Chương 10: Chapter 9 - Survival Instincts

The walk back into the village felt the same as it did last time. Elowen walked a half-step behind Ren as they passed the wheat fields, her hair swaying in the light gusts of cold wind as she took everything in. From the stone cottages and smoke that curled up from their chimneys, to the worn dirt paths barely anyone was travelling on, besides them. It was her first time seeing the place properly, and caution sat plainly in her posture.

"This world really doesn't waste space," she murmured under her breath.

"That's normal," Ren responded with a nod.

"It's just like my village back home."

"I see..." she finished quietly. In front of both of them, Varrin kept quiet, his eyes constantly scanning, his every step measured. Suddenly, just as they passed the tavern Ren and Varrin had stopped by their first go around the village, a pair of armoured men stumbled out, clutching each other tightly. The same pair he had seen slumped over the bar not that long ago Their surcoats stood out more Ren now because he now knew the symbol decorated on them belonged to the Eternal Flame.

"Didn't we have something important to do?" one of them slurred, trying to take drunken steps down the dirt road." Hic""Don't worry— hic —'bout it," the second responded happily, "Agatha will take care of it for us! Hic." Varrin gave them a wide birth but paid no more attention to them, and soon enough, the small church came into view once again. Just outside of it, someone stood beside a line of drying cloth. It was Lorelle.

She was hanging up freshly washed linens and robes, moving with easy confidence despite the metal mask covering her eyes.

The small lantern floated patiently at her shoulder, its flame steady and warm when she paused mid-motion.

"Oh," she said brightly, turning toward them before any of them spoke.

"You're back already."

"And you've brought another one. Oh, I see, that's why you needed those clothes." Varrin looked between Ren and Lorelle accusingly, but didn't say anything.

"Thank you," Elowen said with a light curtsy.

"I appreciate your gesture of kindness towards me and will remember it."

"Oho no, no need for that! The Eternal Flame is always willing to guide and offer her warmth to those who need it," the Firekeeper apprentice said as she dusted her hands off against her robes.

"So! What can I do for you?"

"We were hoping…" Ren began, stepping forward, "truthfully, we were hoping to stay here for a while. With the demons being active around this area, we figured the church would be the safest place for us."

"That's the right conclusion to come to I'd say," Lorelle said, her lips curving into an easy smile. Varrin's brow twitched.

"Especially now," she added, "since Lady Agatha just hired Hunters to guard the church." Elowen tilted her head.

"You're… not Lady Agatha?" Lorelle laughed, light and melodic.

"Oh! No, no. I'm Lorelle, her apprentice." Elowen dipped her head politely once more.

"Then thank you, Lorelle. For the clothes. I'll return them as soon as I can."

"It's quite alright," the young Firekeeper responded, waving the thought away. She bent down and grabbed the empty basket beside her before heading towards the church's entrance.

"I'll check with Lady Agatha, but it should be fine for you guys to stay here, as long as you're willing to help out around the Church, of course." Ren let out a quiet breath of relief.

"Of course."

"If only you guys arrived earlier," Lorelle giggled as she climbed the steps.

"I wouldn't have finished all my chores and I could've relaxed!" The young Firekeeper was just about to open the door when she paused for a moment.

"…You guys are heading to Solaris, aren't you?"

"That's the goal," Ren said simply, ignoring Varrin's heavy gaze that watched him, "yeah." Lorelle's posture straightened slightly, excitement flickering in her visible smile.

"I want to go back to Solaris one day as well. I didn't get to meet Lady Dawn when I was initiated to become a Firekeeper."

"Lady Dawn?"

"She's the High Firekeeper, leader of the Firekeeper Pillar," Lorelle quickly elaborated before softening her voice, something earnest slipping through.

"I just know I'm meant for more than this small village, and if anyone can see potential… it'd be her." She faced the trio, her mask catching the afternoon sun as her lips parted slightly as if to ask something more, but she stopped herself.

"Well," she said lightly, pushing open the door and entering the church, "come on, I'll ask Lady Agatha for you." Varrin, Elowen and Ren filtered in behind, following the floating lantern like a guide. The familiar hall from not even an hour ago greeted Ren, its stone pillars lining the sides, banners of red and yellow bearing the flame and sun, and the quiet brazier glowing softly at the far end. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

Elowen slowed, gaze sweeping over everything with open curiosity. Lorelle crossed the hall, basket still in hand, and approached Lady Agatha, who was tending to a smaller brazier off to the side.

"Lady Agatha," she said brightly, "the two from before—plus an extra, a pretty elf—would like to stay here, to keep safe from the demons. They're willing to help out around the church to compensate." The older Firekeeper turned toward them, her decorated mask gleamed softly in the firelight, and her lantern floated faithfully at her side. Her expression warmed immediately.

"Of course. Her Grace, the Eternal Flame would always extend a helping hand in times of need." Ren felt the remaining tension drain from his shoulders.

"You'll be perfectly safe here," Lady Agatha continued, gesturing calmly toward one of the pillars.

"Especially with the Hunters I've hired, you would have seen them on your visit earlier." Ren followed her motion and saw that two figures sat against a pillar, the scruffy man from earlier leant back against the warm stone, long brown hair loose around his shoulders, unkempt stubble framing a sharp jaw, his arms wrapped around a curious object enclosed entirely in bandages. His red eyes lifted lazily and locked onto Ren.

The second Hunter sat beside him, this one still had his hood lowered making his gaze unreadable. Beside Ren, Varrin's eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly. The Hunter's gaze lingered on Ren for a heartbeat longer, seemingly measuring him, before he looked away again, his interest gone as quickly as it had appeared. Lady Agatha clapped her hands softly, breaking the moment.

"Please, set your belongings down wherever you like. You'll be staying here tonight." Ren nodded and moved to do as she instructed, slipping his satchel off for first time since arriving in this word. The Firekeeper studied them for a moment longer before tilting her head.

"Have you three eaten yet?" she asked warmly. A small grumble from Ren's stomach reminded him that he hadn't eaten in quite some time. He'd skipped his morning meal to make it to his shepherding job on time back in Xantris, and now the hunger was catching up with him in earnest. His gaze drifted down to the bracelet on his wrist, and a strange thought struck him. The time here in Aetira seemed to match that of Xantris almost exactly. He couldn't help but wonder just how far apart the two worlds truly were.

He opened his mouth to answer Agatha but was beaten to it by Elowen.

"We would be very grateful for a meal, Lady Agatha," the regal elf stepped in smoothly.

"Of course," Agatha smiled, "Lorelle?"

"I'll fetch the stew." the young Firekeeper said immediately, already turning. Lady Agatha led them to a long wooden table set along the side of the hall, its surface worn smooth by years of use. Benches lined either side, and the warmth that radiated from the stone pillars also came off of these, expelling all traces of winter chill from Ren's body when he sat on them. Lorelle returned soon after with four bowls of thick stew and a basket of bread, setting them down carefully.

"Thank you," Ren said, staring at the food, and as Lorelle moved to sit with them, he cleared his throat, trying, but failing, to sound casual.

"So… um. Hunters. What exactly are they?" Immediately, Varrin glared at him but Ren felt clearing up the origins of these cloaked protectors would allow the silver-haired boy to trust them more.

"That's… a strange thing to ask," Lorelle said after a slight pause. Ren winced internally but the apprentice Firekeeper only smiled.

"The Hunters Guild is an organisation dedicated to slaying demons and protecting people," she explained.

"They only came about around a decade or two ago, and work on contracts. That means villages and towns or even individuals can hire them for protection or specific extermination requests." She gestured vaguely toward the pillars and the men sitting there.

"But the Guild also sends Hunters out on their own. To investigate suspicious regions, cull dangerous demons, or eliminate threats before they grow."' Sounds kind of like the Adventurers Guild back home,' Ren mused, picturing the E-rank license inside his satchel, and thinking this might be a good way to earn coin and gather information on how to get back.

"…Anyone can join?"

"Mhm," Lorelle said, nodding as she blew on a spoonful of steaming stew.

"Doesn't matter if you're Blessed or unawakened, they don't care. It's a bit of a ragtag group, really."

"Interesting..." Ren murmured quietly, looking down at the bowl of stew in front of him. Getting back to Yumè was going to be no easy task—he needed to grow stronger and earn more coin, and joining the Hunters seemed like a solid step in the right direction. There was so much more he wanted to ask Lorelle about.' But Varrin might get mad at me if I do that,' he thought, glancing up at the silver-haired boy. Even while eating, Varrin was delicate and graceful, seemingly by nature.

Elowen carried the same effortless elegance as she worked at her own stew.' I'll ask her more later,' Ren decided, picking up his spoon and preparing to dig into his own food at last. The meal passed silently after that. Once the four of them were done, Lady Agatha put them to work right away. Anything from sweeping the church floors and carrying in firewood from outside, to sorting supplies and patching worn cloth. Simple chores, but nothing that Ren hadn't done before.

If he was being honest, they were steadying and grounding. By the time the sun dipped below the horizon, every single chore that Agatha could think of had been completed, much to Lorelle's delight.

"Eee!" the young Firekeeper squealed happily, clapping her hands together.

"May we have a picnic outside, Lady Agatha? I think we deserve it."

"Very well, Lorelle," Agatha said with a warm smile.

"I will even bring out the sweet bread you like so much." They gathered again for the evening snack, and Ren helped the two Firekeepers spread a large piece of fabric on the church's green outside, where a tray of the aforementioned sweet bread was placed. The setting sun cast a beautiful orange glow over the treeline in the distance and the wheat fields swayed peacefully as the final farmers made their way back into the village.

This time, the two Hunters joined the picnic outside as well, and Ren found his eyes drawn to the second one. He was a human, darker-skinned, with long dreadlocks tied back to fall loosely down behind him. Covering much of his lower face and nose was a smooth silver mask. His demeanour was calm and focused, while his dark eyes sharp in a quiet, predatory way. A heavy cloak still concealed most of his body.

They stood separately from the others, a couple metres away, speaking little until Ren was just about to ask Lorelle more question on the Guild when the darker-skinned Hunter suddenly stood. A cool, winter breeze blew through the group.

"Lawrence," he said calmly.

"The demons draw near." The red-eyed Hunter looked up at once, his lazed expression turning hard as he rose smoothly to his feet as well before turning to Lady Agatha.

"Vincent senses them," he said in a gruff voice.

"Prepare yourselves, and please don't get in our way, we cannot guarantee we can be there to save you." Agatha nodded without hesitation.

"We will, and, please, be careful." Lawrence reached for the wrapped object that had been resting beside him and began to unwind the bandages with practiced ease. A katana-like blade emerged—dull and chipped along its edge. To Ren, the blade looked old and useless.' Is he going to fight with that?' he thought, getting a little worried about the legitimacy of the Hunters. Vincent took his mask off and took a deep breath in through his nose before grimacing in disgust.

"…More than expected," he said quietly. Ren felt it then, he was sure everyone did as the pressure of the night seemed to shift and an unnatural, bloodcurdling screech echoed from within the forest somewhere. Both Hunters froze at the sound. Vincent's second sharp inhale hitched and his eyes scanned the tree line, sharp and serious. Lawrence's usual lazy posture vanished entirely, his shoulders squared and his grip tightened around the chipped katana's hilt, grounding himself.

"…A Scourge? Why wasn't The Guild aware?" Vincent said softly.

"This isn't going to fare well for us," Lawrence responded without taking his eyes off the trees. Lady Agatha stepped forward, her lantern flaring brighter, its orange glow washing over her mask. The warmth she carried earlier was gone, replaced by something solemn and resolute.

"Lady Agatha…?" Lorelle asked nervously, her hands curled into the fabric of her robes. Lawrence turned to face the older Firekeeper, his red eyes were grim.

"Lady Agatha," he said, voice low and steady, "I truly am sorry. It would be a miracle if any of us at all make it out of here alive now."