Aureum was on her way.
Travel, at this point, was old hat for her now. And traveling alone was faster. Even keeping her direction was easy. She just followed the Vena River south.
Not that she could appreciate that fact.
What she could appreciate was the few beasts she encountered on her way. Neither the snake she spotted sunning on a rock by the Vena nor the bird of prey that dove onto her from above stood a chance.
She even took out their pearls herself without much fuss. The pearls weren't much to add to her mana. One pearl could only be stored to be sold later, but even that was better than nothing.
In fact, an idea began to creep up. Something she might have thought of in Ariolus before she left if her mind had been clearer. But she needed a city to execute it, so she could only lean forward into the wind.
She kept up with layering and training as well before she left every day.
Within the week, Aureum's cloak brought her back to the city of Fluentem.
It looked… different.
There were a few things that seemed missing from the old outer walls of Fluentem, but the Outer Wall had already been scarred already. Aureum wasn't certain if her mind was playing tricks on her.
There was nothing obvious from a distance. Smoke didn't rise from the city, and there were no wails. Not this day.
Perhaps it was just that the green hills and trees around Fluentem were colored by the fall season. Perhaps that was the only real difference.
Aureum landed as she got closer. Her goal was to meet up with Lacuna. The older wall, and the outer parts of the city, weren't maintained by any soldiers she could see.
Which was good. Aureum headed right in.
There was more damage here. Damage that couldn't be denied or placed on old wars.
The frost of Nix was gone now, but the signs of their coming remained.
Plants blackened and curled by the touch of their mana in odd patterns met her gaze. But plants killed by frost were the least of Aureum's concerns.
Whole houses that had been filled with Lacuna's neighbors were destroyed. Just rubble.
A natural disaster like a storm or a hurricane would have made this tragedy enough. That this was done by a people for their own greed made her sick. She clenched her fists but hurried on.
Aureum didn't look too closely at the wreckage. She didn't want to see the worst of it.
Yet, she had to find Lacuna. That was the first point of this excursion. To at least ensure that somebody was all right.
The old house Aureum remembered luckily stood untouched by any signs of damage or fighting. It seemed also seemed bigger. The door was closed, and there weren't any candles or lanterns from the windows in the evening sunlight.
Aureum knocked, despite the lack of life. No response.
"Hello!"
She tried to open the door but stopped at the sight of a large chain. The fact she hadn't noticed it on sight of the door spoke of her state.
Aureum paused to shake and rebuke herself. After banging on the door again, she left.
The Inner Wall of Fluentem held its gate shut. Guards stood in front of it.
Aureum froze a little at seeing them. But they had already seen her, and they did not rush to attack. So she slowly began forward.
These were not the guards of Fluentem. Guards of Fluentem didn't have mana of ice.
"Why is the gate closed?"
Aureum's tone was short. She was not in much of a mood for small talk. Neither were they.
"Fluentem is in disorder. Until it is returned, no trade is allowed inside or outside the city."
"I haven't come for trade," Aureum said. "I am here to ask about—family."
She slightly lied. Friends weren't exactly family, and even if some could be considered the same, it wasn't like Lacuna and Sitis could be considered close enough. But friends wouldn't have gotten her through the gate.
Family didn't either.
The soldiers passed a glance between each other. From the way they stood, Aureum couldn't see them any longer as only guards.
"Miss, the gates of Fluentem are not open," the other said.
He wasn't much softer of a speaker.
"Is there still fighting?" Aureum asked, alarm rising in her voice and expression.
"No, no," the same soldier replied. "It is peaceful, but not all things are decided. It is best for the peace that there be no outside interference."
Aureum looked up at this man with her doubt written on her face.
If there was peace, why were soldiers still here?
But she had enough sense not to voice it.
The soldier coughed, a little self-conscious.
"If, you do come back to check on your family when the city is first reopened, you will need some proof of the relationship, I believe."
"Proof? Tch."
All the soldiers and the leaders of the cities wanted was proof of the most mundane things, yet they never required the smallest slip of paper or inconvenience to destroy countless lives.
Aureum turned without further comments. These two didn't seem likely to attack a lone woman on the street, so she did it easily. Besides, there was enough sunlight out for a quick flyaway. She strode away, arming herself with her rage.
Fury and disgust were her most natural response to such things. An army in her friend's city? And when she asked about it, they weren't even honest and gave reasons of, "it's for peace?"
Just tell her they were holding the city by force, against all the inhabitants' wills already. Enough with grandiose benevolent lies that can't hide the stench of the wreckage.
But she was only one woman. She could not burst through the gates herself and make it into the city. She shook her head. No, not even if she wanted to. There were too many soldiers. The two at the gate might be passed easily enough, but there would also be some on the walls and in the city itself. Plus, the gate was closed.
Hiems wasn't with her to bust it down.
She could not just fly into the city without them attacking her.
Aureum returned to Lacuna's family home. There was nowhere else to go.
Ignoring the chained door, she jumped up to the second-story window with the last of the evening light. Awkwardly standing on the edge of the windowsill, she tried not to break anything.
Sometimes, it was a benefit to be short and small.
The window wasn't locked. Lacuna and her family must have left in a hurry. Still, after struggling to open it, Aureum fell onto the floor into a crumpled heap.
That was enough for tonight. The rest could wait till tomorrow.
Aureum slept on the floor of Lacuna's room in her own bedding, too aware of being an uninvited visitor. The various pictures and wooden figurines left eerie shadows that made the owners' presence too well known to forget.
The night was not restful. To no surprise. Her mind tangled with plans to evade the guards.
There was no long debate if she should. Now that she was here, she would. She couldn't bear to come so far after so much precious time for nothing.
The next day led to her trying out some things.
Being too mindful of the watchful guards, she didn't fly around the city walls, although that would have made it faster. This considerably lengthened the short task of observing the Inner Wall into the whole day. All that she discovered was all that she had expected but had hoped against.
All the gates were closed all the same. The river was the only way in without a wall, but that just meant that it had even more patrolling soldiers.
Aureum desperately wanted to use her cloak to some advantage. Maybe she could fly into some of the few boats that were being accepted into Fluentem's port? Aureum had observed that not all trade had been stopped, despite the soldier's claims.
But no. Over the open river and clear sky, she would be the easiest figure to spot in daylight.
Getting aboard a ship wouldn't be easy. And she doubted the soldiers weren't looking through all the inventory of the ships that came to port.
Even as she didn't see those ships leaving hardly at all so the port was becoming a cluttered mess that was obvious even from a distance. When it came to what Nix could gain, Aureum felt certain that a thorough check would be made.
If over's not an option… what do I do?
She only had an advantage in over. Everything else was against her.
Aureum hemmed and hawed some distance away from the port. Though she turned away to leave, her thoughts refused to let possibilities go.
Docks…
That ship…
The ship she had been placed on when she was in Fluentem, where was its dock?
Certainly not in the Inner City? Hopefully not the Inner City.
There were still boats everywhere. Aureum wasn't close enough. She couldn't recognize a small dock amongst that congested mess.
Well, if it's here, it's no good to me anyways.
She scoured the bank of the Vena in the outer part of the city. What she could look over in the remaining day gave her hope for nothing. There were a few small ports and boats. Nothing that looked close to what she remembered on that dreadful night.
Even if I find it, what am I expecting?
Aureum was hoping for the slavers to have a way inside the inner city. But she couldn't even voice it too loudly to herself. She spent so much time looking for what she wanted she almost missed her opportunity to jump into Lacuna's window that evening.
Another night passed. The moon was bright, and strange shadows flickered across the room once more. Her gaze flickered to every darkened corner of the room.
There were too many to watch at once.
Aureum flung her blankets up and slammed the window shut. The curtains were drawn gently in remorse.
Who cares about a quick getaway if I can't sleep?!
The next day began hopelessly. At least Aureum had more time to cover more ground. She circled the Inner Wall for a second time. There was no choice if she wanted to get to the riverbanks on the other side of the city. Although during the walk around the Inner Wall she checked again for any route in. One couldn't find a dock on land.
Once she had circled the entire wall for a second time, there it sat.
Not that it could have been anywhere else if it was to be of any good to her.
A large building, no, a large complex of buildings, sat next to the inner city wall of Fluentem. The colors of their walls looked right. The size felt right. The despicable air around it smelled right.
The reason Aureum hadn't recognized it on her first encircling was because she was looking at the outside instead of the inside.
Still, she had to get closer to be certain.
Aureum swallowed.
The guards were there.
But technically it wasn't the wall.
She would be seen.
Aureum turned away. Step by step she showed restraint.
I can wait until nightfall. I've only seen it during the night, anyways.
Two days wasted. The time it took before that to get here. Another night would make no difference.
This bit of deliberation on Aureum's part went by without celebration. To wait until nightfall, she would have to close up Lacuna's window again. She couldn't bear to leave it open.
But she had left it open because it was more terrifying to try and open it from the ledge of the window.
I knew I should have closed it today…
Another tedious walk with only a minor thing to do.
It wasn't like the day would be filled with anything else. There was no entertainment, there was no friendly company, and there was no great improvement despite her constant layering.
Instead, all of this quiet observing gave great room for her thoughts and feelings.
It was insufferable.
"Urgh!"
Aureum let out an angry cry over a rock nearly tripping her.
All she could think about was Hiems and Gemmo.
"I shouldn't have come here!" She said, stomping her foot.
That was just a minor tantrum. An attempt to blow off what was curling inside.
Her fist curled in real fury.
Nothing could be whole again.
If I can't have what I want—such a simple desire really—then why should they have what they want ever again?!
Screaming couldn't extinguish this feeling. Crying did nothing but tear at its edges. It was a hole that slowly punched itself wider and wider until it eroded her soul.
Perhaps friends and kind words could make a bottom to it, but for now, it ate her alive.
"I'll kill that damn cyclops! I'll kill him!"
But it didn't matter what she said.
Caducus was alive and well, Fluentem was under Nix's soldiers, and Hiems and Gemmo…
It didn't matter. It didn't matter! Aureum could continue forward.
Things weren't easier, but her only other option was to wait and get swallowed by her own feelings of injustice.
It wasn't in her nature to stay and wait for that.
Having found the slavers' building again just fine, she hunkered down till night fall.
Aureum didn't wait in vain. None of the night's waiting was easier for her, but the waiting brought her answer.
Sneaking closer to it and looking inside one of the windows with light, very carefully peering from beyond the edge, she was as close to sure as she could be.
This was indeed the building next to the dock that had captured her.