Short legs, but with stout, fearless creed.
Through forests they dashed,
Their beards flying past,
Determined to always succeed!
- Goldie Honorhide.
We set off at a fast jog, which should be sustainable for a long while. Goldie led us directly inland, and as soon as we passed over the first hill, we changed direction to be more easterly than directly south. Goldie was an experienced forester and was quite apt at reading the land and leading us in a way that allowed the sled to pass. I regularly renewed the ice under the sled runners.
Dwarves may not be great sprinters, but they can keep up this pace for hours or even days. Maybe it is not all dwarves, but just Goldie and, I assume, Yoboc. Perhaps it is from their Forrester and Hunter Classes.
The pace was good for Felix, and I felt like he enjoyed being back in the harness. This used to be his life. When we stop, I will make a few adjustments to the harness to make it more comfortable for him.
This was faster than I normally travel the wilds. Ambled is a word that would describe my usual pace. This was going to take some getting used to—and pushing a sled as well! I was pleased I had Breath Control, as the first hour became the second and then on and on.
I remembered Yoboc’s advice and leaned on my bond with Felix and his Endurance Running skill. The trouble was he was barely using the skill. He would dip into it every now and then, but he was using his Power Running Skill more. I just tried to learn what I could.
Makara was struggling. She barely ran. Her gills were useless on land because no water passed through them. Her scales were hard, and she tripped several times in the first hour. She was finding her feet in the second hour and barely stumbled by the third. These were clearly muscles she was not used to using, though.
After the fifth hour, we took an extended break. Goldie led us to a small creek, which we drank from and used to fill water containers. At least with Makara, we will have water as long as she has Spiritual Energy. We sat and ate while we waited for Yoboc to catch up.
I used the time to adjust Felix’s harness, and he used the time to sleep. Makara used the time to massage her sore muscles. She sat in the small creek, even though it was not deep enough to submerge her.
When Yoboc didn’t arrive after an hour, Goldie had us up and on the run again. She changed direction a couple of times, but we were generally heading southeast. Overall, there was still a good layer of snow, and the forest was light.
We kept running well after the sun had set. We stopped late into the night near a larger river. Makara dived right in. I unharnessed Felix, and we set about getting some food. I transformed into my bear and was soon asleep with Felix beside me.
Yoboc arrived sometime while I was asleep. When I was woken for my watch, I saw his sleeping form. The sky was overcast, and it was threatening a storm. That could be good for us.
Yoboc called everybody around for breakfast.
“You two need lessons about moving and leaving less of a trail,” he complained. “I not only had the marks from the sled but footprints, recognisable footprints at that. Neither of you is wearing boots.”
I don't know where he thought we would get boots. Makara and I are only wearing belts. Mer are like Beastkin in this way.
He huffed. “After I tidied up the nearby trail, I went back to see what was happening. The two orcas were circling the bay, and a large Mer was on the shore. Large, as in huge. He was probably half again as tall as you, Ivan. He was bulky, with lots of fat. He seemed to be having trouble moving on land. He was certainly not graceful. He had a massive fin on his back and ankles and didn’t seem able to fold them like you can, Makara.”
“Sounds like Ardlursak,” Makara said. “He definitely has a Master-level Hearing Aid and probably heard the cave collapse and came to investigate.”
“I think he has a master level of Olfactory as well, as he seemed to follow our tracks with lots of sniffing. He didn’t get far as I confused the scent as well as the physical tracks.” Yoboc took a sip from his mug. “He then entered the water again and swam off. He headed in the direction of World's End. The two orcas are still circling the bay.”
“He probably knows my scent,” Makara said. “We have had run-ins before.”
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“I would be pretty sure he now also has Ivan's scent and possibly all of our scents,” Yoboc continued. “He will definitely know you were in the water, Makara, and you were with a male beastkin. He may or may not have the scent of Felix, Goldie and me. If he is heading to World’s End and you think Doreen and Dan are there or will be…” he looked at Makara, “Do you think he is working with them?”
“He is a Mercenary with less honor than most to stay on contract if he is offered more elsewhere. He will definitely sell to the highest bidder,” Makara said.
“It would take us two weeks to get to World’s End by land,” Yoboc said. “He can be there in a matter of days. That means the bay will have an influx of visitors in a week or so, less if they hire Avion or have aerial bonds.”
“Doreen used to have a couple of Avion scouting for her ships,” Goldie said. “Not sure if she still does.”
Yoboc nodded. “I heard that, too. World’s End is out for us, and we need to stay inland. I am going to suggest that our ultimate destination should be Jern. It is a mid-sized city in the mountains with a larger Mercenary Guild and Lore Society. We won’t go directly. There are several smaller towns we can resupply at, but the nearest is still about two months' travel away.”
“Jern!” Makara exclaimed, “The Chelonians won’t have a presence in the city. The only decent-sized office is in Obalno.”
“We can send them a message from Jern or head to Obalno with a decent escort,” Yoboc said. “Right now, we are weak and vulnerable. We need to run, and we need to hide. They will know where we were and when, so the search radius will get larger with each day, and we need to be outside that radius.” He points to the safe. “That paints a target on us, and they can hire treasure hunters. They probably already have treasure hunters with them. We can sort the details later; for now, we move as fast as we can and keep it up for the next two weeks.”
Makara groaned.
“We will follow the same pattern,” Yoboc said, “Goldie in the lead and I will follow, confusing our trail.” He looked up. “This storm will help. Goldie?”
“It should hit before nightfall,” she replied. “Definitely a lot of snow. It may last longer than a day.”
“It will help hide our trail, but it will slow us down,” Yoboc said, “and speed is more important right now. When I think we are outside their search pattern, we can slow down.” He finished his mug. “Let’s get going.”
We were underway less than half an hour later. Goldie set a faster pace than yesterday. I think she was expecting to have to slow down when the storm hit. Goldie grumped at us about where to place our feet and not to disturb or break branches. Makara was still the clumsiest, as this was all new to her. Her Stealth in the ocean might have been Journeyman, but on land, it was nonexistent. The idea was just to leave Yoboc only the sled tracks to cover up.
I was concentrating on my bond with Felix and trying to copy what he did. The storm hit just before dark, and we slowed but did not stop. The snow was so thick that even my Clearsight was having trouble. Makara joined Goldie in the front as her Clearsight was higher levelled than mine. They both had Darksight as well.
The wind rose, and the visibility dropped. Eventually, it became too dangerous to continue. Even Yoboc was with us. I took over the lead for a while as my Void Sensing was short-range, but I could tell the difference between falling snow and packed snow. I could also tell how deep the snow was. Eventually, I found a good spot, dug us a snow cave, changed into my bear form, and we hunkered down to wait it out.
The storm passed about halfway through the next day. I dug us out and then dug the sled out. Everything was clean, white, and fresh. There was a stiff, cold breeze blowing.
We set out, and Goldie set another fast pace. We settled into a brutal routine: five hours of running, one hour of break, then repeat. Then, another five hours of running. After the final five hours, we rested for seven hours.
Yoboc would come and go, but he also turned up with a kill every now and then. I was sure he was behind us sometimes, and then I would see his scouting sign in front of us warning us to turn from a ravine or monster. I have no idea how he did all that. He has specialisation classes and has been doing it for decades. With the speed at which we move, it can’t be easy. I guess pushing your skills and classes is what makes them level.
Running and pushing the sled was a fairly mindless task. This left my mind to think. Yoboc said we are weak, and we now have some powerful people hunting us. I have been very passive in my training to a large extent, relying on the Commander and Yoboc to guide me. That has to change.
Once we get where Yoboc thinks we are safer, we will settle into a more sustainable routine, which will include daily training sessions.
The only Class I am likely to level is my Explorer Class, and even then, this fast moving is not the same as exploring. My Map skills should improve, but that is about it.
Skills are where I can concentrate, and not just by learning Endurance Running. Goldie was trying to teach me Mental skills, particularly a shield to guard my mind.
I know there is a lot more to the Astral affinity that I have learned so far, and it all seems to be tied to my Cosmic Aura. The priority is for me to get that to the journeyman level. It is the Astral Skills that are going to give me the advantage against a more powerful person. Advantage might be too strong a term, but Makara can use her water affinity to take on people stronger than her.
Frigid Void is good, but I need something to freeze. A high enough Cold Resistance will stop me from freezing part of a person or animal. Everybody in the Arctic will have a high cold resistance.
I remember the flash of burning heat that swept through my body when I awoke the affinity. Could I do something with that?
The other thing bouncing around in my brain is how the Astral affinity affects Makara’s Electroreceptors. This is something fundamental to my affinity. The electroreceptors sense the magnetic field of the Earth and allow Makara to know where she is and in which direction she is going. My Cosmic Aura shuts that off almost completely. Why is that? Does it have something to do with the void aspect of the affinity? Is it that the affinity is not intended to be based on a planet? Is it for operating in the void or amongst the stars?
My biggest problem is still my lack of knowledge.
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