180~Hostile
The three girls walked in silence, moving through the ruins of what Yvlena could see used to be a thriving town. Though small, it seemed the Verdant Tree had drawn in people from different parts of Moon Valley.
Yvlena wondered where those people were now, how many managed to escape, and how many she would meet when she reached the rest of the survivors. Anxiety crept up again as she recalled that Rael was supposed to help these people, but something had gone wrong.
And then Rael died.
Every time Yvlena remembered the death of her predecessor, she remembers what he left behind, the Rose Manor, the Moon Sickle, and a broken world. The rest of the gods had their appointed guardians, but so far, she hadn’t found much information on it.
“I can’t wait to get to the town.” Risel said in excitement, her speech roused Yvlena from her thoughts. The blonde elf walked beside Marla, almost skipping at the thought of the townspeople.
‘I hope Freude is among the survivors. It would be sad if she turned out to be one of the people infected. I don’t even know if elves are more resilient against the Miasmic sickness.’ Yvlena thought it would break her heart if Risel had to find out her brother was no longer the elf she remembered.
“What’s going through your head?” Risel asked, catching Yvlena off guard. The elf had noticed her companion had fallen silent as they walked. When Risel stopped to observe her, she only saw the contemplative expression on Yvlena’s face.
“Nothing really, just worried about the people we’re going to meet.” Yvlena said, giving her friend a half truth. “The first time I came to Bloom Haven, I didn’t exactly meet a welcome wagon, y’know?”
“Sorry about that, but I’m sure we’ll be fine. I mean, we mean no harm.” Risel said.
“Right.” Yvlena said, but she didn’t feel confident in her words. Though Risel tried, her words did not ease Yvlena’s worries. She didn’t know how she would feel about the remnants of the Verdant Vale being hostile to her because of their history with Rael.
“We’re almost there.” Marla said in excitement, the little girl pulled herself up a ledge and then instructed Yvlena and Risel to follow. The two elves exchanged glances as they moved to copy Marla.
The three of them found themselves in front of a stone structure manned by two men who didn’t seem all that invested in their work. They stood in front of a large wooden gate that marked the area inside as a stronghold for the survivors of the Verdant Vale.
Marla, Yvlena, and Risel kept just out of sight as Marla waved her hands to get their attention. The little girl coughed into her hand and began speaking.
“I snuck out so I can’t follow you to the entrance.” she said sheepishly, “I’ll have to go back the way I came.”
Yvlena nodded, she had a feeling that would be the case. Risel looked unsure but nodded as well once it looked like Yvlena was okay with it.
“Catch you guys later, I’m sure they won’t kick you out.” Marla said
“Just be safe alright, Marla, and no more sneaking out okay?” Yvlena said,
Marla stuck her tongue out at them, giggling and running off into the distance, leaving Yvlena and Risel alone. The pink haired elf sighed and looked towards her companion, who was losing her confidence at their situation.
“Don’t worry Risel, the worst they could do is deny us entry.” Yvlena said, trying her best to reassure Risel. While the guards didn’t look as friendly as the ones in Bloom Haven, Yvlena could only attribute that to their hardship.
They approached the entrance to the stronghold, and immediately they were within sight, the guards surged to action, lifting flimsy wooden spears and pointing them in their direction.
“Who goes there?” The first man roared, trying to seem as intimidating as possible.
“Hello, we’re just two travelers looking for someone.” Yvlena said, starting off truthfully. “We mean no harm, we just need some shelter so we can rest and keep looking for our friend Freude.”
The second guard lowered his spear with a shocked expression.
“Did you say you’re looking for Freude? What connection do you have to him?” The second guard asked curiously.
Yvlena gestured with her head for Risel to step forward. The blonde elf gulped and took a step toward the guard, who seemed a bit more curious than agitated.
“I’m Risel, an alchemist from Bloom Haven. Freude is my brother, and I’ve come looking for him.” Risel said.
“Liars! You can’t be from Bloom Haven, the way to the next town has been blocked by the miasma for as long as we can remember. You came to deceive us!” The first guard said, his words spurred his partner to action, who lifted his spear.
“We are from Bloom Haven. I’ve cleared the path using an ancient method my predecessor left behind. Who would come all this way to trick you?” Yvlena said, her worlds obscured her true occupation, but she saw how angry the two men were.
What if all that anger was reserved for the Harvest Guardian?
“What’s your occupation?”
“Garden Mystic.” Yvlena shot back. She showed them her Moon sickle, and the sight of the farming tool turned weapon, made them relax a bit. “As you can see, we fought our way here not only to find Freude but to search for survivors. We made it past Corr’s Inn and—”
“You passed Corr’s inn?” The first guard interrupted her, then turned to the second and whispered. “There’s no way something created by the Miasmic could know that.”
The second guard nodded and lowered his spear. Yvlena could see a light of hope shine in his eyes, maybe there was someone he knew in Bloom Haven he wanted to see again.
“We believe you, but you’re going to have to speak to the Mayor of the Verdant Vale.” The first guard said sternly, he shot them a glare, and Yvlena could tell that he already didn’t like her nor how she challenged his authority.
This quest was getting harder and harder, but it was too late to back down now.
“That’s no problem for us, we expected that. But you seemed to know something about my brother, please tell me if he’s alright.” Risel clasped her hands together and stared at the second guard hopefully.
The man lowered his head, and Yvlena could already feel bad news coming. The second guard seemed apologetic and sighed heavily before he spoke.
“He’s been corrupted by the Miasma.”