Chapter 44

Lily sat in shock as she watched the scenery pass by, this was nothing like any of the areas she'd experienced prior.

This place wasn't on its last legs or in the process of getting there, it was alive, lush and beautiful.

Birds sang and flew overhead, many she didn't recognize at all.

Deer could be seen slowly making their way through the plains, undisturbed by the cart's presence.

Even the path they were on was well maintained and clearly tread over a lot.

It was whiplash compared to what she'd seen prior, from the beta all the way up to full release, everything pointed to only exploring dead bits of the world.

Yet now here she was, seeing what might be a portion of this world in its prime.

Alongside her being the new mysterious stranger who seems to be as shocked as she is, and then there's the swordsman and fairy driving this thing.

It seems like they aren't trying to keep her around, there's no rope keeping her tied up and the cart is moving slow enough she could just jump out.

"So, stranger, where are you from?" Vonder speaks up now, his voice is a bit gruff but surprisingly kind, holding not a single shred of animosity. "I'm actually from Drauffton originally, might know it for being home to Saint Lucent's tree."

Lily hesitates for a moment, trying to decide what to even tell this stranger.

He seemed trustworthy enough… but was he putting on an act? Was he just trying to get on her good side?

She still had no good clue where she was, what was happening or where anyone else was.

Perhaps she could use her journal to message someone but there's no telling how anyone would respond to her reaching for it.

Vonder slightly looks back at Lily, now feeling even more awkward as he sees the nervousness clearly painted on her face. "I'm not going to do anything to you, only reason you're back there with the supplies is because Aida spotted you washed up on the shore of the Elios River."

The fairy now turns back and looks at her with a smile, politely waving at her.

No hostility could be found between either of them, if anything they seemed surprisingly normal.

"You can trust them." The stranger spoke up from behind her, his demeanor now fully relaxed once more. "If they meant to harm you then you wouldn't even be able to see right now, just knowing the path we're on is enough to show we're being escorted to the city."

She looks at the stranger, his calm smile and relaxed nature seeming to calm her own worried mind as well.

With a deep breath she fully calmed her nerves and leaned back against one of the cart walls before speaking.

"My name is Lily, and I'm not really from around here… I'm an Outlander." Lily calmly states.

Aida looks a tiny bit surprised but Vonder just lets out an amused hum, nodding a bit as well.

"You'll have to tell me more about your home some time then, not often I get the chance to hear about stuff like that." Vonder casually says with a relaxed smile still clear on his face. "Are you the only one?"

"No, I wasn't, but I don't know if everyone else is alright or where they even are." Lily quietly admits, now training her eyes on the upcoming section of woods they were passing.

"Well you should try contacting them as soon as possible, let them know you're alright." Vonder says while slowing the cart down now. "Better than assuming the worst."

Suddenly the cart comes to a halt and Vonder sighs a bit, quietly he looks over at the fairy and nods to her. "Keep our guest safe, I'll make quick work of this."

"You've got it!" Aida happily says before flying back towards Lily and hovers near her. "Don't worry, you're completely safe with us!"

Before Lily can even question what they were talking about a couple of shadows dart out from the woods, landing in front of the horses pulling the cart.

The shadows were people, but ones with animal like features.

One had deer like antlers.

Another had fluffy dog-like ears and a tail.

Lastly, the one in the middle had snake-like eyes and scales forming on their neck and face.

All of them wore dark leather armor embroidered with a red wolf head.

"Good evening folks! What can I do for you?" Vonder politely says as he disembarks from his spot, carefully moving to the front of the horses.

The snake eyed one looks around before speaking. "Looking for information, word on the street is a Red Haired Swordsman accompanied by a Fairy in Blue can help."

"Depends on what you're looking for… and if you'd get those archers in the woods to quit aiming at me and my friends." Vonder calmly replies, motioning to the woods.

The snake debates for a minute before whistling, a rustling of leaves can be heard as five archers emerge from the woods, bows lowered.

"There… can't be too cautious, especially when it seems someone might've turned." she replies while looking towards Lily with a slightly worried expression. "But, if the rumors are to be believed, you wouldn't be on to turn."

"Ah, should've figured it was because of her… that's Lily, found her washed up in the river a ways back, Aida and I were taking her back to the city." Vonder's calm voice and easy smile seems to put everyone at ease as they lower their guard a bit. "Now, what did you need of me?"

As the conversation continues Lily looks over to Aida, still surprised to see a fairy so openly flying around without much worry.

"So, is this a common occurrence for you two?" She asks, trying not to sound rude in the process.

"Getting stopped on the road like this? Yeah it is unfortunately… many people who seek our help often aren't those who can just freely saunter into villages or towns." Aida replies with a slight tinge of sorrow. "Like those people there? Members of Rahtven's Bloodhounds, a faction broken off of the Beast Lord's Cult."

"That doesn't sound good." Lily quietly responds, now looking over each member surrounding them.

"The Cult isn't, these people though? Just people forced into a bad situation trying to make the best of it." Aida replies, now feeling safe enough to land on Lily's shoulder. "Beastkin have always been treated as lesser by pretty much everyone, so combine that with the reputation the Cult gave them…"

"And they're pretty much outcasts who can't even enter most villages." Lily sadly replies.

"Yeah, that's why the Bloodhounds are trying to fix that, but most people don't care, they still only see the old mistakes as usual." Aida comments as she watches Vonder flip a dark silver coin to the snake.

"The Night Sparrows are on your side, don't worry." Vonder's voice finally reaches Lily again as she looks back in time to see all of the beastkin smiling, a shimmer of hope in their eyes. "Just remember to ask for Dullie when you get there."

As soon as Vonder finished saying this all of the beastkin quickly darted back into the woods, seemingly satisfied with what they got.

Happily, Vonder gets back onto the cart and continues them on their path.

The rest of the ride is surprisingly quiet and calm as no one really talks, only just relaxing after that encounter.

However, that soon changed.

"Now then, are you ready?" He asks, looking back at Lily for a moment. "You're about to see the shining central city of Terminus."

Aida quickly grabs Lily's hand and tries to drag her to the front of the cart, where she's greeted by the sight of a cobblestone road turning into smooth brick.

Dozens of people in carts, carriages or just on foot pass them by.

Giant iron walls impossibly tall stretch far above them, and inside the gate she can see countless buildings come into view.

With surprising ease they make it through the gate, the guards politely waving them through as they recognize Vonder and Aida easily.

Soon, a sprawling city with too many buildings to count comes into view, hundreds if not thousands of people going about their day.

Knights, Smiths, Artisans, even children could be seen running around freely like the world wasn't in danger.

Was she really even in the same world anymore?

This was all too crazy to believe.

Vonder politely looked back at Lily, now fully ready to welcome her properly this time.

"Welcome to Resovult, Everyone's Home."