Chapter 7: The Mission Begins at Last

With their departure scheduled, Collin watched Ella as she scampered around the room throwing random items into a satchel. A shirt here, a pan there, and other random things. The number of items going into the bag made Collin worry. If she kept packing at this pace, he might end up as a makeshift pack horse for their journey.

Thankfully the one bag left her confident she had everything she needed, excusing herself for the night. Ever since Collin commandeered her bed, she had been staying at a neighbor's house. Apparently, the old couple's daughter had recently gotten married and moved out. The extra bed had yet to be removed, so they were happy to spare it for Ella.

Now alone in the small room, Collin laid back on the bed. He thought about all that had happened and what his plan was going forward. Soon drowsiness stepped in before giving way to snores.

*********

When Collin awoke, Ella was already back, adding small logs to the fire. He had made sure to set it so his suit would wake him up a little after dawn, but people here must get up even earlier. The kettle over the fire began to boil, releasing a new but equally tantalizing aroma into the air.

When Ella noticed that he was awake, she pulled something from beside her and tossed it to him. It was a pile of clothes.

"Get dressed. We'll head out after we eat."

Collin's suit was equipped with a self-cleaning function making it unnecessary to change, but its unique appearance would definitely stand out and not in a good way. The clothes Ella had thrown him consisted of a simple cloth shirt and loose leather slacks. The slacks seemed in fairly good condition whereas the shirt had seen better days. At one time it was probably white or grey but had since been covered in patches of various colored stains. Some of which he hoped were just dirt.

Given that his suit functioned as protective gear, Collin opted to pull the clothes over his suit. They were a pretty good fit, although the shirt was a little too big. After re-attaching his belt, he completed his new "local" look. Collin was confident that his disguise would fool a blind man.

Breakfast was next on the agenda. Due to its appearance Collin would have like to call it some type of gruel, but that would give the wonderful dish quite the negative impression. It had small pieces of a fatty meat ground into a sweet grain, resulting in a sweet and savory mush of deliciousness. It made him wonder if this world had truly surpassed the level of culinary knowledge on the ESF or if Ella was just that good.

After the two of them had scarfed down a few helpings, they were ready to set out. The road out of the village was quite rough. Or more accurately there wasn't really one. The packed dirt trail seemed to have been worn more by animals then the few human travelers.

A flicker of sunlight caught Collin's eye. He traced it back to Ella, her blonde hair seemed to glisten in the soft morning rays. The dirt and grime that covered her yesterday had since vanished. Without it, he could now see that her hair had shades of green running through it.

The dress she had worn yesterday had been swapped for an outfit better suited to traveling. She wore a pair of leather leggings, that seemed rather tight, complemented by a dark green blouse that covered most of her modest chest. If she was beautiful before, she was stunning now.

Collin shook his head. He couldn't afford to get distracted. His mission was all that mattered, he thought before turning his attention back to walking.

"So, you said we are heading to a town to the north. Anything more specific?"

"Well I said north, but I guess it's more north west. A little further ahead is a larger road. If we just follow that and keep up the pace, we should be there by nightfall."

"As for the town itself, it's called the Town of Glenn. It was founded by the Glenn Trading Company and used to be a large bustling place. Craftsmen and merchants from all around the country would settle there. With a large variety of goods from far and wide, nobles from the capital would make frequent visits."

"However, when the Glenn Trading Company took a big financial hit, the town suffered. It began to wither letting a gang of thieves gain a foothold. Now, it takes the Knights everything they have just to keep the criminal activities to the night hours and out of the sight of the dwindling noble visitors."

"Great," Collin muttered, "but I thought you said you couldn't help me with my mission."