According to the sun's positioning, midday has just passed by the time they reached their destination. The rough terrain disappeared and the mountains seemed to shrink back, making way for the tiny village that was Palofel.

Erin didn't think it was even possible, but at first glance Palofel seemed more desolate than Laistenbal. If not for the rundown, feeble-looking houses and workshop establishments, many would have assumed that still had yet to reach the village and carried on with their journey.

She glanced over at Hirst, who was perched in the middle of the driver's box, having succeeded Casius as stagecoach driver. 'Are you sure this is it?' she asked.

The dwarf nodded. 'Yup. Palofel. This is where our guy, what's-his-name, should be.'

'Alastor Weiss.' Erin's gaze wandered about the area as the horses continued along their way, trotting lazily down the sodden, mud-strewn roads with the stagecoach in tow.

Palofel looked like it had been deserted and left to crumble. Many of the houses, which had been constructed using wattle and daub, were damaged beyond repair. The thatched roofs, riddled with holes, were starting to slope down and the white wash coating was slowly peeling away to reveal the woven twigs underneath.

Still, the small number of villagers walking through the streets didn't seem bothered. Instead, they continued with their everyday lives, seemingly oblivious to the fact that the buildings around them were on the verge of collapse.

Erin shook her head. Having spent her entire childhood in Dorafeir, she couldn't help feeling like she had just wandered into another dimension, one which stood worlds apart from the modern day kingdom she was familiar with. 'So, do you know this guy?' she asked at last. 'Alastor Weiss? Are you familiar with him?'

Hirst shrugged. 'I don't know. I've never met him.'

'If he's anything like you, then God help us all.'

The dwarf chuckled. 'Imagine that, huh? Two of me. You definitely wouldn't be able to keep your hands off of us!'

'Trust me, I would.'

Casius chose that moment to raise his hand. 'Might I ask a question?'

Erin looked over Hirst's head and smiled when she the angel's wings twitching beneath the cloak thrown over his shoulders. Her cloak. 'Go ahead,' she said.

'How are we meant to find this particular Mortal if we do not know what he looks like?'

'That's easy. We can just ask someone. See?' She pointed ahead at the plump, middle-aged man traipsing across the road. 'There's someone now. Excuse me, sir! Hirst, stop the coach.'

There was no hesitation. Hirst did as instructed and pulled at the reigns, bringing the stagecoach to a gradual rest beside the man, who stopped where he was and inclined his head up.

'Uh, good morning, sir.' Erin held out her hand at the man, whose brows creased at the sight of her slender fingers. 'We're just passing through Palofel, although I was wondering if you knew someone called Alastor Weiss?'

He stared at her with dull, uncomprehending eyes. His gaze drifted over to Hirst and Casius, then back to her. 'Weiss,' he grunted. 'Ah, Alastor Weiss.'

'Yes, Alastor Weiss. Do you know him?'

'Aye.' He twisted round, stabbing a pudgy, wrinkled finger towards the end of the road. 'Yer gonna want to go up to the edge of the, ah, village. Right to the end. Last house. Big.'

The man's strange accent, coupled with his slurred speech, meant that his words were barely pronounceable. However, Erin could just make them out. She smiled, acknowledging him with a courteous nod. 'Thank you very much,' she said. 'Have a lovely day, sir.'

'Ah. Yer too.'

Hirst urged the horses forward. They complied without objection and started forward, dragging the stagecoach along once again.

'What in the name of Reijo was up with that guy?' the dwarf asked. 'Was he pissed?'

Erin leaned back in her seat, arms folded across her chest. 'No.' She sighed. 'I think the people around here are just...weird.'

Casius looked down at Hirst with a hint of curiosity. 'What does "pissed" mean?'

The dwarf's brows knitted together, although he never took his eyes of the road. 'Really? You've never heard of that before? Uh...it just means drunk. Oh, and it's also another word for urinate. You know, like, "Ohh, I'm just gonna take a piss up this wall if that's okay with you."'

'In the Divine Empire, the aspect of urination is considered a holy blessing, since we're relieving ourselves of a natural burden.'

'Oh, yeah? Well, my piss is enough to kill crops. Beat that, pigeon boy.'

Casius glanced up, seeking some sort of response or answer from Erin. However, the magus simply shook her head. as if to say, "Pay no attention to him," and focused her attention on the road ahead.

Today was going to be a long day.

* * *

'Is that it?'

Erin deadpanned at the sight of the large, shabby house located on the village outskirts. Her half-lidded gaze trailed up and down as she examined the thatched roof and white paint, which was flaking away to reveal the timber frames underneath.

'Well, yeah.' Hirst couldn't help but grin when he caught sight of the undisguised disappointment carved into her face. 'What were you expecting? A palace?'

'No, not as such. I was just expecting something a little more...modern. I mean, the guy collects treasure for a living. Why is he living in such a dump?'

Her particular choice of words earned her a snort from the dwarf, who wandered over to the front door. He studied it for a moment before lashing out with his foot, which hit against the tattered wooden frame with a resounding bang! The construct rattled and shook, but still it managed to hold against the rusted hinges.

He then glanced over his shoulder at Casius and Erin, who stood on the other side of the street. 'It's locked,' he said.

The magus' brows furrowed. 'Really? That's how you check?'

He shrugged, seemingly oblivious as to why she was questioning his tactics. 'Well, yeah. If it opens, it's not locked. If it remains shut, it's locked. What's the big deal?'

'Did you ever consider that the guy might be home?' she asked. 'How do you think he'd feel if you kicked his door down and just barged into his home? That's pretty unwelcoming.'

Hirt snorted. 'Excuse me, but I recall you doing that to my house!'

'Because you wouldn't let us in, you stubborn lout!' Erin sighed and made her way across the mud road, one cautious step at a time. The thick sludge was slippery beneath her boots, which lacked a solid tread, and the last thing she wanted right now was to plunge butt-first into the wet muck.

She pushed past Hirst and knocked. When several moments passed and she received no kind of response, Erin shook her head. 'He's not in,' she said, ignoring the dumbfounded look Hirst flashed her. 'What now?'

'Break the door down!' he exclaimed. 'Here, Kai.' He gestured at Casius, who strolled across the road to join them. 'Do us a favour and kick the door down, will you?'

'I'm afraid I cannot do that,' Casius replied nonchalantly. 'I cannot willingly destroy the rightful property of a Mortal who has done no wrong.'

'Pfft! You're like a lady.' He took a step back, flexing his miniature arms. 'Fine then, I'll do-'

Before he could finish his sentence, however, Erin raised her foot up and threw herself straight at the door. The sole of her boot slammed into the frame and the door itself flew open to reveal a single, undecorated room and a twisting staircase, which she assumed lead to the above floor.

'There,' she said, offering a smug grin to nobody in particular. 'We're in.'

'Like a true man,' Hirst remarked.

Ignoring the dwarf's words, Erin stepped inside the house and took a moment to examine the discarded room. With the exception of a few pieces of dust-covered furniture and a large treasure chest, which sat against the wall on the far side of the room, the bottom floor was otherwise empty and unoccupied.

'Are you sure this is the right abode?' Casius asked. 'There seems to be nobody here.'

She nodded. 'Seems like the place has been empty for a while now. You don't think the guy's done a runner, do you?'

Hirst scoffed. 'Why would he do a runner?'

'Well, maybe he knew we were coming and took off.'

'If he has, then there's not a lot we can do about it.'

Erin's gaze fell on the treasure chest and she scratched the back of her neck, curious as to what it might contain. 'Hirst, take Casius and search upstairs,' she said. 'I'll stay down here and keep watch, just in case Alastor returns.'

'You sure?'

'Yup.' Her eyes never left the chest.

A pause. Then, 'Fine. If you say so. C'mon, Klause.'

'Of course.'

She waited until Hirst and Casius were gone before wandering over to the chest. She knelt down in front of it and reached out, brushing away the dust which maimed the refined wood. An iron padlock had been used to bound it shut, though Erin contemplated on whether or not she could use a spell to break through it.

I'd best not, she thought. That'd be rude.

Says the girl who just broke down the guy's door and forced her way into his home, an inner voice remarked.

Dismissing the second opinion, Erin grabbed a hold of the padlock, examining the crusted marks and bronzed metal.

Feeble, she concluded. A smile pulled at the corner of her lips. 'Perhaps if I pull hard enough, it will just snap or something.'

'I'd strongly advise against that if I were you.'

Erin's body turned to stone as a voice - one she failed to recognise - rang out from behind. At the same time, she noticed the shadow climbing up the wall in front of her. However, before she had a chance to react or look back, a strong arm snaked around her neck and an involuntary scream shot out from the back of her throat.

'CASIUS!'

* * *

The upstairs part of the abode was no more attractive than the downstairs. Casius looked around, taking in the small stack of books pushed up against the wall and the single armchair situated in the far corner. That was it. There was certainly nothing of interest up here.

'What a dump...' Hirst muttered. 'Seriously, even my place isn't as bad as this.'

Casius nodded. Even he had to agree to some extent. While the small Mortal's home was filthy, at least there was evidence to suggest it was occupied. The floorboards which stretched beneath his feet were tainted with a mixture of dust, dirt and grime, and gave a dull, resounding creak every time he placed his weight against them.

'Look, let's just go back downstairs,' Hirst said at last. 'There's nothing for us to-'

'CASIUS!'

His words were cut off, snatched by the shrill, piercing scream that erupted from downstairs. Casius twisted round, his eyes widening.

Erin!

After exchanging glances with Hirst, whose face was clouded with newly found concern, he ran across the room and spilled through the doorway.

There was no hesitation as Casius tore down the twisting staircase. His instincts screamed at him to move faster, which he did. He leapt up, avoiding the last few steps and landing with a heavy thud against the floor. He then crouched low, allowing his feet and legs to absorb the minimal impact, before thrusting out his hand. White particles exploded between his fingers as he summoned forth Millennial, which heeded his calls in less than a matter of seconds.

'Impressive,' came a clear reply. 'But that won't do you any good, I'm afraid.'

The angel instinctively froze when he looked up saw Erin being restrained by a tall, well-built Mortal with dishevelled chestnut hair and sharp, handsome features. One hand was bound across her mouth, muffling her cries. The other was holding a small dagger. Casius tensed up when he saw the polished steel pressed against her throat. With no other alternatives to choose from, he placed his weapon on the floor and raised his hands.

The man acknowledged his actions with a smile. 'Wise decision,' he said. 'Now then, are you willing to cooperate?'

Casius nodded. 'Yes,' he said. His voice trembled under the influence of sudden concern. 'Please, Mortal, I beg of you, don't-'

'-harm her? Hmph.' The man looked down at Erin, whose eyes widened in a silent plea. He then flashed Casius a look of revulsion. 'I detest thieves, you know.'

This time Casius shook his head. 'I assure you, Mortal, we are not-'

'Whoa, whoa, whoa!' Hirst appeared from out of nowhere, scrambling past Casius and coming to a rest several feet away from the strange man, who eyed him with a mixture of suspicion and distaste. 'Okay, guy.' He gave a calm chuckle. 'Seriously, this situation doesn't call for taking hostages.'

The man raised a single eyebrow. 'Doesn't it? You are thieves who dare barge their way into my home. And for what? I have nothing of value here. But still, I'm afraid I cannot let such circumstances go unpunished...'

'We're not thieves!' Hirst took another step forward. In response, the man edged back, pulling a reluctant Erin with him. 'I swear, we're not thieves.' He paused, taking a deep breath. 'We're looking for Alastor Weiss.'

'Might I ask why?'

'Because we've heard he might be in of possession of something rare, something we really need. That's all, I swear!'

'You swear?'

'Yes, I swear to God. Hey, I'm not a great believer of the man, since he's never answered my prayers, but, heck, I'll swear on his head if that's what it takes to convince you. Besides, do you really intend to slit the throat of Erin Maelstras, the little sister of our beloved Champion?'

The man's eyes widened slightly. 'Maelstras? As in...Sir Elric Maelstras?'

'The one and only.'

After a moment's consideration, the man conceded and lowered his blade. At the same time, he stepped away and released Erin, who staggered forward with a gasp before running over to Casius. The angel threw his arms around her, drawing her into a tight embrace. Never had he been so relieved to see her safe.

'Are you okay?' he asked.

'Yes...' Her response was somewhat muffled as she buried her face into his jacket. She looked up, her wide eyes seeking his. 'Thank you,' she whispered. 'You just saved my life again.'

'Uh, well, actually-'

'Oi! Are you blind, woman?' The pair of them looked round in time to Hirst stamp his foot, expressing his sheer annoyance like an immature angel whose wings still had yet to fully develop. 'Who was the one that talked that idiot out of slaughtering you like a piece of meat?' he exclaimed. 'Me! Me, that's who! You should be hugging me, not him, you ungrateful witch! Ohh, you know what, why don't you go jump up a horse's-'

'Ahem!'

All heads turned towards the unnamed man, who was standing on the other side of the room with his arms folded, leaning against the wall. Casius took a cautious step back, keeping Erin close.

'Pardon me for interrupting, but I feel as though I should introduce myself.' He thrust out his hand and grinned.

'My name is Alastor Weiss,' he said. 'It's a pleasure to meet you.'

* * * *

Team Erin have finally done it - they've found Alastor (of course, not the way they hoped. I don't think this relationship will be all hugs and kisses). Of course now they'll have to focus their energy on convincing Mr Weiss to give them the second Sacred Key.

Any thoughts on this chapter? Comment below!

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