Crossing the bridge is hardly a task worth noting. It’s an old rope bridge but still strong enough that several people can travel across at a time without much trouble. The ravine the bridge crosses is deep though, and the river passing underneath is rough and moves quickly. It’s nothing like the slow and calming pace once it enters the jungle and spreads throughout the trees. Even as high as Ba is, he can still feel the mist and humidity as it rises to meet him. It’s said that where this river begins in the mountains, a north flowing river also starts. Just like this one ends at one end of the continent, that freezing river travels all the way to the northernmost tip of the continent. If he ever travels north, that is one thing Ba has always wanted to see for himself. As he reaches the end of the bridge his curiosity is even stronger now as the endless possibilities continue to race through his mind.

For lunch, Ba eats some of the rations of the Redmanes. For one person, he should have enough to last a week and a half if he is only traveling. The chieftain mentioned that there was a large city to the west along the coast. Apparently, it is a Sosun city, but dozens of other humans also thrive there. Ba has heard of cities before but thinking of all the people there makes him wonder.

“Traveling alone could be hard... and boring” Ba thinks to himself. “If I find people traveling the same way, I should try to get to know them and see if we can travel together.”

He looks around as he continues the path stemming from the bridge. It’s much different from the terrain of the jungle. The ground feels the same with the rolling hills and the occasional bluff jutting out in the distance. The main difference here is the foliage. Across the bridge there are no trees and only small shrubs dotting the landscape. Other than that, there is nothing but grass as far as the eye can see. The possibility of running into someone here seems unlikely.

“Even though this leads to a large city, there doesn’t seem to be much out here. If I remember correctly, the jungle is a peninsula going south. So even if I traveled north all this time, I should still be able to reach the coast by traveling south again for a bit once I've gone a bit further west. Maybe I’ll have more luck finding people there.”

The next morning, he changes directions southwest and reaches the beach just after sunrise. Here, he meets a human race he has never heard of before. It’s the first truly new experience away from home. Traveling along the beach he meets a humanoid that strikingly resembles some kind of bug living in a hut along the beach. Fish are hung up and drying in the sun while small wooden cages are sprawled across the area. Just another one of the many types of humans living in the world. The man invites Ba to spend lunch with him as he works along the beach checking traps and gathering supplies for this solitary life.

Ba learns that the man is called a Bolbian, a race of insect humans originally from the deep ocean. Instead of having bones like Sosuns and most other humans, Bolbians have a hard outer carapace that protects them while living at sea. Although life on the surface has softened most Bolbian carapaces now to the point that they are no longer strong enough for deep sea life, they still have an affinity for the water. The man explains that Bolbians are typically mistreated and resented because their natural appearance is generally considered grotesque and fearsome by other humans. Most Bolbians have adopted a humble lifestyle of solitude and meek living. For the most part, that was much of their lives in the ocean anyway. For those lucky enough to avoid being captured and forced into slavery, they are cautious enough to wear masks and clothing to cover their appearances whenever they go into cities and towns. Even now, the old man goes about his day with Ba while wearing an old painted wood mask.

The old man also explains that the city Ba is heading to is the capital of the nation he has crossed into. He also reaffirms what he had always been told, that there isn’t much to the east of the river other than Redmane nomads living in the vast open expanse across the mountains. He advises that Ba revisit the road in the morning since Ba is the first person he has seen in several weeks and that most people tend to keep to the roads when traveling. For dinner Ba shares some of the Redmane food and in turn, the man shares some of the dried fish he had prepared. It is the same fish as what his village back home receives in trade from the Orcans, but since this man has never had the food of the Redmanes, Ba figures he isn’t losing anything and only stands to gain from thanking the man for all his help and hospitality. In the morning Ba heads back to the road and continues toward the capital.

A few days later, Ba finally sees a pair of travelers along the road. Far off in the distance, one person is walking on foot while the other is riding alongside them. The one walking is a tall young man looking about the same age as Ba. He looks like a fellow Sosun but he is clearly not from back home. Even in the sunlight his skin is much paler than Ba’s and in contrast to his own dark hair, this man’s hair is an amazing shade of vibrant red.

“Amazing to me I suppose but is he even a Sosun?” Ba wonders to himself, “I had no idea we could look so different.”

The man makes eye contact with Ba from a long way off and begins to watch him more closely as they begin to approach each other. He doesn’t have the welcoming demeanor Ba had hoped to find in a fellow traveler. To Ba, he looks like some type of warrior with simple armor with an accent of green between the plating, a sword on his side and a lance on his back. Ba takes notice of the lance quickly.

“I haven't seen any weapons from outside of home in a long time. I wonder how weapons of the same type compare across the world. And he has a sword too. I wonder which one he prefers.”

Ba hasn’t noticed the traveler is visibly irritated by his inspection.

“If he were to draw his sword first, the distance would be too close to switch to the lance. But switching to the sword from the lance wouldn’t be fast enough if the opponent is closing the distance quickly.”

Ba is lost in thought as the two groups continue to approach each other.

“Does he throw the lance at the start of a fight and switch to the sword for the rest of the battle?”

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The two travelers are close enough now that Ba feels as though he should greet the two. Right as he is about to do so, he finally notices the second member of the group. Only a few feet apart now, their features can be seen in detail. The rider on horseback is a young Sosun woman. Her skin isn’t as light as the man’s but she is wearing an unassuming cloth garment with a hood pulled over her face to block the sun. Her hair is blonde, and just like the man, Ba has never seen this color of hair on a Sosun. She doesn’t appear to be hiding herself but as Ba turns his attention to the girl, the soldier immediately interrupts him. Drawing his sword, it becomes obvious that he is some kind of escort to the girl.

“Stop right there!” The young man commands.

“So, it’s the sword huh?” Ba notes, “I guess he doesn't waste any time. But I'm off to a poor start if I’m looking for people to travel with me.”

Ba takes a few steps back to ease the tension, “Whoa! I'm sorry if I offended you. I’m from the jungle peninsula to the southeast of here. I’m sorry if I made the two of you uncomfortable. It’s just that you are the first Sosuns I’ve seen since leaving home.”

The soldier lowers his guard a little but is still trying to keep a firm appearance. His body looks tired. As if it is trying to relax but he won't let it. He has a kind of forced stiffness that almost looks comical.

“What are you talking about? None of the Sosuns from the jungle ever leave home. How do we know you aren’t a bandit or an assassin dressed as a native?” The soldier’s stance becomes more hostile, and he looks like he might really believe what he is saying.

Ba starts to reassess the situation, “This isn’t good. Is he really serious? And what’s up with the jump to accusing me of being an assassin? Is it that uncommon of a thing? No, that can’t be it, otherwise the Bolbian would have thought the same thing. Then who are these people that an assassin would be more likely than a fellow traveler? I wonder if that girl is a prominent person in the capital,” talking to the soldier was proving worse than pointless, “maybe I could plead my case to the lady?”

The soldier pauses for a moment and looks up to the girl on the horse who has been silent but attentive to the conversation. The girl removed her hood, and it looked like she was joining the conversation.

“I’ve never seen a Sosun that looks like you before. With your black hair and tan skin, I’m sure that you came from the jungle.” Neither of the men expected her to reply so casually.

“U-uh, right. I’m traveling alone right now looking to explore the continent, but I made up my mind to travel to the capital with anyone I met to make it a little easier. I should warn you though that I just came from the direction you are headed and there is nothing there except the jungle and the vast expanse beyond that.”

The girl thinks for a moment, “I know. We just made a trip out to the expanse a few days ago but on our way back to the capital we realized we needed to go back for something else. If you are looking to explore the continent, not many people ever visit the giant steppes, you could join us for a week or so and then we could accompany you back to the capital. How does that sound?”

The soldier was not expecting that, “Are you sure that is a good idea?”

Even Ba was a little surprised by her offer, “I would love to finally have some company but are you sure that will be alright? I don’t want to get in the way of whatever business you might have.”

“Exactly what I was thinking.” The soldier turns to the girl while trying to be respectful, but he clearly feels free enough to speak whatever is on his mind.

“Oh, I wouldn’t be worried about that. We’ve been traveling just the two of us or so long now I'm afraid we ran out of things to talk about a long time ago. So, if you’re fine with holding a conversation for a few days then I'd be glad to have you. Plus, that lance on your back makes you look like a strong fighter. That’s probably why my guard is so skeptical of you. Traveling would feel a lot safer with another fighter with me.”

She motions towards the lance left by Ba’s brother and inspects it more closely. The handle appears to be a strong wood with the tip being a very polished and well-kept metal. Although clearly wooden, the handle has a very deep and unnerving red coloring. It looks as if the entire weapon had been seeped with blood. The girl felt unsettled by the lance’s design and craftsmanship, but she noticed that none of these feelings were shared by the boy. As for the metal end, the guard imagined it was not something commonly found in the jungle. It looked to be too refined of a metal to be made in the environment that this boy was coming from. Even after being fastened to such a unique handle, or rather because of this, the weapon was very a unique and valuable item. Ba notices their inspection and turns to the side to offer a better look.

“Well, if its bandits or assassins you’re worried about, I’m afraid I’ve only ever fought off beasts. I’ve never done more than spar with another human before, but I still know what it means to defend myself. The expanse is actually one of the only places I’ve ever heard about outside of my home. Originally, I planned to ignore it completely but after talking with you, I guess it makes more sense to begin there doesn’t it?”

The girl smiles when she realizes that they have a new member to travel with, “I guess it does. Then its settled,” she turns to the guard “looks like we have a new traveler joining us today.”

“Is she telling him because she is excited or is she saying that as an order?” Ba didn’t know these people well enough yet to be able to read the girl.

The girl begins talking to Ba again, “Well since we are traveling together now, I guess we should introduce ourselves. My name is Maria, I’m princess here, but I’m one of the youngest in my family so I don’t have any real power and I'm not line for succession either.” she chuckles a little to herself.

Ba knows that royalty are people in charge of a nation, city, town, or village but he has no standard or concept to measure that by other than the Sosun village heads and Redmane chieftains back home. He doesn't understand nor is he particularly intimidated by Maria’s claims, “and this is my bodyguard, Keyon. A soldier in the ranks and a skilled fighter.”

As Maria introduced Keyon, he finally put away his weapon and made his best attempt at a greeting, “Hello. I look forward to traveling with you. Let's do our best on this journey and stay safe.”

“Wow, this guy is a bad actor.” Some thoughts are better left unsaid, and Ba decides not to comment on this painful and forced hospitality, “Back home my name is Ba but that’s just a title addressing my place in the family. I don’t think it makes sense to use it out of context. For away from home, I can go by Bao.”

Keyon’s face looks almost irritated now, “I don’t get it and I can’t really hear the difference but whatever.”

“That was sincere.”

Maria thinks it’s a little funny as well and is trying to hide a telling smile, “Well, it is nice to officially meet you, Bao. I'm looking forward to learning more about your village. It sounds like a very different life than the ones we’ve had but I think that's all the more reason for us to travel together.”