Ali wasn’t sure if it was his imagination or not but he felt he was stuck in the darkness this time, as though he was traveling a longer distance. A few attempts confirmed that, while he was in this unusual state, he couldn’t communicate with Tian at all. At worst, he would have to resummon the air serpent which would just cost him a bit more MP. If he could get away, that was a small price to pay. Eventually, he emerged from the darkness onto a cliff. A brief look around suggested that he was on the side of a fortress. The cliff was so high up that a fall would certainly kill him.

Good thing there are stairs here. I can only hope no one is watching as there are no cover.

The teenager tried communicating with Tian but his summonee was too far away. He resummoned the air serpent and proceeded to go down the stone stairs that led to the base of the fortress. Tian kept a lookout and reported that he couldn’t see any movement. The teenager was relieved he didn't have to worry about dodging long range abilities while he descended. A few minutes later, Ali reached the fortress base and dashed until he reached a forest. The trees looked old and dead with no greenery at all. The bareness made him feel uneasy so he asked Tian to do a brief scouting of the vicinity. The air serpent returned with a report of finding nothing, including wildlife.

Odd that there are no birds or bugs…What is this place?

I don’t know but we should get further away should there be pursuers.

Ali agreed with the idea. He could only hope that the old man and his followers were too baffled by his disappearance to understand what happened to him. While he knew the spells imprinted into the walls were responsible for his escape, he still had no clue who put them there. The being he killed remained in the room without making any attempts. Given how long it took him to kill the being, the person should have plenty of time to activate the trigger.

Unless the man killed the one who originally casted the spells. Maybe that giant wasn’t the first owner.

After he tripped on a tree root, Ali realized how foolish he was being by not focusing on the ground. He could wonder about the fortress and everything inside in the future when he wasn’t fleeing for his life. He had to widen the gap between him and the pursuers as much as he could. Even though he had no proof there were pursuers, the idea pumped adrenaline into his system and he needed to run.

There’s a town up ahead!

The message from Tian only made Ali run faster. He didn’t know how safe the town was for an outsider like him but, in the worst case scenario, Tian could collect information secretly and he could decide on his next move depending on what was discovered. As he neared the outskirts of the town, the teenager waited behind a big tree while the air serpent went into town. Several minutes later, Tian returned with news of the town being mostly abandoned except for a few laborers waiting at an airship strip.

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They were talking about waiting for their ride to Vliland.

I better join them then.

Ali made his way into the town and, through Tian’s guidance, arrived at the large open space where a dozen or so laborers stared at the sky. There were three large crates on skids with strange markings written all over them. When one of the laborers noticed Ali, the others also turned their attention to him. The teenager introduced himself and claimed that he was trying to reach Vliland to flee the dangers that had befallen his village. The local clothes he received upon arriving in Vliland helped him sell his story. The laborers were kind enough to reveal their destination, offering to bring him along for free for the ride.

“These are some big crates,” said Ali as he got closer.

“Don’t bother asking what’s inside,” said one of the laborers. “The seals on those crates make it so people like us have no way of opening them.”

Before he could continue the conversation, his stomach growled, yielding laughs from the laborers.

“Here,” said another laborer as he handed over a piece of bread. “It’s not much but it should be enough.”

Ali thanked the man and wolfed it down, realizing how starved he was now that adrenaline had run its course. A sound then grabbed everyone’s attention. An airship about double the size of the one he took with his companions to Vliland landed nearby. The crew hastily got the crates aboard the ship before urging everyone to hurry.

“What’s the big hurry?” asked one of the laborers.

“The civil war has begun,” said one of the crew members. “We received word of a fleet of airship heading towards Vliland. If we wait too long, we will either be caught in the conflict or be mistakenly shot down.”

The airship took off and immediately picked up speed, causing Ali and many of the laborers to fall over. The teenager and the laborers were eventually led to a medium sized room where they were to stay for the rest of the journey. After a bit more inquiring, Ali learned that the crate was delivered to a powerful organization within Vliland that was willing to pay a lot of money for the crates to reach its destination. The identity of the organization was unknown as there were only instructions on where to get the crates to. The laborers were also paid a hefty amount for this delivery so the teenager could see why they took the risk.

To think they are paid enough to live comfortably for several years.

That’s if they live to see the money.

Ali was surprised by Tian’s comment so the air serpent shared what he overheard while exploring the ship. After hearing the details, the teenager turned to the laborers, unsure how he should break the news.