When they reached close to the town's center, Loden paused in his tracks in the shadows of the street. Loden drops Kaiden onto the ground, standing on his own two feet. Loden walks off for a moment coming back with a few things placing them in his waist sack. Loden pulls a cloak over to cover Kaiden, before they both go out into the bustling crowd.

"Here, put this on," he said quietly. "It's better if we try to keep your features concealed. We don't want to draw unnecessary attention."

Kaiden doesn’t object to the cloak, having taken mental note of the stark contrasts in appearance between the people of this world and himself. Everyone he has seen so far has shared similar features, with dark and light earth tones and eye colors. Yet, he stood out, his blonde hair and blue eyes a sharp contrast to this world’s norm. Following Loden’s lead into the town, waking down different streets and finding the market. Kaiden gets distracted by one stall in peculiar. Showcasing many wood carvings of a wolf in different poses of rest and battle.

Loden chuckled when he noticed Kaiden's fascination with the wood carvings. He followed Kaiden's gaze to the stall filled with wolf carvings, all posed in different resting and fighting positions.

"Ah, you like those, huh?" he said with an amused smile. "They're quite meticulous, aren't they? The artist takes a lot of care in carving them."

“They are beautiful, the wolf looks the same from my dream.” Kaiden says feeling a little ping of fear and calmness.

Loden listened to Kaiden's comment, recognizing the connection to the dream. A small crease formed on his forehead as he considered the implication of the similarity.

"Yes, they do resemble the wolf in your dream," he mused, his gaze lingering on the carvings. "It's almost eerie how accurate they are. It's as if the artist had seen the wolf you mentioned."

“Possible.” Kaiden feels his stomach growl again.

Hearing Kaiden's stomach growl, Loden chuckled and shook his head. "Time to feed the princess, I guess," he said good-naturedly. "Let's find an inn and get you some food."

Kaiden follows Loden around the market again. Stopping in front of a building and then quickly going in. The inn was a lively place, filled with patrons enjoying food and drinks. Loden and Kaiden navigated through the hustle and bustle, finding an empty table to sit at. Loden took a seat at the table, the wood creaking slightly under his weight. He gestured for Kaiden to take a seat across from him.

"Here we are," he said, his voice slightly raised to be heard over the noise. "Now let's get some food into you. You look like you're about to pass out again."

A female server approached their table, and Loden placed an order for both of them. The server nodded and left to prepare their food. Kaiden doesn’t protest, not knowing what food this world actually has to offer. As they waited, Kaiden glanced around the busy room, taking in the energy of the inn.

Loden observed him closely, noticing his uncertain expression. "Feeling uneasy?" he asked, a hint of playful sarcasm in his tone.

Kaiden pulls the cloak a little closer, his feelings are very uneasy with all the people. His thoughts going back to the slave market. “A little bit. I’m starting to dislike crowds.”

Loden noticed the discomfort building on Kaiden's face. The subtle way he pulled the cloak closer to himself, his shoulders tensing slightly. Loden understood the reason behind Kaiden's unease, and his expression softened further.

"I get it," he said, his voice low and sympathetic. "After everything you've been through, it's natural to feel uneasy in crowded places. But try not to worry. I'm here, and I won't let anyone touch you."

Kaiden nods his thanks, as he is about to speak. The server arrived with their orders, placing two heaping plates of meat and two glasses of golden liquid in front of them. The tantalizing aroma of the food wafted through the air, making Kaiden's stomach growl again.

Loden thanked the server and waited for them to leave before speaking. "Here you go," he said, pushing one plate towards Kaiden. "Dig in. It's time to fill that empty stomach of yours."

Kaiden immediately digs into his plate. Making quick work of the food, as he takes a sip of his drink. He accidentally sprays Loden with the liquid finding the drink to be alcohol. Loden was taken aback as Kaiden's drink sprayed onto him, the golden liquid splattering over his shirt.

He chuckled and wiped some of the liquid from his shirt, shaking his head with amusement. "Hey, hey, easy there," he said with a smirk. "Careful with those sips, or you'll drench me completely."

“You didn’t say you were getting alcohol. I’m only 18. I’m not legal to drink for another 3 years.” Kaiden says with forced emotion. Not realizing his hood has fallen from his cloak from the sudden jerk of his spit take.

Loden watched as Kaiden reacted to the alcohol, a smirk playing on his lips. "You're only 18, huh?" he responded, a glint of teasing in his eyes. However, he noticed that Kaiden's hood had fallen in the process, revealing more of his face to the inn.

Loden’s expression changed slightly. He leaned forward, his voice lowered. "Uh, hey, Kaiden. Your hood's off."

Kaiden shocked and immediately embarrassed pulls his hood back up. He lowers his head down closer to the table. Loden observed Kaiden's quick reaction to the realization that his hood was off. He chuckled softly, watching the young man lower his head down to the table.

"No need to be embarrassed," he said in a gentle tone. "Just be a little more careful. There are people in here who might notice that you're a foreigner."

Kaiden knew this and was trying to be normal or causal as you might put it in this new world. But felt a little betrayed by Loden not letting him know about the drink before he drank it. As Kaiden contemplates, he hears someone approach from behind him. Speaking to Loden first.

As Kaiden was distracted by his thoughts, Loden was suddenly interrupted by a voice from behind them. "Hey, Loden," a male voice greeted.

Loden turned to look up at the person standing behind them, a subtle frown on his face. "What is it?" he asked, his tone guarded.

As Kaiden turned to look at the man behind him, he couldn't help but feel a shiver of unease run down his spine. The shirtless heavily scarred man radiated a sense of danger and malice. His black eyes were cold and calculating, the scars on his face adding to his intimidating appearance. The menacing figure loomed over Kaiden like a giant, dominating his entire field of vision. What remained of his hair was hidden beneath the scars that crisscrossed his body and face, suggesting that the damage might extend to his hair. Loden tensed a bit, noticing the man's imposing presence behind Kaiden.

“Aren’t you going to introduce me to your young friend here? Haven’t seen his type around here before?”” The man says, “That being a foreigner.” At that the stranger yanks the cloak off Kaiden.

Kaiden's heart skipped a beat as the stranger suddenly yanked the cloak off him, revealing his foreign features. Loden 's expression hardened, his hand moving subtly towards his belt, where he had stashed a knife.

"Back off, Markus," Loden warned, his voice low and dangerous. "He's with me."

Everyone around them tensed ready for a fight to break out. Markus boasts holding the cloak in the air. “You know the rules Loden, no foreigners allowed. He could be from the enemy country or a spy for one of the others.”

Loden clenched his teeth, his eyes narrowing at Markus' words. "He's not a spy or enemy, and you know it," he hissed, his voice tight with anger.

The other patrons of the inn watched the confrontation unfolding, their expressions a mix of trepidation and excitement. The tension in the air was palpable, like a powder keg waiting for a spark. Kaiden tried to slip away unnoticed, but Markus' hand latched onto his shirt, effortlessly lifting him into the air. He hung there, feeling exposed and vulnerable, as all eyes in the inn turned to him.

Loden shot up from his seat, his eyes blazing with anger. "Put him down, Markus," he growled, his voice carrying through the tense silence.

Markus has dropped the cloak with his one hand and is now holding a short knife. He raises it toward Kaiden’s neck. “Why should I? I should cut his throat, so he doesn’t expose any of our secrets.” At this Kaiden tries to wiggle out of Markus hold but can’t.

Loden tensed, his hand moving to the hilt of his own knife as he watched Markus press the blade of his weapon against Kaiden's neck. The sight of Kaiden squirming in the man's grip only fueled his anger.

"Don't you dare," he said in a low, deadly tone. The inn had grown eerily quiet, all eyes on the confrontation.