"Are you from the Dark Triad?"
On top of that rocky mountain, where clouds rumbled so loud that they created deafening sounds; Hel, a member of Hetairos asked them.
"No we're not!"
Eiser calmly replied.
As he did, Hel stepped forward into a puddle of water, as he lowered his hood.
"We don't have to be enemies then. Do we?"
He said, with a bright smile on his face, as he reached out his hand for Eiser.
Eiser looked at that tall guy, due to the heavy thunderstorm and night, he couldn't see properly, yet even in such darkness, the smile on his face was quite vivid.
The tensions cleared up as Eiser shook his hand. Yet the unkown man, covered in hood, apparently wasn't much pleased with their union.
Hel introduced himself and his gang as they walked.
Hetairos was three member gang from Peninscilla.
"We were in Marciella when Moreno came to us and asked for help."
Hel said, as he explained his story to Eiser and Riley.
"Are you from Trankava?"
Eiser said as he diverted his attention towards, Moreno.
"Uhh.. Yess.. I went out alone in search for strong allies that might help us regaining Trankava."
Moreno said.
"Alone, you say. Aren't you acquainted with Therdeo then?"
Sandy asked.
As Sandy asked that, Moreno's pupils dilated in shock. Eiser noticed it. Yet he wasn't alone in doing so, Noah, a member of Hetairos also looked at Moreno with the same sharp eyes.
"Ohh.... Therdeo yes, He was with me but we got saperated."
Moreno covered. Yet keen as they were Suspicion was created among Eiser, Noah and Sandy.
They couldn't camp that night. For the thunderstorm was very bad. In the morning, the weather was better, tho still cloudy and cold, yet the rain and stoem had finally settled down.
"We got lucky due to the thunderstomr last night."
Moreno said.
"What do you mean?"
Medea asked.
"Because of the Thunderstorm, The watch dogs of The Dark Triad wasn't out at night"
Moreno said.
"We have to be careful now, for the weather is settled. We might run into one party soon. What say you, Hel?".
He asked.
"Hmm... Should we split up then?"
Hel asked.
"Yes, that would be advisable"
Moreno said.
Eiser, Sandy and Arkas listened to thier gossip. After which they said goodbyes to Heatairos and went down into the cities.
After they left, Hetairos and Moreno were left alone on top of Mountains.
Standing on top of the tallest mountain of Trankava, Hel admired Trankava for its beauty.
"These mountains, Trankava is surrounded by them from each side. They are called as the mountains of Jormungandr, The impenetrable walls of Trankava."
Moreno said.
"We should head down aswell!"
Noah said.
Yet as he did, Hetairos found themselves surrounded by a Caravan of Vikings, riding on Horses and Wild Boars.
"We are surrounded huh?"
Hel said, as he turned around, facing away from the Dawn.
Moreno was sweating as he saw those Vikings, yet at the same time, a malicious grin was curled across his face.
———————
On the other side, Ana and Riley continued their journey towards Durdenhiem. They dropped Natalie and her mother in the Spike city as they went along ahead. Time passed, Nights into Days and Days into Nights. Facing the thunderstorms not nearly as ferocious as in Trankava, Ana and Riley finally reached Durdenhiem after 10 days of travelling.
"This must be Durdenhiem".
Anastasia said as they both saw a board of Durdenhiem's entrance.
Moving thier carriage into a busy street, Riley noticed some pocket lifters in brown clothing.
Yet strangely enough, No one cared for the old woman's call for help. That sudden spike of infurations caused fim to reel the reins of his horse just in time to block thier paths.
Anastasia, through the window, shot precise water blades that threw them off balance. Just in time, for Riley to jump from his cushions onto the Three Thieves, Riley captured them. Thinking that perhaps a similar fate lingered upon this strange land as it did in Falu.
After Capturing them and giving the purse to the old lady, he found it even stranger, that the old lady, instead of being grateful was annoyed by the ruckus created by them. Anastasia apologized to the old lady to back her down yet her complaints grew intense with the roaring crowd.
Yet as they saw that firece glare, ready to slit open the throats and slice the hearts, coming direclty from the man behind, The Old woman got scared. Finally she accepted her apology and left. Yet a looming dissatisfaction remained on Anastasia's face.
After some time, the two finally made their way out of that buslting unhelpful street. After turning their direction towards a rather slummish area. Ignoring the ragged people's discourteous and slightly evil glares, Riley stopped the carriage. He jumped out of his cushions again and went to the back to drag out his captured. Yet as soon as he did stop the carriage, that greedy lot that had never seen a priceless carriage and a glamorous looking driver at that, surrounded it as if hounds staring at their feast. That pack of hungry amd greedy hounds got even more tantalized by seeing a Selene beauty dressed in noble clothing, coming out of that carriage. The people around, gripped their swords and daggers, some even broke their bottles of alcohol that they drank just to get a piece of that feast.
As Riley dragged the three thieves out of the carriage, he quickly covered his nose with a handkerchief. Ofcourse, he offered one to Anastasia aswell, as the nauseating smell of the slums, couldn't be heandled by anyone. Yet Anastasia refused.
Riley was shocked to see such boldness by Anastasia. Although he had noticed some hints of her acting strange before aswell; Just as he Riley knocked the three thieves out, Anastasia tore her robes apart to tie them and cober their mouths, Yet even in those time Rikey didn't rhink much of it. He convinced himself that, he was seeing new layers of her character. Right there, seeing a cold look in her eyes, not intimidated by the ferocious beasts around her, Riley reminded himself of that once again.
Ana dropped a giamt water blob on the three to wake them up. As they did, they started to mumble and curse.
"Who are you guys. Who do you work for?"
Rikey asked them, in a gentle yet indifferent tone.
He took the cloth out of one thieves face as he asked this question. Yet instead of answering, that thief spat on him and started to mock Riley.
Being spit on infuriated Riley, yet not as much as her growing concern for Anastasia's layers of dark character that he had been seeing ever since they arrived here. For as that thief laughed, Ana picked up a rolling Alcohol bottle and broke it on his head.
Riley, the patient crowd, even the two other thives, coveyed in sense of fear and shock as they saw blood propel out of that thieves's head. Yet Ana didn't stop there, he removed the cloth from the thief next to him.
"If yoi dont wanna end up like you buddy there, You better speak up!"
She said in a ravaged tone, keeping the broken, sharp alcohol bottle close to his throat.
"I-i-i-I will speak!! I will tell everything!"
Fear spoke out of that thief as the thief next to him started to push him in anger.
Ana looked at that thief and shoved that broken bottle into that very thief.
The central thief, that had just spoke up, got scared even more as he screamed.
Even the crowd, that looked starving and ferocious before had settled down now.
Ana told Riley to get that thief to speak as she healed the other two. Yet even as the thief spoke, drenched in sweat and fear in that freezing cold, Riley's eyes were fixated, or perhaps fascinated by that icy aura that enveloped Anastasia.
After hardly fifteen minutes, Anastasia and Riley's carriage left the slums towards the address of Jessica's letter.
They traveled on the carriage for two more hours, till the momentum of thier horse nearly died.
"Seems like we should call it a day then!"
Riley said as the night had spread all over.
After laying the futons inside carriage, A gloomy faced Anastasia waited for Riley to come back. Who had went to the nearby lake for a bath.
As Riley came back he saw the moon dancing on her gloomy face. Her long fresh hair took his breath away. He couldn't believe that the sleeping beauty he had seen just now, was the same merciless snow woman that he had seen before.
He got up on to the carriage and covered her with a blanket. He then opened the bag and took out a Tunic.
Anastasia opened her slowly, the first thing she saw was the streched muscular back of Riley's as he wore his Tunic.
Riley looked at her as he said,
"Are you alright?"
"I don't know."
She said.
"Everything will be alright!"
He said as he came near her and brushed her hair with his hand.
Ana tho still looking down, was shocked. Yet strangely, the ache in her heart couldn't be reduced even after Riley's comfort.
"Let's eat something!"
He suggested.
"I am not hungry!"
She replied. Still looking down.
"I never asked if you were hungry. You have to eat!"
He said as he took out the snadwiches from his bag, that he had bought earlier.
He served it to Anastasia along with a box of milk. As he himself sat close to her, and started to eat his own meal.
As Riley munched down his meal,
"Is this Electrocuted?"
She suddenly spoke.
"I dont think so."
He replied.
As he did, Anastasia suddenly snatched that sandwich from his hands. As she glared at her.
"Why are you still eating it then?"
She shouted.
Anastasia quickly got up from there and went to her bag.
"Oh For God's sake! There is no mana inside it!"
Riley argued. A sudden ravage in his tone.
"Just shut up and eat what i feed you!"
She said.
"And are you gonna feed me those 15 days old canned beans again?"
He vehemently said.
"YES! beacuse that is the food we are supposed to eat!"
She emphasized.
This argument frustrated Riley. Yet he didn't speak back. After finding a them for abit, Anastasia finally found their last two cans. She passed one on to Riley and opened one herself to eat.
"You can drink the milk tho! I blessed it already!"
She said as she ate.
"Are you worried that i might turn into something else aswell after eating food with traces of Mana?"
Riley said after a moment of silence.
This statement of Riley caught Anastasia off guard as her eyes widened abit.
"So i am right!"
He said.
"We dont know what might happen, if we eat this food!"
She softly replied. As if admitting to her fault.
"Please, Eat it for me!"
She begged.
"Huh..... Dont need to beg infront of me! I am eating it!"
He said as he opened the can and started to eat those beans.
In the morning, They finally reached The Market Street.
Contrary to what the theif had told them, The Market street looked the opposite. There was not a single man in sight on that street.
"Perhaps this street has been abandoned!"
Riley said.
"Yeah, No people, No stalls and all the shops are shuttered down. It seems something happened here!"
Anastasia added.
The horse walked slowly onto that road, Ana and Riley both were analyzing, with worried faces, the tragedy that had occured there. Yet after sometime, the horse neighed wierdly and stopped walking.
Both of them got down and got surprised as they saw a giant sinkhole in the ground.
Rug was rolled, once again from beneath Anastasia's feet. With an exploding heart she watched that dreadful panorama.
"Someone must've evovled here!"
Riley said.
"What do you mean?"
She asked.
"People evolve, or rather their attributes do when they feel deep emotions or have deep desires. Of course training is another method!"
He said.
Anastasia glared at him with wide eyes and a terrified face as he spoke.
"An Earth mage has evovled here!"
He added. As he lifted Anastasia up and started to fly.
"Look the inn at the address, its destroyed!"
He said they descended towards the destroyed inn.
He out Amastasia down as he reached the rubble.
"Not just the inn looks like nearby houses and inns were destroyed aswell!"
Anastasia added.
As the both, wandered in that rubble, in hopes of finding something, Anastasia finally noticed something peculiar.
"Riley come here!"
She said as she pointed towards a slab of stone, now broken into pieces.
"Its a slab of stone!"
Riley said.
"Yes but something is written on it!"
She said.
After rearranging the slab, Riley got surprised as he read what was written on there.
"7:26!!"
He said.
"What does that mean? Is it the time when this all happened?"
Anastasia inquired.
"No! No its not time! It is a verse from the Book of Vanity!!"
He said as he had a sudden contempt in his face.
"Ana, something extremely bad has happened here!"
Riley said as he looked at Anastasia with a dread in his eyes.
*************
Tips:
Bruas goes to a public school in the Mullet city. While Natalie goes to the School of The Elite in the Fade City.