Another new travel companion

16th of Aurildir 358

Today, we made it to Fort Jurnil. We have been going from settlement to settlement for a couple months now. There is still no sign of Memory or pointers to where he may be. When I told Erafinyr we were going to Fort Jurnil next, she was very wary of going. She said it's best if we don't go there, especially with me knowing magic. She said it would be best to go to another city and skip this one. I insisted that we go, though. I saw it as "If I give no sign that I know magic, nothing will happen, right?" I was wrong.

My main goal for going to Fort Jurnil was to try and see if I could find a mercenary who may know something about Memory's whereabouts. Either way, like Erafinyr said, I plan to not stay long in Fort Jurnil. I knew it was a former military base, but the city still gave off the feeling of a place ready to defend itself from any attack. It had a brooding atmosphere and it was a bit thick, though not as thick as it was in Cyric. I spent most of the day walking around the city, trying to find mercenaries who stood out. I introduced myself to a couple of them and asked if they knew anything about Memory. Some gave small hints, like saying they had seen them before, but it was before we were separated. One said that it is best not to look in a city like this for help with that, especially for "people like you," sounding more like a warning than a threat. With how things went today, it was most definitely a warning.

Later that day, Erafinyr was getting uneasy, saying she felt like we had been followed the whole time we were in the city. I looked around and saw no signs of people following us, so I just brushed it off. Not that long after, someone shouted in my direction, "Hey, you! The one with the hood and the pixie!" I turned around at the shouting, finding a guy with a group of about five people pointing in my direction. He questioned me, saying I was a spellcaster and saying that spellcasters shouldn't be around here. How did they know I was able to do magic? I did no magic since I entered here. A crowd started to form around us, and the guy and his goons started approaching us, brandishing weapons. I knew I had to get out of there quickly.

Right as I was about to get ready to run away, someone stood in between me and the goons. It was one of the mercenaries from before, the one who said this is not the city to look for the help I needed. "Well, if it isn't Ymir Ardenelle!" the boss of the goons shouted, "Here to defend this spellcaster, I take it? Who knew they had the gold to hire a merc, let alone one of your level." The boss chuckled at her. Ymir looked back at me and told me to meet her outside of the city. As she gave me a nod of encouragement, I ran as fast as I could. I could hear the clanging of metal against metal behind me, grunting and groaning.

I ran until I was out of the city, and I waited at the spot Ymir told me to wait at. It was near sunset when she arrived. I asked her if she was okay and thanked her for saving me. As a thank you, I tended to her wounds and offered her some of my rations. We talked and exchanged proper introductions for a while; I explained how I have been going from settlement to settlement trying to find Memory, how I met Erafinyr along the way, and how I ended up in Fort Jurnil. She acted rather sweet toward me despite her intimidating aura and appearance. Ymir said due to the area and how dangerous it may be, that it would be best if she accompanied me to where I am heading next and then we will part ways. She said she was looking for new places to look for work anyway. I asked if she needed pay, to which she suggested we could take commissions together until we made it to our destination. We decided on heading to Zetsubou, another major city further west. Tomorrow, we start our travels there. Good night, journal.

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