Silence engulfed the room.

Àlainn sat on her chair, next to her was Fea and sitting on Ayanna’s lap was Ayden.

The door then slowly opened, revealing a grimy Jean.

He cautiously walked into the living room before letting out a deep sigh.

“What’s with this atmosphere?” Jean asked, his skin moist with sweat and his hands blackened by soot.

“Jean… you know that you can talk to us if you need anything, right?” Ayden asked.

“Yes.” Jean said.

“Ugh, what the boy means is that he is worried,” Fea said.

Jean’s eyes widened before slowly narrowing.

“I… I’m ok. Oh and trust me. I’m working on something that I know will help out.” Jean said with a nervous smile.

“You’ve been saying that for what feels like days,” Ayden said.

“Just… trust me, ok?” Jean asked with an expression that was a blend of desperation, pain and hope.

Everyone other than Jean sighed.

“Anyway, you and mom should probably search for survivors near the southern gate today,” Ayden suggested before hopping off of Ayanna’s legs.

“Ok. I’ll take a quick bath when we get back.” Jean said as Ayanna stood up.

The two then left the house before making their way south.

The streets were lined with the corpses of baby-faced pig monsters.

Jean sighed upon realizing that Ayanna had been staring at him for some time as they walked.

“I’m a grown man, ya know?"

“Besides, the first thing I’ll do when I need help is come running straight to you all, so don’t worry,” Jean said.

His body then instinctively moved to the left, narrowly avoiding one of Ayanna’s lethal head rubs.

“Ah-ah! Don’t you dare. I’m not in the mood for any weeping.” Jean said, but Ayanna lowered her stance, prompting Jean’s heart to sink.

He looked forward and ran straight down the dark streets of Sùith as heavy footsteps followed him.

He then spotted an empty carriage to the right.

“Cut it out!” Jean cried as he hurriedly hopped into the carriage.

He then closed the door only to meet Ayanna’s silver eyes.

His soul trembled as Ayanna grabbed the door handle.

“No,” Jean said as Ayanna adjusted her stance.

“No, Ayanna!” Jean said, but Ayanna ignored him and tore off the door, much to Jean’s terror.

The giantess then hopped into the carriage as Jean desperately crawled toward the other door, but she grabbed him and began tickling him.

“Hehe, I’m gonna get you for this!” Jean swore as he weirdly convulsed.

Ayanna then shot him a disarming smile before resuming her barrage of tickles.

.

..

Jean exhaled deeply as he rested his head on crossed arms.

Ayanna, on the other hand, was completely unfazed.

“I hope you’re happy,” Jean said with a hiccup.

“I am,” Ayanna whispered.

“Hehe, good,” Jean said before crawling out of the carriage.

Ayanna followed him and the two resumed their journey south.

They eventually arrived at the southern gate and just like in the north, the area was littered with empty carriages.

Jean’s eyes then narrowed as he saw one of the carriages in the distance move.

Well, he thought it moved.

“Ayanna, look,” Jean said as he pointed off into the distance.

“Is it me, or is that one coming towards us?” He asked.

Ayanna nodded.

“Let’s go,” Jean said as he readied his dagger.

Ayanna did the same and it wasn’t long before they came face to face with the driver of said carriage.

He was a sharply dressed man wearing a pair of leather gloves.

“You two look… sane.” The driver said.

“That’s because we are. What brings you to Sùith?” Jean asked.

“Just passing through. Be useful and clear the path.” The driver said, but something about the tone he used rubbed Jean the wrong way.

“Uh- no way, mister. I would have done it if you had asked nicely, but no.” Jean said making the driver’s eyes narrow ever so slightly.

“I merely requested that you clear the path. This would benefit future travellers as well-"

A click interrupted the driver as the rightmost door of the carriage opened.

A woman emerged from the carriage.

Her hair, dark brown and tied in a neat bun.

She wore an interesting set of clothing.

A red robe, with golden bits here and there, but what piqued Jean’s interest was the strange hat that sat atop her head.

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It was a simple black cap of sorts with fancy golden bits.

“You there. You seem basely intelligent, so tell me, do you possess the shackles of ignorance?” The woman asked.

“The what?”

“Show them.” The woman ordered and the driver lifted his jacket and shirt, revealing a set of gills.

“Oh yes, we have those. Any idea what they mean?” Jean asked, but the woman reacted strangely.

She looked down before placing her hands on her hips, revealing a pair of rather aged and calloused hands which contrasted with her youthful face.

“Do you- have a safe place, somewhere?” The woman muttered.

Jean felt a strange sensation crawl up his spine and he struggled to hide a smirk.

“Could you repeat that?” He asked.

The woman then instantly regained her composure at an eerie rate.

“I’m asking if you have a safe place to stay.” The woman said.

“Maybe. Maybe not. Let’s start at the beginning. What’s your name and why should we trust you?” Jean asked with crossed arms.

“Disrespectful rat! She is-"

“I am Fionn Callaghan. We’ve come from Anvil and we’d appreciate any shelter against this night.” Fionn said, interrupting the infuriated driver.

“Mmm… my name's Jean. My friends and I do have a spot that you could use. Although the entire city is vacant.”

“That sounds most reassuring. I take it we have your blessing?” Fionn asked.

Jean turned to Ayanna, but she merely shrugged in response.

“Fine. Get over here and help me move this.” Jean instructed.

The driver turned to Fionn.

“You heard him. Go.” She said.

The driver gave her a deep bow before hopping off of the carriage.

He, Jean and Ayanna spent the next few minutes clearing the southern road.

“Whew! That was tiresome. I wonder where all the horses went.” Jean said as he turned to face Fionn's carriage. It was driven by a single horse.

Jean shook his curiosities aside as he nodded toward the gate.

“Come on,” He said as the driver hopped back into his seat.

They then made their way into Sùith.

.

..

“Mmm…” The driver sounded as they came to a stop just before Àlainn’s house.

The purple flames of the lantern that hung next to the door lit the street in their ethereal light.

Jean then walked over to the carriage door where he found two extra people sitting with Fionn.

“Ayanna, grab some candles and some firewood.” He said.

Ayanna did as instructed while Fionn cautiously climbed out of the carriage.

“Is this your haven?” She asked.

“Yes. However, you and your entourage shall be using this house.” Jean said.

“I thank you, most deeply,” Fionn said as a rather short and burly man hopped out of the carriage.

He then walked towards the back and pulled on a strange lever.

Multiple mechanical noises went off before the entire back part of the carriage lowered itself on strange hinges.

This also revealed that the third person in the carriage was in a wheelchair.

The burly man pulled on the wheelchair, revealing that the sitting person was completely covered in a black veil.

Jean’s eyes narrowed as Ayanna approached.

“Here, something to fend off the darkness,” Jean said with a smile.

Fionn awkwardly accepted the supplies before the driver ran to her side.

“Allow me.” He said frantically, but Fionn ignored him as she walked towards the house.

“Thank you,” Fionn said with a subtle bow.

Jean dismissively waved his hand before returning to Àlainn’s house, where he found Ayden awkwardly standing in front of Àlainn and Fea.

“Straighten your back and stand with pride.” Fea instructed.

Jean ignored them as Ayanna entered the house.

“I’m going to get cleaned up, ok?” Jean announced.

“Ok,” Fea said, but Ayden shot Jean a pained look.

“What are you doing to him?” Jean asked with crossed arms as Ayanna sat on the sofa next to Àlainn’s.

“Oh, nothing much. It just bothered Àlainn and me that the boy is always slouching and whatnot. So we decided to educate him on proper stances one such as he should assume.” Fea said with a raised beak.

Jean’s head tilted in confusion, but he shrugged off Ayden’s silent cries for help and walked out of the house.

He saw that the next house was lit by candlelight and so, after taking a deep breath, he made his way toward the bathhouse.

.

..

Jean neatly tied his damp long hair into a bun as he made his way back toward Àlainn’s house.

His eyes narrowed upon seeing Fionn silently standing in front of the door.

She noticed Jean’s approach and her face did a strange relaxation before contorting into a frown of sorts.

“Need anything?” Jean asked.

“Yes, uh- I’m here to trade,” Fionn said as she regained her composure.

“Ok. What do you have in mind?”

“We need food,” Fionn said, but to her complete surprise, Jean’s face twisted into a smile and his eyes narrowed to an extreme degree.

“Sure, I’m willing to share with you all the food we have, but only if you tell me what happened in Dachaigh Gual,” Jean said, his voice cold.

Fionn's eyes shook.

“I saw a bunch of people wearing that exact same robe during my time in that soggy town and things went straight to shit right after they arrived. Now, I have no evidence to prove this, but I do have a gut feeling and that’s what I’m going with.” Jean hissed.

“I- I’m not sure, but I am willing to share what I know, only if you honour the rules of trade,” Fionn said, but again, Jean’s face completely changed. This time, it had become warm and relaxed.

“Ok. Give me a moment.” Jean said before walking into Àlainn’s house.

He then walked over to the medium-sized clay pot and saw that it was about half full.

“Umm… May I-“

“Don’t worry. We heard.” Ayden said, his back completely straight.

“Oh? Ok then.” He said as he grabbed the pot.

“Ayanna and I are probably going to have to hunt soon, so after I finish dealing with Fionn, we’ll rest up before heading out,” Jean said.

Everyone nodded in agreement before Jean exited the house.

“Here. Now, spill the beans.” Jean said.

“I-“ Fionn stopped before shifting her eyes to the left.

She then walked up to Jean and got close enough that he could smell her flowery perfume.

“I cannot speak openly. Let me feed my men, then we’ll have to find a private place for us to openly communicate.” Fionn whispered.

“Mmm? Are you being held captive?”

“No. Its… a little more complicated than that. Just trust me, ok?” Fionn asked as she stepped away.

“Ok,” Jean said.

Fionn nodded before walking away.

Jean sighed before returning to Ayden and the others.

He then plopped down on his sofa, crossed his arms and went to sleep.

Everyone followed suit and it wasn’t long before silence filled the house.

.

..

Jean awoke with a soft yawn.

His arms ached slightly, but he paid his pains little mind.

He crawled off the sofa before lightly stretching.

He then walked up to Ayanna, who slept with Ayden in her arms.

“Hey,” Jean whispered, waking Ayanna.

She noticed that everyone had slept in the living room, Àlainn included.

It made for rather sweet scenery, but she worried about the long-term effects this would have on everyone’s backs.

“Let’s go catch us something. I’d also like to try my hand at smoking meat.” Jean said with a rather enthusiastic smile.

Ayanna nodded before gently placing Ayden down.

“Hey, boyo. We’re heading out.” Jean said to a semi-conscious Ayden.

The boy nodded as Jean and Ayanna left the house.

It wasn’t long before they found themselves in the open planes just north of Sùith.

Jean really wanted to find the farmlands this time and so he and Ayanna made their way northeast as the crescent moon illuminated the tall dry grass.

Jean then came to a complete stop as they passed a certain bunch of carriages.

Next to one of them, he saw two mounds of dirt. One was considerably larger than the other, but both were equally well constructed.

“Mmm…” He droned before resuming the trip northward.

.

..

“Prionnsa.” A voice called.

It was soft and considerate, but Ayden’s heavy eyelids remained shut.

“Ayden!” Another called and it was closely followed by a caw, which made Ayden tear his eyelids apart.

“Mmm?” Ayden sounded as he stretched his little arms.

“I believe you wanted me to make some sort of clothing for Mr. Jean,” Àlainn said.

“Oh, yes. I did.” Ayden said as he hopped off of the sofa.

“Are you up for it?” Ayden asked.

“Yes.”

“Ok. Allow me to break down the design. I’d like something that’s pretty durable, yet light. Mom and Jean are always going out and fighting monsters. I’m sure it would help if they had some sort of added protection.” Ayden said.

“Understood. I have several rolls of leather, so creating something sturdy should be no problem.” Àlainn said.

“It also needs to be flexible and light enough to freely move in,” Ayden added.

“Understood,” Àlainn said with a graceful bow.

If only there was something else we could do to help. Ayden thought as he, along with Fea and Àlainn, went upstairs to the workshop of a room.

Àlainn then gathered some materials before placing them next to one of her machines.

“Allow me some time, prionnsa,” Àlainn said.

Ayden nodded before he and Fea left the room.

They then made their way back into the living room and that’s when they heard it.

“I’ll tend to thee, while my heart gently weeps…” Àlainn sang and for a moment, the purple flames in the fireplace seemingly brightened.

Her voice echoed deeply in Ayden’s mind and he found himself gazing at nothing as he savoured every note.