The small village Cygnus intended to stop at was fairly close to the border, and the trio was able to reach it before midday. The tribal setting was quaint, hosting only about two dozen houses plus a few other communal buildings, all of which were a mix of white wood, mud-dried bricks, and fibers from the thorn bushes. Its people, dark-skinned from the constant bleating sun, wore garments made from the pelts of the desert chungcow, a domestic derivative of the Westland farm animal, which was imbued with magic to adapt to the heat. They were much smaller and darker than regular chuncows, and occasionally secreted a transparent goo upon their leathery pelts to keep them cool.
As Xinyu hopped out of the cart and began to prance around, she couldn't help but admire how muscular the people were. They were even more toned than she was, which wasn't something she was used to. Where she came from, beauty was defined by being skinny with no muscle– a standard she never quite agreed with.
Brax, on the other hand, was used to a mix of people. In the city of Wunderdum, some people were fat, others were skinny, and some were skinny in some places while fat in others. Seeing everyone with a uniform body type was strange.
They also noticed the people drinking directly from the thorn bush fruit that had gotten Brax and Xinyu monstrously sick with only a sip. Xinyu winced at just the thought as she curled her lip back in disgust.
"How can they drink that?" Xinyu asked Cygnus. "Do they not get sick?"
"They filter out the alcohol in the fruits with their magic," he replied.
"Hao! I see! What kind of magic would that be?" Xinyu asked.
"In small villages like these, they use natural magic to sustain life, though I can't say I know much about it," Cygnus said, looking around the sandy escape. "But it is truly incredible. It's unlike anything we've got in the West. It allows humans to live in a place they have no business living in."
"Cygnus!" a voice called from the distance.
The three of them looked around and saw a pale, yet red-burned Westland man in contrastingly primal chuncow clothes jogging towards them. He stopped before Cygnus and gave him a proper salute. He was a bit portly and obviously far from home.
"Ah, Samson!" Cygnus said excitedly, embracing his friend in a handshake that turned into a wet half-hug. "It's been a while, my friend."
"It has, sir," Samson said. "Come, let us reconvene with Epsilon and the elder of this village. There is someone there we'd like you to meet as well."
Cygnus's sweat-drenched colleague led them to the village elder's hut, which was essentially identical to every other hut in the village. Samson walked through the opening into the cool, shady room and plopped himself down, trying to cool down his overheating skin. The others followed suit and saw the old, bearded man with thin, leathery skin sitting at the center as if he were a bony statue. He had seen better years as he was missing an eye and some teeth, but he still greeted them with a warm, gummy grin.
"We've been expecting you, great scholar," the elder said, in a tired, yet gentle voice. "It's been years since you first arrived, hasn't it?"
"It has, friend," Cygnus said.
"Well, well, well," said a figure who was leaning against the wall on at t. "I can't believe you're back after you left us in this forsaken mud pit for so long."
"Epsilon…" Cygnus started.
The two young men walked up to each other and grabbed hands tightly as they put the tips of their foreheads together.
"My old friend," Cygnus said. "It truly is good to see you after so long."
"Likewise," Epsilon replied, breaking the embrace and swatting him roughly on the back.
"There is much to discuss," the elder said. "But first, there is someone you should meet. You may enter, great warrior."
A Southerland man, bigger and more brawny than all the rest in the village, stepped in from an entrance in the back, towering over the little people before him. Although he wasn't quite as big as an adult Northland giant, he certainly stacked up to some of their younger children and held immense strength within his glistening skin.
"He is Kofi, a man I'm assigning as your guide," the elder explained. "While he was an unremarkable face in the crowd the first time you came around, Cygnus, he has since risen to prominence as the village's, and perhaps one of the entire Southland's, strongest warriors. He has made the pilgrimage to our holy grounds faster than anyone in history and made his name known by slaying the Nandi Bear, a creature that has haunted these lands for centuries and taken countless lives. I have no doubt he will prove useful in your endeavors, especially in these dire times. When he heard you were coming, he jumped at the opportunity to aid you."
"It's good to meet you, honored warrior," Cygnus said. "These two behind me are Brax and Xinyu. They are my companions. Quite skilled themselves."
"Hello!" Xinyu said, clasping her fist and bowing. "I am Xinyu Ma of the Eastlands, fortune to have found you!"
"Ah, an Easterner! I've heard tales of your people," the elder said.
"I was going to ask about her," Samson said, sitting up from the wetspot on the ground. "Where did you find such a rarity?"
"She came to us," Cygnus said.
"I've never met one before," Samson said.
"No one has," Epsilon said, looking Xinyu up and down, head to toe. "Is it true that your people secluded themselves because of the gods' commands thousands of years prior? Or was there some other reason?"
"I do not know the path my ancestors took," Xinyu said. "All I know is the one before me."
"Do you not know your own land's history?" Epsilon asked.
"Shamefully, the history provided to us is unreliable," Xinyu said. "I never had the opportunity to learn the true story of my people. I am sorry."
"That's quite all right!" Cygnus said. "The world is full of lost histories just waiting to be discovered. Especially here in the Southlands, where countless civilizations have risen and fallen and…"
"It's a place where many cities have sunk into the sand, and civilizations appear and disappear like the wind," Epsilon interrupted. "Regardless, I believe we should get straight to the investigation."
"Oh, but surely the journey here was long and unkind," the elder said. "We should let them rest. I also wish to have a banquet to celebrate the return of Cygnus, our savior!"
"The savior?" Brax asked. "He saved you guys?"
"Yes," the elder replied. "Years ago, our village was plagued with an epidemic from which we would've been destroyed. That's when Cygnus arrived and worked tirelessly to save us all. It is a debt we could never repay."
"I was just passing through," Cygnus said. "I was just doing what was convenient for me."
"Modesty won't get you anywhere, young man of science," the elder said. "Show a little pride, why don't you?"
"It was really nothing…" Cygnus uttered under his breath.
"Regardless, there are some matters we must discuss in private, Cygnus," the elder said, fixating on Brax and Xinyu. "Feel free to find a spot in the shade and relax. The villagers are aware of your arrival and will get you anything you need, such as food or water."
"Appreciated!" Xinyu said.
Xinyu and Brax were escorted out and quickly found themselves in the center of a foreign place. They watched as women used their hands to pull water from the air and put it into clay pots while the men blew smoky fumes from their mouths into holes in the ground. When small furry creatures came running out, they shot glistening string ropes from their fingers and ensnared them to be cooked at the evening feast. Pungles, resilient purple mushrooms, grew in the shade under straw awnings, and miniature gardens of sun-resistant vegetables were scattered throughout the village. Some of these vegetables were slowly roasted in underground fire pits throughout the day, while others were dried, pounded to powder, and bottled as spices.
"Shall we find out where they have a market?" Xinyu asked. "I have not had a chance to trade or barter in a long time!"
Brax nodded, though he was quite sure a town as small as the one they were in wouldn't have a market. They walked up to a young woman who was chopping wood for the nightly bonfire. She looked up at them and smiled. Her skin was faultless, even more so than Xinyu, and beamed a radiant glow.
"Welcome to our village, denizens of the faraway lands," she said in a surprisingly deep, but calming, voice. "I am Ada. Is there anything we can get you, friends of Cygnus?"
"Yes! Can you tell us where your shop is?" Xinyu asked.
"Shop? What is a shop?" Ada asked curiously.
"A place where you can buy things with money and goods," Brax explained.
"Ah. A market. We do not have such a place here. Everything is shared. Feel free to take what you want. It is our pleasure, visitors."
"I would feel bad just taking your stuff," Xinyu said.
"Do not," Ada said, chuckling. "We do not get visitors here often and would love to share our love with the world, even if only a little bit."
"Oh, I get it!" Xinyu said. "Hao! I like this. Then let me share my love with you as well."
Brax and Xinyu wandered the town for a bit, but then decided to lie beneath a fickle tree's shade. After a nap that lasted a few hours, the sun began to fall, and the stars started to emerge. Xinyu, who had slept the whole time, sleepily stretched and scratched her hair, which stuck up from the hot climate. Brax couldn't sleep, so he had begun to read a notebook he had found near Cygnus's stuff. Cygnus said he didn't mind them borrowing any books he had, so Brax helped himself. It was a strange tale about a boy on a quest to defeat an evil king. He didn't make it very far into the book before the sun dimmed, but he wondered why the scholar had brought such a fantastical novel along with him. He also noticed it was handwritten. He wondered if Cygnus had written it himself, though he didn't seem like the type to write silly stories like that. Perhaps it was his father's notebook he had mentioned before.
By night, a giant bonfire in the center of the town, which had not been there before, emerged. Around it were rough mats for sitting, and long, deadwood tables upon which food was constantly being placed. The day's rodents were charred directly over open flames while the vegetables were grilled over grates and taken from underground ovens. Breads made from an indigo grain also emerged from these ovens, and hard cheeses from the chungcow's milk accompanied them. Of course, the most eye-catching part of the feast was the dackyl, which was spit-roasted directly over the bonfire. Though Xinyu had wished she had seen one alive first, it impressed her nonetheless. Its enormous size was larger than three people with an even bigger wingspan, and its grayish scales looked like noble armor. The orange beak had black blotches from the fire, yet one could tell at a glance that it had once crushed bones with its incredible prowess.
When the flying lizard was finished cooking, it was taken down and thrown into the center of a table. This was the villagers' queue to start eating. There were no utensils, as everything was grabbed by hand and shared. There was enough food to feed everyone well, so no one worried about not getting a portion. Some went immediately to get their fill, while others relaxed by the fire and smoked wood pipes to soothe their aching muscles from the day's work. Ada noticed Brax and Xinyu staring and waved them over. As they approached, they could hear the villagers chatting, laughing, and singing. A warming moment of unity in the small village, one which the rest of the world had always lacked.
"Help yourselves to our feast," Ada said. "Kofi killed this dacktle today. Its meat is delicious, try some!"
Brax looked at Xinyu reluctantly, but she had already torn a piece from the wing. She happily bit into it without a second thought, and her face lit up.
"Haochi! This is delicious!" Xinyu said enthusiastically, scarfing down more of the meat. "It is lean and without fat, but has a very meaty flavor that makes you feel satisfied with each bite. It is like the best part of the cow, and it does not make me feel fat!"
Brax stared at the greyish charred meat. He was hesitant, but he figured he ought to try new things. It was an adventure after all. He grabbed a small morsel from the place Xinyu had grabbed hers, and closed his eyes as he stuck it into his mouth. To his surprise, it did not taste as pungent or gamy as he had expected. The salted meat was savory and hearty and without fat, just like Xinyu had said. It was unlike any meat he had ever tried before, and he quite liked it. He looked again at Xinyu, who had already moved on and was stuffing her face with a small, skewered rat which had been skinned and charred. He curled his nose back as there were some things he would not try.
"Here, drink," a large, gruff man said as he handed Brax a wooden mug. "It is our village's special spirit."
Brax drank it. It was a sweet alcohol that he couldn't pinpoint the flavor of. While it went down easily, he could taste its heavy alcohol content, though.
"What is this?" Brax asked. "It's delicious."
"It is a spirit made from the thornfruit. The flesh is really sweet once you remove the alcohol, though, we like to leave a little bit during the night," the man said, grinning.
"Maybe I should take some back to Walter," Brax said. "He'd love this."
"We can have some bottled up for you," he said. "But you should also take its story back with you. Drinking without knowing is disrespectful to the fruit."
"A story?" Brax asked.
"Yes," the man said. "They say that there was once a horrible black creature called Popobawa that plagued the land. It destroyed villages and killed everyone who saw it, and there was no warrior who could stop it. Desperate, the people of the land prayed to the deities. Oko, one of our gods, heard their pleas and bestowed the gift of the thornfruit. He told them that upon drinking the fruit in its entirety, they would attain immense power, but lose their senses in the process. By the end of the night, they would be dead. That is when twelve brave men and women rose to the occasion and drank from the fruit. Those heroes vanquished the monster, but all died in the process. To celebrate them, we drink small doses of the thornfruit each night and gain a fraction of their power and bravery. There are also statues of them in the main cities, if you are interested."
Brax peered down at the bottle of liquor he had been given. He was amazed that even the simplest of things, like booze, could have such a rich and complex history. Whether it was true or not was besides the point. Colors, booze, heroes; it was all so interesting to him.
Xinyu was packing her bag with spices and handcrafted trinkets from the village. In exchange, she gave the villagers some of her own treasures: healing potions, shiny medallions for the children, gem jewelry, and cloth rags. Brax knew he should've been bartering as well, for he was technically a merchant, but he really wasn't interested. He only ever did it for the money, and he wasn't even good at it. Now, when gold didn't matter as much, he had finally realized he was only a merchant by necessity, while Xinyu was one by heart.
By the end of the night, the Eastland girl found herself staring at the merry people dancing and eating around the bonfire. They were happy as they drank and sang, with true smiles that showed the whites of their teeth. She liked it. It was what she was fighting for.
"A lovely sight, isn't it?" Ada asked, walking up beside Xinyu.
"I have heard that Cygnus saved this village once," Xinyu said. "Can you tell me more about that?"
"I would like to know about that too," Brax said, stumbling over to join them, but struggling to stay upright because he had drunk a bit too much.
"Of course!" Ada said. "Allow me to relay how Cygnus Rift came upon this village!"