From Real to Realm

After such a heavy discussion, a break was needed. Val and Amarisse made their way back to the group to sit down and have their first roadside meal. The smell coming from the fire wasn’t half bad.

“It’s nothing special,” Ainz said, stirring a pot. “But it should be filling and give you energy.”

The smell reminded Val of something from Axeman’s Hall. It had that home-cooked aroma.

“The smell won’t attract anything, will it?” she asked.

Weyland walked up with bowls and spoons. “It could. We’ll have a rotating watch throughout the night just in case. Can’t afford for everyone to fall asleep.”

“Makes sense. Always need eyes open for danger on the road,” Amarisse said, helping to hand out bowls.

Once everyone had their bowls, Ainz filled them up with the stew. The dinner was rather quiet aside from some small conversations. Cera was relatively quiet, while Thais was his normal boisterous self.

Amarisse and Val sat next to each other, eating silently. Val was still mulling over their conversation just a moment ago, while Amarisse was content to stay quiet.

Even just talking to Lynesia about this… What if she leaves me? I don’t think she’d throw everything away over that, but…

“Aughh.”

Amarisse chuckled. “Stop stressing over it so much. I’ve seen the way Lynesia looks at you. She’s madly in love with you. If you talk to her and are honest, I don’t see anything bad happening.”

Val looked down into her stew. “I don’t think so either, but there’s no way to know for sure.”

“Of course, but you know we’ll all be here for you regardless of what happens,” Amarisse said, hugging Val from the side. “At least you know that for sure.”

Val smiled, patting Amarisse’s arm. “I know. Thank you for listening to me rant.”

“Of course. That’s what friends are for, right?”

The rest of dinner was relatively more relaxed. Val was still worried, but Amarisse had done what she could to assuage those worries. Everyone else continued their smaller conversations as the fire died down gradually.

As the fire burned down to a small flicker, Weyland decided to go over the watch schedule.

“First watch will be Amarisse and Ainz. Both you and Val will have a partner since you’re still new to all of this. We aren’t doubting your ability, but this is your first escort.”

“I get it,” Val said, nodding. “Better safe than sorry.”

Weyland smiled. “Good. The second watch will be you and Cera. I don’t want our only healer on a watch by herself either.”

Cera nodded.

“Third watch will be me, and Thais will cover the fourth watch.”

Thais smirked. “Staying awake on my own? Easy.”

Weyland rolled his eyes. “Final watch will be Sturman and William. I figured giving the two of you final watch works best.”

Sturman nodded. “It does. We can start prepping the wagons while on our watch. That way, once it’s time for everyone to get up, we can be ready to go.”

“Perfect. Is everyone on the same page?”

With the watch schedule handled, everyone made their way to their bedrolls. Val was very thankful she bought a bedroll this morning. Sleeping on the ground didn’t sound appealing in the least. There was still some heat coming from the small, flickering fire next to everyone. Whoever was on watch would be in charge of making sure it didn’t die, but didn’t get too large either. Before long, Val fell asleep curled up in her new bedroll.

“Val.”

Someone gently shook her.

“Val, wake up, it’s your watch.”

Val groaned, sitting up and rubbing her eyes. She wasn’t used to sleeping in normal clothes.

“Hey, sleepyhead,” Amarisse said, grinning. “Cera’s already up.”

Slowly, Val got out of her bedroll. “This sucks.”

Amarisse chuckled. “I bet. At least you’ll get to sleep the rest of the watch after yours is done.”

Val made her way over to her armor and weapon. Amarisse started taking off the majority of her armor in preparation for bed.

“Don’t nod off, it’s harder than you think,” Amarisse warned.

“I’ll be fine,” Val said, yawning.

After slipping her armor on, she made her way around the wagons. The sky was clear tonight, and the moon was out. There was a soft light cast across the plains around them. Blades of tall grass swayed in the soft breeze as Val gazed into the distance. Her eyes were slowly adjusting to the dark, but there was no guarantee she’d see if something was lurking. After taking a handful of minutes to check their surroundings, she returned to the center of camp.

“See anything?” Cera asked.

“No, the sky is clear, though. With the moon out, I can see a bit better.”

Cera nodded. “That’s good.”

“I’ll be keeping an eye on the distance for our watch,” Val said. “You okay staying awake on your own?”

Cera nodded again. “It’s not my first time on an escort.”

Val smiled. “Alright.”

Once Val reached the other side of the wagons, she leaned against the side of one. She stared out into the distance, looking for any odd movements. She didn’t know what all could be out there, or if there were actually any nocturnal threats. It wasn’t long before her eyelids started feeling heavy again.

“Fuck, I’m about to fall asleep.”

With a huff, she pushed off the wagon. If she just sat there staring into the dark, she’d surely fall asleep.

“Might as well practice then.”

Val stepped away from the wagon, giving herself plenty of room. Then she assumed her combat stance, bending her knees and hips. For the next hour, she practiced all of the moves she’d learned the past week. There was no dummy to strike, so she used her imagination to keep her strikes true.

“I didn’t expect to find you training,” Cera said from between the wagons. “I heard something, but didn’t know if you were fighting something.”

Val chuckled, wiping sweat from her brow. “I almost fell asleep leaning against the wagon. Figured training would keep me awake.”

Cera smiled. “Don’t let me stop you.”

Val raised an eyebrow. “I’m no stranger to having an audience, but shouldn’t you be keeping watch too?”

Cera rolled her eyes. “The outcropping covers over half of our flank. It won’t hurt if we’re both here.”

“Fair,” Val said, walking over to the wagon. “Why do you want to watch me train?” She grabbed her waterskin and drank.

Cera shrugged. “I don’t really watch many people train alone. I was curious what you were doing.”

After corking her waterskin, Val wiped her mouth. “It’s nothing special. I imagine a person standing in front of me and attack like I normally would.”

Cera nodded. “Well, like I said, don’t let me stop you.” Then she hopped up on the back of the wagon.

“Alright then,” Val said, walking back to where she was training.

Val got back in her stance and resumed what she was doing. After spending so much time practicing, she was beginning to really feel at one with her weapon. No longer did she feel like she was fighting it.

Cera slid off the back of the wagon. “Can you stop a moment?”

Val stopped mid-lunge. “What’s wrong?”

“There’s something off about you,” Cera said, approaching.

Val’s face hardened. “Excuse me?”

Cera put her hands up. “Y—your aura, something is off about your aura.”

Val tilted her head. “My aura? What do you mean?”

“Like it’s being pressed down,” Cera said slowly. “Constrained.”

“By what, exactly?” Val asked.

Cera shook her head. “I don’t know.”

“If that’s what it looks like to you, then how has no one else noticed?”

Cera hesitated. “I’m gifted when it comes to sensing auras… but I’m still learning.”

Val exhaled.

Pressed down? Constrained? That doesn’t make any sense.

“Well,” she said, tightening the grip on her weapon, “it doesn’t feel wrong. If it becomes a problem, I’ll get it checked out.

Cera studied her for another second, then nodded.

Val returned to her stance, but her rhythm was off.

Cera didn’t say much else for the rest of their watch. Val kept training even as Cera sat nearby watching her, but struggled to concentrate. Shortly before their watch was supposed to end, Val stopped training.

“I’m going to clean myself off,” she told Cera. “I’ll be over at the end of the wagons.”

Cera nodded. “Alright, I’ll go ahead and start waking Weyland.”

Val walked to the end of the wagons. Once there, she started stripping down completely. A breeze coasted past her, making her shiver. Val took the time to wet a rag and begin wiping herself down as best she could. After sweating during her midnight training, she didn’t want to go to sleep just yet.

“Hey, Val, I woke—“ Cera stopped, eyes wide.

Val turned.

They froze.

Cera stared, her brow furrowed.

Her mouth opened, and then her face went red immediately.

“I’m so sorry! I didn’t know!” She spun around so fast she smacked into the side of the wagon.

Val grabbed her towel and wrapped it around her. “Cera!”

“I wasn’t staring! I mean—I was, but only because,” her voice trailed off. “I’m leaving. I’m gone. This never happened.”

Val stood there, heart hammering away.

There’s no way she didn’t see.

Val leaned back against the wagon. “Fuck.”

A few minutes later, Val returned to her bedroll. Weyland was already sitting on top of one of the wagons, watching the distance. Val glanced over to see Cera looking at her. The moment they made eye contact, Cera rolled over, facing away from her.

“Great,” Val mumbled under her breath.

There was no reason to linger on what happened. Instead, Val set her things to the side before slipping beneath her bedroll once more. It didn’t take long for her to fall asleep, considering how tired she already was and the training she just done. Thankfully, she had no issues sleeping aside from the bedroll being less comfortable.

“Val, wake up.”

Once more, someone was gently shaking Val awake. When she opened her eyes, she noticed a familiar orange hue in the sky.

“Is it morning already?” she asked.

Amarisse nodded, yawning herself. “It is.”

Val slowly sat up. Most of their stuff had been packed up already, and the wagons were ready to go. Thais was already tossing his stuff in the back of his wagon. Everyone else was already gathering their things.

“We should reach Edmur today,” Weyland said. “Tonight we will sleep in proper beds.”

“Good, these bedrolls are uncomfortable,” Cera said, rolling her bedroll up.

Val glanced over at her.

Did she forget about last night?

It only took roughly half an hour for everyone to finish. After a final check of the area and the wagons, Weyland took the time to check in with everyone.

“Sleep well?” he asked as he walked up to Val’s wagon.

“Wasn’t terrible,” Val said, popping her neck. “Not as comfortable as home.”

He chuckled. “Well, no nodding off while we’re on the road. You good Thais?”

“When am I not?” he asked, grinning big.

Weyland rolled his eyes. “Glad to see you’ve got enough energy for everyone here.”

After checking in with everyone, Weyland joined Sturman and Amarisse on the front wagon. A few seconds later, each wagon started moving toward the road again.

“A real bed sounds so good,” Ainz said, yawning.

Val nodded. “That’s my first time sleeping in a bedroll. Not the best.”

Thais chuckled. “If you’re doing more escorts, you’ll have to get used to it.”

Val considered that. The idea of having to sleep in bedrolls more often did not appeal to her. Sleeping on the bare ground sounded worse, but neither sounded ideal. She really missed sleeping in her bed with Lynesia cuddled up to her.

Only been a day, and I already miss her like crazy.

Slowly but surely, the caravan fell into a steady pace. The wind had picked up some throughout the night, but it wasn’t anything to worry about. Tall grass swayed back and forth as the sound of wooden wheels rolled across packed dirt. Occasionally, someone would spot a carcass on the side of the road. Most were normal animals that could be found in these plains.

“Look there,” Thais said, pointing.

Out in the distance was a small herd of what looked like Elk to Val.

“What are those?” she asked.

“They’re called Prism Stags,” Ainz said, glancing from the road to the herd. “Shame we didn’t see them last night.”

Val turned, confused. “Why?”

“They glow in the dark,” Thais said. “Really cool looking.”

Val raised an eyebrow. “They glow in the dark? Really?”

Ainz nodded. “They really do. They’re a protected species too.”

“Protected? Why?”

Thais sat back down. “Hunters almost killed them off for their hides. Worth a lot of coin. If you hunt them, you can be fined or even jailed now.”

Val looked back out across the plains at the small herd grazing.

Seems poaching exists across worlds.

The caravan continued on its way even as the Prism Stags continued grazing. Occasionally, they’d stop for a bathroom break or to take care of their horses. During one of these stops, Thais and Val were talking about the fight yesterday.

“You are more ballsy than I expected,” he said, elbowing her. “Not many level ones are willing to just go for it.”

Val chuckled. “I got reamed for it, though.”

Thais nodded. “I heard Amarisse tearing into you. She’s right, you know? I get wanting to push hard, but you also need to rely on your tank.”

Val sighed, looking away from Thais. Doing so caused her to lock eyes with Cera. The moment their gazes locked, Cera turned away quickly, a blush barely present.

“Val, you listening to me?”

Val nodded. “I am. I know, she already told me as much. I need to find a sweet spot where I can be aggressive without leaving my party at risk. It’s not easy finding it.”

“It isn’t. It took me a while, but our classes are different,” he said, patting her shoulder. “As a Breaker, I can afford to push forward and be aggressive. You’re a Hybrid. You have to find a better balance to fill gaps in your team.”

“I know,” Val said, sighing.

Thais pulled on her shoulder, making her look at him. “There’s a difference between saying you know and actually knowing. I think you’ve got potential, but you need to nurture it.”

The talk mirrored a lot of what Val had heard from others. It was honestly getting a bit old hearing the same thing on repeat. However, she wasn’t dumb enough to ignore advice from anyone higher rank than she was.

“Alright, we’re back on the road!” Weyland yelled.

Thais elbowed Val again. “Let’s ride.”

Once everyone was back on their wagons, the caravan started moving once more. They couldn’t be too far from Edmur at this point. Val wasn’t the best at judging time or distance traveled, but she wasn’t oblivious.

A few hours later, the sun hung low in the sky. Trees off in the distance cast long shadows while the air was starting to cool. The caravan crested a small hill when Val finally saw it.

Sprawling fields full of various crops stretched out on either side of the road. In the distance, she could see plumes of smoke leading to a smudge of the town on the horizon. A few taller buildings stood out from the smudge, but she couldn’t tell what they were.

Small groups of buildings were placed periodically at crossroads between the fields. Some had windmills turning slowly in the soft breeze. Others had what looked to be homes or possibly storehouses.

“Holy shit, that’s a lot of farms,” she said, standing up.

Ainz chuckled. “Edmur is a farming town for a reason. The ground here is excellent for farming.”

They were still a few miles out from the town, at least. It really sold just how much farmland surrounded the small town.

As their caravan continued toward Edmur, Val noticed armed men and women walking between the fields. If she focused hard enough, she could just make out pairs walking throughout the fields nearby.

“I guess those are the local guard?” she asked, pointing out a pair nearby.

Thais followed her finger. “Yep. They patrol between the fields often.” He pointed further ahead. “That’s one of their barracks. They have them spread out through the farmlands. Probably helps with responding quickly to issues out here.”

Val nodded. “The response time would suck if they were all in Edmur.”

“Definitely,” Thais said, waving at a nearby patrol.

Val relaxed into the seat now that Edmur was within view. They were within the bubble of the town, so they didn’t need to be as on edge. It was also within view, so she figured it wouldn’t be much longer.

Around half an hour later, she sat up, confused.

Why is it taking so long? It’s right there.

She turned to Thais. “Why does it feel like it’s taking so long to get there?”

He raised an eyebrow, confused. “It’s still a few miles out; we’ve got at least another hour of riding to get there.”

She sighed, sitting back in her seat.

I forgot, travel on this world is so much slower.

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