Citycruisiing!! .-. And some integration from earlier parts of the story!

I tried new ways to express the Environment, so if any sentences or descriptions feel badly worded or plain confusing, don't hesitate to tell!

Ps. Sorry for the slow progress, I just feel that some of these things will be important later on, which means they need to be fleshed out '-'

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Chapter 7:

Ret'Iva

*Live Long, and Prosper*

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"...Halt!"

Eriss didn't really understand the words that was said by one of the two guards stationed outside the gate to Ret'iva, but judging by the motion of his hand, it would most likely be something akin to an inspection. They stood there, under the rain, clad in some kind of raincoat on top of the heavy looking chainmail, along with a sword -sitting in its respective scabbard on each of the mens hips- which became visible once the second guard had lift his right hand above his head, holding a lantern, which in turn caused a frightened reaction from the girl drenched by the rainy evening.

'Oh shit! What if they see what we look like!?'

But what a baseless worry that was, as the old man... Gherd, decided to shout out into the rain, with the same gibberish words Eriss had heard earlier before capture.

"Our caravan was attacked on the road! We are the sole survivors of this cruel evening, and wish right now only for a place to sleep, warm ourselves from this terrible weather and somewhere to eat! Where is your nearest inn?!"

The first guard turned in order to look back at the one holding the lantern. None of their facial expressions could be seen under each's hood, but the first guard's voice carried a slight worry as he replied to the old man.

"Your ordeals must have been heavy, but currently there have been sayings of a demon lord waking up, so we may not let you in without the identification papers! I am personally sorry for the hassle!"

Gherd kept silent after the guard's gibberish ended. It was hard for Eriss to question why, but looking at the old man's cheek that was still visible to her, she realized something ridiculous must have been mentioned. It had only been a few seconds since the guard and Gherd got silent -which felt like an eternity, as the cold rain kept pouring down- before the whole atmosphere turned a little bit eerie. But the smell of moist earth reached Eriss, and she couldn't help but feel slightly relaxed in the fresh, natural air that always seemed to appear during and after a downpour.

Gherd seemed to run out of patience, though -as his jaw suddenly tensed up- and decided to continue their conversation.

"Guard..."

"Hahh...Yes, sir?"

"You believe a demon lord, a being strong enough to destroy a kingdom, would travel on a horse carriage? In this weather, no less? In fact, five  of them?"

"..."

"...Well?"

"We'll let you in immediately, sir! Sorry for the inconvenience!"

Eriss had no idea what just happened, but looking at the dumbfounded faces of the guards once their carriage got closer to the gate, she knew that whatever was said in the rain, the five of them wouldn't be in any trouble. At least for now. She decided she would ask later, though. Right now a shelter from the rain was more important.

The wind didn't blow inside the town, as surprising as Eriss had thought it was at first, and only a concentrated smell of fresh, damp air came from above. It was then the girl saw something she hadn't noticed from the outside which boggled her even more.

"Wha-"

"Quite interesting huh? Ret'iva used to be the subject of conquest many times in the past because of how close it is to the bordering countries, and so they deployed a barrier to protect the town. As a result It became a peaceful place for trading."

'This is a freaking city! It's a city, isn't it!? Just how large are ACTUAL cities in this world, then!?'

From outside the gate, a few buildings seemed to be the only thing within the stonewalls -seemingly abandoned- but once inside, the roads were bustling with humans: short, tall, tails and ears!?, and some that looked as short as the children, yet had an adult air around them. Eriss knew that if they would be described from one of the fantasy novels she had read at home, they would be called just like one from a story like that.

Dwarves.

Enormous activity between what looked like three different races on the roads was not all that changed from the outer appearance. Aside from the ordinary stone houses and some made of clay that she had seen in the first town, large buildings made of some smooth-looking -but hard- white material were reaching up towards the sky, which should've been visible from miles away, yet Eriss hadn't seen a single one during the trip. The size of the "town" could not be measured from where she stood right now, but from the looks of the entrance district in front of her, this was only a small part of everything.

Looking up from where the fresh smell had protruded from, the stunned girl saw a blue, very thin-looking, and almost transparent husk cover it all. No rain fell, and no strong gusts of wind. Only a mild damp smell here and there, and a tranquil atmosphere, came from above.

"I'm dreaming..."

Gherd chuckled at the rather late but appropriate response. It was the first time Eriss had heard him laugh. She had always seen him smile, but a laugh never followed. It suited him, though, compared to the sad face he had given to the twins before.

"Hahah! This is definitely reality! I remember the first time I- No that's not important right now... Let's go find the nearest inn to warm ourselves! I'm sure that I am not the only one starving, right?"

A simple nod was given by everyone present. Eriss, the two ten year old twins with red eyes, the middle-aged woman that seemed to be familiar with this place, and lastly, Gherd, in acknowledgement of the others' nodding.

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The stone roads were full with activity, yet they were still wide enough to fit numerous carriage even with so many beings around. After travelling for roughly five minutes, Eriss had had her focus the entire time on what existed on the ground level: Large white buildings, smaller houses made of clay, some of stone, and a lot of merchant stalls set up along the road, selling bread, cheese, chicken... Some rings, necklaces, jewelry in general... But no weapons or armor. It seemed they were only made and sold through a blacksmith.

The only thing left that caught her attention, was the red beads of light that seemingly floated above them. It reminded her of the fireflies in the forest, although not as strongly lit. Eriss felt like she could just stare at them for hours upon hours. They looked beautiful as they innocently floated in the air. When she looked at them, a feeling of serenity, comfort -a sense that everything would be alright- filled her. It felt like...

"...That there is still hope around here, somewhere. Right?" Gherd chipped in, as he looked at the girl that was lost in thoughts with a quivering mouth and glossy eyes, ready to cry any second. "They're one of the reason that Ret'iva has its name. They've existed around these parts for as long as mankind have been walking upon the continents of An'ir."

Snapping out of her trance, Eriss saw that they had stopped, and the three others beside Gherd and her, had already descended upon ground. They were already in front of a large building that reminded her somehow about different taverns that existed inside the game she used to play online. She didn't say anything, as the five drenched existances walked into the tavern, but her red face showed clear signs of embarrassment under another tinge of red that the rain had caused to the cold travellers.

Walking through the opened door, another level of warmth hit Eriss, which was much welcome to her cold skin. Around the ground level it was full of humans and dwarves. Some were clad in various kinds of leather with leather scabbards on their hips or their lower back, while others were simply wearing a robe with either a book or a wooden stick placed nearby, and a third group wore normal attire and nothing besides that.

As normal as this world seemed to allow, at least. Red, black, green or white shirts with an equally colored pair of shorts. No sense of fashion at all...

But Eriss couldn't really complain as the oversized white dress was already too heavy with all the accumulating water it seemed to have absorbed.

"...Hey... Have you guys heard? You know... About that..."

"Yeah... They say that the three of them just simply popped up in the middle of the Count's living room, all eyes devoid of any hope, while muttering: 'Demon... Lord... Help...'. Some scary rumors, I tell ya'."

"I heard the kid and wife had already kicked the bucket when they arrived..."

'...What are they saying? Got to ask Gherd sometime, he seems to know a lot of things.'

Eriss snapped up a conversation in the corner of the room. Although she didn't know what they had said, the message sounded eerie, like when the guard had talked with Gherd before. Then she realized something crucial.

"Hey Gherd! How do we-"

"Hello and welcome to Red Moon Inn, how may I help you?"

"Ah, yes. Two rooms, one for three, and one for two, please... And a bath for all with a set of simple clothing."

'Gheeeerd! The moneeyyyy! How do we rent a room without moneeyyy!?'

The panicked girl quickly looked back and forth between the receptionist and Gherd as they talked in the idioEasily understandable language. Then, the receptionist simply smiled as she bent down under the counter, and came back up with five sets of white 'simple' attire and afterwards handed Gherd two gigantic keys. Eriss had a bad feeling about it.

"Gherd. Hey, Gherd! How did you get us the rooms!? You didn't sell my body or anything, did you!?"

"Nothing of the sort! I wouldn't have it in me to... No, but I told her our story, and gave us a night for free. Breakfast included."

"THAT WORKS!?" All other sounds broke into silence as Eriss voice filled the room. Embarrassed for the second time tonight, she waved with her hands, trying to get the onlookers to mind their own business again, before she said in a significantly quieter voice towards the old magician. "...That works!?".

The old man chuckled as the five of them walked up the stairs to the second floor. They stopped in front of two doors as Gherd handed one set of clothes each to the middle-aged woman and then to Eriss, followed by a key.

"This is our rooms for the night. Now go and take that bath, I'll bring something to eat in a bit, although it might just be a loaf of bread, but it will do until tomorrow morning."

"How do you always seem to know so much?"

The sudden question surprised Gherd, but the look on his face then turned into a smile as he looked at Eriss.

"I'll tell you after we've eaten. Now go and get clean."

Doing as she was told, the rest of the evening went by quickly, as she finally got to wear something warm -and incredibly comfortable compared to the oversized dress- around her body. As they ate, the group sat inside the larger room that was for three, and once after the 'meal', Eriss decided to ask again.

"How... Do you know so much?"

"Ah... well... It is rather late tonight, so tomorrow would be a better day. But... You remember the name of this town, yes?"

"Ret'iva?"

"Yes. That name is in ancient tongue, which nobody really knows who created. But in your case, it seems to hold something... Else... The real name behind it is..."

With the last words, Eriss and the middle-age woman went to their room to sleep. As Eriss laid in her bed, she repeated the words in her mind, before she closed her eyes to sleep.

'To live long... And prosper...'