Where None Dare Venture: Chapter 2

The rain kept on hammering all night long, cold splashes turning into rivulets leaking down the windows of the inn, with an occasional lightning bolt splitting the gloom with a crackle. Branches were bending and twisting in the wind, guided by the storm left and right, back and forth, and although the room was warm and the walls and windows were sturdy, Mikri shriveled under her blanket. She could almost hear the whipping of the leaves against the raindrops, the screaming wind threatening to uproot the trees and swallow them whole. A shriek one could feel deep inside in their soul, even if the sound didn't reach their ears. Another awful night - but she almost grew accustomed to them... Almost.

Darkness swallowed the bedroom once more, quickly pierced by another lightning, revealing the shapes and outlines of the furniture - the sharp corners of the table, the strong, vertical lines of the wardrobe, the subtle arches of the chest... The girl turned away, unwanted memories bubbling up inside her mind. Memories about her first months living at The Other Side of the World... She wiped a tear that was slowly forming in the corner of her eye, burying her face in the pillows, hoping sleep would finally come. "He would piss himself laughing if he could see me right now," she thought, "he'd be like 'Wow, Mik, you sure are one big crybaby,' just like he always did." The thought was weirdly comforting.

Almost ten years had passed since then, ten years of survival against the merciless land that borders the rest of the Continent, the Rift and the Great Ocean. The entire climate of that region was a testament of the power raw manastreams held: power to bend nature itself, to force the land and skies apart and to split them in half at a moment's notice. It was during nights like this that Mikri hated this place and her life the most, the misery of the rain seeping through the wooden frame of the window and straight into her core. She closed her eyes shut, forcing her mind off that subject, forcing herself to think about the next day, about her new job and the mysterious guy who hired her... Even Halias was apprehensive about the masked stranger. He tried to cover his feelings with his quips, but she knew deep down that the innkeeper was worried for her.

His veiled figure appeared in her mind's eye as she tried to find anything remotely useful in her memory about his clothing, or cloak, or weapon, or even the mask. "That must be the centerpiece of the puzzle," she theorized. A mask of pure white, think and durable. The feeling of it being made of marble or some other stone didn't leave her. It almost had a familiar feeling, but she couldn't point out why. After a while, she gave up on analyzing her future travel companion. The more she thought about him, the more tired she'd get as the mysteries kept piling on and on. At the very least, her eyes were finally fluttering shut as exhaustion slowly sent her to sleep...

"It's always darkest before dawn," he always said.
It didn't make sense for Mikri at that time, but she let it slide - seeing him beaming with light was enough to make her coldness melt away. Those nights under the starry sky were the most blessed days of her young adulthood, fresh out the doors of the University, ready to make a name for herself in the Exalted community - Fates, to make a name for herself in the greater world! There were so many places to discover and the unknown was beckoning to them to venture onward. A lifetime of adventures.
Together.

The girl woke up as an insistent tippy-tap at the door turned into hard knocks. "MIKRII! MOVE YER BLOODY BUM OUTTA YER BED!" the innkeeper's voice boomed through the thick wooden planks, making the door shake in its frame, jolting the poor woman back to life. "Shut up, Halias!" she mustered, slowly rising herself on her elbows, then on her arms, then finally on her feet. She opened the door and went past the bulky man, going straight outside through the back of the inn to wash her face at the well. Taking a cup of clear water, Mikri splashed her face, the cold cleaning all remnants of sleep. It was nothing new for her, of course; even as a child, the girl had hated rainstorms. Plus, she would always have nightmares before venturing into the wild with new companions.

Not many people were curious enough to visit the Other Side, especially the Rift. The whole geographical anomaly was well-known to be the killer of many adventurers - to have an expedition there would be the same as signing your own demise. Still, there would be an occasional noble every couple of months, vain people with thick pockets looking for new ways to reflect their superiority in face of their friends and family. And no matter how much she hated it deep inside, Mikri had gotten very good at showing the points of interests, as well as keeping her clients safe. "The guide nobody asked for in this damned edge of the world," she mumbled for herself, going back inside to eat some breakfast.

"So. Still worried about me, big guy?" Mikri asked, stuffing her mouth with eggs and slices of ham between words. "I told you I'll be fine. I'm always fine." Halias just looked at her, or rather through her, his eyes unfocused as he sat in front of the woman. "'Course I'm worried about ye, Mik," he said after a while. "But I know yer capable, Caretaker bless ye. Thing is, yer pushing ye'self too much. Look, I... ye know... and I know why ye do these bloody walks for coin, but..." He struggled to find his words, the correct words, if such a thing would even exist. "Ye know that... Ye know these bloody lands take from ye-" "I know that, Halias," the girl cut him short. "I know the Rift takes, and I know that when it takes, it takes," she minced her words, her knuckle gripping tighter the fork. She raised her head to meet his gaze furiously, only to be met by a concerned sadness. She lowered her shoulders ever so slightly. "I-I'm sorry, Halias. It's... You know how it is. I can't just sit here and do nothing, right?" The innkeeper lowered his head with a nod. "I prepared ye something for the road. Ye should get movin', Mik. Yer friend asked me earlier when yer coming."

Mikri went back into her room to get herself ready. Her backpack was laid on the bed, two thirds full of stuff like clothing and survival tools. A red resin-looking substance glimmered in the light from inside a glass bottle, next to a pair of knives and a small climbing pickaxe. She placed the food from Halias on top of the rest and equipped her trusty shortsword. She took another look around herself, looking for something she might have forgotten, and when she was sure nothing was missing, she grabbed the bag and left her room. Alh'igri was waiting for her at the entrance of the inn, alongside the keeper and another man, larger than the masked companion, sporting thick brows and an aprehensive frown. "I sure hope they'll pay me well," she sighed before joining them.