The road to the capital was generally in good condition. Due to the long period of peace the kingdom had decided to invest money into its infrastructure at the recommendation from one of the summoned heroes over the years. They had paved nearly all the roads out of the capital. In the halfway point between cities there was typically a guard outpost to prevent bandits from setting up ambushes and to keep monsters away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Two pairs of guards would depart from the outpost, each pair going in opposite directions towards the next city. There would be four guards remaining in the outpost. A pair of guards would also depart from the city, headed towards the outpost. This way guards would avoid an isolated posting at the outpost due to the rotation and they could also monitor the road conditions every day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
My uncle had explained this to me during our first trip to the capital, and it always came to mind when we traveled. Thanks to this system, traveling in the kingdom wasn\u2019t dangerous at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It had been a few days since we left our town and we\u2019d mostly camped on the side of the road to avoid paying fees at an inn. It wasn\u2019t like we couldn\u2019t afford it, but my uncle said he preferred to sleep under the stars when he got the chance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I didn\u2019t mind it at all. The night sky at this time of year was mostly clear and gave a perfect view of the stars. It\u2019s not like we were in complete darkness, the road was actually lit by glo-lamps every so often, another investment by the kingdom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
My uncle had explained to me that glo-lamps were essentially lanterns but instead of being fueled by wax or oil were implanted with a magi-stone. They weren\u2019t usually used in houses because they used a rune that needed to absorb light from the sun during the day and it was a hassle to bring them inside and outside every day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Currently it was nighttime and we had just finished dinner. My uncle had gone to check the horses that he\u2019d hitched to a nearby tree. They couldn\u2019t be too close to the fire or they\u2019d get spooked. I was working on a new carving in the firelight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u300cWhat do you want to be.\u300d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So far, I had only skinned the bark off the wood. I hadn\u2019t decided what I wanted to carve yet. I usually whittled the wood down here and there until I was struck by inspiration. I was staring at the wood in my left hand while I fidgeted with the knife in my right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Falkr: \u201cYour skills handling that knife would scare someone if they didn\u2019t know you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I had been absentmindedly weaving the knife through my fingers and spinning it around my thumb.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Charo: \u201cYeah, but it\u2019s just us. Besides, I just use it to carve my wood.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Falkr: \u201cYou\u2019ve got nimble fingers, Charo. I\u2019ve known pickpockets less skilled than you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Charo: \u201cWhaddya you mean you\u2019ve known pickpockets?!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Falkr: \u201cYou meet a lot of people adventuring.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Charo: \u201cWell, I definitely don\u2019t want to meet people like that. Adventuring\u2019s really not the life for me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
My uncle sat down on the opposite side of the fire from me and leaned back on his hands, staring at the stars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Falkr: \u201cSome of the best times I\u2019ve had were with people like that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u300cHe doesn\u2019t usually talk about his past as an adventurer very much.\u300d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Falkr: \u201cA lot of what I know came from that time. Includin\u2019 how to tend to my sheep.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Charo: \u201cYeah? I thought you learned that from someone in town or when you were a kid.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Falkr: \u201cYour dad and I didn\u2019t grow up around here, and I only moved into town when you were born, Charo.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Charo: \u201cSo who\u2019d you learn about sheep from then?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Uncle Falkr let out a sigh and brought his hands into his lap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Falkr: \u201cNobody important. What\u2019re you carving there?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He stood up and bent closer to me to see what I\u2019d carved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Charo: \u201cNothin\u2019 yet.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I twirled the branch in my hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Falkr: \u201c\u2019S a blank canvas then.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Charo: \u201cFor now. It still hasn\u2019t decided what it wants to be yet.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Falkr: \u201cWe talkin\u2019 about the wood or you?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He had a grin on his face and he ruffled my hair.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Falkr: \u201cI\u2019m turnin\u2019 in for the night. Don\u2019t be up too long now.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Charo: \u201cI know. I\u2019ll douse the fire soon.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Uncle Falkr entered our tent and I could hear him snoring before long. I put the wood in a pocket and my knife in the sheath.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u300cWhat I want to be? I just want to be. Nothing specific, as long as I\u2019m alive. Why does everyone keep bringing that up?\u300d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I laid back with my hands under my head and looked at the stars in the night sky.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u300cHow do we look from up there? Would it be similar to what I saw in that dream?\u300d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While looking at the stars a bright streak shot across the sky.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u300cAh, a starfall. How\u2019d that children’s rhyme go?\u300d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When worlds align,<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Temptations call.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n From the deities’ shrine,<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n A star will fall.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u300cI\u2019ll have to tell Uncle Falkr about it tomorrow.\u300d<\/p>\n\n\n\n I should head to bed now. After dousing the fire and making sure that that there were no embers I went into the tent and fell asleep on the opposite side of my snoring uncle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When I woke up the next morning Uncle Falkr had already put away his bedroll and left the tent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u300cJudging by the amount light coming through the tent it must be around sunrise.\u300d<\/p>\n\n\n\n I had no problem waking up and packing my bedroll. Next up would be breaking down the tent and stowing it all in the cart, followed by hitching up the horses. Once the horses were hitched we\u2019d be able to eat while riding on the cart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n My mom had packed food suitable for the road, a few dried sausages and hardtack bread, along with the lunch for the first day. Uncle Falkr and I had been using the road food for our breakfast since it was easy. It didn\u2019t need a fire and was made to be eaten while riding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Falkr: \u201cWe\u2019re making good time. We\u2019ll stop by the town this time and pick up some more food for the road and some apples for the horses. Give \u2018em a treat for being good.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n We hadn\u2019t stopped in a town yet because we hadn\u2019t needed to. We probably still didn\u2019t, but it wasn\u2019t a bad idea to stay topped up on supplies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After a while of riding, we passed by a lake. There was a glint of sunlight off the water that reminded of the previous night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Charo: \u201cOh yeah, I saw a starfall last night.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Falkr: \u201cA starfall, huh. I haven\u2019t seen one in a long time, they\u2019re pretty rare. Supposed to be good luck too.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Charo: \u201cI think that was the first one I\u2019ve seen, it reminded me of the rhyme.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Falkr: \u201cThe children\u2019s rhyme? I know the one. Here in the kingdom starfalls are mostly ignored, but in the neighboring country they\u2019re apparently bad omens.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Charo: \u201cWhich one?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Falkr: \u201cDo you remember the name of the country to the south?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Charo: \u201cThe south? That\u2019s Langratia right?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Falkr: \u201cCorrect. While we\u2019re at it, let\u2019s do a bit of a refresher.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Every year when we head to the capital we do a bit of a geography lesson.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u300cI guess it\u2019s to make sure I don\u2019t flub anything if I run into foreigners.\u300d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Falkr: \u201cHere\u2019s a freebie, where are we?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n I rolled my eyes and gave an unamused look to my uncle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u300cOh well, I\u2019ll play along.\u300d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Charo: \u201cThe Raltian Kingdom, and to our west is the Aleris Protectorate.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Falkr: \u201cCorrect again! What else?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Charo: \u201cOff the coast of Aleris is\u2026 The islands.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Falkr: \u201cWhat\u2019s their name?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u300cI always forget this one\u2026 I guess the practice is good.\u300d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Charo: \u201cThe something Isles.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Falkr: \u201cClose, Spotted Isles. The Spotted Isles. They should be the easiest ones to remember, they got their name from how they look on a map. They look like someone took a paint brush and dotted the map in the middle of the ocean.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Charo: \u201cI don\u2019t look at many maps.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Falkr: \u201cFair enough. Remember the others?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Charo: \u201cThere\u2019s the Telys Theocracy across the Eastern Sea and the Freeland Empire below them, right?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Falkr: \u201cRight again. Six for seven isn\u2019t too bad, next year let\u2019s aim for all seven. Even though one\u2019s a freebie. Do you remember the nations in the Empire?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Charo: \u201cNo, that\u2019s asking too much. They\u2019re too far for me to remember all of them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Falkr: \u201cCharo, while I don\u2019t disagree, make sure not to let someone from the Empire hear you say that. While they\u2019re all united under the Empire they still have their own national pride.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u300cI don\u2019t think he has much to worry about there. The only people I talk to in the capital are the stall vendors, who are mostly from here in the kingdom.\u300d<\/p>\n\n\n\n I pulled out the wood I\u2019d been fiddling with last night, along with my knife from its sheath and started weaving the knife in between my fingers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Falkr: \u201cAnyways, continuing from earlier before the geography, in Langratia starfalls are considered to be bad omen.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Charo: \u201cHmm? Why\u2019s that?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Falkr: \u201cApparently it\u2019s somewhat related to that rhyme. I\u2019m not sure how though.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Charo: \u201cIsn\u2019t that weird?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Uncle Falkr looked over at me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Falkr: \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Charo: \u201cWhat\u2019s good in one place is bad in another.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Falkr: \u201cThat\u2019s just the way the world works, Charo. Different people have different values. You learn that traveling around.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Charo: \u201cHm\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n I stopped fiddling with the knife and looked at the wood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u300cYou\u2019re a starfall.\u300d<\/p>\n\n\n\n I started carving.<\/p>\n