They moved towards the basement exit, Alex and Arwen, both taking one last look at the unmoving Douglas strapped to a chair before making their way up the stairs and out of the basement.
A hint of melancholy lingered in the air as Alex made his way to one of the rooms in the building with Arwen following closely behind.
Every morning was , always starting on a sour note due to the existence of Douglas and his unfortunate condition.
One would think that by now, they would have gotten used to it.
It was easier said than done.
Upon arrival at the room, Alex took out a bunch of keys from his pocket and unlocked it before stepping into a bedroom that had been repurposed into something of an office with a desk and two chairs at one end, a bookshelf and couch on another, along with some trophies, all of which had been gifted by people Alex had helped since his arrival in Sklaviunt.
Alex made his way to the desk which had quite a number of files stacked on it, each one with information regarding the different problems they’d tangled with.
The files number ninety nine, stacked into ten rows with each having ten files each.
Of the ten, only nine were complete with ten files while the tenth row had only nine files.
"Any plans for today?" Arwen asked as Alex took his seat.
"Any outstanding cases?" Alex asked back with Arwen shaking her head.
"None that I know of."
"Then that’s the plan for the day. We go out and find a problem to resolve. As it is, we have wasted enough time in this city."
"Understood." Arwen nodded before adding thoughtfully. "I wonder how the others are faring."
"They should be fine, don’t worry. Now then, go get dressed so we can leave."
"I’m already dressed." Arwen said while gesturing at her flowery dress.
Alex paused. "... I see."
He hadn’t paid much attention to her outfit hence the reason for his reaction.
"Alright then, I guess we should be on our way." Alex said as he got to his feet.
Nodding in anticipation for what the day held, Arwen nodded as she followed closely behind.
The duo stepped out into a busy street with pedestrians utilizing the walkways while donkey drawn carriages plied the stone covered streets.
Considering their district was mostly occupied by the middle class, one could hardly make out any excessive show of wealth from the people as they went about their day with most individuals minding their business.
Hailing a carriage, Alex got in with Arwen, after which the carriage driver whipped the donkeys to get them moving, their destination; the lower districts.
Alex had been in Sklaviunt for approximately seventy days, which was equivalent to roughly eight weeks and in that time, he had resolved the problems of ninety nine people, effectively changing their lives for the better.
This wasn’t because he had forgotten his original goal of returning home nor was it because he enjoyed helping people even though it was fulfilling.
It was simply because it was a Trial, one handed to him by Adam and only by passing it would he be able to unlock the Sixth Lock of the Human Wheel.
As it was, he needed only to resolve one more problem and he would have passed the rather troublesome Trial.
For that reason, he headed into the lower district with Arwen, who had been indispensable as an ally during the eight weeks.
"What do you think we’ll have to deal with this time?" Arwen asked with clear excitement.
Just as Alex worked to complete with his Trial, she also worked on growing her strength and so far, she had managed to suppress her previous fears, making leaps and bounds in her control over her pale flames and the domain it reigned over.
Alex shrugged as he looked out the window, his gaze scrutinizing the buildings outside, some of which were in disrepair and in urgent need of renovations.
"Not sure, but I hope it’s not too difficult. We have spent too much time here. Who knows if You-Know-Who has reached the end of his patience and decides to attack?"
Recalling their meeting with the Beast, Arwen couldn’t help but tremble.
Worried that they might draw it’s attention, since that incident, Alex has forbade every member of Constellations from saying His name dire, opting for an alias instead.
"You know, I’ve been wondering."
"Ana and Nadia deduced that You-Know-Who was active again, but they never figured out why. I can’t help but wonder same, what made an entity that’s been dormant for so long become active again?"
A few ideas came to mind but Alex ultimately replied. "I don’t know and it doesn’t matter. What matters is He wants to murder me and I can’t let that happen."
Arwen reached out and held her hand, smiling as she did so. "You’ll be fine."
"I know." Alex replied.
Finally, the carriage came to a stop after almost an hour of travel.
After paying their fare, Alex got down and then helped Arwen out after which they headed down the streets, with no particular destination in mind.
Of the ninety nine problems they’d resolved, eighty of them were gotten from rumors among those on the street, where people spoke of their problems and the problems that others faced.
One in particular involved a man that had lost everything due to an attack during the month of Astra.
Hearing his cries, Alex had played the role of a helping hand, providing him the materials he needed to rebuild his life, allowing the fellow to get back on track.
"Good day, Sir Smith!"
"Sir Smith, my daughter is getting married in a fortnight, you have to attend!"
With a smile, Alex accepted their greetings, even stopping to speak with a few, one of whom was a middle aged woman named Dolope with two young daughters.
Her husband had died three years ago to an unfortunate disease, leaving her struggling to cater for the family he left behind.
Alex had helped her with a loan to build a business as well as a home for her and her children.