Chapter 112: A bitter feast and the Road to Southernhill!
The journey to Southern Hill City pressed on without interruption, but there was a palpable tension that settled over the group like a heavy fog. Ashley Duve, in a rare and eerie calm, kept her icy silence. It was as if she was merely biding her time, waiting for the perfect moment to unleash whatever storm was brewing inside her.
She gave everyone the cold shoulder, including Ikehara, who had been her target for weeks now. The bitterness gnawed at her. She had expected him to realize the switch between herself and Tessa—especially after their earlier interactions—but he seemed oblivious. The silence between them only stoked her anger. Her frustration boiled over, and one evening, when she could no longer bear it, she sneered at Ikehara. "And you think you'll ever have your way with me? We'll see about that."
Ikehara, taken aback by the venom in her words, looked away, pretending not to hear. But it was clear that her rage had no bounds, and the rest of the group—Nymff, Nyala, Ecdy, Lhize, Lhaze, Adrian, and Abdel—followed behind quietly, fearful of provoking her. They exchanged only whispers, careful not to draw her ire. Every step forward felt like a march toward their own doom.
Days bled into each other, with the group growing more fatigued as Southern Hill City seemed impossibly distant. Their bodies were weakening, the strain of the journey evident in their sluggish steps and drawn faces. The landscape stretched on, barren and unforgiving, as the sun baked the earth beneath their feet.
On the fourth day, after what felt like an eternity of walking, Ecdy finally snapped. "If I don't get some food soon, I'm going to die out here!" His voice cracked with exhaustion, his eyes bloodshot from lack of sleep.
"I'm with you, brother," Abdel groaned, dragging his feet. "My legs are numb, my feet feel like they're burning, and my stomach—" He clutched his abdomen dramatically, "It's like a battlefield down there."
The complaints spread quickly, like a wave.
"Are we there yet?" Nyala moaned, her voice filled with desperation.
"How much farther do we have to go?" Lhize chimed in, her face pale and drenched with sweat.
"I swear, I'm going to faint if I take another step without food!" Nymff added, her usually composed expression now etched with frustration.
The group's collective misery echoed in the air, but Ashley remained unmoved. She ignored their pleas, her steps unyielding as she pushed them forward with cruel determination. In her mind, every one of them deserved to suffer. If she hadn't had use for them, she might have killed them all by now.
Suddenly, as they reached a dusty junction, Ashley was about to bark another heartless command when Tessa forcefully seized control of her body.
It was instantaneous. The change was obvious to everyone. They had all been silently hoping for this moment, praying that Tessa would regain control. Their hearts lifted, and a spark of energy returned to the group. Even Ikehara, who had been pretending not to notice the duality between Ashley and Tessa, felt a wave of relief wash over him. He nearly raised a fist in triumph but restrained himself, not wanting to seem too eager in front of Ashley's former presence.
Tessa didn't waste time. With quiet authority, she led the exhausted group to a nearby restaurant. The sight of the building was like an oasis in the desert, and without hesitation, they rushed inside, placing their orders with urgency, as if time itself were against them.
The waitstaff at the restaurant looked on in disbelief. The group devoured their food with a ravenous hunger, consuming plates faster than the servers could bring them out.
"How hungry must they be…?" one of the staff members whispered, wide-eyed as they watched Ecdy wipe his plate clean.
"They're eating like they've been starved for weeks," another murmured, unable to look away from the scene unfolding before them.
"That guy over there…" a young waitress pointed at Ecdy. "He's crying. Crying while he eats."
Indeed, one of the Rhemonic warriors had tears streaming down his face as he shoveled food into his mouth. It was a moment of pure bliss for him, each bite soothing the aching hunger that had gnawed at him for days.
As the plates piled up and the restaurant staff scrambled to keep up, the manager came out, flustered. "I'm afraid the current batch of food is finished," he announced. "It'll be about thirty minutes before the next one's ready."
Ecdy grumbled audibly, pushing his empty plate aside. "If I wait another minute, I'll eat the table."
"Relax, Ecdy," Adrian said with a weary chuckle. "The food will be here soon."
And as if on cue, a new batch of food was brought out. But something was wrong. The grains were undercooked, the stews overly salted. It was a disaster.
Ecdy was the first to react, spitting out his food. "What is this? You expect us to pay for this garbage?"
The manager, trying to calm the situation, rushed over and took a bite of the meal. His face paled as he realized the mistake. "Pack it up, all of it," he barked at the staff. "Take everything back!"
Turning to the group, he offered a deep apology. "I'm terribly sorry. Our cooks must be exhausted. Please, give us a few minutes to prepare another batch."
What no one else knew was that the manager had deliberately ordered the cooks to ruin the meal, hoping it would drive the group away. He saw them as bad for business, an eyesore to the wealthier clientele. But now, his plan had backfired, and he had no choice but to rectify the situation.
Just as the manager scrambled to fix the mess, Ashley forcefully regained control of Tessa's body. Her eyes flashed with anger, and her first order of business was clear. "Everyone out," she commanded coldly, her voice slicing through the air. "We're leaving now."
The group obeyed, though not without a sense of defeat. At least they had managed to eat, even if the second meal had been a disaster. Tessa had paid for the first round, and after the poor quality of the second, the manager didn't dare ask for payment. It was a small victory, if nothing else.
And so, the journey continued after their brief, chaotic meal. Three more grueling days of travel passed before they finally reached the outskirts of Southern Hill City.
The sight of the city's towering gates in the distance sent a wave of relief through the group, though they knew the real challenges were only just beginning.