Chapter 9 - The Beginning of the Journey

After saying his goodbyes to a solemn Beatrice, he arrived in front of the main gate, sunset dawning upon Holdenville.

True to her word, the elf stood in front of the gate, several knapsacks resting against her legs on the ground. To his surprise, Maya also stood, having switched into much more appropriate clothing for the outdoors: a green cloak over a white tunic and brown pants. A leather pouch, full of cartridges and cleaning materials, sat neatly on her belt.

"Wait, why is Maya here?" He asked.

"It appears I'm no good at being private. She saw us talking last night, but didn't hear anything except the part about me hiring you. She insisted on coming along no matter what."

She nodded. "I won't get in your way. I promise."

He scratched his head, wondering about how private that conversation really was, but if she was coming, then she was coming.

The elf threw him one of the knapsacks. He caught it, slinging it behind his back while noting how heavy it was. She also tossed one to Maya, who caught it with less finesse. She took the biggest one and put it on, adjusting the straps a bit. "Okay, we're good to go now. We'll camp soon, but we'll walk at night if need be. Got it?"

They both nodded, and the three of them left Holdenville, sticking to the main road. After two hours of walking, they were forced to set up camp in the forest on account of it being night. Finding a clearing in the bushes, the elf quickly set up three bedrolls and a small campfire. One of the three bedrolls was noticeably cheaper than the rest. Maya took it as responsibility for her forced company.

"You didn't pack a lot of food," Peter remarked as he searched through the knapsack, finding cooking supplies and a bag of jerky.

"I like to hunt for my food. Saves me space. You got experience with it?"

"No, but she does." He gestured over to Maya, who already went to sleep, using her cloak as a blanket.

"Hmm. I suppose we'll see tomorrow. In the meantime, help me with this campfire."

After conjuring a spark to light the firestarter, Peter sat on his bedroll, staring into the fire. The Tarlands were quite far away, their journey taking them through Hylokans, Phegolan and Arkalo, before finally reaching it in Northeast Arkalo. He didn't read up on how big each individual kingdom was, but knowing that all three kingdoms were a part of the Six Kingdoms... he knew he'd be gone for at least three months. 

"Have you gone this far before?" the elf asked him.

"Only once. I didn't even know what I was doing back then. I just went from city to city until I finally found a place. I don't really remember a lot of it. I probably should've died back then. I was running on a lot of luck and my own intuition of what to do."

The elf stayed silent, looking at the fire too. 

"Hey, now that we're here, I don't think we've actually caught each other's names."

"No, we haven't. And you probably shouldn't know mine."

"Ah, right. Trying to keep your identity a secret, right?"

"It's not just that. I think it's better for both you and Maya if I'm forgotten after this. Nothing good comes from remembering me."

"...well, my name is Peter. If you want to remember that."

She grunted in acknowledgement. Eventually, the fire died, leaving them in the dark. The Elf shoveled dirt over the embers to kill it, then went to sleep. Although he laid in bed, it took him a while to fall asleep.

Mainly due to the fact that he didn't have the idea to eat dinner before leaving.

. . .

The next day, the need for hunting came up quick on their journey.

A herd of deer moved slowly through a part of the forest, prompting Maya to grab her rifle and follow them. The Elf and Peter stayed behind, not wanting to get in the way of her hunt. The two sat in silence for a while, until they heard a gunshot in the distance. After thirty seconds, another gunshot rang out. He wondered if she managed to get any deer until she came back, panting as she dragged a deer by the antlers. Blood oozed from its two bullet wounds, one in the body and one in the head.

She bowed her head. "Sorry, I meant to hit its heart, but it seems my shot missed."

The Elf shook her head. "As long as we can still eat it. Let's start field-dressing, and we can start getting everything we can from this carcass."

And thus, the three dissected the deer, discarding its organs and keeping only its skin and meat. The Elf filled a flask with blood, stuffing it in her knapsack and refused to answer any question as to why she did that. They found an open spot in the forest and cooked the meat immediately, then went on their merry way whilst munching on the meat. He didn't know whether he enjoyed the meat from the Elf's cooking or if an empty stomach made anything taste better.

The days passed by, with the three settling into their own routines at nightfall. The Elf spent her time looking at her blade and staring at the sky. Maya assembled new cartridges, as well as clean her rifle. Peter also stared at the sky, but practiced his blood magic in his sleep. At this point, he could form a small dagger with blood and make cutting motions. He could also control the blood without having to close his eyes, picking the blood up and letting it down at will. His progress was praised by Hemofemina, although he wondered if it was actual praise or just encouragement at refining his current skills.

After a week passed, they arrived at a blue mana barrier.

"This must be Hylokan's border," the Elf said. "This magic barrier is how they protect against enemies in times of war. We should be fine. Once we cross this, we'll be in Phegolan territory, and that's where we need to be extra careful."

"Extra careful?" Maya asked.

The Elf nodded. "People will be hunting us in Phegolan. Not because of you guys, but because of me. It's best to never get seen here, unless we want an entire force coming at us."

It was now Peter's turn to ask questions. "Entire force? They'll send an army at us? What have you done here that would gain such notoriety?"

"Let's just say that I came from Phegolan, and that someone there wants me to come back."

Unsure of what to make of that information, Peter crossed the border with the other two. He didn't know it back then, but that single step into Phegolan would change his life forever.