The trio had continued their journey to the north. Along the way, they found a spacious dirt road. It could definitely be used for two carriages at once, going opposite directions. They hadn't seen anyone in the two days they travelled on the road, stopping on the side only to sleep.

  Fatigue was starting to set in. They could barely eat since there was no food around them, only sustaining themselves with the remaining berries they had gathered in the forest. Water-wise, they were luckier. Ashton had a skill that let him send water arrows, which he used to gather some.

  They heard the gait of a horse. Turning around, the teenagers looked at the wagon coming toward them. It seems that the coach saw them – the wagon slowing down.

  “Are you ok? What in the name of Eenir happened to you?”

  “Our parents told us not to talk to strangers.” said Fauna with a hint of suspicion in her voice.

  “Oh oh! I’m sorry I scared you. I’m Jos, a merchant from Armela.”

  “Ashton, nice to meet you.”

  “Likewise, Ashton! So why are you guys in such ragged clothes?”

  “... We ran away from our village, as they wouldn't let us become adventurers. While we were scavenging a forest for berries to eat, we got attacked by some kind of bird-bear creature.”

  “You guys… Are you serious?!” cried Jos, startling his horses.

  “Yes, why?”

  “Those things are dangerous! You must have fought a kid – there is no way an adult wouldn't have eaten you before you saw it.”

  “What are they? We never heard of them in our village.”

  “It’s a Beargoyle. A flying bear.”

  “A Beargoyle…” muttered Fauna.

  “Where did you find it?”

  “A forest, south from here.”

  “How have you escaped?”

  “We killed it.”

  “You… killed a Beargoyle? Only high ranking adventurers are able to… but if it was a baby one, maybe…”

  “Excuse me, Mister Jos, where is the closest town from here ?”

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  “Pardon? Oh, right. You’re not from that part of the country if you ran away from your village. Armela is about a day from here, just continue following the road.”

  “You’re going back to Armela?” asked Xia.

  “Why, yes of course. My business is there.”

  “Could you maybe get us there? We have barely eaten for 5 days now, and our funds have run dry. We have nothing.”

  Xia is pretty good at creating things on the fly, thought Ashton, although most of what she said is true.

  “Hm… I would rather you paid me to transport you… But you said you defeated a Beargoyle…”

  “It’s fine if you don't transport us,” added Ashton, “but we would be indebted to you if you could spare us some food so we can travel to Armela.”

  “No, it’s fine. You can climb in the back. I sold most of my goods anyway.”

  “Really?” asked Fauna with surprise.

  “Yeah. Don't make me regret it. And don't do anything weird, I may not look like it, but I was a Silver-rank adventurer!”

  “Wow!” exclaimed Ashton and Fauna in unison, trying to sound impressed.

  When did they join the drama class? thought Xia.

  After almost a week in the new world, our trio had finally regained civilization. Before them spread the town of Armela. From what Jos told them, it was a bustling city at the crossroad of four different territories. The town was full of rich merchants and peddlers and the mayor of Armela – once a merchant that married the daughter of the lord – had created an economic policy that permitted the trades to bloom.

  Peddlers could now sell in the town square in what is called – in Armela – a “Town Market”, and merchants were free to pass through one territory to another without a checkpoint. More than just catering to the merchants and the wealthy, the Mayor authorized free passage for every citizen. That meant a visitor did not have to pay any toll to pass through.

  The results were visible even from out of town. In the distance, the city felt like a beehive, pulsing with life.

  The guards at the portcullis looked at them with a strange eye, no doubt thinking Where are they from?

  Before the trio disembarked from Jos’ wagon, they asked him the direction of the adventurer’s guild. They thanked him and left, promising to pay back the debt they owed him when they could.

  The teenagers took in the scenery. The houses didn’t have many details on them. The walls were made of brown bricks held together by some sort of cement. In place of modern windows were wood frames and fabric that served to obfuscate the interiors. The doors were made in – probably – oak wood with no visible keyhole.

  They probably lock the doors from inside, thought Ashton.

  The roofs were made with a low elevation, maybe because it did not rain much in these parts of the country. There was a flock of middle aged women, children and old people walking through the streets. Some adventurers could be seen here and there, eating at some stalls or cheerily trying to make their way out of town for a quest. The stalls were planted on the streets. To Ashton, it felt like a contradiction from what Jos told him. Wasn’t there a marketplace or something ?

  They passed the houses and a few shops, and finally reached the “Town Market” that Jos told them about. Unlike the main street they were through, this place is even more chaotic. Shops everyone, vendors flocking to people trying to sell them their products, criers that tried to captivate people’s attention. It was like watching Rungis International Market combined with local markets. The three otherworlders felt completely overwhelmed.

  Fortunately for them, the Adventurer’s Guild was close to the market’s entrance. They didn’t waste time. They reached it as fast as they could and slipped in, relieved.