Kelski led the way, the tour participant becoming tour guide as she worked her way through the streets of the city. Her progress was not quite as refined as Sal's, the man having extensive knowledge and experience of the streets and alleyways. But that knowledge was limited to the inhabited parts of Lhavit, itself cut off by unseen boundaries and walls. Once they had traversed the peaks and ventured across okomo land, it became unfamiliar territory for the investigator, his senses coming to the forefront as he took in the details of his new surroundings, before giving up that endeavor when he realized he was completely devoid of his sense of direction.
But rather than succumb to panic from being outside his comfort zone, instead Sal let the excitement flow over him, embracing this colored filled experience in what seemed like a lifetime of grey. Perhaps not quite a lifetime though, since the feelings now were not new; just forgotten. As a child he had felt this, that reckless abandon that was rife in children, their sense of adventure often times outweighing sense of the common variety. Perhaps it was a more innocent form of confidence, or ignorance, from minds as yet untouched by the dangers and evils of the world. Real life just seemed so mundane and restrictive to a child's mind. Then there was that sense of 'it could never happen to me', a byproduct of the inexperienced. There were perhaps countless ways to define it, understand it or label it. But what it all boiled down to in the end was a sense of wonder.
Onwards they pressed, Sal keeping pace as best he could and pleased with his efforts, while Kelski flowed across the terrain like a silk scarf dancing in the wind. Before long they had begun their descent, thicker and more dense foliage illustrating their surroundings and providing an outline of mystery the further they progressed. Sal had ventured into the wilds before now, though such expeditions had been within a sizable group. There was one other occasion he had made a trip down river, with just two others, but the circumstances of that journey he pushed out of his head, instead focusing on keeping his footing lest he misstep and end up falling to his doom.
Kelski proved a most adept tour guide now, glowing with enthusiasm as she bounded over rocks and shimmered around trees. There was a purity about her now, the backdrop of nature a far more fitting canvas than the more closed in confines of city streets and skyglass covered buildings. Cities had walls and limits, lines and boundaries. But out here, it ebbed and flowed like a river of greens and browns, ripples of leaves that rustled in the breeze while here and there large deposits of stone lay stubbornly still as though having splashed into place some thousands of years ago.
Before long the young kelvic had laid out a fine selection of choices like a menu, each choice sounding as delicious as the last, served with sides of thrilling expectation and finished with a dessert of sweet nostalgia as once more Sal was awash with memories of forgotten youth. But it was her follow up that really teased his appetite, the promise of a surprise that was just too tantalizing to deny. Why restrict himself to his own choice, when he could be served a mystery concocted by Kelski herself? At this rate, he was ready to follow her on foot across Kalea all the way to Alvadas and back.
"Surprise me," he asked and demanded at the same time, while catching his breath for the moment as they continued to move through the wilds. He was pleased to find that his investigative attire was rather suited to their current pursuit as wilderness travelers, in that his boots were sturdy and comfortable, and the rest of his outfit chosen primarily for a man who spent most of his working days out on the streets and on the go. So too did he find the omission of his longsword a splendid idea, since having the long stretch of metal tripping him up on their descent would not have been an ideal situation from any angle. Furthermore, what chance was there of crossing paths with brigands down here?
There were other dangers lurking in the bushes and trees of course. Just none that Sal was aware of. After all, this might as well have been a different country as far as his experience was concerned. For all his reading of the wilds and the myriad adventures that had taken place in them, there was no substitute for the real thing. From that perspective, Kelski might never have known just how trusting - or foolish - Sal had been in following her. But there it was though. That sense of wonder. Reason could remain by the wayside, because this was one human who was having way too much fun to turn back now.
But rather than succumb to panic from being outside his comfort zone, instead Sal let the excitement flow over him, embracing this colored filled experience in what seemed like a lifetime of grey. Perhaps not quite a lifetime though, since the feelings now were not new; just forgotten. As a child he had felt this, that reckless abandon that was rife in children, their sense of adventure often times outweighing sense of the common variety. Perhaps it was a more innocent form of confidence, or ignorance, from minds as yet untouched by the dangers and evils of the world. Real life just seemed so mundane and restrictive to a child's mind. Then there was that sense of 'it could never happen to me', a byproduct of the inexperienced. There were perhaps countless ways to define it, understand it or label it. But what it all boiled down to in the end was a sense of wonder.
Onwards they pressed, Sal keeping pace as best he could and pleased with his efforts, while Kelski flowed across the terrain like a silk scarf dancing in the wind. Before long they had begun their descent, thicker and more dense foliage illustrating their surroundings and providing an outline of mystery the further they progressed. Sal had ventured into the wilds before now, though such expeditions had been within a sizable group. There was one other occasion he had made a trip down river, with just two others, but the circumstances of that journey he pushed out of his head, instead focusing on keeping his footing lest he misstep and end up falling to his doom.
Kelski proved a most adept tour guide now, glowing with enthusiasm as she bounded over rocks and shimmered around trees. There was a purity about her now, the backdrop of nature a far more fitting canvas than the more closed in confines of city streets and skyglass covered buildings. Cities had walls and limits, lines and boundaries. But out here, it ebbed and flowed like a river of greens and browns, ripples of leaves that rustled in the breeze while here and there large deposits of stone lay stubbornly still as though having splashed into place some thousands of years ago.
Before long the young kelvic had laid out a fine selection of choices like a menu, each choice sounding as delicious as the last, served with sides of thrilling expectation and finished with a dessert of sweet nostalgia as once more Sal was awash with memories of forgotten youth. But it was her follow up that really teased his appetite, the promise of a surprise that was just too tantalizing to deny. Why restrict himself to his own choice, when he could be served a mystery concocted by Kelski herself? At this rate, he was ready to follow her on foot across Kalea all the way to Alvadas and back.
"Surprise me," he asked and demanded at the same time, while catching his breath for the moment as they continued to move through the wilds. He was pleased to find that his investigative attire was rather suited to their current pursuit as wilderness travelers, in that his boots were sturdy and comfortable, and the rest of his outfit chosen primarily for a man who spent most of his working days out on the streets and on the go. So too did he find the omission of his longsword a splendid idea, since having the long stretch of metal tripping him up on their descent would not have been an ideal situation from any angle. Furthermore, what chance was there of crossing paths with brigands down here?
There were other dangers lurking in the bushes and trees of course. Just none that Sal was aware of. After all, this might as well have been a different country as far as his experience was concerned. For all his reading of the wilds and the myriad adventures that had taken place in them, there was no substitute for the real thing. From that perspective, Kelski might never have known just how trusting - or foolish - Sal had been in following her. But there it was though. That sense of wonder. Reason could remain by the wayside, because this was one human who was having way too much fun to turn back now.
