Master Of None

It was easy for everyone to feel that it was too quiet. They were all in the mindset that the moment their feet hit the sands that they would be facing monsters. However, because the beach had long been guarded by a natural coral reef maze, not many large or dangerous monsters had taken up residence on the beach. Instead, there were only those weaker monsters that led when the boats neared them.

This was a good sign for the immediate area though. There was a better chance that they would be able to locate the trail that Ventus and Walker had spotted along with following it. Walker wanted to keep more people back when they arrived, Terron had already made a move to set up a perimeter on the beach and was prepared to move in to the more solid earth.

The other soldiers were looking around while supplies were unloaded with care. Even the mages were hesitant to make a move without the express permission from any leading figure.

"Midnight, Gil, Onyx, Su, Remey, Alice. We are moving out. Alma is going to be sending a few of her archers behind us to ensure we have a safe trail to follow." Walker started to move with the party. He knew that Remey was having a lot of trouble remaining focused while looking at the unknown plants. Luckily, Walker had the all around appraisal skill and could tell her that none were valuable herbs.

The second that the group left the sands behind, it was like a new world. They felt that the sounds of the waves were much more distant than they had thought a second before. The trees here had perfectly cut off the sound of the winds and waves. The long grasses also helped to stop them from even being able to spot the beach from where they were.

"Walker, there are a few wild rabbit tracks but nothing much else around here. I think we landed on pretty good spot, undead aside." Gil was using all of his skills to see if he could find a single monster track. He was having no such luck which was in turn lucky for them.

"Then that means we can find this trail easier. The sooner we get a real base the sooner I can start getting the herbs I want to document for the first time." Remey was having trouble focusing since there were so many plants that she had never seen before.

"Forget the plants that you haven't seen. There might be materials I can make new arrows out of." Gil was ready to start the usual argument with Remey, however, Midnight and Onyx both stopped in their tracks.

"Brother, you said that there was a village nearby, right?"

"Yes, we think that the smoke we saw was from a village, why?" Walker looked at Midnight and Onyx only to follow their gaze.

"Then that might be where that little boy came from." There was a single boy standing and looking right at them. He had on casual brown clothing that was certainly not made with fancy fabrics. He had a hatchet on his waist and was wearing a pair of gloves. The small pile of firewood attached to his back with rope proved that he had been doing morning chores.

"Um, hello there. Can you tell one of the adults of your village to come here?" Walker assumed the boy was a human which surprised him, that was until the boy turned and sprinted away from them. They saw a pair of undeveloped wings on his back, the feathers were white tinged with a little green.

"I think that might be an angel's descendant." Alice's whisper was very loud in their silence as they watched the boy run.

"Let's go find out." Walker started to follow the boy and even picked up the firewood he had dropped as the boy had run away. It was a simple kind gesture that might help them a little when they got to whatever village was nearby.

The trail was even more clear as the group got to it. Gil immediately found that there were plenty of footprints on it from being traveled. There were also horse tracks and other farm animals making it clear that the village nearby had reasons to travel this way often.

"You will be stopping right there and not moving an inch if you would like to leave unharmed." The harsh voice came from above them. A single man flapped similar green tinged wings as his voice boomed over them with strict power. He held a dark iron spear ready to throw it down at any moment. The leather armor he wore also looked equally dark and worn compared to anything that the group had. "You don't look like you just crossed the border. But that doesn't mean we will let you off easily. Explain why you are here in the land of Rize."

Walker raised an eyebrow seeing the man in his worn armor. He was also a much older man, but the appearance and stature was very clear. This man had been to battle, he was definitely older with gray facial hair and a fair set of wrinkles around his eyes.

"Now that is the question, if we did not cross a border and actually came from another continent, what would you say to that?" Walker watched the man keep his poker face. It was a sign of experience under pressure. "Oh, and I picked up the firewood that the boy dropped. Sorry if we scared him a little. We saw the smoke from your camp or village and decided to head over with a small group."

Upon seeing that there was no ill will, the man slowly lowered himself to the ground and took a better look. "Wingless angels? And a baby wyvern? And a snake? What an odd platoon. Where did you come from again?" The man questioned them more and Walker smiled a little.

"I am Walker, and we are from Genesis city, the Genesis alliance that we created on our continent with every race living there. A fugitive escaped using magic to your continent and we came here in search of him and two others. This is Onyx, he is an abyssal serpent and this is Midnight, she is a dragon, not a wyvern."

It looked like the man grew even more confused hearing all this. "I hope that you can help us a little. You have already told us we have landed in the Rize empire, that is good, but otherwise, we are lost. If things are peaceful, we hope to find emissaries from both empires soon. Then we will proceed with our business, hopefully leaving friends." This was definitely beyond what the older angel could handle. He was confused but definitely not high enough ranked to handle this.

"You few can come to my village. I have no powers to hold you here, especially if you decide to fight. I can tell that you have eyes on me." The man looked around but clearly couldn't find where those watching him were. "We have some food but not much. It's just an outskirt village. The last battle left this area barren for a while, it is finally safe enough to return. I can't tell you much, but if you have the materials, you can trade for a map to the embassy built along the border."

"Thank you very much. That would be very useful. We actually have some healing potions if you happen to need them. We also have other medicines that you may find interesting. Especially for a small village. If you need something specific, my party member Remey can help you make it. She is an alchemist of sorts." That made the man hesitate slightly. He wasn't sure how an alchemist was traveling, especially since the girl that had been pointed to didn't appear to be one to his eyes.

"As I said, I do not have the power to hold you. If you wish to be on your way, that would be best for the both of us. We can not accommodate many right now." There was a clear sense that the man was worried but was trying not to start a fight.

"We swear that we will not be fighting or causing trouble. It would be very rude to cause our first met friend on the continent troubles." Walker was paying very close attention to every move made by the man. The way he walked proved that he would be able to jump in to a fight at any moment. "I also want to ask about a few things if you don't mind, I can pay for the time. I won't let you lose out." Walker was thinking about the wyverns and the demon king. Anything they could ask to help them.

….

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