The day after, after trudging through the mud of the swamp of Tyr, they climbed up to a high hill overlooking the ocean. The sea was a mosaic of blue that reflected the light of a sunny dawn. The horizon merged it with the sky in a single shade. Since they had started their escape, for the first time, Cora felt a strange sense of peace.

In the center of the plain, a single mountain stood a few steps away from the water: a solitary king guarding his land, adorned with a crown of bricks and wearing a cloak of emerald green.

"That's Amanastre," Camiel began. "I would have liked to come back here for different reasons than escorting five kids running from the Kharzanians." A satisfied smile spread across his face. "But we made it before afternoon, we did well."

"Thanks, Camiel! I would have liked to visit it calmly and definitely not with you!" Elidana grumbled, and continued on with Fez and Marmorel.

Perched on the top of the mountain was the free city, and around it a beaten path snaked down to the port. From there, a single road connected the chaos of huts, warehouses, and sheds to a wider road that continued northward, towards Badur.

The closer they got, the more the number of carts filled with wood, sacks, and cookware, overflowing their capacity, increased.

Camiel pointed to the port. Among the numerous boats, two military ships stood out, both flying the Kharzanian flag.

"They found us?" Aran asked, his voice worried."You said this would be a safe place!"

"Amanastre has a strict rule: neutrality," replied Camiel. A few steps away from the Kharzanians, other boats occupied the dock. Zalesian ships and Hozmanian vessels, these were moored beyond the basin, at the end of the port.

"What does that mean?" Fez asked, holding the faithful bolt in his hand.

"If a war were to break out tomorrow between the Empire of Hozma and Kharzan, Amanastre would still welcome both nations," said the warrior. "In this city, neither can lift a finger against the other."

Cora listened carefully, but couldn't believe every word. The fact that the government of Edel did not impose any restrictions or use force against that insignificant group of houses above the mountain seemed almost like a joke to him.

"And then there are the Goliaths."

"What are the Goliaths?" Aran asked, still skeptical.

"Defense mechanisms, towering armor four stories tall and stationed in strategic points throughout the city. But you'll see them with your own eyes."

They crossed the plain and arrived at the crossroads halfway between the port and the mountain. Camiel only paused for a moment to catch his breath. "Now we have to climb. Let's try to be discreet. If the Kharzanians knew where we were, they would try to get us out of the duchy's borders in every way."

The path was narrow and winding, so much so that a single cart would barely pass. Here and there along the way, Cora noticed small rusted platforms lifted by giant mechanical arms and powered by rudimentary Cec systems.

After the arduous climb, a square opened up in front of them and the boys rested their tired legs on a low wall. It was a fairly crowded stopping point, just before the start of the second part of the trail. Cora looked around, savoring a sense of normalcy that seemed lost. There, merchants negotiated with each other and draft animals dipped their heads into watering troughs. It was a perimeter defended by numerous firearms and just as many guards. Even though, at that moment, they were chatting while sitting in the shade of a tree. Men armed with long lances wearing a pompous uniform of purple fabric with white diamonds in the center; attire that had little to do with their usefulness in battle. On the flag attached to the tip of the weapons was the two-headed eagle holding a ear of wheat in its claws.

"Is that the Goliath?" Fez asked.

Off to the side, in the shadow of a wooden shed, a giant blue suit of armor lay dormant, waiting for the team of mechanics to finish their maintenance. A red-haired man sat in the pilot's seat, raising and lowering the leg of the Goliath. Each impact with the ground caused vibrations that spread through the clearing, so much so that Cora feared for the integrity of the stone floor. Yet, despite everything, that vehicle seemed like a joke compared to the small Kharzanian armor; the gears, bolts, and leather joints could not compare to the technology of the Edel men.

"It may be old, but if that pile of scrap can move, the citizens of Amanastre can rest easy," murmured Aran.

Meanwhile, with the help of a lever and many iron chains, another mechanic loaded a box as big as the torso onto the back of the armor, while another filled it with about twenty stones.

"The technology is from outdated Cec systems, reworked by Amanastrian engineers. It's a very expensive weapon in terms of Seorite," explained Camiel. The boys lost themselves in admiration of the machine. "It's called Rockery. What do you think?"

"Well, it certainly makes an impression," agreed Aran, "especially with that weapon there." Not far away, a large metal hammer half the size of the Goliath itself awaited its maintenance.

Rockery was similar to a badly painted tin statue, but Cora couldn't take his eyes off it.

Fez stood up and swung the air as if he had a stick in his hand. "I bet I could pilot that thing."

Aran and Cora suppressed a smile. "Sure..." said the former.

Camiel clapped his hands, waking the girls from their rest. "Amanastre, second section, let's go!"

In line behind him, they took the path that continued to the massive and impenetrable walls of the city. The guard deployments increased as they approached the top, and the soldiers of Amanastre worked to help struggling merchants overcome the dangers of the mountain. A tedious yet indispensable job, given the traffic.

Camiel looked up and gave a small push to Elidana and Cora. "One last effort, we're almost there."

At the top, they stopped in front of a thick reinforced wooden gate, where the road widened into another square. Guards armed with spears this time invited those driving a wagon to line up. When it was their turn, Camiel drew his sword and held it up with both hands in plain sight.

"Oh, there's a gathering of Hozman in the city today," whispered the guard. He took some strings and tied them around the hilt before covering the blade. "Do you already know how it works?" he asked the warrior.

"Yes. It's not the first time I've entered Amanastre," Camiel replied. He took back the sword and looked around.

"Do you carry any other weapons?"

"No, just this," he said brusquely.

The guard gave a quick look at the boys and gestured to move forward.

"Camiel, what did you do to the sword?" Aran asked.

"If I try to summon the Voice of the Soul, this special cord will absorb all the Seorite of the stone in one fell swoop, and a boom will attract the guards," he explained.

Cora tapped the warrior's shoulder. "That man said there are other Hozman's."

Camiel gave him a stern look. He stared at him for a moment, then replied. "We'll avoid them as best we can, at least for now."

"But couldn't your friends give us a hand?" Marmorel asked.

"Yes and no. Trust me. Let's go straight to my master," the warrior concluded.

After taking a few steps beyond the crowd lingering at the entrance, the group crossed the square in front of Amanastre's entrance. Cora stumbled on the cobblestone and noticed that even wagons had difficulty crossing those streets.

He paused to admire a statue in the middle of the square. A metallic monster with four arms, each ending with a cannon that, in those hands, seemed little more than a pistol. It was a resting Goliath. The boy nudged Fez and pointed to the machine. He lit up in a smile that reflected his. They ran ahead of the group and stopped in front of the thundering iron masterpiece as the others caught up to them.

They resumed walking, the streets were a dense network of paths and Cora looked around to figure out which path they were taking. Flocks of birds wandered between one shore and the other of the walls. Luxurious houses with thick foundations shared the same architectural style. At most four stories high, they were so squeezed together that the inhabitants could reach their neighbor's balcony with a small jump.

Cora savored the scent of wildflowers and the aromas of a lush market nearby. Occasionally, they crossed small squares adorned with statues or fountains, embellishments that emphasized the skill of the duchy's artisans.

"It looks like Clodia. But it's much noisier and crowded," Elidana noted.

"The culture is very similar and the roots of civilization are the same. The old rulers of Amanastre have always appreciated their own artists. The free city is a piece of history, a baggage of traditions for the whole continent," Camiel said. He pointed to a painter who was painting in a corner. Marmorel hastened to take a look, then sent a smile to the group. "This is the grand avenue and leads directly to the Ducal Palace," the warrior continued. "Here resides the nobility of Amanastre, among them are the richest and wealthiest nobles of the eastern continent, but they all bow to only one man, Duke Valiant VI."

As hot as an open-air furnace, that stretch of road ended in front of a palace with a large dome bulging with colored glass, on a paved square. Guarding the structure, a few steps from the entrance, stood a white kneeling Goliath. His shoulders covered by a blue cloak and the massive sword stuck into the ground, clutched in his fist.

"He looks like a Lamia knight," Fez said.

On top, a tuft formed by thin strips of cloth waved, similar to horsehair.

"A knight as tall as a tower," Cora retorted.

"This way!" Camiel exclaimed.

They followed him with a rapt expression. They immediately took a side street, in the middle of two well-kept buildings.

"The man we are meeting is a bit eccentric, but you'll see he's very friendly," the warrior said.

They walked past some destroyed barrels near a warehouse. The further they got from the square, the more they encountered simpler buildings and the splendor of the wealthy neighborhoods was lost.

Camiel pointed to an alleyway. "He likes to rest, he knows how to sing, and he's a great wine lover."

"So, a slacker," Elidana said.

"Not exactly, but he's not one to follow the rules too closely, and he might seem, well... different from you."

They arrived just a few steps away from the city's perimeter walls, in front of a poorly maintained wooden house with no windows on the upper floor: a hovel. It was located in the middle of a garden, with a large bush with blue leaves that had just been pruned.

"Look up there!" exclaimed Marmorel. Three seagulls were fluttering above the defensive wall's ledge, right above the wooden house.

Camiel jumped over the fence and gestured for the others to follow. They entered the area where large mushrooms and numerous vines had established their dominance. They circled the house until they reached the back.

"Damn birds!" growled a man sitting on a barrel. He was thrashing around like a madman with a thick wooden stick in his hand. He briefly turned towards Camiel and then returned to his battle.

"Camiel, pass me that bucket. I guarantee I'll get it," he indicated a nearby basin where two large fish were swimming.

The Hozman, under the boys' puzzled gaze, did as he was told.

"Oh, oh! This one is mine, or I swear I'll wring your neck!" the man threatened the sky. He pulled the stick back and a shape shot from the top of the wall: it was a fish.

The seagulls swooped down on their prey, but it descended more quickly than it should have. With eyes wide open in amazement, Cora realized that the man was pulling it towards himself.

"Mine! It's mine! Damn vultures!" The stick condensed a thread of blue energy, like a taut rope that was now returning to its original length.

"Hey, Camiel, what's he doing?" Aran asked.

"Well, he's fishing. In his own way, of course, but believe it or not, he's fishing."

The sweaty loot fell into the man's arms. He jumped up and made a noise at the seagulls.

"Camiel, do you realize that we're on top of the mountain?" Elidana asked. "And damn, that's a defense wall!"

"Going up and down from Amanastre tires him out, so he's studied this method," he chuckled.

Completely satisfied, the man looked at the young people, with a broad smile on his face, and scampered over to the bucket to throw in an extraordinary bream. He had a slightly flattened head and a circle of beard around his mouth.

"What do you say, shall we have roasted fish today?" he asked, as he picked up his staff. The blue Seorite went out and the thread disappeared.

"Guys, this is Hyon, my master," Camiel said.

Hyon winked at the guests, lifted the bucket and continued to smile until he had entered the house.