Calveth

Snow-topped mountains loomed just behind the city, the snow sparkling in the sunlight of the clear sky.

It was the city of Calveth, the city closest to the Eastern Mountain Range, tucked away within a deep valley and bordering a large river that divided the city from the mountain range. Expansive vineyards stretched into the distance to the north of the city, rolling over the hills and out of the valley.

Leon and Sera’s horses carefully wound down the steep hill leading into the city limits, and the presence of people had grown substantially.

Horse-drawn wagons and carts, as well as general travellers, were busy making their way in and out of the city using the well-paved roads.

At the makeshift entrance to the city, several guards were posted, stopping merchants and checking their identifications before allowing them through.

“It seems we have to go through a checkpoint before we can enter the city,” said Leon.

“Well, we aren’t merchants, so they won’t need any form of identification from us. And they don’t look like Hunters, we should be fine.” Sera replied.

She’s right, they don’t look like Hunters at all.

The guards wore loose-fitting pieces of chainmail, most fitted with sheathed swords at their hips. However, some had no weapons on them at all, yet seemed completely unbothered.

Probably magic users, I’m surprised it’s being made so obvious. After all, the Crusades made people more wary of magic. Maybe this city was unaffected by the Crusades?

It was clear the guards were in a good mood, they made jokes and chatted between themselves and with passing travellers lightheartedly.

Leon felt their eyes pass over him and Sera, growing more wary.

Efficiently moving through the thinning crowd, one of the guards approached them.

“I haven’t seen you two here before. First time in Calveth?”

“Yes, we’re travelling east,” replied Leon, doing his best to stay relaxed.

“Ah, planning to go through the mountain pass? Fair warning, the first snow came early this year, so it’s likely to be an intense winter.” The guard chuckled, adding, “Not that any of that stops the merchants.”

“Hey, Kris!” One of the other guards sauntered over, “Are you bothering these travellers? They don’t look like merchants.”

“Jeez, Orsten, don’t worry about me so much. I was just speaking with these two. They’re visiting our city for the first time.”

Orsten eyed Leon up and down, looking for anything suspicious.

“These two don’t look like they work for the Hunters, so they should be fine.” He squinted his eyes, looking directly at Leon. “Don’t be stirring up trouble, ya hear? We already have our hands full dealing with the nonsense they’ve been making.”

Leon’s throat tightened, his awareness of the Hunters renewed. He managed to stay calm on the surface, not changing his outward reaction.

However, Sera shivered at the mention of the Hunters, making her fear obvious.

Kris took notice of her reaction, “Looks like you’ve seen those bastards’ violence first-hand. You don’t have to worry too much about them here; the ones that do hang around here are kept on a tight leash.”

“That’s… good to hear,” Sera replied, confused by their shared distaste.

“Anyway, we don’t want to take any more of your time.” Orsten poked Kris with his elbow, ushering him to get back to doing his job.

As they turned away, Kris called out, “I wish you luck with your travels! If you are capable of working, the merchants are always looking for help. They’ll pay you, and you usually can just sit around the whole trip.”

Leon waved his hand in acknowledgement, resuming the horse ride into the city.

After they created some distance between themselves and the checkpoint, Sera burst out laughing.

“That is not what I was expecting from those guards. To think they were even more friendly to us just because they don’t like Hunters.”

Leon sighed loudly, “I thought they would be allied with them. Hunters must not be very liked here if they’re that open about it.”

“I wonder what the Hunters did to make those guards, or the city, so wary of them…”

“It’s probably best if we don’t pursue the answer to that.”

Sera didn’t react, instead observing the city as the buildings grew taller as they neared the central parts of Calveth.

The streets became more crowded with people as they made their way deeper in. The buildings stood tall and shining, shops filled the ground floors with sparkling windows, mana-powered lamps lining the second and third stories.

This city seems so well-maintained. I wonder if they weren’t as affected here by the Crusades.

“What a nice city…” Sera’s eyes wandered the streets, taking in the atmosphere. “This must be an important trading hub. Everything built here is new and expensive-looking. And there are so many people!”

Leon nodded, weaving his horse through the crowds filling the streets. Sera followed just behind, still in awe.

As they carefully filed through the streets, the crowds began to thin.

“Leon. Look over there.” Sera said, her eyes locked on a distant street.

Leon followed her gaze, his mouth nearly opening in surprise.

Down the distant street, a group tended to some horses, but they weren’t humans. Pairs of animal ears sprouted from their heads, twitching and turning as they held conversations with each other.

Demihumans.

Weren’t they driven to extinction during the Crusades?

Sera stopped her horse, turning toward the demihuman crowd.

“They’ve got a lot of horses over there. They probably know where a stable is.”

I’m not sure how friendly they will be to us. They probably still hold some resentment towards humans.

Sera didn’t wait for Leon, beginning to move towards the crowd.

“Wait, Sera…”

She pulled on the reins of her horse, looking back at Leon.

“What is it?”

“We didn’t see any demihumans in the crowds on our way in.” Leon paused, scratching the side of his head in thought, “Don’t you think there’s probably a good reason for that?”

“Look, Leon. They have horses, and we need to stable ours.” Sera raised an eyebrow at Leon, “Unless you have something against non-humans, despite being one yourself, I don’t see how this poses any risk.”

Leon froze, her words piercing into his heart, despite whether she intended harm or not.

“Okay. I’m going to ask them, come on.”

The demihumans’ ears twitched as Leon and Sera approached on horseback, their nervousness clear to Leon’s eyes.

“Hi, sorry to bother all of you. I’m looking to stable my horse and was hoping you could point me in the right direction. We saw your horses and thought you might know.” Sera said, being as friendly as possible.

An odd silence filled the air as they waited for a response. The demihumans' eyes glared over them cautiously.

I can smell a tinge of their fear. I had forgotten how much stronger the smell of demihumans' emotions is.

“I can show you to our stables, as long as you’re willing to pay, of course.”

A younger boy stepped out from the crowd, with long brown hair reaching nearly to his knees and brown dog ears perched up on his head.

“We would be delighted to. Thank you.” Sera replied.

The boy motioned with his hand to follow him, and he walked away from the crowd, taking careful glances back at Leon and Sera as they followed.

He’s so young but carries himself so mature-like. I wonder what happened to him in this city for him to act like this.

“So how come you came to the demihuman district of Calveth to look for a stable?”

“To be honest, this is our first time here in Calveth. So we got a bit lost once we arrived…” Sera said.

“I suppose that’s a good answer. Anyway, we’re almost here.”

A large wooden building framed the street, but the smell of manure that filled the air was unmistakable.

If we had even gotten remotely close, I could have guided us both here just by the smell alone.

“The stable-keeper is inside,” the boy said, quickly beginning to walk away without saying farewell.

“Wait,” Sera stopped him, hopping off her horse, “Could we pay you for some more information? We also need to find a place to stay while we’re here.”

He stopped in the street, turning back slowly.

“You’re both pretty strange. Most humans actively avoid this district, but you two seem to give off a strange vibe.”

Leon hopped off his horse, grabbing the reins of Sera’s horse and leading them both into the stable. His shoulders were stiff as he stepped away from Sera and the boy’s conversation.

“Why would people avoid your district? You seem like nice people to me.”

“You don’t know?”

Sera didn’t respond.

The demihuman boy scratched at his ears, looking a little unsure of what to say.

“Well,” he started, “I won’t lie, it is a nice change of pace to meet a human who doesn’t treat me as lesser.”

Sera flashed him a smile, looking back for Leon, noticing he had gone inside the stable without her.

“I don’t need any compensation for aiding you, just ask and I’ll show you around,” the boy continued.

“Thank you, it’s very nice of you. Just wait one moment before my friend comes back.”

The boy took a seat on a nearby ledge, stretching his arms, waiting patiently.

Sera sat next to him, leaning back against the wall, her face contorted slightly.

“Is your partner mute by chance? I haven’t heard him talk yet.”

“No, Leon’s not mute. We’re just in a bit of a bind, so he’s got a lot on his mind… I think.” Sera sighed exasperatedly, rubbing her hands on her knees, trying to pass the time.

“I’m sorry if this is rude, but I just want to ask.” The boy looked up past the tin-shingled roofs, “Is he affiliated with the Hunters? It’s just- well, his mannerisms are very similar to what I’ve heard about the Hunters.”

Sera looked at the boy, his eyes still peering upwards, avoiding her gaze. Her eyes glazed over, lost in thought.

“No, he’s not. Maybe he was at some point long ago, but I can’t tell you any more than that, because I don’t know everything myself.”

“Sorry for prying.”

“It’s okay.”

She sat there with the boy for some time, mulling her thoughts over.

The boy was the first to break the silence, saying, “Oh, look, there he is.”

Leon waved at Sera as he walked out of the stables, carrying several bags from the horses over his shoulders.

“Leon, we should find a room to rent while we look for a method to cross the mountain pass. This boy-” she paused, looking over, “I’m sorry, I forgot to ask your name.”

“Perru,” the boy replied.

“Well, Perru offered to help us find our way around Calveth for now. So finding whatever we need should be much easier now.”

She must have made acquaintances with him while I stowed the horses. Perru does seem to be wary of me, though, I guess it’s mutual.

“Thanks for your help,” Leon offered a handshake to Perru, despite the age gap.

Perru smiled weakly, his hand shaking slightly as he accepted the handshake, using a firm grip before releasing.

“If you want, I’ll show you to the center of the demihuman district now. That’s where all the shops and rentable rooms are here.”

Leon and Sera nodded.

Leon took one last look back at the stable, making a mental note of where it was, before walking alongside Sera and Perru.

…

The streets were much busier here, in the central part of the demihuman district. The smells of spices and perfumes filled the air, and it reminded Leon a little of how his home used to be.

Sera was speaking with a shopkeeper, who was going through their books while sneaking glances at Leon, who pretended not to notice.

Perru stood nearby, glaring at anyone who flashed them odd looks, leaving Leon and Sera mostly unbothered.

“Hey, Leon.” Perru poked him with his elbow, “What do you think of my home? It’s even more vibrant than the human districts, the ones I'm sure you came through on your way in.”

Leon nodded.

The buildings seem more worn down and clustered than the human areas, but it’s unmistakable that there are many more colorful tapestries and clothing here. All these colors and people remind me of the vibrant celebrations my village used to have when I was a child.

“So what do you think?” Perru asked again.

“It reminds me of home,” Leon said, feeling bittersweet as he reminisced.

“Your home?” Perru pried, his eyes glaring at a demihuman that passed by, giving strange looks towards the group. “Where were you born?”

Leon smiled weakly.

Perru looked up from beside him, seeing a tinge of pain behind his eyes past the smile.

“I lived far to the west, but I’m on a long journey with Sera now, so I won’t be returning home for a long time.” Leon’s voice didn’t waver, but Perru could tell he was uncomfortable with the question.

“Sorry,” Perru said, looking back into the street.

“What?” Leon replied, caught off guard.

A hand pressed against Leon’s back, and Sera stepped between them.

“I rented the room out, if you want to put those bags you’ve been carrying away. We have some planning to do.” She said, pointing Leon to the stairs that led up to the room.

Leon looked over Sera’s shoulder at Perru, his eyes blankly staring out into the street.

Leon turned around and walked towards the staircase, but stopped for a moment to look at Perru again.

“Thank you, Perru.”

He remained walking, stepping up the stairs to the rented room.

Perru whipped his head around to see Leon’s back as he left up the staircase.

A tear welled up in his eyes, and he quickly wiped it away, masking his emotions.

“I have one last question before I head up there,” Sera said, looking down at Perru. “Do you know where I can find a bookstore? We’re in for a long journey across the mountain pass, and I’d like to get something to pass the time.”

“There’s one just down the street, on your left-hand side.” He pointed down a nearby street.

Sera grabbed his wrist lightly and placed something into his hand, closing it into a fist.

“Take care of yourself, Perru.”

She smiled brightly and turned away, walking up the staircase, leaving Perru alone on the edge of the street.

Perru watched her until she disappeared from view, looking down at his hand.

He opened his fist. Three silver coins and a pocket-sized scroll were sitting in his palm. He pocketed the coins, then unravelled the scroll.

He read the words Sera had inscribed. For a dear aid, thank you for your help. I hope this healing spell can help you in the time of your greatest need.

Perru’s breath shuddered as he tried to hold tears back, looking up into the sky.

“Thank you,” he whispered, before stepping off the shop patio and disappearing into the demihuman-filled streets.