A Peaceful Moments Rest

A week of traveling and occasional reality shifting later, the group was making camp on the edge of Cherrystone. Other than the shifts and the weather signaling the final days of autumn the travelers had been able to make decent progress. Their only issue now was that they were out of food and would have to scavenge along the way since they were dangerously low on funds and (currently) out in the wilds.

"All right… Who's up for hunting?" Susan asked as she finished setting up a fire.

"Why not just gather some berries and mushrooms from the forest?" Sil asked, pointing at the nearby trees, "Would be easier to do that than to go hunting."

"Blech, not enough flavor. We're overdue for some fresh meat," Wraith complained.

"Not to be difficult, but I don't have the practical experience to hunt or scavenge food," Edward said as he tended the fire with his bayonet, "I'll just stay here and keep the fire going."

Amber rolled her eyes as the group devolved into bickering. Without saying a word, she put her bag down and adjusted her hat before walking off into the trees. It was not long before footsteps followed behind her.

"Amber?! Where'd you go?" Sil called.

"Right in front of us," Wraith muttered as the two of them followed behind her, "It's not a good idea to walk off alone, especially here."

"I can handle myself and I'm hungry," Amber shrugged, "Besides, this forest is much tamer compared to the one from home."

"Still not a good idea to be alone. Frontier forests are filled with many dangers that can catch many off guard, especially those in Cherrystone," Wraith said before sighing, "That being said, we can gather food better as a group."

"There's some berry bushes over there," Sil pointed.

"Besides that…"

"I don't eat meat."

"Excuse me? I've seen you eat fish and clam chowder. You are not a vegetarian!" Amber exclaimed as she pointed a finger in Sil's face.

"And only that," Sil replied bluntly, looking her in the eye and completely ignoring the finger, "I don't eat meat."

"Ugh, whatever," Amber sighed, "Wraith, you go hunt if you want to. The two of us will get things the picky eater over here will eat."

Sil's eyes went wide and he took a step back in indignation, "Hey!"

"So since we're alone right now… I know you like your secrets but exactly why are you traveling the surface?" Toth asked Edward sincerely.

The two of them were left at the campfire as the unofficial hunting party had left. Susan had briefly gone off to gather more wood for the fire, leaving him and Toth by themselves.

"Why are you traveling?" Edward added another few sticks to the fire.

Toth glanced at the evening sky in thought, "Which truth do you want? The simple one or the personal one?"

"It's your story to tell. Though...not sure why you're eager to suddenly talk about your secrets."

"I guess if I'm traveling with you lot I might as well be open about myself. Figured it would be best to start with the most paranoid man out of all of us," Toth laid down to stare up at the sky, "The simple truth is that I want to see the world. See foreign lands, meet people, experience things, have an adventure and come home for the better because of it."

"Mmm, and the personal reason?"

"I've made it clear I am very observant of the music. My entire life I've been having songs in my head that very few can hear. It can be annoying at times, but it's a part of who I am," Toth let out a deep breath, "But I need to know who I am outside of my home. Who am I really and what more of myself is there to discover?"

Edward paused in his work and glanced at her. After blinking a few moments, he returned his focus to the fire. It was almost as if he had stared at a mirror and saw himself. He had already realized that Toth was far more complex than she let on with her aloof nature being a deflection. What Edward had not expected was for her to be exactly like him, someone who left home to figure out who they really were as an individual.

"Self discovery… I guess you could say the same for me," he said simply.

"There's more to that isn't there?" Toth asked rhetorically as she leaned up just enough to look at him.

Edward glanced at her again to catch her inquisitive expression. With a smile, he continued tending to the fire. He still had his secrets and the others would be asking similar questions until they got answers. Might as well hold onto them to confirm how trustworthy they truly are. Besides, spilling secrets too early can be just as disastrous as holding onto them for too long.

They know enough for now, he thought to himself, But knowing how strange things are getting and how well I work with them… Maybe this is what having friends actually is like.

Amber was regretting having left her bag as she and Sil scavenged the trees while Wraith begrudgingly left to hunt something for himself. Fortunately, Sil had his pouch with him so the gathered roots, berries, and mushrooms could be easily carried back to camp. Embarrassingly, he also did most of the scavenging as Amber truthfully had little idea on what plants and mushrooms were edible and which ones were not. These lands were not those of Central Town and she quickly was reminded of that fact.

Even more strange was that she felt too tense while keeping her senses sharp. There was the occasional animal making noise in the distance and there was a need to be on guard, but it was as if she was the threat rather than anything in the wilds here. Central Town was surrounded by dangerous lands but was the rest of the world truly this...tame by comparison? From what she has seen ever since leaving Central Town, the "wilderness" was not all that dangerous by her standards.

"You really need to get the Crystal Forest out of your head Amber," she muttered to herself as she eyed what appeared to be a berry bush.

"You say something?" Sil asked from behind her, having finished gathering some mushrooms.

"It's nothing," Amber said quickly as she headed for the bush, "How about these? They look ripe."

"Uh, those are poisonous."

Amber cocked her head back to look at him. Looking back at the bush, she shrugged and continued walking. Sil sped up to keep pace with her, falling into an easy walking rhythm alongside her.

"So I've noticed you talking with Edward a number of times. Anything in particular?" she asked as they walked.

"It's personal," Sil replied as he rubbed the sides of his vest.

"For a secretive guy he sure does like to poke his nose into other people's business, doesn't he?"

"Yeah… He does," Sil sighed before his ears perked up and he shifted his gaze, "What are those doing here?"

Running ahead, he stopped next to a tree with what appeared to be glowing lanterns growing from a tree, roughly the size of a small mellon. The "lanterns" were obviously plant bulbs but they glowed bright enough for Amber to think she was staring at fluorescent lights. It was very strange.

"What are they?" she asked, not entirely sure what to make of the bulbs.

"Light catchers," Sil answered in an amazed tone, "They're common in forests where the Light is strong but there's no major Spirit Guardian presence here. The fact they're growing at all without the Light is almost unheard of."

Amber reached up and hesitantly grabbed one of the bulbs. There was no heat and it felt like an apple, yet she could feel some form of energy roiling within it. The feeling reminded her of some of the components she had scavenged, dormant yet stirring in a restless slumber.

"Okay, weird… Are they edible? We're still short on food for the night," she commented.

"Mmm? Oh, no, they're not edible. Last person I saw who ate one was sick for a week… Served him right for what he said about Mom," he replied, muttering the last statement under his breath.

Pretending not to have heard him, Amber stepped back from the tree and gave one final look at the bulbs. Despite the intrigue, she was growing hungry and the sun was setting fast. This was punctuated by a slight growl coming from Sil's stomach which caused him to laugh sheepishly.

"Sorry… Let's keep looking for things to eat," he said quickly before walking deeper into the woods.

How many secrets does this group have?, Amber thought to herself and reflected on what she has kept hidden before following.

By the time the sun had set everyone was gathered around the fire enjoying dinner. Wraith had bagged himself a pair of rabbits which he cooked over the fire (showing no fear of the flames despite being part plant himself) which he shared with Susan while the others waited for their improvised stews to cook. As it turns out, Sil was the only one to not have any cookware and was forced to take portions from the others in his canteen.

"Out of curiosity," Amber started before the world distorted and they became pixelated, "What are we doing once we get to Cherrystone?"

"Drop the tablet off and be done with the matter would be my guess," Edward said as he sniffed his stew.

"Unfortunately it won't be that simple," Susan stated before swallowing a mouthful.

"Cherrystone is fearful of ancient relics and rightfully so. They'll respect national borders but they are thorough in getting information when they deem it necessary," Wraith explained as he examined a stubborn piece of meat that refused to cook.

"Oh great, another interrogation where I repeat the same thing ten times," Amber groaned.

"Could be worse," Toth said cheerfully as the world distorted back to normal, "Could be dealing with that while the world randomly changes and they just lock you up for life after you're done answering their questions."

"I have hot liquids and I will pour them down your armor just to watch you dance if you keep talking," Amber warned as she lifted her pot menacingly.

Everyone paused and looked at her. Toth struggled to contain a laugh which quickly spread to everyone else. Somehow, the situation seemed appropriate for a laugh. A band of traveling mercenaries, all experienced in the arts of survival and killing sitting around a campfire in the middle of nowhere trading petty threats. A few days ago they had been acquaintances at best, now they acted as if they were long time friends.

"That w-would be a-a waste of a perfectly stew," Sil said as he composed himself.

"It wasn't even that funny," Edward chuckled, shaking his head in bemused confusion, "I know I've heard funnier and better threats than that."

"Oh? Care to share?" Toth asked, smirking in his direction.

"Can't beat some of the stuff I've heard during my time in the army I bet," Susan said once she got her own giggles under control.

"Mmm… I'll keep my secrets," Edward said with his usual blunt expression, causing another round of laughter with him included.

Hours later, Sil found himself taking the first night watch. Despite the odd distortion, the night was quiet and calm. He was a bit disturbed that he had grown so used to the distortions so quickly upon thinking about the matter. He was also growing concerned about what the others would think of him and his secret.

Especially Amber. He had no idea why but somehow Sil feared her reaction the worst.

What is wrong with me?, he asked the stars and quarter moon above.

A sudden noise broke him from his thoughts and he flinched into a fighting stance. A quick look showed that it had been Toth mumbling in her sleep before she rolled over. Relaxing, he continued to keep watch.

They already know I wield the Light, he thought as he manifested a mace and gave it an experimental swing, That's more than what most know… Why am I so afraid of them knowing more?

Sighing, he gave a stretch and began to pace around the campsite. He had another few hours to go until he would wake up Toth for her shift and there would be little reason to burn himself out over distracting thoughts. He was just traveling with this group and nothing more. After they dropped off the tablet to Cherrystone, they would part ways and he would never see them again.

They're better off without me anyway, Sil told himself, "They don't need a fraud to hold them back."

Somehow the statement felt like a lie. But that was impossible. Sil had been living by such thoughts for years and it had been the simple truth. He had traveled with other groups briefly and even made the tentative beginnings of friendships before severing those ties and continuing onwards. He did not need friends and they most certainly did not need him. They did not need Sil.

"Maybe I shouldn't have taken the first watch," he sighed as he looked up at the moon with a feeling of discomfort in his stomach, "This is going to be a long night."

Toth was in a bad mood when Sil woke her up a few minutes ago. The song came back in full force upon her awakening and she discovered she had been giving herself a crick in her lower back.

Stiff, tired, anxious, and having a headache all at once. How lovely, she thought bitterly as she paced about to deal with her problems.

After getting rid of most of her drowsiness and the worst of the headache, she eyed her traveling companions. Over the past few days, her opinions about them remained roughly the same but she found herself enjoying their company. They were interesting, seemed to be more important than they realized, and (most importantly) had a substantial impact on the blasted music that played in her head non-stop. Very few people had had that effect in her life and something told her traveling with them would help Toth find some of the answers she was looking for.

Or that could just be me finally going insane, she thought dismissively as the world turned flat and rubbery, Or more insane if I already am insane.

The thought caused her to pause as she recalled her earlier discussion with Edward. She had been telling the truth with both of her answers but like any good traveler on a job with strangers, she kept her real reasons as to why she was traveling to herself. A shudder ran down her spine as she thought about those reasons. Perhaps she was just paranoid but...those like her were viewed with suspicion for good reason (and not because of the reasons that Amber likely thought. Although, Toth did find annoying the drifter to be more entertaining as time went on so she would continue to play to that particular strength).

Enough, she scolded herself as the hoots of an owl caused her to flinch, You've lived with this your entire life and now is not the time to lose your focus.

The owl continued to hoot as she resumed pacing. She was on watch and her travel companions were relying on her. While this could very well be a simple job that would end upon delivery of the tablet (along with whatever other necessary requirements that followed), Toth was not the type of woman to simply get lazy on the job. She might have music in her head, her companions were probably temporary, and whoever or whatever was after that tablet might have her as a target, but Toth was not one to back down from a job.

Besides, she honestly wanted to see where this was going. Whether it be simple delivery or something more was still in the air, but Toth needed her companions to be alive to see this little...misadventure through.