The sun was rising lazily in the sky when Caden, Aletha, Zetch, and Bella began their investigation in the village. Armed with patience and determination, they questioned passersby, merchants, and beggars.
"Do you know a man named Maël? A middle-aged man, perhaps a former mage?" Bella asked a blacksmith.
"Maël? Never heard of him. Try the tavern, maybe."
But the tavern had nothing more to offer. Neither did the herb seller, nor the fishermen by the river. Hours passed, and the responses remained the same: shrugs or blank stares.
"It's like looking for a needle in a burnt haystack..." Zetch grumbled.
"Great picture," Caden commented. "It's giving me too much hope."
Aletha sat down on a rock, weary.
"Uriel could have been a little more specific..."
"Maybe he led us down the wrong path," Bella murmured.
But suddenly, a scream ripped through the air:
"Help! My bag! I've been robbed!"
They turned to see an old woman on the ground, pointing at a thief who was scampering away.
"Zetch, with me!" Caden ordered.
Aletha and Bella ran to the old woman to help her up.
"Don't worry, madam," Aletha said. "We're taking care of him."
Meanwhile, Caden and Zetch zigzagged between the stalls, dodging crates and baskets. The thief turned abruptly into an alley. They followed him... only to find themselves surrounded.
Five men armed with clubs and daggers stepped out of the shadows. The thief joined one of them, a tall, shaved-headed man with a scar across his face.
"You've got some nerve," he snapped. "Do you know who you're dealing with here?"
Caden took a step closer, his arms crossed.
"A bunch of late extras for a play?"
Zetch burst out laughing.
"Wait, did you see the one with the red bandana? He looks like he stole one of my grandmother's curtains."
"Shut up!" the leader growled. "I am Krull, leader of the Black Fang! We're feared throughout the South! We destroy, we crush, we bleed..."
"...We're exaggerating, apparently," Zetch concluded. "What's next? Do you sing too?"
The leader clenched his fists.
"Kill them!"
— Ah, finally! said Caden. I was starting to get bored.