10 The Ruby Town (1)
Feather was sleeping. She dreamed of food. The food smelt nice. Its flavor was drifting in the air, dark-yellow with a tint of green. And there was a bit of white-blue floating around. It looked yummy.
Feather got up and saw a big roasted piglet lying there on the grass. And there was a little hill of berries on a big burdock leaf next to it.
'What a nice dream to have before death,' she thought.
She looked around, but there was no one there. Only the forest was on all sides.
She slowly came up to the food, took a knife and sliced a big piece of meat. The meat was juicy and delicious.
She took a handful of berries. They were astringent and sweet. Together with roasted meat, they tasted unexpectedly great.
She didn't notice how there was not even a bone left of the piglet.
:::::
She was feeling amazingly well. She was so sleepy lately, but now Feather wasn't feeling even a bit drowsy.
The wind was resounding in the tree crowns. The forest was full of lively birds' chirping. The sun was shining through the trees. The moss was shiny green. Here and there were growing brightly colored mushrooms and berries.
Feather was going through the magical forest. All her being was singing.
She breathed magical air with all her body.
It was completely different from the dry warmth of the blue cave.
The sun was warming her, and she was feeling alive like never before in her life.
Was this the Heaven? It was said that after death people would be taken there to live with the Gods.
No one knew for sure though, as no one ever returned from the afterlife. Obviously, it was very good there as no one was willing to.
:::::
After wandering around for a couple of hours, Feather saw a gap in the trees. She went there, and there was a road.
The road was wide enough for two carriages to be able to bypass each other. Feather looked both sides and went right.
The further she went the stranger she felt.
She hadn't gone out of home much before, but this definitely looked like a road to the Ruby Town.
The Ruby Town was a town nearest to her family manor.
Was there such a similar place in Heaven? Or did this mean she somehow magically was back to Cheeseworld? Was she alive?
Feather went down the road and in an hour she saw the gate of a town.
And it was The Ruby Town.
She was back to life.
:::::
Feather didn't mind being alive. If anything, she was happy.
She quickly went to the side of the road, took the piece of cloth from her backpack and covered her head.
She didn't know how much time passed since the time she fell into the hole. And she didn't know if there was anyone still looking for her. But it was better safe than sorry.
Then she took out a sword. Not one of her dual swords, but inconspicuous one she took with her as a spare.
It would be suspicious for a person to travel alone unarmed. Although there were martial artists who fought with their bare hands, they often had to prove themselves and go through rigorous fightings. That, she didn't want.
A sword would restrain most of the people from anything stupid. People tended to wisen up when they could potentially get hurt. Many would be unwilling to invite troubles.
She continued by the road and in less than fifteen minutes reached the town's gate.
Three guards were sitting there playing dice, watching lazily people go by. The atmosphere was extremely lax.
The guards were there mostly in case of disputes at the entrance of the town.
Nothing interesting had happened there for several decades already.
The walls built in case of a magical beasts tide were maintained in the best condition but hadn't been used for a long time.
There was the main headquarters of the most terrifying war family in the nation here nearby. Who would want to stir troubles here?
On a wall by the gates, there was a noticeboard.
What had stricken Feather was a portrait placed there.
There were a portrait and a description, and there was a price.
Fifty copper coins.
That was a price placed on a wanted notice.
Feather couldn't believe her eyes.
Although fifty copper coins were still money and could last a little poor family of commoners for a month, to put such a reward for finding a missing member of a noble family… weren't her relatives ashamed of themselves?
The other strange thing about the poster was: obviously, her family knew that she had fallen into the hole, why were they looking for her in the town? Was it just in case she was able to get out of there? But…
There were too many uncertainties about all this. Nevertheless, whatever those people have planned, she already successfully escaped them. She didn't want to spend more of her time dwelling on it.
Still, even if fifty coppers were little money, there might be people who would report her. She would have to be wary.
:::::
Thinking would not fill a stomach. For now, what she needed most, was finding a place to eat. Feather wondered if it was due to the time she starved in the cave, but she was quite hungry despite the whole piglet she has wolfed down in the forest.
By the way, she mused on where that piglet came from. When she woke up, it was already lying there fully prepared to be eaten.
Did it have something to do with how she was able to get out of the cave?
All these just didn't make sense.
She didn't remember anything between falling asleep in the cave and waking up to yummy food in the forest. Was the blue cave just a dream? It couldn't be. How did she escape the chase if she didn't fall into the hole?
'Gosh, my head is starting to hurt! All's well that ends well. I'm alive, and that's what matters. Who cares how.' was Feather's concluding thought.
