The young huntress guided me on a whim towards the settlement's main entrance. It was a rotten crevice in the spiked palisade - one guarded by two rough-looking men, both geared out to the teeth with weaponry and other hunting tools.
The girl escorted me towards them before the men motioned us to halt.
Mouthing out a word, a man - his hair long and wavy, running just below his broad shoulder blades - immediately cut her off short, shooting an insult my way, "Look what the cat dragged in today; who's the plebian?"
The comment gave rise to a fury within the huntress' eyes; drawing upon her ire, she muttered, "None of your bloody concern, Arnold." She grasped my arm. Her hand was rugged; her hold firm and unyielding as she dragged me alongside her path - pushing aside the man and ready to escort me through Crow's Perch.
"Rya," grumpily sneered the elder of the pair, "Answer the damn query, 'less you wish to test my rotting patience, dove."
Deciding it best to risk my neck to speed up the ongoing endeavour, I attempted to defuse the situation, "I came to meet-"
"Silence your trap, wretch," Arnold growled, his visage contorting into a hostile glare, "Or need I teach you to speak strictly when spoken to."
Rya's fleeting patience was starting to run thin; one of her mismatched eyes had begun to quiver. She turned to the other guardsman, stating, "She travelled far beyond the Sorrow's reaches to meet Madam Crow, Borus."
"Why should we permit an outsider access to our home, Rya? Lost your mind - recall yet the last time we ?"
"Lass's lookin' for Theos," stated Rya, gesturing a knowing look.
Both men succumbed to an immediate silence, their marred faces turning pale whilst unable to voice as much as a lone word - it was as though Theos' name left them fear-stricken out of their respective minds.
Rya masked her urge to snort, "Get out of my way, or else-" She readied a threat before once again being cut short.
Arnold and Borus stood motionless before the latter spoke up, "All good. Threats are needless. Go on girls, Crow's Perch has its gates opened for you."
We crossed through the entrance - and I received my first detailed glance at the settlement. I confirmed it was decently primitive, with some tents dotted around the place - wooden shacks and storage units sprinkled throughout.
Various pieces of equipment and other weaponry seemed glued onto the fair majority of the civilians' attires. Some wore large belts strapped around their torso, predominantly marked with different dexterous hunting tools. However, others heavily favoured combat-oriented weapons, brandishing greatswords and great axes.
Yet, despite each individual seemingly carrying a blade of some sort, they all appeared to be content with their lives here - albeit lacking luxury and interaction with other towns. Kids ran around from shack to shack, chirping excitedly in pursuit of winning a game of tag.
Rya noticed my intrigue, seemingly answering with curiosity, mellowing her voice, "What ye looking at?"
For a moment, I was uncertain if her question was genuine. However, I dismissed the notion as soon as I saw that the previous hostility had vanished from her face, giving way to a much more gentle demeanour. As such, I replied, "The atmosphere surprised me."
The girl scoffed, raising a sarcastic brow, "Surprised we're not just cold-blooded killers?"
"Cold-blooded killers?" The comment took me aback.
Rya rolled her eyes, shaking her head as we proceeded through the small village, "You don't know? Most folk here are either exiled from the Wharf for menial crimes, castaways or former wanted pirates in search of a new life."
YOU ARE READING
Arcanae
Fantasy" 𝐔𝐩𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐅𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐲 " In an oceanic realm littered with traces of Magick, Crescent Isle had always been the odd one out. For aeons on end, it had been sheltered from the remainder of the world, seemingly as though an enormous in...
