~Chapter 20~ The town has been strangely quiet recently. We only got here a few days ago, but the atmosphere has already changed since we arrived--there's been no news from neighboring towns for two days, and while the villagers seem unconcerned, I begin to worry that there's something going on. There's been no sign of where the demon disappeared to yet, despite our efforts to gather information from the townspeople. If it weren't for my injured arm, we'd have already left for the next village, but Edwin realized he was running low on basic medical supplies and asked me to get some for him while he packed up. Just thinking about it makes me wince at the lingering pain in my arm, which is mostly healed now thanks to Edwin's efforts. Amora and I make our way to the village on horseback, heading for the nearest small shop. Just as we arrive, another young woman on horseback approaches, looking frantic. Her horse is beginning to foam from the mouth, clearly having been pushed past its limit. Between gasps for breath, the woman yells out, "Drenwell is under attack! The king--the king is destroying the village with some kind of sorcery!" Immediately, my head snaps up as I realize what's going on. I turn back to Amora, who's a few paces behind me. "Amora, quick, go back and get everyone else. There's no time to spare," I say, trying to take charge so she can't see how much I'm panicking. We're not at all prepared to deal with this, but we have to do something while we have this chance. I rush over to the messenger, who looks incredibly overwhelmed, as people look over in alarm. Some begin gathering weapons, while others pack up supplies and bring out their horses. This immediate response isn't quite what I expected--having lived in a large city my entire life, fighting was always the job of the guards exclusively. In a small village like this, they have only each other to depend on, ever since the demon ordered his guards to defend only the central cities. I try to calm the messenger down, as she's clearly exhausted and overwhelmed. "Can you tell me how far it is to Drenwell from here?" I ask, hoping my tone doesn't come off as too harsh. "I-it's only a short ride from here, but if we take too long, everything will be gone..." she stammers. Panic has clearly gotten a hold on her, so I spend another moment reassuring her before leaving to focus on the task at hand. ~~~ It's been almost twenty minutes, and there's no sign of Amora or the rest of the party. Impatiently, I waited for them to arrive, but it's become more and more clear that there's really no time to wait. Many of the other able-bodied villagers have already left--Drenwell isn't far from here, so even those who can't afford to keep a horse are moving swiftly on foot. With a final glance back to our camp, I spur my horse forward and begin following the trail. Everyone else will have to catch up, but for now, I'm going to do everything I can. Thomas: Eliza: Amora: Renn: Raven: Ridge: Cory: (das me) Edwin:
