It was dark, the only source of light being the gaps between the door and the walls.
"How do you feel now?" Ria asked, a smile creeping onto her face.
"Still feel like a punching bag," Faelan replied reluctantly.
"At least the swelling has gone down. You looked like a bumpy... balloon."
A chuckle escaped her.
"I'm glad you're amused," Faelan replied.
Ria smiled sheepishly as she laid on the floor of the moving vehicle.
Hours had passed since they got into the truck.
"By the way, did you train Niri like that?"
"No, I didn't train her at all, actually."
Faelan looked toward the corner where she had curled up.
Ria studied him for a moment.
"Didn't think you'd throw a punch like that."
"Well, it happened."
He pulled his head to rest on the wall behind, then sighed.
Why?
He knew he would have lost, but he escalated it regardless.
"Guess I got lucky," he muttered.
Ria stared at him, puzzled.
The road had been silent, save for the sound of the engine.
The light coming through the gaps slowly dimmed until there was nothing left.
It was cold now, the air stale.
Faelan felt something cling to his ankle.
Then another.
"Ria, what are you—"
A third clung to his calf, then a fourth, then a fifth. More wrapped around his body, reaching his neck.
His breath seized, but he made no attempt to call out.
Who—
TSCC
Faelan gasped for air, coughing as his eyes pried open.
The truck had stopped moving. The cold remained, but light had begun creeping in through the gaps.
"Are you okay? You're bleeding a bit," Ria remarked.
Faelan looked at her, then down at his leg.
Niri had run her claw along it. Shallow but thin trails of blood leaked from the wound.
Her fur stood on edge, eyes fixed on Faelan.
Faelan sighed and petted her.
"Mrraa."
She made an agitated sound but didn't pull away.
GLINK-RK
The door unlocked.
They were in front of a tall building. Its walls were made of stone and metal, with wide doors and pitch-black windows.
"Get out here," Varen commanded, a new set of goggles on his face.
He led them into the two-storey structure.
They entered a circular room, a large wooden table in the center, foam chairs forming a semicircle around it. Stairs lined the far side wall.
"Varen, what brings you back so... soon?"
The voice paused.
It came from the man atop the staircase.
"They don't seem like guests. Does my house look like a prison these days?" the man inquired, his face forming a frown.
He seemed to be in his late forties, his glassy brown-orange eyes narrowed.
"Calm down. I thought you'd like to see them before we..." Varen slid his thumb across his neck.
"And why would you think that?"
"Because of this."
Varen tossed the man the book.
He caught it in one swift motion.
He flipped through the pages, his expression lighting up before darkening again.
"How?"
"They had it with them," Varen gestured to Ria and Faelan standing behind him, their hands bound.
The man retrieved a wooden chair from a corner.
"Take a seat," he urged them.
They sat in the foam chairs opposite him.
Faelan settled in with a grunt.
This one's more comfortable than the last one, Ria thought to herself.
"How do you know the man that wrote this book?"
"He's a friend of mine," Faelan replied.
"Why did he give it to you?"
"I don't know. I thought it would have directions, but not so much."
"You are surprisingly cooperative for someone with injuries like that."
"I don't really think what I'm telling you is important enough to be secretive about."
"Earlier you mentioned directions. Where were you headed?"
"I don't really know, but he called it Veictrid Harbor."
The man's eyes widened.
"Is that so?"
He glanced at Varen, who also seemed surprised.
"Why Veictrid Harbor? What do you want to do there?"
"I wanted to go sightseeing, so he sai—"
"Bullshit."
"Um..."
"I said bullshit!"
His voice turned stern.
"Now answer my question again. Try not to lie too obviously this time."
Faelan's shoulders tensed.
"Fine. Truth is, he got caught up in something and told me to see someone in Veictrid Harbor."
The man raised an eyebrow.
"Who are you to meet?"
"Alwyn. He's a trader. I used to be a messenger, as you can see."
Faelan gestured to his scarf.
"So he told me to pick up a package for me."
The man stared at him for a moment, then smiled.
"Much better. Pretty sure there were a few truths sprinkled in there too."
He stood up, scratching his light brown hair.
"Remove their binds."
"What?" Varen remarked, puzzled. "Do you actually believe him?"
"No, I don't. But I know he won't give his journal to an idiot. Check through whatever they had with them. They should have the exact fee there."
He stretched his arms.
"It's too early for a man my age to be dealing with these kinds of things anyway. I'll leave the rest to you, my boy."
He waved the journal before returning upstairs.
"And I'll be keeping this."
"Sorry about beating you up, I guess."
Varen loosened their ropes, his eyes lingering on Faelan's hands.
"Let's go check on that fee."
They followed him outside.
"What happened exactly?" Ria whispered to Faelan.
"I must have picked up a four-leaf weed at some point."
Ria studied him for a moment, wondering what he meant.
The truck they had arrived in was already gone, but the car Jarek had given them stood in the corner, clean and with its faulty tyre repaired.
Varen rummaged through their bags and found four pouches that clinked softly. He opened them, counting the different-shaped metal pieces inside.
"He was right. One hundred thousand Rell, accounted for."
Faelan froze at the amount.
"A hundred... thousand?"
It was enough to buy a small house in Caderrig.
"You didn't even know how much you were carrying?" Varen remarked as he entered the driver's seat.
"Anyways, I'll take you to where you'll be staying."
"Staying? What if we want to leave?" Faelan inquired as they got into the car.
"You can, but I don't see why you would want to. Either way, I'm not giving the money back."
"We were heading to Veictrid Harbor. I don't want to be here much longer."
"What are you talking—"
Varen paused.
"Oh, you didn't get it."
He sighed.
"You're already in Veictrid."
Faelan's eyes widened.
The engine roared to life.
They drove through winding dirt roads. Most of the buildings they came across were squat, some connected by overhead structures that cast uniform shade from the rising sun.
Somewhat taller buildings were a mix of old and new concrete, enclosed balconies and occasional metal extensions.
They came across different people, some walking, others in vehicles. Most had scars on their bodies, marks seemingly formed from something searing into their skin.
Their outer form was an uneven heptagon, bending into itself. At the center was a split diamond shape, some bearing the mark of a cracked circle.
Faelan clenched his fist as they passed by.
The road narrowed until they came to a stop in front of a house.
It stretched far, wedged between the two structures beside it.
"This is the place," Varen remarked.
Ria and Faelan left the vehicle, Niri trailing behind.
Varen brought out a key and opened the door.
The first room was square, a rug covering the center of it. A table with a set of chairs sat in the corner, while a half-filled bookcase rested against the opposite wall.
The kitchen was separated from the initial room by a waist-high ledge.
A door led down a hallway, with two doors on each side and one at the end.
"Anyone home?" Varen called out.
He was met with no reply.
"Seems like he's out. So for now, this place is yours. Pick your rooms and settle in."
Varen paused before stepping out.
"Here."
He tossed an octagon-shaped coin to Faelan.
"I'll be borrowing the car for a while."
He said it finally before leaving.
Faelan stared at the door as it closed behind Varen.
"I'm going to pick a room," Ria remarked, heading down the hallway.
All the rooms were similar, each containing a bed, table, chair, and wardrobe. The major differences between them were their arrangements.
However, the last room was locked.
"Just leave it. Have you picked a room yet?" Faelan inquired.
"Yes."
She gestured to a bedroom on the left side.
"Alright, I'll take this one then."
He tapped on a door.
"I'm going to make lunch."
Faelan returned to the first room and entered the kitchen.
Pots and pans hung on the walls in order of size, plates arranged carefully on the shelf. Niri found her way onto it.
A rectangular box rested against the wall close to the ledge. It was made of metal, with a large glass door situated on its front. Circles were outlined on the top part of the box, dials lining its sides.
A two-in-one stove oven. Quite nice, actually, Faelan thought as he studied the box, his gaze drifting toward the closed cupboards.
He looked through them.
Tomatoes, lekas, carrots, pratoes, brown peas, a thick fluid he assumed was oil, and an assortment of herbs and spices.
"Everything here is fresh," he muttered.
Then something caught his attention.
A half-empty sack of white grains.
Rice. I haven't had this in a while.
Faelan measured out some peas and rice, boiling them in separate pots.
After some time, he filtered the water from them.
He cut up lekas and onions, then used two plates that fit into each other to crush the tomatoes into a paste.
He dried the pot before adding the thick fluid.
PLOP.
I really hope this is oil.
He added the lekas and onions, allowing them to simmer.
Ria returned from the inner room.
"What's that smell?"
"I told you before. Lunch."
Faelan added the crushed tomatoes, along with various spices, then the peas and rice. After frying them for a bit, he added water, boiling everything until it was ready.
He served some onto two plates for himself and Ria, and a small bowl for Niri.
Ria salivated at the sight of it.
The moment she took a bite, her face lit up.
"Th-dhis stastes anazing."
"Slow down, you could choke," Faelan cautioned.
It's not that good, he thought to himself as he ate his meal.
It didn't take long for Ria to finish hers.
"Is there more?"
"Not now. We'll have some for dinner and maybe leave a little too."
"Can't you just make more? And why would we leave a little?"
"It's not only about making more. It's about what I use to make more. We don't have a lot of money right now, so we'll have to ration what we eat. Also..."
He paused, glancing around the kitchen.
"I think someone else might be living here."