The late afternoon was charged with the daytime heat that the morning sun promised a few hours prior. The air felt heavy as the winds have been calm for most of the day pass the woodland despite the sun setting to the west horizon which had to open a window of opportunity for the winds to cool off the ground.

Even Bave who was in a gallop for the last few hours could feel the heated air, the closer he got to Shimeo. The city was situated in the Central Valleys of the kingdom though its centrality was estimated solely for the Eastern parts.

If the city was assessed based on its location in the kingdom as a whole, it was more towards the northeastern areas.

His stallion has been breathing harshly and at an irregular rate for some time now. The gallop itself had grown less accurate and jumps have been decreasing. Bave knew that his horse was approaching his limit, so the young hunter paced the last mile to Shimeo in a slow stride.

It was pointless to force a gallop out of a horse that sooner or later would rebel for its needs to rest. It could injure both the rider and the stallion, so Bave took it slow, granting the stallion's wish to decrease the speed.

He approached the gates of Shimeo, calmly watching the gloaming. It seemed to him, whenever he watched the sunset, that the bright disk hardly wanted to leave, to hide, to disappear. Alas, even the sun could not shine for too long.

It always made him think of Balhkara and its late King, Tuge. Just like the sun, he set into the nightfall, leaving a whole kingdom to soak in the twilight of scattered glory. How sad – how ugly, greed has poisoned these lands.

Bave rarely spoke his thoughts out, it just made him feel more vulnerable whenever he had to express his intimate views of the world – but in times when he had the luxury to be alone, he often felt the weight of mixed emotions.

Anger and then hopelessness, longing, and then defeat. Who knew that the man, who many hunters looked up to, could be so vulnerable when it came to something more personal? He wished to change Balhkara, very much so. However, as an old proverb stated, 'A single bird cannot bring the Spring'.

That was to say, it was a bit too idealistic to believe that one sole person could change the world. Bave knew very well, he was no less than a King who could see how the board-game figures were positioned. Balhkara was purposely caged in a vicious cycle that had one goal – dominance.

The hunter took notice of the beautiful decorations upon his arrival in the city, just like Kal and Koh earlier – he regretted he could not see the most beautiful festival of the year…or one of the most beautiful. Balhkara had quite the number of events annually, and each on their own was unique and beautiful.

The sun had long left the land and the night like vigilante grasped the celestial throne to oversee the life of mortals. Beautiful lanterns accompanied the rose wreaths, bringing some light and coziness on the paved streets of Shimeo.

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Despite the evening had just befallen, the pathways were still lively. People worked from early in the morning until late at night, preparations were top priority. After all, they did not want to fall behind! Stories about which city and which village did the best of the festival would soon spread, so Shimeo wanted to be known for the best decoration in the Kingdom.

It was no surprise though, the best decoration in the kingdom would bring them some additional income from a reward issued by the Lords Union. The top three places would get 4 gold, 14 silver, and 3 silver coins respectively.

Probably one would say that wasn't much as a reward, and would not be wrong. However, Balhkara was under strict rule nowadays, monetary rewards were rare as the greedy ruling class would not share their fortune.

They preferred to see the lands tattered by poverty than investing in it. That was, as Bave called it, 'greed'.

The young hunter quickly found a place to let his horse rest. He paid for a slot in a horse house for the next few hours. However, he decided to visit an herbalist shop he saw upon arrival than looking for his teammates, who were probably by now asleep.

If they went according to the initial plan, which Bave did not doubt, they had to stop in the city for three hours or so. So, they could rest for the evening, thought Bave.

Besides, it was not so hard to find them despite Shimeo's size and population which was a bit over 120,000 people. The hunters have probably, as the plan was, found a guesthouse to stay at upon arrival in Shimeo in the eastern parts where the city was still in ruins, so to say.

Therefore, he already had a vague idea of where to look for them once he was done with the herbalist shop.

The bleeding had not ceased ever since he was scratched by the arrow, despite his best tries to smudge some clay over it. Although the dirt would not be one's first choice to apply on a wound, in fact, the clay soil was good to fight bacteria.

A piece of handy advice he knew from his sister who had a pottery shop. So, Bave strolled down the street with his muddy face though even the dirt could not hide his sharp and handsome features.

Some local ladies stole a glance or two, whispered in between, and giggled. Bave paid them no attention though he wondered if his dirty appearance invoked the looks and giggles. Even if it was so, he could do nothing much.

At least the clay repressed the bleeding although did not help with the blood clotting. He hoped he could find a skilled herbalist in Shimeo. Therefore, once he arrived - his eyes were scanning the place and indeed, he spotted a shop a few meters after the main gate.

A clever place to establish it, he thought. Any visitor upon arrival would notice it and the chances of paying a visit were higher than having a person looking for an herbalist in the secluded pathways of Shimeo.

Bave finally made his way to the shop and walked in. Other than seeking the help of a skilled doctor, though people referred to them as 'herbalists', he could also ask if they could recognize the herbs which the mysterious man gave him.

If it were, indeed, the 'antidote' for whatever mixture kept him bleeding – he would then question, why would he attack, then let him go and even send him on his way with an antidote? Everything seemed so confusing and irrational.

Besides, there was a great possibility he could learn a bit more about that man if the herbalist found something unique in the ingredients used for the medicine. He thought that he would kill two birds with one stone that way. 

Hopefully, there was someone skilled at that shop – Bave was willing to pay quite the price to get some answers…