The Horned Child of Reaver and Baroness

ENDLINGS

"It's been nearly a month since I left town. Food is scarce and I'm starving. Can't you give me a little nibble?" I pleaded with the woman before me, carrying an apple in her mouth. She just tilted her head to the side before prancing through a nearby brush. "This is what I get for expecting help from a doe."

I was nearing the end of my rope. I carried none of the bags I planned on bringing with me, and I couldn't hunt to save my life. Not to mention not knowing how to forage. I was beginning to regret having uncle Noah teach me swordsmanship instead of hunting and gathering.

It felt like the next step could be my last as I wavered in and out of consciousness. This was the third forest I entered in a sea of planes. It made sense why there were no towns between them. There was no food.

As I accepted the hollow sounds from my gut as a signal of my demise, I heard a sharp rustling in the bushes. Too tired to fight any dangers, I turned and watched as a handful of apples spilled onto the ground, followed by the nose of the very doe I dismissed.

It wasn't much, but it was enough to get me back on my feet. I thanked her with a hug and head-pats. She licked my face before prancing away again.

I continued on my way out of the forest. That's when I realized I was a stone's throw from a town as I saw an arrow-shaped sign that read 'Appelstad'

Hanging my head low in embarrassment, I nearly kicked myself. If I just kept going a little longer, I'd have seen that a town named after an abundance of food was right in front of me.

I followed the arrow down the road and came upon a town gate. The sign on the wooden gate confirmed that this was the town the sign was pointing to.

The town looked similar to the one I grew up in except for the constant depictions of apples everywhere I looked. It was midday so most of the shops were open and some had free samples laid out for travelers like me.

Everything from apple tarts and chocolate-dipped apples to applesauce and apple juice. everywhere I looked was an apple. Even the weapon shop had an apple shield on display.

The only thing that wasn't apple-centric was the guildhall. There was a heavy atmosphere, and it felt like all hell could break loose at any moment.

Across from the entrance stood a bar and next to it was a cork wall plastered with jobs and bounties. Being without money, I figured I'd take on a job as an adventurer, but as I approached the board, I heard a voice call out to me.

"Hey horny girl, over here!" I looked to my left to see a woman in a red bandanna and brown leather padded clothing with a blue tattoo in a straight line over her left eye and down her face. She was sitting at a table with a mug in her hand. There were a few others sitting with her, but she was the one who called me out. "Looking for a job?"

I nodded, and the woman motioned for me to join them. Once I reached the table, she spoke again.

"The name's Vera. This here's my man Cyrus." Next to her, a tall man with short, dark hair under a steel light helmet and minimal armor gave a nod while drinking down his mug. "Over there, we have Jefford." She gestured to a man wielding a halberd in heavy blue armor. His stare was both piercing and calming but I couldn't see anything beyond that. "And Sandra." The last person at the table was dressed similarly to me but her clothes had a green trim and she held a quarterstaff.

"I'm Scarlet," I said, looking over the group. "Are you guys part of a guild?"

"We are a guild" She took a swig from her mug. "We're the Endlings, know what that means?"

"Umm... No?"

"It means We're the last of our kind." She took another swig and finished off her drink. "Not explicitly, though. People like us are just extremely rare in this world." She motioned around the table again. "I'm a half-elf, Cyrus is part Dragon borne, Sandra's an Aasimar, and Jefford is a Mer-man." She looked me up and down. "So, what are you?"