For three long days and three long nights, the traveling party trampsed across the remnants of the forest. When Alice had finally cracked and asked her disgruntled partner why it was taking so long, his response had been a little snippy.
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“Maybe it wouldn’t take so long if we didn’t have to go a different route.” He glanced at her and must have seen the rising question on her face because he sighed. “Your fireball attacks devastated the whole clearing we were in. We had to evacuate shortly after we killed the serpent, because the fire was getting too widespread.
Here, Alice had winced and scratched the back of her head. “Ah, is that because of me?”
He didn’t respond but the glare he sent her way was answer enough.
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Alice groaned under her breath. I shouldn’t be complaining, really. This is my fault after all. Still, Alice couldn’t help but want to rip out her hair at the painstakingly slow pace they were traveling at. It didn’t help with the amount of meat and materials the party members were bringing with them.
The serpent meat was like a luxuriously decked out banquet for all monsters roaming nearby and even some who lived further away. They all emerged from the woodworks, baring their teeth and their noses flaring, attracted by the sweet aroma wafting off the sacks. Alice couldn’t count the number of times the party had been forced to delay their travels in order to fight off the monsters.
Alice furrowed her eyebrows, her train of thought bringing back memories of one of the many skirmishes she’d partaken in. She’d been cutting down as many overgrown wolves as possible with [Abyssal Black Arrows] when she felt a shiver go down her back. When Alice turned around, she caught a glimpse of Baron eyeing her fight coldly.
When she tried making her way to him, she was intercepted by another wolf. After poking it full of black fire arrows, Alice turned around only to find Baron gone. A cursive glance over the small battleground revealed him in the thick of the battle, ducking under snapping jaws and cutting them down with casual ease. Nothing in his movements or stature indicated he had been staring at Alice while she fought.
Yet no matter what, Alice couldn’t shake the feeling she was being watched. No, studied. Of course, she didn’t have a lot of time to ponder over Baron’s intentions before Blanche yelled at her to focus and a wolf nearly cleaved her face off. Yelping, she jumped back and retaliated with a barrage of arrows straight into its maw, puncturing the length of its body and jutting out the rear end. Alice plunged right into the battle, and her brief interaction with Baron completely slipped her mind.
It was coming back to her now, and Alice studied Baron for a turn. He was at the helm of the line, face locked in place looking forward. Although practically everybody else in the line was feeling the effects of traveling nonstop, Baron was amongst the few who seemed unaffected by the strenuous work; his pace was smooth and steady, in contrast to the other’s janky steps, and he was alert in scanning the treeline for further monster attacks.
Admittedly, Baron wasn’t the only person who didn’t appear bound by the same physical constrictions the rest of them were. Both Blanche and Lily were similarly unhindered, walking casually alongside their partners. Well, Blanche was walking casually. Lily was quaking and shooting nervous glances all over the place.
Ah, the benefits of having a completely different biology than humans, Alice mused. She paused her steps as a thought occurred to her. “Wait, is Baron human?”
“Move it.” the woman behind her grunted. Alice prepared to fire back a remark but it died on her tongue when she realIzed how tired the woman looked, with heavy bags under her eyes and drooping arms. Alice swallowed her complaint and continued walking.
A few minutes later, there was a slight commotion taking place near the front of the line. Her curiosity piqued, Alice craned her head to try and look over the heads of the people in front of her, but only a faint whisper reached her ears. Leaning to the person in front of her, she whispered, “What’s happening?”
The boy shrugged, his eyes also locked onto the front of the line. A ripple effect was cascading down the line, words being passed from person to person. Alice bounced on her heels, urging the news to travel faster. Finally, the boy in front of her beckoned her close and said, “We’re nearing the village.”
Alice beamed, spinning around to pass the news and almost smacking the woman with her flailing appendages. “Whoops. Anyway, we’re almost there!”
The woman scowled. “I know. I heard.”
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Alice’s mood dampened but she refused to let the woman’s attitude interfere with her own. Promptly turning her back onto the fuming woman, Alice submerged herself in her thoughts.
Alice was excited to visit a new village, there was no doubt in her mind about that. Seeing the different cultures and ways of living in each community was such a blessing and a delight to witness. But then she thought about the last village she’d encountered and, well…..
Alice still woke up in the middle of the night, hands clammy and sticky with sweat. Whenever she closed her eyes, she saw flashes of the children; their terrified faces, the look of betrayal in their eyes, the way they clung to the people that turned their backs on them.
Alice then laid awake on the ground, wondering if there was anything she could have done better. In the midst of the action, she had been too panicked to think clearly, her mind running at a thousand miles per hour just trying to formulate any plan that would work. But while she stared up at the stars through the branches of the oak trees, she couldn’t help but wonder.
What if I’d been smarter? More powerful? Could I have found a better path?
Thoughts akin to these often found sanctuary in her mind, lingering in the forefront of her consciousness. What if history repeated itself? Alice’s early encounters with the hunting party didn’t exactly paint a good image for what the rest of their village was going to be like. Alice unconsciously clenched her fist. I swear, if they’re like the dwarves, I’m not going to hold back… Just the mere thought of them left a bitter taste in her mouth.
“Quiet now,” her partner whispered. “We don’t want to mess up Baron’s signaling.”
Alice glanced at him askew. “Huh?” What signaling? The march slowed to a halt until over a dozen armored people were standing still in the middle of nowhere. Alice fidgeted, scratching her upper thigh.
Out of nowhere, a shrill whistle pierced the air. Alice snapped to attention instinctively; the countless times she’d been forced to fight while in the middle of eating took its hold over her. She remained in a defensive position, [Abyssal Black Arrows] at the precipice of being cast. When a wave of monsters didn’t slink out from among the shadows, Alice reluctantly relaxed, adamantly ignoring the weird looks her partner was sending her way.
Another whistle was heard, this time stretching on for an extended period of time. Alice’s ears were still ringing when Baron responded with a series of rapid whistles, varying in strength and length. Alice pressed her lips into a thin line as she listened. How long is this going to last?
With a final whistle, the weird exchange came to an end and the line started to move again. Alice poked her head to the side, observing Baron’s movements. It looked like he was leading them into a collision with a ginormous boulder! The line paused again.
A person further ahead moved slightly to the side, eclipsing Alice’s sight of Baron. Grimacing, Alice tried to stretch her body out even further before she was roughly yanked back into formation by the woman behind her.
“Stay on line!” she hissed. Alice grunted, snatching her hand back but complied nonetheless. It wasn’t worth it to start an argument over something so trivial. Still, Alice kept an ear out for what was happening at the front of the line.
She heard what sounded like rocks grinding into one another and the line picked up the pace once more. Alice’s eyes widened when she reached the rock foundation and noticed that they were entering a tunnel, the boulder she’d seen prior rolled over to the side. Alice shivered as they passed into the tunnel itself, a slight shiver settling into her bones as the air quality shifted from the outside.
Alice ran a hand over the rough interior. Detecting the subtle nicks and marks left by tools, Alice deduced that this entire tunnel had been carved out by the crude tools of this world. She marveled at the determination; just how long must it have taken?
Eventually, a dim light was seen emanating from ahead. Alice squinted, covering her eyes as she neared the end of the tunnel. She heard faint noises drifting from the other side of the tunnel, the sound of metal clanging prominent among them. Alice passed the end of the tunnel and emerged on the other side, blinking rapidly at the difference in lighting.
Lowering her hand, her jaw slackened and her mouth fell open. Before her eyes was a village like no other she’d seen before. Contrary to both her village and the dwarves, this was centered around metal and ore.
The buildings, if they could even be called that, were painfully obvious that they had been constructed in a hurry. They boiled down to overgrown tents, held up metal poles and driven onto the ground with wooden stakes. Numerous wooden carts were scattered around the area, filled to the brim with fruits and mining tools. Alice marveled at the way these people crafted their items, prioritizing efficiency and space over everything else.
Their carts were constructed in such a manner that they possessed the ability to fold onto one another, significantly decreasing the size of the overall cart by collapsing. Alice marveled at the tiny metal hinges and carvings. If one was to compare the architectural structure of her village with this one, it would be evident these people definitely were ahead of the curve.
In fact, as Alice studied the village with a more scrutinizing view, she realized the shabbiness she’d discarded as ineptitude was actually ingenious. The people who had built everything here…they built it to be portable. Even the tents which Alice had scoffed at looked like they could be broken down into a small box and stored.
“….wow,” Alice breathed.
Somebody behind her chuckled and she spun around to find her partner standing there. For once, his tired expression was replaced with a softness. “Yeah…home sweet home.”