Ryner and Ferris didn't reach the next town until it was nearly night, the sun long having dipped down below the mountains to the west, the last vestiges of its light nearly gone, replaced by the cool blue illumination of the moon as it rose. Said town was a rather large establishment, big enough for there to be a military presence, but, as they searched and found a small inn to stay at, no alarms or alerts sounded out, so the two assumed they were more or less in the clear for now.
The horse and carriage were in the care of a kind family on the outskirts, who had traded the night's accommodation for a minor magic show courtesy of Ryner, who stuck with the little sparks and dancing water spells he knew by heart, not wanting to alert them or anyone nearby of the Alpha Stigma which glowed when he accessed the larger, more powerful spells in his ever expanding repertoire. Ferris had joined in with a few of her own tricks, some acrobatics and creative insults thinly veiled as constructive criticism of Ryner's magic, pointing out what she knew to be the purposeful "dumbing down" of the spells, which made the two children and the parents laugh, though for two different understandings of the humor.
The inn they'd manage to find was of similar ideology, swapping board and food for help and exhibitions; Ferris assisted in the kitchen while Ryner reluctantly entertained the other patrons of the place. Wherever they were, magic seemed to be more of a novelty and entertainment source than the weaponized skill it was in other regions. Which worked to their advantage, but was a strange notion.
Ryner sat down at the table Ferris had just delivered an interesting bowl of... something to, and waved the to the clapping patrons, sighing as they went back to eating and talking among themselves, the night's entertainment over. The swords-woman joined him not a minute later, her own bowl placed hastily on the table as she slid onto the bench across from her companion.
"I wouldn't put too much stock in the soup – there was barely anything to put in it, so it's mostly onion and potato." Ferris said, stirring her own portion sullenly, head resting on her hand as she glared at the meal. Ryner stirred his own, more for a test of consistency than anything, before shrugging and tasting it himself.
"Well, it's edible, so let's consider it a win, alright?" He smiled at Ferris, who just kept looking at the soup as if it had personally offended her. He shrugged, and ate patiently, finishing it off within a few minutes. Ferris took a few spoonfuls from her own bowl, before sighing and pouring the rest into Ryner's newly empty one.
"Take the rest of this. I just can't finish it knowing there's dango out there, just begging for me to come rescue it."
Ryner laughed, pushing the bowl towards her.
"No, you need to eat it so you have the strength to fight off any who stand between you and your precious dango. Besides, one bowl is enough for me, thank you very much."
Ferris put on a show of pouting, but accepted the bowl and finished it off. They'd begun this little back and forth after a couple days as fugitives, both trying to ration out their meals, though Ryner still didn't know just how little they had left, and Ferris had yet to leave him behind long enough to restock without him getting too curious about where their soon-to-be new supplies had come from. The inn was kind enough to let them work off their stay, but she doubted the stall owners in the market would be of a similar disposition. Especially considering how much dango she intended to... acquire.
Ryner stood from the table and stretched, before picking up the two now empty bowls and walking them to the kitchen.
"I'll drop these off, then head upstairs. I haven't slept in an actual bed in ages. I'm sure the bedbug will welcome the company." He said, waving his hand in the air at her as he walked. The two were sharing a room, not for the first time by any means, but luckily there were two beds, hay-stuffed and infested though they were. Ferris knew Ryner was kidding about the bugs, apparently the Estabulians had a nifty spell to eradicate insects within a small area, and Ryner almost always cleared up the beds before sleeping. (There had been one, and only one, time he'd forgotten, and the resulting itchy welts had proven more of a punishment than the equally suffering Ferris could've ever hoped to match, though she did prove a solid competitor.)
Ferris watched him leave the kitchen and climb the stairs out the corner of her eyes, and nodded to herself.
This time, there were no wards to set off as she left, a large canvas bag hanging off her shoulder as she exited the inn, consulting the mental map she'd made of the what they'd seen on their way into town, as took off to the south, where she'd noticed a fair amount of wealthy – looking shops and stalls, who could afford having a few of their wares go missing. Luckily, one of these included the impressive Dango Palace, a restaurant that loomed over the high-end district of the town.
The stalls and small shops were an easy enough success, with the barest of locks and latches attempting to bar her from her goal, but the restaurant was proving more of a challenge, especially with a bag full of supplies weighing her down. She frowned, looking back and forth between the bag now at her feet, and her quarry, before she picked up the bag and moved it to the alley nearby, hidden by some crates that apparently housed an assortment of hats.
The most promising entrance being a rather high open window, Ferris climbed up the latticed siding of the place, hoisting herself up and over the edge of the roof, before vaulting through the window.
She was barely able to react fast enough to grab back onto the window before she fell three stories into the very high ceiling-ed dining room. The dark interior glinted in the moonlight that shone through the window, and she could barely make out a dark-clad group of people, maybe five or six, seated around table in the middle of the room, candles flickering in the dark.
"So that's how it is?" Ferris couldn't tell who was speaking, but the voice was an older males, deep and confident.
"For now, yes. Roland's armies just reached their border, and it seems the Hero King is unwilling to talk." A second male answered.
"Do we know what his goals are?" the first asked. This time a female voice answered.
"My spies, those that returned, confirmed that his only goal right now is conquest and assimilation. One of them in particular mentioned the King being rather troubled; apparently a couple of highly skilled advisers recently attempted an assassination, and have since fled. One was spoken very highly of by those in the court, a swords-woman from the Eris clan." There was a murmur of recognition throughout the group.
"And the other?" The second asked.
"Apparently the nobles were not sorry to see him go. They talked more of the danger he might possess as their enemy than what he had been as an ally. According to my source, he is an Alpha Stigma of immense capability, though none knew of his true nature until only a month before the incident." The female spoke again, and Ferris tightened her grip on the window frame.
"An Alpha Stigma?" a new female voice spoke up, this one sounding young and curious. The first responded.
"A very skilled mage, able to use any magic at will, once it has been used before him. They are rare, nearly unheard of here, but are more common, though barely more so, in the south. I am not surprised you haven't heard of them, Reyluca."
Ferris had never heard the name before, but at least she had something. More than something in fact. If Alpha Stigma were so rare that some hadn't even heard of them, perhaps Ryner was not is as much danger as they'd imagined.
"Harmit," The first spoke again. "Did your spies learn anything else of importance? I'm particularly interested in the two you've been telling us about. If we can find and talk to them, we may gain some powerful allies."
"They are compiling their complete reports at the moment, what I've told you of the two is all they told me before I had them dismissed to rest. It is a long journey from Roland, and two of their companions were killed before they were able to escape the court. They did talk of a shadowy figure, a demon that moved with unnatural swiftness and accuracy. The two lost were deprived of their heads before the rest were even aware of a threat." The woman,Harmit, answered, a solemn bite entering her tone towards the end of her report.
"I will personally contact their families with condolences myself, if you think it appropriate. Their work and sacrifice has already brought us closer to our goal than we have been in a long while." The first replied.
"No, your Highness, I don't think that necessary. Their families were made aware of the risks when the two accepted the positions, and I assure you, we take care of our own, even after death. Their families will not be left in the cold, I promise you that." Harmit replied.
"Very well then." The apparent royalty replied. "Is that all for tonight?" He asked, and when met with negatives, continued "then we will meet back here tomorrow night. I wish to read those reports, and we will need to discuss our next course of action. We will return to the Coalition the day after that, unless a reason for staying appears before then. Good night to you all. Be cautious, be vigilant, and be safe."
Thus dismissed, the group disbanded, dousing the candles and splitting into two parties and exiting either the front or back doors. Once they had cleared out, Ferris released her hold on the window, sliding down the wall before landing on the floor with a roll to lessen the impact.
Shaking out her hand, which had cramped while clinging to the window, Ferris did a quick sweep of the previously inhabited table, checking for anything left behind by the group. Finding nothing, she helped herself to the plentiful stores of leftover dango and left via the back door, as the climb back through the window would've been nigh impossible with a week's worth of dango weighing her down. She retrieved the sack with the other supplies and made a quick stop just outside town to drop off both packages in the carriage, taking a few dango with her for the walk back, and returned to the inn.
Ryner was asleep on his bed when she entered the room, silent and still, which spoke volumes of just how tired he was. Promising horrible things should she wake up itchy again, Ferris removed her armor and sword, flopping onto her bed and drifting off to sleep.
Ryner had long ago mastered the art of waking up without appearing to do so. Years of harsh training, fighting, and the inevitable paranoia that came with bearing an Alpha Stigma had taught him the necessity of gauging your surroundings before alerting whatever danger lurked out there that you were awake enough to hurt. The benefit of the skill payed off once again as he caught an irregularity in his companion's breathing pattern. When Ferris slept, is was with shallow, quiet breaths. Her breathing now, however, was harsh enough for him to hear from across the room, and followed an unnatural pattern. Two short breaths, then one long exhale, repeated.
Ryner mentally praised her for thinking up and pounding into his memory the code she'd invented when she learned of his little skill, claiming that any precaution is never too much, and changed his own breathing just a little, taking a long inhale and exhale before returning to the sleep emulating pattern he'd been using. A signal that he was awake, and listening. Ferris's own breathing changed in response, one short, one long, two short, one long.
Two people in the room, both armed, but not a current threat. She herself was tied up and likely gagged, but not in immediate danger.
Good to know.
Taking one more long breath, Ryner heard Ferris shift around, hopefully getting as low as she could.
He threw the thin blanket off himself in one fluid movement, summoning a circle wordlessly in either hand, the blue Roland magic willing and eager to bend to his will, and held his arms up, taking a split second to gauge the room and have a circle facing either of the inhabitants as a third circle descended towards Ferris, placing itself between her and the three now facing off.
The two black-clad intruders froze, and Ferris took the opportunity to spit out the gag she'd long since worked loose.
"Well," She said, smirking, already working her hands free. "It seems you've underestimated your quarry."
Ryner scowled, working up the threatening figure he was sure he presented, with glowing red eyes and magic dancing in his hands in anticipation. Ferris rolled eyes at her companion.
"Really? You think you're just a scary guard dog, don't you." She commented, taking her time to retrieve her sword with her now free hands and slicing through the rope holding her feet together.
Easing up on the uncomfortable expression, Ryner frowned at her.
"Really? You can't just tremble in fear of the mighty mage like these two here? Come on, help me sell this, you jerk." He whined, though he didn't ease up on the magic threatening the two intruders.
"Nope." she replied, smirking. "Although I suppose you did do a good job of surprising them, I'll give you that much."
He rolled his eyes, noticing the two held (kinda) captive shoot each other looks, probably confused and thrown off by their former target's banter.
"That warms the dark corners of my heart, really. Do you know these two?" He asked, a little exasperated. Ferris rubber her chin, making an overly thoughtful face as she walked over to them.
"You know, I think I recognize them. Generic black clothes, can't see their faces, now discernible figure, yup. I know exactly who they are." She gave Ryner a look, and grinned at the utter put-upon look on his face, which practically screamed 'Why me'. Grabbing both hoods of the frozen intruders, she pulled them off, revealing who exactly had decided sneaking up on the two was a good idea.
A veritable river of dark blue hair emerged from the one on the right, a pale-skinned woman with sharp eyes and clenched teeth. From the other, a surprisingly familiar red-headed young woman, wide-eyed and looking straight at Ryner, who lowered the hand pointed at her, dismissing the magic and starting open-mouthed. Ferris threw both hoods onto the floor and narrowed her eyes at Ryner.
"Ryner," she said. "I don't know who they are, but apparently you do. Explain."
Ryner closed his mouth and looked at Ferris, shock still apparent on his face. The blue-haired woman huffed and looked at the other.
"If you know him, I hope you got along well enough for him to not kill us." She muttered, though everyone in the room had no trouble hearing her. The other woman shook her head and stepped forward, throwing her arms around Ryner, who lowered his other hand in shock as he looked down at his old friend.
"Keifer?" He asked, arms awkwardly hovering over her. She gave one last squeeze and released him, backing away to stand at the other woman's side, looking up at her.
"I don't think Vois needs to worry. If these two are who he's looking for, we won't have any problems... as long as you tell them exactly what's going on."
Ryner and Ferris exchanged confused looks and the blue-haired woman sighed.
"This is unwarranted. Our mission was to bring them both directly to his Majesty, not dally about telling them our secrets." She said, frowning at Keifer, the other two apparently forgotten. Keifer shook her head.
"If you try that I can guarantee you won't succeed. I haven't been around lately, but Ryner could lay you out in seconds. I can only guess his companion is of the same mold."
"Hey!" Ferris protested. "I'm nothing like that lazy pervert."
She was ignored, though Ryner shot her a dirty look and stuck his tongue at her. The blue-haired woman raised an eyebrow at their antics, but nodded.
"Fine, as long as you don't divulge too much information. This could still end badly for us."
Keifer nodded, and turned her attention back to Ryner and Ferris, who had walked over to stand next to him, whacking his head on the way.
"'Sorry for the wake-up call, but if I remember correctly, it was probably necessary, or else you'd sleep your life away." She said, smiling at her old friend. She turned to Ferris. "I'm Keifer Knolles, and this," She gestured to the woman next to her. "Is Harmit Voluph, one of Ruler Vois Feurel's best warriors and top aides. We were sent to follow you, and, if we thought it a good idea, capture you and bring you to him."
Here, Ryner cut in.
"I thought you were supposed to be exploring the world. And even then, weren't you working with Estabul? Who's this Vois guy?" He asked, obviously confused. The now named Harmit rolled her eyes and continued for Keifer.
"Lord Vois is the leader of the Anti-Roland Coalition, and seeks an audience with the two former advisers and potential assassins of King Sion Astal. Based on what my companion has told me, you two are the people we're looking for. Thanks to your friend's eavesdropping last night, we were able to tail her straight back here. To think we might have spent months searching for you two on minimal information – this is much easier."
Ryner shot Ferris a surprised look, but she returned her own glare, which he interpreted as 'not the time, you oaf, we have bigger problems here'.
He was getting good at silent communication.
"Aaaaaaaaaaand he wants us why?" Ryner drawled, scratching his head and yawning. Keifer and Harmit exchanged looks again. Keifer took the lead this time.
"Well, when news reached us about the attempted assassination of King Sion, spies were sent to figure out who tried to pull it off, and we were sent this morning to find a powerful swords-woman of the house of Eris, and her equally strong mage companion. Since you're traveling with said swords-woman, one can only assume people think you're crazy strong or something. Of course, they haven't met you, or they'd rethink the notion." Keifer grinned at her own joke while Ryner adopted a dead-pan expression, knowing perfectly well she knew just how powerful and destructive he could be.
Ferris smirked, catching on quickly – any joke at Ryner's expense was one she wanted in on. The guy could afford to laugh at himself a bit more, really.
"I know what you mean. I am obviously the portrait of skill, but the only thing this lout here is good at is lazing the day away." She covered her mouth, suppressing laughter as crocodile tears ran down her cheeks. "I work so hard to defend us both, for nothing in return."
Ryner pouted.
"Hey, I sacrificed new shoes so we'd have enough money for your sick obsession." He protested, gesturing at his worn boots. "Don't say I never do anything."
By now Keifer and Ferris were actually supporting each other just a bit, while Harmit looked on disapprovingly.
"Knolles." She said, the strong authority in her voice making all of them straighten and look at her. Keifer blushed and went to stand by the woman, who turned slightly to look directly at Ferris.
"Honestly, I don't even know why his Majesty thinks bringing in yet another mage will change anything. This Eris woman I can understand, but I have my own magic workers to deal with."
Keifer seemed to inflate a little in indignation. She (and apparently the blond) was the only person allowed to insult her friend.
"I'll have you know Ryner is the strongest person I've ever met, magic or no. He might be chronically sleep deprived, and rarely really tries as hard as he can, but when push comes to shove there's no one I'd rather have on my team." Keifer had gone to stand between her friend and apparent superior, not noticing Ryner's wide-eyed shock behind her. Ferris, however, noticed out of the corner of her eyes, and smiled gently, taking her companion's hand in hers and giving it a squeeze. The world was a cruel place, especially for him, and she couldn't describe just how thankful she was that he had yet another supporter to help him through it. Although she doubted he knew just how many people were standing beside him.
Ryner blinked, looking down at the hand now intertwined with his, then up to the bright blue eyes of his friend, smiling and squeezing back. Ferris released his hand and stepped forward, standing beside Keifer in front of her friend.
"Ryner has saved my life on numerous occasions. I've witnessed first hand the power he wields, and the mercy he shows." Keifer shot her a wide-eyed look as she continued. "I followed him into exile and will continue to do so until the end, whatever that may be. I have never, and will never, do so for another person."
Harmit looked curiously at the man standing behind the two warriors so staunchly defending him, and smirked at the mind-numbing shock he so blatantly wore on his face. She addressed him directly, and he blinked and focused on her over the shoulders of his friends.
"Well, perhaps you may be of some import after all, if such strong women are fawning over you with such vigor."
All three turned red, and the two women turned to their former defendee with astonishing change of temper.
"You just can't control yourself, even now!" Ferris scolded, even as Ryner backed away, hands up in defense.
"Hey, wait a second, I didn't even -" He was cut off as Keifer threw a pebble at his head, having pulled it out of her pocket. "Ow! Why do you carry rocks?" Ryner rubbed his injured head with a wounded pout. Keifer laughed.
"Oh, when I figured out if was you we were looking for, I stocked up." She said confidently, her predatory grin had Ryner eyeing her cautiously.
"Why is it," He asked, flopping down to sit on his bed. "That everyone I know is insane?"
Harmit pushed past the two now laughing women and, grabbing the front of his nightshirt, pulled Ryner to and off his feet, twirling around and setting him none too gently in front of the door, herself now between him and the other two. Ferris, of course, didn't appreciate the rough relocation of her companion, and had her sword drawn and ready in seconds. Harmit ignored her.
"Enough of this. We are not here to reminisce or joke around. His Majesty wants us back before nightfall with our report." She turned to Keifer as Ryner backed toward the wall by the door, shooting Ferris a look as he began edging towards her. "You know that."
Keifer, serious again, looked back and nodded. They paid for their lack of attention on their targets, however, as Ryner had silently made his way to stand by the small window with Ferris, and was just finishing the whispered incantation of a spell.
"-shatter the void and empty." Keifer and Harmit were able to make out before a huge ice wall sprung up between the two parties, reaching the ceiling and connecting the far walls.
"Sorry," They heard Ferris's muffled voice from the other side as they looked at each other, wide-eyed. "But you seem to be working under the impression that we're going to, what is the phrase?"
Keifer could hear Ryner's smug grin from other side as he bantered with his friend.
"I think you're looking for 'come quietly'. Although, sometimes it's more of a roulette with you." He replied, and Harmit grit her teeth as she heard the sound of a window shattering. She shot a quick look at Keifer, who nodded and took off out the door. If Harmit was able to keep them talking long enough, she'd be able to get outside and to the other side of the inn before they disappeared.
"Tell Keifer when she comes back not to feel too bad she didn't get us." She heard Ryner say, and growled a little. How, she didn't know, but they must've heard the door or something, because next thing she knew, the ice wall shattered and she was standing alone in the room, the tiny shards stabbing into her legs as they quickly melted. The window was all but gone, the fine dust glittering on the floor all that remained of the former pane.
"Damn it."
Ryner and Ferris didn't go far when they jumped out the window, and were pressed against the roof just above the overhang, both stifling laughter as their purser cursed at their disappearance. They didn't stay there long though, silently climbing over the peak of the roof and began running across, leaping from rooftop to rooftop as they made their way to the house of the family caring for their carriage. They hadn't slept long, and the moon was just barely dipping down to make way for dawn. This gave them plenty of darkness to cover their movements,with just enough light glinting ahead to illuminate the shadows of the rooftops they were jumping across.
They reached the place quickly enough, doubling back to make sure they hadn't been followed. The horse and carriage were ready in minutes, and Ryner had summoned a quaint little stone statue of a dragon in appreciation of the care. Ferris took the reins and Ryner sat in the cabin, watching through the rear window for any followers as they left the city, continuing their journey north. The road this side of the city was much smoother and better tended than the southern one leading into it, and, though this meant heavier traffic, they were both appreciating the lack of potholes.
The sun rose and the air was free of the morning chill as Ryner stretched from his nap (he had to make up for the lost sleep, of course). Ferris had pulled the carriage to the side of the road and was rubbing down the refreshed horse, dango in hand. Ryner slipped out the side door and went to stand by her, popping his back on the way.
"Where the hell did you get that." He asked, not really sure he actually wanted an answer. Ferris shrugged.
"Our friends there were kind enough to lead me to it last night." She half-lied. She'd been on her way to it already, but that was a minor detail, really. Ryner sighed.
"Of course they did. And do you mind telling me just how you 'met' our new 'friends'?" He asked, folding his arms and rubbing the bridge of his nose. Ferris shrugged.
"Found them in a secret meeting. Seemed important, so I stuck around to listen. Obviously they are more skilled than I had guessed, or else I would've taken more precaution in preventing them from following me as they did." Ferris admitted, slightly ashamed at being tailed so easily.
Ryner shook his head, walking to the back of the carriage to grab something to eat from the apparently restocked supplies. Roll in hand, he flopped onto the grass beside the carriage. If Ferris was going to be stubborn about this, he wasn't going to press. She'd gotten into similar moods in the past, and the only way she'd let him in was if the information was immediately relevant to the current situation.
Of course, it wasn't like he was much better. He'd learned to keep his cards close to the chest before he even knew what the term meant, and there was plenty he knew he'd have to tell his partner before reached their goal.
Lying here in the sun though, there was nothing he wanted more than to close his eyes and sleep in the waves of grass rippling in the breeze.
"We need to keep moving."
Ryner groaned and flipped over at Ferris's words.
"We've got plenty of distance between us and the city. One nap isn't going to hurt anyone."
Ferris looked down at the man, raising an eyebrow, then returning her gaze to the horizon. He had a point. They'd driven the horse hard, and taken many side roads to end up here. With as traveled as the countryside here was, this one route seemed quiet and lonely.
"One hour. We'll continue in one hour." She said, and joined Ryner in the grass, taking a roll for herself as well. Biting into it, she laid back and looked up at the cloudless sky.
"Ryner?" She asked, watching a hawk circle overhead.
"Yeah?" Came the response as he turned back face up.
"What's our plan? Do we even know what we're doing right now, or are we just running?"
Ryner shifted again, laying on his side, head propped on his hand, to look at her.
"We need to find out more about what's going on with Sion. And honestly," He fell to his back again, "I think that starts by figuring out more about what's going on with me." Ferris shot him a curious look.
"Well, I will admit to a very limited knowledge of Alpha Stigmas, as well as you or your past. You don't talk about yourself much." She said, and Ryner laughed, a little bitterly.
"You're one to talk." He said with a slight grin, though his eyes darkened a little and he didn't look at her.
"Besides," He continued. "There's really not much to tell. I've been in the system as long as I can remember. My life has been one long Roland-fueled military training."
Ferris nodded.
"I know that much. Sion was insistent I know as much as I could about the man I'd be retrieving that day we started our task, though I'm sure he was doing it because he planned on us working together." She said, still watching the hawk. Ryner shrugged.
"Probably. But yeah, other than that I really don't know what to tell you." Ferris could hear the reluctance in his voice, and pressed the weakness.
"He did mention some things, but never explained them. He claimed you were officially Roland's strongest mage, but never really gave detail. Mind filling me in?" She asked, hoping for the story. Ryner laughed a little.
"Oh that? When I was younger, about thirteen I think, some moron decided he'd put me in my place. Usually I wouldn't care, but he threatened to have the idiots in charge do something about my naps. I just made sure he couldn't do that. Next thing I know, I'm being told the big brute was some idiot named Kuwonto Kuo, and that I'd just beaten the strongest magic-user in Roland." Ignoring Ferris's shocked look of recognition at the name, he mumbled "Still didn't get any more naps though..."
Ferris, of course, said nothing to that. She just looked at her friend as he smiled and fell back onto the ground, looking up at the sky.
"Really the only person who ever talked to me after that was Keifer. And Sion, later on. She was always there, nagging me and pushing me to wake up or try harder in the lessons. Everyone else always said I was a waste of space, or I was holding them back... but the one guy who ever tried to do anything about it got pushed ahead and sent to the front lines. Guess those idiots decided I was worth keeping an eye on or something."
Ferris raised an eyebrow. "Idiots? What idiots thought having you in a military school was a good idea?"
Ryner looked over at her, smile falling just a little.
"The idiots who found me walking around after I got kicked out of town. Didn't have a place to go, so they stuck me where they could. 'Course, I'm sure their soldiers told them a wild Alpha Stigma was better stuck in a cage, but whatever."
Ferris frowned at his non-chalance at the treatment, but only made a little humming noise. Ryner had never really talked about his past, or what he could remember of it, and she was curious about what had brought on the little exposition.
Ryner didn't continue, but stretched best he could while prone.
"Where are we going, Ferris." He asked, giving up the idea of a nap and sitting up, face serious as a breeze mussed his hair even more than the ground had. Ferris bit her lip, reaching into her bag and retrieving a rather dated map of Menoris.
"Well, seeing as I have a very limited knowledge of the area, and this accursed thing doesn't have town names, I think we should find out where we are in relation to Roland first." She said, looking over the mostly useless parchment, ignorning Ryner's crooked smirk.
"Well, that seems like a logical deduction, your skills as a navigator are truly without equal." He snarked, jerking to the side to dodge the pebble thrown at his head. Ferris frowned at the failure, then sighed.
"I think it might have been in our best interest to stick with the two from this morning. They may have had a rather invasive method of introduction, but you know one of them at least, and they have yet to try to threaten or kill us."
Ryner nodded at that.
"You have a point. Which is really sad, considering the lack of death threats is a positive thing here. Normal people don't have to worry about that."
"Yet here we are." Ferris replied, smiling. She stood up, motioning to Ryner to do the same.
"We should head back to that town, on the road this time. We're far enough from Roland that no one should be looking for us, at least not yet, and hopefully those two are either traveling this way and we'll run into them, or they're still in town."
"And this time," Ryner added, an evil grin stretching his face, matching Ferris's. "We'll be the ones asking the questions."