The Legend of Admir—Chapter 2: Welcome to Kozen Crest

Have you tried walking a full day up and down hills, through dense forests, over precarious bridges, all while on guard from potential threats that never rear their ugly heads? Well, now Admir could count himself part of the "lucky" few who had accomplished such a feat.

He hoped he never had to do it again.

Luckily the weather had been fair and kind—another victory, no matter how small, against the world outside of Nairene. However, this didn't stop the sweat from drenching his shirt. He pushed on, despite his aching bones and labored breathing, wishing for a nice warm bath and relaxation.

If he was being completely honest with himself, he had expected the travel to have more danger. He was not complaining about his safe travels, let's make that clear. It's just that...well, he hadn't realized he'd been expecting more. He'd barely seen a wild animal save for the squirrels, rabbits, and birds. Each of those twists and turns hid no major surprise for him. All those hiding spots, behind trees, in ditches, were empty. Nothing interesting happened for hours.

Up ahead, an entrance to a village he hoped was Kozen Crest. It was built into and up a hill, one that continued to tax his already tired body. He noted a somewhat poorly-built palisade hastily thrown up around the village, offering if not actual protection then the thought of it. What were they trying to keep out? Nairene didn't have such a thing. Regardless, he approached the two guards standing by the entrance. They did not have the signature red leather of the Red Marshals, so he assumed they were simply the local militia. What were they defending the inhabitants from?

A female guard was wrapped up tight, cloth all around her nose and mouth, eyes looking to the sickly man that accompanied her on duty from a safe distance. Admir couldn't blame her. The man was coughing entirely too much, and looked a little too close to the shade of green used to stitch his messenger bag. Could no one else be spared for guard duty?

The woman caught his eye and, seemingly starved for non-sickly attention, approached Admir and lowered her facial coverings, returning Admir's charming smile with her own. "Good evening, traveller. What brings you to Kozen Crest?"

Now, Admir was no fool. He'd thought long and hard about what he would say when a Kozen Crest local asked him this very question.

He had considered simply telling the truth: he was born there, and wanted to learn more about who he was. Wanting to know one's roots were not uncommon—there were a million stories about it. Poor orphan sets off into the world to discover their origins whilst finding their destiny. Classic tale, really. By telling the truth, it could potentially make it that much easier to ask the questions he had and get the answers he sought. This woman could probably lead him directly to someone who was around all those years ago, someone who knew one of his parents even!

Unfortunately, the truth was also a dangerous one, even more so because he didn't know the entirety of it.

When strange things began happening at home in his youth, none of his family had any answers. But it soon became clear that green eyes weren't the only odd thing about Admir. His family came to the conclusion that Admir was, more than likely, a Twilight Kin: the product of a foolish mortal and a Creature of Twilight.

He'd been lucky with his family. They did not fear him. But he could not risk someone here, a place where he didn't know a soul, remembering the baby with green eyes and whatever tale of horror surrounded his birth. He didn't want to risk—no, couldn't risk!—immediate barring from the village, closing him off to the answers he so desperately sought.

Therefore, his only path forward was a version of the truth, the same one he told Thawnym. "Looking for work. I come from Nairene, and wanted to start a new life."

"Oh yeah?" the man said, struggling to get out two words amidst a coughing fit and spitting out phlegm. "What can ya do?"

"Grew up a tailor," Admir said, reaching in his bag and flashing his traveling set of sewing supplies. "I'm also really good at telling stories."

"Well, we could use all the good stories we can get," the woman said somewhat forced, and waved him in. "But we probably won't be needing another tailor anytime soon. The Caldas do good work." She pointed in a vague direction that didn't mean much to Admir in the moment.

"I'll make sure to check them out, thank you." Admir bid his farewell to the two guards and stepped through the entrance.

He looked up towards the path leading into the heart of the village and sighed. The hill seemed to stretch on forever. But, he greeted everyone he passed, excited to meet new people and learn more about this village and himself. Kozen Crest held so much potential. He didn't expect to find every answer here, but a morsel would satiate him enough to keep looking. However, unlike the woman at the gate, they were not as reciprocating of his charm. Some gave him half-hearted greetings, said in a hurry with barely mumbled words, while others simply ignored him entirely. For a moment, he felt self conscious. What if they had a story about a baby with green eyes, and they had been waiting for this very day? What if the palisades were for him, and now he was trapped?

He pushed the thoughts aside and steadied his breathing. No. They weren't readying themselves for him, and this was not some trap.

That begged the question though: what had everyone on edge?

Admir had spent much of his youth watching people, making up stories about them based on what he could perceive or what he knew about them. As a storyteller, he used that skill to read the room and know when to alter a story based on the crowd. If they didn't seem to be in a mood for a story that was about to end in tragedy, well, then he simply made it so there was a more hopeful ending. The details were never as important as the message.

The citizens of Kozen Crest didn't seem to be a naturally downtrodden bunch, though for some reason, today, they were not happy. They needed a serious pick-me-up, a happy ending to lift their spirits from whatever depths they found themselves in.

(Except the guard woman. Hmm.)

He found himself braving another incline, despite the protest of his body. There was a group of people loosely gathered around a central point, though he couldn't quite make out what they were focused on from his vantage. As he got closer, though, he realized they were almost in mourning, sadness and despair on every face. And was that a hint of fear?

The remains of what appeared to be a shrine lay before them. He could tell it had been gorgeous at one point: natural wood, polished stones, flowers of all sorts, gifts of hand-made offerings. Now, the shrine lay destroyed. And I don't mean simply "destroyed." No, it was rotten and decayed, like someone had unleashed foul magic upon it. The wood was warped and dark, maggots writhing about. The stones were unnaturally gray, cracked and bumpy, with infectious-looking mold and moss covering it in patches. The flowers were withered almost to dust, life drained from every cell, one touch away from disintegrating.

Obviously, that kind of destruction wasn't natural, meaning Admir would need to keep the hunt for his origins s chest. It was very easy to blame a non-existent Creature of Twilight when something went wrong.

It was much easier when there was one right in front of you.

Admir looked over the group of villagers that had gathered and noticed that some of them were sick. Perhaps not as ill as the guard was, but close enough. Though, to his surprise, no one else was wrapped up like the other guard. Curious.

His legs protested the thought in his head before he even committed to doing the act, but he had no other choice. She was the only one friendly enough to talk to him, and the only one covered up. Perhaps she knew something the others didn't.

"Hey," Admir said cautiously as he approached the entrance once more. "Got a few questions, if you don't mind me asking."

"Yeah sure," she said, motioning for him to join her. She was, once again, as far away as possible from her fellow guard. "What's up?"

"I noticed a shrine in there. What happened to it? Seems to have everyone on edge."

"Well, word has it that a fire broke out—somehow. Not enough tending and, well, I'm assuming you saw what happened to it."

Despite her implication, he was not sure what was currently to blame. If she wanted to blame it on lack of maintenance, then that was much better for him. But, if the running theory was a Creature...

"You said 'somehow,'" he said, lowering his voice conspiratorially. "You mean, you think it was intentional?"

"My money is on those fire elementals, from that palace down the road." Then, in a mocking tone, fingers splayed and wiggling in the air, "'Where illusion becomes reality.'"

The irony of the name is lost on you, dear listener. We'll get to that eventually, I promise. Until then, just know that Admir is rarely left speechless, or without a firm grip on his native tongue. This moment, however, was an example of the latter.

"I'm...I'm sorry, what?"

"Part of some old legend. 'The ruined palace of the fire elementals, where illusion becomes reality.' Most people don't pay it any attention really but—"

"Tell me everything!"

She smiled. He'd done one of those smiles before with visitors to Nairene. You tell someone who is completely unaware of the local legends something shocking like that and their eyes go wide, and all you can do is smile and take pity on them because more than likely the legend is just that there was a lizard somewhere once and the story kept snowballing out of proportion.

But to Admir, the name of this palace had to be more than just a coincidence.

This was fate.

"Sorry, can't right now," she said, pulling her mask back up. "They don't like it when we chitchat too much while on duty. Plus, the more I pull this down, the more vulnerable I am to whatever that guy has. Buuuuut..."

Admir leaned forward, expectantly.

"Meet me back here at the end of my shift—sundown. I'll tell you everything I know after that."

(My stars, if this was a scam, he would be walking directly into yet, with a smile. But, rest assured, that's not the kind of story this is.)

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Yeah, thank goodness this wasn't some death trap. (Well, kind of, but...I'm getting ahead of myself.) "Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Admir Tailor."

"I'm Tiga. Tiga Estourage. It's a pleasure, Admir."

His head swam with thoughts and possibilities. "Where illusion becomes reality."

All he had to do was burn another three and a half hours, and the answers would be his. The only thing stopping him from setting off right now was the ache in his legs. He was still tired as hell, but the adrenaline gave him the boost he needed to go back into the village and begin looking for an inn.

The Scared Crow practically screamed at him to notice it. An older woman who reminded him of his mother greeted him as he entered. Admir returned the greeting and asked for an available room.

Have you ever been turned away from an inn because the local shrine was destroyed? Well, that was the owner's excuse anyway. Her claim was that the shrine warded off so many potential dangers and threats, and with its current state, she couldn't afford to house any guests right now.

He was shocked and confused, needless to say.

Not one to be overtly rude, he gave her a half-hearted nod of understanding, said goodbye, and stepped back outside. It felt like his legs were aching more now, upset that the possibility of resting was dangled before them only to be snatched away. Even his messenger bag felt heavier than normal.

The signs were clear to him now that he knew what he was looking for. The Scared Crow wasn't the only establishment turning people away, even other locals.

All of this, because of the shrine?

Assuming any other inn would end up like the Scared Crow, he looked around for a spot to settle down until he met with Tiga. Unfortunately, there wasn't a good spot to camp and relax until nightfall, not if he didn't want every local asking him questions. Plus, he was still a bit self conscious about his eyes. He didn't need to draw any unnecessary attention to himself.

Defeated, he made his way back to the entrance for the third time. "Inn's closed," he said to Tiga and her comrade with a deep sigh. He pulled his camping gear out of his bag and began setting up, but the sound of Tiga clearing her throat made him turn to face her.

"Sorry..." Her face said it all. "It's the rules. You have to be further out. I'm so sorry, Admir."

Admir had thought the road here would be his biggest challenge. Maybe a wolf or getting mugged, perhaps a terrible storm. Nope. His biggest challenge so far was the entire village of Kozen Crest.

He closed his eyes, rolled his neck, and exhaled slowly, then picked up his things. "Understood." He nodded to Tiga with forced enthusiasm and moved further out into the woods. He wasn't going to argue with her. She was just doing her job, and he still needed the intel she had to offer.

He walked a few minutes away, letting Tiga and Kozen Crest leave his sights, and began setting up his resting spot.

"Kaito was used to village life. Small, cozy, filled with friendly people. This place, on the other hand, was huge, and sprawled in every direction as far as the eye could see.

"And the people here were...rude, to say the least.

(This is in no way a correlation to Barleytowners. They are totally and completely nice. Never rude. Nope. It's purely coincidence that the name of this town is Barleyville. Purely. Coincidence.)

"And they wanted more coin than he could spare to stay at one of the inns. But you know the motto by now: that did not deter him. He needed the truth, he needed answers. So if that meant spending one, a hundred, or the rest of his nights tucked into a shadowy crevice of this town, then so be it. He settled in without a fuss, using his bag as a pillow and looked up at the stars.

"He was not going to abandon this quest, no matter what."

- excerpt from "Kaito's Hunt for Justice"

Long before the sun nestled below the horizon, a well-rested Admir waited anxiously for Tiga to get off duty within the walls of Kozen Crest. He did not need the night shift to become another meaningless challenge getting in his way.

He approached her the moment he saw her free to go. She just smiled. "Eager, aren't ya?"

"Very."

Tiga led Admir to a small spot where they could sit and talk. His anxiety built while they waited for her to finish making tea but he didn't want to rush her. When it was done, she took a sip and seemed to relax, the stresses of her day fading.

And then, without warning, she said:

"If it's survival you reject
then don't bother to inspect
down, down the violent path
are you deserving of their wrath?
Illusion becomes reality here
inside you'll face your darkest fear
And when your situation is most dire
Beware: The Kozen Elementals of Fire"

Admir practically recoiled in his seat. He hadn't expected her to begin speaking, let alone...that.

He had her repeat it for him once more, mind turning over each and every word, committing it to memory. (He had most of it memorized after the first pass.) He wasn't sure if it answered any of his questions. Hell, it actually left him with more. What did it mean?

"I heard it as a child, from an elder in the village here. No idea who created it, or how long it's been around."

That was the tricky thing about stories. For all he knew, the "fire elementals" were nothing but torches viewed in the wrong light at the wrong angle. But whether they were torches or monstrous Creatures made of fire, he was not backing down. It did not matter that the story mentioned a violent path or rejecting survival.

Nothing would deter him from getting to the truth.