The five had continued down the path. Unsurprisingly, Alexander and Elar hadn't quit chatting, despite it having been a while since they'd departed the clearing, leaving the bandits alone to 'sleep it off,' as Elar suggested.

Finally, Alexander broke his attention away from his new kindred spirit long enough to ask a question. "How much farther to Farendelle, Kieran?"

"Wait, you're going to Farendelle?" Elar chimed in. "Sweet! I was just heading over there to grab some grub! It's actually just beyond this hill." The others nodded to each other, to include reluctant agreement from Kieran. Even if he was annoyed, that only made him hungrier. After all, they'd barely had anything to eat for the past day. Grabbing a quick bite sounded like a better plan than any.

Once they'd hit the bustling streets of the port town, the others looked on in awe. It was almost comparable to Siron, only the bricks that composed the buildings around them were a reddish-brown, some faded and some brand-new. The polished stone bricks on the ground were slightly offset and stuck up in some places due to the weight of the foot traffic, but were still beautiful nonetheless. "Woah!" Emily gasped. "This is Farendelle?"

"Sure is!" Elar chimed. "Ain't she a beaut'?"

"Yeah, yeah." Kieran groaned, already tired of his energetic demeanor and snarky comments. "Look, can we go fill your pipe so you'll finally pipe down?"

"Well, aren't you just a colorful one," Elar teased sarcastically, his tone bright. "Feel like I'm on cloud nine anytime you take a breath!" Elar turned around, leading the others as Kieran cursed under his breath. "This way, lady and gents," he smiled behind him, his mouth watering as he spoke. "Miss Dianne has some amazing River Rock Trout Skewers!" The others gasped in excitement, picking up the pace. Kieran groaned.

"Fine, but let's make this quick. We still need to figure out information on this woman who hired Markos." He matched his pace with the rest of them as they navigated the maze of people between them and the diner.

Alexander let out a satisfied sigh as the five sat around the table. "Aww, hell yeah~!"

Taber took another bite of the skewer, speaking between chews. "Gotta admire a chef's craft." He took another bite.

Elar chuckled. "See? What did I tell you? The stomach never lies, and neither does Miss Dianne's skewers!" He finished off his stick, placing it down on the plate before gulping down some juice and presenting a more serious tone. "Right," he began. "Mr. Sunshine over here was talking about a woman you gotta find?"

"Do you ever find a way not to be annoying?" Kieran growled, coming dangerously close to snapping his skewer. Emily decided to speak up in his stead.

"Well, that's the thing... we don't exactly know who she is."

"Or where," Alexander jumped in. Elar took another bite, humming to himself.

"So, you're telling me White Thunder here is eager to get going, but has no clue where to go?" His gaze fell upon Kieran. "What was your plan there?"

"To gather leads, you dolt."

"Hey, whatever you say. I'm not so much interested in your plans, just the woman... so, uh... is she hot?"

"We don't know," Emily responded. "Again, we haven't seen her."

"However," Kieran said. "We do know that she has some kind of connection to a group known as the 'Eros Four'."

"'Eros Four'? As in the Eros Four?" Elar's tone became a blend of bitterness and intrigue.

"You've heard of them?" Alexander finished off his skewer.

"Oh, yeah... I've heard of those bastards, alright. Well," Elar paused, scratching at the table. "I know of three of them."

"You haven't seen the fourth?" Taber inquired.

"Almost nobody has. She's believed to be the strongest of the four. Rumor even has it that she's the direct guardian of Master Eros, who I assume is your mystery woman." He paused his tale, only to take another sip of his drink. "Those who have survived her after their failed attempts to stop Master Eros have named her the 'Girl of Spirits'."

"So," Kieran concluded. "We're dealing with an enemy with some bite, then."

"I mean, I suppose you could surmise that much... but hey, what do I know?" Elar shot him a playful glance. "I'm just a dolt, right?"

How petty is that?! Kieran thought, finally snapping his kebab.

"Anyway," Elar continued. "Aside from common knowledge, the most I know is that these four have been imbued with Elemental Stones."

"Elemental Stones," Taber pondered, attempting to remember what the term meant.

"Crystals imbued with a Magic," Kieran answered, "as well as the artificer's knowledge on how to use it. People usually use them externally, holding onto them while they cast their spells. However, if you say they're imbued with them, it's safe to assume they've been surgically placed inside of them."

Elar chuckled in light amusement. "Hey! You may be a grouch, but you know your stuff!"

"Choke on a kebab."

"Sorry, only on Fridays. Maybe Saturdays, if I'm having a stroke of tough luck."

Kieran growled, leaning aggressively over the table. "I am this close to electrocuting you to obliv-!" All of their attention was snatched away from the moment suddenly when outside, a woman's scream had sent everybody into a panicked gossip. Elar glanced at the door.

"What the hell was that?"

"Let's find out..." Kieran got up from the table, rushing to the door, everyone else in tow. They were greeted by a mass of bystanders crowded around something. As the five pushed their way through the mass of people, they gazed upon the source of the commotion; A young man in his late-twenties was propped against a building, his throat had been slit, his dry blood dark against his colorless skin.

Elar plugged his nose at the stench of decay. "What the hell?!"

Kieran turned sharply, addressing the others. "Whoever did this couldn't have gone far! Search the area!" The four nodded, splitting off in different directions. Kieran opted to climb on top of the building, grabbing onto windowsills and false shutters until he reached the roof. Perched on high ground, he scanned the area. However, given the crowd, he didn't have much luck trusting in sight alone. There isn't a chance that anybody would be able to dump off a body in broad daylight with such a crowd around. Whoever did this has to be a Mage proficient in stealth techniques... Kieran closed his eyes, drowning out the sound and attempting to focus on the presence of the residual Arcanic Energy. He sat, honing in on the signature that remained on the corpse. Dark, cold. Almost demonic. He traced a small trail that branched off from the body, its path disappearing behind a few houses on the west edge of town. Opening his eyes, he called out to the rest of them. "Head west! He left town!"

Hoping they'd heard him, he bolted from one rooftop to the next. Thankfully, he looked to his right to see the four following close behind from the streets. He returned his gaze to the front, nearing the edge of town.

A hooded figure slammed through the brush, attempting to gain distance from the crime scene. He made it to a cliff, taking out a couple of picks and attempting to plant them into the wall. He'd raised himself a quarter of the way up the moderately sized cliff, until he heard footsteps a few meters behind him.

"Kick-Ass Technique: Quaking HAMMER!" Elar punched the ground, the impact shifting the earth beneath his fist. From it, the earth began to part before him, racing toward the hooded Mage and splitting the cliff in half where his main pick was once embedded. The man attempted to slow his fall with his other pick to no avail as he slammed hard onto the ground. He grunted and reached around his waist, placing a hand on a sword strapped to his hip. However, he halted immediately when Kieran appeared before him in a flash of lightning, the tip of his dagger pressed against his throat.

"Tell me who you are," Kieran began, his voice dripping with malice. "Now."

"And?" The cloaked man stammered. "Why should I? Who do you take me for, a pushover?"

"Sure went down like one," Elar mumbled to himself as the man shot him a nasty look.

"Tell me," Kieran urged. "Or you may not have a tongue to speak with, period."

"Hey, Kieran?" Alexander called, appearing from behind the brush followed by Taber and Emily. "Let's not silence him before we get our information. Right?"

The man's words began to blend together as he started speaking hastily. "K-Kieran? As in Kieran Renvar?" The man shoved the knife away from his throat, getting down on his hands and knees, pleading for his life." Taber looked on, confused as to how Kieran has such a high reputation with almost everybody they've crossed paths with so far.

"SPEAK!"

"I-I'm just a runner for the Followers! I was told to dump off the body to send a message! I-I was just following orders!"

"Who sent you? Was it that woman?"

"N-no... but if you're referring to Master Eros, then I can't tell you where she is!" Kieran's blade began to press into the base of the man's skull. He panicked, "PLEASE! I'M NOT LYING! NOBODY KNOWS HER WHEREABOUTS, ONLY THE OTHER MASTERS!"

"Then help me figure it out..."

"But I-"

"NOW!" Kieran barked, sending a final shiver down the Follower's spine. Finally, he fell back as Kieran removed the blade. Between the sputtering and blubbering, they were able to make out his words.

"F-Fine! Fine! There's a fortress not far from here! Head south. It's led by a man named Josei Baram. If your target is Master Eros, he's one of her direct subordinates. He'll be able to tell you!" The man panted profusely as Kieran's ice-cold glare pierced through him. Before Kieran let him go, he took his dagger, placing it on his chin and raising it up so he could examine his face.

"Alright. Leave. But if a single hunting party is sent our way, I will hunt you down myself and end your pathetic bloodline with you... Understood?" The Follower shuddered at the threat, his skin cold with fear. He nodded once, then again.

"O-Of course..." With that, Kieran ushered him away. The Follower, fearing for his life, stumbled as he tried to sprint from his seated position, clumsily pushing past branches and shrubbery. Alexander and the others looked on toward Kieran uneasily.

"Was that... necessary?" Emily shuddered.

Kieran's cold gaze fell upon her. "He aided in a murder, threatened a town, and he's a Follower. In the end, it got us what we needed; a lead. Now, let's get going," he said, sheathing his dagger. "We're burning daylight..."

The others shifted uncomfortably, until Elar stepped forward. "I would try and resist and go back to eating, but I think recent events have made me lose my appetite..." With that, he began to follow Kieran, the others following soon after as they made their way south through the thick brush.