Blood of the Merciless

Chapter Six

ACT 2: Nezzagwyn

6.

After a few days of walking, the sandy dunes along the coast slowly transformed into marshy green lands.

Ashe pointed at something off in the distance.

"Civilisation. Finally, I was beginning to lose hope." Ashe said.

"We prioritise food and water. We do not want to waste time on unnecessary activities." Alaric said.

"It is not unnecessary, it is called exploring." Ashe retorted.

Florian snorted. "I have to agree with Ashe."

Alaric rolled his eyes.

It took the group about half a day to reach their destination.

The village they had arrived in hadn't been large. It consisted of many wooden houses built extremely close to one another. One wide road separated the village into two. As they entered the village, they saw many people bundled up amid the road. There had been a handful of blue-robed men sitting atop horses looking down upon the villagers that surrounded them. Alaric pulled up the hood of his robe, Ashe had done the same. Alaric turned to Florian and Ashe and placed a finger onto his lips. They had followed Alaric as he casually walked up to the group forming in the middle of the village and stood on the outskirts.

"...Lord Chapman does not receive his payment, this village shall be torn apart!" One of the blue-robed men yelled.

Florian scanned the faces of the people in the crowd. He noticed that most of them had been women and children. There had been a handful of men but they had been elderly. He also noticed that everyone looked towards the ground, no one was looking at the blue-robed men. Everyone in the crowd had been incredibly thin and wore ragged clothing. Some of the people had been coughing horribly.

After a few more threats towards the crowd the robed men left. The crowd quickly dissipated, leaving only a few people in the street.

"What was that all about?" Ashe asked.

"It seems like this is a mysur-village. And it seems that they are not in the greatest of situations." Alaric whispered.

"These people...are incredibly sad," Florian said.

Alaric nodded. "I sense it too."

"Can we help them?" Ashe asked, looking at Alaric.

Alaric looked unsure. "We...cannot help everyone that is in trouble, if we do that we will never reach Meinspir. We should focus on procuring food and water."

Florian and Ashe both gave him disapproving stares.

"Listen, we prioritise our wellbeing. However, if there is enough information and the risk is minimum then we step in to help. Is that okay with the both of you?" Alaric suggested.

They nodded at him gleefully.

Alaric walked towards an elderly man who stood on the road.

Once the elderly man noticed Alaric, he immediately looked towards the ground.

They think we are casters.

"Pardon me, where can we purchase some cuisine?" Alaric asked.

"Yes, milord. You can find some at that house over there, milord." The elderly man said while pointing at a larger wooden building. "If the food is not to your liking, milord. I can show you to the fields for some fresh harvest."

"That will not be necessary, I am certain the food here shall be great," Alaric said.

The elderly man bowed slightly. "You are too kind, milord."