Homecoming

Meanwhile, in a village at the northern border of Caligare Forest, north east of the Ashwood Hills where Marcus was, another chain of events was started...

Oakfell was in the middle of a big clearing in the forest, with a small river near it. The village was the product of two generations worth of hard work; the clearing had been opened with axes and sweat, and the wood from the felled oak trees had been used to build the first houses. During the years, more buildings made of wood and stone were added, surrounded by a solid fence and a ditch.

But right now, before sunrise, the village looked fragile and ephemeral, a temporary intruder in the wilderness that surrounded it, so much that it seemed that the wind could blow it away like the veil of morning mist that enveloped it.

Klara would have actually liked for that to happen, so that she wouldn't have to see the village and its inhabitants again.

She walked sluggishly towards the main gate. She had been walking for three days, taking only short rests in order to get back as soon as possible. She had a good reason for that hurry; the region near the border of the Caligare Forest was dangerous even for armed groups of hunters, and she was alone. A huge number of monsters and magical beasts capable of easily killing and eating her lurked in the depths of the forest, but thanks to her skill and a fair bit of luck she had managed to avoid them. But the risk she took had paid off; the backpack on her shoulder was full of the furs and body parts of rare animals. Two wapans, a blue racoon and most importantly a mistfox had been caught in her traps.

The mistfox was a particularly lucky catch, since those animals had the ability to become incorporeal, thus avoiding all non-magical traps and predators with ease. But this particular beast had her neck snapped by the trap as soon as it was sprung, which killed it instantly preventing it from getting away. A really nice catch for Klara, who would be able to sell its fur for a really good price.

Step by step through the dew covered grass, Klara approached the gates. On her path she crossed trappers, hunters and lumberjacks from the village, all people that had known her for a long time and even some that were once her friends, but they simply pretended not to see her, except some which openly gave her contemptuous looks.

Klara simply lowered her head, not meeting their eyes, but inside she was full of rage.

She kept walking, arriving right at the entrance of the village, where a clump of tents and temporary shelters had been built.

This was where a mercenary group had made their camp, after the owner of the local tavern had thrown them out of his property after they had destroyed his hall during a brawl. Not having anywhere else to go, the mercenaries were simply encamped just outside of the village's gates.

It was at this point that Klara started moving cautiously. After all, mercenary bands were known for taking liberties with women, and had already made a pass at her previously; she wasn't exactly beautiful, but she wasn't that ugly either. Her skin was tanned due to spending all of her time outside, and she had long, blonde hair combed into a single braid. Her face was regular, but a bit too masculine and this, combined with her broad shoulder and loose hunter's clothes, made her look more like a guy than a girl.

The only thing that clearly indicated she was a woman, apart from her hair, was her chest, that protruded a lot despite her loose clothing.

But for most mercenaries almost any girl was good enough, and she had no desire to listen to their sleazy comments, so she just moved at a more brisk pace, trying to get past the camp as fast as she could.

She hadn't been fast enough though, because a big shadow emerged from one of the tents, blocking her way.

Klara knew him; his name was Ludd the Quick, and he was the leader of that mercenary group, called the Brightswords even though there was nothing bright about their swords or the mercenaries themself, for what it mattered.

"Why hello sunshine!" the man smiled with his crooked teeth "Nice seeing you again. You've been away for a long time. Did you at least catch something good?"

"Out of the way." replied Klara in an emotionless voice, trying to get past the mercenary, but he just moved to block her.

"Why such a hurry, sugarplums?" Ludd asked her, sarcasm in his voice "If ya want something to drink and a place to get warm, you can come in my tent right here... I've got everything you may need in there! What do you say?"

"I say get out of the way right now or you're gonna regret it!" Klara growled back, trying again to get past the mercenary.

But Ludd wasn't so easily dissuaded. He stood right in front on her, bowing slightly to get closer to her face. Klara could smell sweat and alcohol on him, a mix that almost made her sick.

"Oh, why so rude, little kitty?" he said in a paternalistic tone "I think you'd better behave yourself, for your own good. Everyone in the city hates your guts, and soon you won't be able to earn your living by playing in the woods as you do now. We both know what is the only other job available for you... and since you're not much of a beauty, the least you could do is trying to be nice to your future clients."

At this insult, Klara's hand slowly slipped to her knife. Her eyes were flashing with fury, and for a moment she seriously thought about stabbing that son of a bitch.

Ludd, seeing her movements, just smiled confidently, waiting for her to do the first move.

"Oh, this little kitten is going to show her claws!?!" he mocked her "C'mon! Do it! Let's play a little bit!"

But then, their standoff was interrupted by the smell of something burning, and a voice that cried, "Fire! Fire!"

They both turned, and they saw smoke coming out of Ludd's tent.

"Shit!" the mercenary cursed, and rushed in to save his belongings.

Klara, surprised, just stood there for a moment, but then a suspicion came to her mind. Looking around, she could see a thin figure with red hair slipping in the village through the gates. That, and the fact that she had recognized the voice that cried fire, let her knew who was responsible for the little distraction.

She couldn't help but smile despite herself, and since her path was now free she quickly got out of the mercenary camp, entering the village.

From the inside, the village was a great deal more inviting: there were at least thirty buildings of stone and wood, about half of which were houses and the others were warehouses, stores and a single tavern, which was the biggest building in town.

The dirt streets were full of activities even that early in the morning. Merchants, hunters and many other workers walked quickly from one place to another, seemingly too busy to notice anything else, which suited Klara just fine.

After all, drawing attention on herself lately didn't seem like a positive thing...

"Hi Klara! How're you doing!?!" a cheerful voice, the same that had cried fire earlier, saluted her.

Klara sighed. So much for passing through unnoticed.

Even without seeing him, she knew exactly to whom that voice belonged. After all, he was pretty much the only person left in town that was still friendly with her.

"Hello, Felix." she said, a brief smile passing on her face "I'm fine thanks. What about you? Won't you be in trouble for setting Ludd's tent on fire?"

Felix laughed heartily. He was a young boy, about 17 years old by his look. He was thin, but lively, with red fiery hair and slightly bronze colored skin. His traits suggested a possible Fire Djinni ancestry, which his alleged affinity for fire magic made even more probable.

"Nah, it wasn't actual fire, just some smoke." he smiled "I thought that actually setting his tent on fire would make Ludd a little mad, but just a small smoke bomb would just irritate him. If anything, it will drive some cockroaches out, so he should thank me!"

"You still shouldn't have intervened." Klara replied, a hint of hardness entering her voice "I could have handled him myself!"

"No doubt!" Felix conceded, flippantly "But he was kinda counting on it, didn't you notice? He was provoking you on purpose... if you'd have attacked him, he and his band would have been justified for killing you in front of the law."

"What!?!" Klara exclaimed "Why would he do something like that? I'm not exactly loved in town right now, but he's an outsider! He doesn't have any reason to want me dead!"

"Who knows..." Felix said, shrugging "But while you were in the woods hunting, he and the Vulture were often seen together. And since both of them are about as friendly as a snake with a toothache, I don't think they were simply enjoying each other's company."

"What... you mean that Vicker wants me dead!?! But why!?!" she cried out "Just for the house!?! I mean... I love my house, but I don't think it's worth killing people over!"

"I don't know." Felix answered honestly "It may be just the house. After all, as you said, you're not exactly popular among the villagers right now. Maybe he thinks that he can do whatever he wants since no one would defend you... well, almost no one at least!" he concluded, with a little wink.

"Well, that's a great consolation for sure!" she said sardonically "The whole village hates me and Vicker and that sleazeball want me dead, but I can count on an apprentice sorcerer that barely knows any spells! Really, what was I worried about!?!"

She tried to sound completely deadpan, but she couldn't totally hide the emotion in her voice. Felix had always been her best friend, and his support was priceless right now.

Thankfully, as a true friend would, the apprentice sorcerer magnanimously chose to ignore that moment of weakness.

"Hey there! How dare you doubt my incredible powers!" he said, in a completely fake offended tone "I just saved you using my most wondrous arts! You should have more respect for a great sorcerer like me!"

"If you're a great sorcerer, then I'm the mother-loving Empress!" she snorted "I know perfectly well that you can barely light a match with your magic! And Fire is your specialty!"

"Hey, I'm still an apprentice!" he protested "As soon as I'll become a qualified sorcerer, I'll be able to burn mountains and face whole armies by myself! You'll see!"

"Eh, dream on, Felix!" she laughed "But it'd be funny if an idiot like you actually managed to do this, so I'm cheering for you! But I've to go now!" she indicated her backpack "Unlike you, I've got no time to daydream all day! I have to go to the emporium to sell the fur and the reagents, and then I'll finally be able to get home and have the first decent meal in a week!"

"Well, I won't keep you here any longer!" Felix said merrily "I don't want to stand between you and your meal... you'd probably bite my fingers off!"

"Don't worry, I don't eat spoiled food!" Klara smiled "But I'm hungry, dirty and in a bad mood, so I may just kick your ass if you annoy me enough!"

"Oh well, then I've got no other choice than to let you pass!" the young boy laughed "Seeya around then, Klara! And if Vicker or Ludd mess with you, I'll make them pay!"

"Don't worry. I'll make them pay enough if they'll try!" she replied with a confidence she didn't really possess "Seeya around, Felix!"

And then they separated, each going their own way.