The city of Celors wasn't large, but it wasn't small, either. As a stop along a popular trading route among the mediocres, the market bustled with wares and cultures. But that's all it was, a stop for mediocres, not mages. Thus, the city didn't need a dragon stable. Luckily, Celors wasn't all that far from the South Camp, and it was only a day's journey by horse.

The sky grew dim as the teens approached Celors, occasionally passing by wagons heading out from the city. It didn't take long for them to find a stable to keep their horses in the meanwhile, and the stablekeeper readily believed them when they said the Council of Thirds would take care of the expense. The horses' armor was emblazoned with their symbol, after all. Either way, each of them held a crest in case someone needed more convincing.

"They couldn't have given us a map of the city before we left?" Carth grumbled as they stepped back out into the street.

"We could always ask the stablehand for directions," Gath suggested.

"I have no need for people who spit at people's backs," Carth scoffed, referring to one of the stablehands who had less than flattering things to say about the youngest members of their group. "Let's head to the market. I'm sure we'll find someone there to help us, or even the place itself."

"Actually, I think we should follow the river," Nagan said.

"Th-The riv—ver?"

"Yeah. I think it's safe to assume that some trade company owners make their vacation homes along the river, making it a higher classed living area. You won't find the inn there, but further up and closer to the middle of the city where it's noisier, that's where you'll find the artisans, taverns, and inns. The market will probably bleed over into that area, so heading straight to the market isn't a bad idea, I just think it'll be quieter if we walk by the river."

Carth took a moment to process this. "Will it be faster?"

"No, but we'll have less chance of running into large groups of people. And pickpocketers."

Az briefly stuck his hand in his pocket, making sure his coin purse wasn't there, before patting his chest where it sat just under his shirt. He learned that lesson years ago back in Carvolier Town.

"I think I'd notice if someone was rummaging through my pockets, but I supposed walking undisturbed is preferable." Carth changed his course, following Nagan's recommendation.

Just as Nagan had said, there were fewer people by the river. The water babbled peacefully, and the sound of their boots against the cobbled stone felt almost comforting. The lamps had already been lit, but there was one ahead that managed to blow out. A man stood up on a ladder, already finishing up changing the wick inside. However, it appeared he had some trouble getting the wick to catch. In a huff, the man leaned back, contemplating what to do. For a moment, it looked as if he would leave it for the night—it wasn't as if there were other lamps around—but that was when Nagan heard Milora say a simple incantation. The lamp lit instantaneously. Surprised, the man looked down at them.

"Oi, wa' tha' one of yeh?"

"Ah, yes, sir. That was me," Milora said hesitantly. "Sorry if I got in your way."

"Nah, jus' caught m' off guard, tha's all." The lamplighter climbed down the latter but left it leaning against the post. "Mages, eh? Don' see many o' yeh around. But ain't yeh a li'l young to b' let loose?"

"We're here on official business, sir." Carth stepped forward, slipping past Nagan and Milora. "Under orders of the Council of Thirds. We were looking for the Tale Top Inn; do you by any chance know where that is?"

The lamplighter eyed them suspiciously, glancing between them and the symbols on their cloaks. Even if he didn't know what they meant, it wasn't hard to catch how the fabric shimmered ever so slightly. The cloaks were woven with alchemically treated threads, after all. Seeming to decide against questioning them further, he jutted his thumb down the street.

"Yeh ain't far. Three streets down, an' go left. Ain't hard t' find after tha'." He gave them a nod. "G'night."

The lamplighter went one way while the teens continued the other, following his directions without question.

"A—m I the-the o-only one who...who th—think-k-ks N—Nagan's int-t-tuition i-is kind-da c-c-c-cool?"

"I wouldn't call it intuition," Nagan shrugged. "It's just how a lot of towns and cities are built. The rich get the pretty areas, and usually, the shops build near that, and then inns capitalize off location and convenience."

It wasn't long before they reached their destination, which...looked to be a thin building. The teens stared up at it, confused, and even turned to check the sign again. Large letters stared back at them, spelling out, "Tale Top Inn." The wooden sign hanging above was in the shape of a table with a cup of ale and a lyre tipping precariously around on it. Not to mention the noise coming from inside.

Milora, "...Maybe it's bigger than it looks inside?"

Carth stared up at the sign a few moments longer before turning to the rest of the group. "You guys stay out here while Nagan and I check it out. Just to make sure this is the right place."

The rest nodded in agreement, stepping away from the entrance and settling along the front. There happened to be a bench there, so Gath stood watch while the rest sat down. Carth and Nagan, meanwhile, entered the establishment.

It was more or less what they expected, the door opening to a thin hall that turned sharply to the right. They stood there for a moment once the door swung shut, silently debating if they should continue on. There wasn't anything dangerous about the situation, per se, but neither of the boys knew what to expect. Nagan then shrugged, making up his mind, before leading the way.

They almost reached the first turn before they heard another door slam open, and two men staggered around the corner, holding onto each other as they laughed heartily. Carth and Nagan had to press themselves flat against the wall to prevent being barreled into. The men didn't seem to notice the boys, or at least, they didn't acknowledge them, as they continued on their merry way, out the entrance and into the night.

"Rude," Nagan mumbled, causing Carth to snort.

Without another word, they continued on until they turned the corner, finding themselves at a set of doors. This time, Nagan didn't hesitate and pushed open the doors.

The sound was immediate, surrounding them on all sides with joyous laughter and drunken singing. Nearly all the tables were filled with patrons, and servers flitted around with platters filled with ale and food. Nagan could see a few grey orbs flying around—people with some magic potential were present—along with his and Carth's magic presence. A sturdy staircase stood ahead of them, assumingly leading up to the rooms, and the bar to the side where multiple kegs were guarded by a couple of the burlier bartenders. One of those men spotted the teens, who stood frozen at the door not really knowing what to do. It didn't take long for him to assign another guard before approaching them.

"Sorry, it's not usually this loud down here. It's the start of the harvest, you see, so the farmers are here celebrating a good first day of work," the man explained. "Are you here looking for a room to stay in?"

"Actually, we were told to come here specifically," Carth said, struggling to keep his tone polite while trying to be heard above the din. "We're Dragonmages from the Council of Thirds."

The man paused, his eyes darting down to the symbols on their cloaks.

"Oh." He scratched the back of his neck. "I thought...Is it just the two of you?"

"No, the rest of our squadron is waiting outside," Nagan cut in, wanting to get out of the boisterous area as soon as possible. He even presented the Council's Crest so he didn't have to waste time convincing the man of their identity. "We would appreciate it if you would tell us where we're staying, and then you can get back to taking care of these...folks. Who's the innkeeper? We'll need to talk to them in the morning."

The man grinned. "You're talking to him. I'll get you your room key while you get the rest of your squadron in here. I'll meet you right up the stairs."

The boys didn't need much more convincing as they stepped back into the hall and back outside, their ears ringing. Together they explained what was happening, and soon the teens found themselves at the top of the stairs, waiting for the innkeeper to give them further directions. They didn't have to wait long.

"You get your own private room since you might be staying awhile," the innkeeper explained as he led them up another flight of stairs where a single door stood. He unlocked the door, opening up to a simple room with a sloped ceiling and four beds, two of them larger than the others. "But they didn't tell me a young lady was among your numbers. I have another room you can use, miss, on the floor below if you'd like."

"This is fine," Milora assured. "I'd prefer not to be separated from my group."

The innkeeper let them not long after, insisting on sending up something to eat after their trip. None of the teens declined very strongly. Something warm to eat did sound nice, especially since the attic wasn't exactly the warmest place in the inn. It didn't take them long to arrange a sleeping arrangement, as half of it was a no-brainer. Milora would have her own bed, and Nagan and Az would share one. The two boys were already roommates anyway. The rest, meanwhile, agreed that Carth would get the other small bed while Gath and Aitor shared. It was when they were getting settled in that Carth began patting at his pockets.

"Hey, where's my coin purse?!"

"Oh, you mean this?" Nagan pulled out a small, dark red velvet bag from his own pocket, jingling it by the string and looking unbearably smug. "I thought you said you'd notice if someone was rummaging through your pockets. Used to do this for a living, you know."

Carth's jaw dropped. "What—When did you get that!"

Nagan tossed the bag in the air a couple times for good measure. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

Scowling, Carth marched over to Nagan and snatched the bag out of the air. Nagan let him, still with a smirk on his face.

"Keep the purse around your neck. You won't notice much of this," Nagan stepped past Carth, their shoulders barely brushing, before stepping over to his other side, "but you'll notice this."

Without warning, Nagan grabbed the front of Carth's shirt, making Carth stumble forward and almost into the perpetrator. Carth harshly shoved Nagan back in response as the other laughed.

"Piss off! You've made your point! You don't have to keep rubbing it in my face!"

"Just thought you'd appreciate a more memorable demonstration," Nagan said innocently.

"Memorable my—"

Whatever Carth was going to say was covered up by Gath's loud, scandalized gasp as he covered Aitor's ears. Aitor, meanwhile, had tears in his eyes from laughing.

"Carth!" he exclaimed. "You can't swear in front of the children!"

"He's a child—" Carth pointed accusingly at Nagan, "—and I will happily swear at him!"

"I dare you, bi—"

An even louder gasp, this time coming from several sources, "Nagan!"

•___________________•

This chapter is proof that books write themselves. Sometimes. But this time it really did. I had four sentences as an outline for this chapter, and I honestly thought I was gonna have to pull segment from the next chapter outline, or even combine them, but nope! I only used three of those four sentences! Literally just:

- Arrival at location
- Kids wander into Tale Top Inn to book rooms
- Innkeeper inquires what young people are doing wandering by themselves, only to find out that he's talking to soldiers
- (A fourth thing I can't say cause spoilers lol)

That's literally it. I didn't even really follow the outline, it kinda wandered off to the left before returning. If anyone thought I had well detailed outlines, hAH. I write down vague ideas of what needs to happen and tell my brain to do the thing, and boy howdy, it did the thing. Brain juices go brrrrrr—