The Dreamer's Fall

Chapter 16 - A Child's Antics

After Kyren's announcement, Arthur's heart felt as though it was ready to beat out of his chest, and he had to fight to keep it under control.

"Excuse me, sirs. I must check under this table now." Arthur declared as he approached.

The four men appeared average and unassuming, yet the one Kyren referred to as 'the big guy' sat a head taller than the rest.

"What the fuck are you doing, kid?" The big guy asked, clearly not amused by his antics.

"Ah!" Arthur quickly covered his mouth with both hands and took a step back. "You used a bad word..."

"Pfft!" One of the men fought back a laugh.

The big guy glared at the man who laughed before returning his gaze to Arthur. "What are you doing?"

"That's right! I could just ask you!" Arthur cheered. "I'm looking for my friend Foster. He went missing!"

"Oh, Yeah?" The big guy asked as his eyes fell upon the slim sword on Arthur's hip. "What's your name, kid?"

"My name?" Arthur pointed to himself, mirroring Harkon's innocence from earlier in the day. "I'm Arthur Revan, and I'm twelve."

Arthur announced his age unprovoked so that even if they suspected little lords had more opportunities, they wouldn't imagine he had mana. Of course, he lied and said he was younger than he was, just to be sure.

The four men shot glances at each other before the big guy spoke. "Revan? As in Marquis Revan?"

Arthur smiled proudly. "Yup, that's my father!"

The moment the words exited his mouth, the big guy looked behind Arthur toward the silent barkeep. The sketchy action made it clear to him that something was wrong at The Cat's Cradle.

However, the fact that these men didn't know who Arthur was right away affirmed to him that Elyria probably wasn't involved in Foster's disappearance.

"You said you were looking for a guy named Foster, right?" The big guy smirked before calling out to the barkeep. "Hey Ivan, you know a guy named Foster?"

"Isn't Ivan an Agelian name, kid?" Kyren asked as he rubbed his chin and scanned his memories.

Arthur's mind raced because Kyren was correct. Ivan was one of the most common Agelian names. He refused to believe it was a coincidence that a man with an Agelian name happened to be at the place where two of his guards had gone missing, especially after the Agelian attacks in the capital.

If they truly were Agelian, then it would explain the disappearances. After all, they need a mass sacrifice to open a portal to Minaan's realm.

"Oh, Foster?" Ivan chuckled in a friendly manner. "He's a regular. He should be downstairs resting after a rough night. Follow me, and I'll bring you to him."

"I'll go and check it out." Kyren said as he phased through the door behind Ivan.

Arthur felt like he was suffocating as his mind parsed the new information he had gathered. If it were only some thugs, as he had first thought, he at least felt somewhat confident winning in a fight.

However, he didn't stand a chance if they managed to summon an abyssal. Arthur felt tempted to attack immediately and let the chips fall where they may but decided against it.

If, after killing the Agelians, it turned out that Foster and Harkon weren't in the building, he'd never be able to find them again. It wasn't like he could take one hostage and ask them about the location of his guards. He'd be far too concerned with just surviving the ordeal himself.