We got up from the couch and made our way out from the house we didn't see the matriarch anywhere. We decided we weren't going to wait since there is not a lot of time at night. Walking out from the village i took one last look back, the place was silent, not a soul to be seen. We made our way into the surrounding area. According to the map it would take us a full day to get to xenia which means a full 31h of walking. This was going to be a long road especially since we are walking only at night. Walking through the jungle I noticed it was silent, no noises of faraway animals or clicking of insects, i didn't notice it in the morning since i was more concentrated on getting water and shelter. Samuel looks like he doesn't like it here either. After a while our walking transformed into a jog. Now we are running toward our destination but even if we run all night we still won't make it by morning. And just like that we spent the last 8h of night time running to Xenia. The suns were starting to come up. I could feel it getting hotter already, so we decided to slow down and look for some shelter. Eventually when the suns had come up we found a hollowed tree stump big enough for the 2 of us. We went inside to get out of the cruel suns. Sitting down i decided to look at the map. We had gotten considerably closer to our goal but we would only make it there tomorrow if we run all night again, my legs are starting to cramp from all the running meanwhile sam looks like he just done a light jog. Sam sits down in front of me and hands me a bottle of water i quickly grab it and take a big mouthful, he snatches it back before i could take another and says :

" That is the only water we have until we make it to Xenia "

"Shit why didn't i ask the matriarch for a bottle" I complained.

We sit in that tree for the rest of the day, 1h before the suns are meant to go down and it has gotten cooler outside we leave to continue our journey. We start off by walking and when the suns are completely down we start to run. We are running all throughout the night hoping to reach town before the suns rise again. After a long night of running, we are almost at the town so i decided that we would not seek shelter from the suns but continue on until we reach town. 2h after the suns have risen we can see the town in the distance. It must only be another 1 or 2h walk, but i am getting very thirsty from having run all night and walking in the suns. I grab Sam's shoulder and ask him :

" how much water do we have left can i have some ? "

he reaches into his bag and hands me the bottle i take one big gulp of water feeling refreshed but not satisfied there isn't much left i hand what is left to Sam telling him to drink the rest, He does so and we now don't have any water left but it shouldn't matter since we will arrive at town soon.

The last stretch of the journey seemed like the longest the town was in sight but seemed like it was so far away. We finally arrived just like with the village we saw. This town had no defensive barriers but i understood better why now. The town resembled the village a lot but just on a much larger scale, while if you climbed a tree you could have seen the whole village with the town it went on for as far as the eye could see, and we could see very far. The townspeople weren't as afraid of us as the villagers were.

Walking into town we got a lot of stares from the people. I guess they weren't used to strangers , i saw a sign for what looked like an Inn , I pointed to Sam and we walked in. Inside there is a secretary behind a large wooden desk. I walked up to her with the friendliest smile i could muster hoping she would understand my words. I said :

" Hello, we are travelers from afar. We are looking for a place to stay and perhaps some transport to another planet ? "

She gave me a classic customer service smile and said :

" Hello, travelers welcome to the Rose Inn. If you are looking for a place to stay then this is the best Inn in town, we offer day rates but if you are looking to stay longer we offer a discount on prolonged stays. As for transport you would have to talk to someone down by the ship dock they will be able to tell you more "

"What are your rates for a day ? "

i ask a bit worried because the days are terribly long

" 100 toin for 1 day and 900 for 10 days with a discount of 100 toin "

I looked at my pouch my mother gave me 1000 toin and i didn't want to use it all in one go. Besides Sam was giving me a death glare telling me i better not spend any money.

" i will have to check with the ship master to see when the next ship is leaving first thank you for your help "

" Hope to see you again soon. The ship dock is in the western district, you can't miss it "

she said waving us goodbye as we walked out the door.

Sam turns to me and says : " I'm proud of you for not spending all the money "

God i must have a terrible reputation if he thought i was stupid enough to spend it all in one go

" Let's go to the western district " i said.

On the way to the western district we were stared at at every turn. It was a bit creepy but it must just be because they aren't used to strangers. We arrived in the ship dock you really can't miss it. It was the only place that looked like it wasn't cut from nature. Great big black buildings that looked like they were absorbing the light from the surroundings,made from gallirum the ore my home people used. I walked into the building and felt much better after escaping the heat. The place reminded me of home and made me miss it, even though it hasn't been very long since I left. Walking up to the front desk i see there aren't many people here, nobody's manning the front desk. I ring the bell hoping to get someone's attention. From a door in the back a man runs out, shouting

" hello visitors what can i do for you "

i laugh a little at his behavior

" we are looking for a ship off the planet when and where is the next one scheduled "

He does a little fake cough to hide his embarrassment and says :

" the next ship departs in 2 days from now it will be heading to the neighboring solar system to a planet called Zion the fee is 500 toin per person "

" 500 isn't that a little steep for a fellow countryman " i said hoping to get a discount

He looks to be seriously considering it when he says :

" Okay for the 2 of you it will be 900 but i can't do any lower or i will get in trouble "

Perfect, I said and placed the money on the counter " we will see you again in a few days ".

Back outside in the blistering heat we walk around town trying to find a cheap hotel where we can spend the next few days. We go down an alleyway in the shade hoping to get out of the sun for just a bit when we hear a woman shout :

" Get off me i will tear you apart "

we look down the alley and see 2 other women harassing a smaller one.

Sam says to me :

" this is the perfect opportunity to accomplish one of your tasks to becoming king , help out the people she is a person in need of help "

i groan i really don't want to do these stupid tasks if i fail then i can't become king and i can live a calm and peacful life. Just when i was thinking about turning around, the woman screamed in pain.