Through the Trees

A week and a half had passed and the Karsha Clan had crossed the breadth of the Belran Desert. The sea of sand had slowly morphed into arid badlands and scrub plains before finally becoming a forest. For Amber, the sight of trees was a relief as she had been forced to go through all of her spare clothing. The idea of a cool shade and potentially a river to wash in has become just as enticing as discovering a cache of lost technologies back home.

How Edward survived the trip wearing only a single set of clothes in armor was something she would never understand.

"Thank whatever higher beings exist," she huffed as she sat next to Illegra.

"We still have a ways to go before we reach Crossroad," Illegra said gently.

"We both know that's not what I was talking about."

"True. Though I must say you have been perhaps the most patient passenger we have ever had who was in a hurry to get through the Desert."

Both were riding on the Yirmak and in the cover of the trees around them. Despite a large dirt trail cutting a swath through the forest giving the Setseke ample range of movement, the tall trees and uneven terrain provided plenty of shade from sunlight.

"Impatience often gets you killed back in Central Town. Best to deal with being uncomfortable rather than dead," Amber shrugged before her nose twitched, "Ugh… I stick like hell."

"Well, we should be coming upon a river eventually if we keep moving at a steady pace. It'll be a good means of resupplying our water as well as getting clean. If we can scrounge the ingredients, a soup for dinner would be lovely," Illegra said whimsically.

"Soup huh? What's going in it?" Amber asked as she adjusted her hat.

"Why Amber, are you proposing to help cook?"

"Well, I do know how to make a good onion and cheese soup. Also, aren't you my boss still?"

"Oh hush. You risked your life fighting for the Clan. Your debts are paid as far as I'm concerned," Illegra smiled.

"If you say so. But I'd still like to make that onion soup, it's been a while since I had an onion soup. If we have cheese then that's definitely going in," Amber shrugged.

"If you insist," Illegra laughed.

Edward continued rereading Three Klicks Deep as he sat on a stool. He had returned to riding in the workshop after the banquet. The lack of activity and return to traveling despite the bandit raid had been a small comfort for him. Action was something every Europan avoided for the sake of survival and even if it was not necessary on the surface it was something he still avoided whenever possible.

"What's that book about anyway?" the workshop owner asked as they came around a corner.

"Crime novel. Detective is hunting a murderer and a stollen energy weapon," Edward shrugged as he finished the chapter and snapped the book closed.

"Huh. Say, weren't you asking where to buy books when we met?"

"I was. I love this one but I've been looking for something new for months. Somehow the surface has a distinct hatred of crime novels," Edward put the book in its pouch.

"Well you'll most likely find something in Crossroad. If there's one place in the world that has everything, it'll be there."

Edward shrugged and got up to stretch. Most of what he had heard about Crossroad had been more or less what he had just been told. His mind wandered and tried to picture what made the city any different from the surface cities he had seen up until now. The first city had been impressive but it wore off quickly. Wide open streets, tall buildings, and the sky above were the only features of note to him.

The architecture and people were different each time though. The Coalition was utilitarian to a fault and even if paranoia was an ingrained part of Europan life it was an eye opening experience to see how other people lived on the surface. That being said, he still found the almost carefree lifestyles of the surface to be mind boggling.

"Woah! Looks like we're stopping here for the night," the owner said as the shop rumbled.

"Apparently," Edward agreed as he carefully stood up after nearly tripping.

He still would rather take a submarine over riding on the back of a gigantic insect…

True to Illegra's word, the Karsha Clan had managed to find a river near where the camp had been set up. Amber had sighed in relief at the sight of running water and nearly ran off to find somewhere to bathe. Fortunately for her, Illegra allowed her to do so so long as Amber helped cook the soup for dinner which suited the drifter just fine.

"Finally I can get clean," Amber said as she walked further downstream, "Not sure about the clothes though. Meh, just get the worst out to avoid a rash."

As she walked, she glanced at the shadows around her. Survival instincts honed in the Crystal Forest quickly returned to her the further she walked. Soon enough her footsteps became near silent and calculated, her eyes and ears ready to pick up the slightest disturbance, and her hands close to her weapons should anything jump out at her from the darkening shadows.

But even with being in a forest, she felt less tense than she had been back in Salvan. Wildlife scurried through the underbrush and the babbling river made the quiet seem less tense. Despite having her guard up, Amber felt that she was safe as she continued walking. She found a secluded spot soon enough and there was enough sunlight for at least another hour before nightfall.

"Well, time to get clean then. Wish I had soap though," she said as she took her hat and duster off.

Just before she could finish undressing, a twig snapping rang out. She immediately crouched down and rested her hand on her pistol, eyes scanning the trees for any movement. Sure enough, an uninvited guest did come scurrying out in the form of a squirrel.

"Well you certainly gave me a scare there buddy," she sighed as she stood up and started to take her shirt off.

"Who's there?!" a voice called.

Crap, she thought and crouched down again without bothering to fix her shirt.

"I know someone's out there," the voice said, "I'm not looking for a fight."

Amber drew the pistol out slowly and started to walk to the trees. She did not necessarily believe the individual was lying, but she would rather have cover if a fight broke out. Unfortunately, her foot kicked a sharp rock and her boots were already off which resulted in a pained gasp escaping her mouth.

"Damn it," she hissed as she hid behind a tree and shook her foot to lessen the pain.

"I'm coming out but I'm warning you if you start anything you're going to regret it," the voice said as she shook her foot.

Sil always had been a reserved individual. Despite being a gifted user of the Light and a formidable fighter, he had always stayed in the shadows unless necessary. This was one of those times where direct interaction seemed better suited to resolving a situation rather than simply being a passive observer. His large ears distinctly picked up a voice on the other side of the river and judging by remoteness of this forest he doubted they were a local.

As he stepped out of the shadows, his features came into view. A dark gray and platinum white fur coat covered his body while long ears stood alert on top of his head. Behind him, his long, slender tail flicked anxiously as he walked further away from the trees. His yellow eyes glowed slightly but not enough to be easily noticed in the direct sunlight as they scanned the trees. The brown leather vest and pouch at his side were the only things he wore which clashed with his fur.

"Well, here I am," he announced as he glanced at the discarded clothing on the other side of the river.

"You're a Guardian?" a voice, presumably the owner of the clothing, asked slightly.

"Something like that," he replied, "May I know who I'm talking to?"

The other individual came out and he was momentarily taken aback by their appearance. She almost looked like a Moki wearing clothing and was possibly a head taller than him. Had she not been carrying the pistol, he would have assumed she actually was one.

"Uh...you going to put that away?" Sil gestured to the pistol after blinking and remembering he was nowhere near home.

"Sorry. Old habits," she said as she walked to the clothing and put the pistol away.

"Traveler?"

"Something like that… Didn't I have a conversation like this?"

"Huh?"

"Nerve mind," she sighed as she began putting her boots back on, "Just when I was going bathe for the first time in weeks," she muttered.

"Well don't let me distract you then," Sil shrugged as he looked in the water to see if anything was swimming in it.

"Excuse me? And let you watch?" she snapped.

"What? It's normal to bathe."

"Not with someone watching. Especially if that someone is a stranger."

"Fine. I'm Sil," Sil shrugged again.

"Amber. And we're still strangers," she grabbed her hat after getting a boot on.

Sil rolled his eyes and continued watching the water. He never understood why "civilized" individuals raised such a fuss over privacy or clothing. Armor and protection against the elements were understandable, wearing clothing for the sake of clothing seemed like a waste of resources.

Then again, look who's talking, he thought to himself before his eye caught the sight of a fish.

Amber was just about to find a new place to bathe when her unexpected guest materialized a bow and arrow out of thin air and aimed it to the water. She was further amazed by the arrow flying loose and splashing into the water with a fish coming to the surface, a hole going straight through it.

"How did you do that?" she asked, shocked at what she saw.

"Do what?" the Guardian scooped the fish out of the water.

"That wasn't cybernetics and I didn't see any build up of magic. You just materialized a bow out of nothing. How?"

"The Light," the Guardian shrugged as if the answer were obvious.

"Of course," Amber pinched the bridge of her nose, "I'll worry about figuring it out when I find a library."

"Hmm. Now then, since you wish to be alone I will just take my dinner and cook it somewhere else."

"Look, I don't know much about Guardians and I'm sorry if I came off as...rude. I just have been a sweaty mess for weeks now and I came here for some privacy to clean up."

"So I won't disturb you. Have a good evening," he bowed slightly and started to head upstream.

"You keep walking in that direction and you'll run into the Roving Clan I've been traveling with. They're heading to Crossroad if you're interested," Amber began to take her boots off again, "Oh, and thanks for the privacy."

"You're welcome and thanks for letting me know," the Guardian walked off with his fish.

Edward walked towards the Saltfire Bazaar as the last rays of sunlight disappeared behind the tall trees. After a week and half of eating food on the back of the Setseke, he had come to the conclusion that the Bazaar had better quality food. Even if what he had been eating was edible and still quite good, why settle for less when there was better for roughly the same price?

Huh… Where's Amber?, he thought as he walked into the tent and noticed his strange companion was nowhere in sight.

Shrugging, he went further inside. The smells from the kitchen were a sharp, pungent aroma that reminded him of boiled pomegrenades. As he looked around, he noticed a line of people that trailed from the kitchen as well as…

A Moki? Meh, it's been a while since I've seen one of them running about. Wonder how the Lyland's are doing back home, he thought about his old neighbors as he got in line.

As the line slowly moved forward, the smell grew stronger. There were other aspects to it that were still foreign to him but familiar due to his time wandering the surface. His stomach growled slightly the closer he got and the sight of the soup bowls people were carrying only reinforced this feeling. Upon reaching the kitchen, he was greeted by the scene of Amber standing over a cauldron.

"Never thought this soup would be this popular," Amber called to the owner of the Bazaar.

"Well you did say it would be good," the owner replied as she served another bowl.

"You're a cook now as well I see," Edward called as he got closer.

"Old recipe from home. I'll catch up with you later," Amber replied as she stirred the cauldron.

"Here you are. Move along, others are waiting," the owner gave him a bowl.

Sil sat next on a blanket and stirred pieces of his fish into his soup. To the side, he saw the not-Moki talking with a man over their own bowls of soup. Despite the strange meeting, he felt strangely calm about her presence. At the worst, she had the same flabbergasted expression most non-Light wielders have upon witnessing the powers of a Spirit Guardian. She did not see him for what he really was and he was thankful for that.

She was a bit cautious though. Must have to deal with a lot of threats in her homeland, he thought as he slowly drank his soup.

Her head turned towards his direction and he averted his gaze. In a weak attempt to hide his staring, he scratched his side to alleviate a muscle cramp in one of his hidden wings. Even if their use would be more convenient than walking he could not bring himself to so blatantly flaunt his "gift" when it had been the source of many of his grievances. Just thinking about it made him regret his small display from earlier.

It would be best if I never had the Light at all in the first place, he thought bitterly as old memories came to mind.

"Everything all right?" Edward asked, snapping Amber out of her gaze.

"Yeah, recognize that guy over there," Amber nodded her head in the direction of the Guardian.

Edward turned around and saw who she was referring to, "Friend of yours?"

"Random stranger. Only met him today," she answered.

Edward shrugged and continued with his own soup. Amber did the same but stole quick glances towards the Guardian (Sil if she remembered correctly). She had no idea why but something about him garnered her attention. As to why she did not know but she simply chalked it up to him being a Guardian and thus unique considering her limited experience with them.

Regardless she will see plenty of Guardians in Crossroad and the curiosity will fade. He simply was another traveler like her. Their meeting might have been awkward but it ended without incident and it only occurred by the sheer coincidence of being in the same place at the same time. Nothing special about that…

So why was she so interested in him?