Chapter 185 - Keshi

I guess it’s time to move out.

Adion looked back to his cave dwelling, a little reluctant to leave it behind. He had spent two days here, and it was incredibly comfortable. 

He was able to sleep all night without any problems. He had as much fresh meat as he wanted from the Sand Badger he had killed. And the cave was cool, you couldn’t even tell it was summer.

But now he had to leave it behind. He had to travel in the damn sand again, and who knows when he would find a place to sleep again.

There is nothing to do, I’ll run out of water eventually. Now that I have regained my energy, I shouldn’t drag things out.

Adion had tried making use of the beast blood to get water, but it was impossible for him to separate the water from the blood for some reason, and controlling the water in the blood took more effort than just conjuring his own water.

He did spend most of his Will conjuring water these two days. He tried to fill up his water bottles as much as he could. Sitting still in a cold cave meant he didn’t have to drink very much, so he had managed to save some. Not enough to fill every bottle, but that would take a few more days, and Adion didn’t want to wait for too long. He was afraid his unknown enemies would catch up

Who knows when they might get to Heshuwara? Narvar could have been planning to meet someone there. They might have already arrived and started searching for me. I can’t be too slow, I need to quickly find a village or town and catch a ride on a senba. Otherwise, someone will catch up no matter how much of a headstart I have.

Adion started walking with determined steps, he spent some effort on freezing the space beneath his feet. He felt he needed an easy start to his travels, or he would get too discouraged.

The sun had completely left the sky by this point, and even if it was still warm outside, it got a lot cooler by the minute. 

I wonder how many villages there are here in the desert. I have probably passed a bunch of them already, there should have been something a little closer to Heshuwara. 

What if I end up missing them all? 

Maybe I should head back to Heshuwara instead and try to find a wind mage to take me away.

No. Too risky. This works fine. I’m sure I’ll stumble upon some signs of life eventually. And if not, I’ll probably find another place to rest.

After a while, Adion stopped freezing the space below his feet and walked directly on the sand. He knew from experience that his Will would be spent eventually, and with no sure place to sleep for the night, his Will needed to be used sparingly.

The night turned darker and darker, the sun’s light could no longer be seen in the sky. Only the moon and stars lit up the vast landscape of sand as Adion trudged onward. 

I’m starting to get a little tired of this view. 

Adion couldn’t even see any interestingly formed dunes. The desert lay almost entirely flat in front of him. He found himself keeping busy by looking at the small wavy patterns formed in the sand from the wind.

I really hope I can start remembering things soon. I feel like times like this would be a nice time to reminisce.

Adion had spent his time in the cave mostly idle. The only thing he had to do was conjure water. Other than that, he spent his time trying to remember more from his past, but it was a blurry mess.

I’m sure I just need something to jog my memory. Like when I saw the word Sell on my arm.

Once I get back to my family, I’m sure the familiar people and places will spark something. 

The night eventually passed, and the sun slowly rose. Adion didn’t really want to stop moving before he found another hideout, but he knew he couldn’t guarantee anything even if he continued searching the entire day.

It’s better to rest through the day. I have to take things slow and steady.

So Adion teleported below ground and froze the sand around him. He ate some of the fresh meat he had prepared and drank some water before laying back to rest.

The hours passed excruciatingly slow. But at least he had regained a lot of energy and Will from his two days of rest, so he didn’t struggle that much. Being able to feel bored was a good sign.

Eventually, Adion felt that enough time had passed, and he teleported back to the surface again. The sun would be up for only an hour or two more, which was good enough for Adion.

I hope I’ll get lucky enough to find somewhere to rest today. 

Adion started his long trek, and the sun slowly went down below the desert horizon. 

The night passed much like the one before, without much excitement. But Adion at least preferred walking to staying below ground. If he couldn’t sleep, he would rather do something productive. Even if it was slow, he could feel that he got closer and closer to his destination. 

Even if he didn’t know exactly where his home was, he knew he would get out of the desert eventually if he kept heading southwest. Once he got back to civilization, traveling would get a lot easier. 

Just as dawn arrived, Adion spotted something far away in front of him. 

Could that be some sort of cliff? Surely it’s not just another sand dune. 

Adion had been lucky in his travel these past days, the desert sand stayed mostly flat, so his vision wasn’t blocked by sand dunes. It also made traveling a lot easier, as he didn’t have to go up and down to get forward.

Adion hastened his footsteps, freezing the space beneath his feet again.

It’s…a village?

Adion could eventually make out what appeared to be a small settlement further ahead. As he got closer and closer, he saw that a small cliff stood up from the desert and it was surrounded by clay houses and tents. 

It was far from as big as Heshuwara, just a tiny village. But it was still more than half a mile wide. 

There has to be a wind mage who can control a senba there, right?

Adion had taken a few gold and silver coins from Narvar’s luggage when he left Heshuwara. He didn’t want to carry too much weight, but he knew he would need money eventually. And he felt like hiring someone to give him a ride shouldn’t cost more than a gold coin or two.

Adion reached the village, and he passed a few tents with people up and about. It was far from lively, but a few people had begun taking care of their livestock.

It’s incredible that they can raise animals in these conditions. How do they do it?

Adion got quite a few looks as he walked into the village. He had hidden his aura as deeply as he could. He was only confident enough to hide his strength down to low Bronze when faced with other mages. But since these people all seemed to be non-mages, they wouldn’t notice his strength at all.

Hiding strength feels better after all. I might raise a commotion otherwise.

I don’t need to put people on guard. That would only complicate things.

Adion soon found himself surrounded by clay houses. He could spot a few people inside their homes, getting ready for the day, but it was mostly quiet.

“You there,” A voice called out in Shiorin.

Adion turned around to see a middle-aged woman standing in the doorway of her home. She had messy blonde hair that was starting to grey, and wore a white luxurious but dirty robe.

“I don’t recognize you. Where did you come from?” The woman asked, staring at Adion suspiciously. 

Adion could tell from her aura that she was a high Bronze mage.

So they have mages even in this small village. Unfortunately, her aura indicates she’s a water mage.

“I come from Heshuwara,” Adion responded, “My senba got attacked by a Sand Badger, and I got separated from the people I was traveling with. I was hoping to find a place to rest, and maybe someone who could let me travel with them.”

“You’re a mage, right?” The woman asked.

“Yeah, I didn’t want to startle anyone,” Adion responded. He stopped trying to hide his strength all the way and began showing middle Bronze strength.

“So young and already middle Bronze?” The woman said, looking impressed. “Well, alright. Come inside and we’ll talk, I guess.”

“Oh, thank you,” Adion said, following the woman inside.

He noticed that her house was attached to the cliff, and as he got inside, he saw that the real part of her home had been dug into the rock wall.

A water mage must have quite the status in a place like this. 

“Take a seat,” The woman said, gesturing to a simple dinner table with four chairs. 

Adion sat down, and the woman poured him a glass of water.

“Thank you,” Adion said gratefully. He would never say no to more water.

“So where are you heading?” The woman asked, “I’m Keshi, by the way.”

“I’m Adion,” Adion said, “I’m not from the Saba Desert originally. My mother is Sabamin, so I thought I should explore the desert now that I’m old enough. But now I feel like I’m ready to return. Unfortunately, I have lost my map, so I have just been heading southwest, hoping for the best.”

That was all an excuse, of course. Adion didn’t plan on telling a stranger about his circumstances. 

“If you want to get back to the Empire, you should go to Mitomera. A city like that won’t lack options for getting you wherever you want to go. Or if you have the money, I suppose taking a ship from Kerrick Hold would be easier.”

“Where is Kerrick Hold?” Adion asked. He recognized the name, but his memory made it difficult to place on a map.

“How don’t you know where Kerrick Hold is?” Keshi asked, looking at Adion as if he were a fool.

“No matter how much I study, these things never seem to stick,” Adion said with a wry smile, “Do you have a map I can look at, perhaps?”

“Fine,” Keshi said with a tired sigh and walked away.

She soon returned with a small map detailing the Saba Desert. 

“This is Kerrick Hold, so you’ve been traveling in the opposite direction. But it’s still closer than Mitomera. You could also travel to Reshi and go through Valis if that’s closer to where you want to go,” Keshi said.

I’m definitely not going to the Valis Kingdom. That seems to be the direction Narvar was heading in.

But should I continue to go south or head up to Kerrick Hold? 

I’d rather not waste the time I’ve already traveled, but if I have a senba to take me, I’d make up for the lost time in half a day.

“I guess either Mitomera or Kerrick Hold is fine, whichever is faster. Do you have any senbas here? And people who can drive them? I can pay.” Adion said.

“I’m the only mage in the village, so we don’t have the need for any senbas. But if you wait, there should be a senba coming in the next few days from Heshuwara for trade. If you have money, I’m sure they could take you with them. There’ll be more options in Heshuwara.” Keshi suggested.

I’d rather avoid Heshuwara if I can. 

“Is there no other option? Is there another town close by that I can walk to?” Adion asked.

“Walk? I wouldn’t if I were you. Traveling through the desert in the summer is dangerous, and this summer is crueler than most,” Keshi advised.

“Is it very far?” Adion pushed.

“I guess it would take about ten days to walk to Yeshen,” Keshi said, “It’s a village to the south. You should be able to hitch a ride with the traders over there, and they’ll take you to Gaikin, a town about the same size as Heshuwara.”

Ten days…It will be tough if I can’t find a place to rest. But it should be fine. Better than to risk going back to Heshuwara. 

“I might give it a try,” Adion said, “Thank you for your help, Keshi. Is there a place to rest for the day? I haven’t slept in a while. I can pay.”

“I guess something can be arranged,” Keshi muttered, “You’re not going to be causing any trouble, are you? These villagers are just regular people, so you can’t just beat them up if they offend you.”

“I promise to behave,” Adion said.

“Fine,” Keshi said, “I’ll take you somewhere. Follow me.”

“Thank you,” Adion said and stood up to follow Keshi as she led him outside.

“As long as you leave within a day or two. I don’t want another mage in town to keep my eyes on. I have enough on my plate,” Keshi said.

“I’ll stay for a day at most,” Adion promised. He didn’t want to be stuck here either.

“I hope so,” Keshi murmured.

What a weirdly helpful unhelpful person.

Keshi took Adion further into the village. It was getting brighter, and Adion saw more people getting on with their business. 

But suddenly Adion felt something. He turned his head and saw a man sitting on the roof of a house on the next street over. He had his back turned, so Adion couldn’t see what he looked like. But he could feel through his aura that it was a mage. 

“Don’t stare,” Keshi scolded, pulling Adion by the arm.

“Who is that?” Adion asked.

“A troublesome guy,” Keshi said irritably.

“Is he a villager?” Adion asked.

“How could that be? Surely you felt he is a mage? I don’t know how powerful he is, but I can feel he is a lot stronger than me. If you get on his bad side, don’t bother running to me for help,” Keshi said.

Adion focused on his aura sense, and felt that the man was a middle Gold mage. Definitely strong, but not a threat to Adion.

“What is he doing here?” Adion asked.

“Who knows?” Keshi said through clenched teeth, “I’ve tried to give him hints, but he refuses to leave. Don’t you two go starting a club together. Our village can’t handle it.”

“Right,” Adion said, “Don’t worry, I want to get moving as soon as I can too.”

Adion got curious about the Gold mage, though. He spread his space mana to look inside his house. To his surprise, he noticed a senba outside of the man’s house.

“Does he have a senba?” Adion asked.

“Of course he does,” Keshi answered, “How else would he get here?”

So…There is a senba that I can use.

I guess Keshi didn’t want to get involved with a Gold mage, so she didn’t mention it. 

But I can probably give it a shot.

Unfortunately, Keshi was insistent on dragging Adion away from the area.

Whatever, I’ll ask him about a ride after I get some sleep.