Morchel swiveled his head around to look at the view from the top.

Even in the dim lighting of the young night, he could make out the forestation, the trails hidden with the forests, the rising cliffs and hills that walled the forest. It was a natural fortress.

It would make one wonder why people live in such a remote place, far from civilization.

'Pa used to say that this was our home for generations. But it really raises the question, why?'

Tossing away the perplexing matter, he decided to sit down.

His enhanced physique, even calling it that was a stretch, did no favors in making the climb.

'Man, I thought I had it for a while. Turns out I haven't got it. Maybe losing some weight might help. Also, my endurance isn't necessarily better.'

He looked back at the grueling climb to evaluate himself. He just seemed...

'Average.'

'Nothing seems that different apart from my healing.'

"Sigh.."

He collapsed beside a balancing boulder. A massive sphere with hardly any imperfections balanced itself on a minuscule point. It was a sight to behold for Flint in particular.

The kid who was still riding on the soldiers of the mighty Asius.

His eyes shone in the darkness, amazed at all the new sights he got to take in. Getting to watch everything at a height that he had never experienced before, lessened the sorrow and suffering of the past few weeks.

He was showering praises at the mute giant.

Asius was unfazed by the climb and looked to be enjoying the enthusiasm of the innocent child. The mask and hood did nothing to conceal how pleased Asius was.

The Pandits then quickly put away their luggage and set up camp. The bags were gathered right beside the resting Morchel.

Once he was done catching his breath, he got up to help with preparations. He dusted off his behind and walked up to Max with an expecting look.

Max didn't make him wait and said, "Why don't you help Asius with the cooking. I think cooking is maybe the best skill to learn, if you want to be independent, that is. Also, Asius cooks up the best-tasting stuff. He can do wonders with so little!"

Morchel wasn't drawn into his enthusiasm but followed his suggestion nonetheless. It was an opportunity to interact with other members of Max's cohort.

And Morchel was wildly fascinated with the giant-like stature of Asius. He closed in on Asius and "Hello, Mister! Can I help?"

The man nodded, then using his index finger, pointed to his hefty bag, and finally made a sign like he was goading Morchel to a brawl. Clearly, he wasn't.

He tried signing in some manner to ask Morchel to bring the bag over here.

After a short pause, having understood the meaning, Morchel ran over and grabbed its straps in a bid to lift it. But he wasn't able to.

His face was flushed from his exertion, but the bag did not budge. Grabbing hold of the leather straps once again, he leaned back allowing his weight and some strength to drag it to where Asius waited.

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As he leaned back even more, his head smacked against something hard, really hard.

Morchel opens his tightly shut eyes to watch the towering Asius looking down on him. Anyone at this moment would have been terrified of his enigmatic stare, especially given the hood and mask.

His hands the size of Morchel's head, gently grabbed Morchel by his shoulders, lifted him up, and planted him upright.

The whole time, Morchel was but a statue frozen in shock.

It took a second for him to snap back to reality, and he soon watched Asius lift the bulky bag and walk away. Morchel walked right behind him to the campfire.

Once he got there, he perked up having realized something, turned around, and started signing again. It was a big guess game but nothing too difficult that it made communication impossible. If it did anything, it entertained the pair of brothers.

He pointed with his index finger at Morchel and himself and then crossed his forearms.

'A cross? Did I do something wrong? Does he mean - that we aren't the same? .... Or something of that manner? That makes sense!'

Having understood the meaning, Morchel nodded in silence. Asius wasn't deaf, but given how Asius spoke in signs, Morchel replied in signs and gestures as well.

The meal today was just a bit different than the one they had the last night.

The venison meat was replaced with mushrooms and vegetables that were foraged on the way through Finsterwald.

The thought of consuming mushrooms irked Morchel. His face contorted into an ugly mess for just a second at the sight of the mushrooms being added to the fragrant stew. He recovered before anyone could catch sight of it.

The dinner was a communal experience.

Everyone would gather around a deep dish filled with delicious stew. They would again calmly wait for their turns to get it poured into their bowls. However, there was not much dialogue held between the members.

There would be the occasional chatter from Max, who would offer hidden hints to the green Morchel about being a Holder. Most of them would fly by, but he would nod and offer replies to indicate his interest. Flint was unusually silent, but he was very shy with strangers. So this was his usual attitude towards unfamiliar people.

Morchel was interested in learning and discovering more about the Pandits and Holders, but he too, was shy and introverted. He would plan out and practice a conversation in his head, but when met with the actual situation, he would fumble and direct it elsewhere completely missing his initial goals.

Just a while before they reached the base of the cliff, Morchel had made an embarrassing attempt to converse with Sahera.

"Hello, Miss, I heard that Mister Asius can not speak. But you do not seem to have such problems. Why do you not speak then?"

Without a pause, a fiery glance shot through. Alarms started ringing in Morchel's head and the loud shrills pierced his ears.

He turned away. He was embarrassed and confused at what had just occurred.

'It's not the same as speaking with El or the other girls. She was fierce and scary. She didn't even speak anything.'

Realizing that something crucial eluded him, he concluded that he would avoid having contact with her as much as possible.

Visitors to his village were rare. So Morchel never had a chance to interact with strangers, especially of the opposite sex. But in this case, Sahera was a bit of an oddball. She was reclusive and only occasionally interacted with strangers.

To look at things as a whole, Max Zauber, their leader, was the only one who seemed normal.

'Let's not take this to heart and keep moving. I'll always have more opportunities to meet new people when I reach Ulm.'

Although he was introverted, meeting new people and the accompanying experiences were always welcome.

He never got to go farther than the nearest town from his home village.

Perhaps Ulm was the best place he could visit, given his circumstances. Ulm was one of the fastest-growing settlements in the empire. It was an excellent port city. By size, it was minuscule compared to the other cities, but it offered a lot, in terms of opportunities.

The increased influx of trade added more to its growth. A newfound sea route offered a faster and safer course than the Okulr Route.

***

That night, Morchel was unable to sleep well. His tiredness and exertion compelled him to drift off, but some oddity pushed him awake.

'Ah - Just let me sleep! Dammit, I just want to sleep! Why can't I'

He cursed at a frankly imaginary foe. His laments did not make it any better. In fact, it only made him more restless.

Soon as the crescent moon shone with a white glow along with colorful jewels of stars adorning its night sky.

His eyes darted all over. The individual shining dots became blurred streaks of a variety of colors. But he stopped to focus on one particular dot up in the sky, a familiar dot.

The cerulean crooked circle, the star he last gazed at before heading into that forest.

Something that fascinated him, now also soothed him. All disturbances seemed to dissolve into nothing, and unbeknownst to him, the wide eyesight that seemingly caught the whole sky began shrinking.

Within a few seconds, darkness was the sole inhibitor of his vision, and his consciousness sunk into a bottomless abyss.

He fell asleep.