The evening sky of Ceren was said to be the most beautiful.
The city just started to light up and the golden orange streaks in the sky only made everything look sublime and majestic.
And yet- a lone man walked the streets, slightly agitated and definitely confused.
'What the hell is wrong with these people?' Cursing or sighing wasn't getting him anywhere. 'And no one told me, we were going to get a frigging envoy soon!'
He wasn't permitted to leave the city premises and definitely not go back with the others to the temporary lodgings. Instead, he was to spend the night in the royal palace, but for the time being, he chose to walk around outside.
At this point, he couldn't even understand what his point was in coming here.
Everything just felt fake and pointless.
He couldn't finish his mission and he couldn't really complete his quest either.
Though he was alone, and free to wander around, he knew for a fact, there was a group of people following him. Not to mention there was a flying skull-headed dog on his shoulder. Skully was awfully quiet like it was meditating or something.
'Menu…' At this point, he wasn't even sure on what to do anymore.
But he still took a look at his quest menu anyway.
[Lick a branch of the world tree]
[Lick Vordak's hidden soil]
[SQ. Lick the fruit of the world tree]
Oddly none of the quests had any rewards. Instead, the quests only provided him with where to find the lick-able object, as in, how far he was away from them.
Actually, now that he thought about it, the quest menu didn't show this back on the ship. 'Is this stuff region-specific or something?'
He didn't know and frankly, he didn't care.
He had much better things to worry about.
'I should have just brought Sizzy.' At least that way he wouldn't have had to walk around alone.
But this planet was too confidential to bring humans in, let alone R.I, especially the unregistered kind.
"But still, this place really is amazing, isn't it?" Despite everything Theo still couldn't help but acknowledge the vast and colorful city in front of him.
People were staring at him as they walked by and some even avoided him altogether.
'So many mysteries…'
"Yes, and we'd like to keep it that way." A woman approached Theo.
The very same Sahallan woman that caused him so much trouble.
'Look who decided to show up.' Theo mumbled. "HI, didn't see you there." Actually, he'd noticed her about half an hour ago but didn't make a scene out of it.
"Just walking by." The girl said. She had a very deadpan face, never smiling.
'Liar.' But Theo smiled. "I see. Shopping perhaps?"
"Patrol and official duties."
The Sahallan warrior was tall. She had a rather symmetrical face and roughly a meter-long straight hair. Though she wore clothes, only her private parts were hidden and the rest of her body had plenty of jewelry instead of cloth.
"I've noticed that you people work pretty late. Last night even after midnight, you guys were going pretty rough. Do you have day and night shifts or something?"
Her voice, however, was rather calm this time around. "Actually, we don't require sleep like you. We can get by with 2 hours every day, so we work at least 15 hours a day."
'Holy- what?' Theo's cheeks twitched. As he looked around, he noticed none of the Sahalla around him had dark spots beneath their eyes and they were mostly in neutral moods. 'These people are insane…'
"But what about you?" The woman asked. "What are you doing?"
"Nothing. Just walking around."
"Walking- around?" She seemed oddly confused. "What is the point of it?"
"Sorting through my thoughts?" Theo didn't know how to answer. He wasn't doing anything in particular and he had no actual goals either. Instead, he was just killing time.
"I see…" The woman went quiet. "The streets have gotten slightly dangerous at night. So please bear caution. I'd recommend going back to the palace, as you don't seem to be a fighter type." She debated over something and then- "And if you should somehow come across a white powder of sorts, please don't touch it. It's very addictive and may cause more harm than good."
The Sahallan warrior looked around. The city was beautiful, there was no doubt about it.
But the city was just as scary for those who didn't know their way.
The alleys, the back streets, and the white powdery stuff.
There were just far too many new and dangerous things popping up.
'A fighter type? And isn't she clearly underestimating me?' Though Theo knew for a fact, he wasn't that powerful either. So, the Sahalla was quite on the money. "Theodore, call me Theo." He went for a handshake. He wanted to end this conversation. 'White powdery addictive stuff? So basically, drugs?'
Most kinds of drugs were banned on planet Aura, so Theo never saw any in his life. He was kind of curious but also kind of cautious.
"Sandra." The woman shook his hands. "Now if you'll excuse me."
And to Theo's surprise, the woman was also aiming to end this conversation.
'Is it me or was her hand even more rugged than John's?'
But- "There's a place I want to visit." Theo himself wasn't sure if asking was the best option but- "Do you know what Vardak's hidden soil is?" 'Charm!'
His scent slowly started to permeate.
Most people were far away, and the few that were near weren't near enough.
Sandra just stared at him for a few minutes. "Might I ask where you've heard that term from?" She didn't seem even a little affected.
"Well, I've been walking for quite a while and I might have seen that term somewhere, I can't remember." Theo was never much of a liar. 'Shit, why did do I always do this to myself!?'
Sandra closed her eyes and pondered for a second before- smiling. "Alright, how about I take you there tomorrow noon?"
This was the first time he saw her smile and he knew for a fact, 'Wow, she's a buet!' But he had better things to worry about than beauty.
"Sounds great!" Theo was more relieved about the fact that nothing bad was happening.
And he was relieved that his skill worked on aliens too. 'Actually, can I even call it a success?' After all, the woman didn't even show the slightest hint of attraction towards him.
Theo bade his goodbyes and that was that.
He proceeded to walk towards the large tree in the distance.
'I have to get off this planet.'
He knew John wouldn't leave him behind and he knew for a fact that would cause quite the stir. He didn't want to stay here but on the other hand, he didn't want war either. So, he had no idea what to do.
'What the hell is wrong with my life?'
Well, at least he'd be free to lick the tree in his room, right?
Right?