CHAPTER 24 - Alliances and Paths

*****

As Arteria Blaze packed up her stuff and prepared herself to leave the campsite to go wherever an unknown place where they might be meeting the true leader of the freedom fighters, Arty was feeling a bit anxious and nervous about it all.

On the outside, she looked calm and composed but on the inside, she's feeling a bit jittery about the whole thing. She knows she's been feeling this way because she's going to venture into the unknown and whatever it is she might not be prepared to face it.

And this is entirely different from what she's gone through when she prepared herself for the trials before and then successfully passed them all.

Still, she will try her best to make the most of it, be prepared over whatever it is that will come at her and then be strong enough to face against it and fight if needed.

So she rode with the leader and the freedom fighters on a horse-pulling cart as it went off to a path that is secluded in the forest, going on the direction wherever the place they are going to.

While riding on it and waiting patiently as the cart moves a bit bumpy during the trip, Arty started to make some small talk to the others or was thinking deeply to herself at what kind of ideas she's having in her head or making it up while sitting down during a bumpy ride.

It only took about a few hours for them to reach somewhere, and Arty realized that this is some sort of rest stop since it will be dangerous to travel on during the night time. So they all got off the cart, made up a temporary campsite and then took their dinner meals and went to sleep with one of the freedom fighters on guard watch.

As Arty lies down, she felt like staying awake for a moment while mentally thinking more of her ideas and other plans she needs to make up in the future so that she will be prepared for it.

By the time the next morning arrived, Arty was fully rested even though she had been awake the last night for about a few hours, and then they packed up her stuff and went off continuing their journey on their trip to get to the destination place they're going to.

Arty wondered what kind of place they're going to but she didn't realize that more time had passed by and she somehow had fallen asleep on the moving cart despite being a bumpy ride until one of the freedom fighters woke her up and told her that they've arrived.

Arty blushed a bit in embarrassment upon realizing that she was asleep during the trip and thought that maybe she didn't get more rest than she thought she had before back from the rest stop. However, she put it off and smiled at the freedom fighters when they chuckle with amusement on seeing her blush before they got off the cart and were about to enter through the gates of what appeared to be some sort of small-town somewhere.

She cursed to herself on falling asleep so that she wouldn't be able to familiarize herself with where she is exactly and the kind of surroundings of the place she's now in. But at least there is still time to figure out and discover what this place is because the leader told her that the meeting won't come so soon for the true leader of the freedom fighters is running a bit late and behind to come and see them.

She was relieved and felt herself relax on hearing that so that she'll be able to be prepared on herself meeting or facing whoever it is she'll be seeing soon. It was also good that she still got time to look around and had already made up and prepared her mental thoughts and ideas over what she's going to be doing or something else.

Thankfully, with the alliances and paths that were planned and made in her mind, Arty thought deeply over it so that she will be wholly prepared for what's to come.

Once she managed to successfully ally with the true leader and its group of the freedom fighters, they might be able to help her with her goals in the future after she obtains the mystical and magical weapon, which is the Fiery Blade first when the time comes.

Now it's just a matter of time of being patient and waiting for the right moment for Arty to know when the time comes for her to go down the path on passing the trials of the Trinity Goddess and then becoming the chosen wielder of the Fiery Blade. Hopefully, she would be able to succeed this with all her determination into it.

*****

*****