“Nhhhn...” Krvavy stifles a yawn. “Do I really need to go so soon...?” She tiredly wonders, spine straightening out as she stretches her arms high above her head.

  A pair of dexterous hands find their way onto the Drakling’s shoulders, nimble fingers kneading away the tension that fills those strong muscles. “If ya would like ta ‘ave more fvourful food, then aye.” Beryl replies, her voice on the border between being pyful and serious.

  “Yeah, yeah... It just feels so sudden. We only just talked about this st night, and here I am getting ready to leave before the sun is even up...” Despite her grumpy grumbling, Krvavy can’t help but rex into her Elf’s massage. “Can’t I have a day to spend with everyone before I have to leave for two whole weeks...?”

  “The sooner ya leave the sooner ya can come back.” The tanned Wood Elf simply states. “But if ya don’t want ta be alone fer all tha’ time, then Ah’m free ta come wit’ ya~.”

  “Absolutely not.” Krvavy purses her lips and gres back at that smug tomboy. “There is still a good chance that I’ll get attacked on sight, and I don’t want to even risk that happening. I’m not putting your life on the line. How many times do I need to say that?”

  “As many times as Ah ask, Ah reckon.” Beryl pyfully returns, blue-green eyes glimmering with amusement. “But if ya want me ta stop buggin’ ya about it... then just promise ta find some woman ta make yer bitch when ya’re in Raseyne.”

  A sigh slowly escapes past Krvavy’s parted lips as she lets her head hang low, looking so incredibly exhausted. “You are not going to let up on that either, are you...?”

  “Nope~!” Lively ughter dances through the morning air, getting cut off as Beryl leans forwards and pces a few gentle kisses on the back of her barbaric lover’s neck. “Since ya refuse ta bring anyone along ta ‘elp ya from gettin’ too pent up, encouragin’ ya ta find a woman there is all Ah can do. And ya don’t need ta keep actin’ like its a bad thing either. None o’ yer girl’s ‘ave a problem wit’ it, and tha’ woman’d end up ‘avin’ the time o’ ‘er life too~!”

  Krvavy just gives her tanned tomboy of an Elf another look. “Well...” Rather reluctantly, the Drakling grabs Khalia’s pelt top and secures that piece of savage clothing around her pale chest. “I guess it’s time for me to go and say goodbye to everyone. I’m sure Thea will enjoy being woken up so early just for that...”

  “Wait, my dearest love, do ya ‘ave everythin’ ya’ll need fer the journey?”

  “Yup. Got the bedroll and tent canvas strapped to the bag, a bunch of food in the bag, and the coins are right here,” Krvavy taps a small pouch tied to the side of her loincloth, before reaching up towards a braided string tied around her neck, “and here.” She gently pulls on the string, dragging a rger coin purse free from her cleavage. “Not the most comfortable pce to carry them now that I’m actually wearing something, but there is pretty much no chance of anyone stealing these coins. So...”

  “Good, good. Just checkin’ ta make sure ya don’t forget anythin’ tha’ ya need.” Beryl nods her head a couple times. “Ah packed ya enough food fer the trip there and back, but don’t be afraid ta pick up somethin’ fresh while ya’re in Raseyne.”

  “If by ‘fresh’ you mean food, then sure.” Krvavy replies, leaning down towards the Wood Elf to pnt a quick kiss on her tomboy’s soft lips. “I’ll miss you. Not enough to bring you along with me, but I’ll still miss you.”

  “Ah’ll be thinkin’ o’ ya the whole time ya are gone, my dearest love.” Beryl whispers back, embracing her Draconic lover in a tight hug. “Ah know this was mostly my idea, but Ah almost don’t want ya ta go...”

  “A bit te for that, now isn’t it~?” A pyful smile spreads across Krvavy face as she teases her Elf. “And hey, I might get back a tiny bit sooner if they kill me at the gates~. Though if they did that then you’d have to make me a new loincloth out of what’s left of the Rock Bear pelt, which would just be such an inconvenience~.”

  “Ach, Ah’d rather make ya a new pelt than let ya go wit’ tha’ deerskin one.” Beryl shakes her head, the faint smile pying at her lips making it clear that she knows that the barbarian is just messing with her. “Ya might need those few extra points o’ armour, after all~.”

  The Drakling leans in towards this wonderful Wood Elf of hers, pnting another gentle kiss on Beryl’s lips. “I’ll miss you, my sweet berry~.” Krvavy almost whispers those words, before a grin begins to spread across her face. “Now, do you want to make a bet~? I figure Thea will try to sp me for waking her up so early.”

  “Ooh... Tha’ is a tough one... She probably will...” The tanned tomboy pulls back from the barbarian’s embrace, thoughtfully tapping a finger on her chin. “Wha’ is the prize fer winnin’?”

  “How about we have some fun together when I get back~?” Krvavy suggests, emerald eyes gleaming with a mischievous joy. “If I win I... I get to tie you up with your own vines and use you~. But if you win, then... how about I raise my cum volume again~? A single load would be enough to coat your whole body~.”

  Beryl nibbles on her bottom lip, caramel coloured cheeks flushing faintly. “Ya are on~!”

  “Finally...” With a tired sigh, Krvavy steps out of the treeline, her eyes locked on the road up ahead.

  She has made good progress these st few days, near-constantly on the move through the hills and dense woodnd. But the Drakling can only pass so quickly through the trees, her rge form forcing her to constantly duck beneath branches and leaving her feeling less than nimble.

  Rolling her shoulders, Krvavy walks down the short shrub-covered hill.

  The road looks as empty as usual, though that definitely won’t be the case when she gets closer to any sort of settlement. Krvavy is honestly kind of worried about having to pass other travellers on this road. She’ll have to use Calm Creature to keep their horses from panicking at her scent, but that won’t do anything to stop the people themselves from potentially freaking out when they see her.

  Hopefully the fact that she doesn’t have any visible weapons on her will help...

  A wagon den with goods quickly overtakes Krvavy as she walks along the edge of the road, the horses spurred on by a crack of their reins. The man steering that cart gres at the Drakling as he passes, cautiously keeping a hand on the hilt of his old sword.

  Krvavy just shakes her head and slows down a bit, letting the other traveller get further ahead.

  As the empty pins around the road slowly shifted into pastures and fields, more and more people have been passing by the barbarian. And each one has acted in pretty much the same exact way as that guy did: their conversations grow quiet, they become visibly cautious and on edge, and they hasten their pace to quickly get distance from her.

  It doesn’t give Krvavy much hope of getting into Raseyne, let alone actually being able to buy anything.

  But at least no one has actually tried to attack her, so that is kind of a good sign...?

  While the Drakling fully understands these random peoples’ caution, that doesn’t make it feel any better. They are pretty much treating her like a crackhead stumbling down the side of a street. A lot of them have even turned their heads away when she looked in their general direction, as if trying to avoid making eye contact.

  A part of Krvavy honestly doesn’t care that all of these nobodies clearly don’t want her near them, but another part is a little hurt by it. Which is a little odd, really. She didn’t expect to care about that at all. In fact, there was a time when she would have actually been happy about it. To have people go out of their way to not bug her...

  Maybe spending so much time with her girls has started to make her usual anti-social self a little more sociable...?

  Krvavy shrugs her shoulders and lets that line of thought fizzle out. Her head slowly turns to the side, gaze sweeping across an ocean of golden wheat slowly swaying in the gentle breeze.

  Other than the increasing amount of people who clearly don’t want to be near her, this is actually kind of rexing. Just walking around, the sun warming her skin and scales... Sure, these sprawling fields and rolling pastures aren’t exactly the most exciting to look at. They all kind of blend together after a while. But it is at least different from the rocky hills and mossy forests that she is used to.

  It is still pretty boring though.

  Especially because Krvavy isn’t moving quite as fast as she would like to be. As much as she would love to at least jog down the road, doing so would probably lead to trouble. The other people she has seen are all already cautious of her, so no need to spook them even more by running straight at them.

  At least she is getting close to her destination. Well, Krvavy assumes as much. Raseyne can’t be all that much further, what with the increasing amount of vilges or homes she can see in the distance on either side of this road...

  Hopefully she’ll arrive this evening. Or maybe even early tomorrow morning?

  The sun stands high in the sky, its heat alleviated by the cool northern breeze.

  In the distance, not too far ahead, stand the busy walls of Raseyne. Krvavy is almost at her destination, and as she approaches the city her worry only grows. It is nearly the moment of truth. Will she be allowed in? Or will she be turned away? Will the guards be hostile? Or will they be fine with her clearly being some sort of savage?

  Krvavy takes a deep breath and tries to silence her anxious thoughts. She doesn’t want to look suspicious or nervous, as that might put the guards on edge. And there seem to be a lot of guards moving across the stone fortifications.

  Or... are there?

  Each step she takes brings more detail into view. What Krvavy initially assumed to just be odd parts of the walls, those sections further from the road itself, instead appear to be wooden scaffolding. Which becomes all the more apparent as she spots a few rather medieval cranes hefting up some rge stone blocks with thickly corded ropes.

  Those people scurrying about like ants aren’t dozens upon dozens of guards like she (briefly) feared. Some of them may be soldiers or the like, sure, but for the most part they seem to just be construction workers and bourers.

  The barbarian’s brow furrows faintly.

  The grey stone that makes up that towering wall, both the giant bricks that are already there and the ones being moved in pce, looks fresh and unweathered. Is the whole wall new? And not just an old one that is being repaired? The fact that it definitely grows shorter and even more unfinished the further it gets from this road and the gatehouse ahead just reinforces that thought in Krvavy’s mind.

  “Traveller, state your reason for entry.”

  That fairly bored voice snaps Krvavy back to the present, halting the barbarian in her tracks. She gnces to the side, towards an incredibly stereotypical guard wearing a gambeson and leaning onto a spear.

  The guard visible tenses, raising a hand up to his helmet and lifting its very wide brim just so that he can meet Krvavy’s gaze. A rather young face, with just the faintest bit of stubble on the chin, stares back at the Drakling with wide and increasingly worried eyes.

  “Oh, shopping.” Krvavy answers after an awkwardly long moment. “See, I could use some new clothes.” She forces a grin onto her face, baring her carnivorous teeth and trying her best to avoid looking nervous.

  “Uh... G-give me a moment...” The young guard’s grip visibly tightens around his spear as he turns his head back towards the gatehouse. “Captain?!” Confusion and uncertainty alike tinge his voice as he shouts over the noises of all the people further ahead. “C-captain?!”

  An older, rather rotund guard gnces in their direction, before slowly making his way over. “The Captain is having lun– he is busy, kid. What’re you calling him for?” An annoyed grunt underlines those words.

  “S-Stepan, sir, I, uh... Th-this... She...” The younger guard stutters and only seems to grow increasingly nervous as that man approaches, fidgeting in pce.

  “What? Just get it out, ki– Oh.” The portly guard only now seems to notice the Drakling standing there, his eyes briefly widening in a surprise that is quickly smothered. “Right. I got this, kid. Go... take a break. Go on.” He gives his spear-wielding colleague a firm shove, shooing that worried boy away. “You’re a mean looking one.” He pinly states, eyeing the rather scantily cd barbarian’s quite buff body. “Trying to enter the city?”

  “Yes.” Krvavy quickly nods her head, trying to sound as polite as possible. “I’m here to buy some things.” She resists the urge to frown as she realizes how... curt... her response was. And how vague it was.

  “Mghh.” The guard gruffly grunts, resting a hand on his hip in a way that would almost seem casual... if not for the fnged mace dangling from a hook on his belt, that weapon swaying slightly as his fat fingers drum so close to its grip. “What’s in the bag?” He calmly asks, using his bulky chin to vaguely gesture at the backpack slung over Krvavy’s shoulder.

  “Some travel supplies. Mostly food. I brought it to help carry whatever I buy back home.”

  That older man idly nods, bringing his left hand up and rubbing a finger against his nose. “Alright.” He dispassionately grunts back, before subtly gncing towards the gatehouse. “Entry fee is five stoats.”

  Krvavy lightly hums and grabs the small coin purse tied to her hip, digging around for a moment before pulling out five of the requested copper coins. “Here.”

  That bit of money hardly sees any sunlight, quickly getting taken and pocketed by the portly guard. “Don’t be causing any trouble in there.” He takes a step back, leaving a fair bit of space between himself and this barbarian. “Never seen a... whatever you are, so if we hear anything about a big, horned woman being a nuisance we’ll know its you. Now get going.” His dark eyes turn towards the road ahead. “Just walk around those wagons, or whatever.”

  Not quite sure what to say to that, Krvavy simply nods her head and does as she is told.

  Though Krvavy remains quite tense, a little bit of her stress fades away as she passes by guard after guard after guard, with not a single one stopping her. Oh, they all keep a close eye on her, some even pausing their inspection of the other, Human, travellers just to stare at her with narrowed eyes. But they all let her pass without an issue.

  A chill creeps down the Drakling’s spine as she steps into the shade cast by this surprisingly tall wall, almost expecting to be stopped or even attacked. But nothing happens. Not a word is spoken to her as she walks beneath the raised portcullis’ and through the opened gates without so much as a word.

  “Hahhh...” Krvavy lets out the breath she didn’t know she was holding as she finally steps back into the sun, entering the city proper.

  Except... not quite. There is a rather rge stretch of scrubby and well trod dirt between the partially constructed walls and the nearest building. And those buildings themselves aren’t exactly the most densely packed either. This is clearly just the outskirts of Raseyne. Something that she would have expected to see sprawling beyond the walls, not contained within it.

  Krvavy softly shakes her head and continues along the wide road, ignoring the cautious gnces of almost everyone around her as she takes in her surroundings.

  The buildings are pretty much exactly what she expected to see in a medieval fantasy city. They are mostly one or two stories tall, though there are a few taller ones standing above the rest, and have peaked roofs with colourful cy shingles or painted wooden sts. Quite a lot of the buildings are framed with thick timber logs and have some sort of white pster covering up whatever it is that fills the gaps between their wooden frame. Only a few seems to be made out of bricks or stone, typically the taller ones, though they do seem to be growing a little more common as she walks further into the city.

  Far in the distance, past the many peaked roofs, Krvavy sees another set of tall fortified walls. That sight immediately causes something to click together in her mind, expining the odd state of the city’s outskirts.

  Raseyne had clearly outgrown itself, sprawling beyond its limits, and the new walls are being built to protect the newer part of the city, while still leaving plenty of space within for further growth. Though the newer part doesn’t actually seem that new, as quite a lot of these buildings look like they have been here for a few decades at least. Probably over a century, considering just how much of the city is out here...

  Everything grows progressively more cramped as Krvavy continues along the main road. The buildings start to share walls and seem to lean further into the street, their roofs blocking out so much of the sky... The amount of people and carts filling the street increases as well, slowing everyone down to a sluggish crawl...

  But just as it starts to become truly custrophobic... everything suddenly opens up into a rge and spacious square. Or at least it would be spacious if it wasn’t for the sheer amount of people crowding around stalls and carts, prices and deals getting shouted into the air, overpping into a headache inducing cacophony.

  It would seem that Krvavy has found a market. How convenient.

  The barbarian sweeps her gaze from side to side, looking for anything of interest as she makes her way around the crowded market square. A task that is... surprisingly easy. Hardly anyone in this mass of people gets close enough to bump into Krvavy, as they are clearly more comfortable with squishing their bodies against total strangers than risk getting too close to the Drakling.

  And Krvavy couldn’t be happier about that fact.

  Sure, these people aren’t giving her all this space for a particurly good reason. They’re clearly doing it out of fear and distrust. But Krvavy couldn’t care less about that. She is not a fan of crowded pces packed full of people, so not having to worry about constantly stepping on the backs of peoples’ feet, or having her own feet stepped on, is amazing.

  Any anxious feelings that filled the barbarian’s body are long gone as she begins to effortlessly navigate through the throng, her towering height easily letting her see where she is headed.

  Krvavy goes from stall to stall, looking at what is being sold. It is mostly foodstuffs, vegetables and grains, but there are also some knickknacks and whatnot. Nothing that really captures her attention.

  “Hail, huge horned woman!” A cheery voice clearly calls out to Krvavy, drawing her attention towards a nearby stall manned by a rather plump merchant. “You look like the type to enjoy the finest beef, freshly cooked right here!”

  The well-fed man gestures to the crude grill in front of him, where rge chunks of greasy meat skewered on sticks sizzle away above the coals. The mouth-watering scent of well-seasoned meat wafts through the crowd, pulling the barbarian in as the merchant’s warm grin widens. “Only a single vole per piece! A fine deal for such a fine meal!”

  Krvavy’s stomach quietly grumbles as she considers stepping forwards. She doesn’t really need to buy any food right now, as she still has plenty in her bag. But after a full week of eating the same dried snacks again and again and again... Well, she kind of wants something new. “Sure. I’ll take that one.”

  “A fine choice! That’ll be five voles for five pieces of this fine meat!” The plump merchant happily decres, eagerly taking the copper coins and giving the overburdened skewer to the Drakling. “Enjoy!”

  Krvavy’s teeth sink into the first piece as she steps away from the stall, hungrily dragging it free from the stick it was skewered on. The meat is a little tough, even for her sharp and carnivorous teeth, but she wouldn’t say it is too overcooked. It tastes great and is still fairly juicy.

  She definitely feels that she got her moneys worth here, and not just because she chose the one with the biggest pieces of meat on it.

  But, all too quickly the snack is gone, leaving her with just the skewer. Which she has no idea what to do with. There don’t appear to be any garbage cans ying around, but she also doesn’t want to just drop it on the ground... So she decides to hold onto it for now, awkwardly twirling it around her fingers.

  The barbarian gradually makes her way through the square, looking at each stall she passes. But still, nothing they have for sale catches her eye.

  With her hunger slightly sated and not having found anything interesting to buy, Krvavy finally takes a look around the mass of people milling around her, actually bothering to pick out the various individuals that make up the whole. It is about what she expected: almost exclusively Humans with blonde or light brown hair and lighter skin tones, though a lot are fairly tanned as well.

  There are a few Orcs in this market square, the rger Greenskins standing out amongst the Humans, but there are not all that many. Barely any, really. Beyond the few Orcs she also sees a couple pointed ears here and there, though none are long enough for Krvavy to think they belong to an Elf. Those ears are close to her own in length. So those are probably just some Humans with a bit of Elvish ancestry...

  Without much thought, Krvavy steps free from the crowd.

  An odd feeling immediately washes over the barbarian as she enters into this empty area. It kind of makes sense that no one is here in this corner of the square, she tells herself, as there is hardly anything here. Just the solid walls of some buildings and a nicely woven mat with a... a woman standing in the center of it.

  The woman is staring back at Krvavy, a vacant yet focused look on her eyes and an empty yet joyous smile on her face. She is a little unnerving, but also quite beautiful in an odd way. Her slim figure is visible as a silhouette through her near-sheer dress, the knee-length fabric gently gliding across her skin as she slowly sways back and forth, as if dancing to an unheard song.

  Just as Krvavy is about to turn and step back into the crowd, this strange woman speaks up. “Hello, Oh Dragon of Bck and Gold.” The words dance through the air, sounding almost musical despite her pin tone. “It is good to see thine self again.”

  “I... don’t think we’ve met before.” The barbarian diplomatically states, feeling a little uncertain beneath the hollow gaze of this woman that she has never met before.

  “We have.” Something about the conviction of those words sends a shiver down Krvavy’s spine. “One such as mineself would forget not a meeting with one such as thineself. A joyous occasion, ‘twas. A gift thou even gave to me. This rock.” She holds out her hand towards the barbarian, the loose bandages bound around her wrist fluttering from the movement. “Beautiful, is it not? But its beauty pales to thee, thus I give this gift back to thou, for to see thee is all I need.”

  “Uh...” Krvavy blinks as the completely ordinary reddish-brown rock is dropped down into her hand. “It sure is a... nice rock.”

  “Doth this nd suit you well, Oh Dragon of Bck and Gold?” The swaying woman suddenly asks, idly brushing a strand of her wispy hair back.

  Krvavy pauses as she briefly sees the odd woman’s ear, or more accurately, what remains of it. Were it not for the jagged scar so close to its base, that ear would almost certainly be long and pointed. Not unlike the pair that Beryl has.

  “For mineself it is alright. Calm and free and lively.” The odd woman states, seemingly unbothered by this fairly one-sided conversation. She slides her bare feet across the colourful mat, her bandaged ankles briefly brushing together. “Much better than that world thou came from. So cold. So empty. So heartless and harsh. Is it not?”

  A quick fsh of panic jolts through the barbarian before she realizes that this strange woman, this odd Elf, is surely talking about the Frozen Wastes. The nd that Draklings are native to. Weird that this apparently homeless woman would bring that up, but everything she has said and done so far has been weird...

  “Oh Dragon of Bck and Gold... Are thee still the thee thou were, or are thou now the thee thou are now?”

  “What.” Krvavy bnkly responds, idly rolling the rock in her hand.

  “Thy know not the answer? In time thee will.” The ever so slightly unnerving smile never leaves this woman’s face. “The world will weigh heavily on thine shoulders. Bear not its weight by thineself, Oh Dragon of Bck and Gold. Thou have those whom would bear the weight with thee. Let them stand by thine side.”

  Krvavy narrows her eyes at the unblinking woman, but any response she had dies on her lips as the strange woman suddenly pirouettes, briefly showing off her emaciated back. And the thick mass of scars that cover it.

  “Worry not, Oh Dragon of Bck and Gold. Thine strength will carry thee through many a hardship. The living fire will burn within thine heart. The blood of ancients will course through thine veins. The spirited dreams of those before will fill thine very being. But not yet is that is that the case. Until then,” the swaying woman suddenly steps back, snapping her gaze to a spot just beside Krvavy, “thine should tolerate not the rascal pilfering thine purse.”

  “Wha...?” Krvavy gnces down just in time to see a poorly dressed young child pull her coin purse free. “Hey!” She growls in angered shock while quickly reaching out towards the thief, her hand narrowly missing and only catching empty air. “Get back here, you little bastard!”

  The strange woman continues to sway back and forth upon her colourful mat, that hollow smile still on her face as Krvavy lunges back into the crowd to chase after the young thief.

  “Til next we meet, Oh Dragon of Bck and Gold.”