The rain poured endlessly, like the road they were on.
Everyone was together, yet their thoughts were far away from each other. The only sounds that could be heard near them were of rain and horse foot tapping on ground.
Yet they remained silent. Everyone was in grief. Grief for the loss of their newest and strongest member of the guild.
Alan was silent. Despite his wrist got cut off, he kept his calm. Just a regret of joining them could be sensed from his teeth grinning against each other.
John was left in an endless grief and sadness. His consoling for himself from earlier didn't work. His grip around the rope with which his horse was tied was just getting tighter, and tighter.
(Was it really my fault? I planned to cut of his hand regardless…damn it!)
Ethan was trying to figure out about who could've done it and how Alan's was hand unhealable.
They kept pushing forward despite the rain and tragedy. The silence finally broke. The soldier finally saw the end of the road. The end gave the beginning of a new city which was almost four miles away from them. This city was the smallest in the Bloodied Rimora. The City of island which is submerged.
This city was not as lively as Alan's city.
The guild and group entered the city through tall copper gates. There was one market with half of the shops closed. There were no children running across the streets. A straight pathway was infront of them that lead them to a warp, a portal. On either side of the pathway were the shops of the market.
No houses in particular. Just the shops. The place wasn't suspicious but unique. They all get off their horses, leash in their hands.
They walked to the shops that were currently open. 2 shops of food and supplies, 3 shops for clothing and accessories, 2 shops for weapons and sorceries, and one strange shop with no one inside and was made of black and old cloth tent.
John and his guild members went to the food and supplies shop. Soldier and goblins went to the weapons and sorceries shop. John stood there, with Alan. With an awkward silence. The shop was full of authentic flavored meats and different types of healing pills.
(What should I buy…?)
John turns toward Alan, who is pointing at a specific type of meat cornered and covered by others.
(Why that one?)
John ignores it, looking at Alan makes him return back to his grieving personality.
He quietly buys some healing pills and summons Ethan. Ethan with half sleepy eyes kneels in front of John.
"What happened, Ethan?"
With a hasty voice, Ethan replies.
"My lord…I've been trying to figure out about what happened…"
His body rolling here and there like a drunkard.
John hand him some money and asks Ethan to buy something to eat while he is gone.
Ethan grabs the money and John leaves.
He wanders through the streets and closed shops and tries to calm himself down.
He suddenly gets a glance on an opened shop with no one standing or sitting inside it. He walks toward the tent. The tent lingered with a strange smell. A musky smell…familiar, yet can't be described.
(What is this smell! And….wait, someone is in there?)
He slightly bends down and uses his left hand to rearrange the tent so that he can enter the tent. The tent's cloth was linen. It had a liquid on it. John enters the tent and looks at this fingers. He rubs his fingers against each other before smelling them.
(This smell…)
He completely forgot he was in a shop.
A unique and old yawning voice from inside the tent woke him up from his thoughts. John rubbed his hands and looked up. The tent was black from inside with a small brown round table centered in the middle. Small distance next to the table was a shelf with different types of books on it. Most of them were related to Magic, sorcery and ritual.
John looked in the direction from where the voice called him.
"I'm sorry. I was just checking out the shop."
John saw an old lady who sat on the opposite side of the roundtable. She wore a black cloak with the hooded part slightly torn.
With a small smile on his face, John finally asked.
"So…what is this shop about??"
The old woman returned a smirk.
"This shop is for those curious minds who want to know about what they did, what they are doing or what they might do."
John pauses for a second. He scratches the back of his head in a slight shock and confusion.
"So…you can tell me about my…future??"
With a strong gaze, old woman replied.
"Indeed! I am Melanie…Melanie Carlson"
John nods and gets curious about his future. He replies with an awkward tone.
"Nice to meet you, Mrs. Carlson, I am John. So, can you perhaps…tell me about my future?? Like what I will become or where will I be??"
*smirk*
"Your future huh? Lets see."
She suddenly claps with her hands. Her hands stuck to each other, as they got away, three dice fell from the thin air on the table.
(Impressive!)
She then scatters the dice cubes on the table, creating a ritualistic triangle. Then she takes a small pin and pokes her index finger with it, resulting in small bleeding. She then used it to connect all three dice cubes with blood line. Then she lit a small candle and put in the middle of the triangle and the table. Then she asked John for his hand. He resisted at first but then let go off it anyway.
She poked his hand with the pin as well. He closed his right eye a bit and got stressed. But the pain was less than expected. She then placed his poked finger at a certain height from the candle. Then, one drop of blood fell on the lit up candle. It fell directly on the flame. A spark occurred three times.
And the flame was gone…
Then,
Out of nowhere,
A thin paper appeared floating on the candle. It was white with some golden words written on it.
Malenie then took the paper and smiled.
"Alright…lets see what your future says about you!"
She took a look at the paper.
Her eyes were in shock.
The paper fell from her hands subconsciously.
She rushed to grab the paper again. She picks up the paper with her shivering, old and wrinkled hands.
She takes a look at John with fear in her eyes.
"S-so it is you after all…."