Afterlife's Vessel

II

  Following the chaotic dispute previously taking place in the arbitrary road, Amyn gets unexpectedly dragged to a 'tavern' by an enigmatic man dressed in similar attire. Him and Albori agreed to meet up at the fountain; but will Amyn really show up after the urgent events that are brewing up?

"Take a look at this, Amyntius."

The man nonchalantly pulls out an envelope with red bloodstain-like markings from his coat pocket, slamming it somewhat carefully onto the roof of a barrel, swabbing his hand against a handkerchief afterwards.

"As you should know, this letter is from the Jyckept Witches. I've already scrutinised this finely, but you should probably take a look as well. This is... Dire news, after all."

Straightening the countless creases caused from apparently ruffling and rough handling, Amyn unfolds the seal flap, unconsciously tearing a bit of the corner.

'Dear Retrievers,

We, the Jyckept Witches shall be coming to your lovely metropolis. Two sunsets from now, beneath the silver moon, our ensemble of death shall unleash violent torrents upon the capital. Prepare all the resistance you desire, but your armaments will be swept aside facilely.

Sincerely,

Strain'

"Strain?"

Amyn questions, puzzled by the mysterious title.
"We've received letters from the Jyckept Witches already in the past, but never by the name 'Strain'."

"This could represent something like this 'Strain' person will personally pay us a visit, which judging by the cryptic atmosphere, might be a bigger threat than the ones we've faced before."

"But chief, the harvest festival is-"

"Desperate times call for desperate measures, Amyntius. The Burgomaster will definitely understand the precautions we need to take in order to defend our borough. The festival can wait, this is more urgent."

"What about the people though? They've all dutifully prepared for this annual event, and cannot afford to postpone it. The stalls and stages are already set up!"

"How would you like to see an entire city's worth of civilians dead?! Sure they've devised and arranged different forms of attractions and entertainment, but they'd all be reduced to ashes by those witches! Get your priorities straight, Amyntius."

Irritated and antagonised towards Amyn's argument, the chief moodily tramples his way out of the room, infuriated that he'd even come up with something as nonsensical as that.

As inquisitive as Albori is, he stealthily trailed the two, reaching a seemingly normal inn. With a large hanging sign with 'The Prophet's Lamb' written in cursive handwriting, next to an image of a juvenile lamb, resting underneath an oak tree in the centremost of a field, sprawling with wildlife and vegetation. From the bottom, the first floor is constructed entirely out of stone bricks, piled upon one another with windows the size of a head. It only had one entrance: Two gothic wooden doors next to each other, their tips converging together at the top to create a pointy top at the head. Adjacent to the doors, is a wooden staircase leading to the main living quarters. Supported by barrels, they squealed and clicked every step Albori took on them. Reaching the actual inn, Albori took in every corner of the building. Although it was similar to other mediaeval-style buildings, the windows, which were all the way open, were boarded with wooden planks, seemingly to prevent passerby from sneaking glances inside.

Seizing the opportunity of an unlocked door, Albori tiptoes inside. Immediately amazed by the difference the exteriors and interiors are; he feels a shiver down his spine, tingling his ribcage and trembling his feet. From the magical chandelier artefact, which stays afloat near the ceiling, illuminating the 'tavern' with possibly conjured flames, to the library of books, orbiting a candescent orange orb, radiating little amounts of heat around it. Fascinated by these abnormal sights, Albori cautiously slips through the piles of paper scattered carelessly on the floor, eventually reaching the glowing orb. Trying to extend his arm and grab it, but an orbiting book coincidentally gets jammed by Albori's hand, causing a chain-effect, interrupting the trajectory of everything else and sending the other books toppling down, some landing on his head.