Davin opened the gates without struggling in the slightest. The doors weren’t normal though, sliding open Mash could see that they were as thick as the wall itself. Mash’s eyes moved past the doors quickly and stuck to the scene before him. He could feel his eyes go wide as he stared at the open plains. The walls covered over twice as much ground as his home, but the city felt strangely smaller. He breathed in deeply, his lips quirking into a smile as he smelled the air. It didn’t have the bustle of crowds and scents that you could only find in a city, instead he saw a scattering of villages spread across the grasslands. No overly tall or condensed buildings, the only people this far out seemed to be guards.

The buildings were scattered, and he just stared dumbly at them. Unsure of any direction he asked the others.

“Um, where should we go?”

Shrugging his shoulders, Luke looked towards Davin. Nodding, he pointed into the distance, and Mash was barely able to make out some outlines of buildings.

“That’s Moonshire and is also where the guild is. If you go there, I recommend going to the Wandering Moon inn, it’s got the best meat pies.”

Deciding it was best to get on Davin’s good side, Mash nodded to him in thanks. It could only be beneficial to get high level people as friends.

The guards didn’t react as the group waved goodbye. They started departing towards the village, or would it be a district? Did all the scattered villages make up the city? He didn’t know if he considered this place a city. A gleam in Luke’s eyes told Mash what he thought of this place. He kept turning his head frantically, as if this couldn’t be reality. In fairness, the city didn’t match the descriptions he heard before. He expected to see wooden, old-fashioned structures and the city was supposed to be much smaller. The descriptions they found must have been old because the reality was very different.

“Should we go to the inn or just make a camp somewhere? I mean there is a lot of space for it and Mash could do it pretty easily.”

Jill brought up the idea, sounding strangely conflicted. He noticed her lick her lips, and he guessed that she was hungry too. In fact, none of them have eaten any food today. Checking the bracelet he made last night, he found it unblemished. Guessing that his new wood wouldn’t degrade anymore, he didn’t know if it was a good idea to make a house here.

“I don’t think they would like new houses to just pop up. Especially considering how they would look.”

Mash revealed the bracelet he made and explained how his creations seemed to be permanent now. He would keep the bracelet on for now, checking it again to confirm the theory. If they really didn’t decay, then he could start selling them. He thought they would sell well among the cults, at least the evil ones. He found himself grinning slightly at the thought.

As they walked, they simply enjoyed the peaceful nature that this town provided. They weren’t afraid of monsters within the walls and had spotted animals like bulls and horses running through the plains. It reminded him of the painting of the elven city, both seemed so intertwined with nature. Were humans the only ones to live within the security of stone? He was about to ask the others what they thought but felt something entering his mana territory.

He didn’t let anything show on his face, as he felt the person getting closer. Seeing that they had a tail, he guessed they were a beastmen, probably a guard meant to watch them. It wasn’t a perfect image, rather he could make out their general shape from their mana. Still wanting to get on the good side of the guards, he called out to him.

“Um, I can see you.”

Turning to face him, he spoke without hesitation, but didn’t really know what to do. This situation was awkward, since he essentially caught someone who was stalking them. Thankfully, the awkwardness ended as they revealed themselves. The person seemed to peel apart the light to reveal themselves. Coming into vision, he recognized the face and ears, and he found himself gaping a little.

A spitting image of Ellis, the girl stood as tall as Mash himself. She had a tail that matched the light brown color of her ears and hair, a mimicry of the deputy commander. She didn’t dress the same way, instead wearing robes that covered most of her body and hid her figure. They were a dark shade of green, and was patterned with black markings, an enchantment of some kind. The others jumped a little as she revealed themselves. Guessing that she was Ellis’s sibling, he tried to be polite as he addressed her.

“Hello! I’m Mash, and your magic is quite impressive.”

He didn’t really know how to speak politely, using what his sister had told him to do. She had given him a book as a reference, and he remembered that it was considered polite to complement a lady when he met them. It didn’t work, a grimace covering her face, and glare staring him down.

“You don’t need to make fun of me. And before you ask, I’m supposed to follow you, my si- I mean the deputy commander’s orders.”

Her voice carried an edge, and Mash thought on his words. Realizing his own mistake, he wanted to apologize but knew that would make it worse. Anything he did would make it seem like he was treating her as a child. He was saved by Red, who spoke before he could dig himself deeper.

“I’m Red, but I guess you already knew that. Well, since we know you’re going to follow us, how about joining us for now. We don’t mind.”

She sounded strangely familiar with situations like this and spoke naturally. They looked at each other, seeming to come to an understanding. The girl looked over the group, staring at each of their faces before lingering on Luke. Coming to a decision, she responded to them with a surprising lack of hesitation.

“Sure, why not. I’m Leah by the way.”

Almost too naturally she lined up between Red and Luke, making Mash wonder if this was a normal occurrence. Nobody seemed to mind and began asking her some questions about the city. Mostly asking about the bandits or the dungeon. She didn’t know a lot about the dungeon but knew that the guild was currently offering a reward for any bandits who were killed or captured. That got the group excited since they never did a proper mission after the trial. They were planning on jumping from dungeon to dungeon, but it sounded like they could do both simultaneously.

It didn’t take long to get to Moonshire with Leah leading them. The village was empty, it might have been because of the lateness, but he couldn’t spot many buildings. Even this village was surprisingly spaced out, a large amount of grass separating each structure. Easily identifying the Wandering Moon by a painting of a moon that hung on its sign. It was not a very detailed image, but the crescent shape gave the depiction away, not to mention the lingering smell that drew their attention. Not waiting for any confirmation, Mash pushed the doors open but remembered to go in after Luke did.

Despite not spotting any crowds as they walked, it was very crowded inside of the inn. Almost every person inside was a beastmen, happily eating food and sharing drinks. It was obvious when the crowds focus changed, most beginning to shoot glances at them. Mash found it easy to ignore the stares, his hunger driving him towards the front. His rumbling stomach gave away his attention as he approached the bar.

There was an old man behind the bar who was surrounded by younger workers, and Mash could only see him as a bear. Almost two feet taller than Mash, he was big enough to be considered three people. It was a mixture of muscle and fat and made his belly bulge, becoming noticeable beneath his clothing. He had a slightly rounded face, and rounded ears that were covered in a thick black fur. His arms stood out to Mash, as they were easily the size of logs. The man looked over the group, his eyes softening as they passed over Leah. However, Mash didn’t give anyone else the opportunity to speak, eager to get some food.

“Hey there, I’m Mash. Could I get 2 full meat pies and anything else you think would be good, don’t worry I’ll finish anything you give me.”

The man’s eyebrows rose as Mash barreled through his words. The others who heard, his friends included, were staring at him. He could hear a few people laughing behind him, but the bartender nodded all the same. He seemed to regain his composure and indicated for the person next to him to get the food, while he started speaking to the group.

“Sure kid. Little Leah, care to introduce your friends. I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone quite like him.”

Shrugging her shoulders, Lea responded in a casual manner, giving him a quick answer. It sounded a little prepared, but the man seemed to accept it.

“I don’t really know, I just met them, but they seem like good enough people. And he claimed to be human for what it’s worth.”

The man let out a bellowing laugh, as if he heard the funniest thing ever. It shook the table and caused the floors to creak. When he saw their expression, he stopped, and tentatively asked Mash a question.

“Wait, you’re really human?”

“I was human at one point, but I think that ship has sailed. All I’m sure of right now, is that I’m hungry.”

Mash said the words without really thinking about them, but the man’s eyes went wide, and he leaned away from the counter. Whatever expression Mash made had clearly bothered the man, but he did it unconsciously and didn’t know what he had done. He looked to the others at the counter and noticed that they were looking away from him. Looking behind him, he spotted Leah’s hands resting on a dagger at her waist. The tension in the room had risen, and Mash regretted not controlling his expression. Jill elbowed him, speaking loud enough to be heard across the room.

“I told you to stop doing that. Sorry, he’s kind of dense about these things.”

Did he roll his eyes? He didn’t think that he did, but kept his mouth shut since her words seemed to diffuse the situation. One of the people at the bar even cracking a joke at the barkeeper’s expense.

“Look at that, Hugo frightened by someone half his size. It was like a cat being scared by a mouse.”

It wasn’t funny, but the people were drunk, and began laughing at the joke. Mash bowed his head in apology, and Hugo waved him off. His shoulder sagged a little, maybe he felt bad about the scene too. Leah didn’t let any silence build and made an order for herself. The others followed her lead and ordered some food as well. They paid together; Mash having spent seven silvers in the meal which meant he ordered around seven servings of food. A typical meal back home cost between one and two silver, he would need to earn more gold, if only to satiate his hunger.

It took several minutes for the food to come out, but Hugo had given them a small plate of fruits ahead of the meal. Gratefully, Mash snacked on the new fruits. The one he enjoyed the most was small, brown, and hairy on the outside. The inside was green and sweet, and he liked the way it turned to juice in his mouth. The rest of the food came out with a set of drinks for each of them. Lea explained that people couldn’t drink ale until they were 18 here, so all they would get is juice. He didn’t mind, preferring the sweetness of the drink over the bitter taste of alcohol.

The food took all his attention, and he ate the first meat pie quickly. Several people watching him as he devoured the large amount of food in front of him. It was good, the pie was filled with meat and vegetables and its crust broke perfectly into the rest of the pie. He had seen several people eating their food with their hands and did the same, scooping up slices of the pie and shoving them into his mouth. It didn’t take long for him to finish the second pie, by now the crowd had begun cheering and he felt full. He could feel his body unwinding as he finished the drink. He found himself smiling as several people clapped him on the back. To think they had been frightened of him moments ago.