home

search

33 – Nashramae (3)

  lirvothethird

  The sounds of activity rustling around us was too loud to ignore. Rising from under the sand, I blearily wiped the crust off of my eyes. We pyed until te in the night. Shockingly, Ezreal had somehow woken up earlier and was chewing on jerky.

  We sat silently chewing jerky for a bit before I spoke of today's pns.

  "Festival, negotiate, travel. Any caravan you have your eye on?"

  "Wasn't that why we pyed yesterday? We even showed how capable we are."

  I tilted my head quizzically. Wasn't it just because? Was there something else?

  "Natives? Going on a pilgrimage through the desert?"

  "Ohhhh. Ok."

  I nodded. I knew nothing.

  Packing up the tent, an almost empty field greeted us as the forest of tents was disappearing right before our eyes. We followed the flow as some people were rolling and somersaulting forwards. They smoothly leapt forwards, rolled and repeated. Others used their hands, while a muscur guy simply flipped forwards in the air and nded into a walk.

  A flurry of gold and yellow capes fluttered around as some children were lifted and spun by their parents. Cliques of teens raced each other as they rolled. Hapless travellers cpped as they enjoyed the festivities, with some learning from the natives. A sweet smell wafted over the air.

  We met up with the twins at their caravan made of a pair of camels and a Skalshi. The Skalshi was almost as tall as a building, towering over us as the majestic herbivore stood there with its hunched back. I craned my head upwards as I observed it. Long legs, horns and fluttery eyeshes?

  I can win if we fight. Definitely, for sure. Right?

  "Good mornin' beautiful dies.""Morning."

  ""Good morning.""

  With that, we headed off to the festivities as their mother spoke something among the lines of "Kids these days speaking like Pilties.". Of course the only word I recognized was "Piltovan". Can I really be considered one?

  My thoughts were interrupted by the younger twin, Minnh.

  "Ahem. First, let's buy some offerings."

  I asked a question that has been on my mind for some time.

  "I keep hearing about the Armordillo. Like Armordillo festival, Armordillo offerings, Armordillo pilgrimage. What really is the Armordillo?"

  She sneakily hooked my arm as she waved away her twin sister and Ezreal. She then proceeded to pull me towards the origin of the sweet scents. Humming slightly, she started expining.

  "We call it the Armordillo because of it rolls around with armor. It's also known by a more casual name: Rammus."

  "Armor and rolling? So that's why everyone is rolling around huh."

  Minnh had long rested her head on my shoulder as we walked. It felt like she was getting too close for a second meeting. Is this what Shurima is like?

  "If you wanna, we can roll around together."

  I shook my head.

  "I feel that just learning for today won't make me good."

  A hint of a quiver came out of her voice.

  "I can teach you. And we can practice together."

  "Mmhm."

  We arrived at the first stall. She lifted her head up. Another cloaked person was haggling. The merchant

  "TWO -"

  I barely understood it with my spshod Shuriman. I quietly whispered to her.

  "Hey, you know what they're talking about?"

  She leaned in, breath smelling like fruit.

  "Two mwatis1Mwatis are goatlike creatures with rge pted casques on their heads. Mwati wool and pte are prized for felting and insution. Taken straight from the wiki. pelts for a jar of honey. The buyer is saying that it's a scam, his pelts are high quality, it's thicker than others -"

  At this point her voice was zoned out as she fit my arm between her petite chest, breathing in my face as she whispered. I gave a few noncommittal grunts and confirmations as blood flowed to my head. I snapped out of it as the haggler left with a jar of honey and we stepped up.

  She started talking in Shuriman as I just stood there. It ended in a mere three exchanges. She handed over three Securi after peering inside a box.

  "Can you hold it?"

  I held it in front of me as she led me back towards the caravan. I peered inside it as we walked. It was separated into two parts. One side was filled with some bottles containing an amber viscous sweet liquid, while the other had small golden insects. The backside of some of the bugs were bloated into a ball, filled with what I presume to be nectar.

  "The this thing is Honey. Say it with me. H-O-N-E-Y."

  "Hunny."

  "These are jewel ants2Made up on the fact that ants are offerings to Rammus. Based on Honeypot ants irl.. See? hehehe."

  She picked one up carefully, holding it up to the light. The bulb on its back glimmered as the sun shone through it.

  "If you feed red juice, they turn red. Oops."

  The sound of something popping didn't happen. Gingerly opening my eyes, a small thing pressed against my cheek as she put down the ant. The ant was resigned to its fate as it just climbed to attach itself to a wall.

  Handing over the box to her parents, we headed back towards the festival. Walking through the lively marketpce, the clear paths were in stark contrast with the night. A shout cut through the noise as people looked that direction.

  "Hey slowpoke!!"

  Ezreal was unfazed by the attention he got as he waved towards us. Standing on the building, he jumped down and nded in a perfect roll to the appuse of the crowd.

  "Heh. Can't believe you'd ditch your friend for a girl. Tch. Race to the sun disc. Loser gets a lower share."

  He immediately started rolling in an extremely fast pace as I was still processing things. Pulling my arm out of Minnh's grasp. I hurriedly get into an awkward starting position.

  That brat... he trained for this! It would fine if the ground sinks a little right? It's sand anyways.

  I leaped forwards, making sure to nd properly and roll. The ground is as soft as mud to me, as the sky flipped over and over again as I jumped forwards.

  A path was cleared out as it was clear I was a try hard.

  In the small amount of time I could see in front of me, I spotted Ezreal rolling like a ball, extending his legs to give himself speed. Sand flew in a cloud as we raced. Slowly but surely, I had overtaken him.

  Huff Huff Huff*

  My back touched the wall as I slid down. Ezreal y in the sand in the shade.

  "Aw man."

  I caught my breath before speaking.

  "No need to. Hooo. Reduce your share. Just. Just. You only go in. Haaah. With your personality, your gonna be unable, to finda team. So you better get used to exploring ruins by yourself. Me? I'm not going to follow you around for life. I have my own stuff to do. My own dreams."

Recommended Popular Novels