"Nam-chan, I have to get home now. Trebor's going to be furious with me already." Ebony hugged her friend Namten and left the tavern.
Namten's other friend, Myran was surrounded by amazingly cute guys. (As usual... Why can't I be as popular as her? I'm actually more lucky than her in the T & A department.)
"Um, excuse me. All the other tables are full. Do you mind if I sit at yours?" Namten looked up into the startingly blue eyes of a really cute golden-haried young man.
"Yes, of course. I don't mind." Namten returned to being envious of Myran. (Namten, think a moment!You have a cute guy right next to you! Talk to him!) She turned to talk to the young man next to her, and found him reading a manga. "You like mangas?"
"Huh? Oh yes, I like reading them. They help me escape this reality which we live in, even if only for a little while." He smiled a flashing, dazzling smile which made Namten shiver mentally. (Woah... I have a feeling those teeth can be deadly if he wants them to be... Odd...) She smiled back and got out her own manga book and continued reading from where she left off.
Kirana ran through the trees, trying to shake off her pursuers. She had to get to the cabin and warn Riantya of the news. She jumped from one tree to the next, barely dodging the shurikens and kunais flying towards her.
This continued on for about an hour. Finally the group gave up and vanished. Kirana kept moving though, unsure about the situation and whether they'd be back or not. After she was sure she was alone, she continued on to Riantya's cabin.
She approached the property line and stopped, taking the air for a new unfamiliar scent. What used to smell like cherries, almonds, and vanilla as Riantya's signature natural scent now smelled like death, blood, and a fierce intention of murder. Kirana's eyes narrowed. Ria gets ill if she catches scent of this sort of thing. Which means that someone's taken over her house.
She caught an extremely faint scent of Ria towards the east and followed it. She was certain she was on the trial, because every few miles or so the scent would grow gradually stronger.
She kept moving until she reached another cabin over twenty miles away from Riantya's. But that's the hermit's cabin! No one dares go inside! Yet her scent is strong here as if she's lived here for her whole life! Kirana was suspicious and knocked on the door. Eerily the door opened and Kirana stepped in, smelling Riantya's scent and a recent cooking of her famous stew. She stepped into the bedroom, where the scent was at its strongest mixed with a scent of pure content. Meaning Ria does live here! She's snared the cranky hermit! Kirana found the old jewelry box and opened it, finding a fresh scroll tied with black ribbon. Recognizing Riantya's handwriting in the form of her name, Kirana picked it up and opened it carefully.
Dear Kirana,
Hey I knew you'd be coming while I was out on some wild goose chase with Lothar. We're heading to the Kingdom's valley and to the castle. Lothar's the Prince and we're getting this all sorted out eventually. We're taking the old cavern portals to get there before the first frost, so hopefully you'll catch up to us. It's time to reclaim our old pasts, Kirana. Time to reunite the Kingdoms.
Please come. We need to talk about things.
Best wishes and swift speed to you,
Ria
Kirana rolled the scroll back up and put in her pocket. The Wirantal Valley, home to the Larima Royal Family. Kirana walked out of the house, taking care to shut the door.
"Lothar! When are we going to stop and rest?" Riantya asked as she kept up to Lothar easily. They had been traveling towards a certain destination, following Riantya's memories of its location. She said she was looking for the hidden caves and she would know they found it on sight.
Lothar stopped and smiled. "Let's keep moving until we reach this cave you're talking about. Then we can rest. Unless you want me to carry you for a while?" He turned around and squatted so she could hop up onto his back.
She smiled. "No thanks. I can keep going until we reach the cave." She started walking again and stopped suddenly. "Besides, we're here already."
Lothar looked around. "Ria, I don't see a cave anywhere. Are you sure this is it?"
Riantya nodded and stepped foward straight into a dense clump of trees. Suddenly she disappeared, causing Lothar to rush foward and examine the trees. Then Riantya's hand shot out and grabbed his wrist, pulling him through a well-made illusion. "Sure, I'm sure. When am I not?" She chuckled and created a fireball as a source of light and began walking further into the cave.
Lothar followed. "So how does this cut our travel time in half again?"
Riantya chuckled at his forgetfulness. "There's a portal of some sort that'll take us to a hidden cave near the village and out first stop. I've never seen the portal with my own eyes, but sometimes I can sense the presence of it. Like now, as we get closer I can feel its radiating powers of teleportation grow faintly stronger."