Chapter 16: The Town in the Desert (Part 1)
Not long after, when the wooden door creaked open again, it wasn’t just the little girl who walked in. Several brightly dressed women, also veiled, followed her in, each balancing oversized plates and bowls on their heads, all looking around nervously as if they’d just stumbled into a lion’s den.
“Miss, Miss! Here’s your… ten servings…”
With the little girl leading the charge, the women began to place the food on the table. The bowls brimming with purple meat soup nearly took over the whole table, the aroma wafting into my nostrils like a tantalizing invitation. The women stepped to the side, ready to form a dance line, but I quickly waved them off and asked them to ditch the bugs, grab some clothes, bathing essentials, and a mirror while they were at it.
To my surprise, they obeyed like champions, not daring to utter a word, and swiftly skedaddled out.
For a moment, I was hit by a wave of nostalgia back to Shanter Castle. Back then, I could just order what I wanted and voilà, the maid would be on it like a hawk snatching a mouse.
Once the women left, I no longer had to pretend to be polite. My eyes sparkled, and I unleashed an eating frenzy, devouring everything in sight, even downing the soup until the bowl was as clean as a whistle.
The feast wasn’t just lizard meat; there were some unidentifiable dark leafy greens and chunks of dry, black bread that felt like bricks. Bitten into, they were so tough it felt like I was trying to gnaw on stones—a bit of an exaggeration, but not far off.
Luckily, I could soak the bread in the soup to soften them up, making it a delightful experience, especially since my stomach was grumbling louder than a marching band. It’s not like I expected any fancy desserts or cakes around here, so as long as it wasn’t bugs, I was good to go.
After scarfing everything down, my stomach finally felt… a tiny bit full.
Although, I still felt like I could eat an elephant.
But as I kept stuffing my face, a warm sensation began to swirl in my belly, like an invisible tornado gathering energy and spreading it throughout my body.
I think I… regained a smidgen of energy.
This fuzzy feeling was barely grasped when the women returned, now lugging a wooden tub for bathing, some clean shoes, and clothes. The tub, filled with hot water, looked like a bumpy obstacle course as they struggled to place it into the cellar corner.
Meanwhile, the little girl timidly approached me, holding out a small, battered copper mirror, still gazing down shyly, saying it was the best mirror the town had to offer.
Suddenly, it hit me like a ton of bricks—this place called Meiser Town was as remote, impoverished, and cut-off from the rest of the world as they come.
I decided to cut the women some slack, declining any further offerings like baths or wardrobe changes, simply asking them to clean up the table and reminding them not to disturb me again before sending them on their way. I had a million questions, but trust wasn’t exactly flowing freely here. I’d save those for Miss Ailna when she returned.
For now, all I wanted was some peace and quiet.
As night fell…
The cellar was silent and lonely, the previously stifling air had turned cool, and the flickering flames cast shadows in the spacious yet lonely stone room.
I secured the door lock from the inside and scrubbed myself from head to toe with the hot water from the tub. I changed into a clean robe and stumbled into the ill-fitting boots, creating a racket as I stepped over to the hard bed fashioned from stone blocks.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, my feet swung idly while I picked up the copper mirror, staring at the unchanged delicate face gazing back, my mind drifting with the dancing shadows.
A long while passed.
What I could think of, aside from the jumbled mess that I was slowly piecing together about this world’s truth, involved all the folks back in the Western Continent that I was missing dearly.
I thought about escaping, about running away right now.
I just had no clue where I’d end up after I left.
This was the Eastern Continent, a completely foreign land. Outside the town, all I saw was a desolate desert, endless stretches of yellow dirt. Alone and having lost most of my powers, I couldn’t even tell which way to go. If I up and left, I’d probably face immediate d*ath by dehydration or starvation, living off nothing but sand.
Not to mention, by now the church’s knights might have already cornered this area; I could bump into them any minute. They’d probably recognize me on sight and whisk me back faster than you can say “glorious knight.”
Right now, I had no way to deal with them.
Being caught would mean curtains for me.
Truth be told, I wanted to go home.
I wanted to see my father and mother right away, to wake up and see Victoria’s cold yet comforting face there to greet me.
But alas, here I was, stuck on this Eastern Continent.
All I could do now was hunker down here, wait for that woman to return, and hope my powers would come back before plotting my next move.
Other than that, I had no options.
…………
The first night I spent awakening in the Eastern Continent, I had a terrifying nightmare.
The scene blurred the instant I woke up, but I vaguely remembered it being a night filled with heavy snow, a frail girl standing at the edge of a cliff, waving goodbye to me.
Her dress rustled in the wind, her messy black hair sticking to a face I couldn’t make out. She took a leap, plummeting into the abyss below, and a withered black hand reached out from the darkness, grasping her and pulling her down. In that moment, I felt like I wanted to scream, but my mouth opened and nothing came out.
That’s all I remembered.
The next morning, as daylight broke, I emerged from the cellar. The sun had just risen, and the wind hit my face like icy daggers, mixed with gritty little bits of sand.
Wrapped in my robe, I walked daintily on the uneven dirt path—not really heading anywhere in particular, just trying to clear my head and get a glimpse of this strange little town, testing the waters to see how the townsfolk reacted to my presence. Would they put up barriers or try to herd me back inside if they saw me ambling about?
Surprisingly, no one leapt out to stop me.
Meiser Town wasn’t huge; Ailna’s mud house was nestled almost right in the heart. I strolled from there all the way to the western edge of the town in under half an hour.
Perhaps it was still early, but hardly anyone was out and about. The few I did see were mostly young, strapping men, some chewing on straw while ushering along strange four-eyed cattle that looked like antelopes with long horns, while others were tethering hefty beasts of burden resembling armored rhinos, ready to tackle a trip to exchange supplies.
As they spotted me, wariness flashed in their eyes, mixed with some respect, but no one stepped forward to reprimand or shoo me away. They probably didn’t dare. Instead, they kept mum and let me pass, though most stole a few glances back at me after walking by. But as long as that was the extent of it, I didn’t feel like engaging.
I wasn’t in the mood to chat with these folks; I had little desire for interaction. I’d soon be out of here anyway, with no desire to forge ties that I would leave behind.
However, just as I reached the town’s exit, I encountered three men with their heads wrapped in cloth and long swords hanging at their waists. They stood at the sharp spike fence made of purple vines, chatting and laughing until they noticed me, at which point their voices hushed, and their smiles vanished. One of them approached with a brisk stride, seriousness etched on his features.
“Uh, Miss… do you need anything?”
