Mahaya and Yadrith arrived at the inn, since there was still plenty of time till night. Oliver wasn't present.
"Oliver won't be here for a while, what do you wanna do?" He nervously glanced over at Mahaya's figure.
"..." She silently stood there staring for a few seconds before answering, "We can wait inside the inn."
"We could... I'm rather curious about the city though, would you mind accompanying me around? I'm also a bit curious about you."
Her face covered in a mask looked at him and nodded.
"Hmm, where did you get a mask and cloak?" He couldn't help but ask, knowing they had literally no money.
She reached inside her cloak, and miraculously pulled out a large bag that could of no way had fit inside of it. "The cloak is Olivers, as for the mask and clothes, I sold a few of the Lizardmen corpses and went to a shop before finding you. Collecting the corpses took a long time, that's why I didn't arrive earlier."
He nodded, impressed by her actions, "You're rather talkative today... And, you're in your human form." He gestured for her to walk with him.
"My mother told me I am unsightly, so I don't often use my human body. But it has its uses. Such as convenient communication... And, it was my method of tracking you."
He frowned, "I'm sorry about that. If it makes you feel anybody, though I haven't seen your face, I don't think you're unsightly. Also, how did you track me?"
He thought it was a bit odd that she had found him.
"..."
"If it's something weird, I don't mind..."
"I am actually a snake, not a spider. I had memorized your scent, and I was able to pick it up using my tongue. At night when we first met, I often transformed into my human form and laid next to you to quickly memorize it."
He tried his best to not comment on her statement and opened his mouth, asking another question:
"...Why do you take the form of a spider?" He bluntly asked, the two arriving before a grand water fountain.
She looked at him, "Snakes are seen as misfortune, my mother does not like my human form, which takes on the characteristics of a snake. Nor, my True Form, that I was born in—a snake. Using my meager amount of spider blood, I was able to somewhat replicate the form of my mother."
"I'm surprised Miel would tell you that." He remembered Sera's reaction to Mahaya, "If it makes you feel better, I don't mind snakes." He stared into the fountain.
She nodded.
Yadrith was unable to tell what emotion was behind her mask. 'I'll have to ask Oliver when we're alone sometime. What does a snake represent?' He turned away from the fountain, "Let's hurry and buy some clothes then."
Mahaya grabbed his hand, "I'll change back into a spider when we meet back with Oliver, don't tell him what I truly am... He may be a bit prejudiced like most people."
Yadrith smiled, "I'm sure nobody would notice your True Form is that of a snake, especially Oliver. He doesn't seem that perceptive of a guy. But! Since you asked, my mouth is closed."
In his mind, he pitied Mahaya, and he finally realized Miel's true temperament. 'Mahaya had been unsightly to her, and I had disgusted her... She simply threw Mahaya at me to get rid of her.' He sighed, 'This world is. Unfair.'
The two silently walked the streets full of people, food, and activities. It had gotten a bit awkward between them, and Yadrith was a bit shaken up by the current events, so he didn't attempt to start any conversation.
"This place seems fine."
He stopped in front of a rather mundane clothing store and opened the door.
His face turned a bit sentimental, thinking he was going to get rid of his clothes from Earth. 'I don't remember my time on Earth, but these clothes are my last true connection to it.' He sighed.
His white-collared shirt, gray and black vest with a plaid design, and his black slacks. Though they were torn and mostly destroyed, he still felt casting them aside was wrong.
'When we make it to Vestriam, I'll make sure I get similar clothes.'
He entered the store, Mahaya silently trailing behind him.
***
Morning had arrived, with the rest of the day being somewhat boring. Yadrith had got some new clothes, him and Mahaya had made it back to the inn and she once again turned into a spider. After that, the two pretty much boringly sat in silence until Oliver arrived, and happily greeted Mahaya.
Then came sleep, in which they slept in their usual arrangement. Though Yadrith was a bit restless after Mahaya's words and slept late.
"Like usual, you wake up rather late, Yadrith." Oliver shook Yadrith.
"Ugh...." He groggily opened his eyes, "Aren't we supposed to protect a caravan or something?"
"We are."
Yadrith's eyes suddenly widened as he realized they were on a moving wagon.
"Before you complain, just know I tried my best to get you up early at the inn... Though you constantly complained and went back to sleep."
"Seriously?" He said in disbelief.
"I'm being serious." He walked over to the other side of the wagon, "I have to stay alert, so whenever you decide to fully get up. Come help me." Oliver jumped out of the wagon.
After a few minutes of preparing himself, Yadrith emerged from the back of the wagon. He wore a loose, jet-black tunic with wide sleeves that gathered at his wrists. It had an open collar and an ornate belt at the waist. His pants were a simple pair of black pants.
The clothes matched the features of a young man with raven hair and eyes that were onyx without the slightest bit of color.
"It's not often I see you without a cloak." He smiled, "The new clothes are nice, though your old ones reminded me of Vestriam."
'So they have that type of fashion in Vestriam.'
"Do you know where Mahaya is?" Yadrith asked.
"I asked her to guard near the front of the caravan, why?"
"Just curious, also could you tell me about snakes?"
Oliver smiled, "You mean the reptilian? I'm not much knowledgeable about them."
"No, I mean the demon."
Oliver's smile vanished from his face, "There are no such demons—or even True Demons that resemble snakes. If you've seen a person exhibiting the characteristics of a snake, we call them monsters."
"Monsters...? I don't understand."
Oliver looked around for a moment before saying:
"Do you know the story of Sefirah?"
"Err... I don't know who Sefirah is."
Oliver, already accustomed to Yadrith's behaviors, was not too surprised. "The progenitor of the human race, Sefirah, was killed by a black snake who devoured her soul. That snake stole her divine powers and vanished from the world. Though rarely there's been such sightings of people related to that snake."
"Sefirah is a real person, correct? Not just a religious figure." Yadrith couldn't help but ask.
"Both are true, Sefirah's story is history. Nobody truly knows the exact details, but Sefirah's body is still preserved in Pelsac. My teacher had once seen her body... Which confirms its existence to me at least."
"Even if the story may not be completely accurate. Just remember that anyone who resembles that snake brings misfortune." Oliver spoke his last sentence in a serious tone.
Yadrith, in his mind, shrugged his words off, 'Sounds like a superstition.' Even on Earth, he wasn't very religious. Though he had learned something interesting.
'If snakes are not of demon, then what do they come from?' He sighed, 'The mysteries of this world pile up. The Stone Sword, Miel's motive, Mahaya, how I was brought here, and even where my memories have gone... Oh, and I almost forgot. Jubel, the most enigmatic of them all. The family that has crossed through worlds, and rules Pelsac.'
He felt that the Jubels were connected to most of the mystery in his life in some form of fashion. He didn't remember much about his life on Earth, but he could vaguely recall a face.
His grandfather.
The caravan suddenly stopped, and Oliver's face turned grim.
"Theres a group of demon beasts ahead, you stay and defend the rear." A pure-white light enveloped him, and he jumped over the six wagons of the caravan.
"Demon beast, huh?" Yadrith watched as three amalgamations approached him. They looked to be regular people, though there were feathers covering their bodies. "This desert truly is perilless."
He unsheathed his blade and gripped the handle tightly. The feathered abomination jumped at him, raising its talon filled hand.
'Alright.'
He took a stance, parrying its hand. With his next moment, he put one foot forward and drove his blade upward, decapitating the creature. A magnificent spray of blood covered him.
"Yuck." He complained, 'All over my new clothes...'
A new goal appeared in his mind, cut down one of these creatures without blood staining him. Thus, he pushed forward.
Two of them jumped into the air, diving on them as a bird would do prey.
Yadrith pivoted his back foot, preparing for the shock of countering one of their attacks. From the last, he already knew the demon beast were much stronger than him. The problem was that he could block one attack.
He did not have multiple swords, and even if he did, the weight he would have to withstand was immense. Yadrith drew his blade, cutting an arc into the area. Blood splattered over the eyes of one of the demon beast, and he side-stepped over to right side of the other one.
The demon beast met his blade, and he was knocked back a few steps.
'My entire arm feels numb!'
However, he had no time to recover! With just a blink, in the next moment, a massive maw was before him.
His eyes widened, and he moved his Stone Sword in an arc, cutting right through the maw. Luckily, the demon beast he was fighting weren't too intelligent.
Blood sprayed all over his face, his blood covered eyes gave him a menacing appearance as he slowly stepped toward the last demon beast.
"What was that saying again..." He smiled, "En garde!"
He took the offensive this time, charging toward the beast wildly. Instead of the demon beast going on defense, it met his offense with offense.
With a crazed roar, it grabbed his blade.
'Huh?' His blade had been stopped, despite him projecting will through it. He met eyes with the demon beast. The other talon shot forward, aiming straight for his head.
Making a quick decision, his face scrunched up, and he lowered his upper body. Staring right into the sky, he put all his weight into pulling his blade upward. The talon missed him, but fell immediately after, he twisted his wrist..
"Ahk!"
In that moment, his blade cut through the demon beast's fingers. He flicked his wrist once more, imbuing absolute will into his blade. The Stone Sword felt as if it was vibrating, with both momentum and strength he tore right through the neck of the demon beast.
He skidded forward a few steps with a smile.
'Even without Rekh, I can contend with a demon beast.' He clenched his fist, impressed by his skill, 'Not too bad for a transmigrator.'