After the several-day detour to the south, we managed to return to our original location, marked by the road sign and the fork in the road. The black mushrooms we had gathered were still with us. We ate half a mushroom each per night, and both enjoyed how delicious it tasted, lightly roasted. Though we still had around ten left.
At the crossroads, we went straight and took the next road that branched left, heading northbound towards the town of Black Hollow.
Black Hollow was the northernmost town in the Ironwood forest, and the body of water to its north that carved inward was the black sea. So if we crossed past the town and stuck close to the shoreline, we wouldn't get lost.
"Shinya, are we actually going to enter the town?"
I nodded. "We're further from Hemwick and on the other side of the country from Red Beach. Also, Black Hollow is the town traders visit the least. I would be surprised if anyone here recognised me."
"Still, I think you should keep your hood up, just to be safe."
I pulled my hood up, and as the town came into view, I put my mask up as well. I noticed Kona was walking slightly behind me the past two days, and our conversations have been more sparse, even longer than that. Maybe I should ask her about it.
As I was lost in thought, before I knew it, we had reached the entrance to the town. It was small and surrounded by a wooden wall, no doubt to keep animals out. At the gate was a single guard sitting in a chair.
"Bienvenue à Black Hollow. Veuillez indiquer la raison de votre visite." [Welcome to Black Hollow. Please state the reason for your visit.]
I looked back at Kona, wondering how we wanted to do this. Just as she was about to step forward and speak. I turned back to the guard.
"Désolé, elle ne parle pas le viltin. Je suis son interprète. Elle vient du Grand Nord, près du mur. Nous parcourons toutes les villes du sud afin d'en apprendre davantage sur elles en temps de guerre." [Sorry, she doesn't speak Viltin. I am her interpreter. She comes from the Far North, near the wall. We are travelling through all the towns in the south to learn more about them in times of war.]
"Entrée interdite aux voyageurs. Réservé aux commerçants." [No entry for travellers. Traders only.]
I turned back to Kona. "I told him you're from the north, exploring towns at the behest of your government, but he says only traders can enter."
Kona walked forward and took off her travel pack, placing it on the ground. From it, she pulled out a black mushroom. One of the five remaining. She held it out to the guard, who inspected it curiously.
"Champignon?" [Mushroom?]
"Ces champignons rares sont un mets délicat ; nous pourrions les vendre ici et même envisager la possibilité d'ouvrir de nouvelles routes commerciales pour eux s'ils sont bien appréciés." [These rare mushrooms are a delicacy; we could sell them here and even consider opening up new trade routes for them if they prove popular.]
"Je ne m'y connais pas trop en champignons, mais ceux-là ne ressemblent à aucun que j'ai déjà vu." [I don't know much about mushrooms, but these don't look like any I've ever seen before.]
The guard stood up with a loud groan and grabbed the mushroom, inspecting it against the light of the sun, looking at it carefully. We waited, watching him to hope this was enough.
"Attendez ici, je vais vous obtenir un permis d'entrée." [Wait here, I'll get you an entry permit.]
The guard took the mushroom and dissipated behind the door to the town. I looked back at Kona, who just shrugged at me.
"I think I heard the word entry at the end, so good news?"
I gave her a thumbs up and explained what was said between us as we waited for the guard to return. Another guard was standing over the wooden wall above the gate, no doubt keeping an eye on us until the other returned. As we waited, we sat on the dirt outside.
We sat in total silence for about ten minutes. Waiting for the guard to return. Every now and then, I glanced over to Kona, who was looking down, fiddling with some grass.
"Kona"
She jolted slightly and tensed up, as if my saying her name scared her. Was she just not expecting a sudden break in the silence?
"You good?"
"Yeah, sorry, I was just a bit out of it. What's up?"
She turned to me with a faint smile as she asked her question. But that was my question, do I ask it again? This is getting a little awkward.
"Are you okay? You've been a bit quiet the past week or so."
She returned her attention to the blade of grass as she twirled it between her fingers.
"Yeah, I've just been thinking a lot lately, that's all. Nothing really goes how you expect in life, does it?"
So that's what it is? That would make sense. After all, all of this happened so fast. It's a big change for her, or what she expected or planned to do. I leaned back and looked up at the wall. Wondering if we should just go around the town and keep going. But a nice meal and a soft bed sound nice. Also, not having to wipe with leaves would be good.
"Hey, Kona. About my eyes."
"Désolé pour le retard. Voici votre permis d'entrée." [Sorry for the delay. Here is your entry permit.]
The gate swung open as the guard finally returned with a slip of paper, holding it out.
"Va trouver Anna à l'intérieur. Elle a ton champignon noir et souhaite acheter le reste." [Go find Anna inside. She has your black mushroom and wants to buy the rest.]
We got to our feet, took the permit and entered the town. The guard told me that Anna was the manager of the inn and local tavern. So, we were going there anyway.
The village was small, smaller than Trydent Wood. Everyone walking around was staring at us; of course, they would, we were the outsiders here. The tavern was the only building that was two stories tall. We entered, and the room was warm in both tone and temperature with plenty of candles.
At the counter at the end of the room, a younger woman with long black hair draping over both of her shoulders was waving us over.
"Vous êtes les nouveaux, n'est-ce pas ? Je m'appelle Anna" [You're the new ones, aren't you? My name is Anna]
She reached under her counter and took out one of the black mushrooms, placing it on the counter.
"Je n'ai jamais vu quelque chose comme ça auparavant. Que pouvez-vous m'en dire?" [I've never seen anything like this before. What can you tell me about it?]
I looked back at Kona and asked her to wait around, explaining that she wanted to know about the mushrooms and that we could probably sell them for a bit. I explained to Anna that the mushrooms were delicious and I used to eat them frequently. I explained that they grow in the woods near Trident Wood. I explained that I was the first person to find them as I gathered herbs and mushrooms there all my life, and that if she hired a trader that she should open a supply line with the town. I instructed on the different ways the mushrooms could be cooked.
She invited me to the back of the room to show her how to cook them. Once they were finished and seasoned, we cut the mushrooms in half, and she watched as I took the first bite.
When she bit into it, her face lit up.
"Bon sang, c'est délicieux." [Holy shit, this is delicious.]
She wolfed down the rest of the mushroom quickly. It reminded me of the first time I tried them; I think I had the same kind of reaction.
We went back out into the main part of the tavern with Anna to see Kona sitting nearby, drinking a flagon of beer with the travel pack next to her. I waved for her to come over as I kept discussing business with Anna.
I placed the few mushrooms we had on the counter and said I would be happy to trade what we have and information for how to get more in exchange for food and lodging for at least tonight. She happily agreed and gave us a key to a room upstairs. Kona figured out what was going on the moment we were given the key. I then explained to her that she could hire a trader to go to Trident Wood and convince some townspeople to harvest them to sell. The mushrooms grew in the forbidden forest, so it might take a bit of convincing or money to get them to gather them. A steady supply could be secured quite easily. In exchange for the mushrooms and information, she treated us to a full turkey dinner for just the two of us.
While we still had a few hours before dinner, we decided to look around the town to ensure there were no adventure guild and no wanted posters listed anywhere. We found a building marked jail that looked more like a storage shed, and there were no bounties listed there and the only other building that looked like it could be considered a town hall was the tavern and inn we were staying at.
We walked a lap around the main courtyard that made up the centre of the town. Once we did, we decided to walk around the tavern building itself out of paranoia, considering what happened last time we stayed in a room.
As we walked around the back of the building, a small child was sitting against the wall, with his knees tucked up to hide his face. As we walked past, I slowed down and gave him a look. The kid didn't look up. It sounded like he was crying.
I walked back and towards the kid while Kona stood nearby and watched as I squatted down and asked the kid if he was okay.
"Tout le monde me déteste." [Everyone hates me.]
"Pourquoi tout le monde te détesterait-il?" [Why would everyone hate you?]
"Parce que j'ai enfreint les règles. Maintenant, j'ai l'air d'un monstre." [Because I broke the rules. Now I look like a freak.]
"Tu ne me sembles pas bizarre." [You don't look like a freak to me]
The child rolled up his sleeve and showed his wrist. It was black and spotty, like a large stain that embedded into the skin.
"Je suis allé à l'arbre Black Hollow. Maintenant, mon bras est comme ça, et je n'arrive pas à le laver." [I went to the Black Hollow tree. Now my arm is like this, and I can't wash it.]
"Ce n'est pas grave. Au moins, c'est facile à cacher. J'ai quelque chose de bien pire qui fait que les gens me détestent." [It's no big deal. At least it's easy to hide. I have something much worse that makes people dislike me.]
"Qu'est-ce qui pourrait être pire que ça?" [What could be worse than this?]
I lifted my hand and pulled the mask down from my face, and pulled my hood back. The boy looked up at me with a surprised look on his face. From the corner of my eye, I saw Kona step forward, like she was about to stop me.
"Je ressemble à l'ennemi. Mon père était Metonym, donc je suis maudit avec ce visage. J'avais l'impression que tout le monde me détestait quand j'étais enfant." [I look like the enemy. My father was Metonym, so I'm cursed with this face. I felt like everyone hated me when I was a child.]
"Alors... Comment l'avez-vous réparé?" [So... How did you fix it?]
"Je ne l'ai pas fait; j'ai simplement trouvé les personnes qui m'aimeraient quoi qu'il arrive, quelle que soit mon apparence. Ce sont ces personnes qui comptent vraiment." [I didn't; I simply found people who would love me no matter what, regardless of my appearance. Those are the people who really matter.]
The kid looked up at me, turning to look at Kona and then back to me. He was smiling.
"Comme maman et papa?" [Like Mum and Dad?]
"Oui, exactement." [Yes, exactly.]
The boy stood up and thanked me before running off. Kona walked up to me, looking somewhat confused. Of course, she didn't speak the language, and there was a lot of talking there.
"What did you say to him? What was he upset about?"
I groaned as I got to my feet, not realising how tired my legs were until after sitting for so long.
"He was afraid people would hate him for that mark on his arm. That he would look different and be an outcast. I told him it's not so bad."
I smiled at Kona as she took another step closer. My smile faded as I noticed tears welling in her eyes. Just as the tears were about to roll down her face, she came at me and wrapped her arms around me tight.
"Thank the saints."
She said as she cradled my head against her chest. I felt her face pressing against the top of my head as she held me like something precious.
"You're still human."