Chapter Four

   The next morning, the group woke up with their belongings spilled out of their sacks. Small pests from the plains have found their way to the group's food. They were completely crestfallen. The friends swore as they rummaged through the remains of their sack.
  "What are we going to do now? Most of the food is gone!" Anya yelled as she threw her belonging into her ruined sack.
   "At least we weren't robbed, or killed in our sleep." Seth said with poor humor. He had scared Saya and Anya with the thought of their throats being slit while sleeping.
   "There is a military outpost not too far from here. No will be stupid enough to do that here. Rob us sure, but kill us I don't think so." Sev said to reassure the girls.
   "Well, we are still low on food. That was a good few more days of salted jerky and bread." Cal stated with an annoyed tone. "We could buy more. How much money do you guys have? My parents gave Sev and I each a hundred imperial riits."
   Seth, Saya, and Anya counted their currency. Each had about a hundred imperial riits each. They all agreed that their situation was so dire that they would have to go right back into the forest and go home. So the group packed up and headed towards the small outpost before heading to Caltier. With the sun up, the five friends could see much more clearly than last night. The plains was a golden brown and few patches of grass. There were some large hills scattered sparsely among the land. They could see that they were really not that far from the outpost and could have made it there and spent the night. Unfortunately they did not realized this and cursed their fatigue to not go on. Instead of stopping at the outpost they decided to bypass it and make it to Caltier sooner.
   "We can get a place to stay in Caltier tonight if you want. I don't know how expensive it is but we can check. But we definitely need to get supplies. And weapons if we can afford them."
   They were only about half way to Caltier when they heard screaming. The group ran towards the source and came up on four large men armed with swords or crossbows. They were harassing a man, his wife, and two young sons who were riding in a wagon.
   "Shut yer mouth!" A man yelled, who seemed to be the boss. "Now, you'll give us all you have and we won't hurt you."
   The man was standing in front of his wife and sons, trying to shield them from the bandits but he still trembled with fear. He sputtered words as he spoke. "Please! We don't  have anything of value."
   The man giving the threat stepped closer, causing the family to flinch. "Well that's too bad. Guess we'll have to kill you, take your wife and two sons." The four men started chuckling and began to walk towards their victims.
   At that moment Cal yelled at the four bandits. "Stop right there! I won't let you hurt them."
   The four bandits laughed even harder after hearing what Cal had just said.
   "Look kids, don' try and be heroes. Jus'  go 'way and act like you say nothin'" One of the other bandits said. "We aren' concerned 'bout you."
   Suddenly three arrows shot, from what seemed to be out of nowhere, penetrated the bandit leader's leather armor. The man was blown back from the consecutive arrows. Everyone turned their attention to where the arrows were shot from. On top of a hill was a tall, slender creature. It held a bow and readied for another shot. The remaining bandits attempted to ready themselves for the surprise attack but arrows rained down them. Another man went down in screaming agony, an arrow stuck in his chest. As soon as it started, it was over and the humanoid creature gracefully strode to the ones it has saved.
 


   The five friends sat in the back of the wagon and examined their new weapons.
   "So I kinda just realized this, but I don't really know how to fight." Cal said. "Like I don't know how to properly use a sword."
   "Well, my mentor taught me a little bit of dueling. I can try to teach you guys what I know." Sev offered.
   The four agreed to let Sev train them in the use of swords. All five of them were having conversations with the wife and husband about where they came from and what they are going to do in Caltier.
   "Wow, so you guys are just on an adventure?" The woman said with wide eyes. "I bet that it has been a lot of fun."
   "Well, not really. It took us three days to get out of that forest to the west." Cal said.
   "You guys went through the forest?" The man asked. "You are all lucky. There is supposed to be something in that forest. Some evil creature that lives in there now. We've heard reports of people being found dead and torn up."
   The group gaped at each other with the same expression and thought running through their heads. 'I can't believe we didn't die.
   A few hours have passed and it was late afternoon when the wagon finally reached Caltier. The five friends thanked the family and said good bye before setting off. The group entered the streets outside of Caltier where merchants from all over Malfur came to trade or sell their good.
   The five friends stood there, awed by the huge walls protecting the city. Tall spires touched the skies and were colorfully decorated, almost pearlescent. The top of the walls had slits where archers would be able to shoot from. At the end of the street was a large arch like gate where five soldiers stood guard.
   As the group walked through the streets, they were marveled at what they saw. Exotic foods, jewelery, weapons, and many more caught their attention. Saya and Anya spotted a jewelry kiosk but Seth reminded them that they could not squander away their savings just yet.
   "Man, we need to get more imperial riites. Think of all the things we would bring back to Samen!" Anya admired a gold necklace a red gem at the bottom.
   Seth walked up to the stand and tripped, landing on the merchant's wares, scattering almost everything on the table. The merchant yelled angrily at Seth's clumsiness and Seth apologized humbly.
   "You alright there? Having a bit of trouble walking?" Saya said, laughing.
   Sev caught onto Seth's 'accidental' fall and saw Seth pocket a few pieces of jewelery. The girls, now wide eyed, marveled the jewelry and put them on. They both hugged and kissed Seth on the cheek and thank him for their presents.
   As the group neared the gate four guards, clad in heavy silver armor, were armed with swords. One of them guards, who the five assumed to be an officer, was a pistol tucked in a holster on his waste.
   The guard captain put hi hand up, stopping the group. "What is your business here?" His helmet blocked the man's expression, but he was obviously bored from the way he spoke.
   "We are just passing through. Gathering supplies and a place to stay for the night." Sev replied.
   "Ok, you can go through. Just don't cause any trouble. You will be stuck in the catacombs longer than you'll know." The captain stepped aside and waved up at the two guards controlling the gate. The gate slowly lifted, letting the five pass through.
   The inside of Caltier was enormous. Crowds bustled in and out of shops. A statue of a man holding his sword in the air on a rearing horse stood a top of a large fountain where little children played along the edges.  Every building was at least two stories high and were a clean cream color.
   Once inside the group decided to split up and look for supplies and a place to stay. Anya, Cal, and Sev were a team and started towards the left side of the city where Seth and Saya went the other way.