Between Towers and Silver

—Ms. Diana, do not let anyone in and delay the document deliveries until tomorrow. Have the adventurers I attended to already left? —Levanon pressed an ivory button on his desk.
—Who? The kids who were here? —Diana asked, totally disinterested, filling in circles in a word game magazine.
—Yes, Ms. Diana, those… Tomorrow I will have them replace it with one that is at least pleasant to look at. —Levanon stopped pressing the communicator mid-sentence while he straightened his shirt collar.
—Yes, sir, but your men are here. Should I let them in? —Diana asked. Her disinterest and monotonous tone frustrated Levanon.
—Yes, Diana, I warned you to let them in yesterday, remember? Just at 5:43 yesterday afternoon. Diana, tomorrow after the academy tasks, I expect employees, let them in. —Following a line delicately written in black ink in his notebook, he immediately performed a transcription of the exchange he had with Ms. Diana.
—Mr. Levanon, a pleasure. —Three men in formal suits passed through the enormous fine wood door. Diana peered in curiously, but smiling, the last one to enter closed the door.
—Very well, we will get straight to the point. Here are the files of the adventurers who are under your “care.” —The second man took a portfolio and extended it to the desk.
—Very well, very well… what do we have here? Red Squadron, composed of… mhmhmh, yes, not this one. Glistening Swords, pfft, what a name, not this one. Golden Throne… composed of Shigure and… aaa, this is the one who died… Then, this one, Rondalla Wolves is… Yes, Rax and his troop of dead weight… Finally… Here!! Legio Trium, subdivision one. —Levanon threw all the other files into the fire and sat down on his warm leather sofa.
—Hey… —The youngest of the three men in suits seemed to raise his voice in disagreement, but the oldest stopped him and said through gritted teeth:
—He will pay us anyway, behave, son. —Ok. —Regaining his composure, the youngster put his hands behind his back and stood tall.
—What were you saying? —Levanon asked, raising a glass of Rebril and drinking calmly.
—Nothing, sir, we are waiting. The boy… just fixing his suit. —Scolding the young man with his gaze, the older man returned his vision to Levanon.
Levanon crossed his legs and leafed through the report the men brought him.
—Ithil… Mond… He is from Ilentia… adopted in a marginal colony, began his career in… Thar-Vali. Oh? What made you leave there, boy? You had a good career, you would be a stupid soldier, but not poor… Mmm, he switched to Nher-Vhael-Arhym, studied with a guy named Khan… oh look, embezzlement? No, worse yet. Oh, how cute! He has little kids in school, three, and they aren’t his? Ha, ha, ha, we can use that later, for now let’s continue.
Leaving his glass aside, he took a piece of cheese and pressed it with two freshly baked, still steaming rolls.
—Mina Reebs… She is from Ilentia… too, but from a good family… well, a normal family… competitions… certifications… graduated with honors… You can’t be that clean… YES! Here, unnecessary violence, anger issues; there are two accusations against her in Ilentia for uncontrolled violence… from here she goes to Vhael-Dragon!! And… that’s it, a sister? Hum, how boring.
—Inola Chaske, mhmhmh… last survivor of the Chaske family… suspicious, but I don’t see that we could use that.
—Leonidas Carmine… witness protection? Seriously? He killed someone. —Levanon looked at the men; they only shrugged.
—The boy is protected by someone well-connected in the academies, the same for little Inola, and not to mention Jacob Mahogany; they are curious people. —The oldest of the three uniformed men replied to Levanon calmly.
—Very well, Jacob Mahogany, that boy is from an important family, what is he doing among such failures? Aa, of course, they found nothing. Does he carry bodyguards at least? —Levanon asked, disappointed.
—No, sir, he goes alone with his group; apparently he served as a private investigator for the Commerce Islands transit office for a while.
—Yes, of course, surely they monitor him from afar and he doesn’t even notice. —Levanon gave a soft tap with his extended hand to the document.
—Magaska Weiss… Dechnol… is from the Solar Lance clan, is there a reward for her capture in the Commerce Collar Islands?
—Very well!! I will see what I can do with this… the kids in Thar-Vali won’t be happy… I’ve heard they have short tempers. —Levanon took his whale-bone pen loaded with black ink, signed three checks, and placed his ring seal on them.
—Take them… you from Sake and Flower are good at gathering information, I don’t think anyone else could have brought me this; well done, we are finished for the moment. —Levanon lit a cigar, pulling three times, and gave himself a moment to enjoy the strong taste of the tobacco leaves, to finally dismiss the three mercenaries with his hand.
—A pleasure. —With a bow, the men withdrew.
—And now with more privacy, let’s see. —Levanon took off his black gala jacket, removed his boots, closed the door, went to an oil painting of a man in armor, and pressed one of the corners.
—TSSHHHH…. The painting let out a small whistle, revealing behind it a computerized Arkeorelics kit. A color screen started the device, the colors and sounds hummed songs of data and numbers.
—Legio Trium… the name sounds familiar…. —The sound of the keyboard clicks filled the room; twinkling lights accompanied Levanon.
—Of course!! The three greats: Coleopterus, Shalona Tash, Samael Telantes, the wolf, the viper, and the raven!… but why are they related? Mmm, we will have to investigate more; in the meantime, I know which mission is their size, Instructor Samael just left us something for this, thank you very much, Instructor… Ha, ha, ha, ha, I am tremendous.
—Aksha-Khur!! To get there, you have to go on foot through Velez-Valar!! It’s quite far from Rondalla or Vhael-Dragon, we will take days to arrive. —Mina complained aloud while the kids read their next assignment.
—Ah, I know kids, I’m sorry, I promised Samael we would take his mission, but I didn’t think it would take us all the way there. Hahahahaha. —Ithil, letting out a nervous laugh, gave the details of the assignment to the kids.
—But I find it strange, this mission is scheduled for within half a month and has the seal of the Zelatores office; this is curiously convenient. —Inola observed Ithil back, waiting for a reaction from him.
—Ha, ha, yes, I’m sorry, Samael left the mission on hold for us, we were supposed to go to Aksha-Khur instead of Nivoria, the Nivoria mission was an emergency. —Ithil replied, shrugging his shoulders.
—Mina!! Remind Ithil that if we want, we can refuse a mission. —Inola, half-angry, turned to Mina.
—Well, Inola is right, Ithil, by right we have the option to refuse the mission if we consider it dangerous or risky; however, I don’t see a reason why we should, I trust Samael even if the mission was assigned by the Zelatores offices. —Mina replied, reading the assignment scroll.
—Magaska also doubts those guys, but we should go with caution. Magaska wants to go see the immortal forest and Varneth too!! —Magaska clenched her fist on her chest as if she were holding Varneth’s hand; her emotion was palpable.
—Leonidas will accompany you, so it will be even safer. —Giving Inola a pat, she finally sighed.
—Eeeeehhh, very well, we will go, but… can’t we use that vehicle, Jacob? The Guisarme? —Jacob crossed his arms in a sign of denial.
—Impossible, in the race back we destroyed the levitators, I asked Nana for some, but they are custom-made; they will take a few days to make and others to arrive. Hmm, I suggest we get going, given how missions have been lately, I’m sure it won’t be that simple.
—I understand, but if I see that Levanon again I swear I will punch him in the face, did you hear me, Ithil? I won’t let what he did to you slide. —Ithil, laughing, gave Inola a tap on the shoulder; he responded with the same reaction, a big smile full of light filled his face.
—Very well, then for the moment I’ll give you time off, kids, you can do and rest as you please for the rest of the week, which is only two more days. We will leave Monday first thing in the morning, I’ll see you at the Continental. Oh, by the way, Jacob, do you have our new weapons? I feel like we will use them soon. —Ithil was storing several documents in a scroll holder; Jacob gave a thumbs up.
—Of course, I’ll give them to you at the Multicontinental! I won’t let you down. —Jacob, excited, fled the place to continue with the weapon preparations.
—Magaska will go have tea in the commercial district!! There is a new mint and lemon flavor. —Taking two hops, Magaska went out through a window, going down between cornices and roofs.
—Yes, of course, the door wasn’t an option. —Ithil watched as Magaska moved away and was lost among the houses.
—Haha, it’s been a world of discoveries since we returned from Brodovia, Ithil. Magaska seems a little more cheerful, although I don’t know how that spirit of Varneth thing works, it’s a mystery to me. I’m going to rest at the team house, Ithil, see you later. —Mina took her backpack and fur jacket with white hair on the collar, playing with some keys, and headed to the private house that Thar-Abbys gave to adventurer groups.
—Hahah, brother Ithil, I’m going to go see the famous Thar-Abbys gym. —Leonidas, excited, took his two hand shields and put them in his linen backpack.
—Sure, Leo, I’ll see you later. And you, Inola, where are you going? —Ithil, with his fur backpack in hand, headed to the door. Inola quickly put away his last items and ran to catch up with him.
—I don’t know, I think I’ll go to the commercial district, I need to buy more seals, Jacob taught me how to use some and I want to try them. —Inola hopped in the hall trying to reach Ithil without saying much, Inola was overextending his steps trying to catch up with him.
—Very well, brother Inola, I can give you a lift there, I have to go see a friend on the outskirts. —Ithil climbed onto a Geotechnia motorcycle, putting on gloves and a helmet, pedaling hard, activating the levitators that hummed with a purple color.
—Ha, ha, sure, brother Ithil, with pleasure. —Inola climbed behind Ithil, putting on the extra helmet that was on the bike, and leaving through a parking garage ramp, they both headed to the commercial district.
Tools scattered around the place, the powerful breath of the forge blowing through the room of that workshop lent by the academy, Lizva efficiently used the bellows to feed the already powerful flames where Jacob tempered the metal.
—Ready, Lizva, a little stronger, if the metal drops from orange-red we’ll have a problem!! —Bang, bang, the hammer shaped the semi-liquid drop of metal that was in front of him. Suddenly Jacob looked out the window, the rutile quartz served as a shield against the elements; a vehicle leaving the academy caught his attention.
—Oh look, Lizva, a Febir model 3 slider, humm, I think Ithil has one the same, he just bought it after Nivoria, his face was a sea of joy, he, he, although I made some modifications to it, it still has a civil-type pink levitator. Oh? A!, hahaha, was that Ithil and I think Inola is going with him? —Jacob, excited, chatted with Lizva about the vehicles just before seeing how the slider came out at full speed from a ramp in the central tower.
—Le… leeevi…ta..tor? —Lizva pronounced with a perfect and soft voice.
—Yes, the levitators are one of the incredible things we discovered with Geotechnia; they are mainly quartz formations imbued with a rosette stone to generate floatation… He? Li.. Lizva, did you speak? —Suddenly and without noticing it, Jacob answered as always, before realizing what was happening in front of him.
—J…JAaaaaCOB. —Lizva took her black hair in front, clenching her eyes, and giving her best effort, she was finally able to say Jacob’s name.
—Lizva, come on, you can do it…!! —Jacob joined both hands in front of Lizva, encouraging her to continue.
—Jacob!! —Lizva, cheerful, turned to look at him.
—YESS!!!! —Jacob took all his tools and gear.
—The kids have to see this!! Come on, Lizva!! Maybe you can chat with Varneth too.
—YES!! —Lizva, just as excited, could finally manifest her words. Both were walking through the streets and halls of Thar-Abbys cheerfully.
—That! —Jacob asked about objects and Lizva said the name: —Win… window. —How about this!! —Lizva ran after him just as cheerfully: —Dog. —And this? —Cat!! —How about this? —Jacob pointed at a boy who was passing by: —Strange man.
—What? —The boy had no idea what Jacob was talking about, so avoiding problems, he withdrew without asking more.
—There is so much I want to talk to you about, Lizva!! —Jacob smiled cheerfully while they headed to the team house.
—And… me too. —Lizva, with a soft and smooth voice, replied embarrassed to Jacob.
—Jacob? —Lizva stopped for a moment, finding herself alone, she looked back, looking for Jacob.
—Lizva… you, you aren’t like they told me, but… haa, I’m shaking… Lizva. —Jacob looked at her bewildered; several hours with her, the moments when she was there when she didn’t talk, against now that she had a response to every word he said, suddenly Lizva was something else.
—And now that you can speak suddenly, it’s intimidating… I’m sorry. —Jacob took a step back; he could almost hear Nana in his mind, the words of that day at the door of his parents’ workshop followed him always, every day…
—Jacob?, why… are you afraid of me? —Almost a plea, Lizva extended her hand which emitted a white flash that tried to reach Jacob; he stepped back a step.
—No… I don’t know… —Jacob held his own hand and extended Lizva’s; barely containing the fear, Jacob clung to the kind memories he lived with that spirit.
—It’s me… Lizva would never hurt you. —She reached for Jacob’s hand gently but firmly, which shook a little in fear at the contact, but Lizva’s firm grip gave him confidence again.
—Yes, there is nothing ruinous, nor bad in you, aaaaaafuuuuu. —Exhaling an enormous mouthful of air, Jacob focused and, breathing deeply, calmed his mind; the feeling was still there, but it was more controllable. Letting himself be amazed again by the interaction with Lizva, they returned home.
—MINAAA… I WAS LIZVA’S FIRST TIME!!!! —Jacob entered violently through the main door excited; Lizva was behind, Jacob’s words made her explode in red from embarrassment.
—PFFFFFFFFFFFTTTTTTTTT —Mina spit out the coffee she was drinking and ran in front of Jacob; giving him a blow, she left him dry on the spot.

—Magaska will take, humm, a mint and lemon tea!! And also a carrot cake with lemon frosting too!! —Magaska, sitting in a cafe among several cafes in the entertainment sectors, reviewed the menu of the different desserts and drinks.
—Hello Magaska, sure, I’ll bring it to you soon; is your chocolate stage over? —A young lady with brown hair and a thick body greeted Magaska, taking the menu.
—Mhmm, chocolate no longer has borders for me or for Varneth!! —Magaska, confident in herself, snorted through her nose while Varneth was also proud.
—Oh hoho ho, but there is still a border, little friends. —The young waitress pointed her hand to a shelf next to the cafe’s cash register; on it, a long pastry covered by a black and matte layer of chocolate sat on the plate like a monarch on his throne.
—OOOOh, a… that is… —Magaska and Varneth languished before the imposing presence of the pastry that they hadn’t tried yet.
—That’s right, adventurers, you are in the presence of “COUNT VON CHOCOLOVE”. ADMIRE AND DESPAIR. —The young waitress waved her menu at the pastry.
—Ugh, Ma… Magaska will not be defeated…. we still have to defeat the count… Varneth, the carrot cake will have to wait, THE COUNT MUST FALL TODAY!! —Magaska bought the chocolate-covered pastry, and together with Varneth they enjoyed it cheerfully for a couple of hours.
—Thank you very much for your preference, take care and we hope to see you soon!! —The young waitress with a huge smile dismissed them satisfied.
—Magaska comes out Victorious!!!! —The young girl left happy and wobbling from the place.
—Hahah, Lucia… that was just the last eclair that was left from the morning, it wasn’t the count or whatever, you shouldn’t scam the little one like that. —An elderly man was cleaning a glass with a rag; he leaned on the counter and said to the young waitress.
—Mhh, I’m not scamming her… you didn’t see how she left here… that was genuine joy… he, he, I was an adventurer once… but the difficulty eventually was too much and I fled. —The girl walked to the counter limping on her right leg.
—That little one is an adventurer? —The manager looked at her from the store a little worried; Magaska still hadn’t left and was hovering around the candy stores around, a thread of saliva fell from time to time; the vendors seemed to know her, so with each purchase they gave her an extra one of the newest candies from the store she visited.
—Yes she is… I don’t know how she has done it but… she is even even more cheerful and innocent than when she arrived. —said Lucia.
—Yes, I remember, before she spent hours sitting in the corner just looking at the Menu, sometimes she ordered and sometimes she just stared… but it worries me, a young woman like that should go home and dedicate herself to being a child; being an adventurer has become very dangerous; there are young clients that I haven’t seen in several days… Enrya, listen to me, I hope they are just back home. —The old manager turned around and put a pile of clean glasses in the display case.
—Yes… I hope they are okay… Good luck, Magaska. —Lucia welcomed a group of adventurers who were entering the place with her usual smile.
—Varneth… all these candies are too many, maybe we should share them…. Hum, yes, you are right, let’s take half to the kids, this time you give them to them, Mina wants to chat more with you… —Magaska ran through the halls of Thar-Abbys among the people at a normal speed, she seemed just a young child without any worry in the world.
—Yes, I have no problem, Magaska will be by your side if you are scared.. But Mina is incredibly kind.. Well, when she isn’t angry, and when she gets angry, Bam!! He, he, but Magaska likes it because she always tries to contain and not to kill… Magaska doesn’t like it when people die, that way it doesn’t give you a chance to fix your mistakes. —
Magaska stopped at the stop where a tram adorned in bronze reliefs was carried by pink levitators; a sweet bell rang and the doors opened, people got off and Magaska got on with the others; taking a seat at the end of the tram, Magaska settled down next to the window.
—Humm, what does Magaska think of Jacob… at first it gave me chills, I felt that Jacob wanted to put Magaska in an alcohol jar.. BRRRR, but Mina advised me how to talk to him, and Jacob just asked me how I felt, it was strange but it was nice that they listened to me… He is very kind and explained a whole loooooot of things about the world, many felt different and others I hadn’t even thought about, he is also a good person, although Nana scares me, I would like to talk to her and meet her… —
The journey continued and Magaska still remained seated, her trip would last at least two hours; she could go faster on foot, but she liked to see the city, and with the rain, it was an interesting landscape; soon Magaska could hear a private vehicle, the Geotechnia motorcycle of Ithil passed by the tram at full speed, just toward the commercial district.
—That was Ithil and Inola!! —Oh, they left, that bike is fast, I bet I can beat him in a race!!, eh, Ithil? … hum, it wasn’t easy, to fit in with him, at first we fought a lot, but Ithil is smart!! And he fitted in and found ways to use my abilities; he made me know that there are things I do in the team that the others depend on, Magaska understands that it is very important!!
—Mmm, Inola, he is more or less new, but Magaska thinks there is something curious about Inola, he isn’t bad but something is different, as if he pretended that he is Inola, already being Inola. Hummmm, Magaska is confused but trusts him anyway; he is good and I think Inola loves us a lot, that is enough for Magaska!! —Snorting and victorious, Magaska looked out the window one more time where some men were shrinking and taking refuge from the rain in front of a burning barrel in a Thar-Abbys alleyway.
—And Leonidas… he gives me a lot of sadness… Magaska feels that behind those shields, happy faces and all those guffaws, Leonidas is curled up at the bottom of a cave, where we can’t reach… after what happened in Nivoria it was even more visible; Leonidas doesn’t want us to reach him… Of course Magaska is worried, brother Leonidas is good people and cool, he deserves to be happy. —Magaska looked at her reflection in the window, where Varneth was reflected instead of Magaska.
—I understand, you love the kids a lot; hum, do you think they will accept me, Magaska? —Magaska, from outside the reflection, answered her cheerfully.
—Sure, Varneth, Magaska knows, today we can chat with them at dinner, they will be happy to be your friends too. —Varneth, excited, looked at the bag of candies she was taking to them, ready for action and with the courage that Magaska gave her, her plan to make friends with the kids started!!
—Hello Mina!! Magaska has returned!! Hummm, Varneth wants to tell you something, oo where are the others? —Magaska, cheerful, took two hops inside the house.
The roar of the Arkeorelics thruster thundered on the high-speed roads; Thar-Abbys allowed the use of rapid transport vehicles within the city since the 40 kilometers in the outer ring, 15 in the middle ring and 6 in the interior, each containing within it different sectors of the city, that gigantic urban sprawl stretched out in front of them, it seemed almost impossible that someone could import among so many people. Inola saw from the elevated road how they moved away from the entrance to the central tower.
Clinging tightly to Ithil, Inola felt the decrease in speed; the exit to the north sector of the city’s outer ring looked close; cold rain permeated Inola’s clothes, Ithil wore a leather jacket preventing the cold from entering; the nightlife of Thar-Abbys was a totally different animal to the boisterous halls and academic activities of the day.
—Ithil… is there a long way to go? —Inola, half-shaking, remained clinging.
—Oh, I’m sorry Inola, we’re almost there, I forgot to drop you off at your destination!! —
—Don’t worry, I’ll go to the evocator sectors, they are close… So COLD!! —Inola, shaking violently, sneezed from the cold.
—Ready, here I drop you off, this is the central road of the Santa Lucine Market. —Ithil stopped the vehicle; some men with merchant carts moved aside, the vehicle already at a total stop let Inola out.
—Sure… I’ll see you at the team house eh!! —A leather jacket hit Inola’s face; Ithil closed the small box of the bike from where he took the jacket.
—Sure Inola, I’ll see you there, maybe I’ll be late, see you.. Truuun.. ROOAMMMM!!!.. —Ithil activated his bike and set off from the place.
—Hum, yes…. Sure… I’LL SEE YOU THERE ITHIL …see… you… He left. —Inola remained at the foot of the market hugging the jacket with both hands, he turned around and removed his usual reddish poncho, his soft fabric shirt that he wore underneath was a little wet with the trip and his sweat.
—Humm, I’ll have to wash it… how do you wash leather??, better I’ll send it to the dry cleaners, well now let’s go buy… —Inola put on the jacket and started his tour in the market.
The corridors full of smoke and ropes reminded a lot of the distant Evookia, a place for people and another for spirits, not as merchandise but as a place of contact and cohabitation of both worlds; the corridors stretched for a good stretch; Inola’s true objective was one of the three doors that were in the market.
—Here is the blue door… I hope to be able to find a companion spirit, and rub it in Jacob and Lizva’s faces, he, he, he. —Taking a step forward, Inola entered the blue door to find a companion spirit.
A couple of hours later, Inola was sitting on a bench on the outskirts of the Santa Lucine market; the memory of every Evocator that attended the doors came to him while on his face an angry pout like that of a spoiled princess.
—How strange, this almost never happens, I’m sorry boy, there doesn’t seem to be spirits available. —Hahaha, it seems that no one liked you as soon as you entered they all left, let’s try later, son. —An apology, it seems that the spirits don’t favor you today, Evocator, those that are there refuse to contact you.
Without reaching tears, the pout stopped.
—Very well, you know that I don’t need a spirit, I can do it as always… —Getting up from the bench, he fixed his jacket and continued his trip through the market.
—I’ll buy an extra rosary and some ofuda scrolls… —Inola noticed at a stall how some trinkets were shining with a small ephemeral spirit attached to them; small bright lights of past resplendences flickered on glass and quartz crystals.
—Oh, Leonidas likes these, surely he will love them.. I’ll take a quartz one, the man is very strong, I bet he will break it while he sleeps.
—And this glass jar has a frozen spirit impregnated in it, surely Mina will be able to use it in her medicine; sir, I will take these two, and please, can I see that iron hammer? —Inola said to the man with dark skin and gray hair.
—Sure, daughter, I’ll prepare these for you, and take this hammer, it brings an ephemeral spirit of a feat of strength, it hits exceptionally hard. —The man gave him the hammer while he put away the jars.
—He, yes, sure, and those gloves? —Inola continued to watch the objects amazed.
—And those gloves don’t have a spirit… but they were made by one, they are good and have a little resistance to cold and heat, just a little. —The vendor gave the gloves to Inola.
—Yes, there is no doubt that Magaska will love them! I’ll take all this, sir… —Inola stopped a little seeing a mirror in the store in which his reflection appeared blurry and inconsistent.
—Eh? Ah yes, that is a possessed mirror, daughter, don’t trust it nor get scared; in it only lies and illusions appear. —Inola stared at that wooden-framed mirror, relieved that his image didn’t appear. —If I had appeared in the reflection, that would mean I am a lie. —Inola thought.
—Yes, it gave me a scare, here you go sir, thank you very much… hum… I’ll take the mirror too and this ghost charm for Ithil… —Inola looked at a small glass charm that shone in the darkness, took an ingot from his bag, and paid the man.
—Sure, my girl, do you want me to send it to your group’s house? —The man waited for Inola’s response.
—Ah… yes, yes I want to. —Inola was cheerful, so he decided to ignore the confusion; taking the purchase ticket, he began the trip back home.

—Hehehe, here we go, one, two, UP! —Leónidas gave an enormous jump that took him to a tram stop on a higher level.
—Over here, ma’am, let me help you. —Thank you very much, giant, — Leónidas extended his hand to an elderly lady who was struggling to make her way through the tram crowd.
—And here it is, get off carefully, ma’am. —People of different types got off and on, many lived their normal lives, few adventurers came through these parts far from the entertainment sectors, workshops, or team houses.
—Thank you very much, mountain boy, good luck. —The older woman continued her way to the civilian housing sectors.
—Yes, here is my stop too. —Leónidas looked at the side of the illuminated station; a gloomy and lightless alley stretched to one side, ignored by the vast majority; walking several steps into this, he turned right where at the end he found several subjects; from the front, with his hand he pulled aside the fence that succumbed to his strength as if it were grass and wicker.
—Look who arrived, boys. —A man in poor-condition clothes approached Leónidas; his beard and hands dirty with soot were still warm from warming himself in front of the barrel that gave light to the abandoned square.
—Ha, ha, ha, I told you he would come. —said another man with shoes made of newspapers.
—I think the boy is crazy, what did you return for, son? —A lady came out from among several boxes and wood, supported by a cane; her small den barely resisted the weather but at least it kept her covered from the wind.
—Mr. Valper, I have told you not to light cardboard in barrels, it can be dangerous; I brought Geotechnia heaters, here you have them!! —Leónidas took out from his enormous bag five devices wrapped in metal grids that, upon activating a button, emitted a soft and continuous heat.
—Haha, Leónidas, thank you, that was what I told Valper but he didn’t listen to me. —said the man with newspaper shoes.
—Ha, you wish, old geezer, you were the one who brought the barrel. —Leónidas looked a little more among the bags, taking out two water jugs and instant food.
—Hahah, Leo, you are a sweetheart, aa, yes, spicy Naglesh-style noodles, these are the good ones. —The lady, tired, sat on a stone bench in the center of the abandoned square.
—Here you have Mr. Banadis, Mrs. Palmer; I brought medicine for your ear, Mr. Valper. —Leónidas took some medicines and gave them to the gentlemen.
—And where is Mr. Lemin? —Leónidas asked, holding a pair of gloves and a fur hat.
—… —Everyone fell silent.
—Leo… I understand that you want to help, it is more than we deserve; Ifritia is a cold place, and sometimes the nights give us an escape from this situation, it is not always what we would want but… at least it is an option. —Mr. Banadis took Leónidas’s arm.
—U… Understand… —Leónidas was holding in his hand the hat and the new gloves he brought, looking at them fixedly; a sepia tint covered them; the barrel in fire fought inch by inch with the cold of the Thar-Abbys nights.
—Oh, son, don’t feel bad, we are just street people, that is how we live and that is how we die; if it makes you feel good, we could collect money for a funeral, it is in the south mausoleum… take it. —A small napkin with beautiful handwriting in charcoal said: Row 4, Niche 5, Poppies Salon.
—Yes… I… I will go leave his things tomorrow… —Leónidas put away the fur garments and took out some more.
—Here I bring you more, pillows and blankets; my friend Jacob told me that this burner uses few quartz cores, it will be safer than the barrel. —Leónidas moved his hands and body so that they wouldn’t perceive his tears.
—Thank you, Leo, you are a great help, we would like more people to be like you. —Valper gave him a few pats while Banadis did the same on the opposite side.
—But and you, son? Don’t stay in ruins for some old people; if you have money left over, you should find a damsel to lose it on, eeee, he, he, he, he. —Mrs. Palmer gave him a nudge.
—Listen, Leo, tomorrow there is a charity event, I heard it is for a group of children and their family; if you want, we can go help them, what do you think, eh, Muscleman!! —Banadis and Valper gave him encouragement, making strength poses like Leónidas.
—Yes, sounds good, how many kids are there? —Leónidas took a little sparkle: —There are six children, Leo, better save your strength, it’s almost going to rain.
—Yes, it is better to return, take care a lot… Ah, yes, here I leave you these blankets, they are… thermal… for the cold. —Leo sighed a little, standing up, and smiling at them said:
—Then I will see you tomorrow, tell the kids that the amazing Leónidas will go to give a show, for charity!! —
—Hahaha, that sounds like our Leónidas, right boys? hahaha. —Mrs. Palmer and the others watched Leónidas leave; he seemed a little more animated about the next day.
—Cough, cough, COugh, COUGH, COUGH, COUGH, COUGH, COUGH. —Mr. Banadis spat out an enormous blood clot.
—Banadis!!! Are you okay? .. Here, here, did it pass? —Palmer and Valper.
—Yes, I am okay!! It passed. —Banadis breathed deeply, his lungs whistled like a locomotive when the air passed.
—Well, my underwear!! You sound like an old trumpet, you should go to the doctor and your feet are almost dead; the last time I saw them they had worms and that was five days ago. —Palmer looked at him seriously but decided to withdraw.
—Nah, nonsense, I’ve been worse; besides, I’ve lived enough, I’m at the limit. —The gentlemen withdrew, each to their small refuge. Banadis looked at his trembling hands, took out three gold ingots from a fine velvet fabric bag.
—For the children, he, he… I will be a hero like our Leo. —A firm and chiseled smile remained on his face when they found him in that alley.
—Haaaa… I am home, finally. —Mina was returning from the academy; the team house was deserted. Agitating a polished stone stick, Mina turned on the lights of the place; Iluminas flickered with life, bathing the living room and the kitchen of the first floor with light, to then press the radio button looking for music.
—In other news, three trafficking and organized crime cells were dissolved north of the housing sectors, several firearms without registration were secured previously linked to crimes in the academy; I ask, Geno, where is the Director? We haven’t heard anything from him or his board of directors for a while; criminals are on the rise and the Thar-Abbys institution presents a grave conflict of interest where adventurers are put in dang…. —Mina turned off the radio, sighing, threw her jacket and pants on her bed, and took a bath.
—Yes… there is no peace in the city of eternal adventure… —Mina took a quick bath and changed into slightly softer clothes, a pair of pants and a cotton plaid shirt were her choice; she headed to the kitchen and looked at what ingredients she had.
—Jacob invited us, those breads were delicious and helped in the cold.. How was it Bishkiac ??? Here is Biskyash, ha, the recipe book that Ithil bought is really useful. —Mina read the book attentively, it possessed a tab where she could stop it to follow the recipe.
—Yes, I have flour; spices? Pepper, clove, rosemary, parsley… Brandy or Rebril liquor?…. Hum, I think we have a little liquor from Leónidas and Inola, yes, here is Real de Naglesh. —Mina searched among the small stone cellar they had in the kitchen, the size of barely a cupboard, it kept the food and ingredients fresh; it was embedded in the floor on the kitchen wall.
—I think Jacob told me once that this liquor was strong… —Mina set aside a little and put the liquor back in the small cellar.
—And here it is!! Heh, he, he, he, lean beef, I waited all week to make a dish, he, he. —Mina savored the delicious meat with pleasure, chopping it agilely with two knives, she obtained ground meat that she mixed with the spices; she kneaded the flour with water and the liquor and with a little lard made small balls filled with the meat.
—Ready, in the steamer for an hour… I think I’ll sit down to read. —Preparing a coffee, Mina noticed how Leónidas arrived.
—Leo, what’s up? Back from the gym? —Leo gave a thumbs up, cheerful, he answered:
—That’s right, sister Mina, Leónidas made a new record, lifting 950 kilos on the bench; hahah, it was difficult but not impossible. —Leónidas proud, Mina looked at him from the armchair without being amazed.
—How nice, 950… and did you see the first place? There is a score table there. —Mina took her coffee from the coffee maker and let it rest.
—Oo, yes, it seems there is a Golden Demon who lifted 1250, he is in first place; I have to look for him and beat him soon. —Leónidas clenched his fist looking at the sky, his mission to conquer the bench was beginning.
—Hahah, I want to see you try. —Mina looked at him defiantly while the lid of the steamed breads gave soft and loud hops.
—..That hair… those arms… YOU ARE THE GOLDEN DEMON!!! —Leónidas, in shock, opened his mouth.
—Hehehe. —Mina took a sip of her coffee and sat in the armchair.
—Hahaha, Golden Demon, I will see you at the gym eventually; for the moment Leónidas will go take a bath. —
Leónidas went to the second floor, disappearing up the stairs.
—MINAAA… I WAS LIZVA’S FIRST TIME!!!! —Jacob entered violently through the main door excited; Lizva was behind, Jacob’s words made her explode in red from embarrassment.
—PFFFFFFFFFFFTTTTTTTTT —Mina spit out the coffee she was drinking and ran in front of Jacob; giving him a blow, she left him dry on the spot.
—LIZVA!!!, DID JACOB TOUCH YOU? ANY PERVERSE EVOCATOR TRICK? JACOB, HOW COULD YOU!! I WILL HANG YOU BY YOUR BOOTS, DWARF!! —Mina was holding Jacob by the boots and was about to hang him when, amazed, she heard the most velvety voice she had ever heard:
—No, don’t do that! Jacob didn’t do anything to me!! —Lizva replied to her while giving small taps with her hands.
—Lizva… YOU CAN SPEAK!! —Mina, amazed, let go of Jacob who fell on his head to the floor.
—YOU MUST SPEAK WELL, JACOB!! Little and ruinous spoiled brat, you scared me!! —Mina scolded Jacob and Lizva for a few moments and ordered them to take a bath. The cold of the rainy afternoon was beginning to be felt; small and very cold drops that to the touch were like small needles; Lizva and Jacob looked at each other like mischief partners and ran to the second floor.
—Hello Mina!! Magaska has returned!! Hummm, Varneth wants to tell you something, oo where are the others? —Magaska, cheerful, took two hops inside the house.
—Aa, Magaska and Varneth, welcome, you can use the bathtub, it’s cold outside, oh, the others? Mm, Leo is here but I think he is going to go out, I won’t go anywhere, Ithil and Inola haven’t arrived yet, they shouldn’t take long and Jacob has already finished his bath. —Mina noticed the bag Magaska was carrying.
—Oh, I see… the others should arrive in time for dinner, let’s wait a little and you will be able to carry out your plan. —Magaska took a potato chip from the platter that Mina had in front of the living room sofa.
—Very well, I will wait…. woaaa, the chips are good. —Magaska took another chip.
—Hahah, sister Mina and sister Magaska, I’ll go out for half an hour, back soon. —Leónidas was carrying two enormous black plastic bags.
—Sure, Leo, we will see you later, dinner today will be as a group, right Magaska? —Mina gave a slight nudge to Magaska; she looked at her with huge eyes and replied:
—Yes, the presence of everyone is requested today, IT IS MANDATORY!! —Magaska said in an important tone.
—Hahah, sure, sisters, I will see you here, I’m leaving and returning!! —Leónidas took the bags and left the house.
—Where is Leónidas going, Mina? —Magaska and Varneth asked, intrigued by the two bags.
—He, I have seen him go out like that a few times but it is a mystery. —Both remained looking while Leónidas was lost in the rainy afternoon.

The trace of vibrant pink of Ithil’s levitator kept cutting through the rain and the cold of Thar-Abbys beyond the central roads; upon reaching the outer doors he was stopped by the door guards. Ithil lowered the speed and prepared his medal.
—Good evening, young man, may I see your documents? —The guard, wearing a Policrakelite uniform and a firearm, approached and kindly requested his identification.
—Very well, Ithil, adventurer, pink levitator, matches your license, everything in order friend, be careful out there, there are rumors of wild animals approaching the walls; I suppose you will be okay taking into account your grade, but it is my responsibility to warn you. —The guard waved his hand to the tower above, from there they activated the door that opened in front of Ithil.
—I hope everything goes quietly tonight, I will see you on the return. —Ithil lowered his helmet visor and started his vehicle; the heavy drumming of the rain fell on the road like white on black, the sound of the rain drowned out many of his ideas. Pushing the noise aside little by little, Ithil’s usually crowded mind focused on something he hadn’t heard for a long time, himself.
—Damn, the cold is intense, I should have waited until tomorrow…. I hope the others are already home, I just want to take a bath and lie down for a while, that Inola didn’t take anything to cover himself, my leather jacket won’t cover him for long, I hope he returns home quickly; and now, how much was it… third exit… no, fourth is this one that follows…. —Ithil took his vehicle to the next diversion, arriving at a trade station.
—Here, right here… 5 silver coins for an hour!!, the last month it was 2!! —Ithil passed through the toll booth and moved his Rutilo staff closer; the encrypted numbers on the small stone rod served adventurers and people as a payment card; the booth emitted a satisfactory click and raised the entrance arm to the parking lot.
—I will leave this here… hummm, I think I gave my dirty jacket to Inola, damn, I hope it isn’t that smelly; eee, the rain isn’t letting up, it is even stronger than a while ago, it’s good that I only bring a few things. —Ithil headed to the mall; upon reaching the door he shook his clothes and left his helmet on a shelf at the entrance.
—Haaa, what a hassle, these stations should be closer to the academy, an hour of walking to make an international deposit is crazy… —Arriving at a business with bright and clean finishes, an armed Drakooria stood guard, greeting Ithil as a regular acquaintance.
—Mr. Ithil, a pleasure to have you back, come in, there is hardly anyone, uups, some rain, eh? —The enormous Drakooria received him and opened the door for him.
—Jeremías, good night, are you almost finishing your shift? —Ithil greeted the Drakooria as he passed and took from his back bag a handful of ingots; 35 gold ingots in total wrapped in velvet fabric. He arrived at a window where a girl with short black hair greeted him.
—Good afternoon, Mr. Ithil, will the deposit be to the usual account in Dremoria? —The young girl seemed to know him too.
—Yes, please, thirty ingots to that account and five to this one. —Ithil gave a new chain of numbers to the young girl.
—Very well, here it is, and ready, the deposit should be for tomorrow at nine in the morning, Dremoria time. —The young girl, with a professional smile, gave a transaction ticket to Ithil.
—And finally here the account in Ilentia, the deposit should be for Monday. —The young girl affirmed again.
—Very well, thanks, I will see you… I hope, next month. —Ithil looked at both tickets and kept the Dremoria one in his bag, he crumpled the Ilentia one into a sphere in his hand and with his thumb threw it into the trash can; he walked a little more outside the bank and headed to some phone booths in the central square.
—Hello, how is it, Khan? Yes… I am very well, how are things in Dremoria?, What? Seriously? Are they already in their last trial exam to be graduated? Oh, oo, yes I understand, they are in exams, that’s fine, don’t worry, Khan, I will call next week; give Rein, Zein and Dein my congratulations and if they don’t pass I will hit them very hard, see you later. —Ithil hung up cheerful and with a fist in the air he cheered in silence, but his countenance changed a little at the next moment.
—Hello… yes, it is me, Ithil… Varafax, how is Mom? More eggs? It is supposed to… NO!! Yes it is supposed to, you guys should be attentive. —Ithil raised his voice for a moment to lower it little by little in a calmer tone.
—You know that Mom accepts orphan eggs if you neglect her… no, Varafax, it can’t be controlled, for that is why you stayed and I am here! I know it is difficult but you must attend to her… incubating eggs is tiring, she… she is the only woman at home, the incubation effort is a lot and only the mothers’ flame can incubate them… —As if reviewing the points of a list, Ithil reviewed his thoughts.
—No, you and Llivelier should look for help matrons, they are already working, you can cover that expense; with what I send a family of 15 people can be for a month without problems, and you are eight… Twelve!! Since when? Everin?!! Yes, Everin is already with a family, he should leave the house, not stay… look, you are supposed to be the oldest, you should have more, how that he doesn’t listen to you? … —Ithil listened for a few more moments, the anger tingled in his mind but the memory of the three kids and the image of the graduated young people returned his humor, so he decided to leave it for the moment. —Varafax… you are a good brother, you are smart, you know what you should do better than I do and you can fix this; for the moment I must leave. —
Taking his belongings Ithil looked at the night sky, the rain without abating made everyone flee to their homes and shelters; Ithil took his helmet, and left again; giving a hard push to the pedal, the motorcycle purred while the lights and levitators turned on; two electric arcs secured the bike to the floor and lifted it a few centimeters up.
—And now, home. —Ithil again let the rain cover his thoughts, this time he decided which ones to leave under the noisy drumming of the waters and which ones to keep in his mind; accelerating along the road the path this time shone with the colors of Thar-Abbys.
—Haaa, this was very long. —Ithil arrived at the group’s house, opening the door he found Jacob coming down the stairs and the others already home.
—Ithil, we were just waiting for you. —Mina saw him and finally took out the breads on the table.
—Hahah, everyone is already here, you should have started, I told Inola that I was going to be late. —Ithil left everything aside, his jacket, his helmet, and his weapons.
—Hahah, I told you guys but you are stubborn. —Inola was already there together with Leónidas.
—Ho… hello, I am Varneth… pick a bread Magaska and I chose them for you. —Magaska, with pearlescent hair, approached Ithil.
—Oh, I see, then this fig and date one. —Ithil took the bread, Magaska smiled cheerfully and together they sat in that lent place, together, in a city called Thar-Abbys