Through the alley, Vince guides Axel and Ryo around the corner to an old house nestled between two stone walls. Just from the outside, the wooden structure creeks from the lightest wind gust, knocking some wood pieces on the ground. Dirty cracked windows obstruct any view from the outside. At a quick glance anyone would think it’s a condemned old shack. Vince applies pressure to the door frame, and pries the door open using his foot. A dim light leaks out into the alley.

“Come on in,” he ushers them to follow.

Ryo follows him through the door, but Axel remains outside, hesitant about the safety of the structure. He cautiously glances through the opening, his hesitation disappearing by the shocking contrast of the inside. His view fills with finished flooring, organized furniture, and not a speck of dust in sight. In the living room, Ryo gently lays Bruce on the couch, while Vince appears in the kitchen doorway with a tray of tea. Bruce groans from pain, coughing up a little bit of blood. Vince places the tray on the living room glass table, waiting for them to take a seat. Accepting the invitation Ryo and Axel sit across from him.

“So, Axel and Ryo what brings you here?” Vince takes a sip from his teacup.

“Wait…how do you know our names?” Axel speaks up.

“That’s not important right now, is it?” He swiftly changes the topic.

“We need items and materials sent back home. There was an attack, and our supplies are low” Axel explains. He refrains from mentioning anything about Remure’s isolation.

Vince studies their faces, leaning back in his chair, crossing his legs. “Sorry, can’t help you. I’m not running a charity here. Unless you can pay up front, and I seriously doubt you can our business here is done.”

It takes a moment to register Vince response. Axel slams his hands on the table. “Are you kidding me?! We traveled all the way here and that’s it?! You helped us out, you know our names! We also have a man who is in critical condition!” He points over at Bruce. “And that’s your answer?!”

Vince face remains cold, unreadable. “Not my problem. I only helped you because you came here and caused problems. We don’t need outsiders coming here causing unnecessary issues. Like I said we are done here.”

“Outsides again.” Ryo repeats Vince’s words.

“No, we are not!” Axel bangs his fist, almost shattering the glass. On the other hand, Ryo continues to observe Vince’s actions. He reaches up, and yanks Axel back into his seat. “What did you do that for?”

“Give him the letter.” His voice emanates the strong command.

Axel remembers what Finn gave him and takes the letter out from inside his jacket. “I’m not sure what good this will do against this stubborn jerk.” He tosses the envelope onto the table.

Vince glances at it, leaning forward to see the seal. His cold expression melts away. Carefully, he picks up the letter and opens it with a small knife. With the contents, he turns to a small lamp next to his work seat, holding the paper just under its light. Axel and Ryo want him with bated breath for his response. Moments later, he turns back around. A small flame illuminates from his cane’s top. Vince holds the letter over it, letting it burn up into ashes.

“Hey!” Axel reaches over, but Ryo holds out his arm to stop him.

“Was that good enough for you?” Ryo asks.

“Yes.” Vince nods. “Now we can begin our discussion in full.”

“Wait, who even are you?” Axel pushes the question to Vince. “You certainly don’t act like a normal person.”  

A chuckle escapes Vince’s throat. “Very precepted of you. Of course, I am a trader, but I also double as an informant of sorts. So, a trader of both products and information. Sorry for before, but you can’t be too careful when talking about certain topics.”

“We are supposed to give you that and Finn told us you could help.” Axel says.

“Yes, I am old friends with Finn Yasgnir. I was surprised he would reach out to me after all these years.” Vince rests his back against the seat. “I can get the supplies to him, however there is a small problem.”

“And that is?” Ryo asks.

“Right now, Milonite City is under lock down due to suspicious pirate activity. The mayor himself signed off on it. No shipments are going in or out.” Vince explains to them.

“Hey, that is what that jerk who stormed our ship said. Are there really pirates here?” Axel shifts in his seat. “I thought all pirates were gone.”

“That’s what is shown in the history books at least. However, a few days ago there was a raid just inside the city limits, apparently, they found pirates hiding out ready to attack the city. They were arrested and brought to the old mansion for interrogation.”

During their back and forth, Ryo’s head pulses whenever the word pirate comes into the conversation. The familiarity nags at him like a constant white noise letting him know of its existence but not clear enough to reveal any of his memories. He cradles the side of his head and winces from the pain.

“That’s the story told to the public. Everyone is on edge because of it.” Vince continues.

“You don’t believe it?”

“I-“ He glances at Ryo’s expression. “Are you alright?”

Ryo puts his hand down. “Yes. It’s a pain that comes and goes. I think it might relate to the memory loss I’m suffering from.”

“Memory loss, huh.” Vince peers at Ryo’s face, squinting his eyes. Ryo sits back in his chair to put distance between them.

“I sometimes get flashes of shadows and certain…words seem to trigger something.” Ryo says. “One of those words is pirate. I get a headache just by hearing the word.”

“I KNEW it you are a pirate!” Axel exclaims randomly.

Vince and Ryo stare at him. Embarrassment fills his face as he sinks back into his seat. “Never mind. Anyway, there is an explanation of that up until now.”

Axel shares their story with Vince. From him finding Ryo to the attack that Remure suffered. At some parts incorporates his headaches and the weird visions he occasionally sees. After an hour of nonstop talking, Axel finally finishes with finding Bruce and their encounter the Lunestra Royal Army just outside of Milonite City. 

“That’s a lot.” Vince places the teacups back on the tray. “And you mentioned something about mysterious abilities?”

“It was…strange…the wind ability…I guess?” Axel thinks back to the battle. “Almost like Raull could control it. Not only that but Ryo displayed something similar.” Axel stares over at Ryo. “There was even a moment where…I felt like I could understand Ryo’s thoughts.”  The one detail he chose to hide was the mysterious voice that spoke to him. “Never mind the fact that even I felt a sort of power flow into my sword.”

“Interesting…” Vince rubs the bottom of his chin in thought. “It’s just like the letter said. I’m not surprised by Axel, however, this other young man…I couldn’t be.” Lost in his own thoughts, Ryo’s voice snaps him out of it.

“You seemed suspicious about what is going on in the city.” Ryo stares at him. “Is there a reason why?”

“There are a few reasons. However, before we discuss that, we have another urgent matter to attend to.” Vince looks at Bruce, sweating runs down his face from the high fever. His condition slowly deteriorated over the course of their conversation. “He needs a doctor and soon.”

Axel jumps up. “There is one in the city, right?! We need to find them!”

Knock. Knock.

A light tapping on the door excuses Vince from his seat. “I already took care of that.” He opens it up. An old man with a grey mustache and beard stands just outside. His dirty white coat and heavy frame spectacles gives off the district aura of a doctor of some sort. He clumsily stumbles inside, bowing repeatedly to Vince. “This man is a traveling doctor. One of my many contacts. Before meeting you, I was scheduled to exchange information with him. Turned out to be a good coincidence.”

“O-o-oh dear…I-I-didn’t know you had…g-guests.” He tries to hide his nervous embarrassment, rubbing the back of his balding hairline. “My name is…I-Ian Ba-Baggins.” He bows a handful of times to them, making things very awkward as he is nervous.

“You’re a doctor? Then look at this man.” Axel brushes off his words and directs Ian’s attention over to Bruce.

“O-oh my.” He rushes over, placing his bag down by his knees. “High fever…the weird bruising around his neck…and shallow breathing…this man is on death’s door!” Lost in his own world, Ian retrieves his medical instruments to examine Bruce.

“He is one of the best. If anyone can find out what Bruce has its him.” Vince tells Axel and Ryo. They all watch him with bated breath for the results. Twenty minutes tick by until Ian stands up again. He uses a cloth to wipe sweat from his brow.

“It’s a rare poison found in the e-east of the L-Lunestra Kingdom. Thankfully I d-do have the i-ingredients for the a-antidote, but it will take time p-probably a d-day or t-two for it to be ready. Until then h-he will need to be w-watched closely. He is already in b-bad e-enough condition.” Ian explains to them.

Ryo looks at Vince. “Back to what you said before. What did you find suspicious about that raid?”

Vince opens his mouth, but a loud bell interrupts him. Its sound reverberates like a loud alarm. Axel glances out the window. Large groups of people shuffle by the alley’s entrance. “What’s going on?” Curiosity gets the better of him and he’s out the door before anyone can stop him.

“Hey Axel!” Ryo calls out to him.

“Oh no.” The first thought pops into Vince’s mind, he places a hand on Ryo’s shoulder. “We should follow him.” He glances at Ian from over his shoulder. “Could you watch him until we get back?

“A-alright…” The front door slams shut leaving Ian and Bruce alone in the house.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Inside a damp, dark cell a lone man sits on a rock bench. Allen Lyrgg, one of the resistance leaders stares up at the stone ceiling. The bars on the window let in very little light that barely reaches the ground. Bruises cover his body twice over, with a few cuts across his face and forehead. The bottom of his pants is torn, and his shirt is shredded. Heavy iron cuffs restrain both his legs and arms against the far wall. Between sweat and blood his short brown hair sticks to his forehead. Quiet footsteps approach from outside the iron bars. Two guards chat back and forth.

“So, have we found the rest of them?” One speaks.

“Not yet, but we are closing in on their location, thanks to the most recent report.” The second responds back.

They stop in front of Allen’s cell. One of the guards cast a sideways glance into the darkness with a smile on his face. “Oh, there was another piece of news too.” He leans up against the bars. “Apparently, they disposed of that nuisance of a merchant man. Right into the sea from what I heard.”

The chains in the cell rattle at his words. “They beat him good and let the sea finish the work. That should teach them about supporting a lost cause.”

A loud bell rings out from outside the prison window. “Ah it seems like its time to announce their fate.” One guard says.

“I wonder how bad it will be this time” The other responds to him.

Both men laugh in a heckling triumph, walking off down the hall. Inside, Allen hits his head against the wall with his eyes shut. Blood drips from his nails digging into the palm of his hands. A low whisper leaves his mouth. “Dammit.”