The Fading Lights

Aneline is a small village located 10 leagues south of the large port city of Niëln, in the middle of the Desert of Imaginations. With its hundreds of inhabitants, the only reason this village still existed was its oasis and its warriors.

In this gigantic desert, the summer days were scorching and the winter nights freezing. To endure this harsh climate, the inhabitants of this village, lacking resources, established a custom of self-development, both physical and psychological.

Thanks to this hereditary psycho rigidity, some of the inhabitants of this village were able to distinguish themselves beyond their borders. Thus, within the adventurers' guild, the name of Aneline and its inhabitants was known to many.

Two names were often mentioned: Salesh and Elena Vanille, two adventurers working on behalf of the government. Although they had retired after the birth of their daughter, their fame did not diminish. Some adventurers came on pilgrimage to Aneline just to meet them.

They lived together happily in their remote village after exploring the four corners of the known world. Unfortunately, these times of peace were short-lived.

After the high treason of a governmental mage adventurer expert in necromancy, they were forced to join the imperial army to counter the hordes of undead that had spread throughout the empire.

After three years of continuous wars and battles, they and many other fighters fought the final battle at the foot of Mount Koba, a mighty volcano to the east of the Desert of the Imaginary that had been spewing ash and magma for centuries.

There, amidst thousands of other warriors and undead, the couple died, shot by the black mage himself.

Following this war, which left deep scars in the hearts of the inhabitants of the empire, their daughter was left to her own devices at the age of eleven, abandoned by her village which no longer had the means to look after her. Alone, she wandered the lands of the Astria empire for several years.

In the middle of a dirt road, a cart carrying goods and a dozen people were approaching the coastal town of Esteria, one of the largest cities in the Astria empire.

Most of the passengers were peasants whose bodies were tired from a hard life of work. In the middle of these people, however, was a young girl with medium-length blonde hair and aquamarine eyes. Relatively slender, she wore light leather clothes covering her legs and a good part of her chest. A few steel plates reinforced these protections, especially on her torso and thighs. Her boots were also made of leather and covered with a metal outer shell. She also had a small sword at her waist.

"Hey, kid! It's unusual to see youths like you hanging around, especially alone and as armed as you are! "

Although the old man seemed a bit boorish, he was right. The great wild plains of the east were rarely traversed by young teenagers, the risks were the reason. These plains were often traveled by the common Anatemas, extremely aggressive humanoid creatures; it was not uncommon for the villages closest to their caves to be attacked.

"Shut up, Bertrand, can't you see you're bothering her." Said an old lady with a grey complexion.

The old man, at the sight of this woman, winced.

"You again, Gerina... Mind your own business."

The old woman, whose name seemed to be Gerina, tinkled a little before sitting down beside the young teenager.

"Ignore that old cad, he doesn't know how to talk to women at all. What's your name?"

The young teenager chuckled slightly, putting her hand in front of her mouth to be polite.

"My name is Lilliana."

"Lilliana, then... What are you doing in these lands? We rarely have such visitors around here in Esteria."

Lilliana looked her straight in the eyes. Her gaze was lost in it, thinking. It was rare that anyone spoke to her. But the old woman seemed to be benevolent, so she didn't ask any more questions:

"I am looking to become an adventurer. I would like to reach the Guild headquarters in Avrel before I come of age."

Gerina thought for a moment. Her eyes darkened, then she answered:

"Adventurer, so... That's a complicated life. One of my sons was an adventurer, but his group was decimated during a quest... His corpse was never found. Anyway, far be it from me to dissuade you, there are many advantages to being an adventurer. If you want, there is a cart that goes back and forth to Obera, you just have to ask them to drop you off in Avrel, it's on their way. "

Lilliana looked down slightly, before retorting:

"I'm sorry about your son, but I can't imagine a different life than adventuring. I thank you for the information, I will ask about it at the merchant guild."

After that, Gerina fell silent, lost in her thoughts. Even Bertrand, who usually takes great pleasure in teasing her, knew not to broach the subject of her son, so he decided to leave her alone.

Soon the cart entered the town. It stopped right in front of the Merchants' Guild. Guild buildings were usually very imposing, but this was, even more, the case for the Esteria Merchants' Guild, which was the third most important hub in the empire, especially for the mineral resources that made the surrounding plains so rich. The adventurers' guild was relatively small, with little activity in the area.

This was not good for Lilliana. The local guild was not allowed to provide the license that authorize someone to work as an adventurer.

If she wanted to get a license, she had to be of age, which was not a problem as she would be turning sixteen in the next few days, but she also had to go to a city with a guild hotel that could provide her with a license.

The nearest hotels in question were in Astria city, the capital of the Astria empire, and in Avrel, outside the borders of the empire, in Aeira, the elven kingdom. Lilliana preferred Avrel because it was covered by the densest part of the Great Forest of Meranja, and was an area with few powerful monsters, which made it safer for beginner adventurers.

Getting off the cart, Lilliana wasted no time and went straight to the building. It was a classical structure, but its dimensions were disproportionate: the main hall must have been more than two thousand square meters, and the structure was almost twenty meters high!

All of this was built from the typical red oak wood of the region. This made it a unique building, which was the pride of the town.

Upon entering the building, Lilliana was greeted by a guild employee:

"Hello and welcome to the Esteria Merchants Guild, young customer. How can I help you? Would you like to embark on a career as a merchant, or are you just here for information?"

Lilliana looked carefully at the person who had just accosted her. He was relatively young and had a relatively fair complexion. His hair was brown and well-groomed, and his gem-like blue eyes reflected the outside light perfectly. His black suit made him all the more elegant.

Blushing slightly, Lilliana replied:

"Good morning, sir. I want some information about the carts on the way to Avrel."

The young man smiled at her, then continued:

"Avrel? Very well. Please follow me, I'll take you to one of our advisors."

The man moved to the north end of the room, opposite the entrance. There, a few reception desks were present, a dozen people had gathered there in a queue. The host who was guiding Lilliana did not stop there and continued towards a corridor juxtaposing them, rushing into it.

A few meters further on, they found themselves in a new, less crowded room with new offices. The small sign at the entrance to the room indicated that these were the offices of the personal advisers.

There, the host led Lilliana to the office of a very elegant woman in her thirties. Her outfit was refined and her brown hair framed her face perfectly.

In a seductive voice she greeted them:

"Hello young lady, Hamlen!"

The host made the introductions:

"Nina, I'd like you to meet a client who would like to travel to Avrel on one of our carts."

Nina looked at Lilliana from head to toe and then continued:

"Well, thank you, Hamlen. As for you, young lady, please sit down."

Lilliana sat down opposite Nina, cross-legged.

"Well, in the first place, what's your name?"

"My name is Lilliana. Lilliana Vanille."

"Lilliana, then." Said the advisor with a smile, as she scribbled on a notepad. "My name is Nina, pleased to meet you, I will be your advisor for your plans in the city of Esteria in matters of finance and transportation. So, you wish to go to Avrel?"

"Yes, that's right." Lilliana replied laconically. "I'd like to borrow a seat on one of the carts heading south".

"Good. Carts heading south are rather rare, after all, much of the trade on these plains is with the capital or Niëln. But we do have one or two carts this week that can take you there."

The advisor paused, taking time to note the details of their conversation. Then she continued:

"And financially speaking, what is your budget?"

"My budget? I'm a vagabond, I have very little money."

Surprised, Nina broke the lead of her pencil. She asked in a slightly shaky voice:

"But... in that case, how did you survive?"

"Well, I hunt, gather and harvest, and when night falls, I sleep under trees or in the homes of people who wish to welcome me."

Mouth agape, Nina could not contain her astonishment any longer:

"Impressive! How old are you? You don't even look old to me!"

"I'm fifteen. I will come of age in less than a fortnight. That's why I'd like to join Avrel as soon as possible to become an adventurer and start earning a living."

On hearing this, Nina put aside her notebook and approached Lilliana.

"Well, I guess I can do something for you."

Lilliana's eyes sparkled:

"Is it true?!"

"Yes, don't worry. I'll book your place, give you directions tomorrow and you can leave the next day."

"That's wonderful, thank you!"

After that, Nina got up and guided Lilliana to the exit. She offered her about thirty Astels and recommended an inn nearby. Following her advice, Lilliana went there.

The building was smaller than a typical inn, and the design was poor. Nevertheless, the exterior was neat and the white wood of the building looked very well made. The flowerbeds nearby were well kept, with beautiful flowers of different colors adorning them. Above the front door, a small sign read: 'Auberge du Loup Gris'.

Lilliana did not hesitate to enter. The interior was beautiful if a little rustic: the white oak wood reflected the bright light that penetrated the reception hall through the various windows in the four corners of the room. The decoration was made of red oak wood to bring out the colors.

Opposite the entrance, a desk was set up. Behind it, a woman whose grey hair and wrinkles on her face betrayed her advanced age, worked as a receptionist.

"Welcome to the Grey Wolf Inn."

"Hello."

The woman stared at her new client, smiling.

"Would you like to rent a room?"

"Yes, please. For two nights."

"Very well that will be ten Astels per night that is twenty Astels."

As Lilliana took the twenty or so coins out of a satchel, the receptionist turned to pick up a key from a board containing all the room keys and their corresponding numbers.

The woman handed over the key, while Lilliana handed out exactly twenty Astels.

"Thank you, here is the key to room number 11, you will find it at the end of the corridor on your right. It is yours for two nights. Breakfast and dinner are included in the price." said the woman while pointing in the direction.

The hallway in question was a little darker than the entrance hall, due to the lack of light source. The door to Lilliana's room was the brightest because the only source of light in the corridor was the window next to the entrance to her room.

"That's it, if you have any questions don't hesitate, and don't forget that it's possible to have dinner from 7 pm to 10 pm and breakfasts start at 7 am until 11 am!"

"Thank you very much."

Lilliana bowed her head slightly in thanks, then headed for her room. She slipped the key into the lock and unlocked the door. As she pushed it open, she felt the rough wood under her hands, a sensation that was not, to her surprise, unpleasant.

When the door was fully opened, she was overwhelmed by the view: although simple, the room was beautiful. Even more than beautiful, the room seemed to be of high quality: the mattress was thick and looked comfortable, and the candles seemed to be barely tapped.

She was happy to sleep in a bed. A comfort she had not been able to enjoy for months, due to lack of money.

Unable to resist, she jumped straight into bed. The mattress absorbed the shock and she bounced slightly. She enjoyed the sensation so much that she felt she could stay on it for hours.

Next to the bed was a small bedside table, and the duvet lay there. She couldn't help but caress it with her hand, then on her face. It was so soft that she couldn't stop touching it.

"It's amazing, it's so sweet and it smells divine. If I had known that when I came here, I would come across such an inn, and for free! "

As it was getting dark, she rested for a while before going to dinner. She then went to bed until the next day.

That day, she quickly went around the market, before going back to the merchant's guild shortly after lunch. There were many things to marvel at, such as the local snacks, but she was desperately short of money and could not buy anything. She vowed to return to visit these stalls when she has become an accomplished adventurer.

There, Nina presented her with the data and timetable of the cart she was to take: a one-way trip to Avrel on a merchant cart linking Esteria and Obera, a city further south. On the cart, she would act as a guard, although attacks on this trade route were very rare. She will meet the merchants the next day at eight in the morning, shortly before departure.

Satisfied, Lilliana ended her day with a quick visit to the main monuments of the city, before returning to the inn for dinner. She showered and went to bed early before the last rays of the sun had even begun to fade from the horizon.

--

The next day, Lilliana woke up at dawn, a little before seven in the morning at this time of year. She quickly brushed her hair and teeth. On her way out of her room, she remembered to lock it and return it to the receptionist. She sat down at a table and quickly ate a slice of toast with some lingonberry jelly on it.

After devouring her meal, she left the inn. On her way out, she was blinded by the sun's rays. She reflexively closed her eyes, but this did not stop her from walking briskly towards the Merchant's Guild.

She arrived shortly before eight, but the cart that was to accompany her was already there. Around it, two men were loading the cargo, and another was checking the cart's structure.

She approached them:

"Hello, are you the merchants going to Obera?"

The two young men turned to her, and looked at her:

"Yes, we are. Can we help you ?"

The two young men looked very similar. Both had short-cut ebony hair and emerald green eyes. They wore the same type of white linen clothing, a common material on these plains. They were distinguishable by their age, one looking to be about fifteen years old, or a little older, the other in his early twenties.

Soon they were interrupted by the third man. A much older man with the same emerald green eyes.

"You are Lilliana, right? Nice to meet you, we are the merchants delivering to Obera. Nina told me you were coming. Don't worry, you can sit at the front of the caravan, Nina has already sorted out all the finances and papers. I don't know what you've done to her, but she rarely helps someone so much! Anyway, we're leaving in about ten minutes, we'll talk then.

Lilliana climbed in front of the cart and put her sword beside her. During the few minutes she waited before leaving the city of Esteria, she thought about her past. After four years of wandering, this last voyage was not the end of her journey, but a new beginning.