The sight outside Dorino disappointed Peter. It had gotten worse from the last time he was here, but he didn't know how long ago that was. The people here probably blamed it on the fiends or didn't even notice. Once outside the village, Peter turned to Jonas, “It's not just here. It's most of Guardia. I'm a Grand Wizard for Guardia, the youngest by far ever. So few people discover their magic it may not even be a title in your time.” Peter's pace slowed, his vision looking down, “I had always strived to help everyone I could, especially here on the war front. Dorino was where I spent a good amount of time.”
The dowsing stick twinged over to the left. “It should be over here.” Peter's expressioned hardened and his ears dropped to his head. The path the dowsing stick took the group was off the path, taking them south and to the east. After a few more minutes of walking, the stick began to shaked back and forth. Peter looked to Jonas, “Found a small source of water. Not even to help Dorino, but it will help somewhere further away.” Peter made a large “X” over the area and moved a small shrub onto the middle of the “X”, “The soldiers can handle the digging, we just go the led them in the right direction.”
Jonas walked casually behind Peter as they moved farther from Dorino, leaving the barren town behind them. The evening was nearing, the sky showing a gentle pink hue to their back. Jonas listened and watched his friend carefully, interested in the history of this place and how hit fit into it. The path grew more green as they moved, Peter stopping along the way, seemingly finding small hidden caches of water that were slowly but surely leading them to the mountains that rose in the eastern sky ahead of them. ” It seems that we're going to end up in the mountains for sure. I know that in my time there are streams there though I've never visited them personally. ” He commented, remembering a book he had read many years before about Dorino and the nearby area including the Denadoro mountains. The book had detailed many flowing streams, tumbling through the steep terrain down the mountains. ” Perhaps we should consider setting camp for the night in the foothills. ” Jonas commented, the fatigue finally setting in. His day had been long, he had fought hard and walked many miles since. Around them the slow sway of shrubs and bushes rustled in the evening breeze. It was still hot, but it seemed to be cooler the closer they moved towards the mountains. Jonas eyed the area as they walked, it was green, around him the sounds of life had begun to grow. The steady churp of crickets beckoned the approaching night lulling Jonas to give in to sleep, they would have to camp soon.
As the sun began to set, the oppressive heat began to go away quickly. Peter wasn't too keen on sleeping out by the mountains, but it seemed necessary. Peter nodded as he continued walking the curvy path the stick indicated. Wherever the path turned, Peter made and “X” in the ground and moved a shrub over. The route to the mountain took longer than normal doing this, but it was necessary. As the duo got close to the mountain, Peter stopped and looked to the sky. The sun still had a couple hours or so, “This should be a good place to camp.” Peter found an area of lush grass and a dry spot most likely from previous camps, “We'll have to set up a fire for warmth.”
Without another word, Peter began gathering small branches, dry grass and leaves, and two strong twigs. The sun was getting low and the heat was going away. Peter began rubbing the twigs together till the small fire was ablaze, “I'll take first watch.” Peter removed his brown robe to find a white button up shirt with a dark brown vest and black slackes. The attire had rips and tears in it from poor maintance and wearing it so often, but it was clean with no stains. Peter passed his robe over to Jonas, “Here, use this as a blanket or pillow. Sleeping out here could be hard.”
Peter sat by the fire and gazed into it as if it were to reveal something. Jonas was a capable fighter, but his time was one of peace, not war. Jonas reminded Peter of the new recruits. Capable fighters, but surviving wasn't always more about sleep and acquiring rations in the field. Peter liked Jonas and felt the need to protect him. Ironically, Peter knew in a fight he would be Jonas' support, but memories can throw logic out the window.
With night looming and the heat of the day slowly fading it became clear to even Peter that they would have to make camp. Peter chose a good spot, one that indeed seemed to suggest that it had supported more than one camp in it's day. Nodding at the needed work the young adventurer browsed the nearby area for dry shrubs, which were a plenty. With the required mass gathered the two had returned and before Jonas could say a word Peter was already attempting to start a fire by friction alone. ” There's really no need for… ” Jonas was speaking as he reached a single hand into the leather satchel he wore around his torso, digging for flint which he carried with him at all times. Before he could finish his sentence Peter had embers ablaze and moments later a fine fire. ” I had flint and steel. ” He finally finished he thought, pulling the flint from his satchel and giving it a comedic shake in Peter's direction. Darkness was beckoning, the great heat of the day replaced by the open coldness of the night. Jonas huddled close to the fire, taking the robe Peter had lent Using his satchel as a head rest, wrapped in the robe and his own tunic Jonas looked up upon the clear night sky. Stars looked down upon him, and for one brief moment he wondered about his place in the vast universe of space and time.
With the fire ablaze, Peter looked apologetically down towards Jonas, his ears low to his head, “I am sorry, Jonas. Old habit. When I brought a team out, I always made sure I helped with the camp and it was one of my self imposed duties was to set the fire, without magic. Let my men know I was not just a magic user.” Jonas smiled reliving memories. He kneeled by the fire, “I use to use a katana back then like yours, even got it bloody too.” Peter laughed at himself and looked back at Jonas, “I just relieved that I don't know much about you. Being back in my time distracted me.” The night had just started and if an attack were to come it wouldn't be a while. They had some time to talk, “What did you in the future?”
The night air was cool and growing colder. Jonas was wrapped tight in his tunic sitting very near the fire, his back to the wind. The flames danced in the moonlight, the shadows joining in the fun, streaking across the ground and their faces. Jonas looked though the low flames, meeting eye to eye with his friend Peter, a man who was at home in the past. Jonas envied Peter, he had traveled through time before, experiencing two completely different eras, perhaps more for all he knew. ” Me? I was just a student and amateur adventurer. ” Jonas replied to Peter's question, realizing how little the two actually knew about each other. ” The last few years I've made enough money to live by exploring caves and ruins. Sometimes I find treasure other times I simply quash rumors or survey for maps. ” He continued, growing curious now about Peter's own life. ” What about you, what did you do in the future? ” He asked, jokingly, but generally curious about how Peter had arrived in 1010AD and what he had kept himself busy doing.
Night has come to the plains, but their fire kept the darkness away. Peter looked towards the village and could see their fires going up. They would probably be safe for tonight. Peter nodded to himself and looked over at Jonas, “Not much I could do.” Peter flicked his rabbit ears, “Lost most of my power when I got these guys. I stayed in Truce Village like in this time, even saw some of the descendant of people I knew. I took odd jobs around the town. People came to me with stuff others couldn't do or cheaper.”
Peter's face grew stiff, stood up and stared off into the darkness around them. “Tomorrow's going to be a long day with the heat here.” This first night would probably be safe, but the fiends will probably see their light. They will most likely follow them and try to ambush them later. Peter watched for any signs of them being around.
Jonas nodded as he listened to Peter talk, his eyes wandering from his friend to the horizon and then up to the stars above them. He felt a deep sense of awe, the world of six hundred ad was wmuch different then his own world, even the stars above seemed slightly off, new to his vision. ” You're very right above that. ” Jonas responded to Peter's comments about the coming heat, a sense of dread sinking in. ” I think we should probably start before dawn, try to make it into the foothills before it gets too hot. ” Jonas continued, his eyes coming back to the face of his friend, the flames of the fire dancing between their gaze. ” The fiends won't return tonight, we should sleep. ” He finished speaking, sending his arms above his head to stretch as he let out a gaping yawn. Jonas slid back, still nestled close to the fire, and rested his back against the trampled ground. Using his satchel as a head rest he took another look at the sky above, his sense of adventurer spurring him to wonder above what worlds might be out there for him to explore. His eyes grew heavy as his mind slowed and soon he had drifted away, the weight of the day before cast aside.
Peter nodded to what Jonas said in agreement, but he couldn't shake the feeling of this place. He never felt safe here or rather that he wasn't going to be attacked, “Your right.” Peter didn't move though. He said stiff, staring out into the darkness. Memories of the past haunting him. Then he was confident cause he had power, but now that's gone. The mystics would spend time scouting after that defeat, that he knew, but he felt that he had to stare.
After several minutes, Peter nodded to himself and laid himself by the fire. He could go into a shallow sleep for a few hours and be aware if anything that was anything, but the best stealth. Years with the military taught him how to sleep quickly and lightly. Within a minute, Peter was asleep by the fire. It was dangerous to have no watch, but it would be safe this one night, hopefully. As Peter slept, he had the impression of memories past of battles on this land. When he woke up, those memories would be on his mind, but won't disturb his sleep.
Jonas had fallen into a deep slumber, the weight of the night before and the long trek of the day pulling him deep into respite. He dreamed vividly that night, moving between worlds and times, visiting the past and future alike. He saw Truce rise from nothing and fall to nothing in a lucid sequence, time moving so fast that it seemed to happen fluidly. He was in awe of the sights that fell before his eyes, but unable to interact with any of them. As Truce fell the world was cast into a barren waste as he reached towards the ashes of his home a burst of light blinded him. He's eyes burst open, the fire had begun to die down a slow stream of embers floating round the nearby sky. Jonas sat up, looking east towards the horizon. A low pink hue could be seen beyond the towering mountains, the sun would be upon them soon. ” Peter, wake up we need to get moving. ” Jonas said, his voice rough and cracking as it did every morning. ” Seems we have little more than an hour before the sun will rise, we'll have to really move to reach the foothills by then. ” he continued to speak as he started to gather his things back into the satchel which lay at his feet.
Peter rose to the first movement from Jonas, sitting up straight and reaching for his gun, looking for enemies. After a few second, he realized it was just morning and looked over at Jonas, “Your right.” The words echoed to Peter, remembering he had said those words just before falling to sleep. It seemed even the close past haunted him here. Peter rose to his feet and grabbed his cloak, once again drapping his shame over him.
“Hopefully the main water source is located in a cave, otherwise the soldiers will need to do a lot more work.” Peter grabbed his dowsing stick and began walking towards the foothils. Even though they were in a somewhat rush, Peter still made sure to mark the path of the water below ground. Finding the primary source was important, but the path it took was vital and would lead them to it. When Peter reached the path leading up the foothills, the sun had just reached over the horizon and the heat was starting to set it. Peter looked down at his dowsing stick which was going all over the place, “It can't give a firm reading, there's too much surrounding us. When we get close, it should fix itself.”
As the two men walked the shrub filled landscape slowly began to turn greener. The foothills had begun to rise, along with the morning sun. The heat, as they had expected, came on quickly but Jonas knew that as they reached the mountains, the forests that surrounded them, and gained altitude that it would drift away harmlessly. As the Jonas followed Peter he noted the path of the underground stream was beginning to become less predictable. ” It probably goes pretty deep here, once we near the mountains it will probably become shallow again. ” Jonas replied to Peter's worry, feeling all along that making a route directly for the mountains and tracking the stream back would have been easier, though this was getting the job done. ” Let's keep moving, the closer we get to Denadoro the less the heat will be a factor. We have to make it by mid-day or it will be hell, literally! ” Jonas continued, giving some inflection on his last word. As the hours past the ground had become more hilly, the grass now green and growing waist high. Around them in the distance the spotty growths of small groups of trees began to become noticeable and directly ahead the forest itself began that would lead them into the rising peaks of Denadoro itself.
The head had increased greatly from the last time Peter was here and he was starting to really see why the village disappeared.He put his hood up and keep his head shaded and looked towards the path ahead. The greener color showed that water was here and in abudance. The forest was a great sign. “Some shade will be nice.” Peter headed into the forest which gave a good amount of shade from the trees.
Peter put the dowsing stick into his cloak as there was too much water for a good reading. Kneeling down towards a bush, Peter looked at the berries and bore and picked one. He smelled it then took a bite. The berry's juices were delicious and Peter took another then looked at Jonas, “Blueberries. Really good too, the water must be quite pure.” Peter took some blueberries into a pocket on his cloak for later then headed deeper into the forest.
'Some shade will be nice indeed' Jonas thought to himself after Peter spoke the words. The tree line was growing closer and as the reached the edge of the forest Jonas felt relieved knowing that the source of the water they were seeking was nearby. The shade came over him all at once, an it seemed twenty degrees cooler as it did. Above the sound of the rustle of leaves blowing in the wind carried Jonas into the forest. ” Blueberries and a path, seems we are treading on a known trail. ” Jonas remarked as they two stopped while Peter picked the berries. ” I fear the people of Dorino know exactly where the water is and have simply lacked the initiative to do anything about it. ” He continued to speak, feeling as if perhaps the knowledge that Dorino would not exist in the future might be the kind of shove the people of the town need to move their butts. Stepping past the blueberry bushes Jonas continued down the trail, feeling the air cool as he moved deeper into the forest and higher in altitude. As they continued in the distance a low roar of rushing water began to drift through the forest, they were nearing a river.
Memories of past battles in the forest came back to Peter as he walked. An overwhelming number of fiends flooding towards Peter's soliders. His soldiers were well trained so there were only a few injuries and casualties. It was the shadow behind all the fiends that chilled Peter. After all those battles, he had never set eyes on him, but he knew he existed. Peter shook the memories away and laughed lightly, “Your probably partly right. They spend most of their time fighting the fiend in front of them. They probably never thought about this unseen fiend. I may not have noticed if I had stayed in this time.” Peter shrugged as the sound of rushing water could be heard through the forest.
Peter hastened his pace, he wanted to be back to the village before night fall. The low roar built until Peter reached a river that cut the forest in two. A small bridge crossed the river, most likely the work of humans. Peter shook his head with a smile, “It seems obvious to us now, but the threat of fiends hid the rising heat.” Peter shrugged his shoulder and knew the mayor would rather make the soldiers and residents happy after fighting fiends than tell them to dig for water.
Jonas followed Peter as the sound of rushing water came closer. They would soon stumble upon the source of Dorino's savor, it was important that they stressed the people of the town how important it would be for them to dig irrigation to this place, even with the threat of fiend invasion always looming. The trees opened into a meadow along the bank of the river, the green grass high here. A bridge spanned the small river, a path leading onward into the heights of the Denadoro Mountains. ” Built by humans surely, Fiends would have no reason to come to this place. ” Jonas remarked as he moved towards the stream, kneeling at it's bank. Reaching his hands down he cupped the water and moved it to his mouth taking in as much as he could drink. ” It's cold, snow melt from the mountains. ” He said as he removed the bandanna from his head and dipped it into the stream water before returning it to his brow. We should head back to the village, we can make it by nightfall if he leave now. ” He finished.
Peter's rabbit ears stood upright in joy as he reached into the river for the sweet taste of fresh, cold water, “This is perfect for the village. It's so cold, so it'll still stay cold when it travels far.” Peter stood up and wiped his hands on his robe. “I'll talk to the mayor, I'm sure they'll do this if it comes from me.” Through the trees, Peter saw that the sun was approaching its zenith and outside the forest it must be getting hot. “It'll be close, but we should make it if we hurry.”
Peter turned and began walking back where they came. The “x”s he had laid would lead the soliders back out here on their own. Stepping out of the forest, the heat hit Peter like a fist. The desert had hours to heat up and it was obvious. Thankfully, the path to the water was already marked so the trip back to Dorino was far shorter then before. The sky was just turning red as he arrived at the outskirts of the village, the soliders setting up torchlights for night watch.
Having drank his fill from the cool running stream and filled his canteen for the journey home Jonas once again fell in step with Peter as they turned around and made way back towards Dorino. Clearing the forest quickly it didn't take the two men long to reach the open flowing meadows of waist high grass. The sun was overhead and the heat had hit them all at once. Jonas wiped his brow, taking the occasional sip from the cool canteen water as he walked. ” It's going to take them a good deal of time to dig the wells and irrigation trenches that are going to be needed to bring such large amounts of water to Dorino. Do you think they are up to the task? ” Jonas asked, in his mind coming to the conclusion that the people of Dorino had months of hard work ahead of the, not even considering any losses they might suffer due to continued fiend raids. For most of the journey back the two men were quiet, Jonas deep in thought about the consequences of changing the past so drastically. He wondered if upon returning home to his time if his actions would contribute to Dorino surviving the centuries of drought. He wondered if the same actions would have different effects of Denadoro or other parts of the world. 'after all—' he thought '—the water has to be diverted from somewhere.' he decided he would push those thoughts from his mind and concentrate on helping people however he could.
As the sun lowered in the western sky the outline of Dorino Village, it's familiar torches lit as darkness settled in blazing in the distance. Jonas could feel the aches in all of his muscles, he would find a quiet place to sleep and, save no interruptions by fiends, rest for as long as his body needed.
Peter had spent the trip back to Dorino thinking over what Jonas had said. As he looked at the outskirts of the town he knew he had to do what he truly wish he didn't have to. “You bring up a good point, alone they may not make it in time. I wish I didn't have to do this, but I'll give the mayor a letter to send to Guardia. It'll have my seal so the King will believe it.” Peter looked down and began walking into the town. His shame will not longer be held to just here. The word of his rabbit ears will spread once he writes that letter, but it may save Dorino.
Peter based by the guards who stood at attention as he walked, but Peter sent them back to work with a welcoming wave. He turned to Jonas as he continued towards the mayor's house. “Jonas, I'll need to speak to the mayor about what we find out. It may take a while, you should consider getting some rest in case their is an attack. What's your last name? I plan to tell the King about your help as well.” Peter looked over at Jonas and smiled in thanks, “You've helped my time, a time that isn't yours. I appreciate and thank you greatly.” Peter stuck out his hand as he stood as the door to the mayor's house.
Jonas was relieved to have returned to Dorino, his body aching and worn down to the point where he needed sleep in an actual bed. Thoughts of the past few days were crowding his mind, he only hoped there would not be another attack. Nodding to the guards as he passed he was surprised by Peter's resolution, he wondered upon hearing it if Guardia really would send men to help, would they even believe the claims that surely would find themselves in such a letter? He had read tales about Guardia in this time, and the accounts of Chrono's adventure, he knew that the legal system was complicated. ” I hope Guardia will send aide. ” Jonas expressed a true feeling, he had a connection to this place now and having it disappear into oblivion would simply be too hurtful. ” Oh, It's Cain. Jonas Cain. ” He continued, unaware that he had never actually formally given his full name to Peter. Nodding a Peter's suggestion to get some rest, Jonas parted his friend and walked down a narrow back street, hoping to avoid the citizens of the town at this moment, his body simply seeking restoration. He found the inn and passing the front desk with a wave to the innkeeper he made his way to the small room that had been reserved for him days before. He entered and shut the door tightly behind him, collapsing into bed and falling instantly asleep.
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