Life is quite… complicated. One thing that I can roughly understand about it is: life is a cycle. When you ask question like ‘are you happy?’ or ‘are you sad?’ the better question to ask should be ‘are you content?’ as happiness and sadness is condensed in a cycle. How long you’ll be happy before you get sad and how short is your sadness before you’ll be happy, that’s what being content means… well at least for me. But everyone have their own answer and interpretation and I think that what makes questioning the meaning of life fun.

Oh ye gods, my arse feels numbed from all these sitting and lying. The river in the south is like white-water rafting without the excitement. It’s not too fast but fast enough to give you an uncomfortable ride.

We moved early in the morning before the sun even rise and it had been like four hour but thankfully, the estimated journey is seven to eight hours. Strangely, The north and the south side has no portals unlike the west and east, so the journey feels long but in truth, it’s pretty short like the trip to the north.

“Oh, I hate rivers or any bodies of water ever since I came to this world. I miss the deserts.”

Akujin, who just muttered was suffering from nausea. He was beside me as he puts a long face while lying on his back on top of the boat, looking at sky. His complexion was terrible and he already puked several times during the trip.

“Is there such thing as a riversick? You’ll get used to it. The sea huh… I haven’t been the beach for years.”

August on the other hand, was quite content with the ride as he leisurely sat while viewing the surrounding.

“Me too. I haven’t been to the beach since I was ten although in my world, there was an invasion from the sea monsters for years, so I guess there was that.”

Stryklos while strumming his custom made six-string mandolin was in a relaxing posture as he leaned his back on the port or the left side of the boat just opposite of me.

In a column, Akujin was behind me while Aeriasus was in front of me on the starboard side or the right side of the boat. Next to Akujin was August while next to Aeriasus was Herkaloi.

We teamed up with half the Inheritors for this assignment. Same as usual, get to know the local, manage and repeat. From what I read, heard and concluded, Valvakea is quite an exotic land, far different from Athryshiayl. Even Symokiva and the Eastern Alliances had cultural similarity with Athryshiayl but Valvakea had their distinct culture that doesn’t seem to be picked up by Athryshiayl and vice-versa.

“Wait, stop!”

Suddenly Herkaloi had shouted and he moved forward to the bow of the boat. Everyone including the guards behind us peered.

Just at a distance in front of us, there was someone swimming furiously. No wait, he or she is drowning furiously. I have no idea why the first thing in mind was ‘furiously’.

Before we could stop the boat, Herkaloi unhesitatingly jumped into the river and swims. Unfortunately, forgetting how rapid the river flow was, Herkaloi was struggling to swim.

“Get me a rope.”

While the guard manning the boat was using Eomancy to stop it from moving, August who instructed, quickly held out his right hand without looking at Akujin and Akujin, unceremoniously took the rope given to him by the guards behind us and gave it to August.

August threw the rope towards Herkaloi. Herkaloi caught the rope and manage to stabilize his swimming.

He swam towards the drowning person and grabbed him or her. After he did that, all of us in the boat except Aeriasus pulled the rope. Both Herkaloi and… a woman got into the boat.

The woman was a human with red long hair who wore a white traveling cloth. She coughed heavily after she settled on the boat.

All of us in the boat were looking at each other. Probably each of us was thinking about what a strange turn of event of finding a woman drowning in a middle of a river.

Aeriasus was tending to her with a Red Eomancy spell of heat, drying her cloth. Since her dress was white and soaked in water, it exposed the contours and shape of her body. Everyone was awkwardly shifting their gazes… except me.

“Ruigne, at least try to blurt out you have wandering eyes!”

Stryklos saw me staring without reservation and yelped hysterically. This remind me of something… oh wait, I was the subject at that time.

“Relax; she’s not that sexy that I would start lusting… Anyway, I was looking because I noticed something on her vein near her right arm.”

I got closer and observed closely. One of her vein was blemished with subtle bluish colour, a sign of poisoning. There was a bite mark near her wrist. It must have been some poisonous creature in the river.

“Aeriasus, get her to lie down, she’s poisoned.”

Aeriasus looked at where I was staring and nodded. The woman weakly allowed Aeriasus to lie her down.

“Oh.”

Hearing me, Stryklos, August, Herkaloi and Akujin gave the same short reactions of understanding.

I grabbed her right arm and started with a Deep Green Eomancy spell. It was a beginner spell called ‘Neutralize’ since I was only able to cast this colour when Ghiscra had shared her insight with me during our assignment. Now I only have 4 more colours to go before I can use advance Eomancy.

Dark Greenish light appeared my right arm as I touched her right arm. After a few minutes, her complexion became much better.

It was at that point-

“Greeting!”

From behind our boat, another boat filled with what seems to be local Valvakean with their clothes and style especially the ‘Wariyas’. A man with a proud bearing but easy-going smile who was standing in the bow of the boat had called us.

They probably came from one of the branching streams.

All of us stood up except Aeriasus who instead unfurled her wings, hiding the weakened woman. The people from the other boat couldn’t see her as the sides of the boat were high enough to hide her lying figure.

I got up and seeing that no one greeted the man back-

“Greeting, how can we help you all?”

I tried to appear as sociable and polite since I felt that these people are somewhat prominent in Valvakea.

The man who called had frowned when no one answered him but after I greeted him back, he quickly smiled.

“I’ll be quick. Have you seen anyone swimming along the river?”

All us of were still quiet. It seems that everyone here including the guards was wary about this newly arrival. If I were to say for myself, I also felt that there was something wrong with the group but I couldn’t place what it was. On the corner of my eyes, I saw that Aeriasus had a blank face, indiscernible.

“We been traveling for a while but we haven’t seen anything except the occasional fishes, stray animals and other passing boats. I don’t believe anyone is stupid enough to swim in this river.”

I lied perfectly through my teeth.

Hearing me, the man’s face had a bit of displeasure but he quickly hid it and gave an admirable smile.

“Very well. Sorry to disturb all of you. We’ll take our leave.”

The man kept his smile as they leave and kept watching our boat. It was only after a minute, the sight of them disappeared.

“Let’s move.”

I commanded the guards with a stern tone. The tension just now had taut my senses.

“…Thanks.”

From the front of the boat, the woman, who looked much better now, had just muttered quietly.

“We’ll talk later. For now, just get yourself together. Oh by the way, everyone in this boat except those three at the back, are Summoned. So relax as no one here can harm or threaten you.”

I nonchalantly told the woman while taking my seat.

“Yeah, we don’t know your story yet but it must have something to do with those people.”

August had an unpleasant expression as he imagined some awry backstory.

“True and you guys realized something? This is like one of the start of an epic story! ‘A mysterious girl found adrift and rescued, a group of men came, inquiring a strange question and a group of heroes’ arrival in new land-”

“You know, I prided myself for being able to withstand August incessant nonsense but after hearing you talk for just a second, my brain stopped working for a while just now.”

Stryklos was in his ‘inspiration’ trance while Akujin rolled his eyes as he listened to him forcibly.

The woman gawked looking at us. It was whether she couldn’t believe she was saved by a group of summoned or her expectation of the summoned had shattered.

“We’re all like this. We’re not some vaunted and divine beings.”

Aeriasus smiled cheerfully when she saw the woman’s expression.

Herkaloi on the side was quietly sitting, looking cool and shit.

After hours of ride, we arrived at the Capital of Valvakea, Feniv-Korvi. It reminded me of a picture of the port city of Venice. There was a middle-eastern feel to the architecture of the buildings and the shape was unlike an Fhagec but a square block made out of bricks and the buildings were placed side to side, forming countless streets. It was nothing like Tchekaz.

Finally, I’m assigned to a place that isn’t anything remotely military in nature… Yet.

Although I couldn’t see how large the city, I can estimate that it is hugely sprawling, reaching from here to the beach.

The place we arrived was something like an inner harbour with countless of boats moving about and moored.

We keep sailing until we reached a particular luxurious empty docking spot and next to that spot was an official entourage standing.

We docked, got off and proceed with the standard procession.

“Greeting, Honoured Summoned, Welcome to Feniv-Korvi, the Pre-eminent city of Alkhemist Guilds.”

A black haired man with a bark-like skin with a grey robe greeted us and bowed amiably.

The woman we rescued was standing behind our guards and showed an obedient mien.

Before I could greet back-

“Lead us to our assigned post.”

Short and concise, Herkaloi stepped forward, gesturing himself to be the leader of our group.

… Does this mean I’m free from the shackle of expectation?

I’m… elated.