The Path of Four Magi

Path One

Have you ever just ended up looking at fan art for hours, cause that's what accidentally happens every time I try and look for fan art for my chapters. FYI, Barakat wanted to auto correct to Barbara and I died. The "manly" Barakat's alter ego is now Barbara. I'm sorry but I just can't anymore!  

It was your first day of work at your new job. It was about a week since you chose which path you were going to take, but it was only about two days ago when you arrived in front of a palace. The path you had taken had many curves and rigorous terrain, but you were able to make it safely to a city within a few days. Once you arrived in the city, you figured that you should get a job so you could afford more supplies. You felt relatively safe staying in this city for a little while, because when you were travelling down the path, you put quite a bit of distance between yourself and your pursuers. You figured that they were probably a few days away from getting to the city, and even then they wouldn't be able to find your right away. You were sure they were a ways away, because at certain parts of the path it would be hard for the large men to fit through. There were places where you were barely able to squeeze through, and struggled to cross over. You were sure that the large men would have a lot tougher time getting through and across. 

When you first arrived in the city, you weren't sure where you were. You had never been her before, but by the looks of it, it had looked like an important and prosperous place. You had listened in on some peoples conversations, and heard that you were in the Kou Empire. You remembered hearing the name once before, but you couldn't remember when or who you heard it from. You just had to assume that you had unconsciously listened to some travelers say the name in a different city. You immediately went job hunting, knowing that even if you had a few days between you and Barakat, you weren't going to waste a moment. The sooner you were able to get a job and get paid, the sooner you could restock your supplies and leave, possibly putting yourself even further away from Barakat and his men.

It took you half a day, but you finally met a nice lady who said that she was a maid at the emperor's palace. She said that you would probably be able to get a job there, and brought you along after she finished the task that was ordered to do. You thanked her multiple times for her kindness but she just waved it off, saying it was nothing. When you arrived at the palace, she took you to a man named Kouen, who you were told was the oldest prince, and the one who would give you the job. You thanked her again, and she left the room to return to her duties, leaving you and Kouen alone. You talked with him a bit, and told him that you only needed the job for a few days. He thought about what you said for a while before agreeing to employ you for as long as you ended up staying there. You were surprised at his kindness, but when you thanked him, he simply said that they had been looking for another maid for a while after the last one got in an "accident" and no longer worked there, therefore they were practically willing to take in anybody, even if they were just going to work for a few days. He said that you would be a personal maid, but that the person you would care for wouldn't be in the palace for a few days, so he wasn't even sure if they would arrive back before you left. He said that you would instead help him for the time period your new "master" was gone.

It was your second day of work at the palace, and Kouen had sent you out on a shopping trip. He said that they usually bought tons of food that would keep them stocked for a few months before going out an shopping again. It just so happened that they were running out of food, and the order they had placed for new food wouldn't be ready for two days. So, since all of the other workers were busy with other jobs, you were the one sent out to get some food for the time being. You had a pretty long list, and weren't sure if you would be able to carry everything back, but you vowed to at least try. You had specifically told Kouen, "I'll do my best," so you weren't going to give up easily.

You had just finished buying everything, and were struggling to carry it all back to the palace. There were quite a few things, considering that the Ren household was very big, and you weren't very strong or big. To some passerby, it probably looked like there was a bunch of groceries crushing someone, that someone being you, but you were doing alright. It was going to take you a while to get back to the palace, but you knew that you could do it. Kouen had told you to be back before sunset, and the sun was already setting, meaning you were going to be late, especially because you weren't anywhere near the palace at the moment. You just sighed and pushed forward, walking weirdly as you carried all the food.