance back there.” She said.

  “So what? We just wait?” He said.

  “No, we need to speak with Daum.” She replied.

  Corin seethed. He knew she was right, but the last person he wanted help from was the one who nearly killed him.

  “Fine.” He acquiesced.

  ***

  In the middle of the night the streets of Yranto were still teeming with masses of furtives. Groups of furtives would come and go, while others merely stood around, as if waiting for something.

  One of those, a tall individual with a hood over his head, currently huffed from a long lit pipe that illuminated his face.

  Corin and Daum made eye contact.

  Daum mouthed at Corin. “Not here.” he shook his head in the direction down the street.

  “He means for us to follow him.” Livia whispered.

  Corin nodded and Daum stowed away his pipe and began walking down the busy roads.

  Corin and Livia kept their distance. Daum led them through a variety of streets. Some of which they had already traversed and others which they had not seen before.

  Finally Daum led them to a decrepit looking building on the corner of a busy intersection.

  This place has seen better days.

  Daum approached the door and walked in.

  Corin and Livia shortly thereafter followed him.

  It was hard to see anything on the inside of the building. The lighting was dim, coming in from various cracks in the wall, and all the walls were dark on the inside. Ahead of them they could see Daum's faint silhouette continue walking deeper into the interior.

  “Seems like we need to go deeper.” Corin muttered.

  Livia and he continued following the silhouette. After traversing the long hallway and turning left they found themselves facing a steep staircase.

  The duo went down the staircase, continuing down what seemed an endless path. The angle of the staircase was so steep that it was impossible to tell where exactly they were headed. They finally saw the bottom of the stairs and landed in front of a door. They opened it and discovered something that completely caught them by surprise.

  Much like the space they had been occupying on the streets of Yranto they found corridors down here with furtives moving along. But these corridors were not as busy as those above and while most furtives topside seemed to be largely indifferent to what happened around them, the furtives down here were hyper aware of their surroundings. Their eyes would shift from side to side constantly, and all that could be heard were whispers.

  The only light source down here were random assortments of fires that burned around. Some of these fires had furtives around them, gathering around for warmth and generally looking suspicious at anyone who would come close enough.

  Daum continued ahead of them and they followed. They continued down these long paths, taking right and left turns at sporadic intervals.

  Now in an almost deserted corridor Daum stopped at a small pathway that shot out. He looked both sides and waited for Corin and Livia to reach him. Once they did he made them stop and waited for several seconds.

  Corin watched as well. There was no one else coming.

  Daum then went down the cramped corridor. At the end there was a thick metal door with no markings. Daum walked to the door and tapped on it. One knock, pause, another knock, pause, and one more knock.

  The door opened and a familiar face greeted them.

  “I see you managed to find them!” Simeon smiled as he stood holding the door open.

  “Simeon?” Corin asked.

  “Let's wait until we're inside to get reacquainted.” Daum said.