It’s been a day since we left Inwell. Kina let me in on some underground tunnels she uses to get in and out of the city. It was the first time that I’ve ever set foot outside of those walls. I felt like I was truly free for the first ti-
“It’s such a shame that you only have your right arm to work with… Oh the woe! If only you had someone to be the other!”
Yeah… I’m not free… I still gotta deal with this bozo’s antics…
“I’m fine with just one arm. Thanks Liberus.”
“Gee! If only there was someone you considered useful outside of knowledge!”
“Isn’t that ribbon of yours too flimsy to carry anything at all..?”
“W-well… No..?”
“That’s the fattest lie you’ve told. I’ve seen you struggle to carry a damn pebble…”
“Oh please. Watch this!”
He flew to the rocky path we were taking and spotted a decently sized rock, sitting with many others. He’s tried so many times since we first left… When will he ever give up…
“NGHHH!!!! Ah god dammit! Stupid wind…”
“You’re using the breeze as an excuse now… uh huh…”
“FINE! So maybe I can’t carry anything. That still doesn’t overshadow the fact that you’re half as useful as you were-”
“Can you PLEASE DROP IT. I. GET. IT.”
“Alright alright, I’ll hold on the teasing. In a change of topic though, how long will the trip to this ‘Baricht’ place be?”
“Sure, lemme just check where we are on… the… map…”
Where… WHERE IS IT?! I could’ve sworn I stuffed the map in my bag… No… there’s my money… That’s it?! Just my money?!
“Oi, what’s wrong?”
“Liberus, did you try to make more room for yourself here?”
“You forgot the ma-”
“I forgot the map.”
“...We’ve… been traveling… for TWO DAYS! TWO DAYS WITHOUT EVEN CHECKING IT ONCE?! DO YOU EVEN KNOW WHERE WE’RE GOING?!”
“...” I glance downwards in guilt. “I thought the direction Kina pointed towards was good enough…”
Liberus flung his ribbon and pinched his face. Yeah… I messed up… Big time… Could I maybe ask any passersby for a copy? There’s no hurt in trying…
“Okay, let me make up for this. I’ll go ask anybody walking along for a copy, alright?”
“WHAT ‘ANYBODY’?! WE’RE IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE! NOTHING BUT STRAIGHT GRAVEL UP AHEAD!”
“Hey… why don’t we mellow things out here. This’ll all be resolved shortly! I’m sure there will be plenty of people following this road!”
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The day… is almost over… No one… Not a single soul that my eyes could’ve seen… I’m losing my mind. What if this was the wrong path this entire time… We’ve already walked through several forking roads…
“Maybe I should go back to being more pessimistic…”
“You think? Maybe consider the fact that no one would want to come and visit that shithole of a city you grew up in.”
“Yeah…”
“I mean really… Out of all the things you could’ve left behind. Our way to get there is number one on your list.”
“Uh huh… Yeah…”
“...”
“Welp, you seem like you can’t even function anymore. Let’s set up camp for the night.”
“Mhm-Oh wait what? Uh… sure..!”
“That’s what grabs your attention..? Really..?”
“Shut up…”
We found a place not too far away from the roads and set up a fire. I’d say I’m decently confident with making fires, as my dad taught me when we all went out camping. Back when mom was still in the picture. Now with this broken arm of mine, I had to push even harder with my one hand whilst pressing down one stick to the other. It’s not completely consistent, but it gets the job done. The straw that was near the gravel was perfect! I’ll use this for my nest. I pushed with as much pressure as I possibly could, the same amount of force I did last night. Hopefully this wood isn’t as much different as the last…
“Yes! I got it!” I whispered to myself.
I quickly blew on it, making sure that it wouldn’t die. Thankfully it kept burning, and soon enough, the flames grew quickly. Nice! First try too! Last time it took me four, which was so frustrating… Afterwards, I took to the woods to find some fuel. These dead trees should do the trick… I’ll use that sword of mine to cut straight through them!
“Make sure those logs aren’t wet!”
“Yeah, yeah! I know that already!”
“Just making sure!”
He still thinks I’m as dumb as a rock… When can he realize that knowledge isn’t just about memorizing random shit you will only use once in an eclipse. Why do I care so much of what Liberus thinks anyway? He’s a damn book with an eye who can somehow speak.
As the campfire expanded larger and larger, I took a spare log and sat by it, warming myself up to it. It gets rather cold at night here in Destin… I really wished I brought a blanket of some sorts along with us…
Reminiscing about these past few days, I thought to myself again, on what will happen from now on. There’s so much of Ariole, let alone Destin, that I’m so blinded by. Hell, even small mentions of those individuals Vale mentioned were completely foreign to me. And here I am, venturing out into that deep unknown, all on my own with nothing to keep me company except for a living object. To be frank, it made my body fill with a shock of anxiety. Thoughts poured into my head, notably ones about what lies ahead. Hopefully I’ll be able to find Vel and dad, albeit probably unlikely… It’s a step in the right direction to leave for Baricht.
“You… alright there..?”
Oh shit, I didn’t even notice him staring right at me… Jeez… uh…
“Stressed?”
“...”
“Yeah… Quite…”
Liberus, after asking, glided to my left. He didn’t say much. Rather, he didn’t say anything after. Besides that, the night went along as the night before, with me simply relaxing near the fire. I didn’t want to be lost in thought though, so I’ll use the hunting skills my mom had taught me to find some food. Surely some food will ease my mind off of things.
“I’ll be back to find some food.”
“Oh, good luck then.”
Lifting my feet from the rocks and tallgrass, I set myself deeper into the Termena forest. Sometimes I forget how large these woods are. Two days of travel and we still find ourselves surrounded by nothing but trees. As I ventured farther and farther from camp, I set myself up to ambush any prey that would pass by. I am in no shape to pursue any animals down, so I’ll just camp around in a bush and hopefully, something will show up.
As I waited, squatting, I wanted to plan out what the two of us would even do once we got to Baricht. I’ve only heard of the city from mom and dad’s trips. I’ve heard it’s a city mainly used for commerce, and it’s the only city that's close to the ocean due to the tall mountain range that surrounds the rest of the coastline. If possible, I’d also like to travel to Dravnoss and find myself some new equipment if I’m struggling this much with combat. Dad always told me and Vel stories of where he got his equipment-
A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
Wait… Did I seriously never wear my goggles during that entire fight? ARE YOU KIDDING?! I really need my memory checked holy shit… First the map and now this… Well, I’m quite curious as to what this does so… I placed the goggles that were resting on my head and flicked the first lever out of the three.
WOAH! I can see so clearly! What kind of magic shit did Grace do?! Let’s see… there’s two other small levers here that I can flick… Y’know what? Let’s just have all three on and see what it does!
“...”
GO BACK! GO BACK! WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENING?! Jeez… So maybe flicking all three levers wasn’t the smartest idea… I’ll turn off that night vision option and I’ll just turn the second one on instead…
Ooooo! So I can zoom with these! Awesome! I tested this by looking upwards to the two moons up above. This thing can really get powerful! They’re so clear! I must say, Grace did a really good job with these. Alright, let’s try out the last one…
What the?! Everything is all pitch black! I can’t see! No… wait… I can see some pale blue splotches surrounding some of the environment… I think I’m gonna leave that lever off for now… I should’ve asked Grace what that one does. Welp, guess I’ll play around with these goggles until something approaches.
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Not a single. Fucking. Animal. What the hell?! Yesterday I had no issue catching a lepir, yet tonight, I didn’t even hear a single rustle, not even a snapped twig. I let out a huge sigh, knowing that it’ll probably be best if I just skipped dinner for tonight. At least it’s only my inconvenience since that book doesn’t even have a mouth. Speaking of which, when I came back, his ass was already laying flat on the stump I was sitting on. I should probably sleep too. It’s getting late. I took my coat and laid it across the grassy floor. I was shaking, even with the fire keeping me warm. I flip to my back, gazing at the stars above. I figured since it would probably take me some time to fall asleep, why don’t I do a little sightseeing with these new goggles of mine…
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“WAKE UP! RISE AND SHINE!!! HELLO!?! RANKU?!”
“Mfghh… What… What..?! Why’re you screaming at me first thing in the morning..?”
“SOME GUY IS HERE SAYING HE RECOGNIZES YOU!”
“Wh-WHAT?! THEY RECOGNIZE ME?!”
I spring up, removing the goggles from my eyes, I guess I fell asleep with them on. Immediately, following Liberus, I was so sure that AEGIS had somehow been there when the Zox facility was destroyed. However, it was a rather different sight. I was met by someone riding a carriage drawn by some creatures I didn’t know anything about. He was quite old, with nothing but a black fur hat to contrast his white, thin hair. I didn’t recognize that uniform of his though, however it did look quite expensive, sporting colors of blue, which to my knowledge, is quite an expensive pigment.
“Hello there! Sorry if I caused a bit of a scare… I heard you two were traveling to Baricht-”
“How much did you tell him, Liberus.”
“Hey, he seemed like a nice guy okay?”
“Ahem, as I was saying, I too, am also traveling to Baricht, and perhaps you would be interested in hitching a ride for a fee?”
A ride?! A RIDE! PERFECT! Just when all hope seemed so lost! And I don’t have to exhaust myself every day! It’s a goddamn miracle! For the fee though… as long as he doesn’t ask for much…
“How much are we talking about..?” I ask.
“Hm… let’s say around 10 thousand Kols should do the trick.”
10 THOUSAND?! THAT’S THE EXACT AMOUNT I HAVE IN MY BAG!
“We can just do some Board quests over at Baricht. Every city has one, right?” Liberus whispers from my side.
“I suppose so…” I whisper back. “Fine, just let us prepare our things first before we leave.”
As I took my coat from the soil and my bag, I made sure the fire was completely dead before hopping on the back of the carriage. As the man driving the carriage flicked those ropes he was holding onto, the wooden wheels began to creak. We started to move. There was quite a lot of food here. I’m assuming he’s a merchant of some sorts…
“The name’s Donum by the way!”
“Ranku. And I’m guessing Liberus already told you his name?”
“Mhm! I must say, I was quite surprised when I saw him approach me! Is he an artifact that you might’ve purchased, or perhaps found in some of the ruins nearby?”
“Ah-Uh… More or less the latter, yes…”
“I see now, I see now…”
“Hey… Liberus told me that you recognized me… From where exactly?”
“Ah, apologies for taking a glance at your sleep, but yes, I did recognize you from the latest copy of Inwell’s paper. Apparently, a girl who looked awfully similar to yours just recently demolished from what reporters said was a Zox facility… Could that have been you by any chance..?”
“Wha… I’m sorry but… did I hear that correctly..? I was in the newspapers..?”
“Mmm yes. If you’d like, I have the copy here next to me if you wish to have a read!”
“Lemme see this!”
“Careful with that hand of yours now!”
I snatched the newspaper off of his hands and instantly swiped to the first page. It was true… no… SHIT! NOW AEGIS WILL KNOW THAT I’M STILL ALIVE! Wait, don’t panic. It’s not the end of the world. They have no idea where I am. Yes! That’s right… How could they possibly find me now that I’ve left Inwell!
“Show me what they said about you!” Liberus, flying right in front of my face… I’m still reading y’know-
“Latest! Frail slave barely leaves with her life from a Zox facility! Was she responsible?”
“SLAVE?! THEY CALL ME A SLAVE?!”
“AHAHAHAHA! I MEAN WITH THOSE CLOTHES, ONE WOULD ASSUME SO!”
“I-I CAN’T AFFORD ANYTHING BETTER!”
Donum laughed as he heard our commotion. Lucky for Liberus… If he weren’t here right now I would’ve swung him around like a sling…
“You two seem to share a nice bond. I wish I still had my friends around. It’s a shame they all succumbed to their age, unlike me…”
The two of us paused for a moment, with only the rocks and dirt being rolled over by the wooden wheels, clicking and crunching.
“Oh, sorry for bringing that up… Anyways, what’re you two traveling to Baricht for? You’re a bit too late for the Harbor Lights festival if that’s your reason.”
“Harbor Lights? No… We’re just traveling there on advice from a person.”
“I see… and for what reason?”
“It’s a family thing…”
“Family, huh?” He turned back towards us and smiled. “There’s nothing in life more precious. Treasure them.”
I return the smile back and head back to my reading. Nothing much was that interesting to note about other than the headline, but seriously, I’ve just come to notice how much propaganda is in this damn paper… I mean… we have happy faces praising the government to glorifying AEGIS as an “all-protector”...
“I mean seriously… Do citizens really believe this sort of bullshit?”
“Well… what else can they do to stay safe? Didn’t you say that the minister person silences rebels and never listens to the people?”
“I suppose you’re right…”
“Mmm… That minister is still in power I see…” Donum interrupted.
“Are you perhaps a citizen too?” Liberus asks.
“Ha! It’s been a while! I’ve never returned since. All I am now is a humble merchant, distributing my goods with the people.”
So my hunch was right. He had plenty of stuff here, and that coat of his, there’s no doubting that he isn’t mega rich. Now that I mention it, some of the merchandise he’s selling looks like it would come straight from a royal’s house…
“Oh, please don’t touch that. That’s a ring meant for the head’s son of the Baricht company. He is looking for someone to marry quite soon, and so he asked me to prepare a ring in advance.”
“T-This… THIS IS A RING FOR A PRINCE?!”
“Haha! Not a prince! Baricht isn’t a monarchy. It’s a city known for its trade and commerce, home to many wealthy merchants and influential trading companies. The head of the C.C.C commissioning this ring is actually a good friend of mine.”
Liberus seemed to be quite intrigued by this. I suppose I’ll attempt to keep up…
“The C.C.C?” He asks.
“Yes… the Clairent Commerce Consortium. It’s the leading company that has the most influence at Baricht.”
“That friend of yours has that much influence over all the other companies that reside there?”
“His great-grandfather, Navir Clairent was quite the ambitious man. His connections and monopoly gave him quite a lot of power over others.”
“Navir Clairent?” I jumped in. “I’ve heard a lot of stories about him from my mother.”
“One of, if not the most influential person in Destin’s history, I’d say. To the point where other countries keep him in high regard.”
“Yeah-”
“Oh, so may I ask-”
The two of them kept exchanging questions. I didn’t expect anything else from that book… Constantly thirsty for knowledge. I myself wanted to rest a little bit more. It was hard for me to sleep last night, so I’ll see if I can make up those hours by taking a bit of a nap…
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Ah… That’s much better- Wait… where are we..? Uh… A village..? I thought we were heading to Baricht… Liberus isn’t here either… Did he go off with Donum? I peeked outside the carriage to find him in Donum’s hand whilst he was discussing with what appeared to be a village member. I rubbed my eyes and stepped off. Damn this place is quite muddy… getting my boots all dirty…
“Well, speak of the devil. She’s finally awake!”
H-huh..? Does he need me for something..?
“Ah! Ranku, wasn’t it? Welcome, welcome! I am the chief of this village! You may call me Nerth!” The man says as he violently shakes my hand. Jeez… he’s got quite the grip… He’s definitely a warrior of sorts, no doubt about it.”
“Uh… Donum? I thought we’re supposed to be heading to Baricht?”
“Sorry about that. Really. It’s just I’ve been making stops here at Venari to drop a few things off.”
“Venari? And what do you mean to ‘drop a few things off…”
I took notice of the many crates that were once in the carriage. They were full of fruits and other meats. Wouldn’t a village like this be responsible for their own food?
“Yes, about that. The Venari village hasn’t been able to find any of their usual catches.”
Just like last night… I couldn’t find anything either… Has something happened in Termena?
“Mhm… We believe this to be the Huntair’s doing. Something or someone is upsetting it, making it kill more than it should.”
Just then, I heard a loud screeching coming from deep within the forest. Was that seriously the Huntair?! I always thought that was just a tale to keep kids out of the woods…
“Ranku, I’ve heard great things from Donum about you. Please… help us soothe his anger…”
“...”
“WHA?! ME?! WHY?!”