As a living god passed overhead, Theo kept his tree branch over his head and felt like an idiot.

The soulcrafter floating above the path wasn't really a god, of course, but he might as well have been, given Theo's present state. The man he'd been in his past life could have fought such opponents easily, but now he was just a first tier soulcrafter. Even if he built his first floor perfectly and ascended, he didn't stand a chance against an Authority-tier soulcrafter.

Fortunately, the Landguard was only patrolling, not tracking him specifically. The branches he'd propped over his cloak got itchier and itchier, but he resisted the urge to adjust them. He didn't even dare look up, just kept himself hidden until the massive pressure passed on.

Only once the Landguard soulcrafter had entirely vanished did Theo make his way back to the path and continue on his way. Like practically every path in the world of Tatian, it was a pleasant little road with fruit-laden branches leaning over the sides, lined by verdant fields or warm little communities. He couldn't wait to be out of the insufferable place.

The Tatian Landguard was a powerful organization defending the entire world, which made it particularly inconvenient that they were hunting him down. Technically they were searching for outsiders to the Nine Worlds, but he was fairly sure that meant him. All of their agents were overwhelmingly powerful compared to him, plus they'd all be at least competent, unlike local Farmguards.

However, they weren't dealing with just anyone. Theo crept from out of the trees, slipping his shielding tree branches into his pack and instead pulling a silvery cloak over his shoulders. He'd stolen it from some Deuxan travelers in a previous village, thanks to their relaxation in the environment. It was one of several different disguises he'd put together during his months of travel, leaving him wishing that he was strong enough to store all his supplies in his soulhome.

His skin was too light to be a native Tatian, so he needed to pretend to be a traveler from another of the Nine Worlds. Deuxan was easiest, especially now that he had the clothes, but he also had a Fithan cloak. Though he lacked the skin or horns to look truly Fithan, Tatians really didn't know much about Fithe, so he could get away with it. That actually stopped him from using an Ichili disguise, which otherwise would have been a good bet: the locals knew so little about Ichil that he would draw attention as an outsider anyway.

Slipping between guises and paths, he'd been making his way to the city of Nlukoko for just over three months. Though he'd expected the isolated travel to be enjoyable, he found himself looking forward to meeting Fiyu and Nauda again at their destination. Since they had all left Myufuru at the same time, the possibility that the Landguards were looking for an odd trio was just too high to travel together.

Though he was finally getting close, that meant that his concerns about what would happen there came back to the forefront. Since he wanted to avoid the forests for now, Theo instead made his way to one of the larger paths, to blend in with the crowd. Since he was relatively close to the city, even the local rubes might have information for him.

A group of Tatians ambled along, infuriatingly slow, but Theo matched pace with him. They noticed and immediately became all smiles. One of them was carrying a child, which pointed at him and began squeaking "Foreigner! Foreigner!" cheerfully, but its mother quieted it down with pats on the head. One of the others approached and clasped his forearm in a friendly way.

"Hello there! Don't mind the child, this is just her first time out of the village."

"I don't mind at all." Though it might have been wasted on local villagers, Theo carefully modulated his tone for an aristocratic Deuxan accent. "I've seen how well you treat foreigners here."

"Are you from the city?" one of the men asked, almost as curious as the child. "You're Deuxan, right?"

"Actually, I'm traveling to Nlukoko for the first time."

"Oh. I thought you might be from there because we see a lot of cloaks like yours coming from that direction, though I'm not sure why."

That suggested there was a gate to Deuxan in Nlukoko, which was useful information that made his cover story more plausible. Theo invented a story about having fallen into Tatian through a temporary door and attempting to make his way back to his home world. The villagers were immediately sympathetic and thrust offers of food and lodging on him, which he skillfully deflected in the Tatian manner. A real Deuxan would probably have been offended, but he figured they wouldn't know the difference.

More importantly, he gleaned significant information about his destination from their babbling. Most cities on Tatian were basically the same, but Nlukoko seemed to be the exception, likely due to the fact that it had at least one gate to another world. Though Tatian welcomed other worlds at arms' length, and was well-defended by the Landguard, it had to have absorbed some culture from the other side. They likely had more diverse sublime materials as well, which he made a note to take advantage of.

The other side, however, was that Nlukoko seemed to have a poor reputation. Tatians didn't gossip - at least not in the spiteful ways he expected - but they suggested that the community there "wasn't very friendly", which might as well have been calling them homicidal cannibals. Though he doubted it could be as hostile as many places in the Nine, increased caution seemed appropriate.

Beyond that, the real question was why Nauda had suggested that they meet there. She had told them that her home lay in the north, but was cagey about exactly where it was. It was possible that growing up in an unusual city was the source of her unusual attitude, but also possible that she had another...

Theo's train of thought derailed as he realized that the Landguard walked on the path ahead. Toward him.

He immediately lowered his gaze and pulled his soulcrafter senses inward, but the moment had been enough. They'd completely changed their appearance somehow and shielded their power, it just wasn't good enough to fool him. The border of their soulhome must be reinforced by a shielding wall, which would defend their soul and also allow them to hide their strength. It was likely two stories high, letting them feel like a mere Archcrafter, but it lacked the gate that would allow them to modulate their cantae. Those who had passed beyond the Ruler tier had cantae that felt more liquid than gaseous, though the difference wasn't obvious except to those who knew it.

His knowledge from his past life just made him aware of the danger, not able to do anything about it. There were plenty of people on the road and the Landguard wasn't aiming specifically for him, so it must be mere suspicions. The problem was, all his options for escape would make him stand out from the crowd. Getting off the road into the fields around, which were craggier than in the south, might be enough for him to hide, the problem was getting there.

While he thought, their groups drew ever closer. Fortunately, the Landguard paused to greet others along the path, but that just stretched out the tension...

"Tell me," Theo entered the Tatians' conversation at the first opportunity, "do you know if there's a Landguard base in Nlukoko?"

"Oh, I don't think so," the Tatian man said, blinking in surprise. "Maybe a few of them. But the Landguards are here to defend us. There aren't any problems from Deuxan, are there?"

"I don't think so, but I was wondering if they might help me get back." With every step they got closer and closer, but talking about Landguards would be the last thing an outsider would do. Theo made sure to smile at approaching groups like normal while focusing on his companions. "Is there anywhere nearby where I could take a look at the area, find my way to Nlukoko?"

"Certainly, certainly! Here, let us show you!"

As he'd hoped, the family took time out of their schedule to take him onto another path toward one of the hills. They left the path not long before they would have passed the Landguard and he had no idea how close of a scrape it had been. Maybe the Landguard had a chamber in his soulhome dedicated to analysis, maybe not, but he couldn't risk looking backward either way.

They climbed the hill, still chattering in a friendly fashion, but it got steeper faster than he'd expected. He'd thought that all of Tatian was fairly flat, or at worst rolling plains, but this hill was high and jagged enough that there could be dangerous falls.

"There, you see?" The mother shifted her child to one arm so that she could point. "You can't see Nlukoko, but the river there passes right through it! So if you head that way, you'll be sure to see it. Just watch your step on these paths!"

"Thank you, I will." Theo paused, wondering if he should feed them misinformation in case they were questioned by Landguards later. He decided that any stratagem might end up suspicious, while a simple friendly encounter might be forgotten. "I'm appreciative for all your help. You've been very kind to a foreigner far from Deuxan."

"I hope you find your way back home! And if you see any Landguards, just ask them. The Landguard is here to help us."

The frustrating thing was that their bland smiles were essentially justified, here on Tatian. Theo forced himself to smile back and left with minimal embraces, heading up the path as quickly as he could. As he moved on, the path grew narrower, more shielded from the farms around by the elevation and the brightly-colored trees growing around him.

Footsteps behind him. Theo would never have been able to identify them before, but during his journey he'd soulcrafted a room that improved his senses slightly. Nothing extraordinary, just enough to be sure that someone was following him.

People rarely walked alone on Tatian, so it had to be the Landguard. Theo began walking faster, but he knew that he couldn't possibly escape by speed alone.

Instead, he tugged off his Deuxan cloak and began rummaging in his pack. His tree branch blind was wrong for these trees, but he had a bright Tatian cloak that blended in. Theo wrapped it around himself, searched the forest below, then plunged over the edge.

On the way down, he grabbed a heavy tree branch. If his arm hadn't been reinforced by cantae, it likely would have been torn out of its socket, and stopping his fall sent a wrenching pain through his shoulder, but he managed to drop lightly to the ground. Without much sound, and most importantly without using any techniques that might get him noticed. When he looked up, he could see the steep side of the path overhead. He didn't notice any dislodged rocks or broken tree branches, not that there was any time to make adjustments.

Instead he plunged deeper into the forest, trying not to step on any sticks or brush against too many of the crimson leaves. Fortunately, Tatian forests were generally open and welcoming, even semi-wild ones such as this. He must be in one of the unfarmed areas he'd spotted from the top, though it wasn't far to another little community.

As soon as he found a denser cluster of trees, Theo dropped into a hollow and drew his cloak over himself, leaving just a narrow sliver to look out. That way, he might look like any Tatian taking a nap in the forest, not that the deception would hold if the Landguard came for him.

For a long time he simply waited, unable to see the path from his position by design and unable to hear anything amiss. He had to restrain his impulse to reach out with his senses several times. It was possible that the Landguard hadn't really been following him and this was all unnecessary, but considering that his enemy was some sort of shadowy organization, no precaution was too much.

Just when he started to think he was overly paranoid, trees rustled and a body rose from the hill. No longer shielding his power, the Landguard floated into the air on a river of cantae, eyes sweeping over the landscape. He'd risen from a point that Theo estimated was further along the path they'd been walking.

As an Authority-tier soulcrafter, the Landguard could have turned the entire farmscape into a wasteland. But this was Tatian. Several villagers atop another hill began waving cheerfully, and the Landguard waved back before flying onward.

Only then did Theo allow himself to breathe a sigh of relief. He couldn't let it make him lax, but he had a major advantage: the Landguards were looking for some sort of demonic visitor aiming to destroy their world, not a simple traveler. Some of them really did seem to believe that outsiders were a threat, and he wasn't sure how they'd gotten that idea, but most seemed to be Tatian at heart, just wanting to defend their people.

It was incredibly inconvenient for him, but hopefully it would be over soon. Since he'd finally put some distance between him and his pursuers, he should be able to take a fairly straight shot to the river. Presuming the villagers had directed him rightly, it wouldn't be far to Nlukoko from there.

Once he arrived, he would be able to meet up with Nauda and Fiyu again... presuming that all went well. He didn't doubt that both of them would try their best, and he hadn't considered leaving them, even if there had been any opportunities along the way. But if they had been found... Nauda might be able to blend in effortlessly, but Fiyu stuck out in basically every way.

If the Landguard had either or both of them, he'd have to make a very hard decision. Not only did he have nowhere near the power to challenge such an organization, doing so would draw exactly the wrong attention to himself. Vistgil was more powerful than the Landguard and outright malicious, so drawing his eye at this stage would be suicide. Yet if he had to make a choice... he would have to hope that it didn't come up.

This time, it seemed that he'd really shaken their pursuit for good. Though he remained cautious, Theo didn't see any sign of his pursuer or any other Landguard. As he approached the river and the city, the people became less effusive with their friendliness, but that was probably just the effect of Nlukoko.

The city itself soon came into sight as he walked along the river, and he found himself staring at it more than he should. What he thought was the river swelling turned out to be a lake that stretched into the distance, the city itself growing on top of it. Some of the buildings appeared to be on islands, but others floated on boats or strange platforms of reeds. He spotted enormous lotus flowers in between the buildings before he saw people walking across them and realized that they were part of the city as well. Water flowed in the air above the city as if within invisible tubes, but he saw nothing supporting the spiraling currents.

Unlike most Tatian cities, it actually had a serious barrier in the form of the water, which meant that he needed to use one of the bridges. With his improved soulhome, he had a shot at jumping or swimming it, but he had to assume that even on Tatian they would have defenses to guard against that. It looked like there was actually security at the bridges, so Nlukoko took itself more seriously than most.

Though they weren't likely to be collaborating with the Landguards, Theo decided to gather information first. He spotted a group of Tatians gawking at everything and shadowed them until the line got close to the bridge guards, then fell back into the next group and listened closely.

"Why do we need papers to show who we are?" one of the newcomers asked, honestly befuddled. "We'd be happy to tell you."

"The community of Nlukoko welcomes everyone, we just need to make sure that the community stays welcoming." The guard clasped the newcomer's arms warmly, like they might in any village, but something in his warmth was just slightly wrong. "But you are welcome to join us in Nlukoko, for a day or for a year. You need only pay the proper fees."

"Fees? I don't understand... we aren't bringing any goods, we only wanted to visit. Why do you need money for that?"

"But you see, the guard requires money in order to continue working, so we ask everyone to make a small contribution to our community."

"But... if you just didn't have the guard, then the problem would be solved!"

The conversation continued, the guards patient as if they had explained this often throughout the day, and Theo backed away. He might be able to learn slightly more, but this was enough to know that something was wrong. Though he hadn't spent very much time on Tatian, he'd only heard of a few cities that required paperwork, and absolutely none that demanded fees for entry. Normally the local Farmguards were maintained by their own families purely out of generosity and goodwill.

Obviously things didn't work that way here, which meant that he was stuck outside the city. There was no way of knowing where Fiyu or Nauda were, or if the Landguards were still looking. After so long traveling, he'd hoped his journey was finally over.