"Where is Ceylon's whereabouts?"
"His exact location is unknown, but he is somewhere along the West coast near the city of Volance," Althe says, his hands appearing out from under the wings draped down his frame to hold out a small piece of paper. A map of Sylle has been drawn on the paper, and a large red circle covers a broad area of the West coast. "The circled area is the estimated whereabouts of Ceylon. He's hidden well, so finding him will be difficult."
Nai nods and pockets the map before making his way to the door Althe first entered the room through. Before Nai can step through the doorway, Althe blocks his way, arms stretched wide. "Where are you going?"
"To find Ceylon, where else?"
"Without stocking up on gear for our travels first?"
Nai cocks his head to the side. "'Our'? You're not coming with me."
A surprised expression crosses Althe's face. "Of course I am? You'll need someone to help with directions, and finances. Do you plan on starving to death? Or freezing because you can't afford a room at an inn? I am able to provide anything that you need to complete this task. Just say the word, and it's yours."
"Are you able to leave this place right away?" Nai folds his arms across his chest. "I would like to leave as soon as possible. The faster we go, the faster I get this thing over with."
Althe nods. "I am ready whenever you are."
And with that, the two men leave without a moment's hesitation, Althe in the lead, directing them down the many roads, and Nai following close behind.
The path winds through a lush forest. Birds chirp in the warm evening light, and green bushes rustle as small critters run around the forest floor. Death is a peaceful place, filled with nothingness. A happy feeling enters Nai's mind, for it has been what felt like an eternity since he saw such sights.
"Althe, tell me something," Nai says after hours of silent walking, "How long was I dead for?"
Althe pushes back a branch that was blocking their path, and waits for Nai to walk past before letting the branch swing back to its original position. "It has been a few centuries, your highne - Nai. Although the world hasn't changed much after your passing. It turned even more corrupt than it already was, and Demons started to take over - again, even more so than they already had. Your kingdom turned to ashes after your murder, as the rebellion that set up your assassination overtook the throne. They didn't last long either. Power got to their head. One of their leaders even turned into a Demon - "
"All that time and another Blessing of the Sun was never created?"
The other man shakes his head. "I guess Sorelia couldn't be bothered to create another. I mean no offense when I say this, but you were supposed to be immortal - completely untouchable. At least, that's what the prophecy stated. After you had failed in your mission to bring peace to the land, she might have thought it a waste of time to try again."
"If I were Sorelia, I would have started again," Nai says, staring at his feet as he walks. "Learn from the fatal flaws of the first and keep trying until I get it right. You can't let faults of one mean the downfall of many. They should have learned from my design and altered it, removing the weaknesses. Then, the world wouldn't have been in this mess."
Althe sighs. "Sorelia doesn't care about us, Nai. That is why they never learned from your mistakes and rebuilt another Blessing. They couldn't care less about us mortals, otherwise they wouldn't have had to create a Blessing in the first place. They would have just fixed our problems themselves."
In death, this thought had popped into Nai's head before. But he concluded that this finding wasn't logical. Sorelia, the god of all gods, had created humanity. If they didn't care about us mortals, why would they have created them in the first place?
The two tread on in silence for a long collection of hours, until the warm afternoon sunlight turned into brisk, dull moonlight. A shiver runs down Nai's spine. He always hated the dark. His Blessing was always substantially weaker during the night, and assassins would consistently take advantage of that fact.
"Althe," Nai mumbles, "is there a town nearby we can rest at?"
Althe spins around and raises an eyebrow. He opens his mouth to speak, then closes it again, hesitating to speak. His brow lowers and he lets out a small sigh. "Of course there is. My apologies, I forgot it is your first day back, you must be tired. I assumed you would be capable of travelling for days on end, but I was wrong. You must need to consume food, too, don't you? There is a town not far from here, we can pass through, find food, and an inn to rest in for the night. Follow this way."
The two continue on in silence for another hour or so, until a soft, yellow glow appears through the tree line. Their trail leads to a large clearing filled with tightly packed houses, soft lights and warmth escaping through tiny windows. The streets are quite lively, despite being so late into the evening. There's bustle in one particular building, brighter and louder than the rest. Althe guides Nai towards it.
"I'd say this is the town's tavern," Althe says, eyes wandering to two burly men stumbling into each other, words slurring as they cuss each other out for bumping into the other. The two travelers wander past the crowd that has gathered to watch the drunken fight. "We'll be able to find some food here, and possibly find the whereabouts of an inn."
Althe plants himself at a seat at the long, winding bar, lined with men and women hastily scoffing down drinks and food as if their lives depended on it. Nai steps past an old man, unsteady on his drunken feet, and pulls up a chair next to Nai.
The woman behind the bar, with an uneasy look planted across her face, glides over to the two. She smiles a tired smile and tilts her head to the side. "'Ow are you two gentlemen tonight? Fancy a drink, or per'aps a feed?"
Althe gives the woman a warm smile. "No drinks tonight, thank you, but we are quite famished. What would you recommend?"
As Althe engages in conversation with the bartender, Nai's eyes wander around the room. The tavern is quite large, bigger than any other building they had walked past. All of the passersby on the streets seemed to be either coming from here, or walking to it.
A large, rough hand grabs Nai's shoulder, spinning him around in his chair, snapping him out of his thoughts. Nai is met with an aging, sunburned, and scarred man's face, inches away from his own. The scent of alcohol in the man's breath punches Nai in his face, scrunching his nose slightly in retaliation. The man holds a large jug of brown sludge in the hand that isn't grasping Nai's shoulder firmly.
"You not from 'round 'ere, are ya?" The man's words are loud and slurred. Nai pries the man's fingers from his shoulder.
"Indeed, I am not,"
The drunken man takes a swig from his glass. "What, what brings you fancy lookin' lads 'ere, then?"
"Food."
"How 'bout a drink, too? Ya, ya look tired, ya do. Nice cold pint would, would do ya well. Elzabet!" - the lady behind the bar stops mid-conversation with Althe, glancing at the drunken man - "A pint on me for these youn' ones 'ere!"
Elzabet nods slightly, ducking behind the counter momentarily before resurfacing with two large glasses. She starts to fill them with the pungent brown sludge that every other person in the tavern chugs. Althe and Nai share a brief glance.
"We really shouldn't accept this," Althe says, "We've a big day tomorrow - it wouldn't be wise."
The drunken man shifts from Nai's side to squeeze in-between the two travelers. "Oh don't be a coward, it's jus' a drink!"
Nai tilts his head to the side. "I mean, it is free. Don't have alcohol in the afterlife."
The man slaps Nai on the back, laughing heartily. "See, your friend 'ere seems fine with it, why don't ya?"
Althe sighs and closes his eyes and says, "Fine. One," as the bartender places the drinks before the two men. Nai picks up his drink in one hand and hastily sculls it down, a nice warmth filling his throat and chest as he slams the empty glass on the bench. Althe follows, but takes slower, smaller sips instead.
He is half-way finished his drink as he notices something strange. The unusually crowded tavern has grown silent, not a single word being spoke. He glances around quickly, all eyes meeting his own gaze. The drunken man who had shouted them drinks straightens his posture, his grin growing larger. Althe meets the sorrowful gaze of the bartender, her smile now completely diminished as Althe hears a loud thud beside him. Nai's head hits the counter as his body goes limp.
A sudden wave of unsteadiness hits Althe like a boulder, his drink threatening to rise out from his stomach. A high ringing in his ears makes the bartenders words almost inaudible.
"I'm sorry lads," she whispers, as Althe's body goes limp and darkness envelops his vision.