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Jet sighed. He did not have it in him to argue. And truth be told, he kind of agreed with what Markolab said. Hiding his injuries would be a hassle and a difficult facade to maintain.
"Fine. Fine. I might wish I could vent my torment on you most of the time, but when you're right you're right."
"Excellent! Now the closest entry point to Hell should be-"
"Hold it. I'm not going to go without at least telling the others why I have to disappear for a while."
"Tch. Fine. Have it your way. Just make sure you're careful. And keep that arm covered for Yozi's sake!"
In lieu of anything more suitable Jet gathered up some plant fibers and created makeshift bandages out of them. They soaked with his blood rather quick, but at least they helped conceal the true extent of the damage and helped to sell his story. He then stumbled back home and found Eruka, the blacksmith's daughter, to tell her about how a tiger injured him and he must seek immediate medical attention. He also begged her to inform his family about what happened to him. That should provide a good enough alibi.
Jet then left the village following Markolab's guidance until he reached what once must've been a swamp but has dried out a long time ago. The ground was now cracked, with a fine layer of salt that settled at its top when the waters evaporated. What once must've been a marshland teeming with life is now nothing more than a salt-flat that can't even support a few patches of dried out grass. While it was definitely a bit of a sad sight Jet wasn't sure if there really was an entrance to Hell here.
"Make no mistake, Jet. This is the real deal. So be careful. Cecelyne, The Endless Desert, is the border between Creation and Malfeas and desolation is one of her domains. All places physical and spiritual ruin are potential gateways to her."
"Come now. You expect me to believe every slum in Creation is a portal to Hell?"
"No. Only potentially. All have a chance of connecting to Cecelyne, even if only briefly. But that chance is admittedly small. Why do you think it's so common that vagrants on the streets have such a bad tendency of disappearing without a trace? You think they all just move or that there are so many serial killers out there? No my friend. A good few of them simply go down the wrong alley at the wrong moment and they end up in the Endless Desert before they even realize they left Creation. Where they end up dying or they make their way to Malfeas where they'll wish that they perished."
"So what do I do? Just wander around aimlessly until I randomly get to Hell?"
"No. Just follow your heart. It knows where its home is."
