Easthaven

Chapter 2 - A Lifetime Foretold

The sun had just begun to slip under the coverage of nearby mountains and casted a yellowish orange hue on top of the massive village. Easthaven's lifeblood was not nearly as pumping this late into the day, yet scant individuals still ran their stands for any stray wanderers or locals. This was the perfect time for Eli and his strange new friend to enter, giving them ample opportunity to look around and get accustomed with the area.

They leisurely strolled along the well-beaten dirt paths with no real direction in focus, admiring the architecture that surrounded them. The buildings were definitely taller than those of other villages Eli had visited, wooden frames adjoined by clay-covered plaited branches with a straw thatched roof above, though their conditions were what made them stand out the most. They were all generally-well kept, their walls sleek as silk perfectly reflecting the colors of the sunset, with intentionally grown moss being the only pseudo blemish on the natural canvas.

"How often do nonhumans visit here?" Eli asked Flynn, having noticed the looks they were getting from the few people that were outside. Their expressions did not hint at hostility, however, but more of a faint discomfort or an unspoken concern.

"How should I know? I've never even been here myself, fleshy!" Flynn responded half-sarcastically, putting some strain on her neck to look up at Eli, who was perched atop Honey. "I know of my tribe coming here a handful of times, mainly for supplies when situations became dire. We're usually very self-sufficient, but sometimes droughts hit and there's not many options left to choose from."

Flynn's head fell back down and twisted around for a moment, as though looking up for a few minutes had created a kink in it.

"But that's only happened a few times, to my knowledge at least." The goblin concluded, deciding to stretch her arms while she was at it. "Otherwise we don't really search for trade or anything of that sort. People seem to come to us more than we do to them."

"What do they come to you for?" Eli asked whilst looking around for any sign of a tavern, hoping that Easthaven wasn't just a communal trading post.

"Well, it depends." Flynn said as she played with one of her pigtails, twirling it around with her finger in thought. "Usually it's for food, but not full meals like all these shops have! We can grow a lot of things like wheat, carrots, and mushrooms a lot quicker than other fleshies can. They'll come and buy a lot of it in one go; in bulk, if you will. They don't really like what we do with the ingredients; I guess beetle soup and termite salad isn't for everyone."

Eli winced at the concept.

"Most of the time, though, people come for all the random junk we have piled up." Flynn added, beginning to skip as she found herself falling behind the man and his horse.

"Junk? Why would anyone come to buy junk?" Eli queried. He then spotted a gleaming light in the distance, illuminating through circular windows framed with intricate wood designs. It was hard to tell exactly from such a distance, but considering the size and design of the building, it was most likely a tavern or some other kind of establishment. He shifted his legs to lead Honey down the path.

"It turns out a lot of it is junk to us, but the opposite to everyone else." Flynn elaborated. "Our differences with humans go beyond just food, to things that we find valuable. For example, one time my sister found a small metal rod with all these weird pieces melded onto it. It was buried under a tree she was cutting down and had mold covering almost all of it."

"That sounds like junk all right."

"Until you hear that someone came and traded for it. Turns out it was a key and it unlocked an ancient treasure locked away in the dungeons of a centaur kingdom."