Here on closer inspection, the mountain really is quite tall. Unlike most other mountains around, not only is it twice as tall, but it also happens to be almost completely devoid of trees, probably used as building materials or something like that. The city itself is half-covered by a long, white wall, spanning the lower side of the mountain but no more.

Either way, it seems we're pretty much headed up the mountain to the actual city, and the farms down here are just a prelude. The farmers themselves are pretty nice though and wave to us as we walk past. Todd doesn't hesitate to wave back, but Mal seemed apprehensive at first, succumbing to peer pressure after a few ot these meet-and-greets.

I, for my own part, abstained from waving. Mostly since people might not take well to a waving insect the size of a cat, but also because any attention might be bad. As much as I want to be close to and see humans and talk to people right now, I'd better save that for once we're in the actual city.

...Aaand here comes the inevitable slope.

We walk for an hour or so until Mal falls to his knees, panting and red-faced.

"M-, may one of you spare me the pain and carry me?..."

He asks rather nicely, neither demanding nor complaining. A development in the right direction if I do say so myself. Alright, since he asked so nicely, I'll just-

"Whoa, dude, cool it! Come on Mal, get on up."

Oh, right, no being any human. Right. After a short grumbling, Mal hops back on Todd's back and we continue heading up the mountain, Todd clearly not bothered by carrying literally our entire team.

A few minutes into this rebounded walk, a carriage filled to the brim with white stones and boulders, pulled by a pair of six-legged horses. Strangely enough, they were descending the steep hill backwards, with the horses grunting and digging their heels in, yet carefully getting the carriage down.

...Right. Sure. Todd, social animal he is, waved happily, but the rugged men instructing the horses were unable to respond, what with their hands full and all.

This scene repeated a few more times, but Todd never gave up on nodding and/or waving to them. A man of determination.

And, after a good while... we reach the gates.

Great and grand and pearly white, embedded with large, colourful rocks and small colourful rocks and gems and things that I did not understand. For some reason I didn't know anything about, some of the rocks had been removed. most noticeably a large one. I could only tell there had once been such a thing there since an indent was still there.

Huh. The gates were almost closing. Is that-, are gates supposed to be closed? In war, maybe, but there wasn't any war here and now, was there-?

Todd must have noticed this as well, since he quickly increased his pace, going into a fast job to reach the gates before they closed fully, not even bothering to let Mal down first.

"Hey! Bro! Hold the gate!"

I'm not exactly sure who Todd was shouting this at, but it seemed to have been directed at the single guard standing just outside the gate, holding a spear, clad pearlescent white armour. He seemed tired, but somehow took note of Todd.

The guard turned to the gate and shouted something, before letting out a sigh. The gate halted after a few seconds, leaving it only slightly ajar.

"Thanks dude, ya almost locked me out, heh!"

Todd said with a relieved smile, running up to the guard as if he was an old friend or something. The guard did not seem to react in as friendly a manner. Once he looked Todd up and down, he spoke in a grave and tired tone.

"...Todd, must I ask whatever occurred to your... previous group?"

"Oh, uh, y'know, differences and stuff, but I'm back now!"

Todd replied, letting Mal down after a second or so of the latter tugging at his hair.

"-Sir. My name would be Mal, the Hero's latest companion. As an apprentice of the-,"

"Buddy, Mal, I don't care. All's I'm here for is seeing faces and knowing names and shouting at the people up top. Now, Todd, may I ask what kind of creature that... insect is? If it may present a danger to myself, my coworkers, or the civilians, I'm afraid I must confiscate it."

"Oh, dude! Uh, don't worry, Johnny here is like, completely tame! Wouldn't hurt a fly!"

Which would be true if I hadn't completely decimated just about two hundred spiders only an hour or so ago. Oops.

-Oh! Speaking of that! I still have that munching evolution thing-, how did I miss that??

Okay, let's see here, the choices are... Venom Bite, Bane of Spiders, Devour, and Consume. I feel like those two are way too similar in naming, but... whatever. Devour, which gives extra exp and damage if the enemy is eaten alive, and also a small chance of getting a random skill or something, and Consume, which just lets me eat anything, and also gain resistances easier?

Hrm. Well, I'll put off the bane of spiders for a start. As good as it is, it isn't worth sacrificing the rest. Who knows what enemies I'll be battling henceforth? I really can't grab a specialization just here and now for no reason. I also don't have any particular hate for spiders, so...

Poison bite might be good, but I just... All and all, I kind of don't want biting and eating people to be a part of my strategy, y'know? Also, is it too late to ask you to just, well, disregard what I did to that white spider? No?...

So, Consume or Devour. They also sound cooler, so...

Eating people alive, or eating anything. Eating anything would be good, if... I actually needed to eat. Which I don't think I do-? Maybe I should ask Todd if he needs to eat. Neither of us has any lack of stamina, and I've only ever eaten because there was food right in front of me, so...

Then again, poison resistance and an overall easier time getting a resistance sounds pretty sweet.

...But, I'll have to say, Devour is pretty useful. I'm not in the habit of eating people alive, that last bout aside, but... I gotta say, that gaining-skills part really has me sold.

Okay, let's do it!

Skill (Munch) would like to (EVOLVE), please choose an option

I choose Devour!

(EVOLUTION) Devour has been chosen, skill (Munch) will now (EVOLVE)

Please stand by...

Mhm, mhm, what are they even saying-?

"So, I gots him from an uncle's aunt's sister who was all up in the even-farther north, and she got this here egg which she brought down here, and after a few days, this little fella hatched, and-,"

"Fine! If you intend to bore me to death, know that you have succeeded! You may enter, and bring your... pet with you. Todd. Mal."

The guard glares at me.

"Johnny."

...He's got a knack for faces and names, doesn't he? Wish I had that, I barely even know my father's name.

...I'm sure it begins with a P, five letters...

Skill (Munch) has (EVOLVED) into skill (Devour)

Oh, there we go! Nice. Maybe now I won't have to try Uncertain Trade, that thing is mortifying!

"Alright, thanks bro, c'ya later!"

The guard grunts in affirmation, and we slip inside the gates. The second we're inside, we're met by busy streets and hurrying people and actual honest-to-god paved stone roads. Holy shit. The streets are mostly covered in, well, humans, but also a lot of carriages, far smaller than the ones Todd waved at, but still quite large, and still very much drawn by those weird six-legged horses.

What, did some wizard just grab a regular horse and plaster on another pair of legs? It's moronic, is what I say!

"Something on your mind, Johnny?"

Todd asks, poking my face. Maybe I should try out Devour? Wouldn't hurt me, now-,

"Hey, no need to look all sulky! Ain't you happy we're in the big city?? Bet you haven't been in one of these in a good while, heh!"

For some reason, knowing that Todd remembered I was some country-side farmer's boy made me sort of, well... happy. That he remembers something about me. Hm! Friendship! What an odd thing.

Then again, he is sort of right. Kind of. Mum and dad only ever took me to the city on sparse occasions, like there was a movie that hit the papers that dad wanted us to see or something like that. I can't say I loved going to the city or anything, I've never been much for crowds, but... it was nice. There's something to it.

And there was something to this, too. People going here and there in big puffy dresses and sleeves and clothes, everybody wearing a hat. Quaint.

As I had noticed before, each and every house was made of rock, and since every road I saw was somehow sloped, I got kind of scared that if one of the houses collapsed, the rocks would just tumble down and gain momentum and destroy everything.

"Alright, enough stargazing! Let's get to the guild!"

-Guild?...