PARIS current time - for reference only. New one soon!

[Amaranthix]

Walking beside Alex on the way to the inn, Lynette caught a chill.
Looking around she crossed her arms.

-"It's so weird. Well, kind of weird. To think just a little while ago we were traveling with...three other people. And now it's just you, me and Siren. Isn't this how horror movies start?" she laughed to herself.  

[Heart_of_Elemental]

~How offten does a horror movie happen in real life? Never. You are going to be fine, Lynette.

Siren swooped down and landed on Lynette's head.
She didn't realize that her connection with Laleo had been broken when he became the full Angel of Death.  

[Amaranthix]

-"Hey, you never know." she said smiling.  

[Elemental_Fighter]

Alex was about to make a statement but something clicked at the back of his mind. The atmosphere had changed to a blood-rust smell in his senses.

~"Lynette, we may need to make a slight detour in the plans. I sense that Leo has returned and he is coming for someone in particular. How I know this is because I can hear his non-stop movement as if he is searching for something and it is coming from deep within the tunnels we just came out of."

Alex dashed forward to make sure noone was around, then came dashing back.

~"Lynette, make sure you use the book to guide you through the alchemy you need to do. I am going to the inn to catch the mayor. When I get to his house, this light will turn from green to red. When that happens, make the gold with the coal over there. The transmutation circle can just go around the mining cart."

Alex tossed her a flashing green light bracelet and a small sack of change tied with a knotted string at the top.

~"After you make the gold, just push the light down on the bracelet and it will send a high-pitched sound only I and Siren can hear. I will bring the mayor down here and bribe him with the gold."

Alex turned his head to Siren.

~"Siren, I need you to look out for anyone that might endanger us, even if it is Leo. Signal me when you do, I will notice. Screeching would probably be the best way."

Alex turned away. and started walking down towards the center of town.

~"I wish you both good luck."  

[Amaranthix]

As Lynette slipped on the bracelet she looked to Siren and the night sky.
With a queasy feeling she half ran to the mine.
I better not screw this up....
Flipping open the book, she searched through the pages for the right circle. After two tries to draw the circle with the remaining chalk, Lynette proceeded in the last step.Witnessing the gold in front of her, she pressed the small button on the bracelet.

Walking away from the mine site, bag of gold in hand, she left in the direction the inn.  

[Heart_of_Elemental]

~Lynette weren't you suppose to change the coal in a cart to gold? And didn't Alex say he would be back with the mayor? I think you should stay put...

Siren flew around Lynette, trying to get her to stay in the mine.

~Besides, what if the others are out there looking for you? We should really stay put.  

[Amaranthix]

Lynette pulled open the bag and looked at the small amount of gold mixed into the coins.

-"Wow. Thank God you're here Siren, other wise I would have totally screwed things up."
Lynette ran back to the cart and started to transmute gold within the mine cart.
-"I can't help but think as to what's going to happen. Do you think we're going to run into any of them tonight? I certainly hope not."
Lynette's hands began to shake, she was getting nervous.  

[Elemental_Fighter]

Alex walks up the steps to the entrance to the inn, Inn de Sootwell. He opens the door and walks in on an argument in the lobby. A very skinny yet vrey fashionable man was yelling, "Pay your taxes or your inn is going to the dust of the coal mine you keep digging in!" He was leaning on the table. On the other side of the table was a very strong yet gentle man sitting in a chair as if he didn't care about the taxes. He replied, "I can't pay the taxes because of how high the tax price is. You have it so high that I can't even get customers to come to our town. Do you really think we need to pay that mu-"
"Taxes are taxes! You pay them regardless! Now pay your taxes!"

~" I am sorry to barge in, maybe I should come back."

The skinny man turned around as if he was seeing a ghost. "Oh no, you don't have to do that, we just finished our discussion. Hahaha. Please, this inn is a place of peace, and I am sorry you had to see that. In fact if you would like you may stay a night my humble home, since the price at this inn is terribly high, I have no idea what the owner is thinking." A smirk shown on his face toward the man in the chair.

~" I think I might like that. Thankyou for the tip."

"Please, you may call me Mayor Corfan."

Both of them had walked to the mayor's house, as what Alex had expected who he was. When they arrived Alex turned to the mayor.

~"What are those mines for, anyways?"

"Oh, they are nothing, it is just old mines that noone wants to work in anymore"

~"You sure because when I walked into town, I found gold bars in those mines and I followed where they came from and came across a gold mountain."

"Really, please show me."

~"Ok, but because I was the one who found it, I am the owner of the gold, correct?"

"Yes, you sure are." A gleam of happiness was apon his face.

~"Then, right this way."

Alex started to walk towards the mines having the mayor flollow along like a happy wagging, drooling dog. Alex then secretly pushed his side of the button to alert Lynette.  

[Amaranthix]

After transmuting what was in the mine cart, Lynette thought they may need more.
Satisfied with what she performed, she sat down in front of the cart with her knees pulled up to her chest. She noticed the light on her bracelet had changed.
-"Oh good, they're coming. Oh no!" Lynette jumped up. "They're coming! What do I do now? He never said anything about this!" Turning her head frantically to search her surroundings she saw a big enough boulder to hide behind. Jolting over to the rock she hid herself just in time as she heard footsteps.  

[Elemental_Fighter]

The two reached the mines. Alex raised an eybrow at the fact that there were two carts of gold, but payed no attention to it.

~"Well here we are, this is the gold that I found."

The mayor jolted over to it, expressing excitement everywhere.

"Incredible I never seen so much gold in my entire life! HAhahahaHA!"

~"Listen, there is a proposition I want to make."

"Name it and I will give it to you. I will give you anything for this, hahaha."

Alex thought to himself, This guy is a madman, geesh.

~"I want to buy this town from you."

"Take it. It is yours, It is in my back pocket. Here."

The mayor handed the proceeds to Alex and he took them as fast as he could so the mayor wouldn't change his mind. Then the mayor turned back to the gold, and zoned off into his own madness. Alex then heard foot movement behind the nearby boulder and dashed to the other side. He saw Lynette and sat down beside her.

~"Let's go to the inn, we need to get these proceeds to the owner."  

[Amaranthix]

-"Sweet, lets go then."
Lynette quickly got up and left with Alex to the inn. All the noise in the world couldn't distract the ex-mayor from his new found treasure. Turning the corner Lynette took one last look at the crazed loony and rolled her eyes.

Pushing the doors to the inn, Lynette looked around and stood a few feet from the doors to wait for Alex to make the next step in their plan.  

[Heart_of_Elemental]

Back where the mayor was, he didn't notice the change in the air around him.

Laleo stepped out of the shadows from deeper in the mine.

~Greed, as usual. I never get why Mortals are so conceded to physical things. Oh well.

The mayor caught a glimpse of the swinging scythe. He had no time to react before he ended up face first in a mess of his own blood on the gold.

A piece fell by Laleo's foot and he picked it up, the shimmer vanished to show a plain piece of coal.

~Hmm... Seems familiar. I must be close to the ones Rin and Miu told me that I was suppose to finish off... Well, this should be fun.
He stuck the coal piece in his pocket and left the mine.

The wind started to whip harder, like a storm approaching.  

[Elemental_Fighter]

Alex then walked over to the desk and rang the desk bell. The owner then came around the corner and shocked to see the same man from earlier.

~"I hear the taxes were so high, you couldn't pay your rent here. Am I right?"

The shocked owner said, " wha, what do you want?"

~"I also hear the rooms here are so expensive and they cost 200,000 euros, but how can I pay for a room when they are so expensive."

"What are you getting at?" The owner was beginning to get stern.

~"Well, this paper in my pocket here is so heavy."

Alex made a gesture as if the paper was weighing him down.

"What, are you trying to bride me like the mayor always does?"

~"These papers here are the proceeds to this town, It means I am the owner of this town, right now. But these paper are so heavy, and being a traveler with the company I am with, I won't have anything to do with them."

"Come on, get on with it."

~"The lining on these papers are gold trimmed, and the type of papers they are, I would say they they are worth...hmmm.... around 200,000 euros."

"What! A you kidding me!"

~"I say because we are travelers and the rooms are 200,000 euros that I give this to you and you give us a room and we call it an even trade. What do you say?"

The astonished and shocked owner took the papers cautiously. "Thanks..... I don't know what to say.............Here. This is the key to room 113. The room is down the hall on the left......Enjoy your stay....."

Alex and Lynette went to the room. The owner was still stunned that he was now the owner of Sootwell.  

[Amaranthix]

Lynette followed Alex down the hall, giving a smile and salute to the owner while passing him.

-"Well that worked exceptionally well."  

[Elemental_Fighter]

Alex used the key and unlocked the door.

~"Yeah. The funny thing is is that no money was involved."

He then opened the door and walked in.

~"I wonder if the mayor will ever realize he was swindled."

Alex then took a look around the room. He walked over to a chair and sat down in it.