“I can’t see in this storm!” Kaie yelled over the howling wind. He raised his hand to protect his eyes from the pellets but it was of little use. Sand was getting into his hair and clothes.
    “Come closer! I have a protection barrier!” Cheng Yi replied. Kaie found his way into Cheng Yi’s barrier. He looked in amazement. Around them, the sand split to their left or right, and joined again behind them. The sand was making way for them to walk freely.
    “Wow. Where did you learn to do this?” Kaie asked.
    “It’s magic. Striding magic. I learnt it since I was young. It’s a dying art.” Cheng Yi explained. He looked forward.
    “Damn. I can’t see more than a few feet ahead of us in this weather,” he muttered.
    “Let’s hope the storm subsides soon.”
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    “Can we take a break? We must have walked miles nonstop. My feet are aching,” Kaie complained.
    “Just as well. Night is setting in. We need to find shelter for the night,” Cheng Yi said. Kaie looked up in front of them.
    “Will that be shelter enough?”
    Cheng Yi followed Kaie’s eyes. He caught the tip of the triangular tower.
    “The Triad…”
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    They crept past the roaming lights, hiding in the shadows. Stealthily, moving inch by inch, they finally made past the guards and the watch towers.
    “Wow, the security sure is tight around here. The last time I entered I could just stroll by the gate without given a second look. I wonder what happened around here,” Kaie remarked.
    “Try to look like you’ve lived here all your life,” Cheng Yi instructed. Kaie snickered. “What’s the use? You stick out like a sore thumb. You’ve got to get new clothes.”
    “What’s wrong with my clothes?” Cheng Yi asked, exasperated.
    Before Kaie could answer, a girl ran past in front of them. She threw Cheng Yi a glance, and then continued her run, laughing her head off.
    Kaie gave a triumphant smile. “See what I mean?”
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    Cheng Yi looked at the man in the mirror. He wore black trousers and a white shirt, covered with a blue jacket. Not once in his  entire life did he wear these kind of clothes. He felt a little odd, a little out of place.
    In another corner, Kaie was bargaining with the tailor. “50 mir? This isn’t mezatite, you know. 40 mir.”
    Cheng Yi walked past a row of prismatic clothing. On his left, in a corner was all the out-of-fashion clothes at cheap, discounted prices. He strolled by the mirror once more.
    “Sigh. And we are in the cheapest part of the Triad. I wonder how much these clothes will cost in the inner triangle,” Kaie mused.
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    Deej wandered past one of the shabbier parts of town. To her left and right are old, abandoned junk, covered in grimy soot, lending the place a dismal hue. Deej could see the layers of dust that had been collecting on the debris.
    A squeak made her pause. Right in front of her, stood a little rat standing on two feet. It held its forelimb close together. Beside it, a glimmer caught her eye. Deej bent down and picked up the little sphere. She rubbed it with her sleeve and it glimmered delicately.
    “For me little friend?” Deej asked. As if on cue, the rat squeaked and ran away. Deej stood up straight and continued on her way.
    “I’d better take it along with me. It could come in handy.”
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    Clink, clink!
    “Hahaha!”
    “Bartender, more beer!”

    The sounds of a bar could be heard as Deej continued her search. She smiled to herself. Everyone was enjoying happy hour after a hard day of work. The crowd was slightly rowdy, but everything was done in good cheer and not violence. Some people just want to have fun, Deej mused. She entered the bar and took a place by the counter.
    Almost immediately, she was approached by a tall, muscular man, wearing a tight-fitting white shirt and blue jeans. He has short, straight hair and a kind face. But Deej could detect the hidden qualities in him, like his brute strength and easy-going manner, in his eyes.
    “Can I buy you a drink?” he asked. His voice sounded sincere.
    “Sure,” she said. Some people just want to have fun.
    “Bar keeper, two of your house special cocktails.” He slid into the chair beside her.
    “Allow me introduce myself. My name is Ryuu,” Ryuu said, offering his hand. Deej smiled and shook it. Her small hand was completely covered in his.
    “My name is Deej. Nice to meet you.”
    Ryuu smiled sheepishly. “Actually, I don’t go around hitting girls in bar at night. Only that, when you came in the bar, I felt like I had to talk to you.”
    “I know,” Deej smiled.

    Their drinks arrived, but they were interrupted by a ragged man, his face worn and old. He looked like he was homeless.
    “Could you please buy some items? I have a lot of choices.” The old man spread his items out on the counter. Deej studied the items. She chose a hair clip and a small knife. Ryuu took an orb and a remedy. Ryuu paid for his items. Deej gave the man an extra 40 mir.
    “Buy a hot meal and warm bed for the night,” she said. The man smiled most gratefully before going on his way.
    “Oh, thank you, lady. Thank you so much!”

    “You were very kind to that man,” Ryuu noted.
    “I’ve got but one voice to give and one life to live,” Deej replied philosophically. “In essence, we are all alike, only some us are born more privileged than others.”
    “When times seem strife and problems seem endless, we need to choose the road of our destiny, be it the straight and narrow or the wide and crooked.”
    “That’s beautiful.” Ryuu complimented.
    Deej blushed. “Thank you.”
    “So, where are you staying?”
    “I haven’t found a place yet.”
    “I stay in an inn nearby here. It’s for ten mir a night,” Ryuu said. “Care to take a walk?”
    “Sure.”
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    Deej stood next to Ryuu as they began their walked. Deej noticed that she barely reached Ryuu’s shoulders.
    “So, what do you do for a living?” Deej asked.
    “Oh, I’m an adventurer. I roam everywhere. Whenever there’s adventure, there’s Ryuu,” he replied with a smile.
    “That’s cool. But where do you get the money?”
    “Oh, I do odd jobs, here and there. I’m sort of a jack of all trades. I’m not too choosy about my living. Sometimes I just sleep on a bed of emerald with a sapphire roof over my head.”
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    “Brr, it’s cold tonight,” Kaie remarked, pulling his coat closer. He and Cheng Yi had been wandering around the Triad for hours now.
    “We’d better get back and find an inn. We can continue the search tomorrow morning,” Cheng Yi said. He continued walking without waiting for Kaie.
    “Uh, Cheng Yi…?”
    “What is it?” He asked, not glancing back.
    “We have company.”
    Cheng Yi paused, pricked his ears. In a flash, he turned around, holding his staff ready in combat stance.
    Kaie was surrounded by three muggers. They must have thought he was rich, with the crisp-cut suit he is wearing, Cheng Yi deducted.
    Cheng Yi leapt up and struck two muggers in their back before landing and sweeping the other off his feet. He set foot gracefully next to Kaie.
    “Don’t you know how to fight?” Cheng Yi demanded.
    “Hey, I’m a peaceful man!” Kaie protested.
    Cheng Yi shook his head as he knocked the senses of out the muggers, using stances and styles Kaie had never seen before. His bamboo staff played a vital role, he incorporated it in most of his moves. The staff looked almost unbreakable, Kaie noticed.
    The muggers fled for their life, knowing that they have met their match. Kaie was about to go when Cheng Yi stopped him.
    He picked up a bag from the ground and peeked inside. “Well, look what our friends left us?” he said. Kaie looked inside.
    “2000 mir?!”
    “We’ll be sleeping well tonight, my peaceful friend.” Cheng Yi laughed.
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