Noru rolled his eyes. "It's a trading route, and I'm not a [i]prophet.[/i] The wilds aren't exactly a math problem. There's no telling what we'll see." He peered out at Marilyn after the cart shook and slowly made his way past Flin, trying his best to rid himself of the boy's questions. For such a experienced knight, Noru was awfully impatient with people Like Flin. [i]One question after another accompanied by an unearned smugness...[/i] He wasn't there to babysit! "Excuse me."

	Zay was perched over the railings that lined Centaurus' top floor, peering off into the plains as Lyullia called to him. He nodded quietly as she went ahead with her book anyways. It was probably about time to assign some shifts. People had to sleep after all. It would be the end if they were caught unawares by [i]anything[/i] while exhausted. Maybe it could wait a few more minutes, though. "I'd look for a place to stop soon, Lia," Zay yawned, "We'll be outside of the city's scouting range soon." 

	With their initial path already behind them, Caravan Centaurus was already off course. There was really no telling whether Daelin's intuition was right or not. but it didn't matter. Centaurus wouldn't know what they were in for until they came face to face with it.


[center][h1][color=ed1c24]* * *[/color][/h1]
[i]2 hours later, 1:23 PM[/i]
Eastern Trading Route - Slightly ahead of Centaurus[/center]

	The hills south of Centaurus' new route could not be traversed by Caravan. Uneven paths, sudden stop-gaps, and random climbs that varied from shallow angles to sheer cliffs made it extremely dangerous. After several tipped carts, lost Venbu, and unfortunate encounters with the local beasts, Arcadia and the surrounding Nations had given up on taming its expanses. Most simply avoided them, but when there's nowhere else to run, the hills served as very efficient cover for unfortunate stragglers and lost travelers, assuming they didn't fall prey to the creatures dwelling within.

	One such traveler found themselves near the edge of the hilly terrain. A lone Captain of the Arcadian royal forces, and previous head of Caravan [b]Cancer[/b]. But his team did not accompany him, and his Caravan was lost long before he'd made the decision to retreat to the hills for cover. Thankfully, after nearly a day of wretched travel, [b]Captain Neale Geroldus[/b] found himself within reach of the Northern Trading route. The very same Route that Caravan Centaurus had chosen to take only a couple of hours earlier. But if he didn't hurry now, the Venbu keeping them on schedule would dart right past him and continue towards Marrenfall.