KENSHI
"Are you sure, Kenshi, you wanna go there now? Your wounds aren't that healed yet," Shino worriedly asked while we were preparing to leave to go to the city.
"We can't waste more time, and my wounds are no longer hurting," I answered. "We have to get there and locate the artifact before the Dark Order will."
Shino heaved a defeated sigh before conforming. The moment we finished prepping, we immediately went to the living room and discovered Fo playing with her pets.
"Are you ready to leave?" Fo asked when she noticed our presence.
"More than ever," I answered.
"Great! Then let's go!"
With Fo's invitation, all of us stepped out of the house and waited for Fo to finish locking it. When she was done, we started walking. Thankfully, the city was just a three-hour walk from Fo's residence.
"That's Suttoh City," Fo introduced while looking somewhere far. We followed her gaze, and my eyes landed on a prominent fortress of a walled city. From here, one could never tell it was in ruins. "Before the coup happened, carriages would pass by here from time to time, allowing us to hitch a ride to the city. But now, carriages in this part are a rare sight to see, so we really have to travel by foot."
"No worries, Fo, we've been traveling with our feet as far as I can remember! We're adventurers, after all!" Shino proudly said.
"I envy you! I don't have that much endurance to walk long distances. Thankfully, I have Suya and Sayu to carry me!"
"If you ever feel tired, don't be shy to tell us. Or you could have your pets carry you," I told her, to which she responded with a nod. And with that, our journey officially began.
Even though the city we were going to was in shambles and in a mess, the scenery here before the city center remained calm and peaceful. If a traveler passed through here for the first time, they would not expect the condition of their destination because of how different the path leading to it was.
Because how can a peaceful and serene road like this lead to a destroyed and ruined city?
The tall grasses in the meadow danced as the wind swayed and blew through them. Birds chirped and soared above us as if telling me of the city's freedom from tyranny and corruption.
Even the air smelled refreshing. Something that one would never smell in the city we were going to. The weather was perfect as well. I even thought for a second that I was on a vacation and not on a mission.
The city grew larger and larger as we were getting closer. And bit by bit, I could already see the signs and marks of the occurred civil war. The longer I stared at it, the more my mind flashed made-up scenarios of what happened to this place.
Normally, merchants would place themselves within the city to sell their goods and produce, but here, it was different—they were outside the city walls.
"An apple for 5 doquis?!" Shino exclaimed in a whisper when she spotted a price signage in one of the stalls.
"Prices here are much more expensive. This is due to the fact that these merchants have to hire bodyguards to help watch over their shops from thieves and snatchers. This is a lawless city, after all," Fo explained.
I looked at the merchant close to me, and Fo was right—aside from the merchant themselves, there were two more people guarding the shop equipped with swords and various weapons.
"But aren't they worried about their goods not being sold?" Kana asked. "If they raised the price that high, no one would buy from them."
"That was the case at first. But eventually, the people didn't have a choice but to go with it for the sake of survival. That's why most of the people here rely on hunting and agriculture to provide themselves with food. But still, those couldn't suffice their needs. At least not fully."
"This feels like a black market in Thorn City, but instead of being underground, it's on the surface," Kana commented, and I couldn't agree more.
The uneasiness I felt here resembled the time when Daku and I went to the black market. At any time, someone would decide to kill you, so you had to be on full alert all the time. The sanitation of the place also added to the familiarity.
"You could say that, since illegal items are also sold here in broad daylight," Fo informed us, which worsened my worry for all the people here who just wanted to live normally. "What kind of artifact are we looking for again?"
"We don't know actually," Shino answered.
"But how are we going to find it if we don't know what it looks like?"
"Trust me, Fo, we'll know once we see it," Shino confidently said. "It reeks of dark energy so much that even commoners could tell that it's evil."
We had already told Fo about our purpose for going to this city. We told her about the Dark Order and the artifacts and the agenda of the cult to revive the God of Darkness, Dolum. That was why she had decided to help us find the artifact—because just like us, she also didn't want the evil god to be revived again in this world.
That was why sometimes, I couldn't help but think if it was better to broadcast to all the people of Nodum about the Dark Order's motive. I believed that way, a resistance would form and antagonize the cult, which would delay their plans more.
But I knew it was a double-edged sword. It was indeed true that people fear those things they don't understand, but it was also true that they fear even more a horrifying truth. Informing them was a great move to warn them of the possible future, but this would also ignite fear and uninvited rage, which could start panic and discord. And that was something we didn't want if we wished to win this probable war.
Since we didn't have any idea where to look for the artifact, we decided to roam around the city ruins. Because of this, I witnessed the struggle of each and every affected citizen here.
Children were bone-skinny due to hunger and malnutrition. Proper hygiene was no longer observed because it didn't matter to them anymore. Homeless beggars lined and flanked the streets like decorations, waiting for a kind heart to offer them money or food.
Rubbles and slabs of concrete were untouched and unremoved. Splash marks and puddles of dried blood were evident as well. The air didn't only reek of bad smell but also sorrow, hopelessness, and grief.
This city was the total opposite of Aste City, and for us who came from such a fun and lively place, being here felt depressing. My internal voices screamed and shouted for departure, but we couldn't. As long as we couldn't get a hold of that artifact, we would not leave this place.
We spent the whole day wandering around the city, but our search was fruitless. It was already close to sundown, and we all agreed to go home.
"I knew searching for that artifact here would be hard," Kana commented.
"Yeah. We don't have any leads as well. Sorry for getting your hopes up, Fo," Shino apologized.
"It's fine. It's only been day one! Let's try again tomorrow!" Fo energetically suggested. "Maybe we should start asking someone tomorrow!"
"I don't recommend it," I responded. "We don't know—their members might be one in the crowd. Asking for the artifact carelessly will alert them."
"That's kind of true, though," Fo agreed.
"Let's hope for the better tomorrow. We should head back now while it's still bright," I invited, which earned a nod from the three.
"Leaving already without saying goodbye?" a grown man's voice said right after we took a few steps.
I pivoted myself to look at the source of the voice, and my eyes instantly gaped widely upon recognizing his face. And even though I couldn't see her, I knew Kana was surprised as well, just like me.
What were the odds of finding him here? I thought he was taken by the Dark Order when they attacked him before. How was he here? And by the looks of it, he was in good shape and good condition.
Was he the same person that Daku, Kana, and I knew? Or was it just my eyes playing tricks on me because of how similar they sounded? Or maybe he had a twin brother?
But if he was not the person we knew, why would he say something like that—as if he was a friend who got upset because we didn't even get to say goodbye to him?
"I–Is that really y-you?" Kana asked in a shaky voice, threatening to cry.
"It's been a while, Kana," the man replied while wearing a warm smile.
In an instant, Kana ran toward him. The man knelt to match her height and gave Kana a hug. Kana immediately wailed while embracing the person she considered as her family as well.
"I missed you so much, Sage Greygor!"
"I missed you too, Kana."