Night faded into day as the sun gradually peeked past the previously cloudy sky, before looming over the horizon as it shone rays of immeasurable heat down on the world.
A scientist would argue that the sun's warmth was very much measurable, though when a mage asked them why, they would angrily shout that it was a known fact that should be obvious. The mage laughed, rebuking the scientist and asked him to prove if the world was flat, to which the scientist sported an incredulous expression and foamed at the mouth unable to take in the pure stupidity they had just heard.
Conversations like this could be seen everywhere on the streets of the market a few meters away from the tavern, and even within the confines of its walls, dumb and smart alike debates were had as the scientists and mages couldn't stop themselves from arguing.
Bie shook his head as he peered over the railing of the staircase, wondering if it was either tiring or refreshing to return from the battlefield and fight some more, as if they couldn't have enough of the stuff. Whether it was verbal or physical, the two forces were always locked in conflict as they took turns smugly mocking each other or fuming in anger.
Although Bie found the battlefront to be invigorating, to tell the truth, he could take or leave verbal warfare. Sure, it was fun to mess with people from time to time but doing that at any chance he could get just seemed annoying. Under his brown hood, his nose wrinkled in disgust.
"Good morning, B." Uris moved to his side, questioning why the boy was up so early. Shouldn't his limbs be at least sore? Hers sure were, and they would remain so until she got some food in her stomach.
Ulun emerged from the doorway, fully dressed in his plate mail and sporting a clean banner with the symbol of the shield behind two entangled hooks, stretching his joints all the while. It was like he had read Uris's mind, as he began bringing up the topic of food as he stood beside his daughter, eyes gazing down at the crowded ground floor in an attempt to follow Bie's gaze. He could only tell where he was looking due to the outlines of two yellow streams of light that dimly shone right before his hood, but he didn't see him looking at anything of particular interest.
"Do we want a sandwich or a portion of meat on the bone today." He phrased it like a statement, though the sentence was a question. Bie's head remained unmoving until he said meat, involuntarily bobbing along with the rest of his sentence. Uris took this sight in with her empty white irises, giggling to herself as she took her turn to speak.
"I think meat on the bone sounds good? Don't you?" Ulun spat out a long sigh before walking down the stairs, the two younger figures in tow. He softly muttered under his breath while he led the way, something along the lines of 'damn, I was really looking forward to that sandwich...'
--
9 copper coins were lounging at the wooden table where the three sat at, faces pointed up to reveal a small indentation in the center and an even smaller hole in the middle of that center. Bie took steady streams of tiny bites as he savored the succulence that graced his mouth each time he brought the meaty bone up to his face. Thankfully, the bones were not longer than his cloak, so he could slide his hands up past the fabric without revealing his baby blue skin.
"You should make sure to drink some water, lad!" Was what the familiar barkeep said as she placed down a mug of the stuff right in front of him, before delivering the other, stouter, drinks on atop a russet tray. Ulun had already polished off his portion, revealing the rib bones on the plate, while Uris was almost done.
Ulun walked up to the counter where a short man polished the stream of clean mugs that flowed out of the kitchen, his face contorted into a frown. He barely looked up at the approaching Ulun until he towered right over him, his grimace deepening as Ulun's shadow encompassed his whole being.
"What can Big Nicholas get you?" The man spouted, dropping two separate-colored parchments from balled fists. Ulun's face remained unchanged, though his eyes reflected a small shimmer of amusement as he grabbed up the red parchment, unfurling its contents as he sat back at the table. He was greeted by empty plates and a shocked Uris, gesturing towards the plate while the shorter boy shook his head with each push of the hand.
"Did you eat his food?" Ulun asked, giving a sidelong glance towards Uris as his suspicions were aroused by Bie's empty plates. If one squinted, they could even argue that there was a scratch on the plate that seemed oddly similar to a claw's trace...
Uris shook her head vigorously before leaning into his ear, softly whispering. "I looked away for a second, and when I turned back, the meat disappeared!" Uris's story seemed dubious, if not entirely unbelievable. Ulun simply shook his head, the long lengths of hair caressing the sides of his face.
"He was hungry. Come on." Bie rose when he said this, as he was able to hear the two whispers just fine. He really did eat the bones along with the meat, ruthlessly swallowing them whole when she turned her head. He preferred small bites, but he didn't like the odd feeling of uncomfortableness he just felt mere moments ago.
He was the first to emerge from the tavern as the two hurriedly followed them, Ulun weighing the water he had and determining that it was sufficient for their next expedition. They traversed past the many open stalls of the market, ignoring all the calls for their attention made by profiteering salesmen. It didn't take them very long to arrive before another horse drawn carriage, where a dumb looking woman dripped saliva down her face.
"Take us to Rethicia," said Ulun, not even sparing a glance to note what demihuman features she had before clicking his tongue in dismay and walking into the tarped wagon. Uris stayed on the spot for a bit while Bie passed her, similarly planting himself on a flat bench while the two waited for her to arrive.
Her mother's face flashed over the woman's dazed countenance, and she grimaced. Shaking her head as if to shake up her mind enough for other cascading thoughts to find their way to the forefront of her focus, she walked inside the carriage.
The carriage skillfully glided away from the crowded market and into a dirt path that was darker than the sands that spanned beside it. Dunes rose like hills as and fell like mountains as the horses ran, each attempting to dash away from the cart but bound in place by the reins that were pulling back on them.
Much like the demihuman woman, eternally bound to servitude after either magic or concoctions wrecked her mind until she was an empty husk of what she once was.