Main Characters
Elaine Yates
Babar of Katpatuka

Story
A young naive girl trying to find the answers to her religion and a grown battle hardened warrior trying to forget his past.

A small village in West Bryllon - 8:32 PM

Hues of bright orange and vivid red hemmed with purple coloured the sky over Bryllon as the sun bid its final farewells, plunging into woodland and bringing twilight to the small province. Babar and Elaine had spent most of the day packing for the journey they were to undertake the following morning. The effects of whatever concoction Babar had consumed had somewhat worn off by the time afternoon rolled around, allowing him to begin more serious preparation. Elaine was fortunate to have found such a companion, as Babar was well-versed in the art of travel. He packed as efficiently as possible, refusing to bring as many star charts as he could. Most of the weight he distributed to his pack; if the waif was going to insist on lugging around the massive tome that she clung to so dearly, she wouldn’t make it ten miles with a standard-weight pack.

Their preparations complete, the pair were enjoying tea and bread on a short wooden bench outside the cottage. At least, Elain was enjoying tea. Babar had managed to slip a few drops of gin into his cup without the girl noticing. Doubtless she would try to confiscate his gourde during their travels if she knew what was in it, but Babar was already preparing stories about Darthic water’s unique smell and taste to feed her should the issue come up.

There remained but one detail to finalize: where they were going. Babar had long ago abandoned the unnecessary burden of having a destination in mind; he was content with a direction. However, Elaine had made no mention throughout the day of where they would be headed come morning. She talked plenty, of course, but always about stars and whatever nonsense about them was written in her giant book. Apparently, this journey to which Babar had agreed was to be a quest for answers, answers to questions about something called Astronology. The Darthic warrior cared little for what Astronology was or what his protegee would discover, but he was setting out for a different reason. This girl was the first person he had encountered since his departure from the tribe of Katpatuka who was not afraid of him in some capacity. It was certainly due to naivety, but it was an agreeable change of pace nonetheless. In fact, it had given him the germ of an idea. In the back of his mind, Babar was preparing not for a simple journey, but for a quest of repentance. Aiding this girl could very well be his path to restitution in the face of his ancestors, a way of paying for what he had done in the past. At the very least, it was worth a shot.

These thoughts trailed off with the last light of day. As night descended, Babar rose from his seat, stretched and yawned groggily. Then, he asked the question that would change the course not only of his own fate, but also that of the fate of the untested young woman sitting next to him. “So, kid.” An imperceptible smile. He was genuinely looking forward to this. “Where are we going?”