"Sir! Sir!
Ennu's panicked shouting rippled through Hanitz's bedroom like a stone breaking still water.
The giant lay, sprawled across his enormous bed, wrapped in the finest fur blanket that could be brought in Eldenreach.
He groaned as the voice began piercing into his dreams.
After drinking nearly half the town's ale supply the previous night, the Guild Master had sworn he would spend his morning staying in his room, catching up on some well-deserved rest, as there was no chance the demon-eyed adventurer would be banging on his door at dawn.
"Sir, It's urgent!" Ennu continued.
Hanitz blinked, one eye half open.
"Girl," he mumbled, his deep voice barely audible. "I swear to the creator, there best be a dragon attacking the town-"
The bedroom door slammed open.
Ennu stood in the doorway, trembling, cheeks flushed with terror.
"There's not sir! Lady Mera is at the front door, shouting to come in."
Hanitz's remaining eye snapped open.
"What does she want?" Hanitz replied. His tone thick with annoyance.
"I don't know sir, she said something about a giant oaf sending an injured boy-"
Ennu's shaking got worse "I don't want to repeat the rest sir".
The giant placed both of his hands over his eyes, a yawn escaping.
What's with that witch's obsession with the lad?
"Let her in and tell her I'll be down soon."
Hanitz wrestled with his clothes. Almost ripping them as he threw them on. The Apothecary's appearance had clearly soured his mood, so he was taking it out on his stuff.
Heavy footsteps shook the guild hall as he barrelled down the hallway. Slamming each door as he passed.
He finally reached the main hall. Mera sat at a table, crossed arms waiting.
Her furrowed brow created the perfect m shape on her forehead.
Hanitz approached, raising his finger and walking towards the Apothecary.
"Now listen here – "
Mera immediately stood up defensively. "Don't take that tone with me," she cracked, cutting the giant off midway through his sentence.
"If it's about the lad, he's the best we've got. You've seen what I have to put up with around here". Hanitz snapped back.
"It's not about the boy, though you do have the brain of a pig for sending him. I understand why". Mera's voice eased as she sat back down.
Hanitz followed suit.
"Well, spit it out".
"Someone was in my house last night, but nothing was taken" Gabriel's door was left open. When I went to sleep last night, it was closed." She looked the giant in his eyes.
"Find them and find out why."
Hanitz softened his voice, "I will, Lady Mera, I will".
…
Gabriel and Tess had continued their journey at first light, the pair were now only a day away from Blackhaven if they kept up the pace.
Tess couldn't suffer the silence she went through yesterday, so today's march was filled with a mainly one-sided conversation.
"Is there any more people after us?" she quipped
"I don't know, I can't hear or smell anyone else," Gabriel replied more conversational than usual.
She nodded in agreement, "And how does that work? Normal people don't smell people from that kind of distance".
"We were taught to all our senses in the Pal-". He stopped. "Where I was trained."
Tess caught on to his slip of the tongue. "So, you were trained?"
Gabriel nodded, showing he wasn't interested in continuing the conversation.
The sun was shining down, reflecting off the icy blanket that covered the uneven field they were crossing.
The rest of the day and night passed with no incidents.
Until finally they could smell the ocean.
The birds were squawking in the sky, looking for any scraps found on the ground or any easy prey they could snatch from the waters.
Zanthea was made up of three kingdoms, the Northern kingdom, the Central kingdom and the Southern kingdom.
Blackhaven was a small fishing village nestled in the east of the Northern kingdom.
The sun had begun lowering in the sky as they approached.
"I thought it would be bigger", Tess said, turning her head side to side.
Gabriel dismissed her remarks, "We need to find somewhere to sleep for the evening, you don't hunt a vampire at night".
Tess agreed as the two began walking through the village.
They stumbled upon a tavern, which from the outside just looked like a two-story house with tables and a bar inside. The smell reminded Tess of passed-out people who were thrown out of the Guild by Hanitz, covered in their own piss and shit.
Tess walked in.
One person stood behind the bar serving the only patron present.
The server spoke whilst cleaning a wooden cup with a dirty rag.
"You want a room, two copper coins, and you get some fresh fish for dinner."
Tess turned her nose upwards. Knowing full well, this is the only place in the village they would be able to find a bed.
"One copper coin, plus you need to fetch us some fresh water."
The server and the patron both began to laugh.
Gabriel, hearing the negotiations, walked into the tavern. The candlelight hit his eyes, illuminating his deep red iris.
The two stopped laughing.
"Aye, miss, one copper coin. I'll fetch the water now. The rooms upstairs."
Tess turned to Gabriel, a smug look written across her face. "See."
The pair walked upstairs to their room. It was dingy, cold, and wet. It had a rotten bedframe with hay that looked like it had been mixed with horse muck. The smell was much worse than it was downstairs in the bar.
But it spared the two from the elements, so they sucked it up.
Tess unrolled her bedroll onto the bed, and Gabriel threw his on the floor. The dynamics were clear enough not to be spoken. Tess was getting the bed, no matter its state, and Gabriel the floor.
By the time they received their fish and fresh water, the sun had faded from the sky, its place stolen from the perfectly symmetrical moon.
Gabriel was lying on the floor, eyes closed, not yet asleep, but exhaustion was making it very difficult to keep them open. The past two nights, he hadn't slept a wink, standing guard without Tess's knowledge.
Tess was still attempting to break the silence, but the former Paladin couldn't force any words out to appease her.
He answered. But only in his head.