Chapter 469: Trail of destruction
The rest of the day went by uneventfully. Come evening, we went back to our room and called it a night. The beds were surprisingly comfortable, but then again, I was used to sleeping on the ground. The Inn owner later dropped by with the water for the bath.
The weather outside was comfortable, so we kept the window open and drifted to dreamland after we cleaned ourselves. A part of me was expecting something to happen that night. Perhaps I was even looking forward to it. Fortunately, or unfortunately, nothing happened.
A yawn escaped my mouth as I lazily opened my eyes. 'I could get used to this,' I inwardly muttered as I pushed the bed covers away. Breta was already up and standing by the window, looking outside.
I glanced at the room, but there was no sign of Essie. I could, however, sense her presence downstairs.
"Morning."
"Hmm? Good morning," Breta turned to me and replied.
I stretched and stood up, unable to stop another yawn.
"Where's Essie?"
"Downstairs, for breakfast, I think." Breta shrugged.
"How come you didn't go with her?"
"I was waiting for you."
"Isn't that nice of you," I grinned and patted my messy hair down. I don't know why Essie made it so long. It just gets in the way.
Breta seemed to sense my struggles and walked over.
"Stand still," she said.
"Uh?"
Her deadpan face drew closer to mine as she gently patted down my hair. I froze for a second as I looked into her deep ocean eyes. Her hands continued to fix my hair, and I didn't move.
"There, it looks better now," she said.
"A-Ah, yes," I answered.
Her face was still very close to mine, and for some reason, she didn't move away. No one said a thing as we stood there for a couple of seconds. It was then that the door swung open, and an overly excited Essie ran inside.
Both Breta and I turned to her simultaneously, and Essie froze with her mouth wide open.
"U-Um, b-breakfast is ready, sorry!" Saying that she hastily turned around and ran back downstairs.
"This is the second time something like this has happened," I muttered in disbelief.
Breta shrugged and took a step back before following Essie. "Let's go."
I frowned as I watched her walk away. 'Was she smiling?' Confused, I scratched my head and followed.
Downstairs, the tavern was empty except for a table near the entrance. Essie was sitting close to the bar, with her hands covering her face. Breta sat next to her, and I quickly followed.
"Essie?"
"I-I didn't see anything!" She quickly blurted.
"Wha-"
"Uh, sorry. Breakfast! Yes, I spoke to the owner, and it's just bread, cheese, and eggs!"
I turned to Breta, and I could swear I saw a hint of a smile on her face. A sigh escaped my mouth as I shook my head. Thankfully, the owner came right then with the food.
The meal passed quietly, with Essie stealing glances at both Breta and me. She remained silent, however. Once we finished, the owner waved goodbye as we took our leave.
"Shouldn't we find some horses? I believe that's how the mortals travel between cities here, no?" I asked Essie in an attempt to clear the awkward mood.
Essie stole another glance at Breta before she shook her head, "We can't. I don't know how, but horses are terrified of us," she said in confusion, "I'm sure our transformation is supposed to cover our aura as well, but they seem to sense it."
"Some animals are more sensitive to these things," Breta chimed in on the conversation.
"Well, it's a shame, but what can we do."
****
Leaving the village behind, we continued on our way toward the capital. It was a bit cloudy when we left, but the gentle breeze was constantly swirling around us. Our pace was fast, and it wasn't long before we left the green meadows and open fields behind.
The scenery changed as small hills and mountains started coming into view. We came across a few traveling merchants along the way, but no problems like that band of soldiers.
The greenery prevailed, and often, we came across some small animals running around the hills. We were heading straight toward a vast mountain with a snow-covered peak.
"There is a big city beyond the mountain," Essie said.
"It wasn't as far as I thought."
"That's because we were moving faster than a horse would," Breta replied.
"Well, let's keep that up and reach the city before sundown."
Thankfully, we didn't need to ascend the mountain; instead, we followed the road around it. For an average person, the journey would have been long, but for us, it was mostly boring.
By the time the sun slowly started to set and the sky turned orange, we finally reached the city. Except, there was something strange.
"Was it like this the last time you came here?" I turned to Essie.
"No, I fought with the mortals, but the city was okay."
"It looks like something or someone bulldozed through it," Breta muttered by my side, and I subconsciously nodded.
A massive section of the city wall had crumbled, revealing a path of destruction that stretched into the heart of the city. Smoke billowed from some of the collapsed buildings, and frantic people hurried about.
"I have a bad feeling about this," I mumbled. "Let's go."
With me taking the lead, Breta and Essie followed as we quickly made our way to the city.
"What do we do?!"
"I don't know! Those monsters will come again next time!"
"Why did the mayor have to provoke them?!"
Sounds of conversations reached my ears as we walked past the broken wall.
"Monsters?" The bad feeling grew stronger.
"Excuse me, what happened here?" Breta walked up to one of the mortals and asked. The man's eyes turned glazed as he saw her and began to speak.
"Two massive flying monsters arrived last week, demanding to meet the city's leader. The mayor went out to meet them. When he returned, the monsters left, only to come back two days ago and do this."
Breta looked at me with a complex expression. I approached the man and inquired, "What did those monsters look like?"
"They looked like flying lizards with horns! One was golden, the other was blue."
'Ynos and Lost! Damn it, I knew something was wrong.'
"What do you think?" I asked Breta.
"Who knows? Still, you can find them, no?"
I nodded, "Yes, I can. Let's see what all of this was about."