The Alchemist of Krydon

Chapter Thirty One - The Eternal Warrior

Slowly ascending up a small, rocky mountain on the back of a caravan, the downpour doesn't make it any easier. The day before, I mentioned to Wil that I'll be heading towards Kiridora as his reaction was both shocked but accepting. He knew we'll be heading there some day the moment he met Jang Mi despite not mentioning her place of origin.

We rented a small caravan to lessen the travel burden, but even still the road there is a long one. Not to mention the heavy downpour makes it difficult for one to see what's ahead of them in uncharted territories, but with the help of Jang Mi, I know we'll make it there in one piece.

"Hey, Aliza... can't you do anything to help with this shower?"

"Oh I wish I could, but I'm no magician. If there were mist I could be of some use, but as of now I'll enjoy the rain."

Sitting up against the roof of the caravan, Aliza seems to enjoying herself. Do shapeshifters catch colds?

"Hmm... well you're not being really helping all too much."

"Oh, are you implying I'm not handling my own weight? That's rude; after all I'm keeping out a watchful eye even in this downpour."

"Ehh, is that what you're doing?"

"Despite my eyes being short of fifty percent, a beast's perception is far greater than humans."

"Hmm... then I guess I'll take it back. Do keep an eye out, one false move and we'll plummet down the mountain."

...

It's not as though I expected the ride to be an enjoyable one, but I didn't expect it to be so tiring. With the rain not providing any aid, it relentlessly pours down on us as locating the correct path to Kiridora was another problem. Once the sun came down, we stayed in the caravan and ate through our provisions for the night, before setting off once more upon first daylight. Even with the help of Jang Mi, her memory of the way there is a blur due to the fact that she's only left there once in her life, and that was when her mind wasn't her own.

We requested help from Aliza too of course; however she mentioned that since she was given a harsh dose of reality that day, she completely removed almost everything related to Kiridora from her mind.

But since Jang Mi has the general location of it, she's all we've got to navigate us. She has pointed out that some parts of the terrain appear familiar to her, so that's always helpful.

"So I guess if you never needed to venture out, then Kiridora's pretty self-sufficient. Krydon's large for sure, but we need aid of the local traders to keep things bustling."

"As far as I remember, we lived off the land; using everything we find, nothing goes to waste as we try new methods to keep ourselves fed."

If that's how it is then they bare some similarities to Elves. Though I'm not too sure on how tranquil it'd be, agriculture may play a big part in Kiridora.

"I do remember traversing down a windy mountain on my way to your city."

Throwing on her coat that provides protection against the rain, she hops out of the caravan to get a clear outlook of our surroundings.

"...Yes, I've definitely passed by here before. We're on the right track... If we backtrack a bit now, we could position the caravan in the small cave before pressing on."

...

"Come to think of it... you did walk all the way, in that state; I'm astounded that you managed it on your own."

"If I were alone, I wouldn't have managed. I just knew if I were to fall, she too would follow... so I gave it my all."

Speaking to her blade once more, there's still something I can't fully comprehend, but perhaps we'll be enlightened once we do enter Kiridora.