The inn smelled like grease, dust, and something faintly rotten. It was packed with travelers and locals, but the moment Rudy and his gang walked in, the air changed.
Laughter died down. Conversations paused. People suddenly found their drinks far more interesting than anything happening around them.
Rudy led the charge, swagger in every step, arms swinging loosely like he owned the world. Bollie and the others followed, cracking jokes between themselves, loud enough to fill the room.
Dune trailed behind then silently.
"We eat first," Rudy said with a grin, kicking a chair back and flopping down at a large table near the center. "Can't fight with an empty belly."
He stretched, then waved at the closest girl carrying a tray. She looked young, with a nervous twitch to her hands. She nodded quickly and hurried toward the kitchen.
I could feel how fast her heart was beating. Seems like she knows these guys.
Billo grabbed a pitcher off another table, didn't even ask. "Smells like piss wine, but I'll take it."
"Better than nothing," Mark said with a grunt.
The innkeeper peeked out from behind the counter but quickly ducked away when Rudy made eye contact. No one here was going to say a thing. They were used to swallowing pride and fear in equal measure.
dune sighed. I'd seen this before, people like Rudy had a way of poisoning a place without even trying.
Rudy leaned back, arms behind his head, and exhaled loudly.
"Twenty-two," he said, out of nowhere.
The others looked at him.
"That's how old I am. Surprised?"
Billo snorted. "Remember when we thought you were thirty, with all the shit you've done, we were surprised to find out the truth."
Rudy grinned. "Yeah Right?"
Dune blinked. That actually caught me off guard. He was close to my age, few years older, but the way he carried himself, the way he spoke to everyone, he just didn't sound like someone that young. Twenty two? That made it worse somehow.
He talked more, laughed more. Dune let it all pass over himself. But in his head, questions stirred.
Why is Rudy like this? Why does he act like he owns everything and everyone?
Maybe he actually is someone important here. I'd seen types like him even back in Fein, rich, powerful, arrogant beyond saving. People who never tasted defeat always ended up like this. Like gods in their own heads. But when defeat finally came for them, it broke them. Or it changed them.
The old me would've killed Rudy right here. Snapped his neck over the table before he got a second laugh out, or… maybe I wouldn't even care about him at all.
But I am not that version of myself anymore.
Back in the trials and fein, I killed too many people. Some deserved it. Others… I did it to save myself. I don't want to live like that again. Not unless i'm forced to. Not unless there was no other choice.
Now, I am really trying to change. Trying to give people chances, even ones who disgusted me.
Dune picked at his food as Rudy and the others dug in like pigs. Bollie had already grabbed three plates, his mouth full of half chewed meat as he let out a chuckle.
The girl from before returned, carrying another tray. She tried to stay quick and quiet, but as she passed Rudy again, he reached out and slapped her from behind.
She froze mid-step. Not a sound escaped her lips, but her face turned red with shame. Her hands tightened around the tray like she was trying to crush it.
Rudy leaned back, grinning like it was a joke only he found funny.
She turned her head slowly. Her eyes passed over Rudy, the laughing gang, then finally landed on Dune. For a second, she held his gaze. There was no anger there. Just humiliation. Silent, burning shame.
She looked down and walked away, delivering her tray in silence.
"Girls in towns like this love it," Rudy said, still grinning. "They act shy, but they'll crawl to your room if you let em."
Dune said nothing. The locals said nothing. The silence was loud. And everyone just let it happen.
Dune forced himself to stay calm, even as disgust crept into his lungs like smoke.
Suddenly a man near the bar said something under his breath. I didn't catch the words, but Rudy did. His head turned slowly, and a new kind of smile crawled onto his face.
He stood.
The man was older, standing at the bar with his wife, who now gripped his arm tightly, eyes wide with fear. Rudy strolled over like a dog off its leash.
"You got something to say?" he asked, voice soft, almost kind.
The man didn't answer.
Rudy looked at his wife. "What's your name?"
She didn't respond either.
Rudy raised his hand.
The man dropped to his knees instantly, like an invisible hammer crushed him into the ground. His wife cried out, grabbing at his arms, trying to lift him.
"You want to play hero? I heard what you said, you see i have a good hearing. You see… I can't let you go without a punishment."
Rudy grinned, voice rising slightly. "You're so brave right? Talking behind my back, then… do something heroic. Undress her. Right now. Show us all how far you'll go."
The entire inn went silent. Not even the wind dared to move.
"Rudy," Dune spoke, walking over, slowly, steadily.
He glanced at Dune, annoyed. "What?"
"We've eaten enough," Dune said, voice calm. "You said you wanted a hunt. Let's go before it gets too dark."
He squinted at Dune, For a second, as if he might say no. Instead, he slapped the kneeling man across the face with the back of his hand and turned away.
"You're all soft. Fine. Let's move."
He walked out like nothing happened, waving the others along.
"Are you coming?" Rudy asked glancing at Dune.
Dune give him a side eye, "yeah go, i'll catch up to you."
"Don't make us wait." Rudy turned around and left with others.
Dune knelt quickly, placing a hand on the man's back, just for a second. A flash of green Neba slid from his fingers into man's body. Not enough to draw attention, but enough to ease the pain. His wife looked at Dune, speechless.
Then he stood and turned to leave.
As the others walked ahead, vanishing into the forest trail with weapons slung over their backs and laughter still lingering in the air, Dune adjusted his cloak and prepared to follow. The cold breeze brushed his face, and the sky above was already fading into night.
Then he felt a small tug at the edge of his cloak. Dune turned.
It was her, the girl from earlier. The one Rudy had humiliated, the one who had walked away silently, cheeks flushed with shame. Now, she stood before him with eyes full of tears, her fingers clenching the fabric of his cloak like it was the last thing keeping her upright.
"Wait," she whispered, her voice raw and trembling. "Please…"
Dune stared at her, brows furrowed.
She hesitated, lips quivering before finally forming the words.
"Kill him."
His expression didn't change, but a flicker of confusion stirred in his eyes. "What?"
"Please," she repeated, her voice cracking. "Just kill Rudy. I know you're strong, I can feel it. You're going on a hunt, right? Use that and lie. Say a beast took him. Just… just make it seem like an accident. Please."
Dune looked around. People inside the inn had gathered behind the windows again, silent, their faces half-shadowed. Not a single one moved or spoke.
"I'm sorry," he said, voice low. "I have to stay out of trouble. I'm an outsider here and if i act rashly, I will put my friends in danger. I can't kill him, not like that."
He stepped past her.
But she grabbed his cloak again.
"He's an outsider too," she blurted, desperation in her tone. "Here in Varrinor, hurting an insider means death. But if he's like you, if he's not from here, then the rules won't protect him. You can do it."
Dune stopped.
"I don't have proof," he muttered, not turning around. "Even if you're right… they will probably recognize him as one of theirs. If I'm wrong, I die. And I'm not even sure I'd win against him."
The girl moved quickly, stepping in front of him. Her hands trembled, but her voice sharpened.
"He's an outsider. I swear. I heard him say it. I'll show you, just… just look into my eyes."
Her eyes glowed softly with Neba now, not bright, but steady, controlled. Her name had never been spoken aloud until now.
"I'm Sylwen," she said, voice quieter now.
"Please… trust me."
Dune hesitated for a moment, then met her gaze. The world fell away. Darkness blood and screams followed.
It was night.
Sylwen was on the ground, bleeding, vision flickering. In the distance, a boy cried out. His hand, ripped clean off, bled in spurts onto the forest floor.
"Rudy, come on!" the boy sobbed. "I won't tell anyone, man, I just stumbled on it! I didn't know, please don't kill me!"
Rudy's boots thudded closer. The boy fell on his back, eyes wide in terror.
From Sylwen's place on the floor, she could only watch.
Rudy grinned.
His teeth stretched unnaturally. Muscles twitched beneath his skin, expanding, tensing. Then his foot came down with vicious force.
The boy's head exploded under his heel like crushed fruit.
"No!" Sylwen's screamed as she dragged herself across the dirt. "Please! Let him go!"
Rudy's face turned to her, his eyes monstrous, slitted like a predator's. He stomped forward, grabbed her by the throat, and lifted her off the ground.
"If you ever speak of this," he hissed, breath hot and foul, "I'll eat you alive. I'll peel your skin off and keep you conscious for every second of it. Got it?"
The memory cracked apart like shattering glass.
Dune gasped quietly, his focus returning to the present. He blinked, trying to calm the pounding in his chest.
"What… was that?" he asked.
Sylwen stepped back, folding her arms, trying to hold herself together. "My ability," she said. "I can store memories in my Neba. That's the only reason I'm still alive. If I died, that memory would've eventually found someone else in the village. But… it would've taken a long time."
She looked at him, pleading. "That's why Rudy didn't kill me. He's hiding this information. He's an outsider, just like you. And I think there are more. There's something going on here, but i don't exactly know what."
She exhaled shakily.
"I know we don't know each other. I know it's insane to ask. But he's made my life hell. Every day I'm scared he'll kill me or my close ones. He said if I ever told anyone, his friends would destroy me, and my family too. I've lived in fear ever since."
Her voice cracked again.
"I don't want to die, Dune. And I don't want to live like this anymore either."
She lowered her head, fists clenched.
Dune stepped forward and gently placed a hand on her shoulder.
"I'll try," he said quietly. "No promises. But I'll try."
"Thank you," she whispered, eyes welling again. "Thank you…"
Dune nodded, then turned toward the path the others had taken.
What am I supposed to do now?
The thought throbbed behind his eyes as he walked.
The forest opened slightly ahead, and he soon saw Rudy waiting, tossing a blade in his hand, the others chuckling behind him.
Dune clenched his jaw and kept walking.