26 Reward at Stake.

Waving goodbye to Onissa —who insisted on them staying longer— William and Visidia left her pub. She led the way to the Dagrim Mafia's brothel.

As the night was already falling, Inanna's streets boasted colorful lights and vivid life, multiple Oksidi walking around and passing through the stands selling all kinds of strange items, or the giant crabs pulling cars.

The great tree of lilac leaves and orbiting wisps could be seen from all the streets both outlanders walked by. Colorful lamps illuminated the hexagonal buildings of pastel-colored, conical roofs.

But the spotlight of the night was William and Visidia themselves, looking like black spots on the snow compared to the native Oksidi making up for everyone on the streets.

Even if William was wearing similar colors on his long coat, his obvious western features, boots, and pants —which no Oksidi wore— revealed him apart from half a kilometer away.

It was the same with Visidia and her tight, leather outfit, looking like some highly-trained assassin. All eyes were on them as incoming Oksidi moved apart from their way, gossipping, or remaining oddly quiet as they crossed by their side. William didn't remember when he had stood out as much in his life.

"I'm sure you'll get used to everyone staring at every move you do here on Reniram. Most of these people aren't used to foreigners. Not even the Katosi or the Uchimi from this same giant island, much less anyone from outside."

Said she as they advanced, some blocks away from the street with Onissa's pub, which was called the Southern Delight, for it not only hosted pubs, inns, and shops but also its colorful stands at night, and a market organized every week. It was also one of the main entrances to Inanna.

William responded. "So it seems. Onissa doesn't seem to have it easy. She looks even more different than you and I. Where are you from, by the way? You look western too and we speak the same language without much difference in accent. You're from the warm, Mediterranean waters of the south, right?"

She took a moment to respond, wearing an aura of melancholy. "You know, I sometimes ask myself that same question. I'm just another citizen of this beautiful world, let's leave it like that. Why does it matter where we come from? I rather think about where I'm going."

Was she hiding something? It also was as if something bothered her to talk about her past. Maybe they were still too much of strangers to each other to reveal that much. He didn't insist again.

"Heh, if you say so. I honestly can't say anything from back home matters ever since I arrived here. There's nothing but war in there, and my family is probably dead," he took a deep sigh. He hadn't thought too much about his parents. "I guess I'll be here in Reniram for a long while."

"C'mon, cheer up. Let's leave it like that and have fun right now with what we have in the present. What else matters? Besides, we need to be focused once there. Listen up, Erish Dagrim is a bloodthirsty brute and so are his men. They hit first and ask questions later, and they won't hesitate to cut your head off and hang it at the entrance of the slums as a reminder to everyone who dares oppose them. What a happy, eccentric town, huh?"

William hesitated. Not like he hadn't fought any bloodthirsty monsters ever since he arrived but, wasn't it a little reckless to go like that? A pair of standouts going to a seedy place run by a drug warlord and his thugs, all while unarmed and unknowing of what to expect.

Was something wrong with Visidia? Or was there something she wasn't telling him?

"Relax, I can see it in your handsome face," she said, almost as if she had read his mind. "I have it under control. I might seem like a risk-lover, but even I don't go blind without a plan. Trust me, what's there is gonna be better than you can imagine. I promise. We're not getting out of that place empty-handed."

"Alright," he sighed. "Let's see what we can get."

She smiled and hurried the way. "Heh, heads are gonna roll after he realizes he's been struck. Wish we could see his ugly face once he sees his emptied place. That pig deserves even worse."

William followed her elegant pace behind. With only a dagger and 5 stars in his pockets, it was better to give them the best use possible. That Katosi Grail was a priority to get.

Would Zho or Oraesh just send him on a petty retrieval errand after fighting that ghost in the cemetery or those skeletons? He had almost forgotten he was now a lich, and his life wasn't going to be normal from now on.

And as they continued through the streets, something glided in the sky, its furry, round body gray and brown. Some owl, perhaps? Was it following them?

"Just a wild moth," said Visidia. "Pretty harmless unless you get closer to their nests. They used to live in the great tree of Inanna centuries ago before those Oksidi came and scared them away. Pesky things, if you ask me. I don't like those bugs."

It was even bigger than an eagle. Not giving it importance, they kept advancing through the narrow streets of the inner town, which were covered by terraces and porches, until they eventually reached the northeast districts.

Just by its eroded, dirty and dead appearance, he knew they had arrived before she said so. It was dark and desolate, and the last guard to appear was at least three streets behind.

"Lovely, huh?" said Visidia with sarcasm. "The brothel is just another pair of streets down. That pig Erish has a safe with your Katosi Grail and my special thing in his office. Tonight he must be right here, so if we happen to see him don't look at him nor his goons in the eyes. With luck, they'll think you're just some lusty Mauric diplomat sent by the governor, wanting to get on with a native woman. Once we're near I'll tell you what we're gonna do. C'mon, we don't want to be late for the fun, right?"

They went ahead, William decided yet doubtful. What they were going to do was crazy, it didn't matter how he saw it. Sigh. He just arrived at Reniram and was now going to make enemies with some mafia lord? Things were going to get spicy, but it was better, for now, to listen to Visidia.