With the forest behind them, they were greeted by a sprawling vista: a dark green stretch of grass rolling for miles. Shrubbery, weeds, and trees like those in the forest dotted the landscape in clusters. Large rock formations jutted up from the ground, their surfaces thick with moss. In the distance, lizard-like creatures on all fours grazed in packs on the open field.
Ezra turned to Rion and Maria with a proud grin on his face. "The Anoria Highway! Beautiful, isn't it?"
Rion and Maria could only nod. It truly was gorgeous there was no denying it.
After admiring the view for a while longer they noticed the sun was beginning to dip below the mountains so they hurried to ready camp.
They set up camp off to the side of the road. Ezra built a fire while Maria and Rion prepared a stew from the ingredients Rion had brought at the Twins Market. Tonight, it was mostly chicken and carrots, with a few potatoes thrown in. Once the stew had simmered a while, they all began to eat.
"This is amazing," Ezra said, scooping another hearty spoonful. "I'm impressed!"
"Everything I cook tends to be," Maria said, grinning. "Didn't even need help."
"I should kick you," Rion said dryly.
Ezra laughed. "Anyway, let me break down the the trip for you guys."
RIon and Maria turned to him, focused looks on their faces.
Once he saw he had their attention Ezra continued. "The journey should take a little over a week. We'll follow the highway for four days, then turn toward the Anoria Mountain range where we'll have to be careful, that's where I got these scars." He pointed to the marks on his body, and Rion and Maria nodded.
"After that, it's a three-day hike through the mountains. but with your guy's help, it shouldn't be nearly as bad. Once we reach the other side, we'll overlook the valley where my village is. From there, it's less than half a day." With that Ezra was done.
"Sounds good," Rion said. "What do you think, Maria?"
Maria smiled, "Sounds perfect. I love fighting in the mountains—it makes my music echo."
Ezra chuckled. "Glad to hear it."
The three talked some more over the fire, and before long, dusk fell, the darkness of the sky illuminated by thousands of glowing stars.
"The sky is so clear," Rion murmured.
"For now," Ezra replied. "The closer we get to the volcano, the fewer stars we'll see unfortunately."
"How about I play a song?" Maria suggested.
Thinking back to her songs in the forest and all those before, Rion immediately was persuaded to say "No." But he figured there was no harm in it. "Go ahead just make sure it's good."
Maria grinned wide and gripped her instrument. "Don't worry, it will be!"
She began strumming a calm, laid-back tune that blended perfectly with the star-filled night sky, the music drifting gently on the wind. By the time it ended, Rion and Ezra were already feeling sleepy.
"You're not casting magic, are you?" Ezra asked nervously, remembering what had happened just yesterday.
Maria laughed. "No, you dummy. You're just tired."
Ezra nodded slowly letting the words sink in. "Right… right."
After the song ended, they got ready for bed. Maria and Ezra fell asleep quickly, leaving Rion staring at the stars a little while longer before finally closing his eyes.
(And thus, Lost Keep's adventure continues…)