Tearha: Titan War

Chapter Nine: Rushtae

Tearha: Titan War will be on hiatus next week! Be back on 28th September 2018!  

The moment Adelle stepped into Rushtae Tavern, the smell of ale filled her nostrils. But it was not the butterscotch after whiff that she had familiarised herself with, but something much more grainy, an apt description for both the drink and the surprisingly large establishment.

Small round tables were set haphazardly around the floor, some pushed together to create larger sitting areas for bigger groups. Black curtained booths lined the aisle walls, and a long bar simply chiselled from stone was set on the far end. The corners opposing the entrance left and right had a door and stairwell up the second floor respectively.

Despite the size, there were not many patrons. Immediately, Adelle could tell which individuals played what roles. There were the Guides who were dressed in heavy, durable clothes meant to survive the treacherous journey across the continent. Those in peasant garbs were likely informants, who mostly sat at the bar, trading information with the tender. Two individuals dressed in wealthy rare cloths were likely clients, sitting uncomfortably at tables with their chosen Guides discussing their arrangements. A group of raggedly dressed individuals, looking shagged and tired, were ushered to the back door, likely some form of refugee, impoverished, or others along that line.

Adelle felt the atmosphere strangely comfortable.

But it was not a time for her to catch her breath.

"Grab a seat," Eca slid past her and headed for the stairs. "I'll go grab Josh. I think you two have a lot to talk about."

He left as he said that and Adelle suddenly realised she was alone with Luce, or at least, as a lone as they could be in a 'public' place. She looked to her companion behind her who wore a strange look of both determination and worry. Sighing, Adelle headed to the nearest empty seats and took it, with Luce following shortly after opposite her.

Luce took a deep learned breath, the same she took before publicly addressing the Titan Rangers back home. "So. What do you want to ask?"

Adelle was not sure how she felt or what questions to start with. She had never been in the negotiating position, nor have she been particularly diplomatic. Furthermore, she was in some sort of position of power now, and she was not sure how that made her feel, but it was definitely not the confidence and strength that she had expected. She felt confused mostly, with a dash of uncertainty.

"Well..." she pondered for a moment. Her head hurt from all the thinking. "What are sentinels?"

Luce let out a sigh of her own. "They're... a race. One of the ancient race along with the dwarfs. They were wiped out during the first war."

"Dwarfs?"

"Yeah," Luce replied with a quizzical gleam. "I'm not surprised you've never heard of them, what with two hundred years of self imposed isolation and all that."

"Was that a quip?"

Luce panicked and replied, "No!"

"Because you're on thin ice right now. If that was a quip, I'm walking out of here right now."

"No, not a quip. Sorry. Just... force of habit."

"Hmm..." Adelle contemplated for a moment. For some reason, though she knew she was insulted, she could not bring herself to get angry. "So I'm a sentinel."

"Yes," Luce nodded.

"And the Pyrerai - that crazy bitch Lachesis - is a sentinel too?"

"It would seem so."