[IC] Eɴᴛᴇʀ — Into an Isekai World

[HokumPocus]

---

Unknown Forest

---

Kaito clutched his journals as a sharp breath ejected from his mouth. So those animals... er, goblins that almost killed them, were common in this land. It dawned on him that his time here wouldn't just be a test of mental fortitude. Could a man of his build even defend them? Could he even defend himself?

He ruminated about what to ask next while the others spoke. The more Ipharia explained about the kingdoms and royalty, the more wherever they were in started to sound like a fairy tale. Even her belongings, which he would have mistaken for movie props under normal circumstances, had the spirit of being from some fantasy world. It made more sense to perceive it that way rather than the strange terms the teenager kept bringing up, anyways.

"Ipharia..." he said, the word not quite coming out right. It wasn't just out of the name's unique aspect, as there were definite pauses throughout his words. "The others were able to defend themselves earlier by using... magic. Or something to that nature."

His eyes began twitching, refusing to look at anyone directly.

"How would... how can I do the same?"

Spending multiple weeks under constant danger was definitely not something he liked the idea of.

[mickilennial]

Location: Tarashima Forest -- Ipharia's Camp

---

“So you guys aren't naturally strong?”

Ipharia considered Kaito's question, though she admittedly did not know anything about their abilities or skills. In some of the legends there had been told of many heroes, but these stories were so old and faded that Ipharia didn't recall them off the top of her head.

The three of them had mostly dispatched the goblins without breaking a sweat despite their confusion. Hiroko was the quickest ranger Ipharia had seen in her life and Honami had used a large branch like it was a steel hammer. All while Kaito had waited in the bushes like her for the goblins to be dispatched. Perhaps he hadn't had his powers awaken yet like they had if they didn't have these powers ordinarily? It was the only conclusion the purple-haired girl could make without running tests in a clerical laboratory or consulting with a temple's librarium.

“I guess your ability hasn't awakened yet. But what kind of powers would the goddess give you? What did you do in this Japan you guys talked about? Maybe there's a connection there? You don't look like much a fighter... actually you look kind of weak. But then again Honami is kinda sma--I mean, uh, Honami doesn't look like a barbarian! And she hits super hard despite not having any muscles!”

The cleric's eyes widened, noticing her slip of the tongue.

“So! We just need to figure it out!”

[HokumPocus]

---

Unknown Forest

---

Kaito rested his eyes on Honami, then Hiroko. "What did both of you do before this incident happened? Career-wise, Education-wise." He could tell Ipharia was doubting her words, but she was familiar with their bizarre surroundings and so it made sense to view her as the current voice of reason.

"I was a therapist. I helped people with most problems that weren't physical. Mental problems." He nodded sheepishly at Ipharia. "It's not a career associated with physical strength. In fact, while we were ambushed I also tried to fight back. I threw a large stone... it didn't work. "

He was tempted to simply show her the contents of his journals, but he knew the jargon would just complicate matters further. It was hard to imagine a fantasy world having a complex grasp on mental health.

[Polaris North]

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Tarashima Forest

---

Hiroko listened intently and was glad that she didn't have to be completely unfamiliar with it. A lot of media seemed to portray it correctly. It was good to know some of the important names that they needed to know. And assuming the monarchy here wore their names proudly with their clothing, it shouldn't be too difficult to spot who the royals are when they see them. Well, her best bet would be to stay polite and cordial to everyone.

Honami presented an interesting point. They could have been summoned by the king, or the princess. The younger girl said something about a game with the same kind of idea. Hiroko wouldn't be opposed to going to the royal family to search for answers of why they were here - and how they were sent here. But it seemed like the trek would take weeks on foot. Maybe they could find a carriage somewhere? At least it would cut back on their travels.

Hiroko was musing a possible plan of action to shorten their travel time when Kaito questioned Ipharia about what he could possibly reign over. True, only she and Honami had been able to fight back. Surely, Kaito had his own specialty as well, since he came from Japan as well.

"I'm only a waitress." She informed him with a shrug. "Since it seems like this is some sort of weird game thing... Honami, do you know anything about it? You have strength. I have... speed? What else?" If only Hiroko thought something like this was possible, she would have tried to actively watch her friends play these kinds of games. Alas, she couldn't have ever thought this was possible.

[Carlyle]

ᴇ ʙ ɪ ꜱ ᴀ ᴡ ᴀ ʜ ᴏ ɴ ᴀ ᴍ ɪ

---

_{Location: Ipharia's Ecampment, Tarashima Forest}

Timeframe: Morning

---

Honami's eye twitched; her hand curled into a fist! She felt enraged with the fury of a thousand phoenixes—how dare Ipharia try to lambaste her, especially in front of others? "Why yo-" Honami fumed, ready to explode. Before she truly could go off, however, Honami was interrupted by Kaito and Hiroko directing questions at her, putting a cork in it for the time being.

Relaxing her fist, Honami decided to deal with the cleric later. For now, she would be lucky to escape the wrath of Honami.

"What did I do before this? I'm a student, as you can tell. I thought it would be obvious from my serafuku, but it seems you're as blind as a mole, Kaito." Honami chirped, then looking to Hiroko. "As for if I know anything about it, I don't. I know I said that this reminds me of an isekai, but anything—and I mean anything—could happen in an isekai, at least from what I've heard and could tell. At least we didn't become vending machines, like that one guy in that novel."

"Though," Honami continued, "if we have strength and speed, my best guess would be that Kaito has something to do with intelligence. That is, if he has any brains at all."

---

@Inkarnate@HokumPocus@Polaris North

[mickilennial]

Location: Tarashima Forest -- Ipharia's Camp

---

Ipharia listened carefully to Kaito, Honami and Hiroko, their words being strange to her but still important enough to dissect. She didn’t understand what a therapist or waitress was, but from what she could tell Honami’s assertion seemed the most likely conclusion. If Honami was blessed with the strength of a barbarian and Hiroko the reflexes of a veteran ranger then it would most likely make sense that Kaito had been gifted with the mind of a wizard or cleric. But yet, he hadn’t showed he had the capacity to perform magecraft as far as she could tell.

“Hm.” She muttered as she held out her left hand, as an ambient energy began to surround her fingers until a ball of light formed in her hands. “This is a basic spell that summons an ethereal sphere of light. It’s meant to replace a torch by clerics and wizards. There’s a few variations depending how much mana you want to use or how advanced your magecraft knowledge is.”

A flicker gleamed in Kaito’s eyes as Ipharia performed the spell. She didn’t know it yet, but his mind had just processed the magic he had never seen before in seconds of seeing it. As if he had known the spell his whole life he would then be able to replicate it.

[HokumPocus]

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Unknown Forest

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"Miss Ebisawa, please calm down! It's common for students to have part time jobs nowadays." His thoughts drifted for a moment. The last part didn't sound appropriate considering their circumstances.

She struggled to give a more in-depth explanation to her own ideas. Kaito understood virtually almost none of it. "Vending machines?" It was as if he was back in square one in terms of knowing what teenagers were into nowadays. The fact that an isekai, at least according to what Honami said, could technically have anything in it wasn't very promising either in terms of giving him answers. Quite the opposite in fact, as it filled Kaito with foggy images of fantasy monsters that someone like Honami would have probably labeled painfully generic had they been in a videogame. He needed to come up with a way to defend himself, and fast.

If there was anything he knew about magic, it was that one had to utter some sort of incantation or perform some special movement, and he wasn't about to let his one chance of survival slip by. Kaito leaned back defensively and began to copy Ipharia's movements. He bent his long legs awkwardly and paid special attention to her hand, only to yank his arm back at the first sign of Ipharia's ball of light.

The uncertainty slowly vanished upon seeing the paranormal glow envelop her, however. His body relaxed and arched, and any traces of hesitation in his eyes were replaced by a vacant stare. He knew of this magic, as if it was a childhood dream rendered in front of him. One that had never been forgotten, perfectly preserved and capable of showing that miracles could exist.

He wordlessly summoned an orb identical to Ipharia's above his outstretched palm. There it hovered, its gentle streaks of light shining across his green eyes as if greeting him.

"I...what?"

[Polaris North]

---

Tarashima Forest

---

A fleeting question of why a vending machine would be involved in this isekai genre passed through her head but she decided to let it go for the sake of finding out what Kaito had received when he was transported to this world with them. And the conclusion of it being intelligence was logical and usually, that pointed to... mages? Magic was a big part of this world and in movies, scholars were often portrayed as magic users. So that might be the answer?

Ipharia decided to test it out as she showed what was a light spell. She had mentioned that it was a basic spell, so any aspiring mage should be able to know it. Teaching it wouldn't be too difficult, she imagined. So if Kaito was magic-based, learning it would be very easy. As she explained it, Kaito replicated her movements - staring intensely at it until he suddenly relaxed. And with an outstretched hand, he had summoned the same ball of light as Ipharia had done.

To say that Hiroko was surprised that it worked would be an understatement. Ipharia didn't even get an explanation of how magic worked in this world but Kaito had managed to perfectly mimic the action without trouble. He seemed just as confused at the turn of events and Hiroko couldn't blame him. She and Honami had the same problem earlier, with the realization of their own gained abilities. "Well there we have it." She started, inserting her hands into her coat's pockets. "Looks like you're a mage, Kaito. And it also looks like you can learn spells in a second." She continued. After all, Kaito doesn't even know how magic works and yet somehow cast a spell. The only conclusion they could derive from that is that he somehow registered the spell in his head the moment he saw it and is able to use that spell himself.

"Though if we're facing goblins and who knows what else this world contains, I assume you'd need a more... offensive spell."

[mickilennial]

Location: Tarashima Forest -- Ipharia's Camp

---

“I suppose it would be in our best interests for me to educate Kaito on magic to the best of my ability then.”

The purple-haired cleric mused a few thoughts as she looked at Kaito grasp a basic light spell before she had even gotten a chance to fully explain how mana worked in the creation of spells. As a Cleric of the Goddess of Light, Ipharia was a healer and diviner. She didn’t have much in lieu of advanced spells and Ipharia wasn’t sure that Kaito was properly attuned to use some of the more advanced, clerical-type spells she knew. The best she could teach him was universal spells, which were not too great outside of baseline utility. The matters of the arcane were tricky, after all.

“As you may have guessed, I don’t have a lot of offensive spells. I was running from goblins, after all. My clerical denomination is of protection and healing, and most of those spells require being attuned to my god. Though... I might know some universal spells that might fit the role even if they aren't particularly strong.”

The girl cleared her throat.

Ipharia was not used to teaching. She wasn't suited to it, or at least, she had never done any sort of clerical instruction from anywhere beyond the student's chair. But insofar as she could tell, she was going to have to begin to be one if Kaito was going to become comfortable with his newfound abilities. His world did not have magic, yet the gods had gifted him with the ability no wizard or cleric had in the entire realm, or at least none Ipharia had ever heard of. Processing magic quickly was one thing, but without understanding magic and creating it in mere seconds? Ipharia was impressed by Kaito's boon from the gods.

“So, magic is both simple and complicated. We as humans have been experimenting with the concept of magical science since the end of the Tenebrisic Period, which was around, uhm, one-thousand years ago. Give or take. Since this time we’ve kind of learned how to perform magical equations to create spells. Magic is divided into two categories, though both categories require us to use mana to create a magical reaction.”

She motioned to the plants before placing her leftmost hand on her bare right forearm, trying to use her hands as a way to explain things.

“Mana is like blood, its in everything and everyone. So, you can draw mana from your own body or from a plant or object. Once you do that its just about using your potent imagination, divine incantations, and other source codes to make a spell happen. For example, a sphere of light is pretty simple. It's just about doing the right motions and thinking the right thoughts and then forging your mana into an arcane source of light. There's no incantations required for a novice spell-caster, though when I was new I admit I did need them.”

After she was finished with her brief explanation, she paused her motions as she looked from Hiroko to Honami before returning back to Kaito. It was in this moment that she wished she could just create a portal to the Librarium of Magic in the capital, the books and elder academics could explain this all better than she could ever do. She felt like an awkward student trying to explain magic to a foreigner from a far land. In many ways, that was exactly what she was, she supposed.

She thought of the responsibility the goddess had granted her and tried to not let it discourage her.

“It's impressive that you can just absorb knowledge like this. All of you. I imagine my language must have come to you like you had known it for years if you are able to weave magic and skill this quickly.”

[HokumPocus]

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Unknown Forest

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Kaito turned to Hiroko. Learning spells in a second? He thought it made sense but, it didn't feel right. "No, I didn't learn it, or at least I think I didn't. It felt like I'd known this spell my whole life." The feeling was invasive somehow. It made the rest of his memories feel flimsy and up for grabs by whatever or whoever decided dropping them into a fantasy forest was a reasonable idea.

He made the ball of light fade away, as if he knew how to dispel it from years of experience. "If we find ourselves in a dangerous situation like last time, I could see if I can copy what Ipharia does again."

There was a certain satisfaction to forming a factual hypothesis for what felt like an eternity since the last time. By accepting the existence of fantasy, he could use it as a foundation for similar ideas, he realized. A tight frown formed though, upon learning that Ipharia wasn't versed in combat magic.

His drive to think didn't fade. This world that had known the touch of magic for more than a thousand years was now sprawled in front of him. He looked at his pale thin wrist with wonder for the first time in his life, realizing that his potential had surpassed that of his old self. In him wasn't just blood, it was mana. And it could change the world through his thoughts alone.

"Your language... it must have been the first hint towards realizing that we were in another world. Waking up and being able to read strange symbols in a sign with no problems, it's not something that happens to normal people."

[Carlyle]

ᴇ ʙ ɪ ꜱ ᴀ ᴡ ᴀ ʜ ᴏ ɴ ᴀ ᴍ ɪ

---

_{Location: Ipharia's Ecampment, Tarashima Forest}

Timeframe: Morning

---

"My parents would rather be caught dead than let me have a part time job while I'm still in school. Besides, why get a job when your parents don't mind paying for anything you want?" Honami replied. "Though, I suppose not everyone in Japan is fortunate as my family and I." She continued, shrugging her shoulders.

As Ipharia and Kaito both summoned their own sphere of light, the previous grumpiness Honami had turned to almost child-like wonder. Though she had just fought with superhuman strength mere moments ago, seeing actual magic, and not the card trick kind of magic, in person wowed Honami. It had always been a dream of Honami's to blast orcs and goblins with powerful fireballs and bolts of arcane cast directly from her fingertips, and while VR technology had made great strides in recent years, it felt incredibly obsolete to seeing actual magic being cast before her.

"See; I'm always right." Honami replied smugly. Still, despite her smugness, she couldn't help but to feel slightly jealous of Kaito having magical powers whilst she was stuck with inhuman strength.

---

@Inkarnate@HokumPocus@Polaris North

[Polaris North]

---

Tarashima Forest

---

"Yeah. But keep yourself in cover if you want to learn while we're being shot at." From what she remembered, mages were hard hitters but they also didn't have high enough defense. It was an exchange for their high offense. With Honami's strength, she's most likely going to be in the front lines. They should be fine with covering each other. They just need to make sure they can get their dynamic down when it comes to fighting. She felt like it would be integral to have some sort of strategy involved.

Though it did not hold much weight for Hiroko, she still listened to the explanation of magic Ipharia had provided them. The explanation of how magic worked was interesting but it would seem that while everyone has the capabilities of wielding magic, it doesn't seem like it would be easy to learn it. Though, Hiroko wasn't interested in learning something that sounded so complicated. "It sounds like coding for computer science..." She grumbled the comment while shaking her head.

When understanding the language of the world came into their discussion, she agreed with Kaito. The first telltale sign that something was wrong was when they read the inscription with no trouble at all, despite them knowing it was a foreign language.

"The goblins as well." Hiroko pointed out, remembering their earlier encounter with them. "It should be very useful in our travels to easily communicate with everyone." She wondered if it would be possible to avoid fighting goblins by talking to them. Though that seemed highly unlikely, avoiding fights during their travels would be ideal.

[mickilennial]

Location: Tarashima Forest -- Ipharia's Camp

---

“I’ve certainly never heard of such an ability.”

Ipharia returned her traveling pack to her person as she stomped out the camp, musing about their ability to learn not just abilities but also languages. If they had learned her language just by reading a stone or hearing her talk she wondered what else they would be able to acclimate into their memory.

What would happen if Honami fought a skilled duelist or Hiroko a master thief? For the gods to have granted such a power was incredible. Though she did suppose that such a shortcut was their way of making the process of living in the world so much easier for them. She couldn’t help be envious. She imagined similar spellcasters would feel the same if they saw an absolute novice like Kaito utilize mastery of the most complex spells after witnessing them seconds before. Though, how much mana could he control in his body? Hearing her words and seeing a light spell was only one part of comprehending the arcane and divine. Use of mana exhausted every spellcasters body. She was positive if she were to perform a resurrection spell she would push her own body to the limit if not outright completely exhaust her for days.

The gods had given Honami great strength, but what was the threshold of their physical limits?

Ipharia supposed it would be inappropiate to think such things. Her thoughts felt like they belonged to a deranged alchemist rather than a devoted cleric.

“At any rate, I can teach Kaito whatever universal spells I know. I'm sure we'll be safe once we get to grand highway. Assuming we don't run into trouble. The capital will probably have more answers for you.”

[HokumPocus]

---

Unknown Forest

---

Ipharia's remarks made Kaito's brows furrow. In a world where magic was commonplace and monsters roamed wild, they three were the strange ones. It was the world that was normal, and them the anomaly. He didn't even want to start thinking about the implications that had on their wellbeing. Would the people of this world treat outsiders with an outstretched hand like Ipharia? Or would they see them as a threat of some sort, the way a human on earth would react to an alien crash-landing on their planet? Not even Ipharia knew how they were able to adapt so quickly to their surroundings.

"Now that I think about it, it does make more sense for us to be what's odd instead of the other way around. This could lead to trouble later on. Would it even be safe to tell the truth if someone asks where we're from, or our learning power?"

Images of bland fantasy barbarians clad in weapons, scowls and armor ran across his mind, sending a small shiver down his spine. "Learning any of those universal spells you mention would be appreciated." He just hoped Hiroko was wrong in comparing magic to computer science. Numbers had never been his strong suit.

[mickilennial]

Location: Tarashima Forest -- Ipharia's Camp

---

“I guess that depends if people see you as a threat or not, but people are kind of desperate right now.” Ipharia remarked, as she looked in the direction of the grand highway.

Thinking about the complications of them knowing nothing of the world, she decided here and now that would be the best idea to give them a head's up about the general state of the world, or at least the state of Alma by itself. She wasn’t sure it would inspire confidence in their abilities, but not telling them was admittedly worse. Her goddess was not just a goddess of healing and protection, but of honesty as well. As a servant of her deity she needed to follow their ideals thoroughly and with conviction. Though that did not stop her anxiety in making such an explanation.

What would happen if these heroes turned out to be cowards? Kaito certainly looked like one despite his earnest interest in magic.

“I should probably tell you that the King being sick isn't the only other problem we are facing. There’s someone more dangerous than any goblin. Someone who’s been trying to take over Alma for the last year.” She commented as she kept looking out in the distance. “The Black King.”

[Polaris North]

---

Tarashima Forest

---

Kaito raised a fair point. Telling the truth of their origins was risky. Would they even believe something like being transported from one world to this? Of course, Hiroko had been planning on hiding that particular truth from the masses. For her, blending in would be the best. They might be considered madmen if they told this to anyone else. It seems like Ipharia only accepted this due to being there when they showed off their newfound skills. But would everyone else be as accepting as her?

Unlikely.

Ipharia shifted the conversation to the current state of the kingdom they're in - and likely the kingdom that had summoned them in the first place. "A kingdom with a medically unstable ruler faced with a conqueror." Hiroko hummed. It sounded like a show already. Technically, it was the conquering kingdom's best chance to win the war. Strike when the enemy is weak. "If we were summoned here as some sort of hero, then there's our answer as to why." As they say, desperate times call for desperate measures.

"If that is the case, then it would be for the best to lay low." She pointed out, adjusting her grip on the small bow. "Since we have no contact with the royal family, our only protection is ourselves. If the Black King catches wind of three people claiming to have been summoned by a goddess, well, he'd either think they're crazy or dangerous. And I don't know about you but if I was a conqueror, I'd rather be safe than sorry."

[Carlyle]

ᴇ ʙ ɪ ꜱ ᴀ ᴡ ᴀ ʜ ᴏ ɴ ᴀ ᴍ ɪ

---

_{Location: Ipharia's Ecampment, Tarashima Forest}

Timeframe: Morning

---

"And how do you suppose we lay low, Hiroko?" Honami asked, curious to hear her answer. "Let me guess: that we become pilgrims like our friend Ipharia and join her own quest to help the poor villagers of the land? Listen, even if we were summoned to be the heroes that this world needs, I'm not about to start by finding some kid's lost dog or helping the villagers bring in the harvest. The three of us were given these powers for a reason that isn't wasting them on boring side quests."

Honami crossed her arms. "Besides, who is this Black King anyway? Sure, he and his cronies are trying to take over Alma, but he sounds like a chump to me. He can't be all that powerful."

---

@Inkarnate@HokumPocus@Polaris North

[mickilennial]

Location: Tarashima Forest -- Ipharia's Camp

---

Ipharia’s mouth hung open for a good fifteen seconds of time following Honami’s assertion.

Her assessment that laying low being difficult given their circumstances made some modicum of sense, but when the green-haired girl shrugged off the Black King’s name without ever witnessing him Ipharia couldn’t help but wonder about the sense inside Honami’s skull. Kaito was naïve, and for most of their journey into the camp in gleeful denial about being summoned to her world, which suggested a certain deficiency of wisdom but she never thought Honami would have the same issue in a different sense. She supposed that was why the gods summoned her to be the representation of a warrior. All muscle, nothing else.

“There are nine kingdoms here on Eferion. The Black King has run over three others in his wake.” She commented, her voice lower than before. “You shouldn't underestimate him.”

Ipharia returned to her things before finishing up sorting out her camp, before waving her hand at her tent as she uttered the word dissipate, calling her items back into her personal pocket dimension. It was something that required attunement, so even as Kaito’s brain understood one half of the spell, he would not be able to replicate it’s effects as he did with the sphere of light. It was a spell that could only work on items bound to a person’s personal mana signature. It was useful for keeping Ipharia’s rucksack light and full of more essential items like scrolls and maps. Perfect for keeping camping supplies, though.

“Alma used to be perfectly safe from the capital all the way beyond Valengard to the border, before No Man's Land. Valengard was destroyed last month.” She mused, as she thought about it.

Her grandparents had been born in Valengard after the great migration of the Eianese people led them there, so it was a bit of a personal subject for her. She forced a smile. Cities could be rebuilt as could old fortresses. These people had been sent to right the wrongs that the Black King had started.

“We should get going! The nearest settlement we should reach by afternoon's end. Kaito, are you ready to learn some magic?”

[Polaris North]

---

Tarashima Forest

---

"What I meant was not put any more attention to ourselves. We make our way to this castle silently, hopefully without issue, and not just proclaim we're heroes sent to save the kingdom from impending doom." Hiroko replied to Honami's somewhat aggressive retort. She shifted her attention to Ipharia as she explained what the Black King was capable of. History tended to prove conquerors to be destined for failure - an early death with their generals fighting each other for the won land, or perhaps sometimes, an idiotic misstep because of the lack of foresight.

But it seems like the Black King was still at his prime. If he had conquered three out of nine kingdoms, then he must have amassed quite an army. And if those under his rule followed his order, then that army would just grow bigger and bigger. No wonder they started to get desperate. "How long has it been since the Black King started his conquering?"

Their method of packing was something to be envious of. She wondered if Kaito would be able to remake that. It would make their lives all the more easier if they start getting more stuff. And if being in this world meant that they would need weaponry, then they definitely needed an easy way to pack everything.

So Alma really was falling bit by bit. The Black King really seemed to be a formidable foe. It made him all the more interesting in her opinion, but she kept that to herself. She agreed to move on to the next settlement to get their journey started. There wasn't much they know about, but they could pick up more information as they moved through the kingdom.

[mickilennial]

Location: Tarashima Forest -- Ipharia's Camp

---

“Three or four years. Nobody knew a thing about him when he came upon the Kingdom of Belône. We still don't. The only thing we have is rumors and the graveyards he leaves in his wake. We know he can use magic as proficiently as he can use a sword and bow. Not even the most powerful clerics or wizards have been able to undo his sorcery.” Ipharia remarked, ignoring Kaito to answer the question.

Admittedly, Ipharia didn’t know a lot. She had never seen the Black King in person, but now that he had set his sights on Alma she wondered if it was a matter of time. She did wonder why the remaining kingdoms didn't form a coalition properly to stop him, but there was a lot of political issues going on in the wake of a conqueror-king. Princess Avantasia would surely know more. She imagined their conversation in the capital would provide a lot of information.

But they still had to get to the nearest townstead. They were wasting daylight.

Ipharia tightened her pack, motioning for the group to follow her as they continued their conversation.