As Adrian and Amber were led through the small village, Adrian couldn't help but turn his gaze every which way he could as he inspected the village around him. The village didn't have a paved road. Their road was carved into the dirt ground itself and flattened over the years. It was more of a path than an actual road, yet it served well enough for the people of the village.
The houses were crappily built- like the village people themselves didn't care how well they were constructed. Some houses, although only one story tall, looked like they might collapse at any moment. The houses that were more stable than others were allowed to be taller, yet even two stories were pushing it for some of the homes Adrian saw. Most houses were made out of oak wood logs- like cabins from the nineteenth century on earth. None of them had windows or porches of any kind, only a simple opening that should've been able to fit a door if it was only a little bigger.
The only house that Adrian saw wasn't made of logs was the largest one in the village. This house was made of brick- and was finely built, as well. It was located in the center of the village, which was only a thirty-second walk from the main gates. It had two windows on the front, as well as a finely built porch and a stable door. The second floor lacked windows but it made up for it with stability.
Although the house was built by literal village people, Adrian couldn't see any problems with it. As he and the others approached, the door quickly swung open. A tall man with broad shoulders stepped outside from within. He ducked his head as he walked through the doorway, then stopped on the porch as he gazed at Adrian and Amber.
The man had a thick Viking beard, like every other man in the village, but he was allowed to be put into small braids. His head was shaved to reveal a set of tribal tattoos that traveled from his eye to his nape in a straight line. His eyes were a shade of pure gold, though this didn't surprise Adrian as his own eyes were an even rarer shade.
"We found these two wandering around the outskirts, Chief," The black-haired guard said, his voice filled with reverence. The chief stepped down from his porch and approached Adrian. Because of the man's height, Adrian's eyes were only as tall as the man's sternum. Amber, who only came up to Adrian's shoulders, stood even lower.
The chief looked to the black-haired guard, but he didn't say a word. This appeared to be enough for the guard, as he immediately ran back to the gate to guard it. The chief turned back to Adrian, then sighed.
"You're not bandits, that much is clear. You may call me Chief Brandic. What are your names?" the chief asked. He folded his arms, then turned his eyes to Amber. His gaze fell upon her eyes for a moment before he looked back to Adrian.
"We are Adrian and Amber," Adrian answered, "We came from Stonehold's direction. We wish to pass into Solarum, so we were hoping to stop here on the way."
"You're only a day away from Solarum. There's another village- a bigger one- only a few hours west of here. Why not stop there?" Chief Brandic asked. Adrian stared in surprise at the chief. They had been traveling for two days, yet they hadn't run into a single village. Now, to his surprise, there were two of them so close together. That didn't make any sense.
"Uh, we weren't aware. We've never traveled this route before," Amber replied. Her voice brought Adrian away from his trance.
"What were you doing in Stonehold, then? Are you citizens or fugitives?" Chief Brandic asked.
"Neither. We are... what did it say?" Adrian asked as he turned to Amber. Of course, he was referring to the term used by the bright white of light they met on the stone platform after the elevator incident.
"Artists," Amber answered. Adrian nodded, then looked back at the chief.
"Artists? Is that supposed to mean something?" the Chief asked, his eyes furrowing in anger.
"I was hoping it would. I guess we're not very well known around here," Adrian sighed in annoyance. Then, he took off his backpack- which contained his and Amber's Journals. He had already trashed his laptop and notebook as they didn't serve any purpose now- then retrieved both Journals. He showed them to the Chief, then asked, "Do these mean anything to you?"
"Ah, you have Records. Those are rather expensive," the Chief muttered as a small smile appeared on his face, "But that doesn't tell me what you plan to do here."
"So these are called Records? I suppose that makes sense, but that's not far different from Journal," Amber whispered to Adrian. He stifled a laugh, then put them back into his backpack.
"Well, we were hoping to get some rest and information while we were here. But, now that you've told us there's another village only a few hours west of here, I think we'll just leave," Adrian said. He slipped his backpack back over his shoulders and then looked back at the Chief.
"You've already shown me your Records. Poor choice, kid. I'll have to take those off your hands," the Chief said. He smiled, then looked at Amber, "I'll just kill both of you to take them."
"Fuck! Amber, RUN!" Adrian shouted. Amber didn't need any convincing as she quickly turned around and began to push her legs to the extreme. Adrian followed quickly behind her.
"Kill them!" Adrian heard from behind. Soon after, he saw figures emerge from the houses around them. Most of the figures belonged to tall men with thick beards- each of them holding a spear in hand- while a few figures were armored animals. Some animals were wolves, while a few were foxes. One animal was an armored bear.
Adrian looked behind him, to the Chief. Adrian was surprised to find him standing still without a care in the world. There was a small smile upon the Chief's face, like he was observing an entertaining game of sport.
'Damnit!' Adrian thought to himself as he continued to run forward. As the first five seconds passed, the armored animals began their charge toward Adrian and Amber. The twins saw the front gate only a few steps in front of them, but crossing it wouldn't guarantee their survival in any way.
Adrian understood in that moment that he needed to fight. He wasn't going to survive otherwise. He looked to Amber, who stared at him with anger and ferocity. She also understood this, so the two of them quickly stopped in their tracks before turning to the enemy.
Neither of them had ever killed anybody before, but fights weren't unfamiliar to them. Amber had even taken a few lessons in boxing when she was in middle school. Yet, Adrian couldn't help but feel that the odds were not stacked in their favor. Before them were two wolves, three foxes, an armored bear, and at least ten Vikings holding an iron spear.
Adrian had seen what one of the guards could do with a single throw of his spear. Adrian was able to imagine himself as the target pretty easily. He knew it wouldn't end well. Adrian needed some way to turn the tide.
Even if he could even the battle only a little bit, he might survive. Maybe.