As Adrian and Amber left the village, both of the twins constantly looked behind them to see if any of the Vikings were following their tracks. Neither of the twins was experienced in losing tails- entirely because they had never had any tails before- but neither of them was naive enough to believe they could do so after no training.
So, as they left the village, one of the twins constantly looked back while the other looked forward. As they headed west at a brisk pace, the two of them only sighed in relief after walking away from the village for at least an hour. By then, the sun was beginning to set- but neither of them was willing to set up camp any time soon.
If the Chief-turned-General was honest, there was another village not far from their location. Adrian didn't want to spend another night outdoors than he needed to. So far, they had been lucky to not run into any predators. However, with their recent run-in with the armored foxes and the single bear, such a possibility became extremely dangerous. They knew the fight was terrifying enough, despite not fighting any of the wolves.
So, it didn't need to be said to describe the twin's resolve to find the next town as soon as possible. To do so, they both walked several hours longer than they usually would. Even long in the night, the two of them continued to walk west. Eventually, three hours after the sun had set, they finally saw the destined town they were traveling to.
The town was much bigger than the Viking village they had run away from. In the distance, the town created a sea of bright stars that seemed to act as an island in the dark forest surrounding it. The torches that lit the streets and illuminated the walls acted as a sort of beacon.
Luckily, the town was only a few more minutes away. When Adrian first caught sight of it, they had done so by climbing a small hill just next to the town. Amber sighed in relief as she saw the lights waiting for them. By now, the full moon above was at the crest of its climb into the night sky, which illuminated much of their path ahead.
Getting to the town after that was easy. The walk only took a matter of five or so minutes. Afterward, they emerged from the forest just before the town's small wooden gate. As they approached, Adrian looked to the walls above and saw three town guards keeping watch over it.
Unlike the Viking guards they had encountered earlier that day, the guards before them were normal-sized humans. They each wore leather armor and held medium-sized shortswords. One of the guards carried a longbow with him as well, though his quiver was nowhere to be seen. Their armor was colored brown and green, save for the black sash that went over their waists. None of the guards wore helmets, though Adrian assumed that was because they thought they were uncomfortable. After all, he saw some helmets placed upon the wooden battlements just next to where the guards stood.
As soon as Adrian and Amber came into sight, one of the guards quickly raised his weapon- a longbow- and pulled an arrow from a quiver hidden behind a battlement. He knocked it, then raised his bow toward Adrian's chest.
"State your business!" the guard yelled, pulling the other guards to attention. They both turned to Adrian and Amber, then unsheathed their swords. One of the guards fumbled with his scabbard for a moment, causing it to fall to the ground as he accidentally unclasped its buckle. However, he got his sword out all the same.
"Travelers. We mean no harm," Adrian answered loudly as he held up his hand. Amber did the same, though her eyes were scanning the forest behind them, "We wish to stay in the city for a while to gather information."
"Are you not from Stonehold? We've banned all travel from that country!" the guard with the bow yelled.
"We are not citizens of Stonehold if that's what you're wondering," Adrian replied. As he sensed some hostility from the guards, he chose to answer the guard's questions as carefully as he could.
"Not citizens?" The bowman lowered his weapon for a moment- but only just. He raised his weapon only a heartbeat later before he pointed it at Adrian once more, "Stonehold doesn't suffer refugees. The only way you could've come from that country is if you were once a citizen. Stop lying!"
"I have never, nor will I ever be, a citizen of Stonehold," Adrian answered. Then, he took a deep breath as he prepared another shout, "I am an Artist, the same as my sister."
"An Artist?" One of the guards shouted in shock. The guard, who had been the one to struggle with his scabbard, looked to the bowman with his eyes widened in glee, "Two of them? Gerald, we have to report this!"
The bowman, who appeared to be the superior of the three, stared at Adrian with skepticism. After a moment of silence, he opened his mouth once more, this time directing his voice toward one of his subordinates.
"Write a letter and send it to the Captain. Tell him about this- and that I request his presence," Gerald the bowman said. The guard with the faulty scabbard nodded, then quickly retreated to the safety of the town behind the wall. Gerald turned back to Adrian, then nudged his arm, "Prove to me you are an Artist. Show me your canvas."
"Canvas?" Adrian muttered in confusion. His voice was quiet, not loud enough for his words to carry to Gerald the bowman. He looked at Amber and shrugged. After a moment, he watched as she turned around and lifted her shirt, exposing her bare back.
She bent forward, so the flaming tattoos surrounding her spine were shown clearly to Gerald the bowman. Adrian quickly nodded, then did the same as he lifted his hoodie to reveal his back.
"So it's true," Adrian heard the third guard gasp. He dropped his hoodie, and then turned to look back at Gerald.
"Hmm, so it is," Gerald muttered. He lowered his bow, then sighed, "Yet your canvas isn't very detailed. Are you new? At your age?"
"I'm afraid I don't even know what you're talking about. May I speak with the Captain person you've summoned? I'm sure they'll be able to provide me with the details I seek," Adrian muttered. At that moment, Amber walked to his side and whispered into his ear.
"This Artist thing seems like a bigger deal than we thought. We should keep it a secret as often as we can," Amber said in a quiet voice. Adrian thought for a moment, then quickly nodded. He had used the term Artist in front of the guard because it hardly caused a reaction from the Viking Chief. Yet now, the guards were acting as if they had just seen proof of aliens in front of them. Such a revelation wouldn't be stated as anything less extraordinary than monumental.
Then, the gates began to open. They were wooden and not very tall. The gates took on the form of a set of double doors, but they were much heavier than Adrian assumed. As the doors scraped across the dirt below them, shoving aside any debris that had made its way there since it had been last closed, Adrian heard a loud creaking sound originate from the bronze door hinges supporting them. The hinges groaned and moaned under the weight, but the town guards didn't seem to care about the noise.
Eventually, the figure of a tall woman followed by two town guards was revealed behind the doors. The woman wore the armor of the town guard, but the sash around her waist wasn't black- but white.
'I suppose a white sash means the guard is an officer while the black sashes belong to normal soldiers?' Adrian assumed. The Captain walked forward, her two guards following her like posse members, before she stopped just two yards before Adrian. She stared at him for a moment, then finally spoke the first words.
"My men tell me they stumbled upon two Artists. Rare, indeed. Tell me, how are you two as old as you are, yet neither of you have broken through to Simple Quality?" The Captain asked, her gaze shifting from Amber to Adrian's.
"I don't even know what that means," Adrian admitted. As she said 'Quality', Adrian thought back to when he opened his Journal/Record to find his rune ranked as 'Feeble' quality. Perhaps the two were related?
"You're new?" the Captain gasped, her eyes going wide. She looked back to the wall, to the guards standing watch, "Are you sure they were brand new?"
"Their canvas told us as such, Captain," One guard answered. The Captain looked back to the twins, her eyes furrowed in confusion. After a moment, her eyes widened once more as a thin smile spread across her face.
"Has it begun?"