Reaper's Crown

Ch. 114

Thinking about it only frustrated them, so in silence and through huffs, they let their thoughts articulate until later, still grimly following the directions.

Moving past Halesdeep, they stepped into rather distinct Haran territory, namely, the Hales Riverside, which was a long stretch of streams of water eventually turning into a rather big canyon, separating the upper highlands of the middle of Harabara and some of the outer areas of the region.

Although Rowan was curious, the task occupied their thoughts, and the path didn't seem to stray away from the Hales Riverside. Going back to that canyon, the further it went, the taller it got, and the more populated it became the more the river offered a reliable source of nature as well as replenishment.

Essentially, a lot of villages could be seen even from the steppes below. They were bigger than the rest, and some even had man-made stairs connecting the streams. Water wasn't uncommon in Harabara, but most of it was undrinkable. Except for the oasis, you had to solely rely on the nearby rivers, and seeing as this one was the biggest, spanning from the Perpeace and eventually banking out near the sea, it was no surprise that most Harans who stepped outside their cities decided to rest around these parts.

Except for that, there was one well-known story that even Rowan had heard of, despite not being a Haran. The steppes and edges they trod were once a massive resting place for all the Harans hurt or fighting during the Second War. Namely, when houses were raided or completely disappeared, the people of Harabara moved down from the hills above, hid below where one's glance ended and rested in massive groups, spanning the entire length of the river.

Nowadays, a practice like this wouldn't work out, too many would be too scared to try, but back then, with no other option at hand, it was a strange form of protest from having their houses completely wrecked by demons. Being out in the open proved to confuse the more stupid of those devils.

In 478 A.F.W. you're bound to see one or two Harans who still treat the nearby steppes like home, simply sleeping on the grass because they have no other place to go. Hiding in between bushes, under palm trees or in between a few of the formations was always a good strategy, and one Rowan would eventually spot after seeing a Haran stepping down the stairs of their village and filling an empty wooden bucket with the water's stream.

They made eye contact for a bit, with the Tributal half-beat up not necessarily knowing how to react at first. There was surely some celebration going uphill, but they doubted they could just easily cross the body of water and ask for help right there. The Haran was hesitant as well, but if it wasn't for Rowan's shaking head, they would probably try and get help.

Instead, the Tributal trod further along, despite the many hours that passed and stopped only after seeing all the oaks turn into palm trees and the green grass combining with rather skimpy sands going uphill.

Finding themselves under a bigger rock and behind an even bigger bush, they lit up a fire with some of the cut-off chunks of the nearby trees and a small push that came out of their arrow's tip.

They weren't necessarily hungry and all the food they had didn't require cooking. Perhaps they just wanted some warmth for the night, even if it wasn't that cold.

Or, the fire could've been a means to sit down, sleep, and think through everything rationally. Rowan swore they wouldn't act on emotions after calming down, even if most of the time that managed to carry them towards a sure victory. Alas, after patching some of their wounds with the remaining items and herbs from their medicinal bag, pressuring scars and wrapping around them with pieces of their ripped-out cloth, Rowan opened one book they carried in their bag, turning to a blank page.

They had no charcoal with them but a quick turn revealed a source of natural chalk climbing up the side of the rock.

With one tug, they stared at the sheets, formulating certain thoughts.