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"Agreed. Let's head to the town and see what we can find out and go from there."

Daishi quickened his pace a bit, hoping to reach the town soon.

They exited the forest a half-hour later, coming to the scene of what was no longer a town, but some sort of fort constructed by the Haut, no doubt to keep an eye on the area and also train their recruits.

"The gates are open, meaning they don't expect an attack, and they're also probably taking in any supplies they can. It shouldn't be hard to enter, we could say we're travellers or something if asked..."

"Yes, the part of rather curious travellers will do...Well then, shall we?...And don't worry about how we look, I'll place an illusion that will clothe us in what would be normal attire to them..."

Daishi concentrated his energy, cloaking himself and Taki in a cloak, tunic and breeches for himself and a skirt, long-sleeved shirt and cloak for Taki.

"Don't worry, just try not to stand out and stay calm. You can think of it as a game of pretend if you like, imagine you're roleplaying a character of some sort..."

Daishi walked alongside her, his movements appearing to be confident, as though he had every right to be there. They were stopped at the gate by a few gruff-looking guards who stood on either side, checking all those who entered.

"Halt! State your name an' business."

"I am Traveller Shindok and this is my companion, Tami. We're just passing through the area and hoped for a place to rest for a bit before moving on. If something going on here?..."

"Where've ye been, man? These last couple o' weeks, this place has been a war zone. Don't ye know us Haut have taken ovr' Auro?"

"I've heard of that yes, but does it bother me? No. Why should outcasts such as ourselves care if the society were destroyed? We're just simple wanderers, making a living wherever we can."

"All right then, go in. There's an inn ye can stay an get a nice meal at near the town square. We're still settin' up buildings so this can turn this fort into a town, so don't expect much ta see."

"Thank you kindly, sir."

With that, he strode through the gate, making sure Taki was still with him as he took in the view of the half-finished town and the few families that had moved in to help the soldiers. As they walked, he spoke, his voice a mere whisper so only she could hear.

"The Haut, they're settling down. They don't expect to leave anytime soon. This is quite a situation...They don't seem to be very bad people..."

"Yes, let's go."

With that, they entered the inn, the innkeeper leading them to a table where Daishi sat down. He ordered some tea and fare and turned to look at Taki as the innkeeper bustled away.

"What you say is true, for now all we can do is gather more information to give us a better understanding of what's exactly going on and report to the others..."

Daishi gave a reassuring smile before tearing off a piece of bread and slowly eating it, thinking.

"We couldn't have known, besides they had attacked us first. Don't worry about it, what's done is done. Once we're done eating, let's take a walk outside. We might be able to find out a few things from just listening to the talk."

"Let's go then."

Daishi stood, leaving a few copper pieces on the table to pay for the meal.