The First Bond

The inn wasn’t very different from the rest of the town from what Fumihito could make out about the place. Erlana and him Like the majority of the town infrastructure from what he had seen before, the windows were boarded up and a few stray pieces of furniture were scattered around the front. Fumihito couldn’t even be sure if this was a result of vandalism or if this was just some semblance of poverty that took over.

“This place looks like a dump, Erlana.”

“Fumihito!”

“I’m not wrong.”

“Still…”

And there was still that rotten smell from before that seemed to follow him wherever he went. No matter how hard he tried to ignore it, it just didn’t leave. Erlana said she didn’t smell a thing, but that couldn’t be possible. She was with him this whole time and yet she never once smelt anything disgusting?

‘I just can’t get it away from me. The smell’s so nauseating that I almost feel sick. Where is it coming from?’

“Fumihito, are you okay?”

He was dragged from his thoughts when Erlana tugged on his sleeve. As much as he wanted to tell her, he wasn’t sure if she’d believe him. It sounded like he was hallucinating all of it when Erlana couldn’t once smell it.

“Y-Yes, I just need some air for a bit. Could you handle the inn and things? I promise I’ll be back here once I'm done, but I just need ten or so minutes to myself.”

She looked hesitant, but maybe that was because the two were accustomed to being near each other for the past few days, but it seemed like she would give him this much. He was happy she would.

“Alright, but promise me you’ll be careful. This is still a new world for you and Tartarus has changed. Clearly in more ways than I ever could have thought. If you see anything troublesome…”

He offered her a small smile.

“I’ll come running to you this time instead of away.”

She snorted before stepping inside with a small flush crawling across her face. He waited for a few moments before he took a deep breath and stepped back away from the inn. It might have been a little mean to play it off, but he wanted to be sure this was something reasonable before he jumped to conclusions.

But where did he start?

Even looking around just showed him more of the same people who seemed like they were ready to collapse. They didn’t look like they were in pain at all. No injuries, no possible ailments, but it just generally looked like they were tired. His eyes darted away from another building back to a couple walking right over.

“Excuse me, but could one of you…”

But as soon as he approached them, they simply stared at him with wide eyes. Bloodshot. Just like everyone else had been. They looked almost surprised that he even talked to them at all.

“Yes, what do you need? Do you need directions,” the man asked him with a blank stare that almost made him shudder. His female companion seemed worried by the way she stared at him.

“No, I’m sorry to bother you. I just wanted to ask…,” but he paused when he came across a stray thought in his mind.

What did he want to ask them? If he just brought up smells, would that even make any sense or would he come across as some weirdo? It was probably better to ask something a little straightforward.

“...I wanted to ask if you could tell me a little more about Tartarus? I only heard a little bit about this town, but they say this place was touched by the gods, right?”

He figured that would have been a safe topic to touch upon, but the look on the faces of the family didn’t look too pleased. They looked as if they bit onto something sour by the way their lips twisted into a near snarl of sorts.

“...That’s an aspect of history, yes. They say when the gods descended, they came upon this town once when it was in shambles. There wasn’t a lot back then, but one of the deities that landed here blessed the land. We don’t know which one, but most chalk it up to the Goddess of Life. A lot of good she’s done for us…”

Was there something he was missing here? It seemed like people here didn’t revere the gods that descended down here before. He raised his brow briefly before the woman muttered under her breath, a curse of some sort. The look in his eyes softened and he took a small breath.

“Well, has there been anything that happened lately? I know I’m just an outsider, but I’ve never seen a place like this before. Did something happen?”

If he didn’t try to ask at least one question, it wasn’t going to help him much. Learning about this place wasn’t a big concern, true, but he was more curious about why this place was in such a dump. Erlana spoke with so much praise and she seemed fond of the area before she lost that happiness.

The only thing that didn’t make sense to him was how someplace that seemed like a nice spot on the map could hit such a low.

At last, the woman finally spoke.

“The only big calamity we suffered was the plague that had hit our village two years ago. Nobody knew what it was at the time. Only when it arrived, we had lost more than a quarter of the people here. Close kin, brothers, sisters, children, and parents lost in the blink of an eye,” she closed her eyes and nestled her daughter’s head deeper into her neck.

“We lost so many people before the healers managed to expunge it. We recovered within time, but lately… We believe Tartarus is…”

Before she could tell him, the man had finally cut in with a firm glance and a sudden shake of his head. He thought they’d try and stop her from talking, but by the way, the woman’s fingers trembled, it seemed like an act of mercy rather than an act of silence. The man took over and simply cradled his lover close.

“Tartarus is cursed. Every night is a plague upon our minds. You’ll learn if you stay, but if you want my advice? Leave. This town’s going to be done with soon and once we’re finally done, we’ll leave ourselves. This place is lost.”

Cursed.

The idea of a place being cursed sounded stupid at a glance. The only issue was that he was in a world where magic was real and other species existed. For every doubt he had, it was firmly pushed aside in favor of the truth.

“But it can’t be that bad, can it? There have to be experts out there who can…”

He didn’t expect the man to get up in his face with a scowl. The action nearly set him onto his rear before he caught himself. His eyes were wide and he was met with the bloodshot eyes of the father. Scrunched in anger and fear, terrified of something he just didn’t understand.

“They’ve tried and I’ve long since had it. Good luck to you, but take my advice and leave Tartarus while you can. You’d have better chances at survival anywhere else.”

He tried to say something, anything, but it didn’t mean anything. The two were already walking away with a rushed step and he was left to himself again. Whatever it was, something had been doing something to this town. It hadn’t been kind and it hadn’t been generous either with how everybody seemed to act. They spoke of a curse, but maybe someone else could give him a concrete answer, right?

So, he tried.

He wandered around for the next ten minutes to explore and ask as many questions as he could, but every time he even approached someone?

“Go bark at someone else’s tree and lemme sleep, boy…”

Again.

“Cursed. We’re cursed by the gods, of course!”

And again.

“Don’t you get it? This must be a punishment. It’s the plague that comes back once again to ruin our lives and wipe the lot of us out! They’ll kill us all!”

It was nothing but paranoia and fear among people. Some of them were content to lie on their backs and stare at the sky and those who didn’t talk were just huddled somewhere close to a place of residence. This entire town hadn’t given him a semblance of an answer besides gods, curses, and torture. None of which helped him figure out a single aspect of this place other than the fact that it was losing control of itself.

He had spent his time wandering around the town while trying not to stray too far, but he had made no real progress. The rotten smell wasn’t explained either. Even when he asked a few residents, none of them seemed to understand what he was talking about. For everything that had happened, he was the ONLY one who seemed to be able to smell that scent.

‘I just don’t get it. Why is it everywhere? Nobody smells it but me and I can’t imagine things. It’s real and I can practically feel sick being around this place.’

The young man sighed and strolled back over toward the inn with more bodies on the street leaving his vicinity. He had given it his best and he had found nothing at the end of his small break. The smell was growing stronger with each passing second he spent here, but he simply sighed and kept on moving. All he could do was adjust and hope it would stop lingering by the day’s end.

Once he arrived at the inn, Erlana was sitting outside with a single flask in hand. He could see the bright yellow liquid bubbling up with a few sprinkles of green swirling around at the center as she poked the glass. It took her only a few moments before she finally spotted him and that same bright smile crossed her face.

“Fumihito, you’re back! I’ve got the room all ready. So, we can pop into a few stories and check about a few horses later if you’re up for it.”

It was the only bit of good news he could hear, but it wasn’t any dispute. The man offered her a simple smile and offered her his hand, helping her back to her feet. Their hands mingled for a moment and he ignored the searing warmth in his chest in exchange for focusing on her vermillion eyes.

Better than nothing, right?

“I think that’ll do. I learned a little about Tartarus though. It seems it went through a slump a few years back. A plague. Did you hear anything about something like that?”

That bit of news seemed to have left Erlana perplexed before she pulled her hand back and dragged her flask to her side.

“No, not really. While I do care about this place, I spent a lot of time studying more than I did doing anything else. If it was a plague, it must have been something serious. Most healers are equipped to deal with illness, but a plague? It’s rare you see one of those…,” She crossed an arm over her stomach and closed her eyes.

“If it truly was a plague, it’d make sense, but a few years ago? It shouldn’t have left a town like this. It wouldn’t make any sense and Tartarus had enough of a history to make up for it. They’re not exactly a rich town, but they’re not small either.”

So, why did this town suffer?

Mass death wasn’t unheard of, but how could it have set an entire town back? If this world had magic, it seemed like something you could flick away after a while. Granted, he didn’t know much about magic still, but it had some measure of power. Power was supposed to be able to prevent things.

Prevent death.

But…

“And they talk about a curse too. Are curses something that exists here?”

Erlana only pressed a hand to her chin and peered back down to the flask at her side.

“Yes and no. Curses, in general, aren’t something you cast. They’re something you loosen. An expression of hatred, grudges, or sorrow. In a way, think of it like someone venting their feelings. Can someone cast a curse? It’s feasible if they have enough rage, but it’s not possible to curse an entire town like this,” she took a moment and narrowed her eyes.

“There were a few sigils outside, but I never thought much of them. Protective ones, most likely. It didn’t keep us out, so it’s not aimed at people. It could be aimed at something else.”

To keep something out?

“What exactly would it keep out?”

All Erlana could do was simply bow her head.

“Something unnatural. That’s my guess.”

This was a lot of information. More than he could understand, but this town was suffering things that Erlana and he simply weren’t equipped for. Home was the goal and if this place had a few issues, then he’d rather let them handle it. It sounded crude and it sounded callous, but how else was he supposed to react?

Even Erlana looked like she didn’t know what to do. She didn’t seem like a public servant, but the curiosity in her eyes was clear.

Curiosity, huh?

He glanced back at her flask and pointed at the swirling liquid.

“What is that anyway? Did you buy it?”

Erlana brightened up briefly, happy to change the topic into something a little hopeful.

“Yep. I managed to go out and grab a simple ingredient. I just needed a pluck of a blue-eyed raven’s feathers and the potion’s done. This should do the trick for Scrimgeour in blending in. Mostly so he doesn’t get exorcised on sight…,” she chuckled nervously, brushing a hand across her brow before she slipped the bottle back into her bag and pulled it close to her waist.

“Now, ready to go searching for a few more things and then hit the inn? I know… I know this place isn’t like I said it was, but I’m sure I can show you a few places to enjoy before we head back in for the night. If you’d like.”

He should have said no. This place was creepy, the smell of rotten meat clogged his nostrils, and everything about this place screamed warning signs. Realistically, wouldn’t it be better if he left and ran out with Erlana and Scrimgeour? Of course, as soon as he twisted his head to look back at Erlana, he was met with those eyes yet again.

The very same that captivated him.

What was it that kept him so drawn in? What had it been? Would he ever understand her? It seemed so unlikely…

But.

“I wouldn’t mind,” he mumbled and crossed his arms over one another. “If you want, you can show me around some more. You must have had a favorite spot, right?”

Maybe it was the wrong choice. It most likely was.

But the smile that adorned Erlana’s pale face was more than worth it.