slice of wagon

Traveling, oh, how I missed it. I find that I receive great joy in being under the open sky. Sure, a wagon in the desert isn't the most comfortable of vehicles, but what can I say? I'm a sucker for freedom. I've been checking myself every few hours and am still producing new strands of qi autonomously. Though it is much slower than if I focus on it manually. I also noticed that the strands I make automatically are not quite as robust as the manual ones. It seems that meditating and circulating the technique once a day should strengthen and stabilize all the gi in my body. I should be able to break through again by the end of the next day.

"We are getting close to Lioad, and we should be there in an hour," Celene says as she rides down the caravan line giving everyone an update.

"Thanks, Celene. Catch." I say while tossing one of my prized apples. Its shiny red skin glints in the sun.

Dear Sweet ME! I have a problem. This has to be a divinity issue. I refuse to be obsessed with fruit. Ok, I guess it could be worse, but still.

"Thank you, Goddess," Celene says, a hint of veneration in her eyes.

This girl is just the cutest little thing. She looks to be 16, but I can instinctively tell she is closer to 20, but I can tell her personality is like a 13-year-old. She still has that innocence we all tend to lose when we realize that the magic we believed in for so long was just fantasy. I guess having walking gods and goddesses keeps that going for a while.

No, I don't have a thing for the girl, but she is angelic. I mean that in the glowing blue eyes and the blonde hair, not the wings and halo way. She wears light armor with pauldrons and a chest plate with accompanying gauntlets wielding a standard knight's sword. For a fantasy world, it's the traditional fantasy attire.

"George, go ahead to the town and book our rooms. I want a good bath, or no one gets paid till breakfast." Altina tells one of the other rank 2 adventurers, a big guy with a hammer on his back dressed like a barbarian bull.

"That's not right, Tina. How am I going to drink tonight if you hold my coin."

"that's the point. Get me my bath, or you don't get to drink. I don't mind making you suffer with me, George."

"Fine, but someone else has to stay with the cart till it's stored. I'm not babysitting again." He says with a huff before having the camel pick up the pace.

I'm lounging in my cart, well, not mine, but I need to call it that. I can't help but dream of a nice steamy bath. Now that someone mentioned it, why does sand get everywhere? I mean, I am obviously wearing pants and not moving around in the sand, but I still feel it reaching every nook and cranny. Yes, a bath Is needed.

"What are the baths like here? Are we talking about a barrel of water or big open-air baths? Maybe something in between? I think I would kill for a hot spring always wanted to try one." I ask Aziz while daydreaming about modern hot tubs and Jacuzzi overflow tubs. Ahh, luxury.

"While water is precious in the desert, Lioad is at an oasis. That alone makes water abundant. Coupled with all the mages, it's like a paradise. So open-air baths are everywhere. I am sure if you ask nicely, Altina and Celene would be happy to take you with them." Aziz says with a smirk on his face.

"ohhh, that would be nice. HEY ALTINA, TAKE ME WITH YOU." I shout after standing up in the wagon.

"Fine, but you have to wait and not cause trouble till we settle the carts."

"Don't worry, trouble is my middle name," I reply back before settling in again.

Her unamused look does not escape my sight. Why are all these women so cute. Aziz has a grin on his face, seemingly amused by my antics. I have been teasing everyone a bit throughout our trip. How can I not when they all make such interesting expressions. I am starting to think that my personality is altered or that my actions are being influenced by an outside force.

"Aziz, I am going to meditate a bit before we get there. Just tap me when we get close to the gate."I tell him, and he nods to let me know he got it.

The man is mostly the silent type and seems to hold his words with more weight than most. He is an interesting child. There it is again. I would never have referred to him as a child before now, which is bothering me.

I sit down cross legged and start circulating my technique. Just consolidating my gains for the day now, sitting at a solid 85 strands of qi. I need to learn more about this falna for the adventurer levels. Still, from the info in my head and the level of these guys, I'd say breaking through again would put me near a peak rank one adventurer. I'm still incredibly weak, and so are they. I can't wait to break through and start working on ki again.

I've finished strengthening the qi to a stable level and added a few more strands when I feel the wagon stop. I finish my current circulation before opening my eyes to check everything. I can see a line from the 20-foot-high walls. I now see why she had the guy go ahead of us. No way we make it through the city walls before dark. Man, I really want to take a bath.

"Is there a way I can get us in quicker? Like, do gods get special privileges or something."

"Not really. Gods came here to experience living like mortals, including all the inconveniences it comes with." I frown at his response. What is the point of being a god if you can't flex when you want to?

"Well, that sucks." Aziz makes an amused smile at this.

"What happened to it is all about the journey and not the destination." He laughs after saying that.

"Well, the bath isn't my destination, merely an extremely important part of the journey to the North," I reply, looking smug as I refuse to be contradicted.

Me and Aziz pass the next three hours in line chatting. I occasionally tease Celene, Starla, and Jeff. Jeff is so infatuated with Starla that you can't hide it. I wonder what a bath with a couple apples would be like, ahh, heaven.