We walk past all the crowds of people, and to the dirt road, many cries and laughters of people as we left the place.
The walk is long and for a while quiet, until the carts, many, begin to pass us making us step off of the regular path and into the grass for a bit.
Catching sight of Wes for a second I wave to him and then he disappears again.
Before he left my sight completely it looked like he already made a friend, that he could talk to for the duration of the trip.
'That's nice.'
I sigh as I look at my traveling companion.
Sply, who holds no pack, no food, nothing besides the closes on her back and the necklace around her neck.
Soon, we end up walking far away from Squea, in the process, also finding an amazing view of plains, for as far as my eyes can see, it is purely amazingly stunning grass shaved down to a margin by animals in the area.
"Sply?"
I call out to her while I'm staring into the plains.
"Yes. What is it?"
"What's our first stop?"
"Our first stop would most likely be a small town from here, it's about three miles walk."
"Three miles?!"
I ask surprised at the trek we're going to make.
"Yes. So, makes sure to not get exhausted when you get there."
She pauses for a second as I open my book and write down:
First Stop, small village. Three long miles.
"Lazuli?"
Sply calls out to me.
"Yes?"
"When we get there, you need to not anger them."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, these guys honor a tradition of slavery here. Don't get on any of their bad sides, because we are away from Squea's square and your town which means that you'll be seeing the world in a completely different light then your hometowns own."
Hearing her says that is weird to me, it's like she is telling me that no matter how bad something seems don't interfere with it.
"What do you mean? That they honor a slavery tradition there?"
She grabs the necklace softly between her fingers.
"Seeing what I mean is better. But this a very heavy word of warning Lazuli…"
Sply stops. For a second she quiet, making the only sound heard being the wind playing through the plains:
"Don't try to help those in chains, if you end up doing so, people will end up hurt."
"People in chains?"
She doesn't answer me, she just continues to walk.
Sply puts her hand back down to her side.
I open my book once more. Slowing down to write and not mess up my scribbling.
Who are the people in Chains???
I make a small drawing of what I think iron cuffs look like are.
I close my book putting the pencil inside as I turn to a jog to catch up with Sply.
The time passes, and the sun now rises above us, the heat begins to be a bit of a nuisance, but out in the distance of our view is people.
"Sply, there's people!"
I say excitedly, because it has been a few hours since I even saw another person before the very gloomy Sply.
Wanting to run around her and right to the people.
Sply stops me.
"No matter what happens don't try to free them. And stick close to me. This town isn't nice, in its interior."
I look to the back of her head with confusion.
"What does that mean?"
"That you'd better listen to my advice."
When she says that, it makes me stop wanting to run before her and to just stay behind her.
To Stay Close.
I feel my hand instinctively rest more on the grip of my bow.
"Get your hand off the bow."
Sply says which makes me immediately pull my hand away from the bow.
"Why are you suddenly hyper aware of everything?"
I ask, curious of her caution.
"Lazuli…"
We grow closer and closer to the person to see them inside of a fence, with many more people around them.
Seeming to grab at something inside of the fence that they are in.
"These guys are will be nice to you. But they will net be people that you will like. Don't get offended or angered at the words they will say."
We continue walking, my words cut short by my surprise at genuine concern in Sply's own words as she spoke to me.
It's something that happens rarely, so when it does get to that point I take it to heart.
We continue to walk and soon I hear the voices of the people there, singing a tune that's very melancholic.
The words not clicking in my mind.
Soon I get just close enough to hear them better and to see what they are doing inside the fence.
It's elf's being used as slaves to harvest in a feild, that is large.
I turn to the point where both Soly and I will be continuing to walk to and only seeing a small house, not even a full town yet, meaning that from here, to the beginning is just fields of elven slaves being used as farmers.
Their bodies are scrawny and bones show from below their meaty exterior.
Making me have to hold in vomit, and the smell that they give off, would be like insulting the corpses of dead people if I used them to describe it that way.
A basket placed beside every fifth elf.
"Savior Will Find Us..."
All there skin is darkened, a contrast to what has been happening to Apa.
Since she was in The forest, meaning that she had ashened skin. It would seem that these guys were here from day to night, night to day. And repeat, and repeat.
"Savior Will Find Us; The Guide..."
They all have abnormal amounts of injuries to their bodies, making them look to be covered head to toe in cuts.
The bruises on their body is also taking up a good amount of their skin, showing the horrible conditions that they going through.
The voice of all the people singing is in tune, even if they are sweating their asses off and being forced to work in the sun of this hot day.
"Savior Will Find Us…"
I listen to the words they have been singing now.
As a guy catches sight of me looking at them with pity, I turn my face in embarrassment and run to catch up with Sply.
"Stick close."
Sply tells me again.
"Send me From this Torment."
Their song is then put on a repeat, singing those words again and again, as both Sply and I move forward and hear them, the town beginning to become more and more in view for us.
As Sply and I see a man, that's on a donkey, with a canteen on the donkey, eating bread.
He reaches to his side, as he stares at us for a second then, he drops his guard and puts his hand backs on the donkey, while eating his bread.
A white balding man, with a beer belly and a mustache that doesn't compliment his very round facial structure.
Wearing a brown leather vest, with clothes underneath that reminds me of white pajamas.
"Hello people."
He pauses and smiles at us, while making the donkey bring him closer.
"My name is Makeni Joe, and I'm the proud owner of the Elven farm for Ink leaves and the Honest man's weed."
His smile is bright yellow, as he drags his tongue through it.
"Savior will Find Us."
As those close to us begin to sing once more, the man whips his head over to the fenced in elves.
"How many times have I told yall 'bout the damned song!"
He reaches back to his side that he didn't pull out the last time and he whacked a few of the closest ones near the gates with the mightiest cracks making them all drop and cry as others still sing in their torment.
Picking and dropping into the basket, just for them to repeat, repeat, repeat.
Following the man's direction even if they don't want to.
"God, these elves! I'm I right?"
He laughs as he says that, and I turn to one of the elves, a small child having to help with the harvesting of these roots.
It makes my blood boil, I almost speak, before Sply intervenes.
"Very."
Her words in the same nonchalant tone as ever.
"We just need directions to the closest Inn, in town."
The man smiles and nods.
"Well the closest Inn, in Outskir would be…"