18 Voren

Morning soon came around once again. Light chased the darkness to the ends of the sky, illuminating the world once again. Packing up the few possessions they owned, Skyler and his group set off again towards the town of Voren.

Voren, the town-owned by a weak noble within the kingdom of Tira, situated near the border of Roan the beast kingdom was a safe haven for criminals alike.

Dexter finished carving his hand soon after setting off from their last campsite. Covering the wooden hand with a black leather glove, he tied the hand to his right arm effectively attaching the fake limb.

The roads seemed to be invaded by more and more vegetation the closer they got to Voren. "Seems few people actually go to Voren," Skyler concluded, staring at the slightly overgrown road in front of them.

Dexter chuckled, "Who would want to purposely go to a haven for criminals?" snapping the reins "Only people forced away from their previous homes trek here."

Their carriage rocked, a wheel rolled over a larger rock on the road. "What should we expect when we arrive?" Skyler asked.

"To tell you the truth, I have no clue. I've only heard stories of Voren, never actually been there." Dexter honestly replied. Previous to this he was a simple town guard.

A few hours later, a town surrounded by stone walls nearly three meters tall could be seen from their carriage. Dexter observed the town from afar sitting atop the carriage.

Skyler, in his slightly burnt clothes, jumped out of the carriage. "We should walk from here on out, we don't want to be the center of attention when we arrive." He concluded. It was bound to make a scene if they trudged up towards the gate in a high-quality carriage.

Dexter agreed with Skyler. Stopping the horse from moving any farther, he parked it on the side of the road.

"Lauren, Grace!" Skyler shouted we are walking.

The carriage door flung open. Grace stood in the doorway, her eyes droopy as she stretched her arms above her head. Lauren stood silently behind Grace, her black hair covering her eyes.

"Okie" Grace yawned. Gently jumping down from the carriage she stood beside Skyler waiting for him to start walking.

Glancing at his crew around him, Skyler directed his attention back towards the carriage. Dexter soon untied the horses, the carriage now seemingly empty.

The fire spread from his hands, dancing from finger to finger. Few scarlet flames fell towards the ground generated from Skyler's hand.

Pointing his hand towards the carriage, he whipped his fingers. Flames shot out from the tip of his pointer finger setting ablaze the carriage.

Satisfied with burning the carriage, they started walking towards Voren. Skyler walked out front next to Dexter. Grace walked slightly to Skyler's left and Lauren walked within Skyler's shadow. Her black eyes surveyed the surrounding.

Voren, infamous for its sketchiness was surrounded by a deciduous forest. Many animals such as rabbits, boars, and the occasional wolf reside within.

Voren's sketchiness did not make it inhospitable though. A noble family lived there, even if they were the lowest level noble. Their cunning allowed them to take advantage of the criminals, they developed a black market, trafficking, and drug ring as well.

The noble family over Voren used all of these resources to their advantage, holding a tight grip on the criminal activity that took place on the barony, but they never did stop it. Why would they want to stop when they are making money?

Skyler's group arrived at the gate, two guards were stationed there. These guards reeked of booze, their hair screamed bed head. One walked up towards Skyler's group, the only people at the gate "Money." the guard said, his eyes lazily scanning Dexter and Skyler though became sharper when they landed on Grace.

Skyler took a pouch of coins from his pants pocket, reaching in he took out 4 bronze coins. The four coins clattered together as the transaction took place.

Doing his 'due diligence', the guard grunted and motioned for Skyler's group to pass. Dexter held the ropes binding the horses with his left hand. He planned the sell them for a small sum of money so they could have a place to stay.

Walking into town, they were greeted with tens of run-down shops spanning the road. Humans in all kinds of clothes traversed between each of the shops.

A tailor, blacksmith, bakery, and market populated the small town. There was a church, every town was required to have one but it was situated at the edge of town. It looked run-down, weeds and vines growing alongside the walls.

"We got into down, now what?" Grace asked, she couldn't help but shutter feeling gazes all over her body.

Dexter announced "I'm going to sell these horses." looking up towards the sun "Meet me in an hour, center of town."

Skyler, Grace, and Lauren agreed. Dexter soon set off, looking for a place to sell the horses.

In the middle of the road, Skyler, Grace, and Lauren curiously observed their surroundings. Walking nearby a group of rough-looking old women "Delila, did you hear about the raids happening to everyone heading here?" The old lady directed her conversation towards another.

Delila grumbled, "Damn Georgia, you talk too much." Her steps quickened, trying to escape from Georgia.

"Oh? Did you find something interesting in one of the shops?" Georgia asked, following Delila.

"That's probably why nobody was at the gate," Skyler said

Grace standing by Skyler's side said "It seems to me like someone is targeting Voren" she said, her hand supporting her chin.

They continued walking, glancing at each shop window as they passed by, shoes, bakes, armor, and more spanned the advertisement space at the front of each store.