Lost and Alone

[Flamebird]

When I came out again, I felt a lot warmer. The heavy furs covered my entire body. I was snug within a white coat, furry pants, and winter hardened boots. My gloves covered all of what my long sleeves did not, and I wore a white cap I had to admit was cute. Pulling a mask over my mouth and nose, I walked over to the fire where the nomads were exchanging warm drinks.

Annor looked up at me from the fire and nodded, "Looks good."

"Hey!" Sash gave Annor a jealous swat on the arm before taking a sip of her drink. Then, she looked up at me again. "Need anything else, lass?"

I looked over to bags and equipment I had, all laid against an unright log near the fire. How all my possessions got transported with me, I did not know. Still, with the skins of water added to my bags, I had nothing else to require. It was humorous, looking back to explaining to them last night that I did not require food. They had only given in reluctantly.

Now, under the pale blue sky, Sash stood up and walked over to my belongings. I walked over, and she started piling my stuff on top of me. She recited her instructions to me, direct and on point.

"Walk south, stay on course. Once ye see Archen, veer to the left. Avoid Archen, the Church is there. Walk for several miles until you find the smaller town, Ice Peak's Tip. The Church is less likely to mess around there. Once ye in, find a guide or map maker. From there on out, head to Tirel."

I finished strapping my swords to my chest as she fastened my alchemy kit to my side. We locked eyes. The lone Skavian blinked, "Got it?"

I nodded firmly. "Yes. Thank you for everything."

Sash smiled, "We rarely get to see other travelers. It was a pleasure serving ye."

I felt the smallest hint of friendship with her and Annor. I could relate to their stories, and I admired their walk of life. It was a shame we should part here, worlds away from each other's destinies. I remembered Nevin, Yvonne... Friendships I had forged, just to lose them to gaps in time. I may had lost them, but Shinsou Vaan Osiris burned in my mind. I would not lose him. I would return to him. I reached up and rubbed my eyes. Salvar was too cold to cry, or my tears might freeze on my face! I looked ahead to the direction Sash pointed me towards and sighed.

This was it.

"Goodbye." I took my first step into the snowy wastes. My journey to Corone had begun...

[Flamebird]

I dreaded walking into the town. I was welcomed by the sight of a half demolished sign and - wow! That stench! Trash and horse dung cluttered the streets. The snow piling on top of it just made it wet and worse! I swallowed bile rising in my throat from the revolting odors. Dirty snow piled in front of sagging houses, their frames rotted, broken windows boarded up. I passed a single street performer, strumming a lute as he leaned against a pole. He eyed his empty tin cup, singing out of tune.

"We are the chosen
By the Sway are we blessed
In this bitter tundra
We are called to their requests

Purity inside us
By the Church, guide us
We are the chosen
Their words locked inside us"

Before Shinsou found me, I had felt rock bottom. I had no coin, but I offered him a sympathetic look. Sadly, his gaze was fixated on his cup. I walked down the miserable pathway. Mud and what I hoped was not poop splattered my boots and pants. Oh Thaynes, now this awful smell would travel with me!

I walked next to a half destroyed wooden fence, gazing around the pathetic trash town for my goal.

I scanned the wooden houses for any sign of an inn. I passed two grubby children making a muddy snowman, their mother watching from the steps of the house with bored, dead eyes. I turned a cluttered street corner and finally saw an inn. The Debauching Hut.

What a quant name.

A tarp covered a broken window and a beam was left where it fell on the porch. Of course, the trash tavern did not help. This town was far from welcoming. I could smell the poorly brewed, potent alcohol from here.

With a shudder, I walked towards the building. Stepping into a deep puddle on the way in, I was eager to get on the road again once I got my map.

[Flamebird]

The dim lighting of the tavern left me feeling blind. I was quite disturbed by the sound of pleased moaning. The dim fireplace had enough of a spark to light the edges of the inn. A half closed door seemed to have a couple in the middle of that deed. Thankfully, the bed was not visible and it was too dark to see the dresser as a man chuckled from within. It was still disgusting. I still could not understand the lack of dignity that could cause a woman to sell herself like that. In the corner, two drinking buddies gambled away in silent misery. The tables were set unevenly, the chairs half pulled out or turned over. It felt more like a forest in here than in the actual pine forests I had recently navigated through. The tables were splattered and polluted with drinks, dishes, and other kinds of ungodly slop left behind by customers. It appeared as if this place had not been touched with a cleaning rag for weeks. The sound of the persistent dripping of a leak echoed across the entire room. It was hard to believe, but this tavern was even more out of shape than the rest of the town.

At the counter, a sloppily dressed man talked with a half dead looking inn keeper. The guest noticed me before the tender. "Aye, traveler."

In a dead, monotone voice, the inn keeper muttered, "Want anythin' ta' eat, or whatev'r?"

Oh no. I did not trust any food from this place - if there was anything edible here at all. I shook my head and got down to business, "Does this place have a map maker or anything?"

With a smirk, the customer pointed at himself with his black tainted thumb. "That's me. I can give you a map for free if you give me a night."

I scowled, my chest fluttering with dread as I spout, "I would literally rather die in the wilderness."

"Aw..."

The inn keeper scoffed, "If ya do an'th'r job fir' me, I could buy a map fr'm 'im."

I turned to the inn keeper with a raised eyebrow, "Hmm?"

[Flamebird]

"I'm going to offer him a deal, out in the open."

Huh?

"The contract is that he gets my body, you two live and he walks out of here."

What?

"But here's the thing; once he's in one place, in one vessel..."

Wait...

"... you get him..."

No...

"... and put an end to all this."

No!

"Not again!" I shrieked, only to be hit with waves of dissociative confusion. I was nestled in the cradle of a rock, huddled within mounds of sleeping bags and spare clothes. Cold sweat coated my frame as I looked up at my extended hand, which just brushed the tiny roof of the rock's crack. Still, the desperation, insanity, and denial flooded me.

"Not..."

I panted.

"... Again?"

...

I looked around. The cave - well, crevice - had clear sunlight bathing the constricting grey stones in warmth. Warmth was a rare thing in Salvar. Two weeks of traveling had proved that. It was a blessing to have a warm fire. I had not risked lighting a fire outside this tiny hole. It could have attracted wild animals, robbers, or even the witch hunters. I struggled to get up, a shirt falling from my leg to my neck. After some struggle, I clasped the rocks guarding the hole the sunlight shone in from. Beyond the rocks, I had piled my bags over the entrance to prevent wind and snow from blowing in. They had done the job well. Pushing a bag off the mound, listening to the sound of my clanging belongings, I finally peaked my drowsy head out of the pathetically small hole I had slept in last night.

I was at the edge of a cluster of large, grey boulders. Snow was piled on top of them, making them appear even higher than they actually were. Down the rolling hillsides of pure, white snow was the path. According to the map, I was exactly on course.

Down the path, close enough to get a good look at, was another settlement. Far more populated, dignified, and well cared for than the trash heap I had gotten my map from. I had avoided most towns and cities, still terrified of the church somehow catching me. Unfortunately, I was almost out of water, one of my swords needed sharpened, and I had torn one of my fur boots on a prickly bush several days ago. The tear was growing every day from lack of maintenance.

I managed to pull my muscular, big boned body out of the hole. I heard a snow falcon cry in the distance as I shivered. Feeling that familiar cold wind, the first time this morning, I bent down and started pulling all my blankets and clothes out. I knew I needed to go to the city. I had to. Of course, knowing fully well that the Church of the Ethereal Sway would be present, I was flooded with anxiety.

I would have to be careful.