~~~ Later the same Day ~~~

Merry hummed lightly as she shifted through the large box in the back of the carriage, pulling out several random objects and laying them off to the side. It had been almost a year since she’d last seen Aunt Caroline, and she could barely contain herself. As she searched the storage box, a small glint caught her eye.

She reached down and pulled out a short tube about the length her forearm; it was made of a dull gray wood. There was no distinguishing markings or other such things anywhere on its surface; if not for the slight shift in weight as it moved, one might think it was just a wooden rod or stick.

But Merry recognized what it was. She could still make out the scene of her Father arguing with the stranger as she hid in the back, though the words they said were low and hushed. She reached down after a moment and picked up the rod with a frown, examining its length in detail.

As she did, a memory popped into her head and she drew the small knife on her belt, then pricked her finger. She took the tiny drop of blood and wiped it on one end of the rod; it gave a small shake, and the opposite end popped open and half of the rod retracted back like a ribcage, giving a series of soft clicks.

Merry gave a small squeal and nearly dropped the rod as it moved, but managed to maintain her grip. She stared in amazement at the strange thing, wondering how it worked. After a long moment, her eyes fell on the contents of the rod. Laying in the exposed center was an old scroll, tightly rolled. Her heart began to beat in excitement as she reached down to touch the old scroll, but before she did, a voice called out from around the corner of the carriage,

“Merry, are you finished? We’re almost ready to go.”

Merry gave a slight jump, before turning her head and gave Selah a nervous look, careful not to let her see the case. Selah looked at the carriage and the items that were strewn about, before giving Merry a frown and speaking in a stern voice,

“Clean up the mess and gather your things. We leave in five minutes.”

Merry gave a quick nod and began to shuffle some things around. Selah gave the little girl a suspicious look before turning around and walking away. Merry sighed when she saw the woman leave and pulled out the rod. It gave another series of small clicks as she picked it up and quickly closed itself once more without a visible seam.

The young girl stared down at the rod for a moment, before placing it in her carry bag and turning back to the large box. After a moment of searching Merry pulled out a small ornate wooden box the size of two of her fists, her eyes sparkling. The young girl quickly stuffed the box into her bag as well, and replaced all of the remaining items into the box, before hopping out of the back of the carriage.

A few moments later, she rounded the corner to see a small group of people surrounding a passenger carriage. Alex and Matthew were off to the side discussing something, while Mark was loading a few items into the back of the carriage, Tsutsuji napping lightly on his head. Grace was speaking to Selah as they looked over a small map of the city, marking certain areas as they did so. Selah, seeing that Merry had arrived, quickly walked over and picked the small girl up, while the Duchess gave a bright smile and clapped lightly, drawing the rest of the group's attention,

“Well now! Seeing that everyone is here, let’s get this show on the road. I’ve put together a little route for you all that will highlight all of Whitewood’s charm. I do hope that you come to enjoy your stay here.”

Mark walked over to the small outdoor table the map lay on and looked it over. According to the route they would take, they would first start off in the manufacturing district, before circling the city in a clockwise manner through the residential, workers, and trade districts, before finally ending the day back at the fortress. Ten minutes later, three adults, a little girl and a still sleeping Guide stuffed themselves into the passenger carriage and headed out.

As the group moved through the Streets, they sat in awkward silence; Mark leaned back in the padded seat, staring out of the window, bored, while Merry sat quietly on Selah’s lap, the latter humming slowly to herself as she petted the small girl. Alex couldn’t help but feel a little restless in the strange atmosphere and pretended to study the small town map in detail, while Tsutsuji mumbled something softly in her sleep.

Mark, seeing that it would be a while before they reached their first destination, decided to make up for a little-lost sleep. He didn’t know why, but recently he had become unable to sleep properly, even with his skill. He would often find himself waking in the middle of the night, drenched in sweat or shaking. Other times, he would lay down only to immediately sit back up, a wave of intense nausea washing over him. He had begun to take up small naps in the middle of the day to compensate, but he could feel his fatigue and irritation building. He gently rubbed his temples, trying to ease the slight pressure, before closing his eyes and letting the light rumble of the wheels on the paved road sweep him away.

An unknown time later, Mark woke up to a gentle nudging. He opened his eyes to see they had stopped at a small building with several over passenger carriages lining the street. Dozens of people of all shapes sizes and colors mingled around. Some were dressed as travelers or adventurers, while others were obviously workers of the district and the various sounds of work and loud yelling filled the air. The building they had stopped at seemed to be some form of relay or parking garage as several people approached the nearby counter and filled out a form of some kind, before an attendant drove the carriages nearby, away.

Mark stepped out of their own carriage and gave a grunt as he stretched himself out, then looked around the area. Alex was standing nearby with Selah, speaking to a well-dressed attendant, while Merry and Tsutsuji sat on the edge of the carriage door, looking out at the passing crowd. After a moment Alex and Selah returned, as the attendant walked over and sat in the driver’s box. Merry slid down as the attendant drove the carriage, and Selah spoke,

“We’ll be heading to Mother’s workshop from here. It’s not too far, but we’ll have to walk the rest of the way.”

It seemed that to cut down on traffic, only supply, transport, and emergency wagons were allowed on the Manufacturing District’s roads. While Mark didn’t mind the walk, Merry frowned; she wanted to see Aunt Caroline, but she never liked the Manufacturing District, it was smelly, loud and hot. She quietly walked over to Mark and reached up, grabbing his large hand as she stared into the crowd nervously. Mark looked down at the small girl and frowned, but said nothing. Selah, seeing this, furrowed her brow and quickly walked over, grabbing onto Merry’s other hand and gave Mark a threatening look as if she’d seen a stranger try and snatch her child. Mark simply raised an eye and shrugged.

Selah’s face redden and a vein began to throb, but she simply humphed in the end and turned her head away. Tsutsuji gave a light laugh before flying over and laying on Merry’s head. Mark shook his head with a sigh and the group began to walk down the side of the road; Alex following behind, gave an awkward smile, feeling a little left out.

The group quickly made their way down the road, Selah pointing out to a building every so often and giving the name of some famous company or craftsmen. Mark looked around the district, impressed with what he saw. While it wasn’t comparable to his own world, the technology of this one was a strange mix of old and new.

On one corner you might see a carpenter steadily shaving down a massive log by hand, while on another you might see a man repairing a metal railing with a blowtorch like device. Over all though, the atmosphere gave Mark the vibe of a civilization on the cusps of a technological revolution. Elaos had said this world was “stagnating”, but as far as Mark could see, it seemed to be progressing along nicely.

After about 20 minutes of walking, the group approached a large building with a crowd around the entrance. The building itself was a simple design, but it was a good three or four times the size of any others in the surrounding area, and the large sign hanging on top read “Mythforge” is huge glaring letters. Mark could see a steady flow of people coming in and out of the entrance; some carried packages and boxes, a wide smile on their face, others left empty handed.

Selah quickly led the group through the crowd, ignoring the sounds of protest as those gathered were pushed away, before nodding to the guard standing at the entrance and leading them through. The building, while not overly crowded on the inside, had several dozen people milling about as they looked at the items and merchandise on sale. Several sales clerks walked around the store, approaching the guests as they answered questions or pushed a sale. The atmosphere made Mark feel like he’d walked into a large specialty shop in his old world.

Though he’d never seen a specialty shop like this. While the vast majority of the displayed goods seemed to be metal or wood tools and traveling equipment, one side of the store was dedicated to things such as armor and weapons as well.

Saleh led the group through the crowd and to the back of the store, nodding to a few of the employees as they passed. Several even gave Merry a cheerful greeting, though their eyes took on a look of pity as they noticed the bandages wrapped around her limbs and head. The group soon left the bustle of the storefront and passed through a door in the back, entering into a long hallway with several doors on either side. From a distance, a loud, rhythmic sound of metal on metal could be heard. The sound grew louder and louder as they neared the far end of the hallway.

As they neared, the door opened and two young children walked out, carrying several large bundles and dressed in similar clothes and leather aprons as Selah. The leading one, a boy roughly 12 years old, called out with a smile,

“Miss Selah! You’re back!”

The young boy rushed over with his bundle. Though he looked quite young, he was surprisingly tall, only a head shorter than Selah herself. A wide grin spread on his face as he stopped in front of the group, and as the boy looked up at Selah, Alex couldn’t help but imagine a small puppy happy to see his owner return. Selah looked down with a smile and patted the young boy on the head, then said,

“Yes, Yes. Sorry about running out on you guys like that.”
“N-no, it’s alright! We can take care of just this small amount.”
“Speak for yourself!”

Suddenly, a boot placed itself on the boys behind and shoved him several steps down the hall. Mark looked to see the face of a young girl, a few years older than Merry, peek out from behind the bundle she carried. Her face looked over at the older boy in contempt, her temple throbbing. She suddenly snapped her head up to Selah, giving her an angry look before speaking in a light voice that would be quite pleasant if not filled with irritation,

“And You! Big Sis Selah, do you have any idea how busy we’ve been with the sale today?”
“Hehe, I’m Sorry, truly. Something came up.”

As the young girl scolded her, Selah moved her eyes away nervously and glanced down at Merry. The young girl’s eyes followed her line of sight and she finally noticed Merry standing between Mark and Selah. Her eyes quickly went wide, and the girl gave a shout,

“Merry!”

She threw the bundle she carried at the older boy and rushed over, wrapping Merry in a tight hug, eyes on the verge of tears.

“What happened?! Where’s Aunt and Uncle? Why are….”

Selah gently pried the young girl away from Merry and patted her on the head, before speaking in a soft voice,

“I’ll explain everything later. For now, take the supplies and go tell the Head Clerk we’ll be visiting Mother for a short while, so please turn anything away.”

The young girl gave a short nod before picking up her dropped bundle and began to quickly walk down the hall, glancing back every few steps with a worried look. The boy looked over with sad eyes, before turning around without a word and following the girl. Selah watched the two walk away, before looking down at Merry. The little girl who’d been a little excited and bubbly a few moments before had gone stiff, her eyes cold as she stared at the floor in front of her.

Mark looked down at her with a frown, before giving a sigh and gently petting her head with his free hand. Merry looked up at the man for a moment with a complicated look, then giving his hand a tight squeeze, she walked forward with determined steps towards the open door. Selah watched on silently, a frown marring her face as she followed after.

The group walked through the door and into a large room lit by a massive forge and several open skylights. The room was stuffed full of tools, equipment and raw materials waiting to be processed. As they walked into the room, Tsutsuji, who had been riding on Alex’s shoulder in the back, quickly flew into the air and started to buzz around excitement, examining the large weapons and armor that lined one wall. A strange gleam lit her eyes as she flew about, touching each piece feverishly.

Ignoring the bug’s strange behavior, Mark looked around the room in interest. When his eyes landed on the figure of a person in the back. With a quick downward swing, the person swung the large hammer into the glowing bar in front of them, giving off a loud bang that seemed to make the air around them shake. Then again, they raised the hammer and brought it down with precise movements. The group simply stared at the figure slightly blurred by the light of the forge, seemingly hypnotized by the work, while the figure continued on as if they didn’t even notice the newcomers.

After a moment, Selah walked over slowly, and spoke in a quiet voice,

“Mother. We have guests.”

The Hammering stopped, and the figure looked up at Selah with a quizzical glance, before turning their gaze to the rest of the group. The figure paused for a moment, before glancing down at their work. They quickly picked up the glowing bar with a pair of tongs and quenched it in a nearby barrel, then laid it aside and walked towards them.

No longer half blinded by the light of the forge, Mark’s eyes widened in surprise as he looked at the figure of the woman in front of him. There standing in an outfit the same as her Daughter, was a short lady no taller than 5 foot, her short blond pixie cut hair slightly dirty with soot. Her eyes were an icy blue, like looking into the heart of a glacier and her arms and body were surprisingly thin considering the work she had been doing.

Though still red from the heat of the fire and slightly smudged with ash, her face was quite beautiful and Mark could instantly see the resemblance with her older daughter, Grace. Though Mark was slightly startled and confused; both girls had referred to this Woman as “Mother”, but no matter how much Mark tried, he couldn’t see anything but a young woman in her early 20s.

Caroline’s eyes fell on the others with a dull look, her icy eyes staring are them as if contemplating their worth. She walked slowly over, wiping her dirty hands on a cloth she pulled from her leather apron and stopped in front of them. She stared at each in turn with a thoughtful gaze, though not saying a word.

Alex was the first to catch her gaze; she looked at him with contempt at first, but as she moved her eyes up and down his body, she finally gave a cold smile and a light nod. Alex simply stood there at attention, nervously shaking as he felt her eyes on him, seeming to see into his Soul. He couldn’t help but give a sigh of relief when her gaze turned too Tsutsuji.

When Caroline saw the little Guide still excitingly bouncing around the room, her eyes lit up in surprise, before regaining their cold light, though a slight spark could be seen in their depths. She gave a smirk and light chuckle before turning to Mark. As her eyes fell on him, she gave a frown and her brow furrowed as if in deep thought. She looked at him in the eye as he stared back, meeting her gaze without blinking. After a long moment, she broke away without another word and finally turned to look down at Merry, the young girl still clinging to Mark’s hand.

Caroline knelt down to the girl’s level and looked at her with a blank face, Merry refusing to meet her eyes. After a moment, Caroline reached up and grabbed the little girl's chin, pulling it forward and the girl's eyes swam around.

“Are you not going to say hello, Runt?”

Merry simply looked away again, tears on the corner of her eyes. Caroline frowned and gave a sigh, before gently pulling the girl into a deep embrace. Her cold face softened, though only a little, as the little girl wrapped her armed around the woman and shook slightly.

After a few moments of silence, the two separated, and Caroline stood up, looking slightly annoyed at the tear stain on her shirt. She quickly took off her apron and tossed it to her Daughter, before speaking,

“I’m going to go clean up. Bring them to my office.”
“Yes, Mother”

Selah answered quickly, giving a slight bow as she folded the apron and walked towards the door, motioning for them to follow.