Chapter 2: Chapter 2 – An Abandoned Town

Up to chapter 3 available on Patreon, as this is a new story. Next week, it will be ahead by three chapters.

 

Dara hid the wolf outside of the town of Brayton, and walked towards the gate. She carried the panther in one hand, and walked passed the guards. She sensed an odd scent in the air, but decided to ignore it as she walked through the gate.

"You saw it?" The one on the left whispered.

"Yeah. Rank three black panther. Dark element based. She carried it like it was a domestic cat. By the scruff." He said quietly.

"I meant the eyes, and the claws. She didn't find that carcass. She killed it. What species do you think she is?" he asked carefully.

"One I don't dare to piss off." He said and watched his fellow guard nod.

"I hear ya." The scent was new to Dara because it was fear, and it was something she would become quite familiar with.

One thing was certain, no one recognized her.

 

* * *

 

Dara could sense the disdain for her figure, but each time she looked at the person who showed it, she watched them pale and turn away quickly. She walked towards the only trader who had never ripped her off with steady steps.

When she passed the old Gulvor family home, no one recognized her, so she didn't bother with them yet. In her own mind, the way she killed the panther was not normal, and therefore she might not win against armored guards.

Vurn was startled when she came up to his counter, and more so when he looked at what was in her hand.

"Dark panther? That is not only a rare kill, but also one that no one will ever bring in." Vurn said as he looked at the carcass.

"I got in a shot when it thought I couldn't attack. Can you buy it?" Dara asked. "I need new clothes, a pot, some salt, a ground sheet, and a blanket." Dara really wanted the food she thought about while being starved in the old family home, but once she bit into that panther, she knew things were not that same as they once were.

"I can." He mused quietly. "However, to be honest, I don't know how to price it properly. I've never dealt with panther hide before." He pursed his lips. "Tell you what. I'll get my lady to watch the stall, and take you to the smith. He can skin it, and you can sell the meat to the butcher. With the silver in your hand, you can buy what you need from me." Dara looked at him calmly.

"Won't that cut into your profits?" She asked.

"I make profit on what I sell. I don't need to dip my fingers into your silver to do that. I would buy it from you to sell to them, so why not let you do that yourself?" Vurn said, and went to get his wife. Dara smiled a little.

"You always were honest, Vurn." She whispered. "Some day, I'll remove the blight on this town, and let you make a decent living." Her eyes narrowed as she gave the old manor a sidelong glance.

Unfortunately, no one was willing to try to fight her, and let her find out how strong she really was.

 

* * *

 

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Dara made a nice bit of silver, more than she's ever owned personally, and walked out with a sack of things she wanted. Her clothes were rags, but she would not change in the town. She had a pot, but that was for water, and she purchased a grill to go over a campfire. She wasn't sure why she bought the pot and grill as she was sure she would eat the meat either roasted over a fire, or raw.

Her belly rumbled when she thought about the wolf she hid outside town, and walked towards the forest. Whoever had decided to follow her from the town did not follow her into the old forest as that was a place that would swallow them whole and not spit out the bones.

Even though that guard put her at the edge of the forest, he fully expected her to die. The difference between dying while trying to survive, and being executed was quite large in his own mind.

Whether Dara died or not wasn't his problem, but he did give her a chance to fight for every moment. That allowed her to find her chance.

That fruit was not a fruit, but a seed.

 

* * *

 

Dara walked back into the forest and followed her nose. She wanted to find why that seed was there, and if it should have been planted, or if there were others she could acquire.

Her nose took her along a path that hadn't been used in a long time. Dara lowered herself down, and sniffed the air.

"Interesting. The road from the town is not the original road." She swept her hand at the ground. "They even paved this road with brick pavers. Why would they abandon the use of it?"

Dara followed the overgrown road cut until she found something interesting.

"Ruins." She pursed her lips and climbed over the wall. "Hm, I thought it was a ruined manor, but it's an abandoned town?" She looked around, saw some grass, weeds, saplings, stone houses, and what appeared to be a stone keep in the middle.

"How odd. That keep looks like it has a dry moat around it, but it wasn't there to protect the town. It feels like it was there to protect the keep from the town." She frowned and let the wolf slide down the inside of the wall. With her claws extended, she climbed down the wall upside down.

"Huh. I didn't know I could do that. My claws dug in and allowed me to climb up and down the wall." Once she was down to the base of the twenty foot tall wall, she flipped over onto her feet, and carried her kill into the first house.

"I need to look around, and check the outer wall. If it's broken, then I need to find a better place to set up a home. In the short term, it will do though." Dara put her sack in the abandoned house, and dropped the wolf on the floor.

"How odd. No scents of animals, and the scent of humans is so thin that I'm sure they haven't been here in a long time." Dara frowned, not quite sure why she knew that, but it felt like it was true.

She went back to the outer wall and started to run. Her eyebrows went upward in surprise. Her physical speed was incredibly fast. As she ran the perimeter, she could see how prosperous the town once was.

"Completely intact. How odd that it was abandoned." She said quietly. Once she was back at her home, she looked at the massive keep in the distance.

"All roads and gates lead to the main bridge that runs to the keep." She walked back into her temporary home, and looked around.

"Everything is in good condition. No rodents, and all furniture that may rot was already removed." She looked at each room, one bedroom, a side room for washing, a sitting room, as well as a kitchen with fireplace to cook. Everything was in good shape.

"Why are there no people?"

 

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