The Hunter and The Hunted.

The sun was beginning to rise upon the decimated city of Galatia. A new beginning for the residents of the kingdom, as plans to restore the city, locate the Oracle and declare war on Duran were underway. A massive crowd of people gathered at the Southern gates of the city, where Leo stood at the head. "People of Galatia! Today marks the day that we begin our course of action! All of these men, and women, have the courage to traverse the lands beyond Paleides to find our beloved Oracle." He gestured the three groups before him. There were many familiar faces from the tournament the day before. There were even soldiers from Galatia that decided to join the search as well.

"We wish these brave warriors the safety. May the gods guide them, and ensure their safety!!" The crowds would cheer for them. Leo would simply smile, his eyes trying to locate the fourth group, Nir's. None of them were present however, which was troubling. "Now, go warriors! Go with the spirit of Galatia and find our beloved Oracle! She needs us more than ever!" The massive gates would open, allowing the groups to walk through. Residents of Galatia would line up, creating a path for them. Some would toss flowers, some would even gift them with small bags of food, to which the warriors would accept. From the crowd of people by Leo, Nir and Stella would emerge. "Forgive me General Lionsworth! We're all packed for our mission!" He was carrying a large bag across his back and some small pouches on his belt. Stella was also ready, carrying her set of bags. The beastman would turn his head to them and smile, "About time! Where is the rest of your crew? Where is Kira?" Nir and Stella would turn to each other, "I don't know my Lord. We thought she was with you."

"Papa!!! Papa!!! I'm here!! Sorry everyone!!" Kira would emerge from the crowd carrying a rather large bag across her shoulders. She had also changed her attire, now wearing booty shorts, with a crop-top sleevless shirt, armor shoulder padding and her feline ears and tail. "Kira...." Leo would sigh, "Why are you wearing that?" She'd give him a fox smile and rub that back of her head, "Well papa, I figured it'd make me lighter and I'd be able to move better wearing these clothes." The beastman would close his eyes, "Fine. Where are the other two Nir? The other groups are way ahead of you. They may find her first!" Nir would shake his head, "I figured they'd be here by now....I don't know."

"I'm here." Van would emerge from the crowd of people, Kuro hidden in his cloak. "Benkai should be right behind me."

Benkei would follow van to the meeting place after gathering provisions and new clothes courtesy of the galatia army "Hmm they really tailor made this for my style of fighting " He looked at the demon in his cloak "You know i could banish you to whatever dimension you came from right so i suggest you behave yourself" he would follow behind and look at van "Is their a reason you know so much about the twilight? maybe you taught this knowledge or you yourself have ties to these people?" He would hold his staff and look at him

Nir would smile at the sight of Van and Benkai. Their presence was a blessing. "Great! They're here! General Lionsworth! Our group has assembled! We are ready to move out!" He'd salute the beastman. Stella would chuckle and turn to Kira, "You're going to enjoy Nir's company. And I think you look really nice Kira." Kira'd turn to Stella and smile, "I have a good feeling I will! And thank you so much-uh--I'm sorry, I don't think I got your name. Or maybe I did, but I forgot!" Stella'd chuckle again, holding her hand out for a handshake, "The name's Stella!" The two would exchange handshakes.

Meanwhile, it'd seem that Benkai was beginning to press Van on how he possibly could know all of this. Kuro'd peek out of the cloak, "Banish me back to the Tw-Uh, as if you could! You're strong monk, I give you that, but you do not truly know of the powers of this world." The bounty hunter would turn to Benkai, "Silence Kuro. As for you, Benkai, who are you to question me? I don't need to answer to you." He'd watch as Benkai held onto his staff, causing Van to smirk.

"Good! You're all here! May the spirit of Galatia be with you all! You may move out! Take care of my little girl Nir!!!" Kira would facepalm, "Papa!!!! I'm seventeen years old!! I'm not a little girl anymore! Jeez!" Nir would nod, "Understood General Lionsworth! She's safe with us!" Stella'd giggle behind Nir. The three would then begin walking towards the gate, "Benkai! Van! Let us take our leave!" Van would turn from Benkai and begin following the group. "You better watch yoursef monk!" Kuro'd then hover back into the cloak.

Benkei would look at kuro and van sighing"I deserve answers if its going to lead to saving my lady oracle" Benkei would look to the others and bow his head "Yes we are ready to go and leo she will be fine i am here and nir is here as well as the bastard van here so everything will be well" He looked at leo "I will be sending daily messenger hawks to you with updates of our journey as well as anything your daughter would like to say to you" He looked at nir asking if he got everything he needed for the journey and if he brought that weapon of his for good use" He looked at van and kuro "As for you two i will get the answers i need the fate of the very world might be at stake and our power might be the only thing that can save my lady"

"Thank you Benkai! I really do appreciate your drive to keep our kingdom safe, and return our lady to us! I look forward to these messages! I know you will find her. I have faith." And they were off, the group would be receive many gifts from the crowd as they passed through the gates and into the land beyond. The gates behind them would slowly close. "Alright! It begins! Before we begin walking any further, what information do we have? Do we have any leads? It's going to be rather difficult tracking down an airship, but I believe we can get it done." Stella would look to the sky, "Well, for starters, we're going to need a better mode of transportation. If we're trying to track down an airship, shouldn't we use a mode of flight as well. We won't catch up on foot." Nir would rub his chin. She did have a point. They'd never be able to catch the intruders on foot. "I'm with Stella on this."

Van singled himself out of the small circle. It didn't mean that he stopped listening. "If we continue on this path, we'll eventually reach Bordo valley. That's the main traveling route to the bordering villages and cities of Paleides. Not too far from here is Tanyuk town. They're a really heavy merchant hotspot. I'm pretty sure we can find a way to get around there." Nir would nod. "Sounds good! Then we should hit there first! First, let's have the ladies give their bags to the men. You two aren't really carrying anything, so be fine gentlemen and help them out."

Van would extend his arm, awaiting a bag. Stella would remove hers and hand to him. "Thank you!" The young man would close his eyes, "No problem." Kira would hand Benkai her rather large bag, "I'm so sorry! It's pretty heavy!" After their hand offs, Nir led the group on the path. "Let's move out!"

benkei would lower his head to the ladies and carry Kira's bag "Its no problem at all i can manage it" He looks at van "So their is a gentleman under that hood i see" Benkei would then get nir attention "we could secure some horse on our way to the next town over if we are lucky then transfer to a small air ship" Benkei smirked "I do have some pull around her because of the work i have done around the valley so my fame should help us a bit" He would walk behind the group walking beside van a bit

Nir would continue walking, leading the four others. "Not a bad idea Benkai! We can stop at a nearby village and purchase some horses so we can get to Kanyuk!" Stella walked at Nir's side. She was attached to him, so it'd be like this for the majority of their trip. Kira, on the other hand, trailed a few feet behind them. She was taking in the entire scenery. After all, she has never left Galatia. The trail they were walking on contained luscious fields and great trees. "Wooooow! This is so amazing!" Nir smiled, "Isn't it? These trees have been around for hundreds of years! That's why they're so big!"

Meanwhile, Van trailed behind the entire group, with Benkai walking alongside him. "Benkai....You speak to Kuro, like you did earlier, again and I won't hesitate to kill you." The dark sprite would emerge from his hood, "That's right buddy! You better start showing us some respect! If you want your answers!" He'd stick his black tongue out, teasing Benkai.

Benkei would glare at van and kuro sighing "This mission depends on our cooperation and unity so i will relax on my comments but...." Benkei would hesitate "If you interfere with my lady retrieval and do not help save her i promise you my vengeance will be swift and quick on the both of you " Benkei would then look at van and kuro "I know your interested in these mad men plans anyway, Your curious about their strength and the mysterious powers they hold so i know they catch your eye" Benkei would then show van his hand and his gauntlets would appear "I know you want to know how i can even use these to perfection " He would notice vans eye shift "Hmmm something tells me you know much more about these weapons then you are letting on to believe like theirs something much more hidden to revealed about this powerful weapon" He would look at kuro in his hood "AND YOUR LITTLE DEMON MONSTER CAN SHUT IT BEFORE I..." Benkei would then notice the little creature munching on chips and benkei would gasp "You little bastard did you steal my barbecue chips!!!" He pointed at him with such anger in his voice

Van continued walking calmy, not entirely ignoring Benkai's threat, but making nothing of it. He'd simply smirk. "You honestly believe that I'm interested in those scum? I'm more interested in what power this Oracle holds. I have a question to ask her personally." He'd then shift his eyes to the Twilight Breakers, "You believe you know how to use them with perfection. The power of Twilight doesn't just bend to an outsider like you." The sounds of crunching would then capture Benkai's attention. Apparently, Kuro managed to steal his barbecue chips. "Oh....These were yours? My bad!" He'd drop the empty bag and hover back to Van, wiping the crumbs off his mouth with his tongue. "They were good though!"

Nir would turn around to the two who trailed behind. "Guys! Guys! Calm down back there! We're all on the same team!" He'd reach into his pouch, taking out a bag of the same barbecue chips. "Here Benkai!" He'd toss the bag back to Benkai. "I have an idea guys! How about we each say a few lines about ourselves? So we can get to know each other." Kira'd jump in the air with excitement! "Oh yes!!! That sounds good! I'll go first!!"

Benkei would glare at kuro as he ate his chips "I know dam well you knew those were my chips you pig!" Benkei would then notice van comments about his power and a threat"So you do know something about this power?" He looks at van wondering "Where are you from anyway" Benkei would then look back at nir who would try to calm down the two of them "My apologies you are right my friend we are on the same side" He would then catch a bag of chips nir would toss to him for the one he had lost "Thank the stars these are my favorite "He would open the bag and eat some as stella made a suggestion to get to know one another "I think that is a splendid would wants to go first...maybe van?"

"Aha! You're most definitely correct! I did know those were yours, I just wanted to eat them!" Kuro'd chuckle and begin hovering higher into the air. Rather than keep with the group, he'd just take flight and fly after some of the birds. Van continued to walk at the same pace, "What do you think?" He'd then look at Nir, giving him a nod. He was right, they were on the same side. Even if Van didn't like any of them, he'd still have to cooperate in order to get to the Oracle. "Haha! Those are good! Enjoy them!" Stella would giggle yet again as Benkai tore the bag open and ate the chips.

The monk then suggested that Van go first, replying to Stella's idea. Kira would turn to Van, "Yeah! You go first Van!" Van would strike Benkai will a glare for even suggesting he go first. "My name's Van and that's all you need to know about me." He'd refuse to share any other kind of information with them, for they were simply associates for the time being. "Jeez. You're no fun!" Nir's smile would fade. He already knew that it'd be quite difficult to get Van to integrate with the group. "C'mon Van." Stella would simply watch. Luckily for them, Kuro would descend on the group. "Ooooh c'mon Van! Don't be a downer!"

The white haired male would sigh, "I'm a bounty hunter from the Doku outpost. It's been about two years now that I've been stationed there. I come from Golmir, a village in the Hollow mountains." Nir turn his head to Van as he continued walking, "Golmir!? What brought you here?? And doesn't the great sorceror Dolvun reside in the Hollow mountains???" Van remained quiet.

Benkei would look at van "Golmir? if i remember correctly that village is pretty poor and sickly " He would look at van "I hear your a bounty hunter from the Doku outpost so does that mean that some of your cash rewards goes back to the village or what?" Benkei would then look at kuro flying in the air chasing birds "If i had a gun i would shoot him out the sky" He would listen to stella talking about the chips and then look at nir "I know you have years of training as a soldier with this army tactics and training regiment it must of been hard to keep up yea?"

Van turned to Benkai, "Golmir isn't a village, it's a country. You are right about it's economical status, however. Many villages in Golmir, including its capitol city, aren't like Galatia. Poverty runs a muck in the country of Golmir." He'd then smirk at Benkai's next comment. "All proceeds go to my food and my gear. I don't have time to be looking out for others." Kuro, who continued to chase birds, would hear Benkai's snarky comment. "As if you'd be able to land a shot on me monk!"

Van would then turn back to Nir, "And yes, Dolvun resides in that region." Nir would nod slowly and turn to Benkai, "Not exactly Benkai. I actually managed to catch up fairly easily. I started at a young age, so I was still in my learning years. Haha. Hey Benkai, how about you go next? Tell us about yourself." Stella would nod in agreement, "Yes, I'd love to hear about your temple stories!" Kira'd jump in the air, turning towards Benkai, "Oh yes! Your temple stories must be great! Tell us the secrets! I know they'd be better than Van's! Sorry Van!" She'd give a fox smile. Van would simply close his eyes, not caring one bit.

It had already been 2 hours since the four groups of warriors and Galatians set out to find the oracle. Shinji' groupbhad stayed behind for they had their own search for Virgil. Remi and Biggs had been gathering all provisions they would need. You could see Biggs and Remi talking amongst themselves as to what they should get. They didn't have much money as is so their budget was tight. Biggs would see multiple kitchen supplies that where high quality but Remi would shut that idea down. Similarly, Remi would find many different types of jewelry and accessories but Biggs would turn that idea down.

Shinji had brought Anna to a small forest outside of the City of Galatia. She had officially started her training with Shinji. It was an odd bit of training to start off but with the search for Virgil and many other future events, it would be best she learned how to battle through first hand experience. In this forest there were 5 small time monsters like the scaley monkey looking Oopaas. They weren't extremely dangerous but they are fast and nimble. You can see Anna struggling to keep up with them and couldn't land a single hit on them. She would constantly be knocked to the ground. Thankfully Shinji was there watching. Before the Oopaas could do any more serious damage, Shinji would step in to save her. The Oopaas wouldn't run off that easily. They would wait for the opportune moment to strike. As Anna would rise again Shinji would step out so she could fight. She would attempt to strike the Oopaas but would get knocked down yet again. Shinji had tried to step in to help but Anna would put her hand up, signaling him to refrain from helping her. Shinji was caught by surprise and let her do as she pleased. Anna would clash with the Oopaas yet again.

Benkei would bow his head to van to apologize about his comment "Oh wow van so you are all for Yourself i see " He would look up at kuro and smirk "Wana bet goblin " He would flick a pebble from his fingers and hit his tail hard "See easy as can be " Benkei would then hear that they all wanted to hear his story and benkei would grin with excitement "You all want to hear the legend of the great benkei then you shall have it  "He would grab his staff and pose like a great sage full of wisdom, in the distances flutes could be heard playing for dramatic effect "The tale begins as i was abandon at the steps of the great Temple of altarr" Benkei would go on "I do not know my heritage or where i came from but all i know if the great monks who took care of me, fed me bathed me, taught me the ways of disciple and honor" Benkei would brush his hair back "The countless hours of meditation to strengthen my mind, the hours of countless training to improve my skills and willingness to become a guardian of the great oracle! descendant of the twilight !" He would go on further "i could even go on to tell you the beatings i have to take to prove i was willing to become a weapon to protect those who could not fend for themselves and to protect the teachings of the twilight and those it was meant to protect" Benkei would go on to explain his travels and obtain the staff as well as the gaunlets "The monks could not prepare themselves for what was to come next when I! a mere outsider was chosen by the gauntlets themselves to become its wielders! they reacted to me only after being dormant for many centuries !" He would explain the staff "This staff i hold was given to me as a mark of my dedication and being a chosen one if you would say!" Benkei would go on further "I traveled many miles spreading the good word and faith of the oracle and twilight realm as well as offer my aid to the people of the likes of galatia, golmir and even the lands of gotaka!"

Van would ignore Benkai's bow and continue walking with the group. Kuro on the other hand would allow the small pebble to shoot straight through his orb-like body. "Are you kidding me? You're going to need magic to harm me." He'd then continue wandering about, still remaining in the group's immediate area. Nir, Stella and Kira listened to Benkai tell his story. All these things about the Twilight and Twilight Realm. Nir began to ponder, reflecting on the young man's words. "Oh woooooow! So you were the chosen one in your temple? So cool!" Kira'd look upon Benkai with sparkly eyes, admiring both his looks and his background.

"Benkai, might I add that you have something confused. Our Oracle does not use the power of Twilight. Is that what they teach at the temple?" She'd turn to the monk with a curious look. Kuro'd slowly hover to Van and whisper, "That idiot speaks about our realm like he's familiar with it." The truth was, that the Twilight Realm was only told in legends. The beings of that realm weren't on quite good terms with the people of Galea. "He's beginning to annoy me."

"Amazing! So you've traversed most of Galea? It's an honor to have you on our side Benkai! I know with your help and knowledge, we'll get Persephone back!"

The sun was starting to set, Anna was lying on the floor with Koji licking her face and Shinji sitting next to her. "You've done well Anna." He would stare at her exhausted body as she layed there. We pan out from the two to see that the Oopaas were down and defeated.

Remi and Biggs were at an inn that the group had rented before they parted ways. The lodgings were rather run down but nonetheless it was what they could afford. Biggs was already in the kitchen preparing to cook while Remi was taking a count of everything they had for their journey. "So we have enough medicine to last us a week huh." Remi says as she would sigh. "And food we have only a few days worth.." She paused for a moment and then would rub her head in frustration. "Rrrr this really stinks! Being broke is not fair!" Biggs had overheard her from the kitchen, "don't worry Remi, we could always go hunting." Hopefully that thought would relieve some stress and it did. Remi noticeable calms down. "Yeah you're right. That does work out for us since we could even sell off anything scavenged." Suddenly there was a knock on the door. "Oh it must be Shinji and Anna." Remi rushed to open the door and there was Koji at her feet and Shinji with Anna on his back. She looked beaten pretty badly. "ANNA! What the hell did you have her do Shinji!" Remi would start wailing on Shinji as she deems their training too dangerous. "Hey!.. Come on! Stop... stop it! Stop already sheesh! She wanted to be able to fight so thag all I did. I let her fight some Oopaas in the woods." Shinji says while trying to defend himself. "You let her fight Oopaas!? Really!? You know they travel in packs right? You know how dangerous that is for her right now!? She isn't ready for real combat." Remi would shout. "I.. I just figured that if she got real battle experience then she'd be ok." Shinji paused and Remi was folding her arms in anger while Biggs could do nothing but continue to cook. "But check this out Rem! Anna took them all out herself. I mean yeah she got roughed up a bit but she took 5 Oopaas down all by herself. Because of my teaching, she has natural talent!" Shinji would say with a big grin. "Wha.. all by herself??" Remi wa shocked, she had no idea Anna could fight. Shinji would walk in and rest Anna in a bed. He would stare at her like a proud older brother. Biggs would signal for one last meal before they rest up. They are set to leave tomorrow.

Benkei would smile with pride in his eyes as they looked at him with ahhhh "Yes yes dear friends take in my greatness" He would then notice van and kuro looking at him with disgust and then would hear nir comments "No not exactly we would taught about her greatness and her legacy and that she is a descendant of one of the great powers who were taught by the twilight" He would then look down "But something else that the temple once talked about that i have only heard in whispers had bothered me growing up" He looked at the sky and closed his eyes "Their were talks about a group of people exiled from the twilight realm who were cast out to this very plain of existence , they were demonized for some reason and hated upon....I heard that these people were enemies of the temple but i think other wize to this day that they are just misunderstood " He could feel a coldness coming from van as he spoke

Kira would giggle at Benkai's boasting, "You're funny Benkai!" He'd then continue to speak on the knowledge he possessed, clarifying what he had said about the Oracle. Her ancestors were taught by the beings of the Twilight Realm. "Interesting. I never knew of that. Thank you Benkai." Stella would bow her head. She appreciated the knowledge that was being passed from the sacred monk. It wasn't until Benkai brought up a race of beings from the Twilight Realm. An exiled race that was to remain in the human realm. Van would suddenly clench his fist. Kuro detected his change of energy, as if he were going to lose it. In an attempt to calm things down, he hovered in the middle of the five.

"Oh yes! I know of this group! Hehe!" The sun was beginning to set and darkness was beginning to creep upon the land. So what more than a creepy story, to help change some moods. "You do?" Kuro'd grin, "They're called Twilight Phantoms. Creatures of the realm that possess immense magical power. They say that they roam this realm tormenting the beings here. Some even say that they devour souls. If you encounter one, it's best to flee. They usually show themselves around this time. During the twilight of dusk." Kira would cling onto Nir, "W-W-What the heck!?" A faint glow would pierce through the bandages covering Van's right eye.

Night has fallen and the young group have already fallen fast asleep. It was a very exhausting few days since they've been in Galatia. The winds were blowing gently in the night.

The sun has arisen and Shinji is seen sleeping sprawled out on his bed. He would roll over and fall off the bed. Having been shocked from the sudden movement of his body, he freaks out upon contact with the ground. "Hey what happened!?" Remi came running to Shinji's room only to find him on the floor. "I.. I uhh... I fell?" Shinji would say with an awkward grin. Remi would sigh. "It's alright! He just fell out of bed!" Biggs, Anna and Koji were already downstairs preparing breakfast. Remi would walk over to Shinji and offer him a helping hand. He would reach for her hand and attempt to stand up. Unfortunately, there was his pillow right in front of him and he slipped on it as he was getting up. He fell into Remi and they came crashing down on to the floor. "Oww oww oww. How did I trip on a pillow?" He would question as he attempted to raise himself. His eyes were previously closed and upon opening them he was face to face with Remi. There wasn't an immediate reaction as they started into each other's eyes intensely. Remi had started to blush and would start to look frustrated. "Where do you think you're touching?"  Shinji would look confused and then finally he noticed that he wasn't proping himself up with the ground but instead his left hand was groping Remi's chest. "Ahh!! No no no, Remi wait! That was an accident! I promise! I didn't even feel anything I swear!" Shinji had jumped back while trying to apologize however he did not use his words carefully. Remi was getting up the same time he was apologizing. She was brimming with her specialty fire magic. It would glow intensely. "You.. you're such a jerk!" She would cock back her first and throw a right hook into Shinji's chest. He would feel the pain from his earlier wounds as well as Remi's enraged fist. Biggs and Anna would already be setting the table but could hear the strike Shinji had received along with his wailing after. They looked at each other nervously.

Benkei would listen to kuro and feed off this joke to scare the girls "You know i think i remember hearing something like that " Benkei would snicker "They would prey on the souls of virgin and mostly girls the younger the better, they would prey on the the small and defenseless" He would look at kuro and wink "You know sad to say some girls from my temple had gone missing through out the years and none of the monks knew why or rather they did know and refused to speak up on it !"

(Time-Skipping to morning due to Vante's post)

The group had been walking through the night. A very courageous move, especially with all the nocturnal creatures. Nir was well on his feet, Kira and Stella, however, were tired out. Even if they did stop and set camp, Kira wouldn't have been able to sleep. Kuro and Benkai's stories had frightened her to the point she was getting paranoid. "I-I can't even walk anymore..." She'd lose power in her legs and fall forward, instantly caught by Van. "Nir....We should rest...We've been walking for twelve hours already." Stella managed to smile, despite her tiresome face.

The leader of the group would have no choice but to oblige. "You're right. Let's rest for a bit. We're not too far. See?" He'd point to the smoke in the air, which was coming from small houses in the distance. Van would hold Kira, keeping her on her feet. "Finally." Kuro was resting within Van's hood. "So how are we going to pay for these horses? Did we ever think of that?" Stella turned to Nir, awaiting an answer. The Sword of Galatia chuckled, pointing to his bag. "Stella, you of all people should know that we are well prepared. We have 20,000 stals to work with." Kira's eyes widened, "Whoah!"

The group had just finished their breakfast and grabbed their things. They were decently equipped. They had managed to put Virgil's sword and bow on Koji as a means of carrying it. Biggs had his bag that would store some of the food they would eat as well as cooking tools. Shinji however could not carry as much as Biggs due to his injuries that still haven't been recovered. Anna and Remi had been carrying some of the medical supplies. It was apparent that Remi was still upset about what had happened earlier because of the dagger like piercing eyes of hers toward Shinji. He would shudder knowing he could feel her killing intent. They have finally stepped foot outside of Galatia and are preparing to locate Virgil.

Benkei would yawn as morning broke in and everyone was up "Hey everyone hope we are all full of energy here " He looks at van and kuro " That thing looks actually cute for once when sleeping " He snickers and looks at nir as he mentioned about the horse "Well yes we have enough money to work with but i may be able to pull some strings to get us horse for free if anything so let us not work about that" He looks around "Is anyone hungry or has eaten ? I Could cook something quick if anyone wants something" He pulled out pan and ingredients from his bag "I use to be a chef back in my days at the temple, i was pretty good non the less"

Nir nodded, "Good man! Good man! If we can get ourselves five horses for free, that'd be amazing!" He smiled and turned to Kira, who stretched out her arms as she remained on Van's shoulders. "Full of energy!? We didn't even get to sleep! We've been walking the entire time!" Stella, even when tired, couldn't help but giggle. "Thank you Benkai! I look forward to your cooking, but maybe we should wait until we reach the village. We're just about there anyways."

As they continued walking, they could see the village gates. "Yeah, we're just about there. I believe this is Lune village." The village was bordered by a massive wooden wall, gates wide open. Within, they could see a marketplace and many people walking to and fro. "Let's find out about renting a small housing unit." Van scanned the area, spotting a small inn. "Over there." The group would walk towards the inn.