Almost two hours later, Eli felt like he was practically flying down the roadway, racing the Lurran sun. Based on what Dara had told him on their way to Herria, the cities and towns around here tended to lock their gates when Lackar set, only opening them again at dawn. He couldn’t be sure that Osky was the same, but he figured it was safer to assume as much until proven otherwise.

When he’d first left the foursome behind, he’d considered taking things slow, maybe jogging at a more normal pace to avoid drawing attention. But after some thought, he didn’t think there was much chance he’d remain hidden long. Even ignoring how he stuck out with his height, there was simply too much about this culture he didn’t understand. He’d probably give himself away as an Outlander whenever he talked for more than a few minutes. Since he couldn’t remain anonymous and didn't want to spend another night outside, he’d increased his speed until the kilometers blurred away beneath his long strides.

Without much to distract him beyond his own thoughts and the slowly thinning forest, he considered some of the things he’d learned that day. After his multiple encounters, he was now sure that the ring was somehow hiding his strength. Since he was unwilling to take it off, others would probably react badly to his apparent lack of power, though hopefully not quite as disastrously as that dipshit Earnan. For now, he figured the best answer would be to pretend he had some strength, perhaps what an average Talent or Gifted had. It shouldn’t be more challenging than extending his aura with a bit of energy while keeping his true abilities hidden. That way, he’d have a hell of an advantage in an emergency if he ever needed to reveal his true power.

He’d even tried a simple test not too far into his run. Unfortunately, as he’d guessed before, all of the information streaming in was far too much to take in, and he’d nearly face-planted the moment he’d extended his senses. Luckily, he’d managed to catch himself in time but had immediately withdrawn his aura from the air around him. After all, he’d have time for such experiments later when he wasn’t traveling at literally breakneck speeds.

As he continued south, he was also happy to see other people traveling the road. They’d been sporadic at first, with a solo person here and a pair or trio there, but soon enough, the way grew more congested. Even better, they didn’t seem too shocked to see someone running at such high speeds but simply got out of his way when they saw him coming. A few had gone so far as to shift to the other side of the roadway to give him extra space, and for those, he’d tossed them a wave in thanks without bothering to slow down. He’d just passed a half dozen such travelers heading in the opposite direction, most lugging large packs, when he came around another hill, quickly slowing in surprise.

“Wow,” he whispered, getting his first good look at the area. The road he’d been on all day continued down a gradual slope until leveling off upon reaching the grasslands below. A small walled settlement, no doubt Osky, wasn’t too far. Beyond it, hundreds of different colored patches broke up the ground, snaking rock walls and fences marking off different plots. More roads and small groups of buildings were scattered around, likely other settlements that serviced all the farms. A few flashes of blue hinted at rivers or aqueducts, but he guessed the latter based on their rigidly straight lines.

His eyes were drawn to the jagged white mountains dominating the southern horizon. If he wasn’t mistaken, they were a part of the Great Teeth range that Dara had previously pointed out. They were more imposing from up close as their peaks pierced the clouds, the late afternoon light reflecting brightly off their pale sides. At the foot of their slopes was a walled settlement blurry with distance, presumably Bishal and his destination for tomorrow.

Movement caught his attention, where a handful of dark specks floated through the sky. At first, he thought them simply birds, but their more angular shapes soon made him reconsider, instead guessing they were the airships he’d heard about. It was hard to get any sense of scale from where he was, but he figured they had to be massive if he could see them from so far away.

He started down the road to the nearby walled town while Lackar slowly set, filling the sky with deep reds shading into the darker night. Dozens of greyish-white rivulets rose above the settlement, the slight breeze gently pulling the town’s smoke west. From what he could see, Osky wasn’t nearly as large as he’d expected, probably holding well under a thousand people. The walls were also in pretty poor shape, even worse than Herria. Constructed from what looked like the local blue pines, the haphazard patches and unfinished logs made him wonder why anyone bothered. At least the gatehouse was a bit better, but that wasn’t saying much.

Stepping off the road, he paused, taking a knee just before his sandals materialized on his feet. Trying not to make it obvious, he glanced around, but no one seemed interested in him. Hoping his plan would work, he pushed out a tiny trickle of energy, his aura expanding only slightly.

Standing up and setting off at an even slower walking pace, he almost tripped at the sudden wave of information flooding his mind but continued on a moment later. He wasn’t sure what it felt like to others, but he was trying to mimic the strength he’d sensed from the foursome he’d left a couple of hours ago. With three of them being Talents, he figured that would be a respectable level of power and more than enough to get him inside a farming town. If needed, he could always crank it up to the power he’d sensed from Malitea.

Minutes later, he joined the small queue waiting to enter, happy to see that it was moving quickly. It probably helped that the guards beside the gatehouse were seemingly content with only asking a question or two and collecting the entry fee before waving people through. With how little they seemed to care, he hoped this went better than his prior experience outside Herria.

Much of the crowd standing around had similar style backpacks to the one Bearach had worn, if considerably smaller. However, the group Eli lined up behind was different. They were the largest party with more than a dozen folks, but they had arranged themselves into two smaller groups, one circling the other. In the center were four people, but three were dressed in little better than rags. The man beside them, in contrast, had some fancy duds with embroidery at the cuffs. He even had jewels or colored glass sparkling around his collar, with a line of silvery buttons holding his thick jacket closed.

Something about the other three drew Eli’s attention again, the woman and two men somehow standing out. He tried not to stare, so it took him a few seconds to figure out what was bothering him. But unlike everyone else he’d seen on this planet, there were almost no lights within their bodies. Where their bright core should be, they had a dark grey pebble giving off just the slightest hint of illumination. Even stranger, each had a thin line no thicker than a hair strand snaking through their heads but giving off a muted grey glow. Before he could get a closer look, their entire group was passed through the gate, seemingly without the questions or fees demanded from others.

Surprised, Eli glanced at the guard waving at him with a bored gesture. The older overweight man was in light leathers somewhat similar to the ones the Herria guards had worn, though this guy was a bit slovenly with a few stains marring the material. He also sported a grey-speckled mess of a beard that could have doubled as a nest for some enterprising bird.

“Reason for your visit to Osky?” the guard asked in a rough voice when Eli stopped in front of him.

“On my way to Bishal. I’m only here for the night,” he answered, trying to limit his response to the basic facts. All the while, he continued trickling a minuscule bit of energy out to his extended aura.

“Five littles,” the guard said listlessly, barely looking up.

Eli needed a moment to guess the man was using some slang, probably for the smallest copper coins. At least, he assumed so since entry to Herria was a handful of the same. With barely a thought, he summoned five of the tiny coins into his closed fist, dropping them into the guard’s outstretched hand. And without any further fanfare, he was waved through the gateway.

Trying to hide his surprise and relief at such easy entry, he walked in to get his first look at a new town. Unfortunately, it wasn’t too exciting, with most of the nearby buildings made from the same dark logs used for the exterior wall. The roads were hardened earth, and there was a strong whiff of human excrement and body odor that had his nose wrinkling in disgust. Wanting to escape the smell, he angled towards the center of town, figuring the Lodge Fasuto mentioned was probably in that direction.

His walk through Osky wasn’t too exciting. In fact, it was a bit depressing, with most of the people keeping their heads down and wearing closed expressions. The vast majority of the crowd were dressed in thick pants and similar shirts, the colors trending towards grey and off-white. A smattering of upper-class folks stood out in their brighter colors, their outfits obviously designed and made from better quality materials. At least they all had to walk through the dirty muck that was their idea of a road, though it was still a little jarring seeing such a clear divide between the two groups.

After reaching the town square and asking around, he was eventually pointed toward a grey brick building. From the outside, it wasn’t anything impressive with its simple and squat two-story design. But walking through the two heavy wooden doors, he almost sighed in relief at seeing the clean interior.

Spotting the stiff-bristled brushes beside the entryway, he took a few moments to remove the worst of the mud from his sandals, happy to leave the smelly muck behind. All the while, he looked around at the décor, comparing it with the Lodge in Herria. There were obvious similarities, even down to the couches, chairs, and tables they’d used. Two walls were adorned with colorful paintings, the theme apparently centered around flowers and landscapes. At the front, instead of the large windows like the other location, there was an impressive mural depicting the white mountains outside with fantastical creatures wheeling through the skies.

There were other differences, too, the most obvious being the music coming from a wide passageway on his right, a woman’s voice singing some indecipherable song. There was a soft undercurrent of muted conversation, and he wondered if this place had a bar. He’d expected something like it in Herria, but the closest they’d had was something like an upscale eatery. Apparently, the clientele in Osky demanded other things.

An elderly gentleman across the room glanced over when Eli entered, throwing on a professional smile before heading his way. Despite his apparent age, the older man moved easily in his fancy clothes. It was a little surprising that shiny pants and a colorful top were in fashion here. Still, there’d been similarly dressed people walking through the town.

“Hail traveler,” the gentleman said, giving a shallow nod, his welcoming expression dimming somewhat as he took in Eli’s outfit. “By your strength, I am Talent Korat, assistant to Head Trodair. How may the Lodge serve your needs?”

Eli nodded back, remembering the greeting Dara had used before. “Hail, and health to you, Talent Korat. Please, call me Eli,” he replied before smiling and gesturing at his clothing. “I know I look like a mess, but I had some trouble in the forest. And as you can imagine, it’s a bit difficult to find anything to fit me,” he finished with a bit of humor. At the same time, he increased the amount of energy he was channeling into his aura, going for something closer to a Gifted in strength.

Whether it was Eli’s words, charm, or the increased power he gave off, Korat’s smile grew more natural. It wasn’t long before they were bargaining for the establishment’s services since there didn’t seem to be a set price for anything. Using the Lodge in Herria as a yardstick, the two silvers Korat quoted seemed far too high. Eli responded in kind with a nearly insulting lowball offer, just like the game was played back on Earth. But after a little more back and forth, they agreed on a room for one night, dinner, and usage of their washroom for only a silver penny. Eli still thought he was getting taken advantage of, but since people often left things behind at hotels, he had Korat throw in a clean shirt to close the deal.

“Here you are, Gifted,” Korat said as he returned to the room, handing over a folded garment.

Eli held it up, eying the vanilla-colored shirt, surprised to see that it was actually too big for him. He didn’t know who’d worn it last, but they must have been at least as tall as him and maybe twice as wide. Luckily, he had a few different belts in his supplies that should help. Even better, the top was clean and would hopefully help him blend in more.

“This should work. Thank you, Talent Korat,” Eli said, handing over the agreed silver coin.

The older man bowed with a slight smile. “Give me a moment, Gifted, and I’ll have someone show you to your room,” he replied before disappearing into the back room.

A loud cheer made Eli look over to the passageway he’d noticed earlier. There were raucous calls for something, but all the voices blended into such a chaotic mess that he couldn’t understand the words. Curious, he stepped over, ducking under the low door to check out the place.

It took his eyes a moment to adjust to the darker room, but the place definitely looked like a bar with a few dozen folks packing much of the available tables and chairs. On the left was a thick wooden board separating the people pouring the drinks from the boisterous crowd. A few men were walking around serving food, the smell of hops and sausage filling the air. In the far corner were a couple of musicians sitting around in some truly garish clothing, the shiny silver and gold colors making them stand out from the crowd. One held a stringed instrument resembling a fiddle, while the other had some kind of flute. There was also a woman standing tall between them, likely the source of the singing voice he’d heard earlier. Beyond the band, a couple of heavy doors revealed another entrance, a few people coming in as he watched.

The crowd was yelling different suggestions, though Eli couldn’t pick out the words. After a bit, a chant started from a group sitting near the small stage, their drunken cries hard to understand. Apparently, the singer had far less trouble and turned to say something to her two colorful companions, who sat up in their seats with their instruments held ready.

With a little flourish of melodic notes, they started playing, the woman joining in with her soprano voice a moment later. He focused on her words, curious to understand what had the locals so excited. Unfortunately, he couldn't understand what she was saying from where he was. Of course, the noisy crowd, loud instruments, and the hypnotic way she blended all her words together didn’t help. Luckily, Guide didn’t have the same problem and started typing out the lyrics as she sang.

All the people, young and old,

Common, Gifted, Bound, and Blessed.

Gather round and hear the tale,

Of a foolish demon’s death

Monster out of Elder Wood

Hungry for all blood and flesh

Boruta searching high and low

On his unholy quest

“Holy shit,” he whispered, his words drowned out by the noisy room.

A hand touching his elbow made him flinch, and he turned to find a young woman smiling apologetically at him. She leaned close, “Your room, Gifted?” she almost yelled to carry over the music.

He nodded, ducking under the low doorway again. “Miss, this song they’re playing. Do you know it?” he asked, following her into the Lodge’s main room.

She glanced over, her head cocked to the side. “Demon’s Downfall? Oh yes,” she smiled, revealing dimples. “Minstrel Senatana and her Two Fools arrived a few days ago, and they’ve been packing the barroom ever since. I think it’s a bit more exciting than Minstrel Narati’s version from last week,” she continued in almost a whisper. She threw him a little wink before leading him through another doorway to a set of stairs.

“What’s it about? I’m new to this region, but I enjoy learning about the local stories,” he innocently asked, trying not to stare at the woman’s backside as he followed her up the stairs.

“Oh, an Outlander? That explains your cute accent,” she replied, turning with another smile upon reaching the second floor. She let out a tinkling laugh before gesturing down a long passage lit with lightwells, a handful of evenly spaced heavy wooden doors running the length of it. “This way, Gifted. And the song barely touches on the whole story, but it’s about the death of a local monster, killed by the Harbinger and three powerful Gifted. Minstrel Senatana has a longer saga she’s working on with more details. You could hear one of the rehearsals if you're here tomorrow night.”

“Unfortunately, I’ll be traveling to Bishal in the morning. Perhaps you could give me a shorter version? It sounds like quite a tale. Oh, and I didn’t catch your name, miss?”

“All the strong ones go to the city,” she complained, though her frown was wiped away a moment later with another flash of dimples. “I’m Adaya, Gifted. We turn here,” she said, gesturing to their right at a similar passage with more doors and lights. “And the story is about a powerful being descending from the Wreath of the Ancients, sent by our ancestors to help show us the path. But then he falls in love with a powerful heiress of the Easone family, and the Demon of Eld Forest tries to hunt them down, jealous of their devotion. There is a battle, and while Dia Velia’Tala is victorious in the end, he is mortally injured, and the spirits summoned him home to heal his wounds.”

Listening to the story, Eli thought the whole thing was like a game of telephone, where the original message was twisted and turned as it passed through countless people until only a garbled and jumbled version remained. He swallowed the many questions bubbling up, not wanting to draw any more attention to himself. He thought he did a decent job of holding in the snort when he heard how they’d mangled his name.

He wasn’t sure how to feel about the notoriety, getting unsettling flashbacks to when he was little, and the media was buzzing around. Even after the Fall, there’d be a few sporadic attempts at them trying to recreate the circus of his rescue, and he and his grandma would have to put up with another round of stories. He wasn’t keen to go through that again, but he wasn’t sure what he could do about it either. Even if he changed his name, it was hard to imagine that would help much since he didn’t exactly blend in well with the locals.

“And here we are,” Adaya said with a bit of false cheer. She stopped before another heavy door and pulled out a simple metal key with a two-toned ribbon tied on one end. With practiced ease, she unlocked it, swinging it wide and stepping inside.

He followed her, seeing décor not too dissimilar from Herria’s Lodge. The materials they’d used for the furniture might have been a bit different, looking like more of the same blue pines he’d seen for the last few days. The quality was just as excellent, the various stains and craftsmanship for each piece readily apparent. The space was also a bit smaller since he’d only needed a single bed and was about the size of a decent hotel room on Earth. There were no paintings, but instead, the walls had a few colorful murals. The common motif was of the nearby mountains like those in the main room below, each piece of artwork revealing a slightly different scene. The windowless space would have been dark, but the lightwell set into the ceiling gave off more than enough light.

“Here are the controls for the evertorch,” Adaya said, pointing to a wall panel near the bed before setting down the room’s key on a little side table. “And the washroom is at the end of this hall, on the left,” she gestured. Turning to him, she gave him another show of dimples. “Would you like to take your dinner downstairs or here in your room? I know the barroom will be noisy for the next few hours.”

“Not a lightwell? Oh, and dinner in here would be good. I’d like to hear more about that story, but it’s been a very long day,” he said, trying to hold in a yawn.

“This Lodge doesn’t have lightwells, but these are supposed to be just as good,” she said, though there wasn’t much conviction in her tone. She stepped closer, looking up and giving him a mischievous grin. “And if you find your way here after your stop in Bishal, I’ll share all the stories you could ever want. Having such a handsome audience would be a treat,” she breathed almost huskily.

He couldn’t help smiling at Adaya’s flirtatious words. “I’ll definitely keep that in mind,” he said with some warmth, seeing little harm in being polite, especially if he found his way back here someday. He summoned a couple of the smallest coppers, handing them to her. “And thank you for such great service. I appreciate your humoring me about the story.”

Her eyes lit up above a bright smile, the coins quickly disappearing. “Next time you’re here, we’ll see about other ways to fill your time,” she said suggestively before looking Eli up and down, her smile only growing. Throwing him another wink, she walked out into the hallway. Bemused, he could only shake his head and chuckle as he closed the door.