Chapter 3: Just ordinary people
The Village of Newfound Hope appeared more vibrant than before as Mengkai, Kelith and Raiica were able to look around at their own pace. It was a thriving little settlement and the way people were speaking and helping each other out gave the impression that the villagers were helpful folks that appreciated honest work. Everyone seemed to get along well, but seeing this made the trio feel a little wistful; the sense of belonging somewhere must feel nice, something they weren't familiar with. Though they didn't let this dishearten them too much and who knows, maybe they could become part of the community here as well.
As the trio wandered around, they noticed how many flowers there were. Quite a lot of rose bushes were around, along with other patches of flowers, but the most remarkable part was that some were blooming on the walls of the houses and even on chicken coops. Lots of vines had taken a gentle grasp of the walls of buildings, the flowers attached to them and giving a colorful look. It was quite magical, seeming like somebody here really liked flowers as they had decorated so many places in the village with them. This was just one of the many marvels the world around the trio had to offer.
After walking around the village for a while, at some point a beautiful melody travelled to the ears of the trio. They got curious about it, sharing knowing looks between each other, and began to follow the music. It led them to a small square where a wonderful piece of art was standing: a fountain with three sculptured horses standing on their hind legs, their backs against each other, and water was flowing in the middle of them. At the edge of the fountain sat a peculiar figure playing an instrument that resembled a lute. They were a swallow about the size of a human man, dressed in simple red tunic and brown short trousers. They appeared to be immersed in their own little world as they played the music, not really noticing the three creatures they had lured with their melody.
Mengkai, Kelith and Raiica had never heard music before, so they were rather mesmerized by the melodies the swallow was playing. They were a quiet but devoted crowd, carefully listening to every little note. The music was beautiful, but also sounded somber, perhaps reflecting the inner world of the swallow. After playing their music for a while, the swallow then stopped. The trio applauded them and that was when the bird looked at them for the first time.
“You're certainly a strange lot”, the swallow said, speaking with the voice of a young man. His dark eyes wandered around all the members of the trio. “A raven, a cat and a qilin. Can't say I have ever seen folks like you.” He then glanced back at the raven. “Except maybe you. You almost look like a child of my kin. But we don't have horns.”
“Well, we have gained quite a lot of looks from the villagers here”, Raiica stated and shrugged. “So our appearance seems to be out of ordinary.”
“Where are you from?” the swallow asked and there was a glimmer of curiosity in his dark eyes.
The three creatures shared awkward looks between each other.
“We don't know”, Kelith responded. “We have no memories, no idea who we are. Ihtiriekko just found us from the forest and brought us here.”
“Is that so?” The swallow tilted his head slightly. “Ihtiriekko tends to visit the Forest of Cursed Cries, seeking for herbs that only grow there. No one else dares to enter because it's full of soul-devourers and all around just cursed. It has changed even Ihtiriekko. I don't understand what you were doing in the forest.”
“We don't know, either”, Raiica said, shaking her head. “We just… woke up in there, having no clue how we ended up in that place.”
“I have to say, you were incredibly lucky that Ihtiriekko found you as soon as she did”, the swallow declared. “You could have lost your lives and what's worse, your souls.”
“Just how bad is that forest?” Mengkai suddenly opened his mouth. “We heard these eerie howls while traversing through and even encountered a terrifying purple creature, but other than that, we don't know anything except people calling it cursed.”
“Well, I'm not the most knowledgeable person in this subject, but I can tell you the basics.” The swallow leisurely plucked the strings of his instrument. “Like one would expect, it hasn't always been cursed. That ground is a victim of an unfortunate series of events. Back in the day, a lot of newborn bastard children were abandoned in the forest because it was believed that a devil had impregnated many women who traveled here in search of a better life. The cries of these children that never got a chance in life still haunt the forest and it's their resentment and despair that has cursed the place. Then came the soul-devourers. Their origin is unknown to me, but they were lured into the forest as an attempt to seal them inside, so technically, the world would be safe from them. It was said that the God of Wind himself was the one who lured them there. After this, holy statues depicting the Mother Goddess were erected on the borders of the forest, their holy magic keeping the soul-devourers inside.” The swallow took a deep breath. “That's pretty much it.”
“Oh… Poor children”, Kelith said quietly.
Abandoned in the forest, never getting a chance to be loved and experiencing life was bad enough, but in addition, never getting peace on one's soul and being hunted by creatures that feed on souls was a horrible fate. The three creatures shared looks again, perhaps the same thought had appeared in their minds. Were they purposely abandoned as well, left to be devoured by vicious beasts? But who would do such a thing? After hearing the story of the cursed forest, all three appreciated Ihtiriekko's deed even more now. They would offer their deepest gratitude once they would see her again.
“What can you do, bad things tend to happen even to those who definitely don't deserve them”, the swallow spoke. “The world can be an unfair place at times, but there's good things, too. We just have to remember them.”
He raised his head and looked up at the blue sky. For a moment it looked like he had left his body, dwelling in some other plane of existence completely, somewhere where he was happy as a faint smile appeared on his face. But his memories were bittersweet since a sorrowful expression then took over and he shook his head slightly.
“Do you three happen to have names?” the swallow asked abruptly.
All three nodded, being sort of glad that they could actually answer this question.
“Raiica.”
“Kelith.”
“Mengkai.”
The swallow nodded to each one as they stated their names. “Pleasure to meet you. My name is Iirenz.” He then plucked the strings of his instrument again. “Say, how do you like the Village of Newfound Hope?”
“It seems pretty peaceful and people look like they appreciate each other”, Raiica answered, gaining affirmative nods from the other two.
“You're right about that”, Iirenz said. “We are a small community that generally gets along well. All of us have done crimes, but since this applies to all of us, technically we can better understand each other. At the end of the day, we're just ordinary people who have done bad deeds, that's all. What we have done doesn't define us.”
Iirenz looked down and played a few somber notes with his instrument. Something had darkened his mood again, perhaps his past was still haunting him.
Then he stopped playing and looked at the trio again. “Would you like to help me with something? Don't worry, it's nothing difficult.”
This was unexpected and the three creatures exchanged looks again. But as usual, they were on the same wavelength and nodded to each other.
“Sure”, said Kelith.
“Great, follow me then”, Iirenz said as he stood up. He threw his instrument on his back with a strap that was attached to it and he began to show the way.
Together with the three creatures they made their way through the village, heading to a western part of the settlement. The group appeared a little funny to bystanders, with the tall human-sized swallow leading them and three creatures that were only half of his height eagerly following behind like children that had promised candy.
“What are we going to do?” Raiica curiously asked as they traversed through the village.
“We are giving a helping hand to Nadaer, a lady that uses a small patch of land for growing things like carrots and potatoes”, Iirenz replied. “I promised to help her harvest them. She will then make soup and serve it to anyone who wants to have some.”
“She sounds nice”, Raiica said. “I mean, offering food while expecting nothing in return? That sounds nice.”
“Well…” Iirenz went silent for a second. “She can appear intimidating, but her heart is in the right place. Don't say I didn't warn you.”
The group got closer to a small house that was one of the outermost buildings in this side of the village. It had been decorated with vines and flowers just like all the other buildings in the settlement. As the group was approaching, the door opened with a slight creak and a woman came out and watched them getting closer. Even at this first sight, the three creatures could tell what Iirenz meant when he had described Nadaer as intimidating. She was looking at them with piercing steel grey eyes and her posture as she leaned against a doorframe with her arms crossed over her chest was a sign that she would tolerate no nonsense. Another daunting detail was the few scars she had on the left side of her face. On her head she was wearing a black bandana that kept her curly ginger hair away from her face. She was wearing white shirt that however didn't cover her arms and exposed her belly. She also wore brown, baggy and worn pants. The three creatures didn't know what they had expected, but not this tough-looking young woman.
“You got some new friends, huh, Iiz?” Nadaer stated as the group approached her. “Who are these twerps?”
“These are Raiica, Mengkai and Kelith”, Iirenz responded. “They will help us.”
“Really?” Nadaer said in a doubtful way as she leered at the three creatures. “Well, if you say so. Just don't let them get in the way.”
She then disappeared inside her house, leaving behind Iirenz and the trio who were left a bit confused from this short conversation.
“Don't take it personally”, Iirenz told the three creatures. “She's like that with everyone. You'll get used to it. Come, this way.”
The swallow then began to guide the trio around the house and toward the backyard. There were a few small patches of land where potatoes and carrots were growing and some of them appeared to be ready for harvesting. Before the group got to work, Nadaer made a sudden appearance again and joined them on her field. She was carrying two wooden buckets.
“So, if you twerps want to be helpful, take care of the carrots over there”, she said and pointed at one of the patches. “I'll handle the potatoes with Iirenz.”
“Understood”, Raiica answered on behalf of all three.
“Take one of the buckets and put all the carrots in there”, Nadaer instructed them. “Now, get to work!”
Mengkai, Kelith and Raiica hurried to the carrot patch, Raiica carrying the bucket assigned to them. They began to pluck the vegetables from the ground. They had never done any sort of work before, at least they assumed they hadn't, so even this simple task felt new and exciting. They got a little dirtied with soil, but they were happy to help nonetheless, and together the trio managed to pick up all the carrots from the small patch. Since they had succeeded in that in a relatively short amount of time, they then moved over to help Iirenz and Nadaer.
It was around afternoon when they were done with harvesting. Two buckets filled with potatoes and carrots, now that was a sight Nadaer was satisfied with.
“Great, now we can make soup”, Nadaer stated. “Though I don't have all the ingredients in hand. Hey, Iiz, will you go fetch some chicken meat from Imnia?”
“Sure thing”, Iirenz replied, nodding. He went to fulfill this task immediately and soon his figure disappeared from sight.
“Now, you three…” Nadaer turned to face the trio. “You may still be useful. You can help me prepare the soup. Interested?”
All three nodded, curious to see what this chore included since like with everything else, they had no experience in cooking – or even eating. Maybe that was the strange sensation in their stomachs they had suddenly started to feel.
“Good. Come here”, Nadaer said as she began to walk toward her house's back door, carrying both buckets with her. “It would be nice if someone opened the door.”
Raiica was the first one who hurried toward the house and she opened up the door for everyone else. Nadaer was the first one to go in and the three creatures followed right behind her. They found themselves from a rather cozy little place; the downstairs seemed to mostly consist of a kitchen and a big living space. The warm afternoon sun flowed from the windows and gave the insides of Nadaer's house a beautiful golden glow. Mengkai, Kelith and Raiica noticed how there were a lot of wooden figures decorating shelves, tables and cabinets; it appeared Nadaer was very skilled in carving.
“So, here's the thing”, Nadaer said as she dropped the buckets on the kitchen floor. “I want you to peel off the skin of all these potatoes and carrots. Think you're able to do that?”
“What does that exactly mean?” Raiica asked.
“Are you idiots or something?” Nadaer asked, though she didn't wait for an answer. “Well, let me show you.”
She snatched one of the knives that had been sitting in a neat row on a table that was standing right by a window. Then she picked a potato from a bucket and showed the trio how to peel it.
“It's that simple, really”, Nadaer said. “Now, do this to all of them. And don't blame me if you cut your fingers. Meanwhile, I'll go fetch water.”
She just dumped the contents of the two buckets on the floor. Staring at this pile of vegetables, the three creatures had a hunch that this task might take a while. But the sooner they started, the sooner it would be done, so all of them picked up knives and began their work. In the meantime, Nadaer took the buckets with her and soon disappeared from the front door. Mengkai, Kelith and Raiica were left alone, trying their best to do a good job. Though they were having a bit of trouble at first, they weren't used to doing anything with tools and the work's results weren't the prettiest.
Raiica was the first one to master peeling off the skin of the potatoes and she showed her new technique to her two companions. With her aid, Kelith and Mengkai slowly began to get better at their job, although they did manage to slip a couple of times and accidentally cut their fingers. Nothing serious, however, and mostly they were enjoying this little chore of theirs.
Eventually Nadaer came back, carrying two wooden buckets filled with water.
“How's it going?” she asked as she placed the buckets carefully on the floor. “Do you all have all your fingers intact?”
“Yes, we do”, Kelith responded happily, proud of this achievement.
“Good.” Nadaer carried one of the buckets toward the little workstation the trio had formed and placed it near them. “Put all the ready potatoes in this one.”
She then carried the other bucket toward a little fireplace where a big black cauldron was hanging. The three creatures peeked briefly at what Nadaer was doing and saw how she poured the water into the cauldron and lit a fire beneath it with a tinderbox. The gentle crackling of fire brought a comforting sound to the kitchen, somehow making it feel more homely than before. After these tasks, Nadaer got her hands on a knife as well and started to work together with the trio, sitting on a stool.
“Where are you little twerps coming from?” she asked while immersed in her work, peeling off the skins skillfully and way faster than the three creatures. “I've never seen critters like you before.”
“We don't know.” Kelith was once again the one to reply to this familiar question. “We woke up in the forest with no memories of who we are. Ihtiriekko brought us here.”
“Are you fucking with me?” Nadaer glanced suspiciously at the trio. “You mean the cursed forest?”
“Yes”, Kelith said. “We don't know how we ended up there.”
“Well, good thing that Ihtiriekko found you or else your asses would be dead”, Nadaer stated and focused on her chore again. “But hey, maybe you are demons. Maybe that's why you were unharmed.”
“What do you mean?” Raiica asked cautiously. She and her two companions remembered hearing from Flamenial something about demons being powerful and dangerous and having the desire to steal souls from others. Being called such didn't really sound like a compliment.
“Well, all demons have horns, just like you three”, Nadaer said. “It's not impossible that someone sent you to wreak havoc or something to our village. Not anything too crazy, I reckon, you look like weaklings to me.”
This puzzled the three creatures, giving them even more questions about their own existence. None of them felt like they wanted to spread chaos or steal souls or anything of that sort, but perhaps it was a possibility that their origin was darker than suspected, although this option seemed wrong somehow.
They all went quiet for a moment, but the crackling of fire kept a complete silence away together with the silent and soft noises of knives cutting vegetables. The quiet moment didn't last for long when a knock on the front door was heard. Just seconds later, it opened, and the familiar figure of Iirenz peeked inside.
“Hello, I'm back”, he cheerfully said and slipped inside, shutting the door behind him. He had a package wrapped in cloth with him.
“Good”, Nadaer stated and got up from her stool, throwing a perfectly peeled potato into the bucket of water. “You can help these three. I'll start cutting up all the ingredients.”
“Sure thing”, Iirenz responded and got to work after dropping the package on the kitchen table.
After the swallow had joined, together the group was able to get the soup done rather quickly. Nadaer was terrifyingly good at handling her knife as she cut to pieces all the potatoes, carrots and bits of chicken meat. Everything got thrown into the boiling cauldron and Nadaer did command one of the trio to stir the soup with a ladle, Kelith being the one who ended up doing this task. The scent of the cooking became irresistible after Nadaer had thrown in some herbs. Eventually Nadaer deemed that the soup was ready to be served.
“Your new little friends really were helpful”, Nadaer told Iirenz as she was carrying the cauldron toward the front door and the trio could just admire her strength.
“Yes, they were”, replied Iirenz who was walking by her side, and he glanced at the three creatures that were following behind them. Judging by his smile, this was quite a compliment from Nadaer and the trio felt a hint of pride because of this.
Nadaer carried the cauldron outside and placed it on the porch, looking quite satisfied with the cooking.
“Now, Iiz, go spread the word to those who are hungry”, she said, facing the swallow again.
He nodded. “See you in a moment.”
He then walked away, his figure soon disappearing from sight as he wandered further into the village, other houses concealing him. As soon as he was gone, Nadaer turned to face the trio.
“For your work, you'll deserve to be fed first”, she stated. “Wait here, I'll get some bowls and spoons for you.”
Mengkai, Kelith and Raiica nodded in unison and watched how Nadaer disappeared inside her home for a minute. It felt nice that their work was appreciated. Maybe they were supposed to be benevolent entities after all, not demons. At least it didn't sound like demons would care about being appreciated for doing a good deed.
When Nadaer came back, she offered a bowl and spoon for each one of them. They were made of wood, so probably Nadaer had carved them by herself. She grabbed a ladle and poured a portion for all three creatures.
“Thank you”, they all said at the same time.
Nadaer looked at them with a little amused expression. “It really seems like you just share one brain. Anyway, enjoy your meal.”
The scent of the soup was so mouthwatering. All three took a spoonful from their meal, blew it a little to cool it and then put it in their mouths. It tasted as good as it smelled. However, Mengkai discovered that he didn't like the meat, for some reason it tasted wrong in his mouth. Kelith and Raiica noticed him leaving the bits of chicken aside, eating the rest of the soup just fine.
“We can take the meat”, Raiica suggested, not really wanting anything to go to waste.
“Alright”, Mengkai agreed.
Once he had finished eating the rest of the soup, he offered his bowl to his two companions who then shared the pieces of meat that remained. While they were enjoying their meal, sitting on the porch of Nadaer's house, they noticed how a handful of villagers were approaching, each holding a bowl and spoon of their own. One by one people came over to have their share of the soup, all expressing their gratitude. While Nadaer didn't mention that the three creatures had helped her, they still were delighted by the compliments many of the villagers offered, since they had been part of the process. It was important to them, giving them a hint of a sense of belonging. As they basked in the beams of the afternoon sun, they watched how people came and left, wondering if they could be part of their world. A few folks talked about places beyond the village, which made the trio think. Maybe, their place was somewhere else entirely. The Village of Newfound Hope seemed like a nice settlement, but there was a whole other world out there. And perhaps somewhere out there the truth about their origin awaited.
This thought was something the trio played with together as they quietly muttered with each other, sitting on the porch even after some time when the last villager had left and the cauldron was empty. But little did they know, their story was just beginning – and it would take them to a grand journey.
