Karl walked down the road past the first few fields, nodding politely toward the farmers working in the fields.
There was an old man sitting along the roadside with a table full of fruit, and he made a wide armed welcoming gesture as he saw Karl approaching.
“Welcome traveller. You look to be a long way from home.” The old man called in a strange accent that Karl struggled to understand.
“I do believe I am. I was travelling from just outside Whiton, and encountered a strange cloud. When it cleared, I was here.”
Karl hoped that the man would know Whiton Temple, which had been there with the same name since time immemorial.
“Whiton, you say? Never heard of it. But a Darklight Host Outreach Worker is a friend anywhere in the world.”
That sorted it. He was either inside a trial, or he had been tossed onto another continent.
“I don’t suppose you could tell me where I have ended up?” Karl asked, then tossed the man a silver coin from his bag and took one of the peaches off the table.
They were two for a copper, which seemed a bit steep, but when Karl bit into it, he realized that the peach had a rejuvenating property, and wasn’t just a plain fruit. He would have to ensure that Thor planted the seed and got it to grow in the space.
It would be a real treat for Lotus if he could give her magical fruits for her breakfast dishes.
“You’re in Maria, just outside the Port City of Kanyigi, on the West Coast. If you follow this road another hour, you’ll be there. I will warn you, anyone who hasn’t made it past the first advancement shouldn’t come anywhere near that cesspool. Kanyigi is a Fee Port, and it can get a bit rowdy.
If you turn around and go a couple of days down the road the other way, you’ll get to Bunga, and it’s a much better place to be. The only problem is that you’ll have to deal with the wild beasts on the way there.
If you’ve got a combat class, it should be alright. As I recall, all the Outreach Workers should have reached the First Advancement before they’re sent out alone, but then I suppose you weren’t planning to travel alone, were you?” The old man asked.
Karl shook his head. “No, I was leading a group, but they weren’t sent here with me. I don’t know if they ended up somewhere else, or managed to avoid whatever sent me here.”
The old man made a protective gesture, wishing them well, and sighed. “If they were sent here, I hope they weren’t sent too far inland.
Here near the coasts, it’s relatively safe for those at the first advancement, but if you get further in, you’ll need to be at least past the second advancement, and there are spots near the borders where you’ll need to be Mythic Awakened just to survive.”
Karl had gone through the first Advancement Trial, so he at least had an idea what the man meant, but Mythic Awakened? If he recalled right, it should be the Totem Rank after Overlord, would Mythic be the one after that?
If that was the case, he really had to keep himself near the coast because it meant that the Second Advancement should be somewhere around Overlord Rank.
“Is there an outpost or temple near here? Somewhere that might have maps and some clue about what happened to me?” Karl asked
“Aye, there is one in Bunga. A healing temple operated by the Darklight Host. They should have maps of all of the outposts on the continent, and that should get you home.” The old farmer offered.
“Thanks for the advice. It looks like I will turn around and head back toward Bunga. I haven’t any coppers, but here, for a few more fruits.” Karl replied as he used one of the small bags on the table to pick up six of the peaches.
The old man quickly pocketed the second silver coin with a glowing smile and then dug in the bag beside him, which Karl had taken to be his lunch.
“Wear this on your left arm if you’re suspecting trouble with humans. They won’t normally mess with an Outreach Worker, but even if they’re feeling frisky, they won’t touch anyone wearing that.”
Karl chuckled and tucked the red bandana into his storage. “Enthusiastic negotiators are an occupational hazard, I’m afraid. But I’ve come across more than a few in my time. Thank you for the advice and the assistance.”
Karl put five of the peaches in his bag and passed the last one to Thor, along with the pit from the one that he ate.
[Oh, those are good. I will work on growing the peach trees.] Thor agreed once he had a taste.
The actual benefits meant very little to him, as Thor had all sorts of refreshing and rejuvenating plants in his home, but beneficial plants that were juicy and sweet were much more difficult to obtain.
Karl turned away from the village and began to make his way back to Bunga, following the old man’s advice.
He made it all the way to the edge of the last farm, and was headed into the treed area when he came across a woodcutter leaning against his mule. The animal was hooked to a large log, and ready to go back to their sawmill, but the man kept it in place for a moment while he talked to Karl.
“Did the old man tell you that the Port isn’t safe and to head to Bunga?” He asked.
Karl nodded, waiting to see what the woodcutter would say.
“Well, that’s not a lie. But there are bandits all along the road to Bunga. It’s a dangerous route, and they have no respect for anyone. Even that Darklight Host tabard isn’t going to save you from them. I recommend that you don’t follow the road, or you take a detour southeast through the woods and take the path south from Homa and then east to Bunga at the fork in the road by Kapchor.”
Karl nodded. “I take it that way is closer to the coast, and generally considered safer, but longer?”
The woodcutter lit a pipe full of tobacco and smirked at Karl.
“Half right. It’s closer to the coast, but it’s a wagon path that’s overrun with monsters. Nobody would call it a safer route on a regular day, but for a solo traveller, it’s safer than dealing with bandits.”
“Do you have any details on the bandits? If it’s reasonable, I should probably take care of that problem.” Karl suggested, playing the part of the Darklight Host Outreach Worker as well as he could.
“There are about thirty of them in total, but they spread out down the road, depending on where they think they’ll have the most luck. There are a number of villages between here and Bunga, but none of them more than about twenty people.
Nothing that can stand up to them, so don’t be surprised if you stop overnight, and they turn you in for a reward from the bandits.”
With his piece said, the woodcutter spurred his mule into motion and started heading back to the village.
