Bastrelheim's towering stone gates rose like ancient giants against the horizon, casting long shadows over the well-worn road that led from the plains into the bustling heart of the southern capital. The air was drier here than in Etheria, but the wind still carried the scent of morning markets, horses, and civilization.
The Stormrider Supreme Express IV glided forward, its six wheels humming smoothly over cobbled stone. The reinless carriage, marked by its golden crest of a key and a mana tree, caught the attention of everyone it passed. The design, both regal and strange, stood out like a noble guest dressed for a masquerade in a farmer's village.
At the gates, two guards stood at attention, clad in full armor with polished spears in hand. On their belts hung collapsible magic telescopes, standard issue for identifying incoming traffic.
The younger of the two, a lanky seventeen-year-old named Yunior, squinted into the distance as he reached for his scope. His armor still had that slight new sheen to it, and the way he adjusted his helmet suggested it didn't quite fit.
"Six wheels... no reins..." he murmured, adjusting the focus. His eyes widened. "Oi, Senior, we've got a strange one. Reinless carriage. Fancy as heck."
The older guard, a grizzled man in his forties, didn't react immediately. He simply rubbed his eyes and let out a low sigh before lazily reaching for his own scope. "You sure it's not just a merchant with a gimmick?"
Yunior frowned. "No, really. It's got a crest too. Golden. Something shaped like a big tree... and a key? And the driver looks highborn. His co-driver's in full armor."
"A noble, huh? And their knight. Figures." Senior squinted, then pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Should we stop them?" Yunior glanced at him nervously.
"No. Just let them through." Senior shook his head firmly.
"Really? That's it? We just let them in?" Yunior blinked.
Senior let out a slow breath and leaned on his spear. "Listen, kid. Been a gate guard for twenty years. You see a lot of things. Bandits dressed like merchants. Nobles trying to act like commoners. Adventurers with more ego than coin. I was an adventurer myself once. Got kicked from the party after a botched dungeon run. Found this gig after that. Doesn't pay much, but hey, I get to sleep in my own bed."
He straightened up and looked Yunior dead in the eyes. "The best way to deal with bandits? Hit them first. Don't give them a chance. But nobles? You don't touch nobles. You don't talk to nobles. You don't even look at them unless they speak to you first."
"So we just ignore them?" Yunior looked baffled.
Senior nodded. "Exactly. Until they speak, we pretend we don't see them. And even then, we reply with respect. Never look them in the eyes. If they're royalty... it's safer to just vanish. One misplaced word, and next thing you know, you're locked up for 'disrespecting a family emblem' or some ridiculous thing."
As the Stormrider rolled up to the gate, Fuhiken, seated in the driver's spot, glanced toward the guards. He noticed the younger one visibly stiffening while the older stayed completely composed, eyes forward, unmoved.
"...Odd. But I guess we're just fine to pass." Fuhiken blinked.
The magic carriage rolled into Bastrelheim without a hitch. Inside the closed cabin, Fahleena pressed her face to the magical glass window.
"Wow! It's even bigger than Astoria! Look at all those buildings!"
The city sprawled before them with intricate stone structures, high bridges, open markets, and plazas crowded with color. Magic lamps floated above major intersections, lighting pathways even in broad daylight. It was clearly a city that never truly rested.
"Strange... I thought we'd have to show permits or get questioned. This was too smooth." Gigih tilted his head, flipping through his notebook.
"It's possible they assumed we were nobility." Yuuna nodded.
"Nobility? Us? Do we look like nobles to you?" Adiw leaned back.
Without a word, Yuuna raised her wand and gestured toward Fuhiken's face. Kyle immediately leaned forward, eyebrows arched and lips pursed in exaggerated mock scrutiny, as if evaluating the finer points of a noble portrait. He clasped his chin like a dramatic art critic, tilting his head from side to side. Sinryo, catching on instantly, threw both hands in the air in mock revelation, then pantomimed holding a serving tray and bowing low, his face frozen in the most over-the-top expression of noble reverence. The two of them flanked Fuhiken with absurdly theatrical postures, acting like they had just discovered royalty in disguise.
"His face resembles the son of a marquis," she stated flatly.
Then she pointed toward the golden crest on the front of the Stormrider. "And that emblem screams aristocracy."
Adiw and Gigih looked between Fuhiken's composed expression and the polished golden crest gleaming on the front of the Stormrider. Recognition dawned first, followed by something oddly close to reverence. Adiw's eyes narrowed in thought, the gears in his head visibly turning as he reconsidered every past moment Fuhiken had acted calm under pressure. Gigih, meanwhile, gave a slow, almost approving nod, his gaze flicking between the subtle embroidery on Fuhiken's cloak and the noble posture he always seemed to carry without trying. In that moment, it wasn't just about the face or the crest, it was the way Fuhiken held himself, the quiet responsibility, the way others naturally listened when he spoke. They exchanged a knowing glance, silently acknowledging that maybe, just maybe, they'd been adventuring alongside someone with more gravitas than they'd given credit for.
"Hey Sinryo, how much you think we could get selling Fuhiken's autograph in town?" Kyle smirked.
"A few gold at least. Or a discount on pudding." Sinryo laughed.
"No one's selling anything!" Fuhiken flushed.
Yuuna, unfazed, activated her compression spell. The Stormrider shimmered once more, folding neatly into the compact hand palm size cube form. She slipped it back into her magic bag with a practiced motion.
---
With the city now before them, priorities shifted.
"We need money," Kyle said. "Inn, meals, supplies, our bags won't refill themselves."
"Let's sell the lizard loot," Gabyola suggested. "The skin and fangs should be worth something."
But Sinryo's eyes gleamed. "No, no, no. Mana stones! We sell them to the alchemy guild. They pay more."
Fuhiken made the call. "Alright. We split up. Gabyola, Adiw, Kyle, take the skin and fangs to the merchant guild. Sinryo, Yuuna, you're with me to the alchemy guild."
The groups nodded and separated, each taking different streets through the busy capital. The city bustled with life. Street performers juggled glowing orbs, vendors hawked roasted meat skewers, and alchemists shouted the virtues of potions with exaggerated flair.
Inside the alchemy guild, the scent of herbs and metallic dust lingered in the air. Shelves were stacked with ingredients, flasks, and glowing stones of varying colors. Sinryo was in his element.
"Twelve brown Uromastyx mana stones!" he declared proudly at the counter.
The guild clerk blinked. "You harvested them yourself?"
Sinryo beamed. "Of course. Quality guaranteed."
As negotiations began, Sinryo leaned in like a seasoned merchant, haggling prices, tossing in chemistry puns, and quoting market fluctuations that not even the clerk expected. Fuhiken stood silently nearby, nodding where needed. Yuuna simply observed, analyzing every detail of the transaction.
Meanwhile, at the merchant guild, Gabyola led her group with quiet grace. She handled the paperwork, made polite conversation with the clerk, and ensured every fang and scrap of hide was accounted for.
The merchant, clearly impressed, paid without complaint. "Not many young parties come this prepared."
Adiw simply grinned. Kyle muttered, "That's thanks to Gabyola's scary precision."
Elsewhere, the rest of the group searched for lodging. Yetsan insisted on checking the inn's hygiene, while Sakura compared room sizes and breakfast menus. Fahleena skipped ahead to ask if pets were allowed, even though they had none. Gigih negotiated prices by quoting imaginary competitors. Jessica quietly ensured they stayed within budget.
---
Eventually, they found an affordable inn near the inner wall. Clean, decent space, and walking distance from both major markets and a bathhouse.
By sunset, the party regrouped inside the inn's common room. Sakura handed out sweet buns from her bag while Gabyola opened her ledger.
"235 silver coins from the hide and fang sales," she reported.
Sinryo held up a pouch. "And 12 gold and 55 silver from the mana stones."
Cheers went up. It was enough for lodging, meals, and even some shopping. They rented two large rooms. One for the boys. One for the girls. Upstairs, Yetsan was the first to collapse, armor clanking as he sprawled across the bed.
"Freedom..." he muttered.
Adiw kicked off his boots. Kyle was already snoring. Sinryo lined up his coin pouches like precious children. Fuhiken, ever responsible, double-checked the locks on the windows and doors before settling down. Gigih took the corner for meditation.
In the girls' room, it was a mix of quiet exhaustion and chaos. Gabyola placed a flower in a glass on the nightstand. Jessica changed silently. Yuuna flipped open a book. Fahleena spun in her blankets until she resembled a burrito. Orchid snored diagonally across two pillows, one leg dangling off the bed.
Outside, Bastrelheim still buzzed. The city lights shimmered like stars brought down to earth. Horses clattered down stone streets. Shops stayed open late. From a distance, the capital hummed with life long into the night.
It was a city that never truly slept.
---