The two soon strolled in on their chocobos, greeted by the rows of mahogany trees that silently stood by the entrance. Mahogany Meadows was a quiet little village where people lived their lives calmly and peacefully, feeling no need to rush through life. Quaint little shops lined the streets and horses trotted down the beaten dirt path, tugging carts full of boxes and produce. A few villagers glanced over at the unusual pair and the bizarre birds that they rode in on but most of them went about their day. Sjin smiled happily at his home town and relaxed at the familiarity and safety of this village. He looked over at Lalna and saw that a look of unease was spread across his face.
"What's wrong?" Sjin asked. Lalna just shook his head and muttered that it was nothing.
"I'm serious, what's wrong?" Lalna glanced over at him and puffed out his cheeks.
"It's just...been a long time since the last time I've been in a town," he confessed.
"How long?" Sjin inquired further.
"About...two years?" Lalna winced. Sjin stared at him, bug-eyed.
"Two years!?" he exclaimed. "I would have gone mad after being alone for 2 months!"
"I'm not alone," Lalna defended. "I have my chocobos."
"..."
"Shut up!"
Sjin then directed them both to a beaten dirt path near the outskirts of the town, shaded by the trees that loomed above. The end of the path opened up to a field containing an expansive garden and a grand wood and brick built mansion. The mansion had huge arched windows, with windowsills adorned with delicate flowers resting in their flowerbeds. Its shape resembled a cube and the triangular roof pointed into the sky, with two chimneys braking the layered effect. The humble steps of the front door lead into the vibrant garden which contained many fragrant flowers- roses, daisies, violets, sweet-peas, lilies and more flourished in the emerald-green grass. At the end of the garden was a cliff-edge which only protection from falling was a simple fence. Lalna looked around in awe at the beauty and scale of Sjin's home.
"What do you think?" Sjin asked proudly.
"It looks great, Sjin," Lalna complimented, dismounting his chocobo.
"Wanna see the best part?"
The adventurer followed the other man through the garden, leaving the chocobos to sunbath in the afternoon sunlight. They trailed down the path to the fence on the edge of the cliff. The view was breathtaking. In front of them was a vast field of green with a small ribbon of water gracefully winding its way to the ocean, miles and miles past the horizon. Bordering the verdant valley were tall ice-capped mountains that watched over the people below. There were no clouds in the sky, allowing the two to enjoy the landscape in all its beauty.
"The view's amazing up here!" Lalna exclaimed. Sjin only smiled contently at the landscape.
"What do you think is out there, Lalna?" he suddenly asked. The adventurer looked at him, confused.
"Well, I've never travelled far enough to see anything cool or have any adventures," Sjin explained. "Have you gone far? Did you have any cool adventures? Did you bring back all the treasures and glory afterwards?" Lalna stared out into space for a while before replying.
"To be honest, I've never really gone that far," he confessed. "I never went to any cities; I pretty much did the same thing over and over... I guess I got... bored." Sjin stared in surprise.
"How could you get bored? Epic fights, amazing loot, incredible sights? I'd love to go out in the world and do all that!" he exclaimed. Lalna just shrugged and remained silent, the solemn look on his face showing that he didn't want to discuss the matter any further. Sjin tried to hide his look of disappointment when they both said their goodbyes and Lalna turned to leave.
"And try not to fall off again, alright?" Lalna said jokingly. Sjin said nothing, looking deep in thought. Suddenly, he ran over and yelled at Lalna.
"Wait! Take me on an adventure with you!"
Lalna looked at Sjin in surprise.
"What?" he said, flustered.
"Please, I've always wanted to see the world. There's so many places I want to go and see! Like-like the sea! Please, I'm tired of this place and- and I'll probably never get another reason to leave again!" the man pleaded.
Lalna stammered in response and started making excuses like needing to take care of the chocobos, that it would be dangerous, that Sjin wouldn't be used the uncomfortable conditions. But still the man insisted that wanted to go. Sjin tried persuading him that he could send someone to look after the chocobos and that there must be something that he hadn't seen. The adventurer still looked reluctant.
"Please, it could be amazing!" Sjin begged. "If not, we could always go back, can't we?"
Lalna studied the other man and then turned around and climbed on his chocobo without saying a word. The look of disappointment was evident on Sjin's face.
"Well?" Lalna said smiling. "Are you coming or what?"
Sjin's eyes lit up and he scrambled to his chocobo. Blackjack jumped and squawked eagerly before they both raced down the path. The adventurer laughed and petted Basil's neck.
"Ready to head out again, Baz?" he asked.
The green chocobo whistled happily, flapping its wings and the two proceded to chase the others.
Things started off smoothly. First, they sent someone to care for the chocobos while they were away. A few emeralds made her more than happy to help. A quick stop to Lalna's home came next for goodbyes and equipment before they made their way back. Heading north-west from the village, the two experienced more plains, with interesting things scattered about the place. Sjin was curious about the little discoveries that he saw every five minutes and- Lalna didn't care to admit it - the enthusiasm was contagious. He also didn't want to admit his nostalgic feeling of adventure: the freedom, the experience, the thrill of exploring an ancient ruin or temple and knowing he was the first one to discover all the secrets and treasures of the past. He couldn't lie to himself. He did miss this life. He hoped that having a companion would make this journey more interesting.
After a few hours travelling, it was almost sunset and Lalna was disappointed that there no curiosities to explore in the time they were riding. Maybe this wasn't a good idea. Sjin's spirits didn't dampen though. Suddenly, he pulled back the reins on his chocobo and slowed to a stop. Lalna stopped beside him and noticed him staring intently into the distance.
"Do you see that?" he said, pointing up to the cliff-sides. Lalna followed Sjin's gaze and, if he squinted, he could see the faint outline of a ruin of some kind of arena. This was new. Maybe this trip would be interesting after all.
"That looks cool! Let's go see it!" Sjin said enthusiastically.
"Wait, Sjin," Lalna objected. "It's getting dark and I don't know about you but I'd rather not go exploring and fighting monsters when it's pitch black outside." Sjin looked a little disappointed but perked up soon after.
"Sure, it'll still be there in the morning. Hey! Does that mean we'll camp out?!" he asked cheerfully.
"Yeah, sure, it's just like camping..." Lalna replied with a knowing smile.
They continued forward until they found a run-down stone shelter that was fairly close to the colosseum that loomed on the cliff above. It had a few holes in the walls which let in drafts but, structurally, it was sound. It was nightfall by the time the two decided to rest. The fireflies and nightblooms started to appear and shine with the stars, illuminating the fields in a soft golden glow.
Sjin was starting to understand Lalna's attitude earlier. This wasn't like camping like he did as a child. They didn't have tents or sleeping bags; they had a pillow and a thin blanket and if the shelter wasn't there, they'd be sleeping out in the open with monsters roaming about. The fire that Lalna made was the only good source of heat that they had. Still, he didn't complain. At least he wasn't sleeping in the torrential rain and mud. Sjin finished the last of his dinner and began discussing the exploration tomorrow. He excitedly rambled about traps, treasure, tactics and other nonsense while Lalna just watched him gesturing while he ate his toast.
"Now, hang on," Lalna interrupted, gulping down the last of his meal. "Have you ever gone against a mob before?
Sjin spluttered for a moment before replying with: "We-Well, I killed a spider once. With a bat."
Lalna studied him for a while, his expression giving no clues to what he was thinking. Then, he dusted the crumbs off his hands and got up, gesturing for Sjin to follow. He rummaged through the supply bags until he found a diamond sword, inspected it and then tossed it to Sjin. Picking up an iron sword, he did a few practice swings before facing the other man.
"If you don't know how to fight, you either must have really good gear or be the luckiest man on Hexxit, if you want to make it far." he lectured.
A lost expression washed over Sjin's face and he raised his weapon, preparing to be attacked. Lalna taught him the basics of sword-fighting. By the end, Sjin was able to attack and defend himself quite well so the fight started to get more serious. The blades clashed together in the fire's light, both wanting to succeed in their purpose for bloodshed. The two men wore looks of confidence on their faces, looking forward to their next victory. Lalna's attacks were growing more and more bold, while Sjin patiently blocked his attacks, searching for an chance to strike. Lalna lunged forward and went past Sjin's defence, the sword missing his arm. Sjin dodged out of the way and saw that Lalna's back was defenceless so he swung his sword, aiming for the adventurer's shoulder. The blade bounced off the leather armour and sent Sjin stumbling backwards. When Lalna turned around, he was met with a confused look on Sjin's face.
"Hexxical diamonds," he explained, showing a small blue diamond studded into his half-chestpiece. "Turns any material into the strongest armour in the world. We'll need to get you some of this stuff." Sjin looked at him in bewilderment as he left for bed until he shook his head and joined him.
"And remember, what happened today is gonna be a hundred times worse if you're against a massive monster," Lalna added reassuringly.
Sjin ignored him and the stone floor as he curled up by the fire with his pillow and blanket. The adventurer looked him strangely and after did his own routine of lying back on Basil and falling asleep, while the chocobo covered him with his wing to keep him warm. Blackjack, ever watchful for mobs, stayed up until he was sure it was safe and curled up next to Sjin long after he fell asleep.