"Ahooy!" A man's voice called out to the party of 6 from the road ahead.
Noone could see a caravan of carts approaching them on the road. The rattle of metal axles and wooden wheels echoed off the trees.
The man broke free from the caravan and rode forward on the back of a spotted horse, approaching their party swiftly before coming to a stop a respectful distance away. He hailed Tobias who waved back.
"Oh! Clerics?" The man looked over their small group of six, noticing the form of attire donned by Sally and Feylin and Rae. "Sorry for disturbing you but would you mind moving to the side and allowing our carts to pass? The roads are too narrow, and we are behind schedule." Noone watched as the young man scratched his chin sheepishly, making eye contact with Noone for a moment before quickly looking away.
"Not at all." Tobias's sturdy voice answered, leading everyone off to the side of the road. "You all are going to Ardglass? Now?" He asked. The only town on this road was Ardglass, after that you would hit the edge.
"I'm afraid so. We want to collect as much lumbar before they're overtaken by…" The man paused, unsure of how to put it delicately in the face of members of the Order of Life. Tobias seemed to understand the man's hesitance and waved it off. "Anyways," The man spoke. "Are you stopping in Pinepass or passing through?"
At this point the caravan had closed the distance, swiftly passing by their party without so much as a pause.
"Passing through. Headed towards Stone-Eye." Tobias said.
"Stone-Eye… Stone-Eye…" The young man said the word a few times, trying to jog his own memory. "On the border between Montese and Cinapul, yes? The mountain?" Tobias nodded.
"You all are about a day and nights walk away from Pinepass. If you all want to stay there for an extra day before leaving – we have a caravan going in that direction. If you tell the company that Will sent you, I am sure they can make room for your party." The man – Will, presumably – gave his horse a swift kick forcing it to run off to the front of the caravan which had passed their party.
"That was rather abrupt." Feylin mumbled as their group worked the cart back onto the main path.
"Ardglass is large export of lumber for the southern regions of Cinapul. It would make sense they want to get as many resources there as they can before the Epoch Tribe passes through." Raelith said, putting her finger to her chin thoughtfully. Tobias merely grunted in response. Noone continued to watch the back of the caravan as it rolled through the forest.
He had noticed a few strong auras from certain people who walked or rode alongside the caravan. They seemed to be adventurers.
"So… are we going to do what he said?" Sarah asked Tobias. Tobias thought about it for a moment.
"If what he said is true then there's no harm in waiting an extra day to leave with a caravan. Plus, it will take care of food for us, and it will be a much safer trip the rest of the distance…" Tobias's voice trailed off as he considered their position. Normally it was completely normal and even advisable for the Order of Life to travel alongside merchant caravans. It allowed them a good opportunity to spread the god's divine grace and protection to the common, while increasing their own safety with numbers.
However… Tobias glanced back at Noone who noticed immediately and returned the gaze.
Was it okay to do that with Noone in the party?
"We will stop in Pinepass for a day to regroup." Tobias finally said. "While there we will visit the temple to see if there is anything they need. Pinepass is a bit bigger and more economically prosperous then Ardglass, so it would be a good place to buy some cheap armors and other supplies." Tobias glanced back at Sarah, making sure she understood his point. "When we get there, Sally, I want you to exchange the beasts we have killed for gold. Once that is done, give 25 percent to Noone and 25 percent to Sarah. The rest of us will split what's left."
Sally nodded but said nothing. In an adventuring party, gold wasn't always split up evenly. Often it depended on who did the most work per assignment, and who was in the most danger.
A week ago, in the middle of the night, they were attacked by a roving pack of wolves. Luckily no one in the party was wet behind the ears anymore, and they were ready before the wolves attacked. Combat was left to Noone and Sarah at the behest of Tobias. The rest of the party played mainly supporting roles.
Splitting it up the way he did wasn't unheard of.
Later that night everyone sat around an open fire, eating wolf meat that Rae and Sarah had skinned, leaving the pelt intact.
Noone sat quietly absorbing what little energy there was in his surroundings. Everyone had their own thoughts about what the next few months would hold.
"This is going too slow." Noone thought. He had realized before that he could breakthrough by absorbing enough of the natural energy threads which floated in and out of existence. However… it was going far too slow for his liking. He continually thought back to how easy it had been to fill up on energy when he had been in the temple at Ardglass…
Noone stopped meditating and slumped back against the cart. "Perhaps the temple in Pinepass will be the same?" He thought to himself. He had the urge to rush ahead just to find out. "No… I must be patient."
"What's wrong Noone?" Sarah asked. Everyone looked over to see him no longer maintaining his usual meditation.
"Just thinking." Noone said nonchalantly. He let out a large sigh.
"Ultimately I am going along with you all because I have nowhere else to go. I am lost in this huge world I don't understand, and I am just trying to make do with what I have. But I constantly feel like I am not doing enough. And… I feel like I have no control. Even you finding me was an act of someone else's wishes."
Everyone's eyes went wide and they shared a look between themselves. They were speechless.
Noone wasn't necessarily a quiet person, but he had a way of talking without saying what he was really thinking. Everyone was aware that he must have endless thoughts about his own situation, but he never brought them to light so they just let it be. They figured that was just how he was.
To hear Noone exposit so much about his own feelings all at once though, it left the group a little lost.
Tobias grunted, looking down towards the fire which crackled between them. He had told Noone before that they could not keep him there if he really wanted to leave… to escape. But in truth Tobias knew that Noone would not go. Where would he go to?
It wasn't within Tobias's nature to be manipulative like that, he preferred being straightforward and to the point. However, he was on an assignment from the grand-priest himself. How could he disobey and let Noone go now, especially after all the time and effort and resources spent to retrieve him?
Sarah and Feylin were equally at a loss. In a way, they both felt sympathy for Noone. They too were on unknown paths, and despite trying to hide it – it got to them. They were nervous about the future. And they didn't have the weight of an entire race of people resting on their shoulders…
The only ones who seemed undisturbed by what Noone said was Raelith and Sally. However, neither of them knew what they could see to ease Noone's mind. They thought about how they would feel if the situations were reversed.
If they weren't on an assignment to retrieve Noone for their Order, perhaps they would offer some words of encouragement or protection. Perhaps they would say something like "Don't worry, you have us." But as things are now… they had obligations. They didn't know what would become of Noone when they arrived back in the capital. No one wanted to make those promises.
Gradually, the night carried on in silence with the flickering fire burning itself down into small embers as the last of the wood was used up.
"Alright everyone. Sleep well tonight. Tomorrow we head to Pinepass." Tobias spoke quietly. His knees creaked as he stood up and walked off into the forest. In his hand was a scroll he would use to communicate with the grand-priest.
…
"Five coppers each… Oh. Order of life. We will bill the temple for you, so you don't have to pay, go on ahead. Just 10 coppers for these two." The guard spoke gesturing to Noone and Sarah who stood next to each other. Tobias nodded handing over ten copper pieces in exchange for small nameplates.
Sarah felt a small bitterness when she was singled out as not being part of the order, but she understood.
"Keep these with you while within Pinepass. This just shows you paid the entrance fee." Tobias said as he passed out tags.
Noone, Sarah, and Feylin all nodded. This was their first time coming to a town large enough to require town guards, let alone an entrance fee.
When they had approached Pinepass initially, they had been very interested in the 5-meter-tall wall built around the entire city. This was especially so for Noone, who had never heard of such a thing.
Ardglass was too small to require any kind of border, and Tapestry was built secluded into the side of a cliff.
The barrier around Pinepass was erected from planks of wood which seemed to be made from the trees within the surrounding Southern Cinapul forests. The whole party could hear the bustle emanating out from the town like a giant speaker. This became a white noise as they got closer, suffusing throughout the forest.
Once inside, Noone's eyes widened and he took a deep breath, looking around at the immense population and structure of the town.
"Wow." Feylin spoke breathlessly, expressing their feelings perfectly.