-CHAPTER 12-

Seeing such a beautiful sunrise made us not even notice, but we had found a clearing. That meant there was a good chance people would be near. Thus we trekked on in search of a settlement.

However, we were stopped quite quickly. We found a man. Excitedly,, we hid behind a tree.

We observed the lonesome man from afar. He collected water from a well, and continued behind a building. Keshet signaled for us to follow him.

I hid in Keshet’s shadow, peeking out from behind him to watch where the man went. At one point, Keshet put his arm out to stop us from blindly following the man.

“Do you see that?” Keshet said, pointing to a small building. It didn’t blend into the surroundings in the slightest. The building looked fake, like it was painted onto a scenery with a different artstyle, because it was so out of place. “He just went in there.” We got closer, and eventually stood parallel with the front door of the building.

It was loud, we could all hear people talking inside the building.

“Let’s have one of us go in, since Naomi doesn’t have a hood to hide her eyes.” I suggested.

“Good idea. You should go ahead.”

“Alright. I’ll report back in a little bit. If I don’t come back, don’t charge in there after me, okay?”

“That sounds like a very me thing to do.” Keshet said, sarcastically. “But noted.”

I thought about peering through the doors first, but they were two heavy, push-style doors. I would have been noticed if I tried to look inside beforehand. I would be written off as the suspicious guy in the purple cloak before I even got inside the building.

So, left without any other options, I squared up to the door and burst through.

A silent set of eyes picked me apart. I stood in their range, withstanding the pressure from such intense stares.

After a moment, when the eyes saw fit, they wandered back to where they were. Now, free to observe my new environment, I took a look around the building.

It was a bar, with a soft red light to illuminate it. Around the walls hung all sorts of imagery. People with instruments, people with pets, detailed photos of alcohol.

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The whole bar felt like the walls were closing in. Crushed in with 4 others, I felt awkward for not saying anything. Thus, I retreated further into my hood.

The 4 others were large men, fitted with ripped clothes, revealing their muscles bursting through.

Timidly, I went to grab a seat at the bar.

“Want a drink?” The bartender offered.

“No thank you. I don’t drink.”

“Want a bite?” He prowled further,

“No thank you.”

“Oh you’re kidding me, just take it, it’s on me.”

“It’s really fine…” I tried to say, waving my arms.

“That’s not okay.” The bartender pointed to my arm, wrapped tightly, but still covered in dry blood. “You aren’t from around here… You wrestle with a bear or something?”

“I’m just passing through. Can you tell me how to get to Crater?”

The men laughed. The one on my direct left piped up.

“You want to get to Crater? Boy, that’s one hell of a death wish.” The man took a shot from his glass. “We’re in the middle of f*ck-all right here. I’d be surprised if you could make it to the thin-capped mountains by yourself.”

“Where are those?” I asked. The room let out a collective gasp. The bartender was the only one to answer honestly.

“We’re currently in the white plains.” He hunched over, and grabbed a map from under the counter. He pointed to our location. “And directly east is Crater. Between us is a large mountain range called the, ‘Thin Capped Mountains.’”

“Alright. Thank you.” I said, turning my shoulder to get up and leave.

“Wait!” The bartender said, grasping my shoulder. I was startled, and looked back. “If you’re serious… No, you can’t go. It’s too dangerous.”

“What do you mean, ‘dangerous?’” I asked.

“Out there… Beyond this point… There are many dangerous creatures. Demons your little mind couldn’t even imagine. They’ll rip you apart out there. Please. Turn back now. Before it’s too late.”

“I don’t have the luxury of turning back.” I thought to myself. “Thank you, but no thank you.” I coldly stated to the bartender, slipping the man’s hand off my shoulder. Having extracted the information I needed, I went off towards the door. When my hands were placed on the handles, the bartender called out to me one last time.

“Just about half a day’s walk south of here is a village called Plain Point. Go to the bar by the inn and talk to Adir. Tell him Abram sent you!”

The door shut behind me, and I peeked around the corner to find Naomi and Keshet.

“How did it go?” Keshet eagerly asked.

“South.” I stated. “We’re going south.”