Jax shrugged. "City never bothered me. There's a vibrant life and community you can't really get anywhere else. The soaring towers, and abandoned buildings and long-forgotten alleyways all add to the charm," he said as they ducked below an overhang of branches, as he carefully followed Kae, seeing as he could barely make out the trail himself. He kept his voice similarly low as Kae in order to avoid any unwanted attention. 

There had always been constant reports of banditry out near and in the forest as former soldiers deserted or fled, or were just those who had lost too much in the war and didn't have any other life to turn to. There were rumors of a large bandit camp hiding in the woods, taking advantage of the surge of gem-seekes ventured out everyday to find their fortune, only to have the bandits find theirs. It was one part of a myriad of reasons why Jax accompanied Kae, seeing as how he didn't want to find another friend missing or dead. 

That is to say, he didn't want to find his only friend left missing or dead.