The next morning, as expected, Lucas awoke with a mind-splitting headache. Kiyoshi wanted to interview his friend but unfortunately he was in no condition. The thought of interviewing other townsfolk crossed his mind but he quickly discarded the idea as he didn't want to potentially arouse suspicion. Lucas was the only man he could trust.

  Kiyoshi and Haruka went out to buy medicine to treat his hangover and food for him then left him to rest while they officially began their investigation of River Town. Haruka wasn't too thrilled to have such a blatant freeloader living with them but she reasoned it was the least they could do after he'd kindly given them special treatment.

  "Where do you suppose we should start?" Haruka asked as they crossed a stone bridge.

  "Where rangers usually frequent. Blacksmiths and artifact shops." Kiyoshi replied.

  The shops' locations eluded his memory so they asked around until they eventually found a few shops. It was a large town so they split up to cover more ground.

  For hours at a time, they both scouted their respective areas of town. Kiyoshi would stakeout blacksmith and artifact shops from a cafe or an outdoor restaurant. Sometimes he'd enter the shop and "browse" their selections if there weren't any convenient places to lounge nearby.

  Meanwhile, Haruka would take to the rooftops, taking advantage of her keen eyesight to scout the shops in her area.

  Both would occasionally spot and discreetly follow rangers but they'd always lead them to an inn or a port to depart from town. Time dragged on and their long, monotonous search for answers was proving fruitless.

  "Anything to report?" Kiyoshi spoke into his communication artifact as he pretended to read a book in a cafe across from an artifact shop.

  ["Nothing."] Haruka sounded clearly, her usual even tone tinged with frustration. ["You?"]

  "Unfortunately, it's the same on my end as well." He replied, taking a sip of his carbonated lemonade, the sweet flavor dancing along his tongue. "And try not to get worked up. Stakeouts require patience."

  ["But surely there's a way to hasten the process?"] He could hear her tapping—perhaps a bored finger—on something.

  Kiyoshi thought to himself. It'd been hours since they left Lucas to rest in their suite. Perhaps he was in better condition for questioning.

  "Let's rendezvous back at the inn." He drank the last of his lemonade and tipped the waitress before leaving.

  ["Roger."] Haruka responded eagerly before the line cut.

  An hour later, they returned to the suite and found Lucas still knocked out on the couch, half of his body hanging off and his potbelly rising and falling with every snore. The sunlight streaming through the balcony glass door filtered through the aquarium, caressing Lucas with a mirage of bending light.

  Kiyoshi shook his shoulder. "Lucas, wake up."

  The man's eyes fluttered as he let out a groggy grunt of protest. "Not now. Can you leave me a drink before you head out? Thanks."

  "I hope that implies you're feeling better," Kiyoshi responded before dragging him upright. "There are some things we need to ask."

  Lucas let out a drawn out yawn and smacked his lips tiredly. Kiyoshi and even Haruka took a few steps back as a musty stench emanated from the burly man.

  "Perhaps you should freshen up before we start." He suggested.

  After washing up, Lucas joined Kiyoshi and Haruka on the couch. Out of habit, Haruka already had a notepad in hand, reviewing previous clues and leads as she waited.

  "So, I assume this has something to do with your official business?" Lucas said.

  "Yes. We were curious about the rangers here." Kiyoshi responded. "We heard there was an increase in rangers traveling to River Town."

  Lucas tilted his head. "Was there a certain party you were looking for or something?"

  "A clan informed us of some illegal activity here. We were hoping you could provide us with a lead."

  "I see." Lucas rubbed his temple, the remnants of his hangover still lingering. "Well, even though there are more rangers on this side of town, I hear the west side is where they frequent the most. Then they leave River Town in the same direction they only came like they only to drop something off."

  "Or pick something up," Kiyoshi cupped his chin thoughtfully as Haruka jotted in her notepad, quietly listening. "Do you know anything else about these rangers? Like the reason they tend to gravitate to the west side of town?" He asked to confirm his suspicion.

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  Lucas stroked his ginger beard in thought. "Well, there is this good bar there. They serve the most exotic drinks on the weekends. They even have a buy one get one deal which comes with their very own brand of meds to stave off hangovers so you can buy more drinks. It's pretty popular. Honestly, I should've taken you there instead of-"

  "Lucas," Kiyoshi interrupted, snapping his fingers. "Focus."

  "Right, sorry." Lucas looked up to recall the various attractions in the area. "That side of town is pretty similar to this side. Nothing really stands out except that bar, in my humble opinion."

  "I see. And do you happen to know if they're all in clans?"

  "Well, I've seen some insignias, but from what I've seen and heard, most of 'em are freelancers."

  "What about their ranks?"

  Lucas shook his head. "Sorry, but I don't know their ranks. But judging from their equipment, I'd say they could be anywhere between D and A."

  Kiyoshi thought back to the clan members they'd arrested at the guild. Their missing member was B-rank so Lucas' assumption checked out. What he was afraid of, however, was the fact that low-ranking rangers might be purchasing this illegal elixir. Aki warned him that death loomed over those with underdeveloped radiant channels. If this elixir was capable of claiming the life of a B-rank then...

  Kiyoshi glanced back at Haruka and judging from her paling skin, she came to the same realization. He composed himself and turned back to Lucas.

  "I see. Thank you, Lucas. This was very informative."

  "No problem," Lucas stood up as the interview ended. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to get myself ready for the day. I have an inn to run, after all." He grinned before making his way to the door.

  Haruka slipped her notepad back into her back pocket as Kiyoshi looked at her.

  "Let's get going. We have work to do."

  *****

  Days had passed since they'd begun staking out the western district. Just as Lucas had said, there was barely anything that stood out except the obvious increase in ranger activity.

  Like their first stakeout, they trailed behind these ranger parties only to be led to places of insignificance—blacksmiths and artifact shops. Shopping for new armor, weapons, and artifacts was typical behavior but surely wasn't the sole reason more rangers populated this area moreso than others.

  While Haruka grew more frustrated that their efforts yielded no results, Kiyoshi's focus sharpened, determined to uncover the location of this mysterious distributor.

  It wasn't until the fifth day that they finally found a deviation from rangers' usual behavior. Kiyoshi loosely followed a short-haired ranger into an extravagant tavern with vibrant signs displaying various cocktails they offered. Walking inside, he saw the ranger sit himself at a table with other rangers, a large brute and a scrawny conjurer, playing jo-ku.

  Kiyoshi sat at the bar section and ordered a light beer, seating himself within earshot of the rangers, but having his back turned as to not make it obvious he was eavesdropping.

  "Who's winning?" The short-haired ranger asked as he settled in.

  "I am, of course," a nasally voice laced with offense responded. "What, you think I'd let this brute best me in a game that emphasizes strategy?"

  "Can it. You're in no position to imply that you're some sort of genius when you have a history of cheating." A deep, rough voice growled.

  "Humanity is constantly innovating, or 'cheating', to make daily life easier. Yet, you only hear how ingenious their ideas are." The nasal voice pointed out shamelessly.

  Kiyoshi couldn't help but shake his head at the fact that the man didn't try to deny it.

  "Stop preaching and start wrapping up. We don't wanna keep the dealer waiting."

  Kiyoshi perked up, his sudden movement nudging his mug and spilling some of its contents. The table behind him went silent and he could feel their suspicious gazes burning holes through the back of his head. Swaying his body and faking a hiccup, Kiyoshi took a gulp of his mug, allowing foam to coat his mouth, before letting out a satisfied breath.

  "Tch. Frickin drunks." The rough voice cursed, buying into his charade. "Anyway, we're almost done here."

  "Yes. I'm almost done taking your money." The nasal voice quipped.

  "Keep it up and I'll cut you in two." The brute threatened.

  "Relax, I'm kidding. After I get my hands on that elixir, there won't be a need for me to earn an income through card games. No, I'll practically be bathing in wealth from all the high-ranking missions I'll have access to." The nasal voice dreamed.

  The brute scoffed. "Forget the money. Reputation is what matters. Monsters only exist to be hunted. I'll be recognized as the one who shot through the ranks and slaughtered high-tier monsters. The council will be on their knees, begging me to become a Sentinel."

  "Anyway, let's get a move on. He has other buyers and I heard his products are low in stock." The short-haired ranger urged his party, Kiyoshi practically feeling him roll his eyes.

  After a few more minutes, Kiyoshi heard their wooden chairs scratch against the floor and the symphony of clinging coins dragging along the table as he assumed they were collecting their earning from jo-ku. He glanced over his shoulder as it should've been safe now to get a better look at their appearances.

  He was wrong.

  Immediately upon turning, he locked eyes with the muscular brute. He was almost as big and intimidating as Dai, the Sentinel tasked with guarding the council during meetings. A scar ran down his neck and disappeared below his collar. He wore a metal breastplate and gauntlets and the fabric underneath hugged his muscles likely to accentuate them.

  His other two party members wore high quality leather armor which had little wear and tear. The scrawny conjurer had a golden emblem on the lavish cloak that he wore.

  Kiyoshi froze as the rest of them looked his way. He thought of falling back on his drunk act but they'd already seen his face, one that wasn't flushed from excessive drinking.

  "Is there a problem?" The brute questioned demandingly.

  Kiyoshi took a breath to calm himself. His cover hadn't been blown yet. As far as they knew, he was just some nosy ranger listening in on their conversation.

  Fully turning to them and putting on an apologetic smile, he scratched the back of his head and said, "Sorry, but I couldn't help but overhear." He looked back and forth, pretending to see if anyone was listening and lowered his voice. "You wouldn't happen to be talking about a certain elixir, would you?"

  The brute turned toward him, his broad shoulders blocking the light from outside. "And what's it to you?"

  "As it happens, I'm actually looking for this guy myself. A buddy of mine only has good things to say about this elixir so I thought I'd see for myself." Kiyoshi toned down his formal demeanor to fit in.

  "Then why isn't this 'buddy' of yours here?" The conjurer interrogated.

  "He's preparing for a B-rank mission at one of his fancy outposts. I'm supposed to meet him there when I'm done here," Kiyoshi scratched the back of his head, feigning bashfulness. "This is kinda embarrassing, but his clan leader turned me down when I applied—said I was too weak. So I'm hoping this new special elixir or whatever will give me the push I need."

  Overhearing their conversation earlier, he was hoping to strike a chord with them which seemed to lower their guards a bit.

  "Really? I've been trying my hand at the Saberclaw. I was going to try my luck with the Fiends, but they seem to be involved in some petty drama right now." The short-haired ranger said, his shoulders relaxing a bit. "What clan are you applying for?"

  "The Arachnids," Kiyoshi replied. Since they were the only clan he knew of that was involved with this elixir, he figured it'd be safer and make his story more believable to mention them rather than another clan.

  The conjurer raised an eyebrow. "Is that really wise? I heard they got into some trouble."

  "Yes, but they already resolved the issue," Kiyoshi answered swiftly. "Anyway, would you mind if I tagged along? This is my first time in town, and I'm hopelessly bad when it comes to navigating." He put on an awkward smile.

  The three of them looked at each other with uncertainty. Sensing their wariness, he turned subtly so they wouldn’t notice the illusion flickering when he dug into his breast pocket to draw a small pouch. Loosening the string, he flashed three platinum coins.

  "As thanks, I'll give you gentlemen one each."

  Their demeanors changed instantly when presented with the gleaming coins.

  "Well? What are you standing around for? Come on." The scrawny conjurer urged Kiyoshi, putting on a friendly smile.

  The brute's shoulders relaxed before picking up his dual axes. "Let's go, friend."

  "Follow us." The short-haired ranger said as he and his party headed for the door.

  As they made their way outside, Kiyoshi lagged behind to pay his tab, an excuse to inform his partner of the situation.

  "Haruka," he spoke into his communication artifact. "Do you copy?"

  ["Copy."] She responded, her voice laced with boredom. ["Have you gotten something?"]

  "Yes. I have a lead. I've infiltrated a party of rangers, and we're leaving the tavern now to meet with the supposed distributor. I'll be cutting off

  communication in the meantime."

  ["Copy. Be careful."]

  With that, Kiyoshi left the tavern to join up with the group of rangers that would lead him straight to his target.