Crystal Magic Adventure: A Tale of Discovery

Chapter 12: Cimia

As is normal for hard-working people, the townsfolk of Cimia also rose with the dawn. Vendors were busily dusting their stalls and setting up their wares. Town officials were heading towards the town hall, ready to spend their entire day listening to the disputes of bickering peasants. The town preacher, too, was an early riser, fanatically preaching and screaming his lungs out now that people were awake enough to listen. More than a month ago, he used to preach how God loved them all and how it gave them life. But now, his new topic was about the world's end and how piety was the only way to stop it.
Amidst all of this, newcomers were beginning to flock to the main road as the guards once again opened the gates for the day. Most of them were merchants looking to barter their goods. Some were mercenaries looking for some muscle work, or just drifters looking for hard labor to fill their bellies. Among them, a pale girl was sticking out like a sore thumb with her wide hat. A crystal was hanging from her hip, reflecting the early morning sun.

After passing through the iron portcullis, a familiar voice rang in the girl's mind.
"The security here is terrible compared to Rath."

The girl looked behind her. People were still flooding into the town, but the guards weren't searching for anyone at all. Either the security here was terrible, like Crystal said or Rath was incredibly well-defended.

Turning her head back, the girl continued walking.
"I wonder if Nure followed us."

"Even if he didn't, he certainly alerted the rest. We should have taken care of him when we had the chance."

"No, Crystal. He was only doing what he was told. You heard what he said; he'd rather die than face whoever sent him."

"That means we would have done him a favor, Lila. He's going to live the rest of his days being pursued."

"Like us?" Lila thought.

"We aren't living in fear, girl. You still have me. All he has is the dirty rag he wears on his back."

Living in fear, huh? She has been doing that since the night she took Crystal out of the cave, but she never had the chance to admit it until her confrontation with Nure. Now that she was aware of the people looking for her, that fear did nothing but grow. This is the reason why she decided to camp in the mornings and move only when it was dark after she left Rath four days ago.

Lila suddenly hesitated. She was planning to look for a tavern, but that might not be the best idea when there were people after her. She had gotten used to camping, so maybe camping outside the walls was the safer option. However, if she did that, the barkeep might not be so keen on pointing her to a job. Besides, if she spent her money on supplies rather than buying a room, she would still need a job to buy more supplies to last until the next town. She made up her mind; whether it was safe or not, she still needed that tavern room. And if anything happens, she could just barricade her door and wait it out until help arrives. There were guards inside towns, and it was their job to protect people, right?

With this, Lila started to follow the main road to find the local tavern. If all the other towns were like Rath, it must be close to one of the gates. A while later, she was proven correct. It didn't take long for her to see a hanging sign with a shabby depiction of a beer mug on it. She raced to the thick wooden door of the tavern and went inside, immediately shutting it behind her after her entry. She peeked inside the tavern before doing anything else.
At first glance, it didn't look that different than the one in Rath, but once Lila took a better look, she noticed that this one was much bigger. The interior was sufficiently lit, and the tables were neatly organized, save for a few that were occupied. The walls had the heads of many different animals as decoration—a bit grim but certainly good enough for this rustic tavern. As usual, a barkeep was behind the counter, cleaning mugs.