Aina

Aina's eyes opened, squinting through the sunlight that filtered into the cart. The cart below her shook gently, meaning the driver had packed up and continued traveling while she was asleep. Her butt was sore from sitting on the hard wood instead of lying down, and a chill had crept into her bones. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she tried to sit up but felt a weight on her shoulder. Looking over, she saw Aike's sleeping form leaning towards her, his head resting on her shoulder. A faint orange light glowed from beneath his eyelids, visible even though his eyes were mostly closed.

Aina stared for a moment, attempting to remember the events of the previous night. She remembered giving him the stew, but her recollection was fuzzy after that. Aina's heartbeat grew a bit quicker. She wasn't used to such close contact with other people, especially since she had spent the majority of her time locked in the palace. Taking a deep breath to compose herself, she stood abruptly, causing Aike's head to fall to the floor.

"Augh! What the-" Aike stammered as he was shaken awake, looking around in confusion.

"Wake up, we're on the road again," Aina said, looking down at him, "You need to eat something, or you won't heal properly. You can sleep after breakfast"

"Buh?" Aike whined, his words slurring as he looked around blindly. His eyes gave off a soft glow, rather than their usual bright one. It was as if they lacked the energy to glow any brighter, mirroring his current half-asleep state.

Sighing aloud, Aina moved to the corner of the cart where the food was kept. Looking inside, it contained only the most basic of rations. Mostly hardtack, with strips of jerky and various pouches of dehydrated fruits for sugar. The only fresh food they had had already been eaten a few days ago. Keeping it any longer than that was risking mold or spoiled food. Unfortunately for them, the next few days would have to be preserved goods for every meal. That is, if they didn't catch an animal or find some wild vegetables along the way. Aina made a mental note to keep an eye out for anything they could eat, and produced the ingredients they would need for breakfast.

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Aike

Shame rested on Aike's shoulders like a cloak that had soaked in the rain. It dragged his shoulders down, and made his face flush hot with embarrassment whenever he remembered the events of a few nights ago. He had never cried like that in front of a stranger before, which made it difficult to meet Aina's gaze.

Over the past few days of travel, he had grown used to her deadpan way of talking and carrying herself. In some ways, it made it easier for him to be in her presence. If she had been bright and cheerful like Claire is- or was -then Aike wasn't sure he would have been able to handle it mentally. He had come to realize that her being cold and rude was usually used to hide whatever her real intentions were. In all honestly, Aike had gotten pretty good at reading her emotions based on her eyes alone. Despite how stony-faced she was, her eyes remained expressive.

"Even so, it's kind of a pain," Aike muttered aloud.

"What's a pain?" Aina asked, turning around and looking over her shoulder at him.

She had been elbow deep in a crate, looking for some blankets or other thick pieces of cloth. She had been complaining about the cold recently, though it didn't bother Aike as much. As she turned to speak to him, she had a thick looking red blanket in one hand.

"N-nothing," Aike said, stowing away his rude thoughts towards his traveling companion, "Just that my wounds haven't really closed up yet"

"Well, we'll be reaching the village soon," Aina said, pulling the blanket from the crate and throwing it around her shoulders with a flourish, "Once we're able to stop and rest in one spot, it should be easier for you to recover. Especially if we can get together some real food instead of dried meat and fruits"

Aike looked out the cart's opening, watching the dark green grass on either side of the road roll away from him. Near Highmaw, the plains were drier and more monotone, but the grass on the eastern edge of the empire was lush and green. Icy morning dew clung to the leaves, and the smell of fresh rainfall hung in the air. The wind wasn't as frequent or as strong as it was in Highmaw, but it carried an icy chill from the eastern ocean as it blew inland. Due to their orientation, the cart's covering kept out the most of the wind, but it still chilled the air around them.

Aina, now shielded from the cold by the thick wool, sat down and procured the small leather pouch filled with coins. Counting them out, there was a small fortune of precious metals. Each of the coins were rough around their edges, signs of the stamps and hammers used to mint each one by hand. A small hole perforated their centers, allowing large numbers of them to be strung together. Aike watched as Aina counted out thirty-seven copper coins, twenty-three silver ones, and fifteen gold. The gold coins were unique, and had been carefully trimmed around the edges to make them uniform, likely to minimize wasted gold. They also lacked a hole in their center, since nobody aside from nobles carried more than two or three of them at a time.

To Aike, the gold was alien. Throughout his life, he had never held gold in his hand, and silver only rarely. Due to their situation, any money he and Claire had earned was quickly spent on their daily necessities and Claire's equipment. Aike had never had the chance to have anything like an allowance, and had never purchased anything aside from necessities. When Aike glanced at the coins as they glittered in the sunlight, all he could think of was the amount of food they could purchase, and how long they could survive with the coins they had. Luxuries were the furthest thing from his mind in that moment.

"Quite a bit you have there," Aike admired, "We could survive off of that much for like, two years?"

"If you spent it wisely, then yes," Aina answered, confirming the count of each type of coin as she returned them to the pouch, "Though we'll be parting with five gold to pay for the cart, and another ten is going to the demon hunter in the village. Just in case, keep your eyes peeled for anyone that might try to swipe it."

Aike gulped. He had never had to worry about being robbed before, he never carried anything of any value aside from his jacket. Not to mention, he was still covered in wounds, and his ribs had only barely begun to heal. If they were robbed, he wasn't sure if he could do much.

"I don't know how much help I'll be in a fight though," Aike said, glancing at Aina as she tied the pouch shut, "What about you?"

"I have my knife, but we should probably try to avoid direct combat if we can," she said, slipping the pouch under the blanket as she tied it to her belt. She wrapped the pouch tightly, so the coins didn't jingle as the pouch swung around, "If someone does try to rob us, just remember that our priority is to escape, not fight"

Aike nodded, he wasn't in any shape to fight anyway, though it frustrated him that he couldn't even protect himself. Looking out the cart's opening once more, he gazed in the direction of Highmaw, now a few hundred miles away. They had been traveling sixteen or so hours a day for six days, moving at a slightly quicker pace than normal. From what Aike had heard in Highmaw, it usually took merchants over a week and a half to make the trip as part of a caravan. From Aike's perspective, their journey had been a quick one.

"How well can we trust this demon hunter in the village?" Aike asked, keeping his eyes on the road behind them.

"I don't know," she replied, making Aike look over at her with a worried expression, "I heard that he's old, so I'm hoping that also means experienced. We'll need to keep our pasts a secret, just in case he's interested in whatever bounty the Empress has put out for us."

Aike grimaced at the mention of the Empress, and his stomach turned at the thought of her subordinates chasing them down so soon.

Suddenly, the cart shook as it pulled to a stop, a voice calling out to them from the front, "Alright you two, the village is just up ahead!"

Aina took a deep breath, visible in the chilled air, and stood. Aike followed suit, using the walls of the cart to support his weight as he did. The two of them moved to the back edge, dropping onto the wet and muddy road with a splash that stained their clothes with wet earth. Moving around the cart, the small nameless village came into view.

It was called a village, but only thirteen buildings stood in the area. Each was small, and were distinct from each other. Most of the buildings were crafted from logs, wooden shutters covering the windows instead of the much more expensive glass that was common in cities. The streets, muddy and unpaved, were empty so early in the morning. They could hear a dog barking somewhere in the distance. Each of the buildings sported chimneys of different lengths and widths, spewing the thick smoke of a wood fire into the air. The smell of baking bread lingered in the area, even from a few dozen yards away.

The area gave off a comfortable feeling, like it had been tucked away in the corner of the world, away from all of the troubles of city life. In the distance, massive trees formed a wall along the eastern edge of the village, their tops visibly growing taller as the forest spread north. As far as Aike remembered, it was the southernmost tip of the demon's forest, so it shouldn't have anything too dangerous in it. Even so, the sight of the forest so close to the village was worrying.

"This is it," Aina said, her eyes sharpening with purpose as she examined the buildings, "Remember, stay calm, keep your words vague"

Aike just nodded, following Aina as she approached the front of the cart. Pulling out a few coins, she handed them to the driver while Aike turned to watch the village. He couldn't help but wonder if the people here lived happy lives.

"If Claire and I had moved to a village like this...," Aike wondered to himself, feeling that now familiar wave of grief begin to wash over him once more.

"Aike, let's get going," her words shook him from his thoughts as she began moving towards the village, "Stay close, we don't know what kinds of people live here just yet"

With the sound of his reins flicking, the driver pulled the cart around, leading the horse back in the direction they had traveled from. Looking back, Aike watched as he waved to them, the cart growing further and further away. Turning back to look at Aina, she walked towards the village with purpose. Having to jog a bit to catch up, Aike struggled to walk in the mud, and his various wounds ached from the stress.

The pair entered the village, each of them staying alert for anyone else. As Aike was looking at the various flowers planted in front of one of the homes, he heard the splashing footsteps of someone growing closer, and quickly. He looked up just in time to see someone run around a building in front of him and turn, colliding with Aike and throwing both of them to the ground. Clenching his teeth as he struck the mud, he managed to keep himself from crying out with the pain. His ribs ached, and some of his wounds had begun to bleed again.

"Dammit!" Aike grunted, looking down at the mud now caked into his bandages and skin, "Watch where you're-!"

Aike stopped abruptly when he saw the other person. She was small, smaller than both Aina and himself. She could have been as young as eleven or twelve years old. She wore a simple single-piece dress, its front covered by a now muddy apron of rough fabric. Her dark chocolate hair had been cut short to the shoulders, the ends uneven and choppy. Her skin was a darker color as well, a tanned color similar to her hair. A smattering of freckles decorated her round face, mostly gathered around her cheeks and nose. As she grimaced from the pain, she suddenly looked up as if she just now realized that what she had crashed into had been a person. Her hazel eyes grew wide in panic, then to confusion as she realized that the people in front of her were unfamiliar.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

"I'm so- huh?" she began, but her eyes went wide as she met Aike's gaze.

"Shit!" Aike exclaimed, his hand flying to his face, covering his eyes.

Aina stepped forward abruptly, blocking her line of sight and holding out a hand to help her up.

"Sorry about that, are you alright?" she said, her honeyed words and expression causing the girl's jaw to drop in awe.

It probably wasn't often that visitors entered this village, and even less often that they were as eye-catching as Aina was. Even Aike had to admit that she was beautiful, though he would never dare say it aloud. In this little corner of the Empire, Aike was sure she would draw plenty of attention, hopefully enough to make his eyes seem less unique compared to her.

"I-I'm a-alright!" the girl stammered, half shouting her words as she regained her composure, "I just- I hope I didn't hurt you"

She held her hand out to help Aike up, but when he didn't take her hand immediately she recoiled a bit.

"Oh I suppose you wouldn't-" she began, but stopped when Aike reached out and took her hand.

"It's fine," he said, grunting as he stood with her help, "It was an accident, so forget it"

To tell the truth, he was still in quite a bit of pain, and his annoyance at her clumsiness hadn't completely faded, but he didn't want to anger anyone if he didn't have to. Swallowing his discomfort, he did his best to smile.

Judging by her reaction, he didn't do a very good job of it.

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Aina

Aike was grimacing like he was in pain... was he trying to smile? Aina sighed mentally at his stiff expression, looking at the village girl as she smiled and laughed awkwardly. Aina mentally made a note not to let Aike do any more talking than was necessary.

"You aren't hurt, are you?" Aina asked, making sure to sound friendly.

"No, I'm fine, thank you," she smiled, she still seemed a bit on edge around Aike, likely because of his eyes. Aina hoped she would chalk it up to strangers being strange and forget about it.

"Well, that's good," she said, holding out a hand to shake with the village girl, "We were hoping to meet with a demon hunter we heard was living in this village, do you know where we can find him?"

Her eyes widened when Aina explained their purpose for visiting, "Oh, you mean Mr. Kleiner? He lives on the edge of the forest outside of town, I can show you there if you'd like! Oh, and my name is Mocha, it's so nice to meet you"

Aina cringed inwardly. This girl, Mocha, was so outgoing and kind. She was the opposite of someone like Aina, who preferred to avoid talking to people if she could help it. If possible she didn't want to get too close to anyone in the village, but she could tell that Mocha was likely going to be an issue. A moment, later, Mocha confirmed Aina's fears.

"It's not often we get visitors here, I'd be glad if we could be friends while you're visiting!" she exclaimed, a warm smile across her face.

"I don't kno-," Aike began, but Aina cut him off before he could say anything unnecessary.

"Absolutely!" Aina said, a little too loud as she sneakily stepped on Aike's foot, "I'm glad we could meet someone so nice here"

Aike flinched, throwing a confused look at Aina. She did her best to send him a message with her eyes, telling him to leave it to her. After a moment, Aike turned away from the two of them and began scraping the mud off of himself.

Aina had picked her words carefully, doing her best to get a read on the girl's personality as she spoke. Luckily she chose correctly, Mocha beamed at them, seemingly oblivious to the silent conversation between Aike and herself. To Aina, she seemed like the kind of girl who didn't have lot of self-esteem, which made her easy to manipulate. As long as she could keep up the friendly act, she would have one ally in the village. Aina knew this type, as long as she felt needed by those close to her, she would stay happy. So far, it had gone well.

"By the way, I just wanted to welcome you to Vellingen," Mocha said, radiating pride in the humble village.

"Vellingen? I thought the village didn't have a name," Aike asked, carefully scraping mud from his bandages and throwing it to the ground.

"Oh, the village was named recently, so I guess the name hasn't spread around just yet," she said, looking a little sheepish as she began to clean to mud off of herself as well, "It isn't like we make anything big here, aside from the odd herbs or something"

"I see, that's interesting," Aina said, already beginning to worry about the village becoming any more known than it already is, "Anyway, could you point us in the direction of Mr. Kleiner's home?"

"Oh, I- um," Mocha stammered for a moment, looking guilty, "Sorry, I was actually on my way back home. I can't keep my mother waiting for me"

"That's alright, could you at least point us in the right direction?" Aina asked, making sure to seem slightly sad that the girl couldn't help them immediately. This should make her more likely to help them the next time they asked.

Mocha looked a bit apologetic, but still smiled, "Mr. Kleiner's home is just inside the forest there, about half a mile or so. If you keep the house with the tallest chimney at your back, you just need to walk straight there," she explained, pointing towards the forest to the east of the village.

"Alright then, we'll be sure to find him," Aina said, smiling at Mocha again, "Thanks for the help, I hope we see each other again soon"

"For sure, bye!" Mocha said, stepping around them and beginning to jog through the muddy streets once more.

"He lives in the demon's forest!?" Aike exclaimed once Mocha was out of earshot, "We'll probably get eaten before we even make it there!"

Aina turned to look at Aike. His backside was still covered in mud, and he looked half-dead. His eyes were slightly sunken, and his skin had grown partially pale. He was likely using all of his energy to heal, and having a bad diet only seemed to make his condition worse. Aina wasn't an apothecary, but she knew that real food would help him more than rations. With that in mind, they really only had a couple of choices. Either they stay in the village while Aike heals, or risk the forest and have him heal there.

"We can't exactly stay here. The village is too close-knit," Aina began to explain, keeping her voice quiet enough that only Aike could hear, "If someone came looking for us, we'd be too easy to find out here. The forest is safer, not even the army would go in there"

"So what? Does that mean this Mocha kid is trying to get us killed?" Aike asked, glancing back in the direction the girl had run in with an angry look on his face.

"I doubt it. The villagers here probably don't know how dangerous the forest can be," Aina said, beginning to move out of the village and towards the forest's edge, "If that demon hunter has been keeping the village safe for that long, then I'd wager that he's pretty strong. At least a three star."

"Three stars, huh?" Aike said, following behind Aina, "So not as strong as Claire then"

The air between them grew quiet as they walked. Aina didn't need to turn around to know that he was grieving. It was at times like this that Aina knew to stay quiet. Aike wasn't the type of person who needed any pity, not from her. Even so, she began to worry about whether he could actually begin to pull his own weight.

"Remember, stay quiet in the forest," Aina instructed, closing in on the forest's edge, "Mr. Kleiner might be keeping the village safe, but we don't know if we'll run into something he missed"

Aike didn't answer, but she could hear him take a deep breath to steady himself. Taking that as her confirmation, she dove into the forest's embrace.

The trees towered over her, each pine over one hundred feet tall. Their trunks were as wide around as the homes in the village were, their bark covered in old scars. The scent of pine sap filled the forest, their roots intertwining across the forest floor to make an uneven and rough terrain. Due to the soft green moss that grew across the forest floor, the roots and fallen logs molded together to make an uneven and moist green carpet, tiny white flowers blooming in spots of sunlight across the moss.

"Demon trees," Aike whispered aloud, "First time I've ever seen them in person"

"The trees are demons?" Aina asked, turning back to whisper at Aike.

"Not really, but they've absorbed tons of magic like demons do," he explained, glancing around for any signs of life as he spoke, "The magic mutates them to be huge, but since they don't absorb as much as the demons do, they don't demonize"

Aina swallowed and looked up at the trees, imagining what they would look like if they did demonize. A chill ran down her back as she nodded at Aike, then held a finger up to her lips for silence. Turning away, she continued to sneak through the forest, the moss below squishing with each step.

She did her best to keep her hears open for any signs of life. Occasionally the sound of birds or small rodents echoed through the forest, though even those sounds made Aina want to stop and stay quiet. She never knew which sounds were made by normal creatures and which were made by demons. For all she knew, they could sound the same.

"I bet Aike could tell the difference," Aina thought to herself, glancing back at him as she moved.

He was staying quiet and looking around nervously. Occasionally she could see his ears twitch slightly, as if he was reacting to the sounds of the forest. Despite their current circumstances, Aina found it amusing. It wasn't enough to make her laugh, but she felt a smile spread across her face against her will. Rubbing her cheeks to get rid of the expression, she looked ahead once more to focus herself. They still had a long distance to travel, this was no time to let her guard down.

The two of them moved through the forest as quietly as they could, stopping whenever the sounds of wildlife grew too close for comfort. Aina knew they were likely being too cautious, since the villagers didn't seem to fear the area, but she wanted to be safe rather than sorry. For all she knew, the villagers had just gotten lucky so far. After more than half an hour of sneaking, Aina's knees hurt, and the forest seemed as peaceful as it had always been. Eventually, Aina could see a gap in the trees ahead. Motioning to Aike to follow, she stood and moved faster than before. Leaving the trees behind, they stepped into a clearing in the trees.

Packed and dry dirt filled the area in a two hundred foot diameter. The ground was artificially leveled, and a large cabin stood off to one edge of the clearing. It was low and wide, easily larger than any of the buildings in the village. Next to it sat a simple lean-to, stacks of cut logs stacked underneath it to keep the rain out. On the opposite side of the clearing, a small twisting oak tree with shimmering white leaves grew out over a small pond. The leaves fell slowly, like rain, and coated the surface of the pond. Aside from those two points of interest, the clearing was mostly empty, the odd tool or bucket lying somewhere across the area.

Turning to look at Aike, who didn't seem to be injured any more than normal, they both nodded and moved towards the large cabin.

"Let me do the talking," Aina ordered, undoing the knife at her belt and refastening it beneath her coat to keep it hidden, "I'll try to do what I can, but if it seems like he's untrustworthy, we'll run"

"You think we can escape from a three star?" Aike said with mock humor, "We'd have a better chance surviving in the forest"

"We won't know until we try," Aina said, feeling uneasy as they approached the door. She hesitated for a moment, then knocked twice, "Hello!? We're looking for a man named Mr. Kleiner!"

There were a few moments of silence, then the door jerked open. The rattling of metal and the abrupt stop of the doorway told her it had been chained. Peeking out through the gap in the door, a wrinkled and sharp eye looked down at them.

"Wh- kids?" a voice asked, gravelly and deep, "What do you want? Where are your parents?"

"I'm sorry sir, but we're both orphans from Cataria," Aina began, trying to seem pitiful, "This is my brother, and we traveled here in hope of a new start. It's been our dream to become demon hunters, so we'd like to ask you to train us. We were able to scrape together some money to pay you with, if you'll accept it"

With that, Aina brought out the small pouch and held it in her palm. Despite the coins within being gold, it looked small and pitiful. The man's eye looked over the two of them for a moment, then the door slammed shut in their faces.

"Wha-!?" Aike began, but was cut off when the door opened fully a moment later.

The man standing there was old, likely in his early eighties, but he looked as sharp and deadly as a blade. His shoulders were wide, and his back straight. He was wearing simple leathers, a vest, and work pants, yet his muscles pressed against the clothing, which made them seem more defined. His hair was a shock of silver, cut short on the sides and slightly longer across the top. His face was sharp as well, his steely eyes looking down at them like they were just the latest problem he would have to deal with among many.

Aina's immediate impression of him was just one word, steel. She didn't know him well at all, but she had developed her ability for reading people well. He seemed like a serious person, one who wouldn't give in easily. He was the worst kind of person for Aina to face, since they usually saw through her lies.

Looking down at them, his gaze swept over to and stopped on Aike, examining him closely, "Well then, I guess it's about that time then"

"Uh-," Aike stammered, looking up at him with an intimidated look on his face.

"You know how to fight? Either of you?" he asked, stepping out of the cabin and closing the door behind him.

"A- a little, yes," Aina said, stammering slightly. She needed to compose herself, "We know the basics, but unfortunately we were attacked on th-"

"You can keep the made up stories," he said, shifting his steely eyes down towards Aina, "You two came from the capital, right?"

"Run!" Aina shouted, drawing her dagger and thrusting it out towards the old man. She didn't intend for it to do any damage, but she hoped she could slow him down while they ran. To do that, she aimed for his thigh.

There was a flash of movement, and Aina found herself on the ground. Her wrist hurt, and her knife was gone.

"Sloppy, you put too much weight behind a single strike" he said, dropping the knife so it landed next to Aina.

"Hey!" Aike shouted from somewhere behind her. Turning to look, she saw him charge the old man, "Get back!"

Placing one hand on Aike's forehead, he smoothly stepped aside and guided him into the door behind him. With a loud impact that sent nearby birds scattering, Aike struck the door face first and collapsed to the ground.

"You said you knew the basics, but you can barely even keep your feet beneath you," he lectured, stepping over Aike's squirming body and moving through the now open cabin door.

His footsteps receded into the cabin, leaving the two of them alone in the dirt, "Well? If you want to learn how to survive, then get in here"

Looking over at Aike, who was clutching at his nose as he writhed in pain, Aina sighed aloud.

"What did I just get us into?"