Me and Vanessa are walking through the forest now. My skeletons have spread out around us, which she has accepted. I hope that she can get more used to being around me. I think that if I just keep being myself then she will eventually come around though. After all, I’m not just going to be killing people right and left. And even if I do I cant raise them anyways.
The forest is as calm as ever, the sun shines through the trees and the grass and ferns sway on the ground. We have been walking for hours now. I don’t really know how she is leading me in the first place. I mean she was knocked out on the way out here. What gives?
When I ask she reached her hand into her pocket and pulled out a small stone. In her cupped hand, it moves from the middle and smacks itself against the front fingers, holding itself there at an angle that a normal rock would have trouble.
“It’s a home stone. A Basic piece of adventuring equipment. You can bind it to a location with magic and it will seek to return there, no matter where you are.”
“That’s amazing! All of the little things you can do with magic must be uncountable!”
For the first time since meeting her, I see her crack a smile. It was gone in a second but I find a wide grin peeling across my face when I see it.
We walk like this for hours. It’s surprisingly peaceful, barring of course the random boar attacks. They are pounced on by the skeletons and though they may take a few casualties, I can raise them faster than they fall.
We don’t talk much, neither of us is willing to start a conversation. Though I thought about it many times. I don’t want to pry into her life you know? And I don’t want to assault her with questions either. It might be necessary at some points but I don’t even know what questions to ask anyways. I’ll ask about things as we come to them. No harm in that.
After a while longer the trees abruptly come to a stop up ahead. Cut to stumps before the land turns to a grass field of about thigh height. We draw closer to this line and from there I can see it. Stationed on a small river with short stone walls on all sides. Houses and streets stretch in unordered blocks and winding alleys.
As I’m about to come out from the treeline which is about half a mile from this city, Vanessa quickly stops me.
“You don’t want that kind of attention.” She points at the skeletons around us. “These things won’t find you anything but trouble in this city. Trust me.”
It’s a bit of a leap to trust someone who has threatened to kill me so much. But who else can I trust? Plus what she says makes sense. Even if I am reluctant about leaving my main fighting force behind, if what she assumed about me before is the same with everyone in this town… I don’t want to be the person who’s on the receiving end of that.
I walk back and stash my skeletons in the woods as out of sight as I can before walking back to Vanessa and we start our walk towards the city. It’s dusk as we reach the gates.
The Guards there eye me with suspicion before Vanessa comes in front of me. They relax a bit and let us through. One of them slings a “Who’s the stray?” But she doesn’t answer, and soon we are inside the city.
People! Not just thugs or assassins sneaking around but plain clothes people! I have never been so relieved to see such a normal looking populous! Normal looking for the time of this world anyways, they seem to be wearing a mix of fashions but mostly clothes that look inexpensive. Thankfully though, there are many colors in the fabric. It’s not just a wash of tan black and brown, but an assortment that makes a rainbow wish it had more.
Before I can start my torrent of observations to Vanessa she quickly spins her head towards me.
“I have some business to take care of. I’ll meet you by the gates in the morning.”
With that small stream of words and a snarl in her voice, she rushes away and before I can get my head around what she said, she’s already gone.
“But where should I go?” My question vanishes into the slight breeze and the bustle around me.
