Chapter 24: The Winner
The smell of turned earth and old smoke was the first warning that Archenval was no longer the quiet town many old maps described.
The dirt road ended in a wide clearing, where carts and merchants crowded under makeshift awnings.
Tattered flags, in garish colors, fluttered on crooked masts — crests of local guilds, hastily made and full of ego. A stuffed harpy dangled from a stone arch where it read: "Where monsters kneel, men rise."
Eren pulled the cloak tighter around his body. The gray tunic underneath did a good job hiding the dried blood on his ribs and the recent scratches.
The hood covered most of his face, but his gaze remained alert, hidden among shadows and calculation.
Nyssa followed closely behind, covered from head to toe by the black fabric of the assassin’s cloak — the item still worked, muffling her steps, softening her presence in the environment as if she were a liquid shadow.
Kaela walked to the left, body tense under a dark brown cloth that hid her tail and pointed ears. She sniffed the air constantly, like a wary beast.
Three silent figures, crossing a field of men who liked to shout.
At the entrance, two poorly shaved guards held spears and feigned posture. Their gaze shifted between the stuffed harpy and the newcomers. One of them held his breath upon seeing Kaela, even hooded.
The other wrinkled his nose at the sight of the slime’s silhouette moving slowly beneath the fabric.
"What’s your purpose?"
Eren didn’t slow his pace.