32. Arrival (Patreon)

The first light awoke all soldiers in the barracks like clockwork. Every working person was used to waking up at first light – that was what they had to do if they wanted to eat – but soldiers were different. There was a sense of snapping, like a puzzle. They had to be awake, that was the end of the question. Whilst Aloe had risen up from her surprisingly comfortable barrack bed, her entourage went easy on her and didn't move her much until it was time for breakfast.

By breakfast that meant that her entourage first went to the canteen and had their own meals, then they brought a ration for herself. If she were highborn, that would have been considered despicable. How could the servants have food before their masters? But alas, she was neither of those people. The soldiers knew she was relatively important, but also that she was a commoner. Most likely some of them were nobles, probably waiting for some knighthood to boast about it.

A common soldier easily outclassed her, but not outranked her. For better or worse, the fact that she was the current scribe of commoners of Sadina was helping her greatly. Jamal and his men weren't bad people, but they wouldn't have been as helpful if she had been a common girl.

It was easy to fall in misery, to drown in a well oneself had built, Aloe knew it. She stopped thinking about how a gifted title was the only reason why her protectors even cared about her. That she had no merits of her own.

Once fed and clean – thankfully not as embarrassing as trying to do her business in the middle of the desert surrounded by men – they departed from the barracks. The military complex hadn't offered much in the toiletry section, but even a towel and a bucket of water was a heavensent for them. Her entourage looked far happier after a superficial clean and a shave.

"May I ask for a quick stop?" Aloe voiced her concerns to any of the soldiers as they carried her on the palanquin.

"Your words, our orders, Lady Aloe." Of course, Jamal was the one who answered. "Where do you want to stop by? Mayhap the port? It is a unique view, especially during sunrise or sunset."

The fact that Jamal knew about Aramita's port with such familiarity revealed a story, but unfortunately, the man wasn't a player big enough to care about those titbits.

"I was not going to inquire about that, but now that you say it… I cannot deny I am interested." Her voice trembled a bit in shame. "Would that be too much of a nuisance?"

"Of course not!" Jamal laughed heartily. "To the port, then!"

The rocky walls of the Aramita's buildings reminded the scribe of the ramparts of big cities. It was as if the whole city was a fortress even if its inhabitants were the type of people you could see anywhere. Soon enough – Aramita wasn't big enough to merit much of a walk – they made it to the port.

The port itself was nothing to write about. And the smell even less. If it wasn't for the familiar salty smell, the odor of the fish would have made her puke her insides out. Her health was still far from optimal, even if she had been donning the regen… recovery for more than half a day straight now.

The beauty of the port of Aramita lied in two key factors: its beaches and the sea.

The natural port of Aramita was the most important port on the eastern coast of Ydaz, mainly by virtue of being the only real one. Even from her prone position, Aloe could see how fine the sand was, and how peaceful the waves were.

The sea beyond was rugged and hostile, but it was as if for this bay, the heavens decided it to be calm and welcoming.

Ships of many sizes and backgrounds docked and marched along the coast. Some were small fishing dinghies, others far more sizeable vessels of war. Their names escaped her, but she knew they had names, different for their sizes, number of masts, and many other qualities.

In a way, the ships at the bay felt bigger and more populated than the city. They were their own civilization on the water. How many sailors are needed to man one of those big ones? The scribe pondered in awe as her entourage finally left her palanquin on the ground.

"I would have never thought someone would be distracted by the ships rather than the sunrise," Jamal commented on her side, snapping Aloe out of her trance. "I cannot deny some are impressive, but the beauty of the heavens is something unparalleled."

Finally, with the soldier's words, Aloe focused on the sky beyond the sea.

Truth be told, the sight wasn't as amazing as Jamal had pictured it. She had already seen the sea grazed by the sun yesterday, and sunrise lacked the mysticism and power of the twilight. But even then, as the waves crashed against the inhospitable section of the coast, white foam emerging monstrously, the golden tint of the sun reflected on the marine color of the sea created a memorable image.

Memories of her childhood came to her, much like those waves. It had been only once, but she had been here before. More than a decade ago, when she was so little that it would be hard to tell if she had had a coherent thought in her mind. She only remembered a few things from that image. The thrashing waves violent as the imperials, the wavering ships trying to survive, the sun looking calm against such hostility, and her family. Her father carrying her in his back without a hint of fear, whilst her mother hugged him. One of the few times Aloe had seen Shahrazad scared, but now that she pondered about it, the gesture was cuter and romantical than an expression of terror.

It was hard to recognize those things as a child.

It had been a short stay the time she had been in Aramita as a child, but the stories she gathered up in those days, remained with her even until now. The image of moving dunes was indescribably magical to her childish mind.

But the ruthlessness of adulthood had taught her that even mountains could move. And that those mountains could kill her.

They spent a solid time sightseeing the rising sun, so much so that it couldn't even considered a sunrise anymore. Even then, neither Jamal nor his men pushed Aloe to go away. They waited for her order. Power was intoxicating, even if it was that limited.

"May I ask for another petition?" Aloe asked shyly and politely.

She knew better than to abuse that fleeting authority.

"What may that be?" Jamal responded slowly. Only now Aloe recognized how sweet was the man's voice. Slow and sweet, like honey. Poetry wasn't her forte, nor her hobby, but sometimes words came naturally to a person.

"I would like some… black seeds." The scribe reddened slightly, remembering the excuse she had given them a few days prior.

"Then we will buy a few. It will do us good to season our rations." The soldier smiled and the scribe nodded in tandem.

Before she could get back to sightseeing, her palanquin was already moving, with the black seeds in her lap. A whole sack of it. The entourage walked through the streets of Aramita, palanquin and reins in hand. The city was fully awake now, and whilst not as colorful as others she had seen, it was as lifeful if not more than those.

Their stay in Aramita had been painfully short, not more than a blink, yet it was infinitely more memorable in her mind than her stay in Asina. In the sense that it was worth remembering.

Repetition quickly set in as the soldiers escorted her out of the port city, waiting until the sand became soft to place her on the ground and let the camels pull her. Their pace was slow, not only were they traveling slowly because of her health, but also so the camels wouldn't push clouds of sand directly on her face. And yet, with that glacial pace, it was faster than Aloe would have managed for herself a few months prior. No matter how light she could travel, a soldier's march was significantly faster than a physically weak scribe.

Aloe doubted she could even outrun them with speed. I should think of another name for that infusion. Now I feel like it's too shallow. Later, I guess. Speed made her faster, yes, but even if she were perfectly healthy, she would tire and get hungry faster. Naila, the imperial scribe of Sadina, was a voracious monster after one of her training sessions. And she was acquainted with the stance. Without proper rest, if she were to run across the desert with speed, Aloe feared she may end up killing herself, dehydrated and famished without any more energy to take a single step.

She pushed those dark thoughts away but saw the pragmatic utility of mastering speed if the need to run away ever arose. Would be difficult to practice now, though. She let out a dry chuckle.

Day and night blurred into each other with haste. Oh, haste. I like that. Haste. Yup, that's the new name. Haste. More regal, isn't it?

Days passed by in silence. The only conversation that arose was between the soldiers, and even then, it usually was about reports rather than actual casual dialogue. Her guardians took their job so seriously that made it a bit uncomfortable for Aloe, but it wasn't like she could give much conversation herself. Especially when her mind was in another place.

Many black seeds lay at an arm's length of the scribe. Some were evolved and some were not. During the journey, she had all the time in the world to evolve them, to waste her vitality on upgrading them. At one point, she began doing it more out of boredom than need or pressure.

When she had first discovered the Flourishing Spring, the evolution had consumed all of her vitality. She doubted how she even managed to evolve the seed when the vitality to do so had been so tight. But now, after many evolutions later – and many of them being more Flourishing Springs, Aloe could evolve two of them with her current vitality without reaching puking levels.

The difference between black seeds and cumin, between Flourishing Springs and Blossomflame, was staggering. One needed barely more vitality than a grown adult, the other almost ten of them.

Even if her vitality never dropped to dangerous levels, Aloe made sure to pause and rest between evolutions. She knew she could collapse and vomit from vitality sickness – provisional name – even if her deposit was full. It was more about extenuation than quantity. The equivalent of stamina would be to sprint for a few minutes without breathing – certainly a painful and exhausting activity – to a marathon. Those couldn't compare.

Aloe would have loved to say that she had lost the count, that she had evolved too many black seeds to remember the number, but the truth was the number was just in the tens. With her lacking vitality regeneration, she could only evolve one seed per hour, meaning that in a day she could get twelve seeds at most as she also had to take rests to not push herself over the limit. For once, she was conscious of her health.

Soon afternoon came on this day. The desert was monotonous. There were stop pits every few hours, mostly for travelers to weather sandstorms. The only real change of scenery was that of other travelers as this route was far busier than the straight road between Asina and Sadina. But the presence of the many convoys, whether they were merchants, nomads, or simple people, blurred much like the dunes to Aloe.

The only reason why she was mentally awake this afternoon instead of a trance, was because today was the day. The monotonous horizon slightly broke as the protuberance of civilization appeared before them. Their arrival was near. Sadina was in sight.