The smell of cooking was now strong in the air, and there was a rumbling in my stomach that wished to be sated. It was time to return to my companions and to see what we could do about an evening meal. I was sure the victuals would be simple travelers' fare, but my time in the Grieving Lands had taught me an appreciation of food that I simply did not have in my own world. It had a different meaning here. A different weight. Eating was no longer a matter of opening a fridge, or taking a quick walk down to the local supermarket.
I decided to travel around the circle of wagons, not wanting to bump into anyone, and to have a little time alone with my thoughts. I had been given so many things to think about today, so many things to muse and puzzle over. A long journey was ahead of us and I was as prepared as I could be. One thing was for sure though, I had to add yet another dangerous creature to this world’s growing bestiary - Sand Worms.
Beasts... this world abounded with them, strange mirages of familiarity nestled amidst the exotic unknown. Creatures bearing an uncanny resemblance to the animals of my old world, yet touched with an alien veneer. The horses and donkeys of this place echoed this eerie parallelism. Had they, like me, been abducted by time and space from our rightful home? Come to think of it, were the people of these wild and barbaric lands now the descendants of humans transported from Earth? Were these, this world's 'native' entities, these creatures with an extra pair of limbs, merely manifestations of an analogous evolutionary tale? Or was their existence just a testament to the relentless churning of cosmic randomness? Just an example of, however unlikely, convergent evolution?
Going over Laes’ explanation, I posited that the Green Road was probably some sort of river that cut across the desert called the Whispering Wastes, and would act as some sort of deterrent to the worms. Hopefully, these caravaneers knew their business and could make the journey safely enough, and Laes seemed like a competent sort, I thought to myself. A memory stirred of a half-remembered fragment of a dream entered my mind from a time before I came to this strange and fantastical land. Of giant desert-dwelling worms and their awesome power.
Before I knew it, my feet led me back to the sounds of wood striking wood. The cadence of strikes had lessened and I saw Larynda huffing and puffing, her shoulders low with strain and exhaustion. However, this did not stop her from striking clumsily again at Kidu, who deftly deflected each of her strikes, almost indifferently.
Moving slowly, so that they would not yet notice my presence, I cast Identify on Larynda to see if there had been any improvement.
Larynda - Chaos Mage [Human/Elf lvl.5]
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Health: 31/32
Stamina: 2/22
Mana: 4/19
It seemed that the training was working. Her current Status showed a small improvement of one point in her Stamina. How far could she be pushed, I wondered, with a little sadistic glee. We’ll make a little soldier out of you yet, I whispered to myself. I must admit, I was also a little interested in just exactly what her magic was.
Still, it was time to eat and I had to put an end to their training.
“Little one. Kidu,” I called out, which drew both of their attention and earned Larynda a little rap on her arm from the wild man.
“Ouch!” screeched the girl child, more in surprise than in pain.
To this Kidu simply added in his simple and terse manner, “Focus. No distractions,” finishing with his customary grunt. I detected a hint, though - something had softened his gruff manner.
“I believe that is enough training for one evening. It is time to see what we can do for an evening meal. Let that be our next quest,” I said with a forced smile on my face, hoping against hope that perhaps I would receive a notification from the system. To no surprise, nothing was forthcoming and I could only sigh internally.
Larynda removed her headscarf and fastidiously wiped away most of her built-up sweat with a small towel. Kidu, on the other hand, still looked fresh.
Despite the inherent dangers on the horizon, I could not help but feel a sense of progress. I was growing, and my companions were growing. Of course, there had been Elwin’s betrayal, but in exchange, I had been all but gifted a young mage that could be shaped to my liking. It was always important to see the bright side in all things.
Locking our borrowed wagon, we let our noses guide us to a cooking fire burning brightly near the center of the camp. Already, the cooks had begun doling out the evening meal in plain but solid wooden bowls. Spiced ground meat and fat over what was some kind of porridge was the main meal for the evening. A slice of purple-fleshed fruit was added as a dessert.
We joined the line of caravaneers, and after ten minutes or so we were served piping-hot portions. In fact, it was a little too hot for my taste, and I almost spat out my first bite once we sat down on the grass. Once cooled, however, I appreciated how the flavors melted in my mouth. Simple and filling, I thought to myself as I scarfed down my meal.
My companions and I ate in comfortable silence, yet listened to the sounds of mixed conversation from other groups, threading their way across the air. Larynda had lowered her scarf but kept it wrapped around her ears, sensibly concealing her heritage. I had seen other women clad in a similar fashion, so at the very least it would not draw undue attention to us.
A group of caravaneers hushed down when they realized they were in close proximity to us. They were talking in a language unknown to me, the clicking sounds and meter foreign and annoying to my ears.
My Identify spell would be working hard across this journey.