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CHAPTER SEVEN
🕑 Added 2024-12-05 04:14:04 +0000 UTCElmwood, a motley assortment of buildings (loosely fenced in and patrolled by a militia), waved out a late-night welcome to the exhausted Wind Blades from behind some rushes lining a bank to their left—and, under the cover of darkness, the moon hidden by thick clouds, not a whisper of their dragging feet could be heard. In the distance, they could see the outline of the inn, and Tatsuya allowed himself the minute relaxation of his shoulders.
He dared not believe it was over yet as, despite their precautions, their cover could still be blown, but he couldn't deny the relief he felt—though it was tempered with pity and annoyance at the horses' fate; the animals were too injured from the raider’s attack and, sadly, had to be put down, so they had to trek the remainder of their journey with their surviving belongings.
It was not an experience any of them would like to repeat.
As they got closer, the inn came into full view; a small, cosy- looking building made of wood and stone with a thatched roof and a signboard swinging above the entrance. The only light came from a few flickering torches outside, and it was clear that the inn was closed for the night.
Jao limped forward from the group with his arm around Leia’s shoulders, every movement eliciting a barely perceptible wince from the lightning elemental. Sans him, more so due to his time in the tornado and the debris than the ensuing fight, the group had little-to-no injuries—and their healing factor had taken care of what it could at the expense of their stamina—so, basing his assumption on the woman’s rumoured strength and any visible damage, it was likely her injuries (self-inflicted and internal) had to do with her speciality.
If he remembered correctly, hers was the ability to increase only her speed and reaction with lightning (and spirits knew how that worked), but regardless of how admittedly awesome that was, there was a noticeable, serious drawback: nerve damage over time.
The leader raised a hand, and they took that as the signal to stop. He took a moment to scan the area carefully with his eyes—and his passive ability, no doubt—before whispering, though loud enough for every member to hear:
“The innkeeper and his family may be friends of ours, but make no mistake, we still have to be careful.”
There was no doubt the warning was for Tatsuya, and though he already knew that, he made no move to speak up and assuage the man’s fears. There was a right time and place for that and now wasn't.
“One mistake, one glimpse from a ‘concerned’ villager, and we will have a repeat of Ravenwood.”
Hoping not to draw attention to themselves, the group was led toward a side entrance of the inn, where they could see a faint light coming from a window, and Jao moved to knock on the door lightly.
After a few moments, the door creaked open slightly, and a round face with a bushy beard and moppy brown hair appeared. There was a brief moment of hesitation as the man (probably the innkeeper) eyed each member in turn, certainly taking in their bloodied and torn clothes, before opening the entrance fully.
“Come in, quickly,” the innkeeper whispered, beckoning them inside the building with a wave of his hand.
The group complied, and Tatsuya (the last to enter) closed the door behind him before returning his gaze forward, greeted immediately by the warm glow of a fire in the hearth and the comforting smell of cooking food in the main hall.
The innkeeper, portly in the low light and wearing night clothes, gestured for them to sit—and everyone spread themselves out around the fireplace, their belongings dropped in a heap in the corner—and, after making sure everyone was comfortable, offered them food and drink. His words were met by their weary yet grateful cheers.
As a few words of greetings and slaps on the back from the latter were exchanged between Jao and the innkeeper, Tatsuya, who had chosen to seat on the floor beside Zoel and her seal, legs folded—a personal goal to regain his flexibility—couldn't help but overhear their ensuing conversation. To lessen the guilt, he blamed his action on the currents that drew their words to his ears.
“Where’s Leo?”
“I'm sorry, lad, but you just missed him. He's gone on his own adventure with his group, but that's by the way.” A pause and the innkeeper leaned in to whisper, “Rumour has it that the king is in talks with sorcerers of the Far East about the Legend, and—”
Furtive eyes met Tatsuya’s intruding ones from across the room, and he hoped the hasty nod he sent would allay the (correct) suspicion. However, though the innkeeper mirrored the action, the narrowed green eyes, subsequent whispers to Jao—too low to be carried by air—and looks sent at Tatsuya suggested otherwise. He was left suddenly abashed, though more so at being caught than at his action itself.
Thankfully, before either of the two earth elementals could walk up to him, a set of twins in matching night clothes appeared with trays of food and drink—held aloft in the air with flat pieces of circular stones—but, based on the weight of the stare he could feel at the back of his neck as he turned away from them, words would be had for his eavesdropping.
He ignored the tiny voice that said he deserved it and turned his attention to the young girl before him, bright eyes and a friendly smile as she offered the last tray to him.
“Here you go, sir. A bowl of hot stew, bread, and some ale to warm up your bones.”
Smiling gratefully at her, he slowly placed the tray on his lap. “Thank you.”
However, once she walked away, the expression fell, and one of hunger replaced it. Food had been among the belongings that had not survived the raider’s attack, and so, he dove into the food with a vengeance, scarfing down as much as he could without much thought for decorum or good manners—and from the audible sounds of chewing, and the accompanying moans, the others weren't much better.
As he ate and drank, he felt his mood lift, and the lines on his face and weariness in his bones faded. The food and drink were just what he needed, what they all needed, after the ordeal.
The young girl returned to him sometime later in the company of a young boy, her twin brother, and both of their eyes were filled with curiosity.
“Excuse me, sir. Is it true that you are a new member of the Wind Blades?”
The boy’s voice was filled with awe, and Tatsuya (having not been in the presence of children for years) was taken aback by it. He had to wonder what it said about the state of the world that children were so innocent yet so eager to embrace the grim and hostile culture, and of him that, although his future actions would only foster such mentality, he wasn't likely to stop anytime soon.
Probably nothing good, he felt.
He stunk to high heaven, battered and covered in grime (and blood) as he was, but they made no mention of it as normal children were wont to do if he recalled correctly, tact be damned. He could excuse them for not mentioning it when they were serving, but even then, they had not shown any panic about the (technical) criminal rebels and killers in their midst; instead, it seemed they were happy to see and talk to them.
Admittedly, he had paid them no mind until the girl approached him, but surely, if they had reacted negatively, he would have known. There were no signs that their reactions had been anything less than positive.
If one really looked at it closely, they would see that it was all kinds of fucked up. But he supposed, based on the average life expectancy—especially for those living in the villages—it was some kind of widespread, maybe ingrained, societal coping mechanism, which was honestly understandable. Death and destruction were a constant, and some people (specifically, the younger ones) weren't able to handle it; in the case of the twins, the lack of negative reactions, and the non-judgemental acceptance, could be their mind’s unconscious way of stopping them from being overwhelmed.
Anger welled in his chest, and his appetite disappeared. He was grateful for the food and shelter, but he couldn't help wondering if it would cost the children greatly—because, regardless of the state of the world, one could avoid most problems if they didn't associate with groups like the Wind Blades. It was common sense, and it was unfortunate that said sense wasn't exactly common.
He wondered if the innkeeper thought the probable cost was worth it. He wondered if the reasons for his decision made any sense.
Aware that he was taking more time than necessary to reply, Tatsuya finally nodded, taking a sip of his ale. “Yes, I am.” Well, tentative, but for all intents and purposes, he was a fully-fledged member, so they didn't need to know that meaningless trivia.
The twins’ eyes grew even wider, and the girl leaned closer to him, her voice barely above a whisper. “I've always dreamed of joining the Wind Blades, going on adventures, and exploring new places!”
No.
“Oh, really?” Judging by the grimace Zoel sent his way, he wasn't able to keep the sheer incredulity and anger the girl elicited from creeping into his words.
“Yes! So do you think we can join?” the boy continued in his sister’s stead. “We have been practising all the time with the other elementals in the village square, and now, we can control multiple pieces of stones. You saw it! We used it to carry the trays.”
The answer was still no. Disregarding the validity of his status in the group, it wouldn't sit well with him (or any sensible person for that matter) if he allowed them to join the Wind Blades now. If they were older, maybe, but he would prefer if they lived quiet lives as relatively well-adjusted people, even if it was less exciting and wishful thinking on his part.
There was no harm in living a boring life. Boring was good. Boring was safe.
Thankfully, Tatsuya was kept from voicing his decision by the innkeeper’s well-timed intervention, and as twins acquiesced to the man's instructions to go to their room, he decided to also retire—as was Zoel, it seemed, as the woman (and her seal) stood up alongside him; something he was silently grateful for as he didn't know which room was meant to be his for the night.
A brief stop to speak with the innkeeper was had before she led Tatsuya upstairs to two rooms at the end of the hall, adjoined by a door unlocked from each side.
The room was clean and warm, a fire in the hearth already burning, and immediately, his gaze drifted to the bed pushed against the wall, the soft-looking mattress and quilt beckoning him. However, a hand on his shoulder kept him from diving toward it and startled, he turned to Zoel, the owner of said hand.
“Don’t think too much of it.” Seeing his inquisitive stare, she continued, “The children’s aspirations.”
“Oh,” he said, more so for a lack of reply than anything else as confusion warred with curiosity within him. “Okay.”
The woman nodded once and excused herself from the room without saying another word—though her seal gave a farewell bark and yapped all the way.
A few moments were spent, in vain, he might add, trying to understand the interaction they had and the reasons behind her cryptic instruction before he gave up and chalked it up to general weirdness. Unlike her seal, she was a woman of few words, and, despite being the strongest of the group, no one really knew much about her. Maybe this was her way of telling him to mind his business.
He snorted, a yawn escaping his lips. Yeah, that was probably it. He was a bit too nosy for his own good sometimes.
Idly scratching his side, he closed the door behind him and sauntered to his bed, but rather than crawl into it like he wanted, he decided to sleep on the floor. After all, he was filthy and didn't want to stain the bed as he had no strength to wash. Even the fact that he considered it was almost sacrilegious to his exhausted mind.
Curled on the hard surface of the floor, arms as a makeshift pillow and cloak a blanket, he closed his eyes and soon fell into a fitful sleep, dreams plagued by his ordeals.
