The silence that Jun and Arkshan traveled in was neither mutual or uncomfortable.
It was an odd type of silence as they made their journey to the town of St. Tóflin. Jun noticed that the vegetation and settlements were different the more north they went in the Yimpan Empire.
The farms of villages and towns seemed to not be sprawling on for miles upon miles. Rather, the farmlands and houses were more congregated in tighter spaces. The populations also dwindled in size as did the houses.
Villages were less densely populated while the houses looked to be smaller and built only out of wooden logs. Even the roofs varied from either hay to straw to wooden planks. Multistory houses and buildings were nonexistent in the Northern architecture.
Settlements only had the basics when it came to public buildings. A place to buy alcohol, small market place, and a place for lodging.
Northern vegetation was also very bland and eerie in a sense.
Medium size brush and bushes dominated the landscapes. Along with few trees that littered it in the most seemly random places. All of the trees were either fir, evergreen, birch, or dead.
It was absolutely colorless compared to the fields that surrounded Perenykisk. As no flowers seemed to grow anywhere up here.
And for some reason the sky also seemed to be bland as well. It was just strips of dark blues next to lighter blues near the mountains. With only few streaks of white clouds to give it some color and variation.
The only thing that was different in the sky was the dark, ominous fog that surrounded the mountains in the distance.
Though Jun had to admit that at night it was absolutely gorgeous. The stars and colorful galaxy could be seen even clearer than down in Perenykisk. It even rivaled the beauty of the night sky back in the East.
But he did have to complain about the weather. It was absolutely freezing. Even though Jun expected it to be cold the more north they went. It was colder than he would've expected.
And it was supposed to be early spring.
A cold gust of wind blew past Jun which was the final straw in his endurance for this ungodly cold.
"The cold pierces the bone up here! I'm literally freezing to death!" Jun complained as he wrapped his arms tightly around his shoulders. Rubbing his hands up and down furiously.
"Oh shut it!" Arkshan groaned, breathing out a large gust of steam. Jun had noticed that the more north they went up that steam constantly could be seen flowing out of Arkshan's nose.
Even when he wasn't irritated.
"I'm going to become frozen milk any moment!" Jun wasn't going to stop complaining at this point. He had endured this cold for roughly two days since they left Górsinburg.
And the fight they had in the clearing.
"What the fuck is that?!" Arkshan yelled angrily as he stopped walking to look down at Jun. Steam blowed in his face. He welcomed the brief warmth as he stared up at the intense amber eyes.
"Ice cream!" Jun shouted back as he started to shiver from another strong gust of wind. It felt like some sort of blizzard was on its way developing. Minus the snow.
The wind was sharply cold and awfully dry. Causing Jun's face to start flushing pink.
"Then die quietly!"
"No! I'm going to continue until I'm out of this damn cold!" Jun continued to glare up at Arkshan. His stubbornness unwavering. Arkshan hissed as he stared right back.
It seemed like it was going to be the war of the wills.
Jun went to open his mouth to complain once again. But he was instantly muted by Arkshan grabbing his face, covering his mouth.
His hand was exceptionally warm.
An idea popped into Jun's head at this newfound information.
He latched onto Arkshan's arm. The mixture of scales and human skin on his underarm was a strange but oddly nice feeling. The warmth that he radiated was even nicer. Like a warm blanket.
Arkshan narrowed his eyes down at Jun as he shook his arm, but he stayed latched onto him.
Eventually his hand around his mouth loosened enough for him to get a few intelligible words out.
"You're warm." He felt as Arkshan's arm tensed up at his words.
"No." The half-dragon responded through gritted teeth, muscles in his jaw prominent.
"I'll stop complaining..." Jun teased, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips.
Arkshan looked to be contemplating his words as he stared at no where in particular.
Soon a huff of steam hit Jun's face as a sigh escaped his lips.
"F...fine..." Arkshan sounded like he was forced to say the word.
Jun rejoiced as he felt Arkshan let go of his mouth. He brought his face onto the side of his arm and sighed at the warmth on his wind whipped face. Arkshan's side was also unsurprisingly warm.
"Thanks!'" Jun said in a smug tone as he lavished in his new heater.
"Keep it in your pants." Arkshan warned menacingly, continuing walking towards their destination.
Jun just ignored him as he hugged his arm tighter, earning a low growl from the half-dragon.
The pair continued on the main road til the early evening. With the air and wind becoming even more bitter and cold.
Jun felt as Arkshan pushed him away suddenly, causing him to almost fall onto the ground.
"What was that for!?" Jun yelled while he brushed off the bush and shrubbery that had gotten on him. But Arkshan didn't answer and continued on the road.
Before Jun could complain or yell anymore he looked towards their destination and heard the familiar sounds of civilization.
The town of St. Tóflin looked like a large village rather than a town.
Actually the more Jun thought about it, Górsinburg was more of a hamlet than an actual village.
Then too he didn't' know the demarcation criteria for settlement names in the West compared to the East. The buildings were all single story and all looked the same.
Save for roofing variations and differences in structure for functionality.
Small, pitiful fields of crops surrounded by small wooden fences littered the town in random places. From the outskirts to the inner parts near, what looked to be, the town square.
Farm animals grazed in the fields that surrounded the town, but somehow managed to stay pretty close to the buildings. Not wandering off like most animals did. And they all seemed to have thick, muddy coats of fur and wool that covered every inch of them.
Peasants scurried hurriedly throughout the town as if it was under attack from some army in the distance.
Smoke came out of the roofs of houses that mixed in with the dark fog that loomed high above the town.
An eerie aura came from the town. Not the type that held darker secrets or truths.
But the one you feel when something is coming, though you have no idea what it is or when.
Jun braved the cold once more as him and Arkshan entered the town. It smelled exactly like Górsinburg. Like animal and human manure. Though a little more contained in certain areas on the outskirts.
He couldn't cover his nose because he was already trying to not freeze to death.
As they neared the town square, Jun noticed that a nearby building was completely collapsed.
Builders and townsfolk gathered around it and scrambled to try and rebuild it. It looked to be a type of barn as wooden fencing surrounded it along with piles of sickly looking hay.
Arkshan seemed to noticed where Jun was looking and stopped to inspect the pile of rumble as well.
The more Jun looked at the collapsed barn, he noticed that it looked to not have become this state naturally.
Gigantic slash marks could be seen in the boards of wood. The marks looked to be as thick as a goat. Puncture marks of unnatural proportions made holes in the wood as well as tthe surrounding dirt.
Like something had thrown thick headed spears with incredible force directly.
A chill came over Jun as he shivered, taking his focus off of the strange scene. He couldn't tell if it was from the thought of what could've made those marks, or the deathly freezing winds.
Maybe it was both.
"C-can...we...go inside...?" Jun managed to squeak out as he curled up into a tiny ball of despair.
He head Arkshan huff, walking away towards the square. Jun quickly bounced back up, making his way towards the half-dragon in hopes of luxurious warmth of the inside of a building.
The town square looked completely barren compared to its supposed functionality.
It just looked like a normal roundabout.
The only focal point of it was the stone stature of some man wearing a long fur coat and raising a sword in the air. Shops and buildings surrounded the edges of the circular dirt road that surrounded the statue.
Arkshan roughly grabbed Jun's shoulder and dragged him into a nearby shop. The blessing of warmth graced Jun's body as he was thrown into the shop.
He quickly looked around and found a nearby fireplace that had its flaming roaring brightly.
The shop was pretty small and seemed to only carry furs. As the only items of clothing that were placed on tables were made out of it.
A tall man with a medium sized beard stood behind a nearby counter. He wore a long fur coat and some strange circular fur hat. His hair was also brown instead of the usual blonde or dark blonde.
Though brown can still be seen in the West, at least in the Yimpan Empire, it looked to be pretty rare. Compared to the East where brown and darker tones dominated hair colors.
Come to think of it, Jun had never heard of anyone being blonde in the East.
Jun heard Arkshan's boots walking around the shop looking at what it had to offer. He decided to pay no more attention to the half-dragon and rather focus on warming himself in front of the fireplace.
The soft crackling of ambers could be heard as the golden flames licked the iron railing in front of the logs. It felt cozy inside the quaint shop. Like a welcoming home.
He had never felt this before while in the West, though he still wouldn't call this shop home. The only place where he truly felt home was when he was running through the halls of his large home back in Huazan.
Or in the forests and mountains of Kaomi with Mina.
A wave of sadness washed over Jun and started to slowly, but surely, drown him. It felt like he was being suffocated by the feeling. He didn't feel like crying or shedding tears.
Just overwhelming sadness at what could've been.
"Ya." Exclaimed an irritated voice as Jun's eyes were covered by thick furs. Jun pulled the furs off of his head and examined them. It was a long fur coat and hat which looked oddly familiar to the ones back in Huaza.
The hat had white fur with flaps on the sides while the coat looked like it was made out of grey fox fur.
"What is this for? The dragon?" Jun questioned as he continued to examine the clothing.
Arkshan pinched the bridge of his nose before speaking through gritted teeth. "You'll stop complaining if you're warm."
A pout came to Jun's face as he put on the clothes. They were heavier than he had expected, especially the coat. Though he had to admit that they were expertly crafted and felt very comfortable.
"Is there a mirror somewhere?"
Jun didn't want to go parading around looking like an absolute booner. As settling with looking middle class was a sacrifice he had to begrudgingly make. Not a choice.
"Why would you care?!" Arkshan looked like he was about to choke him.
"I just want to see what it looks like!" He argued while he tried to fix his bangs. It was already starting to get a little warm in the shop form how insulating the coat was.
The half-dragon groaned as he pulled his sword out halfway. Jun noticed that the man behind the counter jumped at the sound of the blade being drawn.
He bent down a little and looked at himself.
His hair was messy, as always, and his face looked wind whipped, but at least his makeup was still intact.
Though, as he had initially feared, his eyes stayed glued to the two fur pieces of clothing. He grumbled as he stood up.
"This attire makes me look like a literal peasant. Is there anything else you can buy?" Jun also added under his breath, "And I look Western, ew."
A loud slam was heard as Arkshan forcibly sheathed his sword.
"Do you have a death wish?"
His voice scarily calm. Not his usual irritation or loud anger.
Jun fumbled with his hat for a moment. Searching for the words he should say next. Or if he should speak at all.
"Were they expensive?" Though Jun doubted that something all the way out here would be painfully expensive.
"Yes." Arkshan deadpanned as he made his way towards the door and out of the shop.
Huh, that's why they felt nice...
Jun thought as he felt the furs and lining of the coat. It wasn't itchy like most fur or wool products along with the leather inside feeling smooth and comfortable.
It seems he makes sure to carry a lot of money with him.
The more Jun thought about it, it didn't seem so absurd for Arkshan to be extremely rich or wealthy. As a dragon's tendency is to hoard.
But to spend it, that was another question that swam in his head. It's one thing to spend for yourself, it's another to spend for someone else.
The cold air blew into Jun's face, the wind howling slightly.
Though he wasn't bothered so much by the cold anymore since the furs repelled most of it. He shoved his hands into the coat's pockets and looked up at the sky.
It was already getting dark.
He followed Arkshan through the dirt streets. Passing small cabin like houses and small lanterns on tall poles that barely illuminated the streets.
Jun thought it was odd how the people were already scurrying around quickly.
It was starting to get dark, but not dark enough to where it was hard to see. The sky looked more overcast like a foggy day rather than the evening.
Eventually they came across a medium sized building that had a sign hanging above the door.
It surprisingly was written in Common saying, "The Alpine Pub".
They entered and Jun's nostrils were assaulted by the familiar scent of hard liquor and sweat. There were few patrons in the place, a few sitting at the bar, some playing cards at a table, and the bar women behind the counter.
Jun sat down at the bar tiredly, resting his chin on his hand, while Arkshan sat next to him.
Arkshan made eye contact with the woman, putting two fingers up before placing some coins down on the counter. She nodded and went to fill up two glasses.
"Ah, speak of devil! Harbinger 'ere to take our town's hard earned money?" Shouted one of the guys who sat next to Arkshan.
The statement caused everyone else in the pub to have their eyes on the half-dragon.
Arkshan grunted, steam puffing out, as he didn't bother to look at the guy.
The bar woman came back with two tall mugs of an alcohol-smelling clear liquid and set them in front of Arkshan and Jun. He hesitantly picked up the heavy glass and pressed it to his lips.
Jun took a small sip and placed the mug back on the counter. He clicked his tongue while he tried to figure out what he just drank.
It tasted similar to the warm beverages served during the winter time back in Huaza, but with a kick of spice to it. Not the hot spice like peppers, but the aromatic spices of cloves and other similar ingredients.
It tasted surprisingly good considering he didn't care much for alcoholic beverages. Though he knew he shouldn't have anymore as he wasn't the best with holding alcohol.
"How much is the bounty?" Arkshan asked before he took a large sip from his mug. It made Jun wonder how high his tolerance to alcohol was.
Or if he could even feel its effects at all.
"'Bout eight thousand maila." The second man answered who looked overworked and tired. Even his voice sounded wary.
"Do you have any extra money lying around?" He continued to probe which seemed to anger the two men.
"What? Ya tryin' t'rob us 'lawfully'?!" The man next to the half-dragon started to stand up out of his barstool.
"The bounty is petty then." Arkshan concluded bluntly, downing his mug in one swig and stood up as well.
"We actually made bounty for Vronymaja 'cause army t'was sent apparently wasn't for it! But for mine up North for damnéd Dwaves!"
"'N' not for greedy halfs of likes of ya!" The other chimed in as he stood up in front of Arkshan.
Jun saw that the two men just reached the half-dragon's chin.
He wondered if this was going to be another brawl in another one of these venues.
As it seemed that whoever had the most gall would start a fight with Arkshan. Especially people who've been drinking.
Which meant that no one probably liked him, but most were too afraid to fight him.
The man who stood in front of Arkshan whipped out a small pocket knife and brought it to his throat.
In one swift move Arkshan grabbed his head and slammed it on the counter. Blood splattered and pooled on the wooden surface from the man's newly broken nose.
The bar woman screamed, causing Jun to flinch in his seat. He turned back around at the bar to look away from what the sight of the man's face was.
Another loud sound of bone being smashed was heard. Jun looked to the side and saw the second man's head caved in. It was unlikely that he could've survived that sort of blow.
Jun felt the alcohol moving uneasily in his stomach as he looked away once again.
Murmuring and clamoring started to fill the silence of the pub. It sounded like the other patrons were going to start to try and repay the losses of their fellow patrons.
"Are there guards?" Jun could hear Arkshan asking in an exasperated tone. He looked over to see the bar woman shaking fearfully behind the counter. Her delicate arm pointing at the door, trembling.
A cloud of steam blew in Jun's face which caused him to look up and see Arkshan downing his mug of alcohol.
Before Jun could try and process what was happening next, Arkshan grabbed his shoulder and led him out of the pub.
The sudden cold was like jumping in a frozen lake from a warm hot spring. As the pub was pretty warm from the large fireplace that it had.
Jun worried if they were going to have to fight the whole village tooth and nail as Arkshan led him towards the outskirts.
It looked to already be the late evening from how dark it was. The blur of lantern lights of the dirt streets whipped past as Arkshan dragged him.
I don't have a good feeling about this...