The villages could be either almost abandoned or thriving places that could compete even with towns. It all depended on what the village had to offer. Most often, villages grew thanks to their convenient location.
If a village was located near a road or, even better, near an intersection, it became a trading hub.
The Boneveil Village had roads to other places like any other village, but it was far from the trading network. In such a case, the village had only one choice to earn its place under the sun — to have strong people in its ranks, namely hunters.
Crackle. Crackle. Crackle.
The crackling came from the red flames of the bonfire, many people gathered around, but not just to keep warm on this evening. Two men pressed down on the lever, turning the great bull as its skin slowly roasted to crispness.
"Hehehe, I can't wait! Today was a good day!" The young man exclaimed, sitting too close to the fire.
The man next to him nodded. "Indeed. There were many beasts at the Hard Plain today. It was one of the best we could get as a main course."
"Hah, imagine what would have happened if old man Grender had come with us! We would have a whole monster for dinner instead of a bull!"
The young men were particularly lively, but the other villagers didn't mind joining in the conversation. After all, it was another quiet evening, or... at least it was supposed to be.
A shout from one of the guards rang out at the edge of the village:
"Stop right there! Don't you dare take another step!"
Everyone nearby turned around. The hunters were on alert, staring at the three figures standing in the middle of the main road.
For some reason, the three strangers said nothing.
"Why...?" Why are they silent?" someone asked.
The man frowned. "They're waiting."
"Agh? For what?"
Crack.
At the same moment, the door of the large house opened as a middle-aged man in a heavy coat came out. Wrinkles and a few gray strands of hair betrayed his age, but his thick beard, brown hair, and green eyes inspired caution in enemies and trust in allies.
"Mr. Grender!" The guard exclaimed. "We have to deal with them, they look like criminals from prison! They must have escaped!"
As soon as the other residents took a closer look at Kreyn, Daren, and Liam, they realized this, too. This could not help but cause panic, but as soon as Grender raised his hand, silence fell.
"You three," his dry voice rang out. "Which one of you is the leader?"
Without a word, Daren and Liam pointed to Kreyn, who stepped forward and extended his hand, but Grender was in no hurry to respond to the handshake.
"How strange. That one..." Grender pointed at Daren. "Definitely from prison, I can see it in his eyes. The young one looks too innocent, and you..."
Grender narrowed his eyes, staring at Kreyn.
"You are a threat. Why shouldn't I kill you right now for the sake of saving the village?"
His aura burst forth, becoming the center of attention. After all, Grender was one of the two Origins of the Boneveil Village.
"I have several reasons!" Kreyn held up three fingers. "First, I came not to fight but with a proposal. Second, I don't think it's in your best interest to ruin your relationship with the new warden of the Dark Hand Prison. And third..."
A smirk spread across Kreyn's face. "You will lose. Even if you're stronger than us, you care about these people, it's obvious. If I have to fight for my life, I'll play dirty."
Before Grender could respond, a tall shadow blocked the light from the fire.
"What the hell is going on?!"
All eyes turned to the woman with fiery red hair and an equally striking temper.
Grender looked back over his shoulder. "What can I say. Looks like we have guests, Judith, interesting ones."
...
The sun set below the horizon as darkness enveloped the Boneveil Village, but for such a strong village, night was not a problem. It was an opportunity to rest and share food at the same table with friends or new acquaintances:
A large piece of meat framed by vegetables was in the center of a table with six special people.
Grender was on the right, Judith was in the middle, and to her left was a man with a curled mustache and a displeased look on his face. His name was Malin.
Liam was too shy to start eating, while Daren had already eaten two steaks, devouring piece after piece.
Kreyn, in turn, just rotated an apple in his hand, glancing at Judith from time to time.
"So, the three of you run this village, and you," he pointed at Judith, "are the boss here, right?"
Judith leaned forward with a smirk.
"Yes, I am. Grender is in charge of hunting. Malin is in charge of trade, and I'm kind of the leader. Also..." She narrowed her eyes. "I'm the strongest here, and if you prison escapees try anything, I won't send you back, I'll dump your bodies in the swamps."
Liam flinched, Daren didn't even react, continuing to eat, and Kreyn took a bite of an apple.
"You misunderstood us. We are not escapees. Now, we are representatives of the prison. The entire Dark Hand Prison is under my control. The former warden works for us, the prisoners have accepted us as their leaders, and most importantly, Enor of the Wurhen Family is dead, and Laura von Wurhen is our hostage."
Their eyes widened as Malin's jaw dropped onto the table.
"Nonsense!" he exclaimed. "Are you saying that a few inmates took over the entire prison in a day?"
"Hold on." Judith stopped him. "Kreyn, you said you killed Enor. How did you do it?"
Kreyn grinned. "With an Arakta Worm. It just ate his summoned creature. Well, we also had dynamite, lots of dynamite."
"Khm." Grender coughed. "Let's say that sounds plausible. But why did you come here? I hope you understand that this village will never belong to you."
"Of course." Kreyn waved his hand carelessly and then pulled out the Cinder Root.
Malin's frown softened. When he saw something valuable or profitable, he forgot about everything else.
"This is my gift to you." He threw the crystal to Judith. "What about my goal? I need allies, because sooner or later the Wurhen Family will come after us."
Judith's gaze darkened.
"What are you willing to offer in return?"
Kreyn interlaced his fingers.
"Trade. Hunting and swamps are fine, but now you have the opportunity to gain access to the Worm Mine and Worm Crystals. Before, this was impossible because of the Wurhen Family, but now the prison belongs to me!"
Grender and Judith exchanged glances while Malin's eyes shone brightly, reflecting the gold coins.
"Interesting... But first, I want to see what you're capable of."
Kreyn shrugged.
"Fair enough."