Unknown (WIP)

“Leon,” Sera called for him, leaning against the kitchenette counter as he rinsed his face in the small sink.

Leon grabbed the unused dish towel and pressed it into his face, his eyes looking over the cloth at Sera as he dried himself.

Her fingers tapped rhythmically against the countertop, trying to mask her anxiety from Leon.

“Leon, what’s wrong? It’s as if you’ve completely closed yourself away since we arrived here in Calveth.”

“It’s nothing like that,” he paused. Sera’s eyes were still staring at him intently, impatiently waiting for him to answer her question.

He sighed loudly, scratching at the top of his head, “I’m acting the same as I always have before. I’m carefully doing everything I can to keep you and me out of danger.”

“So, distancing yourself from me is your way of protecting us? Because it sure felt like you were just protecting yourself.”

Leon’s breath hitched in his throat, his body abruptly stiffening. He opened his mouth but could say nothing in return.

“I don’t understand why you are acting this way. Why can’t you just tell me what’s going on in your head?”

Leon didn’t answer, his eyes fixating on nothing.

Sera’s fingers brushed against her forehead.

How can I get him to open up to me? If we’re going to be bound together by this curse, then wouldn’t it be helpful to learn about each other so we can coexist peacefully? It’s so frustrating how he shuts down once I try to ask anything about him.

“The city guards said the merchants who are yet to cross the mountain pass are still hiring help. I’m going to head down to the shipping yards and see about getting us safe passage.” Leon said, dismissing Sera’s concerns.

So frustrating.

“Is running away all you can think about? Don’t you have any time to reflect on how you feel?” Sera said, her foot now tapping against the floor in annoyance.

“No, I don’t need emotions when our survival is on the line.” He replied without delay, his eyes still unfixed.

“What?”

Sera’s mouth was left slightly agape, shocked by his willingness to ignore his emotional needs.

“How can you be so dense?” Sera felt anger beginning to bubble inside her. “I know you’re not just some mindless soldier!”

Sera saw Leon’s eyes match her gaze, his jaw stiffening. She knew that somewhere inside him, she had struck a nerve.

Still upset, Sera continued, “That boy who helped us, Perru, he thought you were a Hunter. He said you moved like one.”

Leon twitched, harmed by her words.

“I told him you aren’t one,” Sera’s voice became quieter, “But truthfully, I can’t figure out how you know everything you told me about the Hunters. Even if you got wrapped up in a conflict in the Crusades, it still doesn’t make sense to me.”

Leon’s breathing shallowed, his lips pursed together, completely unable to respond.

“You keep dodging the truth.” Her voice trembling, “You keep hiding behind silence. Don’t you know that your silence can hurt people, too?”

Her words lingered in the air, weighing heavily on Leon. His shoulders, which were always held stiffly, sagged in defeat, his gaze meeting the floor.

“I just wish you would talk to me.”

Leon couldn’t move.

Sera’s eyes stung.

“I’m going to the bookstore.” She said, her voice barely louder than a whisper.

Without waiting for a reply, Sera swiftly turned around and threw on her cloak, stepping outside the door and closing it behind her.

Her breath trembled as she inhaled, then exhaled, calming herself down.

I hope I didn’t harm him too much. He needed a shock to reevaluate his self-awareness, so it was necessary.

Then why does it feel like I’m the one who just got hurt?

Her footsteps met each step out of rhythm, her eyes closed as she blindly lumbered down the staircase, her hand trailing against the coldness of the metal guardrail.

I desperately need to cool off. Some reading will do me some good.

Sera opened her eyes at the bottom of the stairs and pulled her cloak hood over her head, obscuring her face from view.

The crowds that had filled the streets just previously had thinned, a small drizzle of rain causing most of the remaining demihumans to shelter under awnings and outcroppings.

She proceeded into the streets, her veiled appearance matching the demihumans that walked alongside her. They wore loose-fitting cloaks of various muted colors; most were also tattered and worn from the lack of funds to improve living.

Sera took her mind off her worries as she looked around the streets, watching as the lanterns lining the buildings flicker and light as the sky darkened from the cloud cover.
A demihuman up ahead was bent down, facing a light pole with a toolbox sitting nearby, using a bristled brush to scrub away the thin layers of rust that coated the light pole.

Shifting her attention elsewhere, she looked upwards to the building rooftops. Many of the shingles or roofs were heavily damaged and dilapidated, expressing again how the living conditions of the demihuman district were poor.

For such a large population of demihumans living here, it seems surprising that the local government does not take better care of them. She noted.

Distracted by her thoughts, she nearly passed by the bookstore she had been planning on visiting.

She saw the bookstore’s hanging sign at the last moment, turning around and entering the shop, making sure to wipe her wet shoes before stepping inside.

The demihuman clerk maintaining the bookstore was busied with a stack of books as she hurriedly scribbled notes, tossing the books on a cart afterward.

This must be a popular bookstore if she’s this busy with exchanges, Sera thought, glancing down the shelves filled with books.

As she bent down and traced her fingers over the embossed spines, inhaling the scent of fresh parchment, the tension in her shoulders eased.

Most of the books were well-used, the edges fraying as their bindings wore thin. The

The damaged selection must have been caused by the poor economy of the demihuman district; they can only afford such books, much less repairs.

She muttered the title of one she’d read before, a zoologist’s travelogue she had studied many times over.

“You sound as though you’ve read half this shelf already,” a voice chimed in Sera’s ear.

Sera startled and glanced up. The shopkeeper, a middle-aged demihuman with faint silver streaks behind her furred ears, studied her with open curiosity.

“Are you a scholar, then? Or simply a connoisseur of old stories?”

Sera glanced at the book in her hand, gently placing the already-read title back on the shelf.

“A bit of both.” Sera admitted, “I’ve read… or studied most of the books on this shelf. I was hoping you would have something a bit… rarer.”

The woman’s ears twitched, “Strange, I haven’t seen you here before. Most of my regulars live in the district here.” She paused, her eyes lingering on Sera’s hood, then her hands. “Forgive me if it’s too forward, but… you’re not demihuman, are you?”

Sera silenced herself, unsure of how to answer in such a situation.

“I see. Well, we live in sensitive times. Although it’s nice to have another educated enthusiast of literature in my shop! I suppose knowledge doesn’t care what blood carries it!” The clerk let out a shallow laugh, walking back to the register. “I think I have a few books that might suit your palette.”

Her voice is refined, Sera thought. And that accent, she’s well-educated, too.

Sera lowered her hood and followed.

The shop owner stepped behind the register, bending down and pulling out a stack of heavy books, their bindings still fully intact.

“Take your time. I’ve been saving these until I came across someone who could truly appreciate them.”

Sera sifted through the pile, skimming and setting aside one after another. The majority of the books were about history, etiquette, or feudal struggles. They required much higher levels of comprehension compared to the common books, exactly the types Sera enjoyed.

As Sera neared halfway through the pile, she froze.

No, that title can’t be right.

Her eyes swept over the letters again, her pulse quickening.

A Compilation of Myths and Legends: The Kitsune.

Sera flipped open to the publishing details.

Post-Crusades? Impossible!

Any writing about mana-empowered species was outlawed during the Crusades. This might be the last copy of its existence.

Sera clutched the book tightly in her hands, excitement and dread twisting in her chest.

Forcefully loosening her grip, she began to skim through the pages. Each page was filled with detailed illustrations, meticulous notes, and entire passages dedicated to legends children heard as bedtime stories. This book was a treasure trove of hidden history about the Kitsune!

Leon… I wonder how he will react to this.

Sera’s joy soured as she remembered how they parted, her wonder becoming clouded with frustration.

Exhaling slowly, she dropped the book to her side and continued skimming through the rest of the pile half-heartedly. Her mind kept drifting back to the Kitsune book… and to Leon.

Noticing her distant expression, the elegant store owner sauntered back over, glancing at the book in Sera’s hands.

“What fine taste. If I didn’t know any different, I would have thought that would be the last one of its kind. However, the merchant I purchased it from had at least a hundred more.

“Anything else caught your eye?”

Sera shook her head, smiling gratefully at the owner.

“No, this is all I’m interested in. But the books on etiquette are enticing!”

The owner collected the pile again, hiding it behind the register.

“So, what made a human like you end up this deep in the demihuman district, anyway? Only humans I see around here are outlaws or poor folk.”

Sera smiled weakly, “You saw right through me…”

“With your education and a little bit of etiquette training, I’m sure you could get a job working for a Lord or Lady as a handmaid or even a position of higher status.”

Sera was stunned mid-smile, shocked at her boldness in suggesting such a job to her.

“You’re a bright young adult! I could even write a letter of suggestion for you!”

She must have a history with some noble family. If I weren’t cursed, this would be the offer of a lifetime…

The owner pushed a receipt across the counter, the price for the book scribbled neatly on top.

Sera rummaged through the satchel inside her robes, pulling out the required change for the book and taking the receipt with her. The shop owner wrapped the book carefully in brown paper, tying it with twine in order to hide the contents from view.

Sera silently thanked her for disguising it as a regular book, realizing how the discovery could endanger her.

Almost as if reading her mind, the shop owner commented as she slid the concealed book across the register counter, “Don’t worry too much about Hunters or local police searching your belongings here, they’re more lax than you might think.

I hope you find time to visit my shop again soon. It would be a shame if our conversations ended so soon. Knowledgeable young women are rare customers here.” She sighed.

“I’ll find some time to visit again soon. Thank you for your friendliness.” Sera waved behind her as she spun around and left, tucking the book under her arm, sheltering it from the still-drizzling rain.

The raindrops landed on her skin, the cold prickling.

Sera stopped in the street, feeling the rain.

In this moment, she didn’t feel the frustration that she felt since arriving in Calveth, but instead a flicker of excitement.

...

Sera had left before Leon had an opportunity to speak, leaving him alone, trapped in his thoughts.

His hand reached out for a moment, his mouth opening to call her back, but once again he couldn’t find the words.

I don’t have anything to say that will improve how she views me anyway, Leon lampooned.

Leon swept his hands through his hair, slicking it backwards as he sighed loudly.

“Guess I should keep my word then,” he muttered to himself. “I’ll show her I’m not a burden.”

Use your experience Leon, all those years you’ve worked under harder conditions, so this should be nothing.

Leon collected his belongings, strapping his satchel to his waist once again, taking a habitual glance at the sigil before fluffing his cloak and stepping out of the room.

The air had a slight chill to it, and the smell of rain seemed to wash away the typical dirty smells of the demihuman district.

Regaining his whereabouts, Leon determined the warehouse district was to the south, parallel to the mountains that they were soon to pass. He hurriedly headed off towards the district, taking note to remember how to get back to the rented room.

The warehouse district was much larger than Leon had imagined.

Horse-drawn wagons and carriages endlessly flowed in and out of the entrances to the district, bringing supplies to either places within Calveth or to the western cities.

Rows upon rows of warehouses loomed over the people and demihumans going about their business, some with lettering hung on their faces depicting what was stored inside or by whom.

The smells of this area were much different from those of the residential areas. The strong stench of fish and tar mixed in the air, along with the rain, as well as a faint odor from many of the workers.

I’m not the only one looking for a job, Leon thought, taking note of several groups of mercenaries dressed in winterized gear for traversing the pass. Their faces were gruff, and Leon took a mental note to make sure that he and Sera weren’t matched up in the same group as them.

Leon walked casually inside, keeping his face unshadowed by his cloak, so as to blend in with the majority of the workers.

He hadn’t caught the attention of the guards who were lazily chatting at the edges of the gates.

Leon eyed around for any posterboards looking for workhands, but saw none.

I suppose it wouldn’t be that easy. The guard made it sound like I had to talk to a merchant to find out about work; otherwise, he likely would have mentioned a job board.

I guess I’ll just have to get lucky and find someone looking for work, Leon guessed.

He made his way deeper inside the district, moving between the massive warehouses. Boxes were piled up against the sides of the buildings, the rain pooling on the surface of the wood.

Woosh!

Leon spun on his heel as he looked behind him. Something had just flown by him.

Squinting his eyes, he saw a flicker of light around a corner, a greenish hue.

Some type of magic?

Leon felt curious, moving towards the mysterious light.

As Leon stepped around the corner, he saw the source of the light.

It was a small ball of greenish flame, floating lightly in the air, illuminating the darkened alley.

A kitsunebi!

Leon looked around frantically, looking for the kitsune that could have created this magic, but discovered nothing.

In the time he was distracted, the green flame began to float away again, distancing itself.

The purpose of kitsunebi is to be used as a guide or marker on a path. I suppose this means I should follow it then.

Leon couldn’t help himself as he trailed behind the green-hued orb, turning corner after corner, deep inside the maze of warehouses.

Suddenly, he heard voices coming from somewhere nearby, and the orb flashed around another corner, heading towards them.

Wait, you can’t reveal yourself! Leon couldn’t help but think as the orb disappeared.

He paused for a moment, leaning against the wall, listening in on the voices.

“Its such a headache finding people willing to work for cheap labor. Do none of the demihumans here want to travel east anymore? It’s like everyone’s lost their sense of adventure lately.” Said a man, his voice reverberating in the small corridor.

“Maybe instead of hiring just a few experienced individuals for lots of money, you could go for a more balanced approach instead and hire plenty of workers without the specially skilled ones.”

“But what if I encounter a dragon? No simple adventurer would be able to take on a dragon and win! I need the most capable hands I can find!”

“You sound delusional, no one has seen a dragon since before the Crusades. And apparently I can’t change your mind, so good luck sticking to your budget.”

“Whatever, see you later, Senior Crowwall.”

Leon stood silently against the wall, weighing his options.

This sounds like the best opportunity so far, but it doesn’t sound like he’s willing to pay much. Maybe I can bargain with him for a better payment after we reach the eastern port.

Also, he likely has already hired skilled adventurers, from what he was implying. As long as none of them are Hunters, it should pose no problem for me and Sera.

Deciding to use this merchant for his benefit, Leon waited a moment.

The merchants footsteps echoed through the corridor, and Leon snapped his fingers, sending a small kitsunebi orb under a fold of the man’s clothing,

Now that the merchants weren’t looking his way, Leon found the chance to study his appearance.

From behind, Leon could tell the merchant had some sort of wealth upon him, due to the expensive suit and coat he was wearing, however it fit too tightly on the man due to his larger size.

His hair was slicked back, short and blonde, before he covered it up with a half top hat.

Sensing where his orb was located, Leon felt relaxed enough to step away and wind himself out of the warehouse district’s corridors.

…

Puddles of water sparkled under the mid-day sun. The clouds and fog from the morning had cleared away, allowing the sunlight to melt away the late-fall morning chill that nipped at the noses of Calveth’s residents.

Sitting down in a bar, located just across the street from the warehouse district, Leon watched through a window as merchants entered and departed busily through the gates.

He couldn’t help but feel nostalgic.

The drunkards stumbling around downstairs, the busy atmosphere, and also how I’m preforming my Tracker job again. It feels… bittersweet.

Leon closed his eyes and felt the attraction of his kitsunebi, the warmth signaling him to a building that was close by.