Chương 132: Book 3 Chapter 10 - Rekton

They reached the coast about three weeks after leaving Portish. The port city was large, probably equalling Portish in size, even though it wasn't a capital of any kind. Large ferries left the port every six hours or so, and they had a few hours to resupply and explore the city a bit before the next ferry would leave. Esmerelda sent two tier 3 guards to accompany Kiara and her group as they wandered, both to keep them safe as well as to make sure they didn't get lost.

The two guards were Bruce and Bronson, the same lieutenant captains that had accompanied Esmerleda to Kiara's estate in Portish when they first arrived. They walked through the streets nearest the port, perusing the food stalls and clothing vendors. Kiara told everyone to get whatever they wanted and she would pay for it, including the guards Esmerelda had sent with them. The guards were surprised at first, but slowly got into the rhythm.

They eventually perked up, and began leading Kiara and the others to their favorite places that they had visited in this city before. Kiara and her group tried a few unique foods that she'd never seen before in Portish. Ava, especially, was enthralled by all of the sights and sounds, and Kiara realized they'd gone straight to the estate in Portish, and she hadn't even shown Ava the city itself. She'd been too busy preparing for the trip at the time.

Seeing a large, bustling city now, considerably larger than Easton, Ava's eyes were wide with wonder. Kiara was enjoying doting on her. She convinced Ava that she would need some new clothes for her time at the academy, and they spent twenty minutes shopping for new clothes for her. Zoey eagerly chipped in her opinions too, helping find some cute outfits. Dustin and the two guards Esmerelda had sent, both men, quickly got bored and complained, practically dragging them out of the shop after twenty minutes.

Funnily enough, a minute after they left the clothing shop, the three men were enthralled by a street scammer, who offered to double your money if you could keep track of which upside-down bowl had the live rat under it. The bowls all moved around without being touched, one from the rat, and the others from the street scammer's magic. Just when you thought you knew which bowl the rat was under, he would reveal it to be empty, and pocket your coin.

Kiara could think of literally a dozen ways the scam could work, especially considering the man was using magic, but Dustin and the guards seemed convinced they could figure out the trick if they just played one more time. This time, Kiara and Zoey were the ones to drag the men away. Kiara was surprised that Dustin would fall for such a simple scam, being the astute businessman that he was, but Dustin had simply laughed it off, saying it was all in good fun.

Kiara had made sure to hint to Ava that it was definitely a scam, and not fun at all, since there was no chance of winning. She didn't want Dustin's bad influence leading the poor girl astray. After an hour of wandering around, the guards suggested it might be time to start working their way back to the port. They wanted to arrive in plenty of time to not accidentally miss the ferry, since that would hold up the group for an additional six hours.

Kiara let the two guards lead, glad that they had tagged along, because she realized that she was well and truly lost. It wouldn't be too difficult to ask someone which direction the port was, but the guards seemed to know the way, so she just followed them. Suddenly, Dustin stopped dead in his tracks, a look of terror on his face. Kiara followed his gaze to a large, bald man who was staring intently at their group. He looked to be about forty years old, bald by choice, rather than by age.

His bald head was the canvas for a large, intricate tattoo. He had small hoop earrings in both ears, but rather than dangling from the ear, they were in the earlobe, holding it open. He was tall and well-muscled, and carried himself with an air of arrogance and confidence that Kiara hadn't seen in many people. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

He smiled predatorily after staring at Dustin for a moment, then began moving toward them at a brisk pace, pushing others out of his way. Kiara's group was standing in the middle of the street, and the crowds had to part around them once they stopped and began disrupting the regular flow of traffic. Two story buildings lined the street on either side, mostly shops with their wares on display for the passers-by.

The guards had only just realized that Kiara and Dustin had stopped following them, and turned to see what was the matter. When they spotted the man moving toward their group, they could tell his intentions weren't benevolent, and they took up positions shoulder to shoulder to prevent the man from reaching Kiara's group. As the man reached them, they held up a hand.

"Stop! In the name of Duke Esborne. These people are under the duke's protection. What business do you have with them?" The crowds began parting more earnestly, giving the group a wider berth to avoid getting mixed up in whatever was happening. Some even stopped to watch things play out. Kiara reached out with [Magical Sense 4]. Almost all of the onlookers were mortals, with a few tier 1s mixed in. She was surprised to see that the man approaching them was tier 5.

Bruce and Bronson had also noticed, and were visibly nervous about the situation. Kiara's danger sense, interestingly, pinged the man as dangerous, but not as dangerous as Esmerelda. Not even as dangerous as Kane had been. He was maybe slightly stronger than Ugor had registered to her danger sense, which really showed how wide a range of power was available at the higher tiers.

Someone like Kane, Esmerelda, or Zoey, who took the time to establish a proper foundation, advanced to the next tier with much more strength and ability. Kiara was now seeing firsthand the importance of Zoey's adamance that she maintain her foundation and build it up completely before advancing to tier 4. This man was a walking display of what a weak foundation would bring. Even so, the man was a tier 5, and Kiara didn't really know what he was capable of.

Zoey had stepped up behind the two guards, also impeding the man's path, and her skin began to glow slightly. Her hair began floating in a non-existent breeze as she powered up her spells, ready for a fight. Kiara put a gentle hand on Zoey's shoulder from behind, and Zoey's hair fell back to normal. She turned an inquisitive eye to Kiara, and Kiara just smiled reassuringly at her. If this guy started any trouble, Kiara would be happy to handle it herself. The man sneered at the two guards.

"You dare get in my way?" He stared at Dustin.

"I've been looking for you for a long time, Dustin. Over a year now. Your parents are eager to talk with you. Where have you been hiding?" When Dustin didn't reply, he turned back to the guards, pointing at Dustin.

"That man is my prisoner, and I'll be taking him with me. If the duke has a problem with that, he can take it up with the Savage Merchant Guild in Chestara." Dustin was visibly shaking next to Kiara, something she had never seen from him before. The trauma of his past must be worse than she'd realized. His fear of his family was beyond what she would have expected. She laid a reassuring hand on his arm, nodding gently to him.

"Don't worry, you're safe," she whispered softly. He glanced at her, then Zoey, then nodded, relaxing slightly. Kiara could still see the tension he was holding in his shoulders though. He whispered to Kiara, his voice shaking slightly.

"That's Rekton, he works for my dad." One of their two guards shook his head in reply to Rekton.

"That won't be possible, Lord Mage. My apologies, but we have strict orders to escort Lady Yountal and her group directly to Duke Esborne. Perhaps you would like to discuss the matter with our captain, Esmerelda?" The man nodded his head to the side.

"Very well. Go and fetch her then."

"We are on our way to the port right now to see her. Would you accompany us there?" Kiara understood that the guards were simply trying to make the best of a bad situation, but she didn't like the implication that Esmerelda might agree to send Dustin along with this man. She would personally make sure that didn't happen. The man shook his head.

"I'm not going anywhere, and neither is Dustin Savage. If you want me to speak with your captain, go and fetch her here." The two guards conferred briefly, then bowed politely to the man. Bruce took off at a dead sprint for the port, while Bronson tried to remain calm.

"Bruce will be right back with our captain, you can bring the matter up with her."