You collect your weapons, carefully placing them in their respective positions. You catch glimpses of the party, they watch your weapons carefully but try to hide their gazes by quickly looking away.
Draalsar rises, stretching and letting out a yawn as it does so. It takes a sip from the creek before walking towards you.
You look to the group and Veranus nods. He begins to walk away, gesturing for you to follow.
" Come along now, if we delay, we might run into unsavory parties, " he says.
You follow the group from a distance as they make their way through bushes and into an opening where five horses are tied around a tree.
" And just how do you intend for them to travel with us? " Gellius asks Veranus.
" I," he hesitates. " I didn't think we would make it this far."
" Dammit Veran! " Gellius curses. " They are riding with you, and no, we are not negotiating this. " He says as he walks up to his mount.
Veranus lets out a light chuckle before going quiet.
His mount is the farthest to the left of where you are currently standing. He slowly walks towards his mount who simply raises its head to look at him.
" Oh! That reminds me," Veranus perks up and turns to face you, " are you a male or a female? "
This catches you off guard. You assumed they could easily tell your gender. The others also stop, waiting for your answer, even Draalas has stopped in its tracks and watches.
" You can't be too certain with some species looking like a certain gender while being a different one, " he explains.
You draw out the rapier and create the letter ' M ' in the ground for all to see. You glance at Veranus who nods, more to himself than anyone else.
" Figures," he mutters under his breath. " There's no way you could be female."
He pats the side of his equine's head as it leans into his chest.
" I missed you too buddy, " he coos into its ear.
You and Draalsar share a glimpse as the beast neighs.
" I would like you to meet," he pauses, trying to find a name for you. " an associate of mine. "
The steed turns its head to look at you, large black orbs staring at you. It snorts and flicks its tail.
He leaps onto it with ease and removes the restraint with a flick of the wrist. The others had already freed their respective steeds and stood idly by, waiting, some more irritated than others.
Veranus helps you up and joins the group. The ride is of substantial length. The group barely communicates amongst themselves, each clearly keeping their thoughts to themselves. Draalsar easily keeps up speed with the group and would occasionally outrun the group and wait for you all to catch up.
Soon spires begin to appear on the horizon. A clear inkling of civilization. A wall soon rises above the horizon, sentries positioned at what you presumed were vantage points.
The sentries immediately spot you and begin to react. Some stay in place while a few can be seen looking straight down and performing a series of gestures.
" Who has the permits? " Veranus asks the group as they draw closer.
" I do," Tevaga answers. " It's in here." She taps on a satchel.
As the gate draws closer and closer you notice a few things. The first is the large insignia atop the archway of the gate. Three guards stand at attention, each armed with a large shield and a lance. And finally, a large mechanical device sits on the wall directly above the insignia. It resembles a siege ordnance, only much bigger and it is aimed at the group.
Upon reaching the gate, one of the guards approaches, shield raised and weapon pointed at you. The monolith-sized cannon fixates its aim on the group, and the bore slowly lights up as a whirring sound emanates from it. It seems oddly familiar but why is that?
" Papers, " the guard orders.
Tevaga fishes it out of her satchel and hands it over to the guard.
" Who's that? " The guard points at you.
" He's a traveler who got lost and we decided to help him out. " Veranus answers without pause. " Don't mind the blood. He encountered a few bandits before he met us and they, unfortunately, did not fare too well. "
The guard stares at you for a while, then at Draalsar who is standing next to the horse you are on. They gesture for the papers and Tevaga hands them over.
They take it and step back, looking through every single one exhaustively. After a while, he gestures for his comrades to let you all through.
The town is bustling with life as different species interact with one another. A guard steps in front of the group and ushers you into a small area, away from prying eyes.
" Follow me, " he orders.
" And why should we? " Gellius questions.
" You have a blood-covered knight with you, " they look directly at him, " have you stopped and thought about the anxiety it would cause among the populace when they see such a sight? "
Gellius tries to come up with an answer but holds his tongue. He turns to look at you before nodding to the guard.
" We take the warren of the purlieus and under no circumstances are any of you allowed to interact with the locals. "
They gesture to another guard who walks up to them.
" Head to the sanatorium and tell them to prepare for our arrival," they order. " Add the fact that one is covered in dried blood."
The second guard salutes before disappearing around the corner. Veranus and his group exchange a look of concern.
" The sanatorium, " Veranus says, " my, officer, you've certainly taken an interest in our friend over here. Any particular reason for that if I may ask? "
The guard does not respond and simply walks away, beckoning to follow him. The path bends and twists through a myriad of lanes that are so thin the horses have to form a column and that leaves little space. A few people peek out from closed drapes while others out in the open take a completely different route, avoiding eye contact at all costs.
Around the next turn stands a large ornate building. Four spires can be seen around the main building itself. Its pearl-white color has a soothing aura to it. Around the entrance are a few white-coat-wearing people. Some are elves while a few are humans.
One particular elf immediately spots the group and makes its way toward you. As the figure approaches, you can tell it is a female. Her hair is raven in color and her eyes are lilac.
" Officer, " she greets before immediately zeroing in on you in particular. " You must be the one who we were told to prepare for, " she says as she gets closer yet she stops a few feet away. " Astounding. "
She turns to the officer and thanks him before asking you to follow her inside. You dismount and nod toward the group and follow the elf, Draalsar stays close to you.
" Unfortunately your associates cannot come with you," she says.
" We will meet again friend, " Veranus says as you and Draalsar follow the elf into the building. " Come find us at the Drunken's Haven if you can. "
" Oh!" Her ears perk up as she veers around, " my name is Valindra Calaudra. Welcome to Merrowfay. "