As the three walked side by side along the forest path, the air between them hung heavy, thick with an unspoken tension.
Pushing the cart, Nozna kept his pace steady. His eyes flickered between the two travelers.
They said they were from the south, which empires are from the south? Ugh, I should have paid more attention in school.
Only the crunching of the soil came from Nozna's boots, the other two moved in complete silence, like shadows gliding through the forest. A brief glance at their faces earlier showed brief features resembling humans. Though their more distinct features were shrouded by their hoods. At least they're human.
Nozna clenched his teeth. The mysterious travellers had both maintained their silence throughout the trip so far.
Determined to break the unsettling silence, Nozna asked "Where specifically from the south are you from?" his words scraping out like old bark.
"We're from the Haddamat Empire," the same man who spoke earlier replied, his tone lacking emotion.
Oh right, that... I remember that, we briefly learnt about that empire in school... but I really can't recall anything-
"How far is the village from here?" the man interrupted Nozna's thoughts, his tone carrying a hint of impatience. Nozna immediately tightened his grip on the cart. "It's not far, we're almost there," he replied, attempting to keep his voice steady.
"At ease… you can call me Khamat, and my companion here is Tomir," the man spoke once again, his thick accent puncturing the awkward air. Before Nozna could respond, Khamat followed up, "you seem to know the forest quite well, are you a lumberjack?"
No, I'm actually a priest, do you not see me with chopped logs on a cart? Nozna mocked in his mind before the seriousness of the situation snapped him back to reality.
"Uh yes, um, you can call me Nozna,"
Shortly after, the forest opened up, the distant silhouette of a small cabin now visible through the trees. At last! Nozna let out a huge sigh.
"If you follow down this path, you will reach a bridge that leads into the village, there is also an inn before the bridge if you wish to stay the night,"
There was a long pause before Khamat replied, "Once again, thank you,.
The two travellers set off towards the village. Nozna left the cart on the path before rushing into the shed to relieve himself. At the same time, his father walked out, carrying what seemed like a heavy pouch. He gazed at the two figures fading into the distance underneath the darkening sky "oh you ran into travellers?"
Emerging from the shed, Nozna nodded "Yes, but they weren't normal."
"Weren't normal?" his father frowned.
"They were like shadows, moving in silence, they gave me the creeps da."
"Heh, we should report this to the elder later." He lifted the heavy pouch onto the cart before gesturing to his son "Dump the buckets and let's get going."
…
Tomir glanced at Khamat before muttering in their native language: Aranese. "Captain, did you feel something? You spoke to that boy more than you usually would."
"He has essence."
Tomir's eyes widened. "Essence?"
"He is quite peculiar," his stoic face remained still.
Tomir pondered for a moment, "He doesn't seem like an arbiter, is he hiding a secret?"
"Let's find a place to rest, we'll tail him tomorrow before continuing to Token town."
Soon, they appeared in front of a two-storey building composed of wooden planks. On top of the double door was a sign written in the Santorian language: 'Mawisa Inn'. Half of the roof was flat, whilst the other half was slanted downwards, covering a balcony surrounded with wooden fences. The roofs on the balcony were held up by four thick wooden pillars. Windows dotted around the sides of the buildings, some were currently covered by a wooden panel.
Khamat took off his hood, revealing short raven black hair. His left chin boasted a deep vertical scar. A pair of emerald green eyes were stared straight ahead, possibly imagining what lay behind the double doors.
Pushing the set of doors open, he walked into the inn.
…
Nozna and his father set off from their hut, taking the path that led away from the forest earlier. It was relatively straight, with a few bends periodically. The evening was peaceful, the wooden cart, now filled to the brim with logs, rustled on the uneven dirt path. The sky remained a clear blue canvas as the soft wind danced with freedom.
"About half our usual load t'day." his father retorted, his faint smile disguising his annoyance.
No response. "Hey, where's the usual chatter?" he questioned, filling the silence.
"Da, do you know anything about the Haddamat empire?"
"The Haddamat empire? Heh, what's brought this up?" he chuckled, "I thought you would have learnt it in school? They're one of the nations to our east"
"To our east? Not our south?" Nozna turned towards his father, a visible frown was planted on his face.
"Well, it's both. To our east is the Hazen sea, but further east is the Haddamat Empire. To our south are the Prodsign mountains, and southeast is the Delvar forest, and eventually the Empire." He paused before glaring at his son. "Boy, how is it that you know nothing? Pay more attention in school."
"The two travellers claimed they were from the Haddamat Empire, from the south."
His father's expression instantly changed. "From the Haddamat Empire?" He grew quiet for a moment. "It's best that we try to avoid them in the future, where did they go?"
"I guided them towards the village,"
"Haddamat Empire… from the south... It's extremely dangerous to cross the Delvar forest. They don't sound like good news, seems like we really have to report this to the elder,"
"Do you think they are here to cause trouble?"
"Even if they do, we have the arbiters don't we," He grew quiet again before continuing. "The Haddamat empire isn't ruled by a king like our Santoria Kingdom, they instead have a grand sage that oversees everything… as for these two travellers…" Jack's voice hardened.
"There are rumours about heretics and rebels roaming their cities constantly fighting against the sage's authority. These two might be one of them. After all, their empire is known by two names across the lands…the land of triumph…but also, the land of assassins."
The sound of rushing water gradually grew louder as a river, about three trees wide, emerged in the far distance. Its surface reflected a bright transparent blue beneath the gleaming sun whilst its banks were a mountain of tall grass obeying the wind. The dirt path continued onto a wooden bridge where wooden planks laid over thick wooden beams. Iron bolts and wooden pegs lined the planks hugging the supporting wooden beams which themselves were surrounded by moss-covered stone at the base, spitting the river's water flow into foamy white currents.
The worn wood groaned beneath the weight of the cart as the rustling was accompanied by the sound of boots thudding.
At the end of the bridge, small clusters of old wooden houses came into view, spread all across the land as if grown from the earth itself. Their thin, low-angled roofs, weathered by seasons of rain and wind, were either made out of wooden planks or bundles of straws. Smoke curled lazily from small wooden openings, blending with the golden afternoon light.
Children darted barefoot through narrow dirt paths, accompanied by their echoing laughter as they chased one another with sticks. A group of elderly women traded gossip over baskets of herbs near a well, occasionally bursting out in uncontrollable laughter and amusement. Despite its worn and primitive appearance, the village pulsed with warmth and joy. The liveliness in the north side of the river contrasted the solemn loneliness seen south of the river.
Among the bustle of the village outskirts, a wooden cart creaked steadily across the dirt path. The rattling cart drew curious glances from passersby. The children continued their little games whilst the elderly paused their gossip to size up the rough-hewn timber stacked high on the cart.
It didn't take long for the father and son duo to reach the village square, there was an immediate improvement in infrastructure. The square was made out of cobblestone and had at least one pathway entry on each side. Arrays of buildings made out of stone and wood surrounded the square. The seemingly peaceful noise of the village grew into a chaotic symphony of bartering and conversation. Laughter rang out in the distance followed by the shouting of a vendor advertising fruits, and in the background, the clanging of metal tools can be heard. The air was thick with warmth, brimming with the sheer energy of the crowd.
At the far end of the square sat one of the only buildings to be completely made out of stone. It stood almost two stories high with a small protrusion in front containing a set of large arched wooden doors. Above the door was an intricate carving of a circle consisting of four pillars and a scale. Dark and slated tiles lined the steep roof whilst narrow windows lined up the main body of the chapel. Two weathered stone pillars in the main body formed a small arch tower carrying a rusting bell. The Voria Chapel was built with more advanced architecture and engineering compared to the rest of the village. The intricate carving was the emblem of the Church of Order, the kingdom's main religion.
Jack and Nozna briefly arrived at the woodcutter's workshop. Nestled at the edge of the bustling village square, the Savoda woodcutter workshop stood with its dark timber frames and wooden pillars supporting the broad overhang which sheltered a small open work area where sawdust littered the tables and benches like a vast desert.
In the other corner of the workshop laid piles of clean and shaven wooden planks whilst unused tools hung from the few wooden beams. Hanging from one of the beams was a large wooden sign which carved out Santorian letters: Savoda Lumber Workshop. Working on one of the benches was a stout man, his curly brown hair bounced as he swiftly turned around to face the father and son duo. He wore a thick tunic the colour of tree bark whilst his trousers were a shade lighter. He had a round belly that suggested he was well-fed.
"A bit late today aren't we?" He smiled at Jack. Beads of sweat running down his face, which was a forest of facial hair.
"Hmph, you speak as if you can tell the time" Jack answered.
Right on cue, the chapel bell rang throughout the village.
DING DING DING DING DING DING!
Each ring rolled through the square and the village like a wave, a total of six times signifying the current time as six o'clock.
The woodcutter let out a roaring laugh, his gap-tooth smile seemingly mocking Jack. "Would ya hear that, ya latest come 'round four or five, its six now, ya lucky I close at seven."
"Sorry about that uncle Bordis, we started a bit late," Nozna added with a sheepish smile. In this small and cosy village, many kids addressed familiar adults with auntie or uncle, blood related or not.
"No no no, I am just jollying, truth be told, It's good you guys came, I've some orders I need to finish soon and I need more logs," Bordis reassured.
"We've got 8 nords today," Jack gestured towards the cart "two silvets a nord, sixteen silvets in total,"
"Alright here you go," Bordis handed over the coins before pointing towards the corner opposite the clean planks, "Can ya help me load it in that corner over there?"
Jack pocketed the silver coins before joining his son in lifting the logs inside the workshop.
After they finished, they bid Bordis farewell before heading towards another building around the square. The village hall.
Whilst completely made out of wood, it boasted two floors with a pointed roof and large square windows. This was where the elder of Savoda village resided and also worked. In the Santoria Kingdom, village elders were appointed and they were responsible for overseeing the village, which includes roles such as solving disputes, village planning and negotiating taxes with the land's baron or viscount. If an elder was deemed no longer suitable, either by the village people or any higher ups, a new elder will be appointed to replace the old one.
Above the entrance was a large wooden sign that showed: Savoda Village Hall.
"Let's report the travellers to the elder then head to the market, we'll leave the cart here," Jack took a glance at the broad wooden doors in front of him.
The double doors creaked open to reveal a large central chamber. A long hearth ran down the center, its fire banked but always burning, casting warmth across the packed-earth floor and sending the scent of smoke and aged wood into the air. The ceiling beams were low and blackened, hung with old tools, animal banners, and weapons that showed off the pride of the village's history.
Rough-hewn benches and tables lined the sides of the hall, their surfaces etched with generations of carvings—initials, crude faces, and tally marks. At the far end stood the elder's chair, whilst not as extravagant as a throne, it was raised on a small platform above the other benches with an elevated wooden desk. This was the main hall for village meetings and discussion, especially with village guests.
A lady sitting at one of the benches seemed to be reading a book, her hair, containing wisps of silver lines, were pinned back in a tight bun. Her sharp cheekbones and narrow face resembled a hawk, though her soft brown eyes emulated a gentle warmth. Upon hearing the arrival of Jack and Nozna, she turned her head up and gave an expressionless stare.
"If you're looking for Elder Lobertman then he is currently in his study, he should be free at the moment."
Joanna Everg was a village helper who served as Elder Lobertman's right hand, keeping track of taxes and recording complaints. Years of village life had etched lines into her face. She spoke with a strict tone yet there was an undeniable warmth to her words.
"Cheers" replied Jack before heading towards the elder's study which was located briefly behind the Elder's chair. Nozna gave Joanna an appreciative nod which was met with a smile, he then followed his father into the study.
The elder's study was dimly lit, the weak glow of a single oil lamp cast a flickering halo across rows of parchment, scrolls, and leather-bound tomes that crowded the shelves and busy desk.
Elder Lobertman sat hunched over his messy desk, quill in hand, scratching a line of ink across parchment with extreme focus. He was thin and almost skeletal in shape, draped in a long woolen robe dyed deep green, with brown patterned cuffs riddled with countless ink stains. His aging gray hair was short and scarce, barely covering his head.
"Ah," he said, setting the quill down as he shifted his gaze towards the father and son duo. "Jack. Nozna. Come in."
Jack stepped forward first, "Good evening Elder Lobertman, sorry for interrupting you"
Nozna followed suit, "Good evening Elder."
Lobertman waved a hand slowly. "Nonsense. Good evening to you two, you have a problem I presume?"
"Well, it's not a problem… we wanted to report to you about something," Jack paused. "We ran into two travellers from the Haddamat Empire earlier today. We think they may be trouble."
"Trouble?" The elder raised an eyebrow.
"They seemed to have crossed through the Delvar forest, they might well be heretics from the Empire."
"Hahaha I understand. Don't worry, Mawisa has also informed me about them not too long ago. They checked in at her inn," He smiled. "I'll tell the arbiters to keep an eye out for any abnormalities. Oh right, Jack I have something I want to talk to you about." The elder glanced around his desk, looking for something before turning his attention to his shelves and stacks of paper.
This lasted for a few seconds before he let out a curse. "Damn my memory. I think I left it in the hall. Ah must be my old age, I am very forgetful nowadays."
The elder rubbed his temples. "Sorry Jack, please follow me."
Gesturing towards his desk, he added "Nozna, feel free to make yourself comfortable in my study."
"I am probably going to retire in a few months time, work is tiring nowadays" he mumbled under his breath, letting out a heavy sigh before scurrying out of the his study.
Nozna and his father gave a confused look at each other before both of their mouths curled up at the same time.