Woman of the Runes

Moving to Selphia

It was the first day of spring, and I was preparing to leave my campsite on Maya Road to travel to the Town of Selphia, as I was moving there soon.

Packing my things, I looked at the skies above me.

"Clear, but a little bit cloudy. Perfect weather for traveling." I said with a small smile as I adjusted my cloak over my shoulders.

The walk to Selphia would take about two to three hours to get there, so I got up early this morning at about six, so I'd be there right before things got busy.

Crossing the old bridge, I came across a small Furpy, a golden variety of the Chipsqueak.

"Hello there, little one." I said, crouching down to its level and reaching into my pocket.

It sniffed the air in front of it, trying to identify what I was.

Pulling out a small pouch, I poured some seeds into the palm of my hand and offered them to it.

"Are you hungry?" I asked as it walked a little bit closer.

Deeming me no longer a threat, the Furpy greedily stuffed its mouth with the seeds and nuzzled my hand before scurrying off.

Giving a small laugh, I tied off the pouch before continuing on my way.

Maya Road was connected to Autumn Road by the old wooden bridge I had just crossed. Both were somewhat far to the west of Selphia, so I had to keep going north-east for a while.

Looking at the colorful leaves on the path of Autumn Road, I smiled.

In Selphia, there were odd fluctuations in the runes, which caused certain areas to stay the same season, year round.

I had been camping out near Autumn Road, and as the name suggested, it was always fall there.

That being said, the town of Selphia itself was unaffected by the strange phenomenon, and the seasons changed normally there.

Reaching the end of Autumn Road, I looked down at the ground where the grass slowly faded from brown to dark green, meaning I had finally reached Selphia Plains.

Heading north, I finally came upon the entrance to the town. The entrance was a stone gate with a fence, just tall enough to block larger monsters from getting in.

Walking up to the gate and adjusting the bag on my waist a bit, I walked through to the center of town.

Looking at the small castle in the center of town, I smiled.

It was certainly in her taste.

Heading to the inside, I walked towards a large dragon who was staring off into space.

"Hello there, Beastie." I said with a grin.

"Huh?!" The dragon yelled in a comical way as she looked around before her eyes landed on me as I removed the hood of my cloak.

"Aria?!" She shouted, shocked by my sudden appearance.

"In the flesh!" I said, smiling widely, giving her a peace sign.

"Where have you been for the past fifty years?" She asked.

"Traveling mainly, though I also have been spending time with my family."

"Family? Do you mean the Rune spirits?" She asked, tilting her head to the side.

"Yes, they can take on a semi-physical form every now and then, so I've been in good company." I said before looking out at the fields behind her through the archway.

"Seems as though you've been hit by the typhoon that came through here last month." I said, eying the ruined trees, stumps, weeds, and large rocks that had been carried into the fields.