Mabinogi Generation 1 - Chapter 6: The Road Ahead

“Are we there yet...” I’m sure any of you know that feeling out there.
“Are we there yet...?” That instance where you are near your threshold and begin to notice a strange thing in your head.
“Are we theeeeeeeeeeeeeere yet?” Like the sound of a constant drumming beat calling you to action, but you know it best to just ignore.
“Come on, are we even cl-“
“Damn it, we just left the logging site!” I think it’s about to stop... “You, we just left the logging area! We aren’t there, we aren’t even remotely close!!
“You two, stop playing along, I know you just wanted me to freak out, so here it is!!!!”
A little over a week ago, I became part of this group of travellers who call themselves Chou, thinking I could become stronger and have some fun along the way. Somehow or another, these people are going to be helping me link my dreams together and... investigate these weird incidents occurring lately. Like this medal we found back in Alby...

---

“Ahh... it’s no use, I can’t read Fomorian...” And that just about sums up our little adventure in that place, but a bit of a shocker coming from Tarlach.
“Then, what do you suggest I do? I don’t think there’s anybody in Tir Chonaill that can speak it...”
“Have you asked Meven about it?”
“Do you think he would believe me if I told him I got this from a Fomorian?”
“Fair point...” Looking as frustrated as the first time I met him, Tarlach could only grimace over the new puzzle present to him. In his hands was a medal I usually see around Priest Meven’s neck that I got from the hands of a Fomorian that wanted to kill me. But it wasn’t so much the ownership of the medal as much as it was what they said.
Doing work of the Goddess... killing us in her name... but as far as I know about us Milletians, she was the person who brought us here. Why would she suddenly turn on us like this?
“Might I make a suggestion?” Oh, and Sokk and Piko came with me to Alby and to talk to Tarlach, too. They might look like idiots at first glance, but there’s something stronger behind that... “We could head south to Dunbarton, the trade capital, and see if we can find someone there?”
Tarlach, mind you he only knew of me and only had spoken with me up until earlier when he sent me into Alby, had somehow deepened his scowl. I guess he doesn’t like the market that much.
“It’s come to that... huh?” He approached me and extended out one hand, the one holding the medal. “It looks like there’s no helping it, Dunbarton is the best move...”

---

Which brings us back to here: walking along a path down Dugald Aisle with our lightest goods on our back. Despite this, there was a strange... dragging feeling on us, like something was holding us from making any progress.
“How about now?”
“”””DAMN IT, NO.””””
“Uuu....” with a whimper, Piko fell into silence and hung her head over having been scolded by us other four who were putting up with this whining this whole time.
...Yet this feeling of lethargy still lingers. If it wasn’t Piko’s complaining, what is it?
“Halt, travellers!” Was the voice we heard, but there was no face to match it to. But then came another sound, a rustling from a nearby thicket from the side of the road. “Hrk!”
And then came that... are they having trouble?
“Just a... just a moment please...”
“You’ll have to forgive my partner...” from behind this time. As we turned our attention 180 degrees, there was a woman of pretty fair appearance. I’d have liked to keep it that way, she had short blonde hair reaching no farther than her neck and blue eyes like a river. From the neck down however, dirty, heavy worn, and raggedy leather. In her right hand, a blade had been drawn.
Please return to me the image I wanted of somebody warning us of danger up ahead, not BEING the danger up ahead.
“Alright folks, by order of the Duke, we need to collect a toll from each of you.”
“Duke?” Klarrann asked, much to the detest of the woman in front of us.
“Yes, the Duke. I don’t have to take it forcefully, do I?” By this point, her partner, who actually turned out to be a giant, also blonde, also wearing the mostly dirty attire. At this point we knew there was no Duke or tolls ordered by him if he existed. These are bandits... but not quite.
“Hand over your goods and no blood has to be spilt.” The giant lady said. He size making it all the more obvious that her hands were shaking.
This is a weird situation... every foe I’ve faced to this point had a drive in their eye that made them want to kill me but these guys. They don’t look like they could chop a tree much less break some bones. So what to do? Humour them and fight back or...
“Pukukuku.....” laughing? “Pwahahahahahahaha!!!” Was it one of the bandits? What were they laughing about? Do I look weird to them? “Let me.. haha... let me get this straight?” Kaya?
Now I’m really confused, our straight-laced stick-in-the-mud sorcerer is laughing hysterically, like she was being tickled.
“What the hell is so funny?”
“You two, you want to rob us?” Kaya asked having finally caught her breath; though she looked like she was holding back a flood gate of laughter.
“Yeah, and don’t think we’ll go easy on you if you refuse.”
“I don’t refuse.” What? “Here, this is my gold bag, you can have it.” She threw it high into the air in the direction of the giant lady, easily caught in her hands. I wasn’t alone in my confusion at least: the two bandits looked stunned.
“That’s the most eager I’ve seen anybody surrender...” the accomplice claimed. Shortly before snapping out of it and returning to the prior mood. “Okay, if the rest of you are as wise as your darkly friend, you’ll-“
“Luna...”
“Can it! We’ve got this one in the bag!”
“Luna... the coin bag...” she turned it over with the drawstring loosened. “It’s empty.”
And there was silence... the only sound audible being the gentle breeze flowing through the trees. Along with that, the light chuckle of Kaya, like a kid whose prank was a great success. As to whether this is a prank or not...
“Is this some kind of joke?” the giant one asked. “Where are you hiding your gold?”
“Any gold I had is in the hands of many people in Tir Chonaill.”
“Meaning?”
“It’s been spent,” Kaya then spun on her heels to us, and approached Sokk. “Look,” she proceeded to grab and repeat the fate of her own bag, revealing it was empty “and again,” she over-turned Piko’s bag, “and once more,” and my own gold bag. At the very most, about 7 gold coins had fallen onto the ground, leaving the bandits who were now standing side-by-side dumbfounded.
“Do I need to explain this too?” Kaya asked them with a shocked tone. “Okay, look, that guy over there,” she was pointed to Klarrann, “he’s our leader. He calls himself the King of us. Kings, in order to prove they have domain over their land and subject tax them. So he taxes us. However, he also wants to keep us as his friends and subjects so, any money he collects from us is usually spent on us.”
Yeah, that pretty much sums up everything. It’s not like for every rabid animal we subdue, we get some gold out of it and, for some miraculous reason, these animals are loaded with gold. What kind of strange world would that be?
“Well, in any case, I believe we have wasted your time and you have wasted ours. I suggest getting out of the way.” Kaya proceeded in all her bluntness.
“You’re lying...” the human one raised her head up, and along with that her blade. “Hand over the gold you are hiding.”
“Unbelievable...” Kaya heaved a sigh and pinched her sinus. Having just explained thoroughly to them how dirt broke we are, there must be some tremendous force driving them... or sheer stupidity. “Well come on then, you intend to find money on me, you gotta jump at me and force it out!”
And the challenge was accepted. She leapt dagger first to Kaya, appearing to aim for her neck. It was a nicely done jump forward, most people wouldn’t be able to dodge and, at the very least, parry it. As I’ve learned from my short time with these guys, none of them are “most people.”
“Slow...” Kaya muttered. Is she referring to herself? That blade looks like it’s going into her... she vanished!
“Huh?”
“Over here!” And her elbow slammed into the aggressor’s back! The blow was simple, but very devastating as it rippled to her head and feet. Shortly after, toppling like a well chopped tree. The battle between the two was quick to end, but Kaya’s eyes thirsting for more battle weren’t, turning quickly onto the giant.
“Okay, we’re done.” She surrendered!
We saw them off, running south to Dunbarton, or somewhere else, before Kaya finally relaxed herself and turning back to the rest of us.
“Everyone alright?”
“Pride a bit hurt, but otherwise okay...” Sokk said as he stepped up to her. “You on the otherhand... didn’t jump out quick fast enough.”
“Huh?” a few second later, you could see a red mark appear on her face, a few inches from her left eye.
“Let me bandage that u—“
“No, come on, we’re losing sunlight.” Kaya began to walk ahead of us. “We were lucky they were stupid enough to attack in broad daylight. If we get caught at night, it won’t be the same case...”
Oh, true. The world always becomes such a different place at night. Most guards are let down, predators hit the road, and only Eweca and Ladeca light the path. If we’re still walking at night, we’d have to practically be back to back.
“Kaya, don’t you think you should have that wound looked at?” Piko butted in.
“What, now this is going to be the question of the day? I’m fi—hak!” Her assuring us that she was okay was suddenly cut off by a cough. And more to follow...
“Kaya!” Klarrann and Sokk both jumped to her aide. “Oh my gosh, her face has swollen up.”
“Poison?!”
“No, something even worse...” Klarrann rubbed his hand on the cut. “Peanut oil... she used that knife to make her lunch.”
...
“So, she’s having an allergic reaction?”
“Pretty much, but even then,” Klarrann proceeded to hoist Kaya onto his back “we should hurry or she’ll be in some pretty bad agony.”
And so it was our day in the park walking to Dunbarton became a race to put one of our own out of their suffering. So the evening went on...

lol Kayas allergic to peanuts, what a twist xD

I'm seriously going to have time to read all this in 3 days. Dx

*So late... but I guess I'll start at Chapter 1*