Tsaimath
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Chapter 434
🕑 Added 2021-06-02 16:00:07 +0000 UTCThe next three days were spent in an attempt to level my long-neglected Athletics-skill. Well, not really, but it might have been the idea behind our hurried flight, given that there was nothing we were actually fleeing from. But to keep the deception alive, Adra set a pace that pushed me beyond my limit, to the point that I would have to either cheat using Blood Magic or cheat by hiding within my Hallow, sharing the burden with Lenore.
Given that both solutions had their own merits, one was training my Blood Magic, the other allowed me to think in peace, I used them both. With the knowledge that we weren’t actually hunted, I dared to push my magic a little further than I would, if there was an actual, known threat instead of the usual vague caution against bandits and wildlife.
Pushing things, I was able to comfortably keep up with the others, making Olivia our weakest link, even after she used her divine magic to improve her own capacities. On the flip-side, I wasn’t able to keep that level of physical reinforcement up, not in the long-run, my Avatar slowly taking damage from the stress. That damage, in turn, could be healed with blood magic, delaying the problem but it turned into a vicious cycle, with me needing to use more and more magic to keep going, which, finally, forced me into my Hallow, with Lenore either flying above or hitching a ride on Sigmir’s shoulder.
When in my Hallow, I wasn’t able to actively use magic on the outside, though I was able to carefully experiment within the boundary of my Hallow. That required a great deal of caution, even a small mistake led to discomfort for Lenore, something I wanted to avoid. Mostly, I created tiny runic formations, never actually providing them with Astral Power, merely trying to get a feel for the smoothness of the power flowing within. It was at those moments, that I envied Lenore for her special sight. It was a tool that helped a great deal with such analysis, especially because my mind was best suited to use visual information, compared to the sensations of smell and taste I perceived Astral Power as. It was something I would have to get better at, though, given that I had strong doubts whether I would be able to join with a companion as compatible and interesting as Lenore in the official version of Road to Purgatory.
“Oh, hey, another village.” Lenore grumbled, pulling my attention to the outside, where, indeed, quite some distance below, another small hamlet was visible. It was something we had become accustomed to, in the last few days, that there were far more villages and hamlets in the area. They ranged in size from a couple dozen to maybe a hundred houses, never larger but also never smaller. Lenore was also able to spot some sort of water-source near each and every one of them and a wall around the village, similar to the one in Yaksha. While they lacked the mighty walls of places like Kolyug or Neamov, the villages all had enough defenses to keep low-levelled enemies out.
“Want to check this one out?” Lenore asked after a few moments, once she was sure that I had taken a look.
“Not really, if I’m honest.” I replied, not quite happy with things. It stung a little, the way I had underestimated the problems my innate traits would bring. While I might be able to ingratiate myself into a group by spending some time and effort to raise my reputation, while we were on the road, that was simply impossible. Leading to me, being almost universally ostracised wherever we went. While the treatment had turned from the outright hostility I had experienced in the beginning to fearful looks from civilians and guarded, cautious hostility from the guards, neither was conducive to relaxation and enjoyment.
It made me wonder just how I should handle that particular problem in the future. One option, the simplest and most boring of them all, was to hide out in my Hallow whenever we were in a town. The problem with that was, I had no idea how difficult it was to detect the presence of someone within a Hallow, or even a Hallow in general. I wasn’t able to do so, I had tried with Sigmir and Ylva, but when it came to complex magic, I was a novice. Compared to a place like the Mages’ Guild, with centuries of accumulated information and research, what I had done was barely a drop in the ocean. And if we were discovered, hiding away, that could easily be considered a nefarious action, landing me in even deeper trouble.
Another option was to simply ignore the hostility, to keep any stay as short as possible and hope for the best. So far, the cities had reasonably good public safety, the guards trained enough not to act on the mere suspicions caused by the traits. It made me wonder just how wide-spread and known those traits were but that was a question for another day. Ultimately, the option was unappealing to me, as walking through a town with everyone hostile was just unpleasant. I’d rather stay in my Hallow, or possibly even leave Mundus altogether, than get stared at that way.
The last, reasonably practical, option was to simply wait outside, possibly with Sigmir at my side. While it would be the most pleasant, especially given the alone-time I would be able to spend with Sigmir, I wasn’t quite sure if I wanted to impose on her that way. Keeping her out of towns to spare myself discomfort didn’t feel right.
A little lost in thought, I failed to notice that Lenore had descended, landing on Sigmir’s shoulder with a practised ease.
“There’s another town nearby.” she told the others, as always using my voice to speak.
“We shouldn’t have reached Ladrin yet, that’s still a day away. Another village?” Olivia asked, a little out of breath from the quick pace the others set. Still, that she was able to keep up that way was quite impressive, making me wonder just what her class and level were and how many divides she had crossed. But trying to Observe her would be incredibly impolite and asking was difficult, unless we were willing to disclose our own status to some degree. Outside some situation that forced her to push her power to the limit, estimations were impossible. What I could see and estimate that her physical endurance was a little better than mine, though I couldn’t be sure how much the blessing of her deity and the magic used made. More data was needed.
“It’s a village, no idea what Ladrin might be.” Lenore replied, while I was pondering the power of our companion.
“Another city-state, quite close to Neamov. Well, relatively close, most people need about ten days to travel that distance. We should get there tomorrow.” Olivia replied, after catching her breath a little and slowing down. The others followed suit, matching her pace and relaxing a little.
“There is another crossroad there and you’ll have to decide whether you want to move north, to go around the White Mountains or if you head straight west, make your way through those mountains and then start looking for a vessel to cross the ocean.” she explained, causing my eyebrow to rise, despite being within my Hallow.
“I told her that we were planning to sail east.” Adra admitted, causing a frown to join my raised eyebrow. “After all, she made the crossing in the past, so asking her for advice should be useful, right?” she continued. The paranoid in me wasn’t happy at the disclosure of information but what was done, was done.
“Dangerous journey, the crossing. Few, other than the Naga, even try to sail the seas but there’s always someone, some mage or wizard, who thinks that they have the power and ability to do what the Naga do.” she shook her head, disappointment visible on her face.
“They then manage to convince some other fool, with more money than good sense, that a fortune is to be made by breaking into the sea-trade and taking away the Naga-monopoly. It works for a year or five, maybe even for a decade, before a mistake happens and the depths claim the ship, wizard and all.” she shook her head, before adding in a soft voice, “And someone else has to pay the price.'' Before anyone could ask about her statement, she continued on.
“Anyway, if you want to cross, you can either set off from one of the southern harbours, on the coast of the Inner Sea and sail through the Daish Gate or you can head all the way out west, and set sail from there. Depending on which you prefer, you’ll have to take a different route at the crossroad near Ladrin.” she explained, before regaining the earlier speed with the others matching her.
