"How did you realize he was working against us?" asked Lilae.
"It was hunches, only confirmed when the brand didn't activate," replied Mori.
"That's it?" said Xannos. "impressive, still."
"Let's get going. We have ground to cover, and there's another Sovereign on their way too."
"You really don't mind that we can be attacked at any point?" asked Lilae.
Mori chuckled, "Luxian gave me way too much information. He's on the 10th path, while the other Sovereigns are at half that. There's no way they can fight me on equal ground. And Reaper, so nice of him, told us only one of them is after us. You guys can probably deal with them without me."
"By 'you guys', you mean Lilae Aura and that Griswald guy, right?" said Xannos.
Mori sighed while throwing dirt on the fire to extinguish.
Darkness surrounded them, but didn't bother at all. They walked back to the village, toward the stables where the horses should be.
Everyone was sound asleep, no torches lit anywhere, and all the establishments seemed closed. Even the Inn, which in all logic, should've had a torch lit in case travelers arrived late.
"There's someone in the stables," said Aura.
"Huh. That's too far for me to see. What are they doing?" asked Mori.
"They're trying to steal our horses, most likely," she replied.
Without saying a word, Lilae went ahead, using the darkness to her advantage.
They watched as she silently approached the stables, muffled struggling sounds coming out of it.
After a short moment, Lilae came out with the horses.
She was waving at them, walking toward the carriage.
Xannos helped her harness them in, while Mori and Aura jumped in the back and sat down.
I'm guessing Reaper tried to stall us by telling those guys to steal our horses.
It didn't take them too long before they were finally on their way. Lilae drove the carriage first, the night too dark for Xannos to navigate.
"Is everyone here able to see well in darkness?" asked Xannos.
"I can see, but not that well. Aura is better than me at it," said Mori.
"I'm pretty good too," added Lilae.
"That's the one, you think?" asked Lilae, pointing.
"Has to be," said Xannos.
It didn't look as bad as the inn in the previous village, but it needed work.
They parked the carriage on the side of the pub, making sure the horses wouldn't get away, and headed for the entrance.
The doors were built like those in westerns Mori had seen as a kid.
As they pushed them open, a bell rung above them, signaling their presence.
The inside wasn't as bad as the outside. The furniture was old, but at least it wasn't dusty or damp. It didn't smell poorly, and the floor wasn't dirty, an overall upgrade from the previous inn.
"Ah! Newcomers, welcome!" said the man coming out of the back.
"Hey, we've been referred to your fine establishment by 'George'," started Xannos.
The man frowned.
"That old fuck has a tab bigger than my dick, and it hasn't been paid yet."
"Well, how big is-"
"Massive."
"Alright, boys," cut Lilae. "It doesn't matter, we just want something to eat before we get on with our journey."
"Yeah... I don't mind, but I don't serve filth."
"It's fine, I'll wait outside," said Mori.
"Not you, although humans do get on my nerves. The lass."
Mori, turned, surprised.
Aura was as surprised as him, visibly confused as she stood there.
"Although..." said the man, "I'm not too sure... You look like a vampire, but your eyes are purple..."
"They're rarer than you getting clients in here, how can you hate vampires?" asked Lilae.
"Well you ain't wrong about the clients, that old George with his really massive tab is the only regular I have..."
The man spat on the ground, looking at Aura.
"But her kind is most unwelcome."