Freedom Jumper-Chapter 135: Unable to Come to The Terms

-{Coriad, House of Peace}-

Upon arriving at hopefully their safe haven, Novius and his group were asked questions until their will to speak another word disappeared.

Their journey from the cave exit to the gates of Coriad was long, perilous, and filled with a never ending chase up until the last few minutes. Dozens of guards that used magical equipment immediately began to yell at the group of five who were dirtied and beaten more than any human they had ever seen.

Novius, slumped to the dry grass – staring into the starry night sky with a smile of appreciation. Thaylen had been brute forcing his way to safety in the shared body of Theon and Raylen. Emery stared at the guards with a blank expression in between his yells for the incoming danger. Alexia was being carried over Landon's shoulder even with only a single arm.

Finally, Don was limping with every step as he had forced his mind to adapt amidst the chaos. If he did not, only death would await him as even his comrades would throw him away as food for the abominations.

Thankfully, it never came to that as Novius would not be able to live with the fact that he had killed his best friend's father.

Leah and Mikhail were both gone – sacrificing themselves for the greater good or simply not wanting to be in the hell of this world anymore.

During their questioning within the House of Peace, Jarth Echo, a Peacekeeper Commander, received the story of their journey from their kingdom. The entire truth was spit from their mouths without a single thought of the consequences.

Escaping from a kingdom that controlled their lives, but also the crude power the King held in his bare hands. Luckily, Jarth knew of the conspiracy around a hidden kingdom in the west, one guarded by an immense amount of powerful beasts that makes it near impossible to enter. This somehow excited him even with six badly beaten individuals holed up in a windowless room.

Jarth was a man of compromise, so in exchange for all the information they know, and Landon, the group of five were secretly made citizens of the Kingdom of Gion, and given a not too shabby home to live in until the end of the first quarter.

Everything was paid for, as well as a large sum of Genny that they had found lying on the first floor of their three bedroom house.

Thankfully, before the group of five had left in a pre-arranged carriage, they said their goodbyes as Jarth had said Landon would be put to work.

The work however, was not something they were aware of. Not a single word about the details was expressed.

Novius knew damn well Landon would be put onto whatever battlefield exists.

After all, what is the need for a "Peacekeeper Commander" if there are not more kingdoms at play.

Novius, who was the most aware of the situation and the reasons for everything, didn't even bother asking as he joined his friends and the father of his best friend in the horrendous feeling of shock.

It was as if Novius did not exist – that he had already died and was living through what could've been...

...

"So Novius, what should we do now?" On top of a flat rooftop was the group of four children, staring into the stars.

"Emery, why aren't you asking Don?" Novius replied.

"Because... Out of any of us four, you seem to be the one taking this transition the best."

Novius felt disheveled. Nonetheless, Don had explained how they need to create a life for themselves here, no matter how difficult it may be. "Like Don said yesterday, we need to learn the ways of this Kingdom. Food, shelter, and clothing should be our priority. But... All of that revolves around Genny. In sixty five days we will be on our own. Let's get used to this new life, and focus on making as much Genny as possible."

Thaylen and Alexia were talking on the other side of the rooftop. Ever since they had reached safety, Alexia had been avoiding Novius for a very specific reason. Being Alexia, she was having trouble accepting the hard truth everyone tried their best to agree with. However, Novius was the one who had created this idea.

Elijah was dead, and there was no coming back to save him even if he was still alive.

In the morning, a hard meeting took place full of friction. The truth was that no one wanted to step foot outside this building they had come to know. Its tan walls, wood floors, and runic orange lights that created a comfortable atmosphere allowed them to temporarily deny their past.

But...

The last conversation Don had with his son changed him into a completely different person. Besides Novius, Don was taking the whole situation the better than the others, and felt as if the only path forward was to acclimate themselves into society.

Who knows when they were going to see Landon again, and who knows how long they would last until they all silently went with the wind from starvation.

In the end, the simple clothes of the group of five were slipped on – covering their dirty bodies, and slowly made their way out of the house that was slowly going to become a place of deep thought – ingrained into their memory forever as the haven that allowed them to live.

Immediately upon walking out, the light reddish-brown bricks that plastered the floor created new flavors of architecture that flooded into their mind. When combined with the usage of a light gray stone, wood, and white and blue accents, it created a question as to how long this Kingdom had been here.

Compared to Astraea, the buildings within Coriad were filled with life and emotion. Anything built by sweat would give it that feel compared to the now stale style of architecture sweetened by the same sugar repeatedly.

The surreal visual sensations were amplified by the unfamiliar sounds of crickets and birds calling for their mates.

Finally, before Don had begun to break into tears, a random passerby asked if he needed directions to a doctor.

Everyone was speechless while staring at the lady carrying a cloth bag full of colorful fruit around her shoulders.

"Y-yes! That would be great!" Don finally was able to let the words out of his mouth, but unfortunately received a business card that had a few words no one could understand. Likely words never expressed within Astraea.

'Twas the fate of a utopia.

This content is taken from freeweɓnovel.cѳm.

Between Learning where the food shops and stands were located in the Southern Coriad Market District, and the Adventure Guild located not too far from them, they had a rough idea of how they were going to live their life.

Jarth had suggested using their power for good by hunting beasts in the wildlands below Coriad, but also to think about joining an academy – which he thought would mainly help the children ingrain themselves into society. While Jarth most definitely had a dark side to his character, he showed he did care for them by pointing them in the right directions.

A full fortnight had passed which allowed Novius, Emery, and Thaylen to become full-fledged adventurers. Alexia, however, felt polarized by engaging in the act of killing beasts, and decided to instead help Don with potion making. This way, while the three boys were hunting for beast cores, Don would be making money selling potions to the public.