Chapter 17

"Where the hell were ya two!? What were you doin' while I was standing here waitin' for ya!?" Larkin barked, glaring at Xain and Zee.

"Having lunch," Xain answered with a sheepish smile.

"What do ya mean havin' lunch?! You were supposed to be stealin' coin, not stuffin' your faces—especially without me!" he shouted, though he lowered his voice when mentioning stealing.

"We just got caught up with things, don't worry, we didn't forget about you," Zee said, trying to calm him down.

"Oh yeah?" Larkin crossed his arms, turning to her with a skeptical look. "Then does that mean you brought me somethin' to eat?" He raised an expectant brow.

Zee hesitated, running a hand through her hair. "Well... no, we didn't bring any food—we kind of forgot about that. But we didn't forget about you while we were eating," she explained.

Larkin felt his eye twitch. "That's worse! It'd be better if ya just forgot about me entirely instead of rememberin' me while shovin' food in your mouths!" he snapped.

Xain and Zee exchanged awkward glances. He had a point.

"Ugh, whatever." Larkin pinched the bridge of his nose. "Did the two of ya at least steal somethin'? 'Cause we need, like, ninety gold."

Both Xain and Zee stared at him, confusion flashing across their faces before quickly turning to shock.

"Ninety gold—what the heck do we need that much for!?" Xain exclaimed.

"Yeah! That's so much! Did you get scammed while we were gone or something?!" Zee asked, equally bewildered.

Larkin huffed. "Well, remember how I went to check out the ticket stand for seats at the coliseum? They were chargin' fifty gold just for the back seats! Insane amount, but I haggled it down to thirty each, so we need ninety for all three of us to watch the Tournament of Greatness!"

Xain and Zee exchanged looks.

"If that's the reason, don't worry. We won't be needing ninety gold—only sixty," Xain said, crossing his arms.

"And if I stick to my original plan, we won't even need sixty—just thirty for you to go by yourself," Zee added with a nod.

Now it was Larkin's turn to stare at them in confusion. "What the hell are you two talkin' about?"

Zee, frowning, gestured to Xain. "Xain's decided to take someone else's place in the tournament."

Larkin turned to Xain slowly, his brain seemingly short-circuiting. "...What?" was all he could manage.

Xain let out a sigh. "Alright. Time to explain…"

A Few Moments Later

"How in the hell did all that happen in, like, what, an hour?!" Larkin shouted, completely flabbergasted as Xain and Zee finished explaining everything about Roland, Elsa, and Clara.

"I mean, I had to repay him somehow. It was either this or somehow getting him five hundred gold," Xain defended, crossing his arms.

"Or—and hear me out on this—you just don't pay him back!" Larkin shot back, throwing his hands up. "He helped you—that's that! Why'd you have to go and throw yourself into the damn tournament!?"

Zee placed a hand on his shoulder. "Come on, Larkin. You know that's just not how Xain acts."

Larkin groaned, dragging his hand down his face and over his beard. "Fine! I guess that's happenin'! Ugh, I'll go buy the tickets for the two of us, then."

"But I already told you, I'm gonna sneak in," Zee reminded him.

Larkin shook his head. "I can explain to the ticket lady why one of ya ain't comin' no more, but not both of ya. So just give me ten gold, and I'll get the tickets." He held out his hand expectantly.

Zee let out a sigh, then reluctantly placed ten gold coins in his palm. Larkin snatched them up and shoved them into his coin pouch.

"Are you still mad about the lunch thing?" Xain asked.

Larkin turned to him, glaring. "Of course I'm mad about that! You two got to sit down and eat while I was standin' out here in the afternoon sun waitin' for you—and I had to talk to some weirdo with an obsession with the color black!"

Xain and Zee exchanged glances. "Who are you talking about?" Xain asked.

Larkin waved him off. "Just some weird, aggressive asshole. Kept callin' me old and not old enough at the same time—like, make up your damn mind! Intimidatin' guy, though. Had a sword hangin' off his waist, called himself Wolf."

Xain barely had a second to process that before Ercale's voice spoke up in his mind.

*That's interesting.*

*What is?* Xain asked.

*That name.* Ercale's tone carried a hint of intrigue. *It's a typical nickname—a lot of people have called themselves that throughout the ages. But five hundred years ago, when I was around, Aetheria didn't have anyone of that name in its history.*

Xain frowned. *So someone took up a nickname that's not from Aetheria? Could this guy Larkin met be from another world—like you? Or… the Shadow Baron?* He didn't like remembering that name.

*Not necessarily,* Ercale replied. *Again, it's a super common nickname. The guy the old man talked to probably was just an adventurer. There are way more of them now than when I was around—I wouldn't be surprised if someone picked up that name.*

*Huh. Interesting, I guess.*

Ercale let out a thoughtful hum but quieted down.

"Alright, you two stay here. I'll go get the tickets, then we'll head back to the inn," Larkin said before turning and vanishing into the bustling crowd, leaving Xain to mentally prepare himself for what tomorrow would bring.