Chereads / Faye's fate / Chapter 60 - Briartown

Chapter 60 - Briartown

The two slowly rode up to the front of the walls. There were a number of men standing around outside or near the entrance to the village. Guards, it seemed. Many paused and watched as Cahrel and Faye approached. Two stepped forward to meet them.

The two men wore leather armor and held crossbows at the ready. Each also kept a sword at their hip. It was clear they were no strangers to combat.

"Good evening!" Faye heard Cahrel speak out towards the guards. H gestured for Faye to fall behind him. She did as he suggested, cautiously watching the interaction he had with the approaching guards.

The two men didn't relax until they got a good look at who was riding the horse.

"Cahrel? What business brings the information broker here?"

Cahrel shifted in his saddle as he brought his horse to a halt.

"Looking to enter and have a time is all."

The two men looked to each other, before the one that spoke earlier turned his attention toward Faye.

"And who's she....?"

"A new friend."

The two men glanced between Faye and Cahrel, but eventually nodded and stepped back.

"Alright, head on in then."

Without another word, Faye and Cahrel urged their horses through the rough looking gates. The interior of the village was shabby to say the least. There were a number of people out, despite the late hour. Faye wasn't sure if there was a single person within the village that wasn't a thug....

The two rode their horses to what appeared to be a pub or bar of some sort. They tied off their horses as Cahrel spoke to Faye in a hushed voice.

"I'll do the talking, please try not to opening pick a fight with anyone."

Faye nodded, but wasn't sure why Cahrel thought she was the type to pick fights....

The two entered into the rowdy bar. On the surface, the bar seemed to have some similarities to the Gooseberry Inn. Both had loud patrons that seemed to prefer the night to day, at the very least.

It didn't take long before Faye realized the true difference between the inn and the bar they had recently entered.

While the Inn was lively, it had music and a generally jovial atmosphere. This bar's atmosphere was much less welcoming. The noise was mostly caused by loud patrons, there was no music playing. The patrons seemed almost hostile towards them as they entered, some spitting on the floor as they walked by, others openly gawking from from a few tables over. Most didn't seem to pay much mind to the new faces and continued their loud conversations and arguments.

Faye began to miss the Gooseberry Inns loud and raucous atmosphere....

They made their way toward the bar, where a number of other customers were standing, awaiting service. Faye kept her eyes on the bodies around them, trying to be as cautious as possible. This definitely seemed like the type of place that would house some pick pockets and rogues.

There were a number of people watching them, curious about the newcomers, she was sure. It was probably an uncommon thing to get new faces in the village considering it's purpose and how out of the way it was intentionally placed. If there were any regular villagers, they weren't out at this hour.

Cahrel finally was able to get the attention of the bartender who began to sidle over in their direction. He didn't seem too pleased, as he was in a pretty intense conversation with a patron on the other side of the bar, but Cahrel's offer of gold was enough that he made his way over.

As Cahrel leaned in to speak in a hushed voice with the bartender, Faye was distracted as a hand made its way onto her thigh. Startled, she turned to find a large bearded man standing next to her.

"I haven't seen you here before, pretty."

Faye's eyes bore into the man's. "Move your hand."

He smiled, but his hand remained. "Haha, you got some spark in ya'"

Faye reached down and gripped the man's hand. She squeezed it without worry of the bones within the hand. A couple pops were heard as she ripped his arm off of her. The man cried out and his knees buckled, though he was able to remain standing.

"Very good," she said, "most would have fallen."

After speaking, she turned to face the man and released his hand. He cradled it as he turned his eyes to hers. They blazed with hatred. "Stupid whore, I'm gonna make you be-" Whatever the rest of his words were to be, were forever unknown. Faye lashed out with her leg, kicking the man in the face and sending him falling backwards. He landed prone on his back with a groan. Before he was able to return to his feet, she stepped forward, slamming an additional kick into his gut.

The surroundings seemed to quiet down for a moment, before the nine hells seemed to open up around them. Glass shattered as a fight broke out nearby. Faye felt a punch land on her face from the side, and hurried to turn. She saw a number of people fighting, but was unable to tell who had thrown that punch. She gritted her teeth, about to join into the fight, shen she felt a hand clasp onto her shoulder.

"I got it, lets go." Cahrel motioned towards the door with his head.

She glanced back, but eventually reluctantly followed him.

Faye wasn't usually the type to fight. She often preferred to step out of situations unless it was absolutely impossible. Having her friend missing and in possible danger, however, caused her to be on edge. Unluckily for the bearded man, he caught her on a bad day.

They made their way out of the loud bar and back to the dark streets of Briartown.