“Alright, so…like this?” It’d been several hours since they’d started off for the day, and at the moment, Mia and Marcus were practicing the very basics of swordplay. They had both been surprised by her sheer strength, and had quickly dismissed the necessity of endurance or strength training at the moment; she clearly wasn’t in need of such, at least compared to humans. Right now, she was still learning to hold a sword properly, however. “I know that holding one on horseback is entirely different than on foot, but still…”

“Hey, it’s what I got to work with,” Marcus insisted. “I’m kinda playing this by ear since your whole…look…is way different than almost anything else. I mean, pretty sure a centaur would be able to tell you something a bit better, but there aren’t any around, so all we got is me.” She supposed she had to give him that. It’s not like he wasn’t trying his best, but it was still a bit weird to do exactly as he’d asked, and then having him shake his head and insist on trying it another way.

“When I first heard about centaurs, I kinda hoped that meant I wouldn’t be considered THAT weird,” Mia admitted as she tried another position. Something about a low guard- it wasn’t really working out for her, though- it hardly reached her torso. Not really ‘low’. “Guess that was silly.”

“No, kinda makes sense,” Junia admitted as she rode along. “Maybe it’s just…yeah, spiders are kinda creepy to a lot of people, so a BIG spider would be extra scary. No offense.”

“None taken,” Mia dismissed, sighing as she continued to get criticism and critique from Marcus. “I’m not sure if this is working out…”

“What, the walking into towns thing or the sword thing?” Marcus asked, a worried expression on his face. “‘Cause if it’s the first thing…”

“It’s the second, don’t worry,” Mia said with a wry grin. “I mean, the first thing’s getting kinda bad, too, but it’s still something I’m going to have to do eventually, I figure.”

Junia could only nod at the statement, and focused on the road ahead.

It was an hour or so of traveling afterwards that she spoke up again, having put away the sword not long ago. “How much further?”

“About another day and a half, I think. That Crest Hawk really kinda put us behind schedule,” came the response. Mia bit back a sigh, and could only agree that such a timeline made sense. “You’ve been keeping up pretty well, honestly. I thought we’d have to call for a lot more breaks than we have so far.”

“Yeah, I suppose.” Mia hadn’t thought much about it, but no, even after a steady ride just as they’d said, she was barely breathing hard. “You’ve been alternating between trotting and walking, sure, but it hasn’t been too much to keep up. I suspect we could go a little faster, even.”

“Eh, let’s not overwork the horses,” Junia disagreed. “We’ll get there soon enough. Besides, we’ve gotta take the long way around.”

“Wait, we’re going the long way?” Mia asked in surprise. Why would they…

“Yeah. There’s some nasty marshes if you get too close to the river for a while, so the trail goes around it unless you’re feeling bold,” Junia explained. “Lots of gross things live in there, like Slurper Frogs, Ash Vipers, and a few other nasties.”

“Not the safest place to be, but weirdly enough it’s kinda why Charloom’s so popular, too,” Marcus explained. “See, the river splits three ways at Charloom, so you can get to a bunch of different places depending on where you follow. Just not many folks come out this way because all that’s here are some cliffs n’ junk…though I guess maybe your folks had a hand in that?” He looked back at Mia, only for her to shrug. “Dang. Thought that might jog your memory.”

“I wish it did,” Mia said simply. But it WAS interesting to know, at least.

“Anyway, yeah. You can’t really get to the sea in that direction, but it’s still super useful for trade to have a port set up where the Aribeth River splits, so you can make shipping easier- so that’s where Charloom comes from!” He seemed happy to be informing her of something, for once. Junia had been doing a lot of non-fighting explanations lately, and Mia had started to feel he might think himself a bit left out.

“That sounds interesting,” she admitted. “So there’ll be a lot of ships there?”

“A bunch!” he confirmed. “Most starting out from Charloom, or Halevin, but occasionally you’ll get some going upriver coming from Gubani or somewhere around there. That’s a whole different country,” he quickly explains. “And it takes a while for their stuff to get here, but it’s pretty rare. Charloom’s one of the few places you can get it, aside from the Capital and a couple others, because aside from going up the Aribeth, they’d have to travel on foot, and that takes forever.”

That was surprising to hear, though Mia was quick to realize that the feeling itself was silly. Of course they’d have other countries they’d trade with. Although something he mentioned stuck out at her. “Wait a second, how do they travel upstream?” Mia asked.

“Oh, they’ve got inscriptions for water movement on the bottom of the hulls and the rudder and stuff,” Marcus explains. “Really handy.” She supposed that made sense.

In time, Mia began to notice that the ground was getting a bit more uneven. “Yeah, we gotta get through a bit of a pass before we get to Charloom. It gets hilly here.”

“Yeah, the land gets a bit lower, and you can see Charloom in the far distance!” Marcus added, which didn’t really do Mia’s nerves any favors. “But first, make sure to watch your step. It’ll take a while to get down this incline. We’ll probably set up camp not too long afterwards.”

To Mia’s faint surprise, she saw that the area got VERY steep. Almost like they were climbing down a mountain. “Yeah, this is another reason why there’s hardly any trade up this way,” Marcus mentioned. Can’t really get ships up here easily, or trade caravans. Gotta do it the long and slow way, otherwise you get a wreck.” Well, she couldn’t debate that, she supposed. The journey for that part, was largely them trying to make sure their steeds didn’t misstep, or in Mia’s case, herself. While she was a great deal more sure-footed than she used to be, she still wasn’t entirely comfortable with how she might or might not be able to scale surfaces. Not once did she feel like she was going to trip, but it was still a matter of mentally recognizing it.

However, made it down they did. Mia was quick to notice that once the land began to flatten out once more into sparse trees, and once she could see another trail in the distance, she noticed that the path they were on seemed much better maintained. She didn’t bother to bring it up- likely with the importance of the routes elsewhere, they’d be watched by knights or whomever they had tasked with the duty. “We’re gonna need to be careful from here on in,” Marcus noted. “There’s gonna be a lot more people going to and from Charloom, and we’re gonna be a shock to ‘em. But so long as you keep calm, people shouldn’t panic too much.”

“Yeah. We should expect scouts or some watchmen to ride to meet us before we make it to the front gate,” Junia added. “All we have to do is say that you’re ‘of interest to the King’, and a good word from yourself, and I doubt we’ll have a whole lot to worry about.”

“I’ll take your word for it,” she decided. Any further statements were kept to herself as they made camp for the night. In this case, it was easier than before- it seemed that these woods were well known to them and others, and several spots were already pre-defined as ‘safe’ or preferable camping grounds, complete with well-placed logs and firepits. “A lot of the time, apprentices come out this way; hunters, alchemists, all those sorts. Kinda built up a reputation here. The wildlife isn’t too thin, but most older things know it’s risky to attack groups.”

Well, that was pleasant news to her. “So, we should be safe here?”

“It’s still a good idea to keep watch, of course,” Junia said easily as she continued to prep her tent. “Beyond the unknown factor that is your existence, some beasts will certainly attack someone asleep.”

“Right…” She supposed that was to be expected. But thinking about it, then… “So does that mean it’s alright for me to keep watch for a night?”

They paused briefly, looking at each other. Junia was the first to speak. “I mean…I wouldn’t want you to lose out on sleep.”

“Y-yeah, we’ve been fine,” Marcus insisted. “We’re less than a day away from Charloom, after all- we’ll get there by midday tomorrow.”

“Yeah, and I doubt I’ll have anything else to do once we get there,” Mia pointed out. “Especially if I’m kept under close watch. I might as well sleep there. And besides, I owe you.”

“You really don’t,” Junia insisted. “Just go to bed, and we’ll-”

“Be staying up alongside me, because I’m going to do SOMETHING here aside from follow and do nothing,” Mia insisted. She was starting to get more than a bit tired of essentially being a walking mystery and potential sack of money for them. She felt antsy- desiring to do SOMETHING to earn her keep. “It’s really one of those two choices.”

“You’ve gotta be- what about the stupid bird?” Junia pressed. “You killed it easily enough, that’s not making us square?”

“I got knocked out, and it was for sure a panic swing,” Mia insisted. “So no.”

Junia just ran her hand down her face as she groaned, while Marcus could only chuckle. “Well, guess we got our answer. But hey, if nothin’ else, at least only take first watch, huh? Tryin’ to stay up all night’s for fools.”

“Alright, that’s fine.” Thinking about it, it’d at least be better for her sleep schedule.

“Then I’ll take second,” Junia decided. “Marcus, you-”

“Of course I’m fine with it,” Marcus interrupted. “Now, let’s eat, huh?”

As they did, Mia, though satisfied, was inwardly rather nervous. Was there a trick to standing watch? Aside from staying awake, of course…and how would she wake them?

Fortunately, that was answered not long after they finished eating, as the evening turned to night proper. “Wake me when the moon is just above the trees,” she said plainly. “Just shake me, it’ll be fine.”

Oh, was that it? That, she could do. “Sure thing! You leave it to me!”

She just sighs. “Right. In that case, I’m going to sleep. See you soon enough.” With that, and a ‘have fun’ from Marcus (right), she was on her own.

And to her surprise, she felt…well, perhaps not energized, but at least more comfortable than she used to be alone. She’d thought she’d be far more worried, but the gentle light of the small fire, as well as the knowledge that her companions were right there helped soothe any frayed nerves she might’ve had. And this forest was clearly much more peaceful than the one she’d first found herself in; the wind was gentle, and there was less in the way of predators, it sounded like. Opportunistic, but she was growing a bit more confident, at least in regards to handling smaller, simple animals.

She only jumped once when a beast rustled the brush- a small, fuzzy thing with a long snout came snuffling around. It was a tiny fat thing and not even a boar. It only seemed concerned with some of the leaves nearby, and so she decided it wasn’t worth killing; frankly, it looked awfully cute to her.

As she checked for the moon- still not above the trees, she sighed, stoking the fire. This seemed like it would be a rather dull shift, which she was grateful for…but it was still boring.

It soon turned out she was right, and was all too eager to fall asleep after waking up Junia and making sure she wasn’t strangled by accident. She wound up flopping down, and almost immediately drifting off into dreamland.

Mia…

And in those dreams, something spoke to her.

Mia…

Hearing it was difficult. It was slow, and she swam in a sea of nothingness. She opened her mouth, and there was no sound. And yet she could hear.

Mia…you can be so much.

She couldn’t parse that. She wanted to ask what that meant, but she was frozen, yet moving.

Don’t shy from speaking. I cannot speak back, but I will listen.

And then, nothing at all.

When she woke up, she felt hazy, to say the least. “Morning, sleepyhead!” Junia said easily. She was already up and fixing a pot of something to put with their hard bread. “Ready for the last leg of the trip?

“I’m ready to stop hearing whatever’s happening in your tent at night,” Marcus said with a grin on his face. “I’m telling ya, you growl like an animal in your sleep. What’s that, your version of snoring?”

“I don’t snore, I exhale with a unique cadence,” Junia said, nonplussed. Frankly, Mia thought that was a bit silly and saw no reason to interfere.

The trip continued in peace for some time, but soon it was waylaid by seeing what was ahead of them. There seemed to be acres and acres of grassland in the distance, but what she also noticed was that the river had come back around, leading to a stone wall that was no doubt the walls of Charloom. Roughly halfway between was a large, stone watchtower.

She also noticed what was clearly a couple of traders headed in their direction. ‘Oh, crap!’ thought Mia. ‘Head down, don’t look suspicious, don’t look suspicious…’

How they didn’t panic at her, even as the horses neighed and whinnied, she had no clue; but the trader, who she could practically sense had his eyes glued to her, had to quickly focus on his own steeds before their panic could overturn his wagon.

She whispered a small ‘sorry’ to them as they passed. Not that it’d help matters.

It was hardly a few more minutes before a whole group could be seen riding up to them. Mia chanced looking up to see men in green and brown armor; much of it metal, though some leathers here and there. The leader had a short cut of straight black hair, stood tall and proud on his steed, and had a longsword to his side and a kite shield strapped to his back. “Hold. What is this? What are you bringing into Charloom?”

“This here’s Mia- she’s the last of her race,” Marcus quickly came forth to explain. “She means no harm, is perfectly cognizant and intelligent, and can understand everything you say and reply to it.” That seemed suspect to the men and women on horseback, who shared dubious glances.

“There’s no lie here,” Junia jumped in. “We seek an audience with the King of Verasil so that he may learn of legends not spoken of, and see a remnant of a civilization gone.”

“...can understand everything I say, huh?” the leader said as he kept stone cold eyes on Mia, who did her best to not meet them. “Then can you understand me now?”

“Yes,” Mia said quickly, keeping down all the while. “Perfectly well. It’s just as they say,” she confirmed. The air itself seemed to have gotten stiffer with their presence, but she vowed to muddle through.

“Mm…fascinating. Almost like a centaur, but clearly not…” he mumbled, half to himself as he looked her over. “Does it know the rules?”

“SHE has no inclination to harm anyone, sir,” Junia proclaimed. “Nor does she have any desire to cause undue stress.”

The captain squinted his eyes briefly, but ultimately said nothing on it. “Understood. But that doesn’t mean it- she isn’t getting a Watcher’s Bangle.”

“A what?” Mia asked, but the two kids with her merely nodded. “What’s a Watcher’s Bangle?” she asked.

“It’s a device that monitors what buildings you go into,” Junia said, not taking her eyes off of any of the people in front of her. “And when you go in and come out. Generally, it’s usually used for criminals.” She had made sure to emphasize that last word.

“BUT, it very much is used for certain VIPs, or individuals whom we can’t verify the identity of,” the captain pointed out tersely. “So don’t go assuming ill intentions on our part. It’s just procedure.” That didn’t seem to affect Marcus or Junia’s expressions of annoyance.

“Oh. Well…I don’t mind.” That was a bit of a lie. She certainly didn’t relish the idea of no personal life, in some respects, but she’d accept it for a chance to sleep longer than a night on a real bed. “Where would it go on me? My arm?”

That got a nearly blank look from the man. “Huh…well, follow me,” the captain said as he turned around, and the others took up escort positions, surrounding them. “Easy pace, no need to get people riled up.” And so off they went.

The march was…well, it wasn’t fast, but it wasn’t as slow as it could’ve been. Mia had tried everything she could think of to get one of the guards to talk to her, but alas, none of them ever seemed much for conversation. Instead, she was forced to make due with various looks and silence.

She noticed that, on the whole, they at least didn’t seem outright afraid or condemning of her, which she supposed was a minor victory. That didn’t mean she didn’t catch one or two suspicious looks- including one who seemed almost disgusted at her, judging by the frown she wore. Mia decided to ignore that one as best she could.

As they got closer, Mia realized that the walls were much bigger than she expected; and likely the city would be, too. She could see behind the parapets that there were a number of guards waiting, watching. The entrance was a large portcullis, already raised.

She ignored as many looks as possible as she drew closer and the number of people increased…but it didn’t help block out the whispers that floated to her from the mouths of the various people she passed- including some of the guards.

“What in the world is that?”

“Some sort of unholy amalgamation?”

“It’s like a centaur but demonic…”

“Is it some kind of demon meant to mock the horsefolk?”

Their ‘escort’ didn’t seem to react to the quips either way, instead ushering them all into a side room- save for Mia herself. “Consider this a first test; stay out here and don’t move.” He fixed her with a stare that easily spoke of the consequences, and she could only nod.

“I’ll stay with her,” Junia said quickly. After a moment of consideration, the captain nodded, and took the rest in, leaving the two standing awkwardly. Or at least Mia. It was clear Junia was just annoyed about the situation.

Fortunately, it actually didn’t take very long, meaning Mia was subject to only a few minutes of suspicious glances and glares, and Junia trying to counteract them with her own. It was almost funny in a way- the obviously smaller human was trying to make herself seem like the bigger problem.

However, as the captain came back out, he had with him a gold bangle, in which lay a green stone. The bangle was inscribed by a number of etchings; likely Godspeak, and complicatedly so. “Alright, then. You’re to wear this for the next few days; we’ll not tell you the exact number, but prove yourself on the upright well enough, and we’ll take it off. You’ll also probably want this.” And here, he presented her with a silver torc, with the engraving of a bird she couldn’t place. “This marks you as a guest and envoy, meaning no one should want to risk messing with you unless they want to risk the ire of the King.”

“Oh! Thank you!” That seemed much more agreeable to her than simply having that monitoring bracelet.

“Your friend here made a surprisingly convincing argument,” he said, motioning to Marcus who puffed out his chest. “But that leads me to the last condition: you’re having a guard with you. At least for the time being.”

“Wait, what?” A guard? Really?

“Aye, and there’s no choice in it for you,” he said easily as he crossed his arms. “Either accept it, or no entry.”

Mia wanted to complain- shouldn’t the bangle be enough? But she thought better of it, and spoke up before Junia could. “I…guess that’s alright. Who is it?”

“That’d be me!” one of the guardsmen to his right spoke up. He was a lankier, somewhat youthful fellow- around Marcus’s and Junia’s ages, Mia thought; his short, shaggy blonde hair framed his thin, youthful face well enough, and to her surprise he actually smiled as he saluted. “Name’s Leon! Not to worry, you seem fair enough!” Almost as though reassuring himself, he nodded, barreling on through Mia’s attempt at a rebuttal. “Just keep your wits about you, and you’ll be fine here!”

After a moment, she realized that yeah, this guy was one of the ones that hadn’t seemed to harbor much negative about it- though he stared at her on the way there, it was clear it was from curiosity more than disgust. Still, his attitude was surprisingly…peppy.

‘Right…’ she couldn’t help but think as she pulled on the bangle and torc. The former glowed briefly with a sharp verdant light, before she felt a slight sting on her wrist. “Ow! What the-?”

“That’d be the blood. Now we’ve got your identity, and we’ll be informed of any visits you might make until such time as the bangle comes off.”

“Oh, don’t worry about it, won’t be noticeable at all after a while!” Leon reassured her.

Somehow, it didn’t help Mia, as she took another close look at the bangle.

“At any rate, with that, you’re free to enter Charloom. The boy here paid,” the captain noted, and as though confirming he had no more business with them, he and the rest of his squad proceeded to head back.

“Alrighty, miss! You ready to experience the sights and sounds of Charloom?” he asked excitedly. “I’d love to give you a tour! C’mon!” After all this…well, Mia could only think that it’d at least nice. She nodded, and with that, Leon marched forwards. “Right through here!”

They went forward, and at once the walls of the entranceway soon gave way to busy streets and the overwhelming sights, smells, and sounds of the city soon washed over her. She could see vendors hawking various foods, store signs advertising tailor shops, dance halls, and more.

“Now, first thing’s first! Let’s get you lot an inn!” Leon said eagerly. "And some good eats, and you're gonna LOVE the dancin' troupe..."

"...is this guy for real?" Junia whispered behind him.

"Hey, I'm not gonna knock it," Marcus shot back just as quietly. "Gives us an excuse."

Mia had to agree with that, but wisely kept silent as the duo's jabbering went on, largely tuning it all out. She would much rather get a guided tour than the alternative, at least.

'And maybe,' she thought as Leon began to explain about the history of Charloom's founding, 'I'll figure out what that voice meant exactly by 'speaking'.