Chapter 370: Town on The Edge

Chapter 370: Town on The Edge

The gang arrived in Ethana, the westernmost settlement of Myrtana, at around midday. It was a cozy little town, quite close to the border with the Empire, and as such had a mandatory stone wall, with plenty of brawny-looking soldiers patrolling on and around it. The folk here were fit and strong, used to hard work and harsh life. They had many skirmishes with the enemy soldiers over the ages and were as such, not suspicious of travelers at all!

Everyone looked so amicable and kind, with soft expressions and smiling faces, just beaming joy and happiness.

That was sarcasm.

"Halt!" a soldier shouted as the group neared the front gates. His call was quick and to the point, with an undertone of urgency. Almost immediately after, Gerald became surrounded by at least a dozen intimidating-looking guards pointing their sharp spears at him and his mount.

Toby's fur rose in reply as he released a low, guttural growl and revealed his teeth.

"Who are you?! Who sent you?! What are your intentions?!" the soldiers verbally assaulted him.

They stared at Gerald with harsh eyes and unkind gazes, and so he accepted their challenge and stared back down at them from his elevated position. Tensions between the two began to quickly escalate as they postured like two wild beasts ready to fight.

The soldiers narrowed their eyes and gripped their spears tighter, while Gerald began gathering Mana towards his arms and chest. Just a single spark was required for a fight to break out.

Just a teeny tiny spark...

"What is going on here?!" A higher-ranking soldier-looking dude came after forcing his way through the encirclement. His armor was better looking than the rest, the metal was shinier, the leather more colorful and vibrant, and he had some sort of decoration on his shoulders that the rest lacked.

"Commander Alfwin! These people suddenly appeared here! I have seen them rushing towards us at full speed, I think they were trying to attack us!" a soldier immediately reported.

"They might be scouts of the Empire!" another quickly added.

Commander Alfwin scowled. He was a smart man, and he had kept this border town safe and secure for decades. And in all that time, this was positively the dumbest thing he had ever heard coming from his soldier's mouth! Five people, two men, and three young ladies, dressed in fancy clothes, arriving in such a grand manner, and for one of them to be riding a massive Warg Only a blind fool would mistake them for one of the Empire's scum! Not o mention that they coming from the direction of the freaking capital!

No, these people were no enemy, but that didn't mean he would go easy on them either. Updated from novelb(i)n.c(o)m

"Silence!" Alfwin ordered and then spoke to the newcomers, "What is your business here?"

***

Toby was left waiting outside while the gang entered a small pub in the heart of Ethana. It was still early noon, so not many were there for lunch yet. A few patrons sat inside, drinking, but the place was mostly empty.

The building was made entirely out of wood with the sole exception of the floor. It was a solid stone foundation with animal skins and rugs covering the gray rock. A lonely wooden counter was in the back, behind which a man stood watching the newcomers like a hawk.

"Outsiders, huh?" he questioned and stopped pretending to be cleaning a glass with a rag and tossed it over his shoulder.

"Indeed. We plan on staying here for a few days. Got any rooms to spare?" Gerald replied poker-faced.

"Hmm" the barkeep looked them up and down. His eyes glanced over Sera and rested on Qiona for a bit, before moving over to Elly. "Sure, we got some, but it's going to be tight for you fancy city folk," the man said and placed two keys on the counter.

"And you'd better watch yourself if you plan on going in the woods. There's been Imperial scum roaming around," he added. Though it was unclear if it was supposed to be a warning or a threat. He certainly didn't seem that kind.

"We'll keep it in mind." Gerald took the keys and gave a gold coin in their place. They then ordered something to eat for them and got some bones for Toby as well.

After they had their meal, Gerald gave each of them a fistful of coins and sent them to explore the town.

"We're going to begin with the lessons tomorrow, so make sure to take this time to check this place out and have fun. And Warren"

"Yes?"

"Make sure to relax," Gerald said, especially emphasizing the last word.

"Yes, sir!" Warren saluted like he just received a difficult order.

Gerald shook his head. This guy was hopeless. Traumatic experiences could really change a man. But he couldn't waste any more time since he had an important thing to do

It sort of slipped his mind before, since he couldn't use magic at that time but It was time to repair the Phoenix Necklace!