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The Sarutabaruta savannah was expansive, and truly its scale overwhelmed the adventurer. The few roads through the area were scarcely visible, so after checking his heading, he began to walk about, stopping to investigate any features of the landscape that caught his attention. Enormous palm trees, as tall as the castle walls of San d’Oria, emerged here and there, and they were the dominating feature of the land. There were also many small rock formations dotting the savannah, not much bigger than the adventurer. It looked to the adventurer as if giants had been playing a game with those rocks on the savannah and were suddenly interrupted.
The fauna of Sarutabaruta was consistent with the other examples of life that the adventurer had encountered so far. Small Mandragoras, the onion-like beings, walked about in small groups, doubtless for protection, and largely ignored the adventurer. The Rarabs instinctively avoided him, always staying a few steps ahead so as not to get caught. New to the adventurer in the savannah were a couple of insect beasts, and the bird-like Yagudo. One of the insects was a Bumblebee, bigger than a man’s head, which looked menacing, but judging from the name was more of an annoyance. The other was an enormous caterpillar called Crawler, truly eclipsing the adventurer in size, although it also appeared harmless.
The Yagudo, however, were a completely different matter. The adventurer had witnessed firsthand how violent they could be. Having stared at the corpse of the dead Yagudo at length, he felt confident he could spot them from afar. Looking and sounding so strange, with their crow-like countenance and their high-pitched shrieks, the adventurer would spot them right away and at least have a running start away from them. The problem, as he soon found out, was that Yagudo did not have to be close to their prey to cause damage. The adventurer kept walking straight south, and soon noticed the ground ahead was lower than where he was standing. He reached the lip of the small cliff, and seeing no safe way to get down, decided to walk around to find another path south.
Heading west now, the adventurer soon came to a small bridge crossing over a river. The Zanbibi River, as it was labeled on the map, had a few River Crabs swimming in it, and further upstream a Goblin Fisher was trying out his luck. The adventurer quickly crossed the bridge and saw a way around the small cliff. He followed the path of the river, examining the ecosystem of the savannah. Everything was new, and he was still quite surprised not to see any guards or other travelers on their way to Windurst. While looking around he finally noticed a Yagudo following him. The beast was quite far from him, yet it had its eyes squarely on the adventurer. Unlike the Yagudo he encountered earlier, however, this one was covered in jewelry, had a weird red mask covering his face, and carried a staff. To the adventurer it appeared that this Yagudo was unsure about attacking him, as it was trying to keep distance between itself and the adventurer.
Carefully assessing the situation, the adventurer continued to follow the flow of water. Knowing that Windurst was a port city, as indicated by the map, the adventurer reasoned that the river would eventually guide him to his destination. He was consciously avoiding a direct route to the city, trying to lose the Yagudo behind him. Slowly but surely, the bird beast was falling farther behind, although the adventurer didn’t know if it was because of his skills or because it was losing interest in him. Suddenly a strange signpost came into view, and it pointed the adventurer further south through the savannah, away from the river and into an open field. Confident he had lost the Yagudo, the adventurer headed straight down the new path.
Walking into the open field gave the adventurer great view of his surroundings, and he stopped to admire the land around Windurst. Also, from the clearing one could barely see the city walls and the Heaven’s Tower, world famous and easily recognizable. As he took in the scenery, the sky began to darken, which he thought strange since the sun had risen not too long ago. But not only did it get dark suddenly, his field of vision was also obscured by a cloud of haze. Pretty soon he was incapable of walking, as he could see nothing around him, save for his hand in front of him to guide him by touch. As he continued heading in what he thought was the right direction, he heard the cry of the Yagudo, which he thought he had lost, very close behind him.
The adventurer quickly realized that the Yagudo had used a Blind spell on him. Panicking at his predicament, he cursed at himself for not having bought the Blindna spell back in San d’Oria when he had the chance. He took out his sword and assumed an attack stance, but the Yagudo stopped making noise since its first cry, and the adventurer had no idea where it stood. Slowly turning in a circle, he carefully listened to everything around him. A Bumblebee flapped its wings not far from him to his left, and he could barely hear the murmur of the river in front of him. Leaves from the palm trees rustled to his right, above his head. But no steps could be heard, and his ears could discern no other noise. Just as he thought his adventuring days had abruptly come to an end, so very near his goal, he heard something running against something else with a loud thud.
Unsure of how to react, the adventurer stood in place, ready to start attacking. He heard footsteps moving away from him at a rapid pace, and then a voice calling out to him. The voice was soothing and low, but he could tell where the person was, and in what direction she was moving. Lowering his guard and sheathing his sword, the adventurer reached out to his helper. A hand grabbed hold of his, a body next to his helped him walk, and the stranger gently led him away from the sounds of the river. Slowly his vision began to come back, although the savannah was at first too bright to take it all in. The stranger continued to comfort the adventurer, though he was slowly starting to walk at his own pace. Thanking her profusely, once his vision had recovered enough the adventurer looked at the stranger’s face. Hard though it was to see clearly, the adventurer saw a face staring back at him that was not strange at all.
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Mhaura welcomed travelers with open arms. Securely hidden behind a natural rock barrier, like Selbina, the port town of Mhaura was world famous. The Fishing Guild was housed there, the shops were top notch for needy adventurers new to the area, and the people of Mhaura were incredibly hospitable. However, to the adventurer, Mhaura was a fast, blurry experience. After he left the ferry counter to Mhaura, the merchant pointed him to a person standing in the middle of town. The adventurer approached, explained his reason for visiting Mhaura and was given a map with directions toward Windurst.
At long last the adventurer held in his hand the key to reaching Windurst. After saying their goodbyes, the adventurer and the merchant walked their separate ways, promising to come to each other’s aid if needed. Walking past the city gates, the adventurer looked at the vast stretch of land ahead, clearly labeled on the map as Buburimu Peninsula. An enormous rock valley, full of strange creatures and plants, and a slightly chilly temperature, welcomed him.
There were some incredible four-legged animals, gigantic in comparison to the adventurer, in front of him. The adventurer identified them as Bull Dhalmels with the help of the map, which also contained a small traveler’s guide. There were also small creatures, like onions, which walked around prancing through the peninsula, labeled as Sylvestre by the guide. Hares also inhabited the peninsula, although their fur was black, and the guide called them Rarabs. Finally, awakened by the presence of Goblins, the adventurer reminded himself that he was not in a dream world, and took his first steps towards Windurst.
The road through the Buburimu Peninsula was not particularly though, but it was a long walk. Caused by the dimming daylight, the temperature in the peninsula began to drop. Just when he was thinking of starting a fire and setting up camp, the adventurer spotted an outpost. Walking carefully towards it, the adventurer was glad to see a Royal Knight of San d’Oria standing next to a fire, welcoming him to the small outpost.
The adventurer wondered why a Royal Knight would work so far away from the kingdom, and the knight explained that under Conquest rules, San d’Oria controlled the region, and had a right and responsibility to maintain a small force there. For that reason, two Royal Knights had been dispatched to Buburimu Peninsula to guarantee the safety of any San d’Orian there, to protect the outpost, and to maintain order in general. After what seemed like hours talking with the Knight, a familiar face in an unfamiliar land, the adventurer continued his journey. He could feel Windurst calling out to him.
Just past the last post of the Royal Knights was the entrance to Tahrongi Canyon, a desert-like area, dotted with small shrubs and cacti. Present in the Tahrongi Canyon were the Dhalmels and Sylvestre, although these looked slightly different, perhaps due to the change in vegetation in the area. Guarded by lamplight, the adventurer made his way around the canyon, led by the topography and the map down a narrow, winding road. The canyon, though awe-inspiring and full of strange new sights, was apparently devoid of any other people on their way to or from Windurst at this time of the night, and the adventurer did not want to stay there long.
As the adventurer continued to walk hastily through the end of the canyon, vegetation began to appear more often. This marked the beginning of the Sarutabaruta savannah, the vegetated area just outside Windurst. Finally a giant palm tree came into view, and the adventurer, relieved, sat down on the grass to rest and have a snack. Wiping his brow with his hand, he was enjoying a bite of his hare jerky when he saw a couple of kids running around, laughing.
Except the kids were not playing. Behind them was a tall being, shaped like a hume but with characteristics of a bird. Feathers, a beak, even the cry similar to a crow’s made by this beast made the adventurer wonder if he was dreaming again. Luckily, he did not have to wonder long. The kids suddenly stopped, turned to face the beast, and began chanting a magical spell. Hitting the birdman with a Stone spell, the children cheered as the beast hit the ground a small distance away from the adventurer.
After recovering from the shock, the adventurer approached the kids slowly to get a closer look at them. One of them was sitting down, probably resting after the near-death experience he had just witnessed. The other went over to a shrub and appeared to be looking for something. Noticing the stranger in the Sarutabaruta plain approaching, the kid sitting down introduced himself as Kipo-Opo and asked if the adventurer was fine. Asking the same question in return, the adventurer wondered out loud why the bird beast was chasing the kids. Laughing, Kipo-Opo explained the situation to the adventurer.
The two kids were actually adults, members of the Tarutaru race, which the adventurer had never seen, and made their home in Windurst. They were going to visit some friends in Mhaura when a Yagudo Acolyte, the bird beast, noticed them and chased after them. Normally, taking down a Yagudo was easy, but this time they were unprepared and surprised, so they decided to keep moving while it slowly caught up to them. Once they were ready, they turned around and killed the Yagudo with a spell. However, Kopopo, Kipo-Opo’s companion, had dropped a gift for their friends down by the bushes while running away, so they had to stop and look for it.
After apologizing for the confusion, the adventurer asked in what direction the city of Windurst was located. The two Tarutarus pointed him straight south, telling him he was but a few minutes away from the city. Embarrassed for his naiveté, the adventurer excused himself and continued walking down the path towards his goal. Afraid that they might be laughing at him, he didn’t turn around when they called to him. Suddenly a white light enveloped him, forcing him to stop. The light filled him with warmth, and he felt somewhat stronger. By the time he realized that Kipo-Opo and Kopopo had cast protective magic on him, the two mages were out of sight, probably having entered the Tahrongi Canyon already. Once again embarrassed, he thanked his new friends from afar, and walked calmly towards Windurst as the sun began to rise in Sarutabaruta.
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