Fallen Towers, Silent Ruins | Dream Smp

3

"Twenty gold."

"Thirty."

"Thirty?" Rose repeated in disbelief, "I might as well be throwing my gold in a lava pit. Twenty is already more than generous."

"That's my finest steed you're eyeing," the stable owner stated gruffly, "It's nothin' outta the ordinary that I want a profit off o' him."

The girl pursed her lips in annoyance. She had wasted enough time in this village already, and this man was testing her patience. "Twenty-five, then. Is that fair?"

"Twenty-five..." the man muttered, thinking to himself, "I suppose I can agree with that. It's a deal." Rose sighed in relief and reached down into her backpack to pull out a small sack that contained twenty coins, opening it and then adding in five more before handing it to the stable owner.

"Pleasure doing business with you," she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm as she lifted her backpack from the ground. It would have been more of a pleasure if her backpack had a bit more weight in gold.

"Mm, you as well," the man replied absentmindedly, counting the coins, "Take care of him, will you? One of the finest I've ever raised." Rose nodded as she approached the gray and white horse, running a hand down its face. The horse was already saddled, so she slid her sword into a holder connected to the saddle and placed one foot on the stirrup before boosting herself onto its back.

As she took hold of the reins and readied to continue her journey, the man cleared his throat and spoke up once more. "If you don't mind me asking, where're you headed? Not many folks pass through this here village, 'specially not ladies like you."

"You could say I'm a treasure hunter," Rose replied simply, "I've got to pass through the mountains, and thought it would be smart to travel on horseback rather than by foot."

"Ah. Careful out there, then." He tucked the coin bag into his old, dusty jacket and looked up at her with his dull blue eyes. "They say there's pillagers in the mountain pass."

"In the mountains? That's uncommon."

"They supposed to be the pillagers who originated in this here savanna, but they were run out of their outposts a lil' while back, and then they disappeared," the man explained, "Some say that they escaped to the mountains and hide in the pass, harassin' and attackin' those who cross paths with 'em."

"Hm. I'll keep that in mind," Rose replied. The man gave her a curt wave as she flicked the reins and the horse began to trot away from the stable and down the path. She turned right to travel down the main path, which led directly out the other end of the village and continued towards the looming mountains in the distance.

- - - - - - - - - -

It wasn't too long before the yellowed grass of the savanna turned to a frosted green, and the mountains seemed even larger and more intimidating than before. Rose recalled that the red line on the map led straight through the mountains, and she assumed that she was headed towards the mountain pass the stable owner spoke of.

And adding to that was the fact that Rose could see a valley-like split between two of the mountains up ahead. The pass. She flicked the horse's reins again and took off in a fast trot.

The snow grew thicker below her horse's hooves as they travelled onwards, with the world around her soon transforming into a wonderland of white. As she glanced around, her eyes caught sight of something on the ground that shimmered in the sunlight.

Rose pulled on the reins and swung herself off the saddle and onto the ground. She slowly kneeled down and grabbed the small object, discovering that it was a pendant.