"We lost our powers, almost drowned at sea, and got rescued from a monster. Is there anything more to prove that we lost our grip on this world?" Asahi mumbled as he looked through the window. Before he lost faith in himself, his eyes cruised over to the black blade sitting next to him, and he began to retort.
"At least we retrieved our weapons. I still can't bear losing anything else."
Beyond the farthest edge of the evening horizon lies an amber glow, following the ball of light.
The carriage rattled down the path, flinging pebbles and snapping twigs beneath its wheels. With each jolt, it raced forward, striving to outrun the threat of more Cesspids lurking in the shadows.
Sadiki yelled.
"We're almost there! Just a few moments away before you two depart. Asahi, Aletha... please don't get in any more danger. That was only a peek at what's to offer in this world."
Asahi raised an eyebrow, questioning.
"Where are you from?"
Sadiki rolled his eyes and turned to Brich.
He crossed his arms, and with a wavering expression of dishonesty, the boy lowered his ears and mumbled.
"Umm... well… I come from an isla--
"He's lying." Aletha immediately interrupted.
She could still detect Sadiki's dishonesty, even without hearing him say anything close to a lie.
"Huh?!"
Both Asahi and Sadiki turned to her and bounced in shock.
With barely a heartbeat to react, Aletha sensed exactly what the boy concealed. Sadiki's lips quivered as the carriage shuddered to a stop.
"Seriously? How do you know that?"
Before anything else was said, Brich raced to the door, wrapped his fingers around the doorknob, and turned it open, revealing a seemingly cloudless horizon with rolling green hills and scarlet flowers.
He bent over and pulled the stairs, extending them toward the ground, and escorted The Wanderers outside it, whispering.
"Pladtioa City shouldn't be as far now. The only reason why we went so fast is that we have other events to attend to."
Asahi scratched his head and noticed that even though the view of the city was more transparent than before, it still seemed like it was pretty far from a drop-off.
Just before Brich closed the door, Sadiki rushed out of the carriage and yelled.
"Wait!"
The siblings glanced back to see the cat boy hurrying toward them, worry shimmering in his wide eyes.
"Brich forgot to tell you something."
Aletha's eyebrows lowered to him in irritation. Brich, meanwhile, carefully sheathed his blade, then turned to the wanderers and spoke.
"It was a pleasure meeting both of you. You two seem trustworthy to me. So, since you are new and just arrived here, take this."
He pulled a small fabric pouch and placed it in Aletha's hands, speaking as the cool air rushed inside the carriage.
"This pouch will assist you in purchasing needed goods like food, water, shelter, weapons, and tools. I highly recommend you use it to purchase your much-needed relic." Brich said with a radiant wink. "You never know who your competitors will be."
Both Asahi and Aletha's eyes widened in shock. They never thought they could be given such a generous gift.
Asahi nodded while Aletha screamed out with a smile.
"We will. Thank you!"
"You're welcome."
(The Ruler of The Forgotten's traces have already begun.)
Approaching the city, the landscape shifted. Asahi and Aletha spotted four tall, armored silhouettes marching along an elevated green.
As they approached the city, Asahi and Aletha spotted four tall, masculine silhouettes marching along an elevated green. Each figure bore a tall spear or bow, and their bodies were clad in heavy, shadowy armor. The wanderers strained to see in the dusk. Still, the armored patrols carried their own sources of light.
Immediately, Asahi and Aletha got alarmed and dived behind a large boulder at the bottom of the hill. They heard the guards chatter above them.
"This is so boring. Why did we even choose to get this job?"
Aletha was curious, so she leaned her head away from the boulder and peeked. The guards had a magical staff with similar properties to a flashlight.
As the guards patrolled the area, Aletha moved away from the boulder and whispered to Asahi.
"What are they doing here?"
Asahi responded with a snarky tone.
"Probably looking for trespassers."
While the beam of light slowly turned toward them, the wanderers leaned their backs against the rock and prayed that they wouldn't get caught.
"Hey, is anyone here?" A guard yelled.
After a few moments of silence, the guard muttered.
"Must've been the wind."
The wanderers exhaled in relief, convinced they had escaped notice. They pressed themselves closer to the earth, trying to vanish into the shadows.
As the lights continued to fly around the area, Aletha whispered to Asahi.
"How are we going to get around?"
Suddenly, a soft, muffled, high-pitched whisper sounded from beneath them.
"I can get you around them.~"
At first, the wanderers tried to react, but then they remembered that guards were there. They covered their mouths and slouched down toward the mysterious individual.
While they tried to locate the voice, Asahi asked Aletha in confusion.
"What was that?!"
Aletha lifted her leg off the ground. Beneath her foot, a girl-shaped figure wearing a mask and a dark robe was nestled in the grass. The mask covered her entire face, molded in the shape of a flower.
The material seemed to be made of steel.
Asahi and Aletha froze, stunned into silence, struggling to stifle their screams.
"Who are you?!" Asahi whispered, confused.
The masked girl swiftly covered Asahi's mouth and harshly whispered.
"Shhh! Do you want to get to Pladtioa city or not?"
Both of the wanderers silently nodded their heads and gave a thumbs up. The girl silently clapped her hands and then replied.
"Good. Then, follow my orders."
She pointed her hands at a trail with fireflies fluttering around.
"See that trail with fireflies? When I snap my fingers, you two run over there. Don't turn your head back. I will deal with the guards myself. Make sure you continue to run, too."
The wanderers nodded their heads and replied with a faint whisper.
"Okay…"
The masked girl gave a solid thumbs up and patted their head. Asahi was irritated about this. However, Aletha seemed to enjoy it. As the light passed by them, the masked girl whispered.
"Good. Now, wait for my signal. I will simply make an 'O' shape with my hand. It will be your time to move when I make that shape."
The guards continued to chatter above the green hill.
"Hey, did you hear about the announcement? The Queen of Pladtioa will host not only a Royal Meeting but a ceremony."
A larger-looking second guard responded as he pointed his flashlight down.
"Oh, yeah... I've heard rumors that she's going to announce the new king. It will be surprising since there hasn't been a king in Pladtioa for thousands of years."
"I know..."
As the guards were distracted, Asahi and Aletha prepared and turned toward the masked girl. As the wind blew their hair upward, the girl formed the 'O' shape with her glove and nodded her head.
The wanderers sprinted toward the firefly-lit trail. As they neared, they glanced back and saw the masked girl vanish.
A guard pointed its flash staff toward Asahi and Aletha and hollered.
"Huh? Trespassers!"
The other two guards turned toward the wanderers and ran down the hill. Aletha and Asahi then jolt as fast as they can along the trail.
They barreled forward, scattering rocks and sticks in their desperate flight.
Just as the guards could reach them, the masked girl appeared from thin air, and she instantly struck all four guards with sharp, glowing green claws.
Asahi and Aletha resisted turning around, even as screams of agony rang out behind them. The masked girl tore the guards' armor off and drew a dagger from her pocket. With a swift swing, she pierced the weapon into the faces of the guards.
Another guard approached the girl from behind, and then, instantly, he was torn to shreds. Bright flashes of green light sparked over the girl and the guards.
"Stop in the name of The Queen!"
Just as they could see the girl, she swiftly struck the guards with her two hands and made them vanish into dust.
She stomped her foot on the last vanishing guard and scratched him again before he vanished. She slowly lifted her head and saw the wanderers turning back.
The girl growled and screamed at them.
"Didn't I say not to look behind? The situation is settled; it doesn't matter. Just get to the city before more guards appear!"
Both of the wanderers replied.
"Got it!"
Quickly, they sprinted with all their energy across the grass field and entered a gate toward Pladtioa City.
Watching the pair slip into the city, she dispatched the final guard, let out a weary sigh, and murmured to herself.
"Sigh, adventurers...."