The sky was overcast. A few sheep were finishing up their grazing of the dull green grass. The light sprinkling that had been occurring was just beginning to turn into a heavier rain as Exaivi paused to open up her umbrella. She listened for a beat or two as the raindrops started to patter against her metallic parasol before continuing down the empty dirt road.
After a couple of minutes of walking in the increasingly soggy dirt, Exaivi reached a split in the road. To her right was a large castle on a hill protected by a huge stone wall. On second glance, the wall seemed to be protecting more than just a castle, judging by the way it looped out of sight around the hill. The road led up to a large gate, and Exaivi could distantly see two armed knights guarding it. One of them was talking to someone, and though she was too far away to know for sure, Exaivi thought they weren't wearing the rich clothing one might expect on a noble. In fact, they seemed to be wearing simple city clothing. Rocheste, she thought. The two iconic towers rising from somewhere inside the city all but confirmed her suspicions.
Deciding that further squinting was pointless, Exaivi turned around. There wasn't much to see down the left path of the road beyond a few useless fences, but she knew that this must be the path to Colhen: a town small enough to feel homely, but large enough to benefit from services like a blacksmith, a general store, and an inn.
And, if her sources were right, a mercenary unit.
Exaivi turned back to give Rocheste another look. It seemed almost dark and gloomy in the rain. A chill breeze flew by. Exaivi shivered and pulled her traveling cloak tighter around herself as she started to walk toward Colhen. Her journey was immediately cut short as she accidentally ran into a hooded figure in a white robe.
"Watch your sstep!" they hissed.
"Oh, I'm s-sorry, I was…" Exaivi started to say, but the figure was already hurrying out of sight down the path she had come. She frowned at the unpleasantness of the experience, but it wasn't surprising. The rain could make some people very irritable. Exaivi thought about how her brief acquaintance must be getting mud in their boots, going as fast as they were.
She almost smiled at that as she began the short, final trek to Colhen.