It was still several hours before the sun sunk at the western plain when the party set out from Fanghorn. Jazdia took the lead, with the cart following behind her. Reinhold was their coachman, with Kaito sitting behind him to ensure the vehicle drove on the intended path. No offense, but the hunter was still an unknown quality to her, and to see how grief could devastate a man like Chonan, a preventive measure should be at the ready.  


"[color=7bcdc8]Hey back 'dere-- Could on a ya fetch ma boots 'n beatin' stick? Muh daddy made 'em boots![/color]"

Yelled Cedar as the group passed the turn where they had hidden the old wagon.

Yvonne looked at the doctor for a moment, then broke away and into the trees, only to emerge a short while later with a large stick tied to the side of the saddle, and noticeably more stuffed saddle bags.

[color=9e0039]"Got 'em!"[/color] Yvonne shouted, before falling back in line.

They only slowed down when reaching the settlement scattered along the road from Fanhorn to Pesti. Initially intended to avoid the attention, but rather moot with the wagon having bear perched atop of its roof. And thus, such sightings became a small novelty to amuse disconsolate peasants and passersby. 

Jazdia kept gripping her bow in one hand while the other unfixedly held the reins, ready to reach her arrow should the need arises. On her left and right was a swath of tilth with many orchards planted, but due to the storm earlier, it seemed they were having a crop failure, and many peasants could be seen salvaging the fruits that fell prematurely.

Another dozen kilometers had been covered without any portents. The group arrived at the remnants of the thorny wall that was supposed to block the road, courtesy of Cedar the Druid. But now it seemed someone had mowed through, creating a gap in the rosy hedge enough for two horses to walk through it side by side. Jazdia did not hear what they spoke of back them, but she figured someone might question how and who.  Didn't really matter to her. The wagon passed without a hitch and they could put up more speed afterwards. 

The sun was no longer on the horizon when the group slowed down again to a trot. Still leading Jazdia reached her arrow and breathed her power into it, causing the arrowhead to glow in soft purplish light, and with that, she signaled the group to stop. Kaito would know that this was the time to light up a lantern so the rearguard didn't lose the convoy.

When everything was all set, the elf detected another rider headed toward her. The alert, however, immediately dropped when her eyes scanned through the darkness and saw a certain maid trotting with a lantern hung on her saddle. 

[b][color=#F6E1D3]"Greetings, madam. The admiral sent me to guide."[/color][/b] she said.

[center]***[/center]

From the distance, the two seemed to be having a lengthy conversation, though nobody could hear the words uttered. On some occasions, the maid glanced at the party before talking to Jazdia again. It looked intense for a brief while, Jazdia could be seen nodding, pointing in the general direction of Fanghorn while the maid then having a facepalm.

After more pointings and affirmative gestures, the maid canter ahead of them. Her white silhouette and dimed light persisted for a while before being swallowed in the pitch black. 

And finally, Jazdia signaled the team to continue their journey.