Melan
The sky started to brighten overhead as Orion approached the city of Melan. He was eager to get there due to his fatigue and would have easily slept out in the forest if it wasn't for the fact that someone was trying to kill him.
He reached the front gate of Melan just as the first few rays of the sun hit the city. Old, yet sturdy looking walls surrounded the silent town. Sentries and archers were posted on top of watchtowers to look out for any signs of trouble. Nobody liked to talk about it, but everyone knew this year was more dreadful than the one before and things looked like they weren't getting any better. Every month there was at least one kind of kidnapping or attack and it kept getting worse. Rumors of bandits and thieves floated around the city until they became quit popular as to force out extra sentries to protect the city.
Two guards were posted at the front gate. They looked tired and dreary; they must have been on duty for the whole night. One of them stopped him before he entered the city.
"Halt. What be ya business in Melan," asked one of the guards. They both looked extremely tired and they each carried a pole arm.
"I'm here to buy some goods for my farm. My father was busy and he requested that I go get it for him." Orion thought it would be better if no one knew what happened. Right now as he felt like he couldn't trust anybody.
"So you live on a farm outside of town eh?"
"Yes sir," replied Orion solemnly. The man stared at him for a couple of seconds, yawned and said, "Alright then, it might be a good idea to wash your face though."
Puzzled, Orion walked past them and started looking for an Inn. He was only in Melan twice. Both times he went with Beatrice and helped her buy some goods. The last time they went they had some free time so she took Orion to the museum. He liked looking at all the different kinds of pictures. And he also loved reading the interesting tales of heroes and villains. But of all the stories and legends he heard of, dragon lore was his favorite. They fascinated him as he kept trying to learn more and more about them. Fantasies of riding dragons high in the air made time go by fast as he did chores at the farm. A hard knot formed in his throat as he thought of her.
"Hey watch it!" Shot back into focus, Orion jumped out of the way as a wagon almost ran him over. He looked around. The city seemed to be more dreary and dirty than the last time he visited. Everywhere around him were signs that people were having a tough time. Men were armed with daggers, some with bows and swords at their hips. The women hung on to their children and wouldn't let them wonder out of sight. But only few were out of their homes now. The streets wouldn't be the busiest until noon.
To the right of him was an abnormal sized building with a sign that said, Melan Inn. Above, smoke oozed out of a chimney into the fresh morning air. Orion opened the door and walked in. The interior of the Melan Inn was much more cozy and warm. There were tables and chairs littered on the right side of the room and a fire burned softly bringing warmth into the dining area. He noticed the service desk was also a bar, displaying several bottles of their finest liquor.
He approached the bar; the room was empty except for Orion and the man behind the counter.
"What it be?" the man asked.
"Actually, I was just wondering if you had a free room."
"Yeah we just got one yesterday, one bedroom, I assume."
"Yes," replied Orion. Talking to the man made him feel uncomfortable.
After he scribbled some things down he said, "First day is five coins and every day after that is one more.
Orion paid him and retreated up the stairs to his room. His legs grew tired as he clambered up the staircase. When he reached his door he opened it and went inside, threw his pack and bow onto the floor and dropped onto the bed. He didn't even bother undress. His room was pretty bare with a bed in the corner and a small shelf next to the wall. A basin filled with water was laid on the shelf. It wasn't fancy, but it was enough for anybody to live in. He couldn't believe it was only a couple of hours ago that his friends were taken away from him. It almost brought tears to his eyes, but the thought of chasing down their murderers kept him focused. The sun shined through the window as he dazed off and fell asleep.
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A joyful tune woke Orion as he lay in bed. He opened his eyes and squinted. When his eyes adjusted to the bright light, he got up and looked through his window. The sun was shining outside and people littered the streets. Excited he splashed his face with some water and was surprised to see soot come off his face. Feeling refreshed, he headed downstairs.
The dinner room was filled with chattering men and women, some smoked, ate, and played games. It felt like everyone was a lot happier. Orion walked up to the man behind the counter. "Do you know where I can get some cheap food?" The man stared at him and looked puzzled.
"There's a place right across from here. You can't miss it."
"Thanks," he replied. He still couldn't help but feel a little awkward around him. It fell strange to talk with him.
Orion walked outside and sure enough there was goods store right across the street. But this time people bustled and talked with friends by and in local stores. It was like the city transformed while he slept. The whole town seemed to be more alive. Down the street, music played and people danced. Kids chased each other and played games.
At the store he bought a piece of bread and cheese and ate it while listing to the entire jumble and laughing of the townspeople. While he ate he decided to explore the city today and look for answers tomorrow.
He walked into various stores and looked around. By mid noon he decided to walk down alleys as the streets started to get crowded.
After he finished looking in a jewelry shop, he took another path down an alley. A group of kids, (or what looked like a club) were standing around in a circle mumbling to each other. Interested, Orion walked closer and saw that a pair of them was sparring. They were each using two sticks that were crudely shaped as swords. Intriguing, yet none the least painful, Orion went closer for a better look. The two kids were roughly the same age as Orion. They each swung hammering blows but they couldn't block. So whenever the man on offense swung, the other person would just step backwards. It was a poor match to look at. After a couple of minutes the one with the faster steps won with a blow to the shoulder.
The group cheered and another kid walked into the middle of the circle. "Who wants to fight?" No one answered. "Anyone?" Everybody was still quite.
Orion walked up to one of the kids and whispered, "Why isn't anybody fighting him.
"That's Vincent," he replied, "every one loses against him." He walked through the crowd and pointed at Orion.
"You," he said, "fight me." He threw the stick at Orion. Surprised, he caught it and stepped into the circle. Vincent had dark red hair and bangs like his own. His eyes were blue and he wore strings around his wrists. He looked no older then him and he had the same kind of muscle structure, yet something told him he had more experience at sparring. He, at more than one time, swung some farm tools while playing, but he never sparred some one else. They started to walk in a circle.
"Why me?" asked Orion.
"Because, I haven't fought you yet, are you new?" They continued walking in a circle. Everything was deadly quite except the noise of the bustling town. Orion waited for a second before answering.
"Sort of."
"Do you live in Melan?" Before he could answer Vincent swung his stick at his neck. Orion ducked, sidestepped another attack and then swung at his legs. He parried the blow and they ended locking their swords with each other.
Frustrated, Orion said, "No." and shoved him onto the ground. The kids around them were chattering. Vincent got up and stared at him.
"So where do you live?" Orion didn't even bother answering and swung at his torso. Vincent blocked it, swung his stick around and launched it down over Orion's head. He moved at the last second and swung horizontally at Vincent's side, scratching up his torso. He backed away and clenched his stomach.
After a moment he said "best out of three." He swung his stick at Orion's head and changed direction hitting him on the side. Orion stumbled backwards and rubbed his side.
It really does hurt… They both swung at each other and went into another lock. Orion spun around and slashed Vincent's legs but lost balance and fell on his back. With a grunt he barely managed to block another attack at his body.
He quickly got up and swung vertically at his head. Vincent sidestepped and struck Orion on the back .He fell down, dropping his stick. He looked up at him as he pointed the end of his stick at his throat. His back ached with pain.
"The win goes to the victor." said Vincent and swung at Orion.
Pain seared through out the side of his head as he tried to get up. He looked at him with distaste.
"What was that for?" he screamed.
"I needed three hits to win." He said.
"Well you could've just tapped me on the stomach!"
Orion looked at his hand, it was all red and warm blood was dripping down his cheek.
"You cut me! You didn't have to swing that hard," Orion yelled even louder.
"I didn't swing that hard," said Vincent with a smirk on his face.
Orion glared at him "You ass, you used two hands!"
"Oh yea," he chuckled. "Well I almos-"The sound of his voice was cut off by a strange ringing sound. Orion looked around; he was the only one that heard it. Everything got blurry and the ringing increased with integrity. The next thing he knew, he was facing the ground with the taste of blood in his mouth.
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The side of Orion's head was freezing when he woke. He shivered and tried to sit up. Thoughts were replaced by pain as he roared in protest. Some one walked in front of him and sat down.
"Where am I?" He couldn't make things out from the blurriness.
"You're still in Melan." The voice sounded familiar. After a moment or two the pain subsided and Vincent was sitting in front of him.
Puzzled Orion asked "What happened?"
"Well," he had a smile on his face, "after I hit you; you past out and hit the ground. It looked like it hurt… Are you ok"
Orion cursed, "I swear, if I pass out one more time today-"
"Put this against your head." He handed Orion a bag of ice. He winced when he touched his cut but he knew it would stop the swelling.
"Why did you hit me so hard" he asked out of curiosity.
Vincent slightly reddened. "No one ever got that close to beating me. I guess I got kind of mad. Sorry about that."
Orion shrugged and looked up at the sky. "How long has it been?" he asked.
"Mid afternoon." You've been out for half an hour. His face grew more serious. "I've never met anyone like you. Where did you learn how to fight like that?"
Orion thought about it before answering, "I don't know, it all just came to me, if I really had to fight someone though, that would surely be the end of me." So was that your club over there?"
"That's what every ones calling it", he said with a shrug. "But I just started it not to long ago when I was bored. It helps the time go by."
After a while Orion yawned. His jaw hurt. "I have to go back."
"Do you have a place to stay?"
"Err, yeah. I'm staying at the Inn". He got up and almost losing his balance leaned against the wall for support.
Vincent started, "If you ever want to spar again, meet at the same alley at noon." He gave him one last look and then left.
The Inn wasn't very far away but Orion still had a tough time getting there. It felt like his frozen head was being split open. He lost his balance and fell down several times before he got there. The people of Melan too, looked like they were having a bad time. All the happiness was gone and no children or music played in the street. It was a sad picture to look at.
Orion opened the door to the Inn and wobbled inside. The dining room was empty just like the streets. He carefully walked up the steps of the staircase and reached his room and emptied the ice in his basin and sat on his bed. His eyes wandered around the room and lay rest on his pack. He retrieved the stones and laid them on the bed. The ruby shined beautifully while the white stone described itself without a touch. It was the color of sparkling snow during a lazy morning. The ruby was rough and coarse while the stone was the smoothest thing he ever felt, like it was man made. Unquestionably, the ruby held great power; he could feel it when he held it in the palm of his hands. He decided to try and find something interesting about them tomorrow.
As his eyelids got heavier he looked out the window. The sun was setting, revealing a different version of Melan. Glad that he was indoors; he undressed and fell into a deep sleep.
