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8th of Fall, 513 AV
The journey to reach this point in time had taken a toll on her. Her bones and muscles ached from exertion. If her time keeping had been correct, it had taken a long time to reach this strange place. The road had been hard; how she had made it this far with her life she was unsure, for her horse had not.
She'd only been a day out from this place, according to the map she'd briefly read, and the previously tales from travellers. She'd heard the howling long before she had seen their eyes almost glowing in the darkness. It was possible the pack had followed her for many days. Her horse had hesitated, snorting in fear, before it had thrown her forward, and the wolves had been upon it. She had barely escaped with her life, nursing a wounded leg from the fall. She'd landed against some kind of branch, earning a puncture in her thigh. It was not fatal, not yet. She needed to get it checked and perhaps a salve put on it to prevent infection; infections were often fatal.
She'd half walked, half dragged her leg through the night, a mountain watching her path in silent vigilance.
She'd eventually made it to the gates...
Her leg hurt with the the kind of pain that burned an imprint into one's mind. She didn't know much about injuries, but she had heard enough to know that the wound was probably festering.
It was now early morning, possibly around 6th bell. She found herself staring transfixed and a massive face that seemed just as intent on staring at her. She suppressed a shudder at the image of the thing. How did something like this exist?
“You have come in search of the City of Illusion. Tell me, stranger, why are you here?” The live-seeming stone face spoke to her, causing her to jump with fright.
"I come seeking a change, an adventure and perhaps a new start," she stated quietly, still staring up into those mesmerizing eyes. Her answer seemed well enough, as stepping into the blackness she found herself greeted by the streets of the new town.
Unsure of exactly where to go to find help, she glanced around in confusion. It almost seemed like the place was moving. She tried to shake the feeling off, but found it only consumed her more. "Better get used to it, I guess," she muttered to herself, likening it to Aska when he would dive towards the ground. Don't think too hard about it, just hold on and accept that you probably won't die. Probably, Aska always said probably, and now he is definitely dead her thoughts were bitter, so she turned away from them.
A little ahead she could see a rather misshapen building, seemingly settled in this insane town. She started to make her way towards it until she could make out a sign saying The Welcoming/Housing/Orientation/Sanity Center. Perhaps she was going into shock, or was losing her wits, but she giggled uncontrollably, at least until her leg went numb again and she had to limp towards it.
She entered the building and turned towards the sound a woman talking, well chattering would be a better description. With a slight sigh of relief she shuffled her way over.
A lady with carroty hair sat at a desk, and Briza waited for the person in front of her to move on. Briza was surprised to see red hair here, she supposed it was possible being in Kalea that she could be Inarta, but something made her doubt that.
"Welcome to Alvadas, what do you want?" The woman asked her. She was trying, Briza was sure, to be polite, but she seemed rattled. Perhaps by the previous person?
"Um, hi," Briza was a bit taken aback. "I need to find somewhere where there is a healer?" She let it slide as a question, looking around the room to see other milling around.
"Oh, you'll be looking for Ionu's Mercy, but you won't be finding it unless it be wanting to be found," she answered briskly, waving Briza away.
Briza was stumped, how could you find a building that didn't want to be found?
She exited the building to find herself confronted with different scenery prior to entry. "Well, should start walking before I collapse," she spoke into the air, and began walking in the first direction that sprung to mind; right.
She felt like she'd walked for hours, though she'd only heard one chime of the bell. "I'll be damned," she stated in awe as she round a previously non-existent corner and found herself staring into the face of Ionu's Mercy, a magnificent building.
She entered as quickly as she could, to be met just within the door buy a very calm looking woman. "Help?" Briza managed to whisper before the toll of travel and injury took her.
She awoke with the serene face of the woman that had greeted her. Her face seemed almost serious however. "You're very, very lucky, many would have died," she stated. Briza blanched at the thought. To die so soon on her journey of recovery would have been the worst kick in the guts. "I have no idea why here was shown to you, perhaps because your body was almost as broken as your mind?" The lady seemed to leave it open as a question. Whether Briza would answer or not, well who knew.
"You are however good to go, that puncture will hurt for many days, and slowly it will become an ache, but eventually that too shall pass and you will have a simple scar to show for your misadventure," as she said this she bustled Briza out of the bed she had been laying out, gently guiding her out one door, and into a room which she vaguely remembered as the entrance. "Of you go then," The woman stated, opening the door for the bemused red head. Briza nodded slowly and left the building. She took a few steps to try and orientate herself, and turned to view the building again, but it seemed to not be there.
She shook her head and looked around for another point to find.
She noticed a building ahead of her, almost nondescript, but decided to check it out. Upon opening the door she found herself staring into the hustle and bustle of a very busy market.
"Well, it's one way to spend the day," she thought, as she favoured her right leg and began to browse many different wares.
.
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