Chapter 3: Welcome to Trudid

Kathryne could barely make out the tall concrete structures surrounding them, shadowy towers obscuring the night sky. Closer to the ground, vines and plants grow where they please, with tree roots snaking through piles of rubble.

Where am I?

Wolfgang seems unbothered by the state of the buildings, stopping only to sniff the air and head down a new path, ears flicking about vigilantly.

Sam marches besides Kathryne, his weapon resting on his right shoulder as his light scans the dark alleys.

"Ehm..." Kathryne speaks up, breaking the silence. "Where are we going?"

"A shop where I'm staying. The gnomes knew the way, so I'm following the trail they left for me." Wolfgang answers, before turning to Kathryne. "If you don't have a place to stay, then you can sleep in my bed for the night."

"Ah, thank you!" Kathryne responds, squinting at the ground to try and spot the trail she mentioned.

The stone path was littered with dirt and pebbles, although hidden beneath the sediment were spots of an impossibly smooth street. Age and neglect has left the ancient roads in disrepair, but it seems that their initial construction was impeccable.

"Hey Sam? What can you tell us about this city?"

Sam shifts his rifle from one shoulder to another, growing a little more relaxed. "Not much of a city. What do you wanna know?"

"Hm... If I were to read about this city on a website, what would it tell me? About its history and stuff?"

"A website? Like... for spiders?"

"Huh?"

"Or is that some sort of book?" Sam asks, confused.

Kathryne pauses, putting a knuckle to her chin. Actually, I'm not too sure what a website is.

"Like a book, yeah."

"Alright." Sam waves to the buildings above. "Well, this place is called Trudid. As you can see, it was once a Myrrhnian city."

He continues as if he were stating the obvious. "Explorers found this place on the borders of the kingdom maybe a decade ago. They the walls still intact, so Inspire hired mercenaries to rid the place of monsters and secure the food generator. Ever since then, people have been trickling in ever since."

"Myrrhnian? Inspire?" Kathryne asks, although Sam couldn't hear her past his helmet carrying on.

"You should be careful at night, though. There's plenty of bad company hiding around in these big, empty buildings." Sam stops when he realizes Kathryne's confusion. "Oh, did you have a question?"

"What's... what's Myrrhnian?"

"Huh?" Sam stops, turning his body to her. "You know, the elves?"

Kathryne shakes her head, looking lost.

"How much do you know about the Merging?" Sam asks, only to be met with a blank look.

He lifts his helmet to scratch the underside of his chin. "Geez, how much do I know about it? It's like... two worlds slammed together, and there were elves and their- the elves call themselves the Myrrh, and they built these ruins," He stumbles, quickly losing confidence in his explanation.

"You know what, there's a bookstore in town, they might have some information about the Merging. How well can you read Common?" Sam asks.

"Ehm... I'm not sure? How advanced would it be?"

Sam sucks in air through his teeth. "I'm sure you can understand it. You're a sorceress, like Lionheart! You even kind of look like her!"

"Who?" Kathryne tilts her head.

The medic flinches, looking away nervously as if he had implied something nasty. "She's a famous sorceress- Slayer, you know Serena Lionheart, right? Don't they look alike?"

Wolfgang had gotten hungry waiting for the two to continue following her, chewing on a snack bar. "I don't know who that is."

"Anyway!" Sam quickly changes topics, stepping towards Wolfgang. "You could ask Father Hekhir at the church of Seros if you wanted to know more. He's friends with a couple of elves that visit every so often."

Kathryne nods, running to catch up with the two walking down the path.

Venturing deeper into the city, the surrounding buildings progressively become cleaner and more lively. Street lamps illuminate the streets, and a few windows are lit up by night owls.

The trio arrive at a storefront attached to a smaller building, a warm light peeking from behind the shutters of the display window.

As Wolfgang raps her knuckles on the front door, Kathryne spots her reflection in the store front window.

Two pointed ears poke out of her brown hair, silhouetted by the light of Sam's halberd. She reaches up her hands to gently squeeze the tips.

Were my ears always this pointy?

The front door opens and an elderly gnome stands in front of the entrance. No taller than Kathryne's hip, the man's white bushy eyebrows trail off his forehead into thin points, while an even bushier mustache hides his upper lip.

He smiles upon seeing Wolfgang. "What kept you so long? I was beginning to think you got lost."

The gnome steps aside to let Wolfgang pass but notices the two others standing outside. "Friends of yours?"

Sam steps forward before Wolfgang could speak. "I'm a guard from the gate you had passed through earlier. I was making sure these two got home safe, but..." He peers into the store, looking around. "You had mentioned back there that you were tinkerers? Do you think you could repair some of our equipment?"

"It depends on the equipment," The gnome answers, although he gives Sam a confident smile. "But I've fixed plenty of equipment for city guards before. We can take a look at them for cheap when we open the day after tomorrow, then we can discuss what needs to be done."

Sam nods, taking out a notepad and pencil. "Thank you, Mister...?"

"Ermon. Ermon Deepfront. If I'm not here, my grandson will hold onto your things. His name is Errick."

Kathryne sneaks a look at Sam's notepad, watching his left hand scribble from right to left. He's writing backwards?

"Thank you, Mr. Deepfront. I'll get out of your hair." Sam puts away the notepad and presses a button on his helmet, waving goodbye to Kathryne.

Kathryne waves back to be polite, stepping forward as Ermon looks her up and down. "And who's this one?"

"Someone I met in the woods when we separated. A mage." Wolfgang explains.

"Oho!" Ermon smiles, lightly fiddling with his mustache. "What kind of mage?"

"She's an amnesiac, says she can't remember anything from before we met. I offered her my bed for tonight."

"If- if it's not too much trouble." Kathryne says, wringing her hands anxiously.

"Bah!" Ermon steps inside of the store. "It's no trouble! Come in and get yourself out of the cold."

"Thank you very much." Kathryne nervously bows in thanks to Ermon and Wolfgang, walking past the slayer and looking around, her eyes adjusting to the better lit interior.

All around her, strange gadgets and weapons are put on display. Glass panels are illuminated by vibrant lights lining the ceiling, with different colors denoted the different sections of merchandise in the store.

On the opposite end of the room was a counter, with an open jar placed near a piece of bread, a creamy substance smeared over its surface.

Is that... peanut butter?

Wolfgang closes and locks the front door before making a beeline for the piece of bread. Her presences has changed within the walls of the store, now at ease and with familiar faces.

Beyond the counter, a door opens, but Kathryne doesn't see the person who steps through. She certainly hears his voice, though.

"Aha! I told you the peanut butter would work!"

"Hm." Wolfgang lightly nibbles on the crust of the bread, shaping what's left into a condiment filled ball. "I followed the wagon tracks."

"You tracked us across stone?"

"Mhm." Wolfgang pops the ball into her mouth and pockets the jar. "I'm that good."

A younger gnome steps around the corner, smiling before spotting Kathryne. His facial structure greatly resembles Ermon's, although he lacked any significant amount of facial hair.

That must be Errick.

Errick nervously chuckles at Kathryne's presence in the store, turning to his grandfather. "I thought we didn't open yet."

"Hello." Kathryne lightly waves. "Wolfgang's letting me stay the night."

"Wolfgang?" Errick asks, although quickly catches a look from the slayer. "Oh, yeah, 'Wolfgang'."

"My name is Kathryne." Kathryne says.

Errick nods, clearing his throat. "Nice to meet you. I'm Errick."

"Right."

"... Yeah."

Wolfgang sighs, walking past Kathryne and towards a darkened hallway. "Come. You should rest."

Kathryne nods, smiling towards Errick and waving goodbye. In response, the gnome gives her finger guns. "Alright, sweet dreams!"

She follows Wolfgang past a few doors before stepping into a small bedroom, although Wolfgang's size made the room seem very snug.

There were almost no furnishing save for a window, a lava lamp, and... a giant dog bed?

Is... is this a prank?

Kathryne looks to the wolf woman for a reaction, only to find that Wolfgang isn't surprised or annoyed. Instead, she walks towards a corner of the room, letting her heavy cloak drop to the floor.

"Is... Is this your bed?" Kathryne asks apprehensively, watching Wolfgang remove a leather jacket, revealing a stub of a tail cut long ago.

"Hm." Wolfgang hums, keeping her face stoic. However, the tail betrays her true feelings as it wags. "The gnomes from my village wished to send me off with a gift."

"Aw!~" Kathryne coos, lightly placing her pouch nearby. I suppose she's alright with it.

Sitting down at the edge of the bed, Kathryne tests the bed by lightly bouncing on it. Getting distracted, she picks up the lava lamp, turning it over. There's a crystal hidden in the base. Maybe it's powering the trinket?

"Are you from the same village as Ermon and Errick?" Kathryne asks, putting down the lava lamp and clambering more of her body onto the bed.

Wolfgang hesitates to answer. "I was raised in the village. It's close to Scal Haven, where I was trained."

Kathryne nods, yawning as fatigue suddenly begins to wash over her, making it hard to listen. "The guards, they call you a slayer... What does... what's that?"

Wolfgang sits at the edge of the bed, removing her gauntlets. She slowly releases her breath, her brow furrowing. "Slayers are warriors. They wield both skill and stealth for one purpose: killing monsters."

"Mhm~" Kathryne responds, listening to Wolfgang's sudden change for the dramatic.

Wolfgang lightly rubs her thumb across a scar underneath her forearm. "I'm... only a rookie, but I have everything I need to succeed. Ermon... he worries if training me was-"

The slayer's ear flickers, turning to find Kathryne already fast asleep on the bed, half of her body sinking deep into its softness.

She lightly huffs, the slayer reaching into her bag and pulling out the corner of a blanket.