[Randall's POV]
I woke up a tad before Anne, and spotted the gorgeous sunrise. The pink dye in the sky…
So beautiful.
Sadly, I couldn't just stare at it, as I had stuff to do. Namely, getting Anne off the top of the walls, and then waking her up.
Which I did.
"Rise and shine, Anne. We have a town to scout."
She opened her brown eyes lightly. Her long eyelashes fluttered lightly, following the wind's serene yet irregular patterns.
"It's already time…??"
"Yes, the sun is telling you "wakey wakey," in case you haven't heard it," I commented, while keeping my laughter to myself. A small sound did manage to slip out, sadly.
"Wakey wakey?... Is that supposed to be part of the human dialect or some- On second thought, don't tell me."
"No, it means to wake up," I replied nonetheless.
Her upper body rose off the grassy field, and elevated itself to match my height. "We'll meet here when the moon rises, and see what to do for the night."
"Alright, be careful." It'd be bad if something were to happen.
Under Coveneath's scrutiny, we both went on our own way to cover more ground.
We're quite short on time. Thus, I set out to see a bit of this new place. Maybe I can find something noteworthy.
The sun barely peeked out on the horizon, so most demons weren't even awake.
As I wandered around, making sure to avoid the areas with formal roads… made of dirt, both the buildings and the demons' conversations were analyzed by none other than myself.
'At least I'll try to do so for now.'
A pair of guards dressed in stylish, blue jackets passed by while holding a talk. "I wish something interesting would happen already!"
"Motherfucker, you summoned a fucking opposing Syndicate to invade us the last time you said that."
"But still, this peace is boring…"
"Fuck you mean peace? We-"
The smaller one stopped himself, and resigned. His partner was simply too dumb, and even I could tell.
I continued walking, and spotted a farmer walking alone. His wrinkly white skin revealed decades of experience in wielding the weapon resting on his hands: a farming scythe.
"The fall seems to have left the fields in a particularly spectacular condition…" he mused to himself, his gray hair not even reaching his ears.
'... On second thought, maybe it is worth risking a bit?'
Taking a turn, my feet strolled towards a dirt road. No particular buildings stood out, let alone decoration.
'Wait. There's a bench.'
Someone's sleeping figure on the stone-made seat caught my eye, so I walked over and sat down in the other corner. I calmly looked around, and took note of a certain board.
'Help with wood collecting, monster capture, fishing competition, a bounty for a Titan… That looks like a quest board. Oddly similar to the one I saw in Edelchia.'
I adjusted the hood covering my face. Air ran down my throat after I opened my mouth, letting a wave of refreshment invade my mind.
Shortly after, more and more people passed by. My shoulder blade came in contact with the bench's armrest, and my pale blue hand moved to support my right cheek.
"I hate getting up early…" complained one of the passersby, who wore a blue vest similar to that seen by the others.
People continued walking around. Some carried tools and wagons, whereas others kept either armor or instruments on their hands. And no one took much notice of my presence.
'Concealing oneself in plain sight.'
Even after four or so hours had passed, the old man –who wore a brown rag and a hat– did not even come close to waking up.
The traffic died down for a while. Sometimes, I'd spot demons wearing brown rags resembling that of the sleeping man's. Both the people in blue and brown seemed to avoid each other, if the hostile intent in their words was anything to go by.
Regardless, demons flooded the street again after the sun slowly started to recede its position.
'I guess it's about time to leave.'
So I did just that.
With my ragged hood serving as partial cover, I left the crowded venue. It took me a few turns to reach the area I was seeking, but I made it.
A whisper reached my ears.
"Over here."
My head turned, allowing me to meet someone's starry gaze.
"Well, hello there Anne. What did you find out?"
"A few things. First, follow me."
Follow her? "Where?"
"I found an unoccupied house. We should be able to stay there for a while."
That… Didn't sit right with me. Especially considering I never went as far as to occupy a stranger's house, even in my worst moments.
'Yet, we have no choice.'
Unfortunately, it is true.
We… really didn't.
As I weighed such thoughts on a balance, I also made sure to follow Anne's footsteps. This time, we walked normally. No funny business or anything of the sort, besides keeping on the hoods… mostly.
"You can take it off if you want. I have the feeling no one will recognize you, if this place is as ignorant and isolated as I think it is."
"What makes you think that?"
"I saw five groups of adventurers. All of them were asked to leave both by the town and the "Blue Shepherds," the town's dominant Syndicate."
My frows burrowed upon hearing the last word.
I should have expected to see one such thing here, right?
A group of people resembling a Guild or even a Clan, but… They follow a School. And will do anything for one.
I could still recall the rioting I saw that day, in the forsaken streets of Nevound… All of the demons dressed in green? The same who left everything in ruins?
Yes. They belonged to a syndicate working under the Velliesta School.
Casting that topic aside, our walk towards that place led us to being witnesses of a particular scene. Three blue-dressed demons beating up a brown-clothed fiend, about as big as me. Before my attempt at getting involved managed to go anywhere, a cold hand held me back.
"Don't. It's not our problem."
... Regardless, we encountered nothing else on our way, besides the thing Anne wanted to show me.
A house.
To call it just a house would be plain wrong, though. With the state it's in, I may as well call it a ruined building.
A partially battered down building stood on its last legs. Wooden planks poking out of some walls, and even a dirty piece of cloth covering a hole in a roof.
"This…"
"An abandoned house, yes. We can go in through a hole," she voiced, before walking towards the back of the house and slipping in through a broken hole on the grass.
And well, I went in after hearing nothing from her. Had there been something, she'd have warned me.
As soon as I landed, the floor creaked like a midnight frog. And that means it was loud. Really loud. Strangely enough, each step we took barely kicked up any dust.
"So, about the Syndicate. I managed to take a look at where they're living, and it looks like they're leading a great life."
"Really?"
She nodded, while searching for a place to sit. "Great at least if compared to the rest of the people here, most of which seem to live in a rather concerning condition."
We advanced to the next room while talking, and noticed a distinct lack of furniture, except for a dirty mattress. Four wooden doors led to other rooms within the building, while the living room remained connected with a spot resembling a kitchen through a lack of explicit walls.
Except for the one that led to a dirt-covered spot with a deep, deep hole. Some smells emanated from its surface.
In such a peaceful moment, Anne summoned her gray pen. The enlarged, blade-like tip almost tapped the floor.
"Eh? And you two are?"