Charine picked herself up from the trunk of the tree and stretched before picking up the empty cloth sack. She turned to Siphos with a defeated expression.
"Where did you put what was in here?"
"Huh? I just put them near the elk."
Charine sighed and put the strap of the sack over her shoulder once more, whispering under her breath.
"Figures…"
"What's that?"
"Nothing; lead us to where you left them. They were relatively important…"
"What? Those black looking strips?"
Charine closed her eyes. If the man in front of them had not saved her from an intense pain, she would have a genuine reason to be upset. But that was not the case; Siphos hadn't known about the significance of the prints.
"Yes, lead us to where you left them. Please."
"Alright!"
The three travelers walked through the verdant forest, making sure not to stumble over any roots protruding from the ground. Isel was so relieved that he didn't have to look at the harsh spiked desert any longer that he often found himself taking long moments to get distracted by the scenery. Everything that existed in Aeshval felt like it was meant to contrast Comeidlan — or perhaps it was the other way around. Not only was there life in the form of trees, flowers, vines, and other plants, there were also animals and insects too.
He shuddered as he was reminded of the single living thing he had encountered in Comeidlan other than his two companions. The creature Charine had insisted on collecting so many samples of. The samples they were going to recover. Isel realized his arms were shaking and decided to direct his attention elsewhere. He still hadn't fully recovered from the frightening experience.
They soon stumbled upon a pile of fresh ashes and burnt sticks and leaves. It was where Siphos had cooked the meat. A couple meters away laid the many bundles of cloth prints that Isel and Charine had created, scattered near the base of a tree. Along with the prints, the rest of Siphos' armor was also sprawled about.
"Ah, damn… I almost forgot about all of this."
The man was met with silence as he rushed to re-equip his armor. Charine had gathered the cloth prints and small samples on the ground with the help of Isel. After they everything collected Charine turned while observing her surroundings. Isel sat with his legs crossed as he exhaled deeply. He was practically halfway to Manichae, but what would he do once he was there? He had simply told himself that his only goal was to reach the land, but what should he reach for beyond that?
Siphos' boisterous voice took him out of his thoughts. He had finally finished putting his armor back on.
"So we're going to Eutil?"
Charine nodded as she started to walk.
"Yes, we'll stay there for a few days, then head to Loite. It should take around 2 weeks to reach Manichae."
Standing up, Isel noticed a few words he hadn't recognized and spoke up.
"Eutil?"
Charine turned to him.
"Yes, there and Loite are the two Manichae settlements that have been allowed to be maintained in Aeshval. The people working there are all of relatively high importance, so we can drop off the samples."
"And we can stay because you're of high importance?"
"Not necessarily. Anyone traveling through Aeshval can stay for a while, provided you have the payment."
"What kind of payment do we have?"
Charine shook the cloth sack she carried.
"You can get paid for contributing to science, but also for bringing in food."
Charine looked towards Siphos.
"So I'm sure we'll be getting more income from that source now that we'll have an extra helper."
Siphos shouted back to her.
"You're welcome in advance!"
"Right…"
The three walked for a few hours, speaking little about the surrounding life. There were a few times that the rustling of a nearby bushy area would cause Isel to jump and reach for his weapon, forgetting that he was no longer in the spiked desert. His stay in his birthland was far more impactful than he had imagined.
Soon, a road appeared, cutting through the makeshift path they were taking. It was a simple dirt trail, but more advanced than the bare forest and flora they had been marching through. Looking for the roots and watching for dangerous fauna was more irritating than Isel had realized. Now he finally had the chance to relax while walking, and regretted that he had to have been born in Comeidlan. Could he have lived this easily if he had been in Manichae from the start?
The dirt path widened quickly as they followed the winding trail, gaining more features as well. Rocks started to border the trail, and the ground became more and more flat.
"Isel, give me the weapon for now. You won't be allowed to carry it in a settlement. You're not a registered citizen yet."
Her voice surprised him. As if the previous weakness that had always been noticeable in it had faded away partially. Perhaps she was already feeling the relaxing effects of leaving the spiked desert as well.
"I can't get registered there?"
"No, you'll have to get to Manichae for that. Otherwise people who live in Aeshval settlements would try to apply for citizenship. Something along the lines of that was used to cause trouble in the past, so they changed it."
"Well, alright then. As long as I can stay safe…"
He took the wrapped weapon out from his back, and handed it to her. She placed it under one of the black straps that crossed over her shoulders. Looking at her back, she was almost clad in pure black since relieving herself of what remained of the white strips of cloth. The only other color that remained on her was the few white metal plates on her legs and the bandage that covered her left arm — where she had been impaled by a spike during their first meeting. Something more than that seemed different, but Isel had trouble understanding what it was exactly.
He wasn't able to think on it further as he was soon greeted by a grand sight. The first settlement he had seen since being born. The dirt trail became a brick path leading into a large and bustling hub surrounded by a brick wall that only came up to Isel's waist. The forest opened up as the canopy created a makeshift roof over the settlement, giving the location a soothing and soft lighting. Shelters were made of gray bricks and wood, which made Isel feel oddly nostalgic. He wasn't able to grasp the fleeting feeling long as the familiar mental fog enshrouded the nostalgia, pulling it back into the depths of his memories.
The group of three were met with the sight of a man in casual clothing sitting . He had worn a torn and dirtied shirt with muddied trousers. He was an average size and had a decent bit of muscle. They were greeted by his unconscious body as the man lay asleep while leaning back on a wooden chair. Charine kicked his foot as the man flung awake with surprise.
"Huh… wha-?"
"We're coming in. Charine Lesvin with the M.D.E.E. The other two are unaffiliated."
The man pulled a stack of papers clipped together from under his chair and began writing down the information. He looked up to the other men accompanying Charine, his eyes still half closed.
"Isel Comeidlan…"
The man wrote his name without a second thought and turned to Siphos.
The armored man seemed reluctant, contrasting his usual heartiness and impulsiveness. He cleared his throat and then almost whispered as if he was trying to make sure nobody could hear his name.
"Siphosian Aeshval…"
The man wrote it down quickly on the paper before reclining back in his wooden chair.
"All good. Findings?"
Charine shook the sack on her side. The man nodded and pointed his thumb behind him as he closed his eyes.
"The reception desk will accommodate you, thanks for the work."
Charine walked past the man at the entrance of the settlement, with Siphos and Isel following. The streets were incredibly crowded, and Isel was overwhelmed with the sheer amount of people. For the past week he had only met two, but in front of him tens, perhaps even hundreds were passing and going through the streets. If this was the kind of place that Charine said people couldn't live in, how many people were there in Manichae for this to be an insignificant portion of the population?
The group didn't have to take many turns to reach where Charine was headed. Just a few steps from where the entrance was she stopped at a building labeled Manichae Reception.
"Siphos."
"Yes?"
"Do you know your way around here?"
"Ha… no."
Charine suppressed a sigh as she walked inside the building.
"Then you two wait here, I should be back in a few minutes."
Isel and Siphos were immediately left alone outside the large brick building. There were windows, but they seemed to be one-sided as they granted no view inside. The door was made of wood, but Isel had a feeling that there was some deeper layer of security hiding within the building.
Siphos turned to Isel and looked down at him.
"Well… She's important isn't she?"
"It seems so."
Siphos frowned as he looked around. He tapped his foot as he looked around. Isel easily understood the man was bored. His eccentricity had been hard for him to get a hold of initially, but he found that he was quickly able to become accommodated with it, despite hardly knowing the man for half a day. His initial shock was caused by his harsh contrast to Charine. She took the world at face value, as seriously as she should. Siphos however, seemed to put on a mask of indifference towards the violence of the world he found himself in. It was careless oh him, but he still had a sense of urgency when things became dire. Perhaps that trait of his would harm him in the future. Perhaps if he had met Siphos first, he would have found Charine hard to get used to as well. Isel remembered another thing that grabbed his attention about Siphos.
"So you were born here? Your surname is Aeshval, after all."
Siphos turned with surprise plastered on his light tan face.
"Shh! Not too loud now… everyone else doesn't have to know that, right?
Isel lowered to a whisper.
"Oh, I hadn't realized it was such an issue."
Siphos spotted a bench near the building and signaled Isel to sit down with him.
"I just don't want it to get out there."
He frowned as he looked around before whispering.
"Remember those people I made upset? Well wouldn't it be logical to assume that the guy that ran away from them would hide in a settlement separate from them? On the off-chance that they have other eyes — or even worse, they themselves — here, my name would be an easy way to track me. I can guarantee you that there aren't many people here without the name Manichae. The fact that our group doesn't have any is shocking on its own."
Isel almost didn't recognize the man in speaking to him. He had figured that he was completely incapable of forming such a logical line of thought, with sufficient reasoning to boot. Yet he really had, and what he said had value.
"Alright, I understand."
Charine walked in front of the two sitting on the bench. Siphos perked up as she saw her carrying a pouch the size of her palm, similar to the one that Isel had given her when they had first met.
"So that's your payment? How much can you get with it? How long can we stay?"
Charine deadpanned him as he continued to barrage her with questions.
"Technically, we could stay here for a month with this. But that won't be happening."
Siphos' excitement left his face as quickly as it came. Charine continued.
"Instead, I need to have my arm checked out, that will take a majority of the funds. After that, we'll get enough for a week's stay at an inn."
"And there's nothing else…?"
Charine stared at the bag of funds momentarily while thinking. She sighed in defeat as she began to look across the settlement.
"And then I can afford a luxurious bath for each of us."
Siphos' smile returned once more; clearly this outcome was better than he could have hoped for. Isel however came to a shocking realization as Charine had mentioned the baths. Something so civilized seemed alien to him and he momentarily lost his bearings. Failing to become fully accustomed to the nature of Aeshval in comparison to his birthland, the world began to spin. What kind of life was he truly going to lead? Perhaps Siphos' laxness was actually quite reasonable if people were able to live like this. Was he going to be in constant danger, hunted by lanky humanoid figures? Or would he bathe in the delights of peace within Aeshval and Manichae, completely freed from the truth of the world. Isel's thoughts were drowned out by Siphos' reaction to Charine's proposition.
"Woo!"
Isel took Siphos' distraction and used it to break away completely from his mental spiral.
Yes, Charine had truly decided to do something amazing with these funds, as Isel had suddenly developed a deep desire to wash himself.