Day 127

[from Aura of Chaos]

The nearest settlement to Tirera was Palent, a small village to the north. Xeron and Tara decided to rest there for the night, staying at the local inn, before moving on in the morning. At Xeron's suggestion, the pair entered the inn separately and rented separate rooms, lest their visit be mistaken for some sort of illicit tryst.

Tara slept in late that morning, as she recovered physically and mentally from the previous night's events. By the time she had woken up, washed her face, and proceeded downstairs to the inn's lobby, Xeron was already there waiting for her. He was sitting at a table, dressed in his full armour with his spear embedded point-down in the floorboards next to him. "Good morning, Tara," he said. "Did you sleep well?"

"I guess," said Tara, stretching a little. "I'll go and get myself some breakfast, and then we can be off."

Xeron, who had already eaten, nodded. "Take your time," he said. "I don't have anywhere to be in particular."

Tara spent the last of her money on a hearty breakfast, washed down with a pint of weak ale. Feeling refreshed, and ready to put the past behind her, she set off with Xeron to begin her new life. "So, where are we headed to first?" she asked.

"Well, if we head through the valleys to the west, we'll reach Hilston," said Xeron. "It's a pretty big town, so we're guaranteed to find some kind of work there. I should warn you, though: it's not just a straight path there. From this point on, we'll be encountering all sorts of wild creatures, and if necessary, we may have to fight. You're prepared for that, right?"

Tara nodded. "I want to be useful to you," she said. "I don't want to be a burden to you. So if we have to fight, then I'll help you."

Xeron smiled at her. "Good," he said. "Thank you. I just want to make sure you know what you're getting yourself into. This isn't an easy life."

"I know," said Tara. "But in a way, neither was my old life. And right now, this is the only life I have."

Xeron nodded. "Alright then," he said. "Speaking of which…" He lowered his voice slightly, as they hadn't quite left the village yet. "What magic spells do you know, exactly?"

Tara glanced around uneasily, understandably quite paranoid that somebody might overhear this conversation. She moved closer to Xeron and spoke in a voice barely louder than a whisper. "Well, my spell books were all destroyed in the fire, and I'd only memorized a few of the incantations in them, the ones I used the most often. As you already know, I'm very good at healing magic, and I also know a couple of water and light-based spells."

"So you're a White Witch¹?" asked Xeron.

Tara nodded. "That's right," she said. "I tried learning some black magic once, but it seems I don't have an affinity for it."

"Fair enough," said Xeron. "Healing spells should come in more handy than fire spells anyway. They'll save me a fortune in health potions."

Tara truly smiled for the first time since Xeron had woken up the previous day. "I suppose they will," she said. "They might even safe your life again."

"I hope it doesn't come to that," said Xeron, "but if so, then yeah."

The pair fell silent for a while as they made their way along the valley trail that snaked its way westwards towards Hilston. It was an easy enough trail to follow, without too many steep inclines, but at the same time there wasn't a lot to do or see on the journey, only the occasional bird passing overhead or the occasional trinket lying on the ground. "Finders keepers" was very much the rule among adventurers, and when Xeron came across an abandoned purse with 50 gold pieces in it, he pocketed the money without a second thought. There was no way of tracking down the owner to return it, and in any case, it was entirely possible that the owner had been killed by a pack of wild animals or something.

Just after midday, Hilston finally started to appear on the horizon. But the journey wasn't quite over yet. Xeron suddenly threw up an arm, signalling for Tara to halt. To his right, he could make out the unmistakeable low snarl of an approaching wolf. He readied his spear, shifting into a combat stance. "Get ready, Tara," he said. "You're about to get your first taste of battle."

"What is it?" she asked warily. "Bandits?"

"No," said Xeron. "A wolf. Or rather… two wolves," he added, as the pair of wolves sprang forwards from out of the bushes. They sized up the two adventurers for a moment, then the larger of the two pounced, headed in Tara's direction. The young Witch gasped, flinching back at the sharp fangs lunged at her.

The wolf never reached her. Xeron turned and hurled his spear in the nick of time, impaling the wolf right through its midriff. The stricken wolf collapsed to the ground mere inches from Tara, its fur matted with blood. Tara was shocked for a moment, but realized that she could not let her guard down, as the second wolf was still at large and ready to pounce.

Xeron tugged on the spear to try and pull it out of the dead wolf, but it seemed to be stuck. "This might take a while," he said. "Sorry, Tara, but could you help me out with the other one, please?"

Tara nodded. She wasn't sure what good her spells would be against the wolf, but she had no choice but to try. As the other wolf set its sights on her, Tara began to mutter an incantation under her breath, preparing one of her light spells. However, before she could finish the incantation, and before Xeron could tuck his spear free, the wolf pounced…

[FOOTNOTES]

¹A "White Witch" is a Witch that specializes in healing and non-offensive magic. A "Black Witch" is a Witch that specializes in offensive, often destructive magic, such as fire, lightning, and earth. "Silver Witches", who are adept at both non-offensive and offensive magic, are very rare.