Fertile Land
1033 Words
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Sayuri walks ahead, leaving the three of them behind. There are trees not more than a kilometer away. That's where she's going and they follow her.
She's wearing a dress like the women in the desert do. It's a good dress to hide her sword. Also, her whole head and face are covered by a head covering. The three of them wear what the men wear. They even have fabrics on their heads. Hyun changed the color of his eyes from red to black. Jack wears boots and gloves to hide his metal limbs. The sleeves of their tunics are long so he doesn't have to worry to find more coverings. Jack and Hyun are carrying large bags full of supplies on their backs.
“There are people on the plains,” says Hyun.
“I can see that,” Jasper agrees. “The tilled landscape said it all before we even landed.”
Little by little, the grasses on the ground become more frequent. No more dunes but green hills. Flowers and insects are thriving. Barns and houses are visible from the distance. The breeze is not dry and warm but fresh. The scent of wood, moist ground, and flowers come along with it. Then there's a dirt road that goes inside the small forest. It is noticeable that they have been planted years ago. They are planted in equal spaces, they're the same species, and their heights are almost the same.
As they walk on that road and now inside the forest, Jasper sighs in relief. “D*mn... the air is so good here! Why didn't we land our ship on this place?”
Then Jack answers, “Because you said that everyone on Mars is gonna be on to us if they discover a ship as tall as a building.”
“Oh... that's right. I forgot.” He wrinkles his nose in disappointment.
There's a Martian woman on the road far from them, wearing headcovers and dressing like the women in the desert. She's walking towards them. She has a basket with her, full of fruits.
“Madam,” Jasper nods as they pass by. The woman nods back with a smile.
Further, they walk on the road to look around. People work on the field without paying attention to them as they pass by. They come across a mansion. It's colored in white and looks like it's newly built. Its gate is beside the road. Two guards who seem to be demigods are clad in advanced armor, standing at either side of it.
When they finally pass by the gate, Jack says, “It's more developed here than I expected. It's like the 18th century on Earth.”
“Except those guards,” says Hyun. “They have advanced armor.”
“They must be under the command of a ‘noble’.”
“It looks like it.”
Jasper looks at the sky. The sun is high up. “Let's have lunch,” he says.
Sayuri agrees without even answering as she just sits on the wooden fence on the right side of the road under the shade of a tree, waiting for her food. She doesn't have to say she's hungry because they know how she loves food. Hyun puts his bag on the grass and grabs a wooden box. He opens it and there's a large plain bread inside. She grabs it right away, pulls down just the covering on her face, and starts to eat, facing down. Just there beside her, Hyun is holding the bottle of water for her in case she needs it. Jack and Jasper share the bread they have while talking beside the road.
Not a moment later, a group of people from their right are walking down the road towards them. Four demigod guards are escorting a middle-aged demigod in a tunic and headscarf. The man looks proud of himself. His hands are behind his back and he lets his bloated stomach protrude forward while walking steadily at his pace. Then he gets curious about the four people beside the road with the same height as them.
Busy eating, Sayuri doesn't care to cover her face. The man sees her elegant face and decides to stop and approach them. The four just look at the man—smiling proudly with his chin up high.
“Say your greetings!” one of the guards imposes.
Sayuri swallows, drinks water, and wipes her mouth before covering her face. Jasper steps in and smiles, bowing a lot of times in their custom.
“My lord!” he greets. “Hey! How you doin'! Uh... good weather today, isn't it?”
“You people are not from around here, are you?” asks the man. His eyes narrow in suspicion.
“Of course, we're from around here! We always see his greatness passing by on the road every day while we till the lands.”
“This is the only time I've walked this month.”
“Every month, I mean,” he laughs nervously.
“And like, once a year...”
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“Uh...,” Jasper looks at Jack to back him up but he has no idea. “Yes, we're not from around here,” he confesses. “We aren't here to cause you any trouble. We're just passing by.”
“Is that so? Then you must pay the toll.”
“Toll?”
“You heard me right.”
“And would this suffice?” asks Jasper, pulling out a gold bar from Jack's bag.
The man scoffs, undermining the value of the gold, and turns to look at Sayuri. “I have tons of that junk. The price you'll pay is that woman,” he nods at her. “I shall make her one of my wives. I assume that she's a demigoddess based on her height and aura. Also, she's still young and capable of bearing me a healthy child.”
Jasper rubs his nose, knowing that this won't end well with the man. “I'm sorry, my lord,” he says. “but-”
“She's my wife,” says Hyun.
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- Writer
