CHAPTER 25: CARLA

"Familiars," Fate repeated as if the word was familiar. It was not, he had never heard of the term before now.

He wanted to ask more questions but Zek did not look like he was in any mood to answer so he kept quiet and enjoyed the rest of the ride. He rested his head on her back as he bounced slightly at her movements.

He was also curious about where they were going but there was really no need to be in a hurry, he would find out eventually. Everything felt like a weird long dream but irrespective of what had happened, he knew he did not want to wake up.

V was no longer running rather she was casually walking as one would while taking a stroll. During the run, he was shocked by how fast she could run even with him on her back. They had gotten to the town in no time.

The town was quiet and quite dark, he was not surprised, it was already late at this point and if he had a normal left he would already be in bed fast asleep. The present alternative was not bad. He adjusted his hand and sighed, he could not wait for them to get to their destination.

There were houses everywhere and some looked more like closed shops, he wondered if they had come to some kind of market. There was light seeping out from a few houses but other than that, the only light to be seen was that of the moon.

They took a turn and the path became even darker. Fate was sure it was places like that horrible things happened. It looked like the places he knew not to go as a child, especially after dark.

V walked for a while through the darker path and suddenly came to a full stop in front of a building. The building looked a little like the houses around except there was a sign out in front. 

RUDY'S INN AND BAR.

A couple of the letters were lopsided and the board looked all worn out. The doors somehow were in better shape but Fate figured it was because it was supposed to be sturdier than the board.

"We are here," Zek announced.

"Hmm," V responded and then pushed open the door.

The first thing Fate noticed was the room was brightly lit. well, it was not all that bright but compared to the darkness outside, it seemed so.

The space was empty except for a couple of tables and chairs that were scattered around. More than half the chairs were either wrongly placed or upside down. A young woman could be seen adjusting the said chairs and a couple of tables that were out of place. Two others were by the counter.

Everybody stopped what they were doing as they walked in. Fate felt their eyes scan them before he heard the words, "Master, you are back."

The young woman arranging the tables and chairs was the first to get to them. "V," she said casually. "You came back again." She was blond and her hair was tied upward in a messy ponytail, it was obvious that she had tied it upwards for the cleaning. She also had an apron around her like the kind his mother used. Hers was a little shorter though, shorter than her already short dress.

"Hmm," V muttered and continued walking, completely ignoring the lady that had just rushed to her.

However, blondie was not giving up and she increased her pace. "Who is that?" She asked nobody in particular but it was pretty obvious to Fate that he was that.

He kept quiet, the question was obviously not for him. The rest of the women came closer but not as close as blondie did and he could feel their eyes on him.

"He looks so skinny," one of the ladies cried and Fate hid his face.

"Is he okay?" Blondie rushed closer and touched his shoulder but before her hand could make contact V increased her pace.

"He is very sick, Carla. Zek responded.

"He looks so. Is he here so you will heal him?" She asked with twinkling eyes.

Zek nodded. "Take care, little boy." She called out to him as V climbed up the stairs. They disappeared around the corner and they lost sight of Carla who had taken the hint and stopped following them.

"He can stay in this room," Zek announced when they came to the first door. It was the same room they had a conversation in.

Zek turned the knob and held the door open for V to step in. She walked into the room and Zek followed behind her. He dropped her armor to the ground while she carefully placed Fate onto the bed. She studied him, scrutinizing him from head to toe. Fate instinctively looked away and brought his hands over his chest.

She turned her gaze away without commenting and said to Zek, "Food, he needs food."

"Right away, I will get someone to bring some soon enough. Your room is the one next door and mine is right beside yours."

"There is no need for that, I will stay here with him."

Zek looked like his eyes were about to pop out of their sockets. "No you won't, the bed's not big enough to take you or more than one person." Zek looked visibly pissed about the idea as he said it. "You can comfortably stay in the next room. It is comfortable enough for you and close enough to him."

"Where I sleep does not matter. I can easily sleep on the floor."

"Yeah but the journey tomorrow is going to be tough, it will be best if you are comfortable and you get enough rest."

She turned to look at Zek, "I can easily sleep on the floor. If you are that worried, bring some sheets, they will certainly be more comfortable than me sleeping on the bare floor."

"Okay, if you insist," Zek answered reluctantly and turned to look at Fate. Fate felt his gaze on him and immediately turned his face away but it did not stop the animosity from Zek's eyes. "Anything else?" Zek asked, unwillingly dragging his gaze from Fate who still refused to return it.

"I should be asking you that. You still have not gotten full details on your plans exactly. I trust you as much as I distrust you."

He grabbed his chest, leaned forward, and gasped a little. "It pains me to hear you say so. However," he said and stood upright. "I will let you know the plans as soon as you get something to eat."

She frowned, she looked like she was about to protest when they heard a knock. Zek's brows dipped; he could not think of anyone that would knock on the door. 

"Who is it?" He called out.

"Carla!" The voice responded.

Zek's frown deepened, there was no need for Carla to be here unless something was wrong. He rushed to the door and pulled it open. Zek opened the door and could not hide his surprise at the sight in front of him.