5. GHOST TOWN
The hot air surrounded her bed and it was like she was underwater, her eyes dragged open. It was only the second day of her second week, and if Violet had any further inclination that this expatriation was like any of the others - that'd been dashed. She got out of bed, then turned and bent over to re-tuck her sheet, fold in the bottom corners and smooth out the creases. She pulled at her hair until it was smoother, she sat on the corner of her chair to pull on her shoes. She fetched her hat on her way out the door, then drank from her tankard which was still a couple degrees cooler than the room.
After checking for monsters on her roof and around her house, she vanished her sword and continued her walk to the waterhole. Today, her heroics from yesterday embarrassed her. Not that she regretted them but all her life she'd valued structure and careful planning. She'd not been in control when she drove herself crazy in her desperate search for that villager child. It was an unknown quality, and she had a strong aversion to what she didn't understand. Violet absently touched her chest, recalling how she'd physically ached to find Tobias. Troubled, she raised her eyes to the dunes and saw the sun had not yet risen above them.
When she got to the waterhole she opened the gate and it rattled shut behind her. Testing her luck, she removed her shoes and dipped in a foot. The water was warm, but like her tankard it was some degrees cooler than the desert. That meant the covering worked. Violet submerged, stepping into the deeper centre and sinking comfortably up to her neck. She closed her eyes and felt it immediately soaking the clothes she'd slept in. She took off her hat so she could dunk her head, then set it back and began rubbing under her arms and around her body.
This water was a purifying blue meaning it came from source cubes. It wouldn't dirty or grow algae. It could also be used to catch fish, almost as if it was paradoxically connected to an ocean that Violet couldn't get to. Violet splashed water into her face to dispel the last of her tiredness. She'd not seen any villager around here, and she decided it was because she'd need to build a footpath that connected the waterhole to the footpath in the village. So she decided that was what she'd do for the day, climbing back out and wringing her hair, then plaiting it before the sun could get it all frazzled.
She walked back to her house to eat, change and all that, then she went back to the village. She wondered if they were done with yesterday's celebrating. She hoped so, she wanted to get more work done.
There were sand granules throughout Petra's workstation. The cartographer clearly swept but she had more tolerance than Violet who did the job properly, scrubbing away every grain of sand she could find. Even the antisocial Petra was warmer to her now after yesterday, so Violet took the opportunity to neaten her area, hoping she would relax further. This was all to get more input for her documentation, and it always worked on softening villagers, and Violet had to admit it satisfied her to bring order to her surroundings and set them right. She felt that same satisfaction again once finished and straightened, noticing Petra was still at her table with her compass, measuring and marking the parchment with her quill.
Violet approached, "Say Petra, where is the closest village?"
She didn't look up right away but finished marking her spot.
"The next one is a quarter day's travel south-south-west." She went back to her work.
A quarter day's travel was very doable and from that direction Violet knew the desert was flat. Maybe she would be leaving on her first expedition sooner than she thought.
Violet left after that and used the iron shovel Dunstan made for her to dig a path from the waterhole to the village. When villagers saw her they greeted with their words instead of nods. The sun beat down from above; she spent an hour filling it in with sandstone. Then she decided she'd go to the library early, not wanting to sweat as much as yesterday.
Violet knocked before opening, and saw Meliora turn when she came in. She was unusually pale.
Violet blinked, "Are you alright?"
"Not so, I fear I be ill today," she was clutching her stomach through the sash. Villagers didn't usually get sick, and this didn't look like their typical fever. Violet was worried. Meliora went on, "Methinks Derg left out one of his fish for too long, or haply Nicolai dirtied it with his hands. Wouldst thou be able to watch the library for me?"
"Of course."
"Gramercy."
No point mentioning that the library hadn't been visited by anyone else since Violet got there. Not that she'd seen, anyway.
Meliora sat at her desk, still pale, and made occasional groans as if she were trying not to vomit. Violet was brushed off whenever she voiced concern. She stayed for hours longer than she meant to, finishing the book on farming and starting on a curious book about military tactics. It was a black hardcover with a damaged spine. It wasn't something she'd typically read but why not expand her horizons? A fair amount of content spoke on fighting Endermen, which it denoted with the derisive 'Endlings'. When lunchtime came around Meliora was looking well again, so she probably had only eaten something bad. Violet left to get them both lunch and brought it back so they could eat in the library.
Violet moved her chair to the back of Meliora's desk so they were closer. Beetroot stew, diced carrot, a quart of a bread loaf and a cautious amount of thinly-sliced salmon. Meliora nibbled it slowly.
They were interrupted by a knock on the door and Berthar took a step in, "A wandering trader hath joined to us."
They maybe came once a month, but here maybe more. Meliora surprised Violet by springing up eagerly. She rushed to get outside and Violet followed them.
By the well they saw the fellow: a testificate adorned in fine robes the shade of lapis, with gold and burgundy trimming. He held a leash to two camels, one with a coat as white as the sand and the other chestnut, and they both carried baskets of his wares. The merchant had given wheat for the white one to munch on and was pouring water into the mouth of the other. When Meliora got closer she sagged in disappointment. Evidently this wasn't the fellow who brought her books, but someone else.
"I be going back to mine food…"
"Oh," Violet said. "I'll join you in a bit."
She stood aside to let the other villagers barter and haggle. Emeralds and goods swapped hands. Once he was free Violet went over, and though she was disappointed he had no potatoes or apples, she did have other questions for him.
He answered her, "I passed through a village to the west. 'Twere half a day's travel by camel. On foot it might take three quarters."
"I heard the closest village from here was south," Violet replied.
"Possibly, yet I be headed north for the savannah. It'll be a month yet ere I get there."
"But… what if night falls before you reach the next village?"
He opened his fine robe, showing her the potion vials at his belt, "Potions of invisibility to keep one hidden from monsters." They were a lavender luminescence; some bottles were plain white.
"And milk?"
"Aye. To undo their effects."
Violet made a mental note to see Wendiah about brewing one. The cleric was the villager who Violet had spoken to the least, even less than Petra. Still that potion sounded invaluable and Violet would be a fool to not take every precaution before leaving on her first journey to another village.
She left to return to Meliora and her meal but was stopped by the chief.
"Violet, wouldst thou mind joining us for a special ceremony at the gathering site this e'en?"
"Uh, sure."
She didn't ask what it was for and Herkel simply nodded before walking away.
While he was the chief, all ceremonies would be led by the cleric. Figuring she could save her talk with Wendiah for after it, Violet went back to finish her lunch with Meliora. Afterwards she helped Sigrid gather the eggs that'd been laid in the day and cleaned the chicken coop out so it looked less of a mess. After that it was time for the ceremony so she appeared her wooden pail to wash her soiled hands, then picked feather fluffs from her clothes.
She was a little concerned as she made her way to the gathering site, but tried to keep her mind observant so she could record it all in her day's end note-taking.
A campfire had been placed and everyone was sitting around waiting for her. Violet hesitated a step but continued. There stood Wendiah, holding a stick as the smoke twirled up and around her. Violet walked to the edge and stared at her.
"Villager Violet!" Her voice was like she was beholden in the presence of some greater power. "We hast bid this ceremony to initiate thee as one of us! May the spirits that offer us protection bestow it also to thou!"
This was psychodrama, but Violet was familiar enough with that aspect of villagers. She sat down respectfully so they could get themselves carried away with their ritual. Wendiah started waving her stick over the smoke. Violet doubted the iron golems would protect her now; she could hear them still patrolling about unseen. Though one did stop its attack on her even after Violet pushed Tobias into the ground, so who could say?
The villagers began a nasal humming that rose in pitch. Wendiah moved faster now, still swinging her staff back and forth through the smoke. The three children fidgeted where they sat, it was so hard for them to sit still for any length of time. Violet tried to take it all in.
This continued for a time and then Wendiah threw her arms up suddenly - the humming stopped. The only noise for several seconds was the crackling of the campfire.
Wendiah walked around it and then she was standing in front of Violet. She lowered the staff to her right shoulder, then lifted it over her head to her left, as if she was being knighted.
"Welcome, child. Thou are one of us now." Wendiah lowered the stick to her side and many of the villagers cheered.
And that was that.
Everyone stood up, Gunther and Ansel started to clear away the campfire. Violet went to catch Wendiah as everyone was dispersing.
"Hey, would it be possible to use your supplies to brew an invisibility potion?"
It took a moment for the weird woman's eyes to focus, "Thou wishes to travel far?"
"Not exactly. It'd just be a precaution," Violet explained and felt a hand on her shoulder. The chief had come to speak with her afterwards as well.
"Violet, I shall arrange for a new home to be built for thee 'i the village meet. It'd be appropriate, would it not?" Herkel said magnanimously.
"Yes," she faced him, "But I can build it myself, you don't need to trouble yourselves."
"Thou are sure?"
"Yes, I just need to gather the materials."
Wendiah interrupted, "Violet hither thinks to travel."
Violet looked at her then back to Herkel, "I want to gather some things that might be in the next village and bring them back here. I thought having an invisibility potion would be a good idea, just in case anything happened," Violet explained, "but I only ever learnt how to brew a simple healing potion."
"Hmm," Herkel rubbed his chin thoughtfully, "If thou would to gather supplies for the village I shall hast a few of us accompany thee."
Violet was surprised, "Thank you, but that won't be necessary-"
"Thou are one of us now, and I won't sleep well knowing we're sending thee into the great expanse alone."
She decided not to argue. Adding villagers to her journey wasn't likely to help, but at least she'd build a better rapport with some of them. Herkel left at once to find volunteers and Violet followed Wendiah to her parish. As they walked she could hear the cleric humming in an off-tune way and Violet felt uneasy again.
She went inside and Violet followed her in, watching as she went to her chest. Violet wanted to ask her a question, just so she'd stop those worrying noises.
"Do you have many ingredients?"
"I hast five fermented spider eyes, got another three from that merchant today. Redstone is running low, yet thou shall want 'em to last the night." She fetched bottles of shimmering indigo, pre-made awkward potions that served as the base for all others. She then climbed over stools in the cramped space to her brewing stand. "...Should thee 're to want 'em at all."
The shiny gold rod in the centre was radiating heat, as it came from a blaze creature that spawned in the nether. It heated the three awkward potions once they were clamped into place around it and they soon started to bubble. Wendiah's lip darted out her mouth as she concentrated, adding a fermented spider eye to the disc in the middle. Violet smiled and took her leave, letting the woman get on with her brewing alone. She seemed very focused and sure when doing that, at least.
Since no jobs evidently required doing at the moment, Violet went back to her house early. She wrote all about her day and the ceremony, jotting down some observations in her private journal as well. Then she ate dinner, her eyelids seeming to droop with the setting sun. She was hyper-aware of the monster noises as they spawned outside, much like the night before, but she made herself ignore them as she crawled into bed for a sleep that would come swiftly.
On the morning of day ten, Violet approached the waterhole and instead of seeing any villagers swimming, she saw the fishermen brothers Otto and Derg with their rods cast. Glad it was being used for something, Violet turned back to her house to clean off with her washcloth instead. When she entered the village later Herkel caught her with the three volunteers that would accompany her on the expedition.
Ansel, the dependable and hardy stone mason, was going along with both animal caretakers, the responsible Berthar and the fiery Sigrid.
"Who's going to tend to the animals?" Violet asked.
"I hast granted Nicolai the task," Herkel answered.
"That's a joke, right?" Violet asked and he tilted his head at her.
She knew they didn't joke but the remark slipped out anyway. Villagers could be so terribly dim-witted at times.
"He should'st handle it well enough till thy return."
Violet said nothing more and neither did Berthar, though Sigrid frowned sharply.
He held together five clinking potion bottles that appeared against his chest, one glowed duller than the rest, "Wendiah hath brewed these invisibility potions that should'st work all night." They each took one and vanished it into their inventories. Herkel held out the last for Violet, "She ran out of redstone, this spare shall only work for a few hours."
"Hopefully we won't need to use them. So long as Petra's maps are right."
"Her maps hast ne'r led us astray ere," Herkel said, and Violet didn't quite know what he meant but something else occurred to her then.
"Oh, there's someone I have to see before we go."
"Meliora," the chief said with an intuitive nod. "Go to her."
Violet went a short walk up the path to the library then gave her usual thrice knock and entered to find Meliora reading at her desk, "Good day. How are you?"
She smiled, "Much better. Worry not about yesterday, twas just an ill spell."
"I'm leaving with Sigrid, Ansel and Berthar to see the next village. Want to come?"
Meliora fiddled with her glasses, "'Twas spoken of, thy resolve to leave…." She already knew, that was unexpected. They spent time together every day and Violet thought Meliora would've been the first to volunteer to come if she'd known about the trip. She then admitted, "I fear I wouldn't be well enough to take the journey."
Well enough that Violet shouldn't worry, but not well enough to leave the village. Violet nodded mechanically as she processed that.
"Well… if I find books I'll be sure to bring them back for you."
"Oh that would be most splendid, Violet! Forsooth thou art a good friend!"
Violet left soon afterwards. She covered her eyes, peering at sunlight just breaking over the dunes. It seemed they were leaving for the journey that day. Usually, Violet would have her crystal ball wake her before sunrise so she could leave at dawn, as soon as all the monsters out were dead and gone. Since the trip was only a quarter day of walking it didn't matter so much that the sun had been up for under two hours. Thinking of her crystal ball however, Violet decided to go back to her house and fetch it from its stand on her desk. It was perhaps an even more finicky precaution to bring it with her, but if she were abducted by pillagers she'd be able to message Augustus and he'd triangulate her position and send a rescue squad.
Once the crystal ball was in her pocket, and she was heading back to unite with her travel companions, she now felt entirely safe about this journey. Ansel was waiting around for her. They joined up then found Berthar and Sigrid leaving the animals with extra food in case Nicolai neglected them. They visited the well and Violet filled her tankard and the larger water pouch which she'd be taking with her. Then the four of them headed for south-south-west, according to the compass that appeared in Violet's hand. She appeared the brown travelling cloak that she'd taken from her wardrobe and draped it over herself as she walked. It was something she'd kept since her stay in the forest village. Berthar and Sigrid had dark shepherd's hats and Ansel wore a white cap with hanging orange threads. Violet led her fellows across the off-white rolls of sand.
The hours' walk in the hot sun was about as unpleasant as one could expect, but Violet was doing a good job of rationing her water. Still, she'd need to refill her pouch at the next village's well. Behind her the villagers were struggling and slowing her down somewhat, but they endured without complaint. Violet understood that for them this walk would carry the same weight as dimensional travel. She could tell from their faces that none of them were taking the journey lightly, they were such a shut-in species. Violet would've taken the time to chat so she could dig up more info, but they were moving slow enough as it was. It would be good if they could relax at the next village, have time to do trades and sight-see a bit, and then get home before it was dark enough that they needed to use their potions. After all, there were no cows at their village and without any milk they'd have to wait for their potion's effects to wear off naturally. It would be nice for them to not feel the sun's rays, but not nice to be catching their feet on furniture.
Violet decided not to speak much. She stopped a few times when the villagers needed momentary rests, and before she could worry they were on the verge of heatstroke she saw the village in the distance. They kept walking closer and soon Violet felt confident it wasn't a mirage but real. Petra's mapping skills had led them true.
They got close enough to make out the buildings, but saw no other villagers.
They got closer still and Violet realised something was wrong. Some of the buildings looked damaged. She slowed for a moment and then started running. Her fellows called after her but she ignored them. Violet ran the remaining distance to the village, the sun was now close to overhead, and she saw the cobwebs hanging off roofs, holes and haystacks. It was an abandoned village.
Violet spent the minutes it took for her party to join her, stewing in this disappointment. When they entered looking around at all the damage they didn't need an explanation.
"'Tis a ghost town," Sigrid quietly remarked, "Petra didn't say as much."
"She mustn't hast known," Berthar said.
"Yes. It might not but've befell recently," Ansel said. "Within the year…."
Violet stepped carefully toward the side of a building and reached out. There was a cut in the ashy sandstone, as if it'd come from a sword. She pressed her hand against it slowly. This used to be a library, and the glass in the window was smashed. The insides were all ash. A cobweb blew in the breeze closeby, and behind it Violet saw a stain of copious dried blood. She withdrew her arm suddenly.
"They were pillaged…."
Violet frowned and then took off running again. She turned down the path and saw more signs of weapon cuts, fire and blood splatter. She ran all the way to the well and sure enough it'd been destroyed. There was no water for them.
Morosely, Violet made her way back to the others and shook her head. They stared at her.
"Pillagers," Violet said, feeling her throat constrict, "If pillagers came through here they could find their way to your village. They're probably descended from the same tribe that destroyed the old lord's home out in the north-west."
They looked afraid at that but Violet certainly wasn't going to sugar-coat things. She bit her thumb while contemplating how much trouble they were in. She paced in a circle, "Well… they've not attacked your village in all this time… maybe they were just passing through… maybe they're already gone."
Berthar cleared his throat to interrupt her thinking, "Thou holds our village isn't considered by 'em to be a part of their territory?"
"Well you've never been found by these pillagers before… right?" Violet watched as they all looked at each other. She was missing something. "What is it?"
Then they turned to her and Sigrid said, "Violet, our village is little moe than a year old."
She stood there for a moment as that information settled itself into her mind.
The reason the buildings looked well cared for. The reason Idalia said the dunes were still a mystery. The reason the chief had said Petra's maps hadn't led them astray before.
"Oh… oh…." Violet decided to sit down. The sand was hot beneath her cloak, her fellows sat as well.
Not only for their pillager problem, but Violet wondered what this meant for her research. She'd probably have to disclose that these villagers had been vagabonds until fairly recently. That shouldn't be relevant from a sociocultural perspective. So now that she'd established her assignment was still credible, what was she going to do about the pillager problem? Violet had a sudden urge to take out her crystal now, message Augustus and call the whole thing off. She'd walk these fellows back and then take a portal to Lan'Tim, and choose a desert village from a different world instead. She'd not even been here for two weeks after all….
Violet's hand closed around her pocket, around the hard crystal ball. Was she overreacting? Granted, it was suddenly a lot more probable for them to be pillaged but it still wasn't likely to happen in the next several months. Violet didn't want all her hard work thus far and all the progress she'd made to be wasted. Leave, and start again somewhere else, building back up from zero? Violet slowly let go of her pocket. Her notorious stubbornness was back. She'd committed to this project and she wanted to see it through to the end.
Violet was staring out and thinking for a few minutes before Berthar stood and brushed himself off.
"There is no point 'i us staying hither. We shall just hast to return empty-handed."
"No…" Violet said suddenly, confusing them. She jumped up, "The wandering trader yesterday said he came from a village to the west. He said it was a three quarter's day journey to our village on foot. That means it might be just as close to us now as our village." Violet looked around and then jumped at the nearest stick bush, she wrestled with it before breaking off a long piece. She'd emptied out most of her inventory in case they'd have a lot of wares to carry, so without a book or a pen she started drawing in the sand.
"What is thy purpose with this?" Ansel asked.
Violet was annoyed, partly by her worry and partly from long exposure to the sun. She answered, "Trigonometry," knowing he wouldn't understand, dispelling further questions as she did the maths in her head. They said nothing else and just watched her. She took out her compass and watched the needle jostle, then looked at the direction she wanted. She snapped the compass shut.
Violet faced them, "I don't want to just give up. Let's go to the next village instead, we'll still make it before sundown."
"Violet, thou are being stubborn! The others shall worry!" Berthar scolded.
"The others know we have invisibility potions," Violet said back. "And they'll last us a full night. Also, we just found out this region has had fairly recent pillager activity, so maybe they should worry! And thirdly, don't you want to make sure this other village hasn't also been hit?"
They didn't answer. It wasn't difficult to win an argument against a testificate. They were fairly easy to persuade - manipulate. She watched the fight leave them as they reluctantly conceded to a longer journey.
Violet turned, "Okay, follow me. We should make it to the other village before nightfall."
They followed her, exiting the ghost town and moving off in an assured direction. Hopefully, to no more bad surprises.
。。。
【AN: Yayy thanks to Convergence for following and being my first reviewer!】