Chapter 4:
The Otherworldly Patron of Blood
True to the elf's word, he soon reached the end of the forest and the top of a hill, allowing him to see his introduction to civilization: a town.
He observed it, taking advantage of his higher altitude. The town itself appeared quite large, at least to him. He expected a quaint village, with only a few shops scattered here and there. But Holdenville was not a quaint village. Rows of stone buildings, some including a second story, stretched on to the south, surrounding what looked to be one big road. To the east, several wooden plank structures dotted the area. Houses, perhaps. A small wooden fence surrounded the whole town, offering a little protection against outside animals.
"What a nice village," A familiar voice remarked.
"Yeah, it-" He frantically looked around, trying to spot the goddess. But no matter where he looked - the trees, the bushes, the downward slope of the hill - he couldn't find her. He felt her presence nearby, so where was she?
"What are you looking for?"
"How are you able to do that? Where are you?"
"I'm not anywhere near you. I'm merely projecting my voice into your head. This is a basic ability a god can do for their patron."
"So you can see through my eyes too?"
"When I choose to, yes. I have to be able to see what you're up to. You are my only patron, after all. Can't have you dying on me."
"So why-"
"By the way, you don't have to physically speak for me to hear you. You just need to imagine yourself speaking to me."
"Oh, alright." He shut his mouth, following her advice. "So why didn't you help me earlier? I was starving."
"I'm quite unfamiliar with the world as-is right now, so I wouldn't know if . But more importantly, I couldn't see through your eyes earlier. I could only do it after you found the first blood gem. Apologies for not explaining earlier. I was on quite a time crunch when I teleported you."
"Blood gem? That red crystal I found in the ground?"
"Yes. But enough from me. I think there is a town to explore in front of you, no?"
"Well, yeah, but isn't there a lot more you need to explain to me right now?"
"Not now. When you go to sleep, I'll tell you more. Goodbye!"
Before he could say anything, he felt her presence disappear. He shook his head and climbed down the hill, entering through the main road. Villagers walked around, some carrying supplies in-between buildings, while others shopped at the stalls on the sides. A few shot concerned looks at him, most likely because of the blood on his clothes. He put his head down, trying to avoid their gazes.
As he continued down the road, he realized one extremely important detail he didn't think of: money. Last time he checked, he had no sort of currency on him at all. No coins, no bills, nothing. How was he going to pay for anything? He could sell his dagger, but he guessed that it could only get him so much.
Suddenly, he bumped into somebody. He stumbled, trying to catch his footing, before looking up at whoever he hit. In front of him was a tall woman, clothed with a beautiful dark red dress that reached all the way to her black boots. A white jabot sat neatly on her neck. A black eyepatch covered her right eye, and similarly black leather gloves covered her hands. She carried several hardcover books in varying sizes, all of them rather thick in his opinion. Her brunette hair was tied back in a single bun, sitting under a large black hat. She seemed unbothered by the contact; in fact, she smiled gently at him.
"Are you alright?" Her voice was gentle, carrying no hint of aggression.
"Yeah. Sorry about that." He bowed.
"Oh, no need to apologize! I really should've seen you coming." She grabbed the hem of his tunic, shifting the balance of her books onto her remaining hand. "Are you sure you're alright? Judging from the stain, it seems somebody has stabbed you."
"Trust me, I'm good. But I do need help. Do you happen to know where I can get some money? I don't have any on me right now..."
She stared up at the sky, thinking. "I do happen to need somebody for my bookstore. Would you like to help?"
He immediately nodded. "Where do I start?"
She gestured towards a box behind her. "Help me carry these books. Grab a few at a time, the box is too heavy right now."
Despite her words, he immediately tried to lift the box, lifting with his legs. Her words were true; it was an incredibly heavy box. Despite this, he managed to stand up, his arms wobbling slightly.
"Is that comfortable for you?"
"It's fine. I carried boxes like this back where I'm from."
She shrugged. "Suit yourself."
He followed her through alleyways, surprising himself with how he kept up. Back home, he'd have to take breaks every flight of step he carried packages up, but now his stamina was keeping up with him. "So, what's this town like?" He asked.
"Busy, but manageable. It's not like the cities where every road's crowded with people and horses. It's the reason I settled here instead of Jauston."
"Jauston?"
"Yes, the capital city of Hylokans."
"...would it be bad if I asked what Hylokans was?"
"I'd be very surprised, considering it's the kingdom you're in right now. It's been through a lot, but it stands strong right now. If you need to brush up on your knowledge, perhaps a stay at the bookstore is called for?"
"Sure. I need to do lots of reading."
"It seems so."
After about five minutes, they reached her bookstore, distinguished by a hanging wooden sign with a book symbol on it. She opened up the door, and they both went inside. When he heard bookstore, he imagined a library of sorts. The bookstore was, in hindsight, never destined to match that expectation. It still looked nice though: lacquered oak planks made up the floor, bookshelves, and frame, while stone made up the walls. Three bookshelves separated the store into rows, constructed from the same oak as the floor. The building had a second floor, which led to another bookshelf plus three doors. Next to the door sat a wooden counter, with a pen and paper.
"You can place the box behind the counter," she said, putting her books on top.
He followed her instructions and gently put the box down. He stretched his arms out, loosening them up. Despite the weight, his arms didn't suffer from soreness. In fact, he felt like he could go for another round.
"Thanks for the help. You saved me a lot of time!"
"No problem. Anything else that needs to be done?"
"Nope. It'll be sunset soon, you should find a place to stay." She went upstairs to a room on the left, and soon came back down, placing five silver coins in his hand. "That should at least buy you a meal and a night at the Holden Hotel, although I recommend buying a new shirt first. If you need any further assistance, you can come back here tomorrow. There's always something that needs to be done here."
He bowed his head once again. "Thank you so much for the work. I never had a job before, so-"
"Wait, you've never had work?"
Shit. "I mean, I've helped around the house a bit, but I never had a proper job per se."
"Hmm. Well, I won't pry too much! Have a good night." As he turned around to leave, she stopped him. "Oh! I forgot to ask you: what's your name, stranger?"
"Peter."
"Peter? Nice to meet you. My name's Beatrice."
He left the bookstore with a newfound confidence, and then came back in to ask where exactly the Holden Hotel was.
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