***
"You're fortunate I met you first, once you scale the mountains past the horizon, you won't meet generous and kind people like me. Once you're outside, you'll be met with the truth of this world, nothing but cruelty, back-stabbing, and selfish men".
After scattering across his belongings inside crates to the side, the old man handed a pair of older clothes, a few armor plates, and... even a new sword? The iron plates were old but didn't show any rust, which seemed to indicate that they were still durable.
"I might not look it anymore, but I used to be a blacksmith when the village used be livable. Unfortunately, my shop went out of business when the remaining survivors left... These are the last things I managed to scrape up with the last materials I had".
Vicheam could tell it at a glance; his forearms still held onto some pretty impressive muscles.
"I appreciate it, my clothes have gone through enough, it's time I throw them away".
Vicheam took the stuff before changing fully into another room. Shortly after a minute, he came out, revealing his new look: he had on a tighter long-sleeved black shirt, tying the iron chest plate with a string of leather to serve as protection, a pair of black leather boots durable to withstand any environment, and lastly a gray leather overcoat to protect from rain and cold.
"It looks great on you, you look like a mercenary, people won't bother going near you if you manage to keep a scary resting face". The man uttered, impressed by how it fit his body type well.
Vicheam inspected the sheathed sword inside the leather scabbard. It had decent material at touch, but was the sword the same? A blacksmith somewhere in this isolated couldn't possibly have good skills... or could he?
Once he unsheathed the sword, a longsword was revealed, its handle perfectly matched with a long guard to protect his hands. with a long, silver cloud-pattern running across — The blade itself had a comfortable weight to it; it felt light but had enough weight to slash with heavy force.
"It's... impressive...".
Those were the words Vicheam managed to say while surprised; he wasn't sure how to fully appreciate the sudden abundance of gifts. The years of isolation and loneliness are catching up to this very moment.
"It's nothing much, I'm only preparing you for the outside world.".
Vicheam turned to the old man, feeling suspicious out of a sudden.
"How come you're giving it to a stranger you met just an hour ago, let alone a draganeer, a person who destroyed your village?".
Before getting an answer, the man chuckled amusingly.
"I'm happy you finally asked. Fortunately, you're not the one who destroyed my village, right? I have a bit more awareness of life than others... You might be a draganeer, but I believe you are human just like me... a human with well... a more ambitious goal".
***
Once the two stepped outside the cabin, they overlooked the plain, alongside the mountains far in the horizon. The scenery was still managing to catch Vicheam off guard; it had an unnatural beauty to it.
"Do you see those mountains? The mountains surround these plains, protecting them from danger and monsters — It's a place where a peace treaty was made at some point, which explains why it hasn't been harassed by humanity's greed".
"Do tell me, young man, what's your goal? Are you going to continue climbing Rodan, or do you have something else in mind?".
Vicheam remembered, as much as he could see his goal before him, the walls that needed to be conquered; he had unfinished business — His key.
"I'm looking for a man, long silver hair, blue eyes, and goes by the name Lorenzo". Vicheam asked, hoping to find any clues.
The old man contemplated, but nothing came to mind really. He shrugged once he replied.
"I can't say it's familiar... it sounds like an imperial name. If you hope to gain information, I am of no use. My recommendation is heading past that mountain peak over there, the one whose peak is shaped like a half moon. You'll come across a desert, follow the cliff beyond, and you'll eventually stumble upon a major town there.. You can hope to find information there about this Lorenzo of yours".
Vicheam nodded, thankful for the information. He began walking downhill, toward the mountain whose peak was shaped like a half moon.
"Before I leave, first tell me your name and advice for this new world".
"My name is Cain, as for advice... don't reveal who you are, keep yourself within the shadows". A pause followed, and the older man contemplated.
"Is there anything else?"
"No, not really... Be careful on your journey Vicheam, may the gods of the mountain take care of you". Cain answered, smiling.
"Yes, thank you, old man Cain".
Vicheam began walking further away, waving back to him once he walked a fair distance.
"Huh... Did I even tell him my name?...".
Out of nowhere, it began thundering, heavy rain following shortly after.
"This weather., I need to find shelter!"
The thought slipped through his mind, believing he had told his name at some point. He had a lot on his mind, so whatever came out must've come out without him realizing it.
Vicheam began running once the rain poured down heavier and faster, afraid of letting his new clothes get destroyed.
Out of nowhere, Salt grew on his shoulder, the golden eye startling him for a moment as thunder struck across the forest. The terrifying sound echoed across the area.
"W-Where the fuck have you been? I tried to get in contact with you, but you didn't answer".
Vicheam scoffed, making a run for it into the dense forest.
"Let's talk later, Salt!"
***
In the distance, the older man chuckled, seeing as Vicheam fled to shelter somewhere inside the forest.
"...I didn't get to say hi to his little friend, Salt, wasn't it?".
"I must say, he's the most interesting individual I've seen... It's been a long time since I got goosepumps like this...". The man put his hand out to feel the heavy rain pouring down.
"...We finally met... Prophet Vicheam".
***
Meanwhile, in the northern plains, Eira, alongside five other descenders, marched through the dense forest, headed towards the lake.
"I can't stand this rain."
Amongst the soldiers was a younger man with dark brown hair, wearing thick armor that barely suited him; it was too big for his taste, and his sword — it was even worse; it was heavy, and it was a pain carrying it.
"They just threw some armor at me."
The young man scoffed, coming out as a complaint.
"Just focus on our job at hand, Ranger Coren".
Another soldier had said, not wanting to hear whining. The weather was terrible, everyone was for themselves, not sparking up any conversation at all, and the mission leader? a mere cadet, a young girl at that, it was obvious most of them disliked the idea.
Eira walked ahead, holding onto a compass that came with her equipment, a sheathed spear on her back held by strings of leather. She was unsure where she had gone herself; already halfway into it, she had lost the direction since the 5th mark.
Should I tell them?
She had no intention of telling them. The responsibility of being a leader was heavy on her; she didn't want to mess up or be seen as unreliable. She just couldn't.
After a few minutes of silence and the steps of descenders walking on tall grass, they finally began to see the light on the other side of the forest. Getting through, they were met with a grassy plain and a big lake further ahead.
"The rain stopped?"
Coren's eyes darted towards the sky, relieved. The dark gray weather had dispersed, and the sun had made its way halfway towards the summit of Rodan. Gleaming in the open sky, surrounded by clouds.
Eira glanced towards the lake, a sense of fulfillment washing over her.
"This is it... this place is our objective for the mission".
She said it clearly, with a hint of joy. The silent descender began speaking up, now that they'd clearly arrived, going over what they would possibly do and find.
"We're supposed to find a monster or something? Why don't we begin by splitting into groups of two and looking around the lake? If you guys get in trouble or find anything notable, then make sure to use the flare".
"You guys have it with you, right?"
All the descenders showed their flair, a small wooden gun with mechanical parts that served as their flare gun; An important gadget made for all descenders.
Eira, on the other hand, began sweating, searching through her bag but not finding anything at all. With a nervous laugh, she told them about her own reality.
"...It seems I forgot my haha...".
The group glanced at each other with disappointment and almost expected to push Coren with her.
"Ranger Coren, you go with her then...".
"M-Me? Y-You know I can barely lift this excuse of a great sword!".
The bulky knight scoffed before giving him the cold shoulder, beginning to walk away.
"Let's just be quick with it...".
The 2 groups went their own way. Coren left with Eira, who seemed almost too much. He felt annoyed; the way they spoke with 'superiority' over him was nagging at him. With a defeated sigh, he followed the "orders", keeping himself by her side.
"Eira, was it?"
He'd ask before being met with an awkward smile from her. They began walking around the lake, closer to the land than the water itself. Coren just followed behind her while Eira seemed to be caught up in her own world, her eyes observing everything known to man.
"It couldn't have been dangerous; maybe it was just an animal fleeing from their natural habitat". Coren said, not taking the mission as seriously as Eira.
"Maybe, but the scouts told us that it was too big to be a flying animal. We were told it was a monster, so let's treat it like that until we really know what we're dealing with".
"Do you really believe that? C'mon, we live on 100th hill. How many times have we investigated a monster case, only for it to be a ridiculous-sized animal? Animals are bound to evolve into something weird here".
Eira huffed, scouting every inch of grass beneath her, looking for traces. She could already begin to sense the boring side of Coren — an unserious descender, probably of noble lineage, who didn't feel the need to worry.
50 years after the imperial war had made most men lazy, the peaceful world without conflicts was bound to make anyone remember their duty
After an hour had gone by, Eira decided to spark up a conversation.
"Have you ever been beyond the cliffs?"
Eira asked, catching him off guard with the sudden question.
He raised an eyebrow, unsure where she would start.
"No, I haven't been on the expeditions yet, they call me too inexperienced".
Eira smirked, not doubting the fact.
"Well, I have been, and I'll tell you this: those monsters from beyond are nothing like we see here on 100th hill, in fact... they can't even be described as monsters... just pure horror, like creatures made from your worst nightmares".
She began recalling memories from the recent expedition. She could remember the sights she'd seen: A humanoid entity with four arms and drills for hands, no eyes, and no nose, it gave her goosebumps just thinking about it... and even sadness.
As Coren made way by swinging his big sword at the tall grass, they arrived at a more open plain near the lake, listening to her explanation. It could be true, any person who'd been to the beyond did come back telling about creatures that couldn't be described, but were they really all that, he didn't know.
"And you think that one of these creatures has made it up all the way here from the 99th hill?... I don't believe that...".
Eira could feel the slightest of annoyance swelling up in her. Ignoring his words, she continued to track the ground, seeing as the floor turned muddier the closer they approached the lake.
Her eyes widened once seeing sudden... tracks on them?