Travel to the West.

'So, it's been about two and a half days since we left Alameria. The journey has been pleasant thus far, Hikaru has been a buzz of curiosity during the trip, asking questions about the Otherworld that she'll need to adapt to while showing a genuine interest despite her minimal experience in it. During our time on the road, I've been occasionally teaching her more of the basics about the Otherworld and answering any of the questions that come to her mind.'

After our last session of Q and A, I've been sitting upright in the carriage with my arms crossed while watching over Hikaru on the other side who is catching up on her sleep thanks to the vastly different timezone that we are in. Fortunately, sleeping during the day in Otherworld is a completely natural thing, and everyone tends to sleep at their own pace and schedule.

Reflecting on the first several hours of our journey, I remember how we stopped at an open region at my request so that I could properly dispose of the Dark Matter still on my person at the time. After walking a fair distance away to do some deep digging into the ground, I placed the Dark Matter into a metal pot that I acquired with a suitable opening in its lid.

Burying the pot as deep as I could while leaving the opening on the lid uncovered, I used a container of lamp oil to create a trail to ignite from far enough away. Using a match provided by one of the smokers travelling among the caravan, I lit the start of the trail and ran for dear life to a safer distance.

The worst part about disposing of the Dark Matter was its delayed reaction to the flame reaching the buried pot. It took a couple of minutes for the explosion to trigger, which not only caused a massive tremor in the ground, but left a decent-sized sinkhole in the ground and a large, statically charged smoke cloud blowing in the wind on a north-eastern trajectory in the sky. After the demonstration of how dangerous even a small amount of Dark Matter can be, Hikaru's shocked and mesmerised expression displays her understanding of our reactions to it earlier, and resulted in more questions on the subject.

After the disposal of the Dark Matter, Kiru pointed out that she wanted to use the travel time to fully rest and recover from the damage she'd received. After Kiru had informed me that she was going dark, she shifted into her sword form to focus on recovering from her damage. She's been silent ever since, which I've been somewhat okay with, and outside of absolutely needing her to fend off the more dangerous hostiles, I've made a point of leaving her alone and letting her rest.

After my reflection, I open my eyes and stare at the carriage door while thinking, 'As much as I appreciated Grey's willingness to provide us with a free ride..." Gently opening the carriage door, I place my feet onto the step at the base of the door, closing it behind me as I hold onto the railing provided above and gaze in irritation at the convoy surrounding us.

"I just hate the fact that you saddled me with guard duty for your damn supply line!" I utter in lieu of my situation knowing that Hikaru and I could have gone on foot and made more progress than we have so far. This journey has resulted in several unexpected stops, most of them for making camp and letting the Woolrams rest, and fortunately with only 2 of them resulting in combat. 

One fight was with an ignorant bandit group which I pummelled with my bare hands, and another by a big family of saberclaws which prompted me to retrieve and use Kiru to fend them off despite my desire to leave her be. With a clenched fist while still hanging from the carriage,  I couldn't help but shout: "I hope you know I'm going to make you pay for this when I get back, Grey."

Climbing across to the head of the carriage, I take note of the woolram beasts pulling us along at a slower pace than usual. The driver notices me hanging onto the side of the carriage, and after a slight shuffle gestures for me to join him. Clambering up, I take a seat next to him scanning the road and trees ahead of us.

"Getting restless back there?" The driver asks me without adjusting his gaze from the road ahead.

"You could say that. We'll be lucky to reach the harbor by nightfall at this pace. If it weren't for having to guard this caravan and put up with its constant stops, I'd have already reached the Western Docks by now." I vent my frustrations to the driver who's expression doesn't change.

"I get it. You hero types have got business there and time is something you want to cut down on, and we appreciate the protections you've provided, but you need to understand our position and why all of us are out here." The driver's voice carries a hint of his own frustration, but he mostly sounds tired.

"I know, I know. Alameria was under threat for weeks and it is in desperate need of the supplies that the Western Docks can provide. I know this caravan is meant to help alleviate Alameria's problems, but you do know I won't be joining you on the return journey. Right? I've got other priorities elsewhere afterwards." 'Though I won't know that for sure until after I've had a chat with Bolo.'

"We know. We were given instructions to hire some mercenaries to provide protection for the return trip. So once we arrive, you're free to do what you need, as you please without concern for us." Our short conversation comes to an end after our brief exchange and another couple of uneventful hours pass by.

As the sun begins to set, it turns the sky to its beautiful purple hue once more, providing the gentlest of light. To my added relief, we enter the farming region located just a short distance from the docking warehouses where I'm meant to find Bolo. I watch Hikaru as she gazes out of the carriage's window, admiring the expansive farmland, all while wearing a smile, showing how content she is with the fact that she's becoming more comfortable with Otherworld.

"Hey, Takashi. What's going on over there? Isn't that dangerous for them?" Caught off guard by Hikaru's sudden questioning, I gaze out the window to see what could be causing her concern. Scanning the land, the only thing I see worth noting is a pack of several grounders rolling back and forth in line along a field with a number of farmers surrounding and instructing them.

"Nah, they're perfectly safe. They're farmers preparing that field for the next crop is all." I sit back as I reassure Hikaru.

"Are you sure? Aren't grounders supposed to be, you know, dangerous?" Hikaru's concern is warranted, considering our last encounter with one, yet my relaxed state and tone doesn't reassure her.

"You're right, but those grounders have been domesticated from birth, think of them being similar to the farm-based animals back in our world. Grounders are great at plowing and tilling fields thanks to the way they roll and the spines that adorn their backs." Hikaru relaxes a bit at my explanation, but is then a buzz of questions and curiosity as a result.

"Aren't they still dangerous though? Are there ever accidents?" I go into the details surrounding the grounders domestication, pointing out to her that these particular ones are domesticated at birth and raised in captivity and trained early, detailing how they serve roles similar to farm horses and cattle.

"Sure, accidents are commonplace and natural. There are even cases when grounders grow up to be too wild to control despite being raised in a domesticated environment. In the worst cases, the farmers are forced to put a grounder down, but most of the time, they lock the beast up and put in a request with their local guilds for adventurers to find nearby wild grounder herds to escort the trouble makers to and leave them to their fate. It doesn't always work out, but most of the time, it's better than pointlessly killing them."

Hikaru's fascination grows at the established way of life that occurs here in Otherworld. Every now and then Hikaru wears an expression of excitement and wonder, which tells me that deep inside, she has the heart of an adventurer who is discovering the world for the first time.

After one last stop to make camp, sleep, and let the woolrams rest one last time, our lengthy escort mission approaches its end with the scent of sea air surrounding us. Excitedly, I open and hang off the door to the carriage and stare out to the open sea in the distance, illuminated by the night sky and moon above as well as Western Docks and its lit up warehouses coming into view. 'We finally made it.' Poking her head out the window on the other side, Hikaru expresses her wonder at the sight. "Wow, I've never seen the sea look like that. It's beautiful."

"Welcome to the Western Docks." I shout loud enough for Hikaru to hear me, which prompts her to pull her head back inside and ask me...

"Western docks? Wouldn't a place have a cool name or something more interesting like that?" Seeing Hikaru's disgusted expression in reaction to the lazy naming of the Western Docks leads me to chuckle at her disappointment.

"Nope, never has. The place has been around since before my first arrival in Other World. Western Docks has been its only name. Plus, It's also the only major port along the entire Western coast. So, try and figure that one out." Hikaru's expression of confusion combined with her head tilt causes me to laugh as I hang off the carriage door.

With our arrival at the Western Docks, the next step of our adventure can finally begin.