Hell's Bane (COMPLETED)

Chapter One: The Path to Strange Places

Drea always thought that cobbled roads were for merchants and city-folk.

It wasn't as if she disliked merchants and city folk – or cobbled roads, for that matter, but they would never lead to where she wanted. Artifacts that were in cities were most often already found, used, and of no value anymore. And the artifacts hidden in cities that weren't discovered would likely spur too much unwanted attention, something that the Claimant's reputation could not afford.

Drea herself was rather fond of unwanted attention – provided she made it out alive, but the leader of the Claimant, Davis, was much more careful with what he did. And though Drea could understand that Davis wanted his underground artifact-hunting business to last, there were times where she couldn't help but suspect that there was something more that Davis was wary of.

And so no one in the Claimant ever ventured to find an artifact in a city, and so not many people took the cobbled roads. The path to strange places – mountains, jungles, and rivers – was where they went instead. The path covered in grass and dirt, pebbles and leaves, free from the noise and pandemonium on the city roads.

Even when they were travelling to nearby cities, they would rarely take the open road. Curving and twisting and leading them in circles, Drea found it much simpler to cut through a field rather than entering the labyrinth the road makers thought would be amusing to design.

Again, Drea found herself along the path to strange places, but this time, it was different. This time, she was accompanied by others – a man named Hugo, and most interestingly, Davis himself. Drea knew Hugo well enough from one or two journeys they had been on together previously, but it was Davis that unnerved her. Davis, who she had rarely seen leave the Claimant, and yet here he was, with no sign of emotion in his expression that said anything was wrong.

Turning to look at the packs of food that each of them carried on their backs, most of the bags empty now, Davis suddenly murmured: "We don't have much food left."

Drea snapped out of her thoughts and stared at him, thinking of a response, when Hugo said: "We'll make it. How close are we to the nearest town, Davis?"

Davis slowed down the horse he was riding and fished out a map filled with scribbles and age-worn notes from his pocket. "We'll make it to Reyes by today. Perhaps a bit further away, maybe more."

"So we still have enough food."

Davis put the map back where it was originally. "Better safe than sorry. But..." the leader paused. "...Fair enough."

Hugo shrugged. "Fair enough." With a moment of calculating silence, he added: "I still don't understand why you came with us."

That's what we're all wondering, Drea thought, suddenly peering at Hugo and Davis curiously.

Davis turned to look at him. "You'd prefer me to stay back at the Claimant?"

Hugo cocked his head. "No, it's just... what's it with Kazim's Blade that's interested you so much?

Davis frowned. "It can cut through anything physical and magical. Interesting enough, don't you think?"

"That's not what I mean," Hugo said. "There were things that were worth much more or much more unique, yet you never came with us for those." With an afterthought, he added: "I mean, shouldn't you be back at the Claimant, overseeing how things are going?" Beside Hugo, Drea nodded.

Davis didn't answer, and without further conversation between the three of them, the explorers continued riding their horses, as the endless fields of grass stretched before them. The sun, originally at its pinnacle in the sky, slowly dipped down into the horizon, its orange glow on the ground slowly growing brighter.