The Scroll of Dusk

After meeting in the food court, Jaron, Gerald, and May were sharing their experiences and battle plans to finalize their team composition. Meanwhile, the other two—one fidgeting with his axe and the other with his eyes closed for most of the conversation—remained silent.

Jaron sighed and told the other two,

'I'm sure there's something wrong with the young lady. These guys aren't fit to go on a normal convoy, let alone her first convoy as a leader.'

May looked at Gerald, anticipating his answer, as he was Melissa's closest aide.

'She got Wind because she didn't want Mervin to hire him, since he applied to be her guard. As for Ora, she got him to force a reaction out of Wind, since he barely has any,'

Gerald said, looking drained after trying to carry various conversations with Wind—and he had carried those conversations hard...

May chuckled and said,

'Well, at least we might have a good show during our travel.'

Gerald scoffed.

'A good show of what? How to not drop your kid? Because I'm sure both of these guys have had a hard hit on their head at some point.'

May's laughter grew.

'See? The show's started. Your reactions will be a part of it.'

'Anyhow, as I said, I'll take care of keeping watch at night. Since I only need two hours of sleep, I'll need to rotate with one other person,'

said Jaron.

'See? Mel knows how to choose. I get a show, a good night's sleep, and I get paid to travel. In my book, that's an amazing deal.'

They kept going and finalized their formation. As for the carriage, May would be the coachman, Ora and Gerald would ride their horses side by side with the carriage, and the other two would be with Melissa inside the carriage.

By the end of their meeting, Gerald looked dead, Jaron seemed neutral, May was smiling, and the other two just nodded when they were told their roles.

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The next day, they got into their positions. Shayla was lecturing Melissa,

'Make sure to take care of yourself. Your lives are more important than anything in the carriage. If you think you can't handle a situation, it's okay to turn around.'

'Got it,'

said Melissa as she walked toward the carriage.

'Let's start moving before we make Shayla cry.'

And on her mark, they started their journey.

'You used to hunt, right? My brother told me,'

Melissa said, looking at Wind.

'Yes.'

Jaron wanted to try his shot at dealing with Wind.

'So, first time going to Erasel?'

'Yes.'

'Are you interested in what kind of place it is?'

'No.'

'If you want to be good at your job as a guard, you should be curious about that, since it will serve as a guide on how to deal with the people of that area.'

'Isn't my job as a guard to eliminate any threat? If I knew the place was peaceful beforehand, I might get dull.'

'That's one way to look at it, I guess. Since you're like that, I won't say much. Erasel is just a hub port for traders. If you want to know more, you should ask by yourself.'

'Got it.'

Melissa was excited by his answer at first, thinking that Jaron might be able to get more out of him, but alas, even he was out. Her trump card hadn't been activated yet—Ora hadn't tried to interact with him.

'Young lady, do you have any concerns or specific routes you want us to avoid?'

'With the information we received before leaving, I don't think any action like that will be necessary. We'll just have to stop by my uncle's home on the way.'

'But you haven't added that to the route you gave the family head. Are you sure?'

'Yeah, he wouldn't have agreed to let us meet.'

'Young lady, but maybe he'll use you against your father?'

'DON'T talk about my uncle like that, Jaron!'

Melissa's movement while shouting made the carriage shake a bit.

Jaron shifted slightly and said,

'Fine, young lady, but we don't really know where he lives.'

'Oh, don't worry. I know. May!'

Then she stuck her head out and said,

'Just keep going forward into the woods.'

May slowed down and said,

'But, Mel, it'll be hard to navigate using the horses for the others, let alone me with the carriage. And where do you want to go, anyway? That isn't our path.'

'I'm visiting my uncle.'

'Then how about we stop in a safe spot and keep two of us to guard the carriage while the rest walk with you?'

May suggested.

'I guess that will be better.'

Moving forward, they stopped the carriage next to a bushy area where the horses could eat the grass and move around without making a fuss. May and Jaron were left to guard the carriage.

Walking deeper into the woods, they soon came across a cabin. As soon as the cabin came into view, Melissa's usually expressive face grew even more radiant, showing a blinding smile.

She tried to walk toward the cabin, but Wind stopped her and gestured for her to stay silent. The other two tensed up.

Then he said,

'Have you made plans to meet?'

Melissa shook her head.

'No, not really. I just knew from his letters that he moved here.'

'The place is empty. The air is silent around it.'

Melissa's smile shrank little by little, and she started walking toward the cabin.

The other three followed suit. Then Ora said,

'Your judgments fall swift and unyielding, like the winter's frost.'

'Never seen frost before.'

Ora raised an eyebrow.

'A marvel it is! Do you not roam these lands?'

Gerald was holding back his laughter, fully knowing that Ora himself had never seen frost.

Wind replied as they entered the cabin,

'I roam the land, but I don't know these lands.'

Inside the cabin, there were a couple of wooden benches with a table, a bed, and clay pots. The place was insulated using wool blankets, and a couple of lanterns lay around.

'Your uncle is living the high life and the low one at the same time, lady,'

said Gerald.

'Once it was lit, yet from the looks of it, the lantern has long been untouched,'

Ora answered.

Melissa's face grew concerned.

'Yeah, maybe he just moved out. If I knew where he is, my father probably also knew and kicked him out, most likely.'

She started to walk around while the other three stood at the door.

Her expression returned to neutral, and she said,

'Ora, we might need a translator for your wisdom if we're under pressure.'

'Fret not, Raven, for I am as adaptable as a seed that finds root in any soil.'

Chuckling, she crouched to pick up something. Getting back up, she was holding a scroll in her hand, with a large amount of ink on it. However, it didn't look like the content was satisfactory to her, from what Wind could see.

She gestured for them to come closer.

'Does any of you understand what it says?'

As she placed the scroll on the table for them to take a look.