The few cheers of joy were quickly extinguished by the hushing of the gate guards as the gates rumbled open as wide as they could. Every resident of Haven was gathered by the gates, lining both sides of the road, clearing the way as we started to drag and push the sled through the gates onto the main street. The crowd could only watch in silent awe as the lifeless mountain of flesh and fur that was the bloodbeast, barely fitting atop the sled and nearly as big as the surrounding buildings, was pulled into town, eventually coming to a stop in the middle of the road in front of the armoury.

With all eight of us now back inside the village, the gates began to close behind us. A few people shot some worried or horrified looks at me, covered in blood as I was, but everyone’s eyes were on the bloodbeast. At the head of the crowd, standing in front of the beast, were the four members of Haven’s council that stayed in Haven after Rann set off with the expedition team. They watched on in silence as the gates thumped and groaned against each other, coming to rest.

The Chief, holding her staff, stepped forward, as Rann and Rob stepped to the sides, with Rann beside me. She places her hand on the bloodbeast’s nose, looking up at it.

Then, Anton and Tiff came forward, standing either side of the Chief, glancing up and down it.

Finally, the Chief took her hand off it, giving a look to both Anton and Tiff. “Well?”

“It’s young, and looks rather healthy, notwithstanding the spear in its neck.” Anton nods.

“It looks softer than I expected… and cleaner, too. We could cover an entire house with this much fur.” Tiff smiles, nodding to the Chief.

“Good.” The Chief nods, looking at Rann. “Weapons?”

“Every arrow accounted for. The caltrops were dispelled after we were done with it. The weapons are mostly fine.” Rann responds.

“Mostly?” Ingrid says, suddenly pushing her way past Tiff and the Chief. “I see one bear spear’s still inside the bear. Where’s the other one?”

“Ah. Here.” Rann hands Ingrid the splintered half of his bear spear’s shaft. Ingrid looks almost beside herself in shock.

“How… this wood had turned as hard as steel, how did-” Ingrid starts, clutching the broken spear.

“Bloodbeast sat on it.” Rann shrugs lightly.

“Sat on it?!” She practically spits out.

“Well, fell on it. Stopped it from falling on me, though.” Rann nods thoughtfully, thanking the spear for its sacrifice.

“You can fix it, Ingrid. Any injuries? Are you going to explain why Marina’s covered in blood?” The Chief dismisses Ingrid’s flabbergasted complaints, turning to look at me. I am uh… yeah, covered in dry blood now.

“It’s the beast’s blood, mostly. The gate guard boy hit Marina with an arrow. It’s a minor wound. No one else was hurt.” Einar cuts in before Rann can answer. Rann just nods in agreement.

“The gate… Han hit Marina with an arrow?” The Chief repeats. Han was trying his hardest to pretend he didn’t exist, before Einar grabbed his arm and pulled him forwards.

“I-I… it was an accident, Chief, I swear…” Han stammers out, falling over his own words.

“Accidents happen. Work on your aim. Anything else to report?” The Chief brushes off Han’s fear, looking back at Rann.

“Other than a job well done, that’s everything.” Rann answers.

The Chief takes another look over us, the bloodbeast, and the whispering, restless crowd around us. She stamps her staff once on the ground, commanding attention to her. She glances up at the spear lodged in the bloodbeast’s neck, then looks across at me.

“I take it that was your handiwork, Marina.” She states, as everyone’s eyes focus on me.

All I can do is nod my head. She smiles, turning to face the crowd to address them.

“Anton, Tiff, get the butchers, tailors, tanner, and whomever else you need. In the coming weeks, everyone’s getting fur clothing, and tonight, we all feast on bloodbeast steak!” She orders, and is met with uproarious applause and cheers.

The crowd surges forward, wrapping around the bloodbeast. Every able-bodied man and woman moved behind it, pushing it up the street towards the markets. Children excitedly run up to and around it, touching the great and terrible beast’s fur with their tiny hands. A few try to climb it, before being scolded by the older women keeping an eye on them. Those that didn’t gather around the bloodbeast instead moved to congratulate the expedition team members, slapping them on the back, hugging them, shaking hands, throwing arms over their shoulders, giving them the hero’s welcome.

I could understand no one really wanting to approach me, given I look like I’ve murdered an entire village. I need to wash myself off. I’m heading straight to the baths…

“Marina!!” Two boys, looking in their late teens, jump out in front of me with big smiles on their faces, with Han coming up behind them. Wait, if Han’s with them, then…

“Max? Kazuma?”

“Was it really you? Did you kill the bloodbeast?” The one with green eyes asks… Max. Yeah, Max was the one with green eyes.

“It was a group effort, I just got the killing blow. It took everyone doing their absolute best to bring it down.” Be humble, Marina.

“It was you that lodged that spear in its neck, right?” The other one asks. If green eyes is Max, then this is Kazuma. I hope I’m not getting them mixed up.

“Well… yes, but Rann had speared its throat, so it was already dying.”

“You got the killing blow, though! On the bloodbeast and the carrion hawk!” Max exclaims.

“She’s like… a beast slayer! Marina the beast slayer!” Han calls.

“Han, you SHOT her. Don’t pretend that didn’t happen!” Kazuma scorns Han, who shrinks back behind them.

“It has a nice ring, though. Marina the beast slayer. Marina the beast slayer!” Max calls.

“Yeah, it does. Marina the beast slayer!” Kazuma joins in.

“Marina the beast slayer! Marina the beast slayer!” More voices call.

The crowd has quite suddenly gathered around me, as Max and Kazuma lift me up on their shoulders, all cheering my name.

“Marina the beast slayer! Marina the beast slayer! Marina the beast slayer!”

This… This is…

This is nice. I could get used to—

“Ow!”

Max’s hand brushes against the wound on my thigh, sending a jolt of pain through me. In response, my wings fly out from under my cloak to their full length, startling everyone around me and making Max and Kazuma drop me to the ground, landing square on my butt in the mud.

Ow.

“Marina! What in this hell do you idiots think you’re doing picking her up like that? She’s injured, get her back up! Tiff, go clean her up!” The Chief pushes through the crowd, with Tiff following closely behind her.

“Come on, let’s get you washed up and in some clean, warm clothes~” Tiff helps me back onto my feet, guiding me through the crowd. I’m steady enough on my feet, but my leg’s been throbbing with dull pain the whole way back.

“Clean clothes, though..? I only have one shirt…” Which is kind of an issue, given I’m the only one here with wings.

“Don’t worry about that~ Let’s just get you into a nice warm bath, mmhm~?” Tiff smiles, disarmingly as always.

A warm bath… I could just melt into a warm bath.. ehehe…

Tiff leads me up and around the corner, down Crystal Road, past the Chief’s residence and library and the schoolhouse, bringing me up to the front door of an ordinary-looking two-story house on the other side of the schoolhouse.

“Oh… is this your house, Tiff? I thought we were going to the secret baths…”

“You need your wound seen too first, and you need a proper clean and wash. You’ve more than earned the right to some relaxation today.” Tiff opens the door, bringing me into her home.

The ground floor of her home is the picture-perfect rendition of a cosy countryside cottage. A single room, with a large fireplace at the far end, with a large, old leather couch in front of it, and two more leather armchairs forming a semicircle around the fireplace. A corner of the room by the fireplace is sectioned off with a partition wall, while the other far corner is taken up by the stairs leading to the first floor. Every couch and armchair is adorned with cushions of all different designs, with a large rug in front of the fireplace, and from every window hangs uniquely coloured and patterned curtains.

Next to the partition wall is a large table, covered with loose fabrics, threads, and all the tools needed for knitting, sewing, and tailoring. Above the table hangs a black, cast-iron lamp with a glowing white orb within it, casting a pleasant soft light across the room in contrast to the warm orange glow from the fireplace. I’ve seen something like that before. My father had one, hanging from the ceiling in the main workroom back home. It was part of the payment he received from a particularly wealthy client.

“... Is that a daylight lamp?”

“How did you manage to point out the one thing in this room I didn’t make?” Tiff pouts, sounding a little hurt.

“You made everything else? Even the couches?”

“Well, I fixed the couches. The cushions, the curtains, the rug, everything is hand-made, crafted, and repaired by yours truly~” Tiff smiles, proudly putting her hand on her chest.

“I didn’t know you were this talented, Tiff.”

“I am the head craftswoman, after all. The tailors, the tanner, the blacksmith, they all chose me to represent them on the council after Yvonne, who’s now the teacher next door, stepped down. Now, let’s get those boots off, you’re not tracking mud over my nice rug.” Tiff sits me down on the bench by her door. “Once they’re off, come over behind the partition.”

Following her directions, I manage to pull my mud-caked boots off, leaving them by the door. Even just having them on for more than a day, my feet feel clammy and definitely in need of a wash. Now with my shoes off, I walk across the room, rounding the partition wall to find Tiff sitting on a stool next to a wooden tub filled with steaming, clear water.

“Ah, good. Come sit down here and get comfy so I can take a look at that wound.” Tiff smiles up at me, patting the bench beside her against the partition wall.

I sit on the bench, being careful not to lean back too much against the partition lest I knock it over. Tiff scooches up beside me, undoing the bandage on my leg, carefully taking it off. The bandage is soaked through with blood, but…

“Hmm… It’s not serious, but it looks like it’s reopened several times on your walk back. We’ll get it cleaned up and bandaged up, then you can have your bath~” Tiff smiles, undoing the button on my pants.

On my…

“W-wait, wait, I can take off my pants myself!” I splutter, hastily grabbing the waistband of my pants before Tiff starts pulling them down.

“Marinaaaa… I can’t clean it properly with your pants on.” She pouts a little for added effect.

“I-I know that, just… I’m perfectly capable of undressing myself…” I huff.

Tiff just takes her hands off and smiles at me. Fine. I’m wearing underpants, at least. I pull my pants down, having to wiggle it a bit to get it off around my shins where the mud from my boots has hardened. Gods, after wearing these for two days, it feels so good having them off…

“Hmm… quite well-fitted…” Tiff mumbles to herself, tugging at my boyshort-style panties-

“Hey!!”

“Sorry, I’m just always curious about clothes I’ve never seen before~ Now…” Tiff turns to the side, dipping a cloth in the steaming bath water, rubbing an off-white block of soap against it.

She starts wiping off my wound, cleaning the blood and dirt from it. The soap stings a little…

“Say, Tiff…”

“Yes, Marina?” She responds, focusing on cleaning off the wound.

“How am I supposed to have a bath if I’ll have a bandage on my leg? It’s kinda too far up for me to just hang my leg out the tub.”

“Ah~...” She smiles, turning and grabbing something off the bench beside her.

Stolen novel; please report.

She holds a piece of paper up to my leg, checking the size against my injury, before applying something sticky to the paper, pressing it flat against my skin and holding it down long enough that it sticks when she takes her hands away. Touching it, it feels like… baking paper, kinda? Or maybe parchment?

“This should keep the water off while you’re in the bath. Anton called it parchment paper. He uses it for baking, but it’s good for keeping wounds dry and covered, too.” She says, standing up and checking the temperature of the bath water.

“Did Anton tell you to mix some alcohol in with the soap, too…?”

“Yes, actually… I’m surprised you knew that. He said it was a recent discovery in his time. It helps prevent wounds from turning foul.” She says, turning to face me again. “I assume you won’t be bathing with your cloak on.”

“Ah…”

Slightly embarrassed, I unlatch my cloak, letting my wings slide out of it as I place the cloak beside me on the bench. My wings stay close to my sides, also trying not to accidentally knock the partition wall over.

By now, I’ve mostly gotten used to unbuttoning this shirt. It feels a bit odd having a button-up shirt with the buttons on the front and back, but it’s the only way that one can wear a shirt when they have wings.

“Marina.” Tiff says.

“Yes?”

“Arms up.” She smiles.

“Yes…?” I hold my arms up.

“And off we go~” She takes my shirt by the hem, deftly pulling it up, over my head and off in one swift motion.

“Wh- Tiff!!”

“This needs a wash, silly~ You can take off the rest and hop in the bath, I’ll be back with you in a moment.” Tiff grins, walking around the partition to give me a moment of privacy.

Ugh… my undershirt is covered in blood, too. It’s going to be such a pain to wash out.

At least it’s not my blood.

I strip down, placing my undergarments as neatly as I can on the bench before dipping a toe in the bath.

And I have never gotten in a bathtub so quickly in my life.

The water is at that point between warm and on the verge of being so hot it hurts where it’s just, perfect. The tub is big and deep enough that I can sit in it with my legs crossed and I’m submerged up to my shoulders with my wings curled around the inside of the tub, or I can have my arms on the sides and lay my head back with my wings hanging out. Gods, I didn’t know how much I’d miss baths after just one day without them. I’ve been kicked into the mud plenty of times during my stay here, but I could always wash off afterwards. After two days of marching and getting completely drenched in blood, I needed this. I needed this.

“You wasted no time in making yourself comfortable.” Tiff smiles down at me, resting her hands on my shoulders.

I shudder, slightly, the sheer relaxing effect of the bath putting me at too much ease to jolt upright at Tiff suddenly appearing behind me. I didn’t notice her come back around or sit down behind me.

“Oooh, looks like I got the jump on you this time?” She grins.

“Normally my wings have their way of letting me know when someone’s sneaking up on me...”

“Then it sounds like they’ve settled in nicely too~” She says, stroking her hands along the top of my wings.

I’m pretty sure that’s what she said. I was too busy melting into the tub at the strange but immensely satisfying feeling of having my wings stroked. It’s a completely alien experience, yet it evokes the same mind-numbingly-pleasing sensation of someone getting their fingers in your hair and rubbing and scratching your scalp. Like something reaches that primal part of your brain that just turns you into jelly and you drop all inhibitions and shame and just enjoy the feeling.

Returning to Haven after two days beyond its walls have made me appreciate one thing more than anything else. This bathtub was filled with clean water, straight from Crystal Fall. My journey with the expedition team put one thing into stark perspective; there’s no clean water in the Abyss. Everywhere you go, the puddles, the streams, even the rain itself, has dark reddy-brown tinge, making it easy to guess how it’ll taste; metallic, dirty, and unpleasant. We had cloth drinking pouches that could filter the water somewhat, but you can never get rid of the iron-heavy taste. Trying to wash yourself with that water’s an exercise in futility, no matter how much soap you use.

I somewhat notice the feeling of Tiff putting something slightly floral-scented in my hair, starting to lather it through.

“Ooh… A hair wash, too?”

“You don’t want to keep that dried blood in your hair, do you?” Tiff asks.

“No, just… Lucky me, getting the full Tiffany bath experience~”

“Were you hoping for a happy ending?” Tiff peers down at me, a coy smile on her lips.

I only let out a muffled squeak of surprise, while my wings, equally caught off-guard, jerk upwards and… puff out all fluffy-like.

“Pfff… hahahaha~ Your wings…” Tiff breaks out laughing, a joyous, honest laugh at my embarrassed reaction.

“Tease…” I swear. Is it just Tiff being herself, or is there something about me that makes people tease me like this?

“How could I resist when your reactions are always so cute~” She giggles, filling a small bucket with water and starting to rinse my hair.

“Hmpf…” I sink down as far into the water as my wings allow me.

I sat in silence, enjoying the hairwash as Tiff hums a soft tune to herself. The warm water and her gentle touch let me finally start to relax and unwind. It’s funny, in a way. The bloodbeast died a lot faster than the carrion hawk did. By dumb luck, I drove my spear right through the disk between its vertebrae, severing its spine and killing it almost instantly. The hawk was a gangly, sickly-looking creature, yet it struggled and thrashed against me right up to its last breath. The beast just dropped dead. It probably didn’t even get a second to realise what had happened to it.

“You did good out there, Marina.” Tiff says, putting her hand on my shoulder.

“I had the easy part… I’m not the one that nearly got flattened by the bloodbeast.”

“You had the part only you could do. Rann would have never considered such a thing in the first place if he didn’t trust that you could do your part. He has faith in you.”

“He has strange ways of showing it…”

“He agreed that the hunt would only go ahead if you proved you could do what you needed to do. You proved him right. And now, thanks to you, him, and the rest of the expedition team, we’ll feast like royals tonight.”

“Do I get to choose what I want made from its fur for me?”

“Actually, speaking of new clothes…” She stands up, walking around past the partition.

“New clothes?”

“Tada~” Tiff walks back behind the partition, holding a white linen shirt in one hand and brown leather pants in the other.

“... Wait, new clothes for me?!”

“Who else would need a shirt like this?” She turns the shirt around, showing its back; a portion of the upper back is cut out, and the shirt is secured with corset-like lacing at the back.

“And leather pants? I thought we were short on leather…”

“I always keep a stockpile of fabrics, threads and leather for emergency situations. It just so happens that we’ve got a new, bountiful source of leather today, and I couldn’t let Marina the Beast Slayer spend her whole life living in the same shirt and pair of pants, could I? Now~” She grins, hanging the shirt and pants over the partition wall before walking back around behind me, kneeling down behind me.

“Let’s get you dried off and dressed in them, shall we?” She whispers, right in my ear.

“... Could you give me some privacy so I could do that?” I respond, trying my hardest to keep my cool in the face of her teasing.

“Nope~” She wraps her arms around my chest, reaching under my wings.

“... Tiff.”

“C’mon, I wanna see you wear them!”

“Tiff.”

“You’ll dry faster with me helping, c’mon~”

“Tiff!!”

When it comes down to it, this woman is far stronger than she looks, and isn’t afraid to make use of that to get her way. She did help dry me off quicker than I would have on my own, though, so I’ll give her that.

…

“Hmm. They look quite well-fitting, Tiffany. Do they feel well-fit, Marina?” The Chief asks, examining my new clothes.

“They fit really well. I couldn’t have asked for anything better.”

The Chief had arrived at Tiff’s residence, thankfully after the commotion Tiff caused by insisting that she had to help me get dressed.

She really did a good job on the clothes, though. The pants are comfortable, snug, but not too tight or restrictive, and the shirt… I’m impressed she figured out how to accommodate my wings on her first attempt at making a shirt for me. The lace at the back makes it a lot easier to adjust than my other shirt is with its buttons. It’s soft, comfortable, breathable, and fits around my wings perfectly.

“If you two are dressed and ready, then the feast is waiting on you two to arrive.” The Chief says.

“Eh? So soon?” Tiff asks.

“The bloodbeast had barely made it to the market square before the kitchen staff pounced on it. They insist that all the expedition team and the guest of honour are to be the first to taste what they’ve made.” The Chief answers, smiling. “The guest of honour being you, Marina.”

Tiff and I exchange a look.

“Come on, then! The sooner you eat, the sooner I eat!” Tiff jumps up from her chair, pushing me towards the door.

After hastily getting in my boots and throwing my cloak on, the three of us headed out the door. As we made our way up the road, it was apparent that most of the village had already gathered in or around the Last Drop. Tables had been set up outside under the balcony, from which the older villagers kept an eye on the children playing in the street. The music of drums and woodwinds came from within the tavern, carried above the clamour and excitement of the villagers. As we drew closer, we could hear what they were saying, or rather, chanting:

“Meat! Meat! Meat! Meat!”

“Are you sure it’s safe in there?” It sounds like they’re preparing to sacrifice something…”

“It’s been half a year without fresh meat in Haven. I’ll let them have their fun.” The Chief says, before pushing the door open.

Immediately, the crowd inside turns to face the doorway, seeing the Chief, Tiff, and I enter. Their cheers and chants grow louder, stomping their feet on the floor for added effect.

“Meat! Meat! Meat! Meat! Meat! Meat!”

“Alright, alright! Calm down!” The Chief orders, stamping her staff on the floor once.

The chanting ceases, but excited murmurs and whispers are still audible as the Chief made her way up to the elevated table at the far end of the tavern.

Indeed, for the celebration, the tavern’s interior had been reorganised, the tables pushed together and benches brought out to form three long dining tables, each already topped with wooden plates, bread, and tankards galore. The elevated stage has a table placed on it, behind it sitting Vann and Rann. The Chief takes her seat in the middle of the table, while Tiff hurries me along to sit at the head of the dining table in the middle, before disappearing into the kitchen.

“Sheesh, took ya long enough, Feathers.” Johnny says.

Beside and across from me at the head of the table are the other six expedition members, with Johnny, Rob and Einar sitting across from me, and Arshak, Arshiya, and Han on my side, with Arshiya seated right next to me.

“Are these new clothes, Marina?” Arshiya asks, touching my sleeve.

“Mmhm. Tiff made them for me.”

“How’s the, um… wound, Marina?” Han asks, peering past Arshiya and Arshak to look at me.

“Tiff washed it off and patched it up. She says it’ll fully heal in time.”

“Mended by Tiff, new clothes made by Tiff, is Tiff gonna tuck you into bed too, Feathers?” Johnny jeers.

“You sound jealous.” Arshiya comments, looking across at Johnny.

“Jealous?! Why the hells-” Johnny starts, before the clamour and cheers of the townsfolk rise again, as the kitchen staff start bringing out tonight’s main course, lining up along the sidewall as Anton steps up on the stage.

As the smell of roast meat starts filling the room, Anton takes a small piece of paper from his front pocket, glancing out over his audience, all salivating and chomping at the bit.

“Tonight’s dinner,” He pauses, taking a cursory glance at the expedition team seated front and centre, “Courtesy of the recent efforts of the expedition team, are as follows:”

“A bloodbeast stew, prepared with various roast root vegetables-” He begins to read.

“But plenty of meat, right?” Someone interrupts.

“Yes, plenty of meat.” Anton clarifies, and the crowd cheers.

“Additionally, there is bloodbeast pie with gravy, and…” Anton pauses as the crowd cheers again.

“For our council, and the members of the expedition team, a special bloodbeast steak, with a wolf peach-based sauce.”

“Is it just for them?” Another calls.

“And anyone else who has good standing with the kitchen staff.” Anton finishes.

The cheers rise, as many jump up from their seats, plates and bowls in hands as they beeline for the serving area. Tiff takes her seat up at the council table, as Anton delivers the steak dinners to the lucky few himself.

“Ahem.” The Chief clears her throat, rising to her feet. “Before any semblance of order is lost…”

Everyone stops in their place as the Chief raises her voice. Even the servers paused mid-serving.

Before the Chief can say anything else, though, Anton quietly places her steak dinner before her. She takes one look down at it, then back at her audience.

“Oh, to hell with the speech, let’s eat.” She sighs, sitting back down, as rapacious cheers and hollers fill the room again.

In the end, there was no speech that night. The cheers, excitement, laughter, singing, and joy were all that was needed to capture the energy of the moment. Nearly sixty people, men, women, young and old, shared stories and feasted on the fruits of their labour. The drinks flowed unceasingly, and every time the stew pot was starting to look empty, a fresh one filled to the brim came out of the kitchen.

Everyone gave their thanks to every member of the expedition team, including me. I’d gotten so many pats and slaps on the back it started to hurt, but that didn’t change the smile on my face. Everyone was happy, and for the first time, I felt like I was accepted here. That this was now, truly, my home. Technically speaking, I have bled for it. I helped bring them the first meat they’d tasted in half a year.

Speaking of the meat. The bloodbeast is, for all intents and purposes, a very big bear. I’d read that bear tasted similar to beef or venison, just gamier, and the bloodbeast struck a similar culinary note. I never really knew what a “gamey” taste meant until Johnny helpfully explained - livestock meat tastes the same, but hunted game has a unique taste you can’t get from farmed meat. It’s a lot sweeter than I’d expected, but thoroughly enjoyable. It was cooked to that perfect medium rare, and the meat was so tender and juicy it practically melts in your mouth. I’m no expert food critic, but anyone can tell a good steak to a bad steak. The tomato… or rather, wolf peach sauce with it complimented it nicely.

If this was to be my new life. Living in Haven, helping around town and helping the Chief, going on the occasional hunting trip with Rann. It could be worse. It is a bit of a downgrade from my last life, sure, but a roof over my head, new clothes, good food, clean water, I’ll take it. It’s fortunate the soil here is so incredibly fertile; just without clean water it’s otherwise unusable, and as far as I know Haven is the only place with clean water in the Abyss. Could be worse. Could be far worse.

I should probably stop thinking about how things could be worse. I don’t want to jinx what have been relatively good fortunes, considering this is supposedly hell. I’m happy with how things are. People are starting to like me, I got new clothes, great food, and things are good. It’s just…

It’s hard to shake that feeling in the back of my mind. That constant wariness that something will happen, something will go wrong. It was a perfectly normal day when that carrion hawk descended on Haven and killed Nate. I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was following us most of the way back to Haven. Barring the mysterious old man who seems to come and go as he pleases, I have yet to encounter anyone in the Abyss that isn’t from Haven, and those outside of Haven sound… unkind, to say the least.

Haven has kept its location a secret for the hundred-odd years of existence. I don’t want that hundred years of peace in solitude to be broken during my time here. As far as I or anyone else knows, there’s only one way in and one way out, through the main gates. Everywhere else is walled or surrounded by impassable cliffs. It’s basically impossible for someone to sneak in, or sneak out. It seems the prisoner policy is that prisoners never leave Haven, they’re just integrated into it, to keep its location a secret. Just like I was.

If Haven was attacked by a large group, while it is well defended by its terrain, only about a third of the 60-odd people here are actually trained combatants. The other groups I’ve heard of; the Keepsguard, who are few in number but practically wear full plate, and the Bone Breakers, a marauding horde with over a hundred men; all sound like they’d pose a serious threat to Haven, if they found it. And if one of them did follow us back to Haven, if that constant feeling like we were being followed was right…

Ugh, I shouldn’t stress about this so much. I should sleep. I’ll feel better in the morning.