The Nymph's Redemption: Acantha's Journey (7ds fanfiction)

Chapter Two: With Separation, Comes Complications

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The night went on peacefully and soon the morning sun rose, lighting up the land for a fresh and new day. Acantha had woken up to the feeling of a jolt. She opened her eyes to see she was already in the wooden cart, being pulled by the same horse and being controlled by the familiar dark-haired boy named Eryx. "Ah sorry if that woke ya! We kinda hit a pothole." He said, looking over his shoulder at the girl. The green-eyed girl sat up and rubbed her eyes tiredly, confused about their current location. "We're only about an hour away from Vaizel. There should be some food in my bag if you want to get some breakfast." He said and turned his eyes to face the road.

Acantha gave her usual silent nod and looked at the brown leather bag. She opened it and got some food out of it. It seemed to be potato chunks and fruit wrapped in some cloth to keep flies from it. The small girl picked up the food in her hands and started to eat. Eryx seemed to perk up as if remembering something. "Oh! I forgot to mention! Since we're going to Vaizel, it's highly populated. There should be a capelet I usually use for rain, but it might help cover you." He said with a smile. Acantha didn't even hear him and was too focused on the food. It wasn't good or amazing like how a fresh meal at a tavern would be, but it was enough to get her in her thoughts.

"Hey! Are ya listening?? You're not half-deaf right???" Eryx questioned, a childish pout coming from him. Acantha got snapped to reality and looked at him and just... Nodded. "We need to get you saying some kind of words." He sighed. The ginger-haired girl furrowed her brows and tried to force herself to say something, but it was almost like something was holding her back. Eryx shrugged it off for the time being and continued to get to their location. And after much time, silence, and one-sided conversations, they got there.

Eryx kept his horse and cart a little outside of the village with the other carts and horses as a way to not block people from walking. "Alright, we're here! Man, it's a lot busier. And sounds like there's a party somewhere." He said jokingly, hopping down and putting out a bucket of water for the horse. Acantha jumped down before feeling something getting thrown into her body. She flinched and internally panicked before seeing it was in fact, the capelet Eryx had mentioned on their travels here. "I said you can wear it. I'd rather not get in trouble." He said. Acantha deadpanned a bit. 'I dunno if that's a compliment or insult.' She thought as she put on the dark green article of clothing and put the hood over her head, making sure her hair would be tucked in.

"Alright let's go. I was thinking of going to the market as well to get some food for the road as well as just checking and seeing what they have." Eryx explained as he walked. Acantha trailed behind him like some lost puppy. It was a lot more crowded than she thought it would be. Especially the marketplace.

Eryx however, was perfectly okay with this. In fact, he was getting so focused on looking around and buying supplies such as paper, ink, and quills, he completely forgot Acantha was following him. The two got separated easily though Eryx was able to find her when a boy in a yellow raincoat with green hair tapped on the boy's shoulder. He explained how it seemed that Eryx had been followed by the girl and then lost which caused Eryx to quickly thank him and rush off to find Acantha.

When he did find her, she was crouched in front of a cage of chickens being sold like livestock. Her face showed that she must have been mesmerized by how she was able to get up close to them. "Ah jeez, Acantha come on. Try not to get lost." He said and helped her stand up. The boy heard yelling and cheering atop a hill with a crowd of people bunched together. "Huh. I wonder what's happening there." He said and walked with Acantha over. When they got there, it was a large circular area with what appeared to be a weird creature covered by a red cloth and silver helmet. "Welcome! To the annual Vaizel Fighting Festival!" He yelled.