In Search of Kasena | ONC2024

Chapter 4

After she sat Niel down on the grass, Alarie accepted the task of cleaning his wound. He wasn't even aware he was bleeding until she pointed it out. That ruffian must've hit him harder than he thought. He recalled the ominous crack he heard when he hit him back and looked down at his hand. His father's ring was still there, glinting in the faint moonlight. The metal probably made the impact worse for the guy, so he snickered to himself and silently thanked his father for leaving the ring to him all those years ago.

Alarie gave him a reserved look as she fumbled through her pockets, but then sat down beside him. Niel flinched when she grabbed his jaw and pressed a damp piece of cloth against his face. He didn't know which was colder—the cloth or her hands. She paid no attention to that, instead completely focused on his wound.

"Wh—"

"Quiet," she cut him off, clamping a cold hand over his mouth. "I'm not done."

He stopped resisting and watched her blue eyes staring at him with a determined gaze, glaring icy daggers at his wound. She was like snow—beautiful but cold. Her hair was as white as the first snow that covered the land, and her eyes reminded him of the winter sky—blue, with just a hint of gray. After holding his face for some time, he got used to the coldness of her hands, but just when he started to relax, she let him go.

"Alright, we're all done." She discarded a small patch of cloth, light pink in color, and dusted off her hands. "You can talk now. And perhaps you can start by telling me your name."

"I'm Niel," he answered. "You said you're... an adventurer? What do you really do?"

A loose strand of hair fell in front of her eyes, and she blew it off before replying. "I travel around the kingdom. Visit different cities. Experience life. Pick up an odd job here and there to earn a coin or two." Staring down at him with curiosity, she crossed her arms. "And what are you doing in Avisir?"

"Looking for someone." He wasn't supposed to reveal too much, but an adventurer seemed like the type of person who could be useful. Wasting no time, he asked her if she saw anyone who looked like Kasena or the black-haired woman, and watched in anticipation as she mulled it over.

"Hmm, that woman with a scar rings a bell," Alarie replied after a minute. "I haven't personally dealt with her, that much I know, but I might've seen her in a crowd somewhere.

"When?" Niel asked full of excitement.

"I don't know. I've been in Avisir for the past two weeks. Could've been any time since I arrived."

"And the redhead?" he asked again. With each new breath, he reminded himself to calm down.

Alarie scratched her head in confusion. "I don't think I've seen anyone like that." Niel cursed under his breath. Another dead end. "Is that the girl you're looking for?"

"Yes," he said with a sigh. There was no use in denying that much. The mysterious woman was just an unknown part of the equation that he hoped he'd be able to solve along the way.

Niel looked at her sword, and a thought crossed his mind. Perhaps not all hope was lost. He searched through his pocket, and found the sketch of Kasena's sword. "Have you seen that maybe?"

Alarie let out a long whistle. "Can't say I have. This was custom-made?"

"Why do you ask?" He furrowed his brows.

"It looks really expensive." She shrugged. "Just look at all the details on the hilt. The overall design seems pretty fancy, too. You don't see that on any regular sword."

He squinted up at her. "You really know a lot about swords, huh?"

She flipped her hair over the shoulder and placed a hand on her hip. "Tsk, of course I do. Been dealing with them since I was a child."