Xoris

Chapter Thirty Six

"You can't."

"What?" The shout tore out of several of his mouths, and he could feel the skin of his left calf twitch. Right. I probably have a scar there too now. All the same, he ignored it, focusing back on Dydra. "But I talked to them. I have to know why they want Humans gone." And if they're just evil, forcing their ideas on an entire race of people then... I'll make them change their mind.

"No one's ever met the Higher Beast. I don't even know if they're alive, and besides, you're lucky I told you anything. I want you to rest." As if on cue, a yawn tore out of her own mouth. "You can ask more questions tomorrow. For now, even if you don't want to, let me at least sleep."

"But-" Xoris glanced out a window, the bright daylight still trickling in. "It's still midday."

"Stained sleep when they're tired, not by when the sky's closed. Besides, I stayed up to watch your condition. I earned it." She pulled the chair over, flopping down on it, exhaustion plain on her face.

"Would you... prefer the bed? It's yours, after all," Xoris pointed out. "I can more than take the chair."

Dydra opened a single, colourless eye. "Are you all right to walk around? I'm not about to take anything from you after you nearly died travelling here."

"I'll be fine." With that, he pushed himself off the mattress. It was surprisingly easy, and he noticed that it wasn't filled with water, nor made of Welkskin pulled taunt and stitched tightly. Instead, it was a thin thing, made of woven plants and vines, dampened with water to be slightly cooler. A sharp pain spread through his calf as his foot hit the floor, his weight feeling enough to split the skin open, but he simply grit his teeth, pushing himself to standing. At least his neck felt much better as he walked over to her, trying not to wince every other step. "See? Fine. Besides, if you don't mind, I'd like to explore the area, if you're going to rest." If Dydra was hosting him, then it would be strange to be the only one awake at a random time of day, and besides that, he wanted to see what a village of Stained was like.

"I don't know. Can I trust you not to stab any more Beasts?" She sounded weary as she flopped onto the mattress.

"O-of course!" He reached to grab his old shirt, draped across the edge of the bed, as opposed to the bulky white one Dydra had put on him when he slept, but as he caught sight of her watching from the bed, he slid his arms back through the sleeves. He couldn't undress in front of a lady. What was I even thinking? The armour felt too intimidating to put on for just a simple walk outside though, so he simply draped the green cape over his shoulders before making his way to what he assumed was the main doorway, a large, rectangular hole with a flap of colourful fabric to keep out the sand.

"Watch out. It's Wither, so don't stay out too long," Dydra mumbled behind him.

"Wither? When did that happen?" All the same, he couldn't deny the cold burst of air that rushed in as he lifted the material open.

"During the two days you were out, which means there's still almost an entire tally of it left, so be careful, and don't wander too far." She flipped onto her side for a moment. "And don't go looking for the Higher Beast!"

Xoris flinched at the sharp tone of her voice. Was it that obvious? Still, he didn't want to travel for long in the cold anyway, or get on the bad side of someone who had helped him. He brushed his fingers against the line of bandages on his neck again. "It's fine. I won't." With that, he stepped under the fabric flap that made up the front door, and walked out.

Xoris wasn't sure what he expected for a village of Beasts, but it certainly wasn't an organised setup of house after house. There were countless rows of blocky buildings, all seemingly made of sandy bricks, all of them without doors. Glancing behind him, he could easily tell Dydra's apart from the rest, with its larger stature, placed on a hill of white stone with a path leading to the rest of the town. At least I won't get lost.