A few days after that
unpleasant hunting experience, Okarin decided to take another trip away from the city. They didn't seem to be getting along with the humans, and the fox lady in the tavern didn't seem to like slimes very much. Okarin wondered if there was any place in this world where slimes might be accepted for who they were?
In either case, Okarin started walking west — following the road.
+ + +
For three days, Okarin walked west to the Village of Asteria. They did not enter the village limits because Okarin was getting increasingly distrustful of humans. To some extent, they were afraid to find out what what the locals thought about slimes. Since Okarin was carrying
Green Slime with them, they didn't want to risk putting the oversized herb slime at danger.
Instead, Okarin continued to sleep outside under the stars and beneath the open rain.
It rained on the fifth day, and the roads were extremely muddy. Okarin was drenched, but they continued to walk on the lonely road.
+ + +
On the seventh day, Okarin followed the west road to a huge set of
Crossroads.
It was remarkable because it was like a ball of spaghetti. There were at least 7 - 11 different roads that intersected at the same place in the middle of nowhere, and they squiggled nonsensically as if somebody had taken a bunch of string and knotted it all together. Okarin struggled to figure out which way to go, but the roads were poorly marked.
There was a single tavern on the side of the road. It had a sign that said: "
Crossroads Tavern".
Cautious, Okarin walked in through the front entrance.
Today, the lobby was deserted. It was slightly spooky. There was a receptionist at the front counter.
"
Can I help you?" The receptionist asked.
"
I'd like to ask for directions, if that's okay?" Okarin asked.
"
Are you buying anything?"
"
Well... to be honest, I don't have any money."
There was a slight twitch in the receptionist's eyebrow. The receptionist slowly walked out from behind the desk and put a hand on Okarin's shoulders. She smiled warmly at Okarin.
Suddenly, there was a powerful shove and Okarin was sent flying out of the tavern! The door slammed shut, and Okarin ended up as a lump on the road. The receptionist was deceptively strong!
...Well, that didn't seem to work.
+ + +
Ultimately, Okarin picked a random direction and chose to walk that way. Out of the many paths, Okarin choose the
southwest road.
Another week passed on the road, and eventually the terrain became
hilly and rocky. There were very few trees, and most of the terrain was shrubs and hardy plants. The soil was crumbly and poor. It was harder to find nice patches of grass the further Okarin traveled, which gave them a little hesitation. Was it possible for anyone to live here?
Apparently, these were the foothills. Further to the west, Okarin could see a
black mountain range to the distance.
+ + +
Out of nowhere, an arrow zipped past in front of Okarin's face.
A small band of warriors decorated in war paint jumped out from behind a boulder.
"
It's a human! Get her!" One of the warriors hissed.
"
No wait! She's carrying a slime! She might not be from the Empire."
"
She could be a spy!"
"
We can't risk any spies! If a single one gets through, the rebellion is in danger!"
Okarin slowly raised their hands up above their head.
There was a band of warriors — at least twelve — surrounding them. They had a line of archers further back behind the rock. All of the warriors were wearing masks, so it was difficult fo Okarin to identify their appearances. Evidently, they were extremely jumpy and wary about her presence.
"
Identify yourself, human!" One of the warriors barked.
Okarin attempted to tread carefully with their speech.
"
I'm Okarin," they said. "
I'm a traveler. I come from the East. From Scribel City."
A few whispers arose among the crowd. Although they tried to be discreet, Okarin had sensitive hearing.
("
I've never heard of Scribel City. Where is that?")
("
I think the girl is lying. A spy always claims that they're just a traveler.")
("
Why would a human girl want to come here? All alone? It's suspicious however you look at it.")
One of the warriors with a deeper voice barked another question:
"
What's up with the slime?" He sounded wary and on guard.
Okarin answered honestly to the best of their ability.
"
It's my friend. It's very friendly. It won't hurt anyone."
As if to prove Okarin's point,
Green Slime wiggled in Okarin's arm like a large blob of jello. It was kind of like a cat.
However, Okarin's assailants seemed unimpressed.
"
Tie the girl up! We're taking her back to camp! I want three guards on her at all times! We're not taking any chances!"
+ + +
Okarin spent the next few days as the captive of this rebel (?) group.
It was a somewhat pleasant surprise, but they treated them rather politely. They placed Okarin inside a tent and
Green Slime in a separate tent, but there were no cages or shackles. They fed Okarin food and gave them water when Okarin asked, and overall there wasn't any mistreatment. Okarin was worried that wouldn't feed
Green Slime properly, but the guards were surprisingly competent at getting the herb slime fresh grass to munch on all day.
The only frustrating point was that they refused to answer Okarin's questions. They also always wore their masks in Okarin's presence.
Dying of curiosity, Okarin debated transforming into a different form simply to escape and get a look around for themself. However, Okarin did not know this territory that well, and they weren't confident they could run very far in an unfamiliar land. Beside, the Masked Rebels (?) did not seem to be overtly bad people. Even from inside the tent, Okarin could hear children laughing outside and playing.
+ + +
More time passed, and the Masked Rebels eventually started sending someone in to interrogate Okarin.
All they did was ask questions. They gave Okarin some nice tea and cookies. Where was Scribel City? Who ruled Scribel City? Who sent Okarin here? What kind of army does Scribel City have? Was Scribel City planning on attacking them?
Okarin didn't know the answer to many of these questions. However, Okarin attempted to answer the questions to the best of their ability.
Okarin wasn't sure if they were satisfied with Okarin's answers.
Nonetheless, Okarin tried to ask as many questions back. The Masked Rebels were evasive, but Okarin slowly assembled the following pieces of information over many days and weeks:
A. These foothills are the last homeland of the Halfwing Federation.
The
Halfwing Federation is a collection of small villages and tribes who have been exiled to the foothills of the
Black Mountains. Many kinds of non-human species and halflings are part of the Halfwing Federation, including half-trolls, tengu, beastkin, werewolves, hobogoblins, and more. In the past, there were many of their kind who lived all across the continent, but many human kingdoms led crusades to "purify" their lands of other species. Eventually, the halflings were forced into a small territory with poor soil and harsh conditions.
B. The other side of the Black Mountains is the territory of the Holy Human Empire.
The mountain range to the west is called the Black Mountains. On the opposite side, the powerful
Holy Human Empire controls a vast territory where beastkin and other non-human species are terribly mistreated. The Holy Human Empire is very aggressive and frequently looking to expand. There is a pass through the Black Mountains that connects the Halfwing Federation with the Holy Human Empire.
C. The invasion forces from the Holy Human Empire are occupying the Halfwing Federation.
Several months ago, the Holy Human Empire sent a massive army through the pass and crushed the forces of the Halfwing Federation. They captured the village of the Head Chieftan and swiftly ended the "war". Currently, the Holy Human Empire occupies many of the villages with their knights. Many of the resistance fighters went underground and formed a
Rebellion to regain control of their country.
D. Okarin is being held in a hidden rebel camp.
The rebels are careful to make sure that Okarin is not allowed outside, so Okarin can not ascertain the location of this camp. The rebels wear masks to hide their identities because many of them still have family members who are captives of the humans, and they don't want their family members to suffer retribution in case they are identified.
+ + +
After two (?) three (?) weeks of being held in the Halfwing Rebel Camp, they apparently decided that Okarin was not a threat.
They agreed to release Okarin, but only if Okarin agreed to be accompanied by an escort straight back to Scribel City.
In the end, Okarin agreed, and they made the two week journey back to Scribel City. Okarin was accompanied with a member of Halfwing Rebels — a leprechaun named Sica. The leprechaun wishes to tour Scribel City with her eyes, as many of the Halfwings have never heard of a new frontier city in the East. If the things that she sees pleases her, she may seek audience with the Adventurer's Guild and the Scribel City Council.
