Damien awoke right at the break of dawn, raring to begin his journey. He readied himself completely with his light luggage and placed his sword underneath his robe, where only the hilt stood out behind his head. He left the room as he saw it and walked back down, pushing his key into an insert. Once he left the inn, he made his way through the chilling city. Only the hard workers could be seen at this time either setting up shop on the side of the roads or cleaning their storefronts. Everyone kept busy and minded their own business, not paying Damien any heed and that’s how he liked it.
Damien couldn’t help but feel good in this atmosphere. The air smelled better and the early dew fired up his body. His mood was at its peak as he made his way to the city gate. There, the city guards watched him with caution, but did nothing to let him leave. Damien made his way past all the peddlers and merchants ready to make a fortune in this trade hub. Once Damien reached the point where all he could see was the mountainous city walls, he steered away from the common trail. In a more isolated location he climbed to the top of a tree and surveyed the surrounding landscape.
“If Gats is there and the Mortal Mountain range is over there, then where I’m headed should be that way. That should be about south, southeast from here. When I get closer it should become more obvious where I’m headed. Alright, let’s go!”
Damien zipped down to the floor with great enthusiasm. To make this even more exciting he made the newbie mistake to navigate through the land that wasn’t cleared out to make a road or trail. Damien thought he was making great progress going through a path of trees and wild brush. Every so often he’d come across wild animals such as rabbits, boars, and deer, but nothing out of the ordinary since these places have been cleared out for hundreds of years by the city and adventurers. With their efforts the lands surrounding them were made safe for common folk to travel as they please.
After an hour passed Damien felt something wrong since he felt like he had been in the same area a couple of times now. He went to a vantage point on a tree and realized immediately that he had made no real progress. He was stuck in the same area the entire time without notice. He slumped down on a large branch, where his ego deflated.
“The main road it is for me.”
Damien found the road near to where he was and headed south with the confirmation of a map. This time around he took his time and enjoyed the scenery at his own pace. He walked by many different people who didn’t seem to care how he was dressed. Everyone has experienced a variety of different characters, especially if you travel a lot. No one talked to him and he didn’t spark up a conversation with anybody.
Damien was headed to the nearest town south of Gats, called Lias. It was still a long way from where he was, however he didn’t mind taking it slow for now. His sense of direction had not been developed as seen from before. As someone who spent his days in the academy and just followed Yuki and his group on missions, he never really had to think about where he was going. Nearing sundown, Damien finally made it to Lias where he instantly felt the difference from Gats. It was a small town with no real security. It allowed travelers to stop by as they pleased and they didn’t ask any questions that they didn’t want answers to. If they did then they wouldn’t have the strength to back it up.
‘There’s only one Inn, hopefully the price isn’t gouging. I can just eat there and figure out which roads I should take for the next place I stop by.’
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The diversity of the town was lacking compared to Gats but it made sense since this was more of a rest stop for many. Damien was able to secure a room very easily and without issues arising. Instead of partaking in the clamor that was happening in the diner he went straight to his room. He wasn’t ready to mingle around with strangers as of yet and also he was too focused on trying to figure out a new course. Since it didn’t go as he planned trying to go through unpaced paths, he was now marking every town and city he should pass by on the way.
“I’m here in Lias which means I need to follow down this road until I reach Faye. From there I head east down to another major city, Trua. If I’m quick I can skip Faye altogether and reach Trua tomorrow. I’m still quite a distance from Meteor Volcano. Maybe after a few days I’ll be used to traveling and won’t need to stay in Inns anymore, I did buy a sleeping pad for a reason!”
Damien finally found a route that would work for now, so at this point his bored mind made him come out of his hole and walk around the town. The last visible rays of the sun were vanishing in the distance and the small town came to be even gloomier. They had no light posts to illuminate the small roads. That is why the residents who lived here finished their business early to reach the safety of their home. They couldn’t afford security in this town, so they were wary of all travelers, albeit there have been many who have come to their good graces. Unfortunately it is a poor town of whom many merchants decide to pass over for a more secure place. Lias has had its fair share of criminal activity, so it was fair for the residents to be extremely cautious of Damien who was dressed like a wanted fugitive.
Damien waved at some passerbyers but they flinched and scurried away. He felt extremely dejected since he came out to relieve some boredom, but everyone was as scared of him.
‘Can I blame them? I’d be scared too if I saw someone dressed like me, but I’d be more of a target with my regular clothing.’
Damien walked around to find nothing much he could do. He had seen some kids his age snuggled up to each other in the alleyway appearing to be starved for days. He offered them some food for he could not hear to see such a sight. He knew it existed but he never passed by the slums in Gats as he was always busy doing other things. The homeless kids refused his gesture and spat at him from a distance. The spit landed in his shoulder, however it did not bother him. Damien was more shocked by the fact that they were the same age but they had lived totally different lives that brought them to this point.
‘My childhood doesn’t seem so bad now. I wonder what they had to go through to become like this. They don’t deserve this.’
Without feeling any stinginess or hesitation, Damien threw them a couple of coins by their side and watched them grab them instantly. They watched Damien in awe for a moment, but then returned to their cold selves. Damien didn’t mind their reaction a bit, as he was given a wonderful education in line with aristocrats and the wealthy. Damien along with his student colleagues were much more mature than the rest and you could say more than some adults as well. Even still, they were children which made their emotional states anomalies.
Damien left them alone and when he walked away the group quickly scurried off in a complete rush. Underneath his garb he was smiling since he felt like he did them a good deed and wondered what kind of meal they’ll treat themselves to tonight. Damien finished his short walk around the town and made his way back to the inn. He thought the kids he saw earlier would be here since this was the only place open to buy some food. Damien passed by the lobby, but had no luck in seeing them, so he just thought they were saving it for the morning. He went into his room where quietly cultivated for the time being as he didn’t need rest to keep his body going. Damien tried to focus and clear his mind completely, but there was something bugging him in the back of his mind. He couldn’t make it disappear no matter how hard he tried.
“I have to go check on those kids. Why wouldn’t they buy food if they were starved?”
Damien’s intrusive thoughts won over his state of mind so he left in a hurry so that he could ease his mind. Damien traversed through the town at the dead of night where he saw no sign of life. Every light of all the households had long been extinguished. It was like a ghost town that Damien paid no heed to. He arrived at the same alleyway where he thought he would find them, but they were not there. There wasn’t much Damien could do so he was ready to turn back. As he turned his head he noticed a small detail in which he wished he never did. If it weren’t for his cultivation that made him have a keen eyesight along with a heightened sense of awareness he would have no clue of what happened.