Chapter Text
Mica frowned, ducking out of the shop. That’d been no use at all, no leads, only a rumor of somewhere further in the city that might be better off, and a path to a town north that would take them days to reach. The stranger in the shop that had entered was strange, unwilling to budge at the notion that this place may not be good to stay in much longer, though Mica felt much the same. They knew they couldn’t stay here either. The town was in ruins, there were people in tents everywhere they looked, and this was the only place even remotely standing that looked like it could have anything good in terms of supplies, and even that had been a bust.
The Draken guard near the door looked down at Mica, her eyebrow raised, “No luck?”
They looked up at Vari, the eyebrow raise returned, “If you had to guess?”
She chuckles, shaking her head, “I’d figure as much. Parin isn’t much of a trader these days.”
“He did say a few interesting things though.” Mica tilts her head, staring at the Draken woman, “And that you might know more about the world past these walls?”
Vari stiffens, her lip curling slightly. “I do. But what’s it worth to you? You’re not the only one looking for a fresh meal around these parts.” She gestures to the tents, people sitting outside them in rags or slightly better, few eating, fewer looking remotely alive.
Mica pauses to think, raising a hand to their chin. “I have… a plant from the forest.”
“Junk.”
“My helmet?”
“Wouldn’t fit me.”
“Uhh.” They reach down, rummaging in the pack at their side again. “I have… this!” Mica pulls out a clear piece of glass, edged with gold, looking much like a coin. “Would this do?”
Vari’s eyes widen, then grabs the coin and pushes it down, hissing, getting close to Mica. “Where did you find this? Do you even know what that is?”
“Nope.”
Vari huffs, her nose wrinkling. “It’s worth more than your armor, at least.” She stares into Mica’s eyes for a moment. “What do you want to know?”
“Wolfen’s Way, the route north, and why people don’t like the forest.” Mica stares back, challenging the taller red-haired woman, eyes nearly sparking with curiosity.
“Follow me, then.” Vari shifts, moving from her post, causing a few people to look up in surprise as she ducks around the corner of the shop, Mica trailing directly behind her as the pair move into a tent just out of view of the entrance. Vari sits on an overturned barrel, her wings behind her ruffling lightly. “The coin?”
The fighter nods, their hand outstretching and dropping the coin into Vari’s waiting hand, who immediately pockets the trinket.
“The forest. Viraith Forest was once green, vibrant, beautiful. I don’t know what happened, but there’s been talk of strange creatures coming from a cave to the northeast. It’s made the entrance of the forest on our side much less accessible, and those creatures can’t spell anything good. I’m surprised you didn’t encounter anything like that, and that you were able to survive the plants, which you seem so intent on even carrying with you one of them as though it’s not a hallucinogenic.”
“WHAT?” Mica’s eyes go wide. “Why didn’t anyone say anything?” They throw their hands up, groaning. “Does it affect everyone? Does it always affect them? What does it do?” They seem to panic for a moment, then reach into the pouch at their side again and pull out the green leafy thing, throwing it to the ground and stomping it into the dirt.
Vari laughs, her fangs showing this time, clearly amused. “Once it’s plucked, the effects are only potent enough if you ingest the plant itself, but being in that forest is a different story. Many have gone mad there. Getting through it is a feat in itself, you should be proud of yourself for even making it this far.”
Mica pauses their stomping, looking wide-eyed at Vari.
“Yes, you were probably half under that hallucination for a very long time. It doesn’t just wear off once you stop breathing the spores. It does stick around for awhile, if I had to guess, it probably wore off fully not too long after you arrived here.” She shrugged. “Hard to say though, it’s a real bitch of a drug. Do you even remember the forest?”
“Yeah, of course.” Mica rolls their eyes, attempting to regain some semblance of control. “It was green. And big. Duh.”
“Uh huh, and what did the trees look like?”
“Big. And green.” Mica shakes their head, their eyes flicking up as they tried to remember.
Vari nods. “You were under its effects. There are no trees in the Viraith Forest. Not anymore. That plant, chellac, swallowed them alive years and years ago, even before I got here, to Crenbane. Everyone still calls it ‘the woods’ around here because they don’t know. People didn’t leave this place. Everyone remained here, stuck in place, unwilling to move on.” The Draken glances at the tent entrance. “Even now, when all is in ruin, people are still hanging onto the hope that it could be fixed.” She fixes her eyes on Mica again. “But it cannot be fixed. Not here. Not like this. If people want to rebuild, it has to happen elsewhere. They need to gather what they can, who they care for, and go somewhere else. A fresh start. A second chance. They can still be together, a community, friends, families…” She hesitates, “Lovers…but they have to choose to move forwards together.”
Mica gulps. “You’ve really thought a lot about this, huh?”
“You’d do anything for those you love.”
“I don’t even know if I have anyone like that.”
The air stills, Mica and Vari staring at each other for a moment. The redhead breaks the silence first, tilting her head and leaning forwards in her seat, studying Mica’s face. “You don’t have anyone you care for?”
The fighter blinks, reaching up and adjusting their iron visor nestled in their blonde hair. “I uh… I don’t remember anything before I found myself at this old dingy tower, back through the forest. Some weird guy told me to get going, that there was another town, Myrefall, to the west, and they just told me that there was a forest north and more towns beyond, but they seemed so skittish when I mentioned the guy at the tower, so maybe they were just trying to get rid of me.” They look down at the crushed plant on the ground, frowning. “I don’t even think I know my real name.”
“It’s not Mica? Like you’ve been introducing yourself?” Vari narrows her eyes slightly in curiosity.
“I don’t know, it feels right, maybe, but it’s not… I don’t think it’s really what it is.” Mica seems to shrink in on themself, their demeanor completely shifting from the confident facade they’d been putting on.
“Hm.” Vari glances at the tent entrance again, noting a figure striding past. “Well, if you’re really set on leaving, you will need supplies. Wolfen’s Way is at least a month’s walk from here on foot, and I doubt you’re finding any form of other travel, most of the wagons were either destroyed or have already been taken, or those who own them are too stingy to actually share their spoils even if it’ll help their fellow townspeople.” She sneers. “They say they’re a community, they say they’re willing to help, but the second someone shows too much weakness or hurt, they simply leave them to rot. A fair bunch of liars when it comes down to it. They won’t even talk to some of the weaker amongst us anymore, there’s an elderly woman down the way named Riah, who’s been bewitching a cauldron to remain full of edible soup regardless of what people have been throwing into her pot. I don’t know how she’s still doing it, it’s been awhile since the invasion and people haven’t been kind to her, just because she’s much older and looks as though she could keel over at any moment. I think they’re hoping for it so they can take what’s left of her belongings.” Vari smirks, offering a small wink at Mica. “They don’t know she’s a sorceress though, she’s got quite a knack for hiding that.”
Mica nods, still staring at the ground, looking somewhat defeated.
“Hey.” Vari reaches out, grabbing Mica’s hand, pulling their gaze to hers. “You made it through the forest. That’s nothing to shake a stick at.” She grins. “In fact, that’s more than anyone here’s done in at least a decade, including me.”
“So why do you stay?” Mica stares into Vari’s eyes, looking for some form of answer.
She shrugs. “Isn’t it obvious? Love. I wouldn’t be able to leave Parin if I tried. He doesn’t even know it, the dense bastard, but I love him. Dearly. We’ve only known each other since the walls came down and yet…” She sighs, the scales on her cheeks seeming to soften slightly, “I would spend every moment making sure he was safe if I could.”
The fighter nods. “And that’s enough?”
“That’s enough.”
Mica smiles softly. “I think I’ve decided I like you.”
“Don’t push your luck, kid.” Vari drops Mica’s hand, laughing, leaning back again. “I’ve only got room in my heart for one type of sappy bullshit and that’s it.” She looks up, thinking. “Let’s see. The route to the north. There was a trail there once, but I’m not sure it’s still there. The old roads were almost entirely unused by the time I came here, so you may have to find your own way there. Not to mention I don’t know the state of that port, last time I was there was-”
“So you’ve been there?!” Mica’s entire mood changes in a moment, leaning closer to Vari.
“Yes, I’ve been there.” She rolls her eyes. “Like I was saying, the last time I was there, it was still a port town. Ships every few days, a few shops, the old inn, and a very nice pub that does have some… extra services. We’ll put it that way.” She frowns. “But that’s all I know, and my info is over a decade old. You’d really be taking a gamble going out there.”
“Well…” Mica seems to ponder this for a moment. “It’s all that I really have, right? And there’s really not another option unless I go back through the forest…” They chew on their bottom lip, staring down, a hand on their chin as they think again. “So I don’t really have much choice, huh? It’s either stay in this place that’s already kind of falling apart, or take a chance and move forwards towards this Wolfen’s Way place.”
Vari raises a brow. “And where are you getting the food for this arduous journey?”
Mica opens their mouth, shuts it again, and resumes their thinking pose. “I guess I was just going to figure it out on the way.”
“Not the worst idea.” The Draken stands, shaking out her wings slightly. “I do have to get back to the shop, if Buul tries to come back to sell more of his junk, today might be the day I get to actually kill the little prick.” She grins, a spark of something dangerous flickering in her eyes. “There’s plenty of foraging along the route, at least from what I remember. If you can hunt, you’ll be even better off, but there should be at least some berry bushes or other things, or if you’re really desperate, I’ve heard the grass isn’t too bad this time of year.” Mica makes a face as Vari laughs again. “It’s not so awful. You’ve definitely got a long road ahead of you. Remember, northwest, follow the path if you can, keep the water and mountains to your right, and you’ll find it eventually.” She nods once, then ducks through the tent opening, leaving the fighter alone, staring at where the Draken had just been sitting.
Northeast. Up the path. The mountains and water to their right. Mica could do that. It was a start, something to go off of, a direction at the very least. They could work with directions. They’d gotten this far. Taking a deep breath, they duck out of the tent too, headed for the city’s entrance. If they were to make it anywhere, they knew they had to start the journey immediately.