The next day was a jumble of emotions as he prepared to tell the little prodigy he would no longer be around. In 3 days there was a caravan leaving he could be a part of that was going in the direction he needed to travel. He was able to get assigned to the caravan on a one way basis. When they arrived in Marcan which was a few months of travel he would find a new caravan to hopefully take him if not the whole way at least closer to truan territory. When Su showed up Wyatt wasn’t sure he was ready, but regardless it needed to be done. “Come sit down for a moment.” Su, always observant, hesitantly walked over to the chair he had motioned at. She sat down, and observed Wyatt as he tried to figure out how to say what needed to be said. Before he could figure out the words she said “leaving?” That 1 word held a massive amount of emotion.
Wyatt felt so much in that 1 word. He could feel her pain, hurt, betrayal, curiosity, hope, anger. It was a loaded question. He knew the unspoken questions, but he wasn’t the one who could truly give her the answers she needed. He would allow her to come with him if she truly wanted, but that needed to be approved by the caravaner’s guild, although he was almost positive that wouldn’t be an issue. He would also make her speak to her family before making a decision. As angry as he still was with Argana after their last interaction he still respected that she was Su’s mother. After running through his options Wyatt realized he hadn’t actually answered her question at all. He looked up and made sure to make eye contact, and then simply said “yes.” Su sat there looking at him for a few minutes without another word. Eventually she got up, and walked away. That night he decided he would go visit the family. If nothing else he felt it was finally time to relinquish the hidden blade.
He showed up that night, and while Ugrand, and Ugrand the second seemed happy to see him Argana did not even say hello to him. Su didn’t seem to be around. “Where is Su?” Apparently that was the wrong question because Argana immediately answered anger lacing her words.”Shouldn’t you know? Even after I came to talk to you, you just couldn’t help but steal my daughter from me. I learned to accept that I would die, and want to enjoy the time I have left with my family. Yet, this stranger seems to have made it his mission in life to deny me that.” That undeniable anger, and rage threatened to take over. Taking a deep breath to calm himself he turned to Ugrand, and Ugrand the 2nd. “Do you know where Su is? It’s been nice seeing you but contrary to what some people might think I never wanted to cause anyone any problems. I actually came to say goodbye. I am leaving here in 3 days, and there is a strong possibility I may never return.” He reached out for a handshake. They had something similar here where men grasp arms, but Ugrand the 2nd wrapped him in a hug. Then without a word released him, and gave him a nod. Ugrand returned the handshake with the method of this world a full grasp of the forearm. “Keep safe. This world is a dangerous place, but it is also full of wonders for those brave enough to explore it.” After a momentary pause he leaned in and whispered “I will let Su know you were here.”
With a last glance at Argana who a part of him hoped could become his surrogate family he just shook his head feeling the pain of a door closing he didn’t even know he wanted to walk through. “I hope you find happiness.” The last Wyatt said before walking out the door. He had fully intended to leave the hidden blade, but he was certain that doing so would only ensure Su never received it. He went back to where he had been sleeping. He packed up his limited belongings, and retrieved the claw from under the floor. After he realized it caused him to receive more attention than he wanted he had put it away, and trained with a plain spear. Now that he would be moving on he claw would become a part of his daily carry once again.
He sat down in the corner of the room just thinking back over the events that led to this moment. From leaving earth onward things had been rather chaotic. Even when he first got to this town it had been that way. Somewhere in the last couple months he had started to feel like this was home even if he knew it was temporary. There was something difficult about leaving home even if it never meant to be a long term home. Wyatt drifted off leaning against the wall thinking of what home truly meant. “Ow.” He woke, and the ow came out involuntarily. It was apparently not a great angle to fall asleep as his back was killing him.
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
Wyatt took his hurting back as a sign that this was going to be a rough day. He was certain Azuka knew he was going to be leaving and he had made it clear the last time they talked he wasn’t planning on staying that long, but this was different. He was telling him he would be leaving most likely permanently in 2 days. Originally Wyatt had planned on giving him a bit more notice, but then things kind of got away from him. Azuka was plugged into the happenings of the city so it was somewhat strange to Wyatt that he hadn’t initiated the conversation himself as it got closer to Wyatt’s time to leave.
After doing some stretching trying to work out the pain in his back Wyatt realized he needed to treat this like a band aid and just pull it off. He headed off to Azuka’s shop. Azuka had the shop closed, but Wyatt tried to knock anyway given he knew he would frequently close the shop to cook or eat in the back. Wyatt didn’t really want to spend the entire day waiting around so he was hoping Azuka would answer even with the store being closed. Unfortunately hoping didn’t always work out. He waited for over an hour without any sign that Azuka was going to reopen the shop. He decided to see if Su had come home so that he could talk to her. She was not there. The only person home was Ugrand the 2nd. After a few moments of consideration Wyatt decided he was probably the best person to give the weapon to if he wasn’t giving it directly to Su. “Your sister is going to need you. Your mother loves her, but your sister is a free spirit who will suffer for being tied down. This belongs to your sister. I trust that you will know when the time is right.” Handing the package over, Wyatt turned to leave, but Ugrand stopped him, putting his hand on his shoulder. “I know my mother has treated you poorly, but thank you for what you did for Su.” With that they both nodded at each other, and Wyatt left.
The shop remained closed the next day and Su never showed up so when the day finally arrived for Wyatt to leave he was forced to do so without a proper goodbye. He left with his pack, his spear, his life savings, and as much travel rations as he could fit. The caravan itself had a food and water wagon so he really wasn’t required to bring much in terms of supplies. Wyatt was not willing to go without a decent supply of travel rations. Those would stay uneaten unless something happened that separated him from the supplies of the caravan.
He knew a few of the guards from his training, but there were several new faces from around town as well as a few who had arrived in town recently that were part of a caravan that had ended in Amarken. Wyatt was simultaneously depressed and elated to be leaving. He had felt stuck for most of his life. Like he was waiting for his life to begin, and then he had a few months of intense living that was then punctuated by a rather dull life guarding a warehouse. Now it was like he was finally resuming his grand adventure. His job on the expedition was just to watch for approaching threats, and make sure nobody stole any food. He knew it would likely be a boring job, but some of the more senior caravan guards had told him never to assume anything. The trips that should have been a cake walk often ended up being the ones they came closest to death on. Hypervigilance was something he had a very difficult time turning on and off at will, but what sounded like an explosion in the distance on the second day took the choice from him. After the explosion he was on high alert all the time regardless of his desire.
Wyatt found it rather funny that the cook’s name sounded so normal. His name was Josh. It was unlike any of the other names he had come across, and made him wonder if Josh’s family had an ancestor from earth or if they had become friends with a previous traveler. Josh was extremely vigilant, and once Wyatt realized that he focused primarily on external threats rather than internal. He was honestly more of a backup to a backup than anything else as the other guards had higher levels of cultivation, and should be able to sense any threats well before they became visually identifiable. The primary dish that was served on the trip made Wyatt smile every time he saw it. It was like he was a cowboy on the trail. Beans with a meat that was prepared similar to bacon was a staple of almost every meal that was served. There were occasionally other items prepared like rice or a porridge-like substance, but the beans and bacon seemed to be the primary food of the trip.