《Elevation of Mana》


 Chapter 1 Justin

    "Justin," a voice called out to me. I waved it away, wanting nothing more than to catch a few more minutes of sleep.


    "Justin!" it repeated, insistently.


    "What!?" I said as I sat up, looking around for the source of my irritation.


    Beside me was Professor Keeburn, a late twenties, brunette bombshell, and my advisor. I had hardly had time to process what was going on as I raised my voice, only to cringe.


    "You fell asleep again," she said, pointing to my desk.


    Again, yeah, that was happening more and more recently. As I tried and tried to work on some of the more interesting bits of this program I found myself waking up here a lot. I was the low man on the totem pole here, but that was quickly changing, since I was the only one who''d ever built a machine like this before, and had seen a few of the problems they were running into.


    Did I really care about their proprietary little computer, designed to keep others out of the base processes? No, not really, but I did care about getting access to the lab for my own work, and so I needed to play the game for now, and that meant listening to Professor Keeburn. I knew I was her first advisee, and would have to fight tooth and nail to pass in the end, but that was fine, she was the only one who could get me here to work on what I wanted.


    Crystal structures that could hold a program, forming it with their very design, that was my dream. Was it particularly useful? Well, not in its current iteration, but it was beautiful, almost organic, and had so much potential for growth. The math was... hard, but that was fine, I liked the challenge.


    "Sorry, must have lost track of time... when is it anyway?" I looked down at my phone and paled, it wasn''t evening at all, but rather morning, on a Saturday.


    "Yeah, as you can see, your weekend is already on. Now, go home and rest, you''ve still got classes on Monday and need to be fresh for those, before we continue here."


    "Yes ma''am," I said, hopping up.


    She waved me out of the lab after I''d had my chance to pick my things up. With my bag over my shoulder I made my way home. The campus was huge, and well spread out, sadly that meant that it would take me quite awhile to get home. That was fine though, since I had the whole day off, and the walk would at least be nice.


    Normally I''d take a bus back to the little apartment I was renting for now, since the school had one that would take me just one street over, but with it being the weekend and early at that it wasn''t running. The weather was nice though, so on my way I stopped by a little sub shop, one of the off-brand ones, to pick up some snacks.


    "Hey! Look who''s here," the man at the counter said, looking up.


    "How''s it going Jose?" I said.


    Jose began making my order before I even said anything, used to me coming in almost daily. He laughed when I asked him to double up, and grabbed a bottle of water.


    "You doin'' good? Look like you''re about to fall over," he said jovially as he packed my stuff for me.


    "Fell asleep at the lab again,"


    "Man, you gotta learn to relax some, not work yourself to death."


    We shared a laugh as I nodded to him in agreement. Jose and I had something of an understanding. I was always polite, not just here but to everyone who handled my food, and he was friendly. We got along particularly because I''d told some woman screaming at him about the lack of peppers on her sandwich that she needed to shut up and pay for her damn food, or leave. Jose wasn''t an owner or manager or anything, so he couldn''t really do that himself, but having a good relation with people for little effort often paid for itself.


    In this particular case it paid for itself in spades. When Jose was alone in the shop he''d often refuse to take money from me, the only cost for lunch on a really slow day here would be what I tossed in the tip jar, which was always at least a couple bucks. Today was in fact one of those times, being crisp and early. He gave me a nod as I put some cash in the jar and went on my way.


    A few minutes later I turned off the sidewalk, heading into a little back path. If you spent enough time around any institution you''d find little sections like this, trails and the like that had been made over the years. I was pretty sure that this one was used mostly by joggers, and those who like me didn''t feel like walking an hour around this wooded lot.


    I''d walked this round a hundred times, in morning, afternoon, and evening, though never at night. So I was a bit surprised when I tripped, rolling down a small slope and into one of the many gullies that was all around here. The little hill above me was perhaps twenty feet, and steep.


    "Ow, shit," I said as I landed, unsure how exactly my foot had missed the path. "Need to pay more attention."


    It was no big deal in the end, while climbing back up there would be a right pain I could follow the creek down for a few minutes until the slope was a lot closer. At least nobody had seen me I thought as I walked along the shore, finally coming to a large stone pipe.


    It was one of those they put in to channel water, seven feet tall and set deep into the ground, maybe ten feet long. Sure it was spooky, but I could see the other side no problem, and walking through would be no issue at all. Didn''t even look like there were spiders or anything in it. Waving my hand a bit in case there were any webs I began to trudge through.


    In the brief darkness of the pipe the world began to shake, violently tossing me against one of the sides. That was weird, this area of the deep south wasn''t exactly known for earthquakes, but I had little time to think about it. As soon as the shaking stopped I rose and bolted for the far end of the pipe, unsure if there would be any aftershocks or something major had happened.


    As I came out I looked up for the path, only to find it obscured by trees, that was fine though. With a turn I headed into a parch of denser brush, aiming to cut my time down. I pushed and pushed, finding it thicker than I''d have wanted, thorns and vines wrapping tight around me. It was also a bit darker, not night, but twilight. As I passed through the underbrush I found myself in a deeply shaded grove, perhaps thirty feet across.


    "What the hell..." I looked about, above me the trees wove into an impermeable canopy, on all sides vines and thorns made a thicket of unimaginable density. In the center was a pool, crystal blue water with vines spreading out over patterned stone.


    "This wasn''t here before, what is this?" I carefully walked forward, still heading around and towards where the path should come down to meet.


    I''d mark this place for later, if nothing else it was beautiful, might make a good place to show friends or whatever when I had the time. The vines and the like were glowing, enough so that I''d want to check with some others before touching them.


    It was as I made my way towards the thicket that my problems started though. As soon as I reached the edge of this surreal oasis I felt my hand begin to shake. I could push through, out of this grove and back into the normal world, but the thought of doing so filled me with terror deep in my soul. One step forward and I shook like a leaf, another, before the pool could even be out of sight and I fell to my knees.


    This wasn''t good. I ran back the way I came, determined to head through the hole I''d pushed on the far side, only to find the same thing happening. No matter how I tried, how I worked, I couldn''t leave sight of the pool, my body simply wouldn''t move that way. I fell to my knees and made to crawl, only for the terror to seep deeper and deeper, like death pouring into me. Within seconds I found myself turning back to the pool and running towards the comfort of the soft blue light it gave off.


    I began to panic in earnest, and pulled out my phone. I''d call for help, something was clearly wrong, and the authorities...


    No Signal


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    That was impossible, we weren''t out far from anything, near enough to a major college campus there''d be signal for days. Even in buildings and bad spots there was always at least one bar, something. As I looked at the ground I began to consider that this might not be normal at all, and I might be in real trouble.


    Observe, that was what I needed to do first. I needed to understand my situation and then come up with possible explanations that I could test. Science classes had taught me at least that much. To that end I poked and prodded at the fear barrier, trying to find a hole in the terror it inspired, only to no avail. I tried closing my eyes and going in, only to find my feet would refuse after a few steps. I looked at the pool and tried to back in, same result. I took out my phone and snapped photos of everything I could see around me, looking for patterns.


    The pool was in a divot on a solid stone foundation, and that foundation was surely important. There were the patterns too, decidedly some kind of graphed out mathematics. They tickled at the bits of non-euclidean geometry I''d looked at out of curiosity. More complex than what I''d seen, but somehow strangely similar to how I might try to graph something in two dimensions.


    I''d start with those, carefully I took my phone and began to document. I moved the vines here and there gently, taking picture after picture of the patterns until I was sure I''d gotten the whole thing. This took several hours, and as noon began to come I broke into my food, taking a bite out of the sandwich Jose had been so generous with.


    "My friend, when I tell you about this, you''re gonna call me a damn liar," I said, thinking on the friendly worker. He''d certainly get a kick out of this place.


    Luckily my laptop was in my bag and undamaged, so once I was ready I imported the photos to my computer and began linking them up, trying to get a picture of the full pattern. That took awhile, resizing and editing, pulling bits together. I knew a good bit about computers, but photo editing like this wasn''t really my forte. When I finished I could see that yeah, decidedly some kind of pattern, repeating out from the center like a fractal and painfully complex.


    All the while I checked my phone, only to find the same message repeated whenever I looked. No signal for me, whatever was going on it certainly didn''t want me to communicate with anyone else. I went on like this for a few hours, trying to compare what I saw to anything I had saved on my computer. With access to the internet I might have made more progress, but sadly I was lacking such, and try as I might I had no luck.


    Too soon I saw the power button lighting up, telling me that my laptop would soon be dead. I rushed to pull over everything I could onto my phone, a rather weak prospect, but all I had. Not much longer after that the battery gave out, pushing forward a dark screen.


    As I looked up I saw that the vines looked, almost brighter. I hadn''t noticed but for some reason they''d started glowing ever so slightly more. I looked about my bag for ideas, coming up with a few notepads and pens. It had one of those little solar chargers on it, and from that I might be able to drip charge my phone and laptop, if the light of these vines proved enough.


    On day two I finished up my sandwiches, and did something I was not particularly proud of. That survivalist and his habit of drinking... well, his own urine, was gross, but it would buy me time. Time was what I needed, time to think, time to reason. My one drink from my lunch wouldn''t last forever and the rule of threes said I had only days before that was a potentially fatal issue.


    Further attempts to leave the grove met with the same result, but repeating experiments was no folly. It merely confirmed what I had previously suspected.


    Above the little spot where I''d holed up a flower had bloomed, brilliant and beautiful. Some other part of whatever nightmare I was stuck in. I considered destroying it, but didn''t want to risk any blow-back, whatever was keeping me here had already well demonstrated that it could.


    I made calls and yells for help, to no avail. I hadn''t really been expecting those to work, so I wasn''t too down, but it didn''t hurt to try every now and then. While doing so I noticed that I heard no birds or insects, nor did I see any, that alone was worth noting, as bugs were everywhere.


    I worked off and on for another two days, and the vines were certainly getting brighter. I knew the time because the light was enough to charge up my phone a bit, if slowly, and even get a few minutes of laptop time.


    There was no way this was natural, and I began considering supernatural options for how I''d ended up here. I was leaning towards fairies. I wasn''t an expert on them or anything, but this kind of story was their deal right?


    This was reinforced by the fact that that little flower had bloomed into the most delicious looking periwinkle fruit, tempting me with succulent looking flesh. I was resolved to resist that though, that screamed trap.


    I had weeks before food became that much of an issue, no my main problem was water. Even with my attempts at... extending, my water supply I was out, and the tap was dry. My mouth was bone dry and painful, and there was no source other than the pool, which I was similarly afraid of.


    I was too weak, two-and-a-half days with nothing substantial to drink and I was in agony. I wept as I tried to pull myself over to the pool, having just woken up from passing out. I''d said I wouldn''t drink, wouldn''t fall for the trap, but my body was betraying me, and if I didn''t I would die here, I didn''t want to die.


    The water was cool and perfect, and I drank and drank, sating my thirst before sitting up once again. When I finished I screamed in rage at whoever had brought me here, cursing them to a thousand deaths. This water though will give me more time to think, more time to figure out how to escape this place.


    After two weeks hunger had become a real issue. I tried eating the vines, only to find that the terror hit me whenever I tried to damage them, same with the seemingly normal vegetation around the edge. The only thing that looks appealing is that fruit, still hanging there, teasing me. My notebooks filled up days ago, and my pens ran dry. For the last few days I''d been eating bits of the paper here and there, trying to sate my appetite, that''s worked well enough.


    I gave up on not drinking the water, it''s just too much to fight over.


    Nobody was coming, wherever I was I was isolated from the world at large, apart, alone.


    "Regardless of what I try, I can find nothing. I''m starving and tired, won''t you just let me go?" This is the last message I left on my phone, hoping that someone will find it.


    I rose to go and take the fruit, pulling it down with a gentle plop. My brain screamed that food is here, all I have to do is bite, but another instinct comes on hard. I turned and threw the offending plant into the pool.


    "FUCK YOU!" I screamed at the world, before collapsing to the ground and weeping.


    Minutes pass and I looked up, only to see the thing bobbing there, and I lost my nerve.


    I waded into the water, nearly knee deep and picked it up. Tears fell as I bit down, letting the juices run down my throat in heavenly bliss. As I finished I wept salty tears, relief washing over me.


    When I wiped my eyes I saw the world brilliant blue. The vines around pulsed in time, brighter and brighter to a fever pitch. I was afraid, I''d done what I knew I mustn''t what every story told me to not. I''d taken the offering, and now...


    My stomach exploded in pain, driving me down to my knees in the pool.


    "WHY!? WHY!? WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS!? WHY WON''T YOU ANSWER ME!?" I bellowed as the pain spread through my body, lines tracing up and along my skin.


    I screamed and screamed as parts began to flake away, trying and failing to exit the water, only to sink in, only for the bright light to overtake me.

 Chapter 2 New World

    It''s been about a week in this new world. For a new world it could only possibly be.


    There is some evidence of this, first is that everyone''s ears are elongated into points. That alone, was enough for me, because there weren''t elves back where I was from. As I looked about at the many, many elven women in the circle around I couldn''t help but think how many people would have loved this chance.


    Not everything was ideal of course. I was stuck as a baby for now, and severely hoping that wouldn''t be the case for decades as I grew up. I knew the stories from back home said that elves lived for like, ever, but they grew up normally right? Being a baby was no fun, none at all. I could barely move, and speech was limited to various forms of crying. The diet, while some would see as a bonus, was uncomfortable for me, and very, very plain. Milk morning, noon, and night, and all times in-between. I couldn''t even use the restroom on my own.


    It was hard to tell, but I was pretty sure that I was also somewhere in the stone age. I''d seen no sparkle of metal at all so far to indicate anything greater. The tools were mostly shaped rocks and wood, with a bit of bone here and there for variety. There were no pots, nor pans, nor knives that weren''t stone. Baskets were popular with the women, and I could see them all around me weaving in the evenings.


    An anthropologist would probably give his right arm to be where I was right now, but sadly that wasn''t me. I had concerns, big concerns. There was no tech here, no computers, no well... anything. This was a tribe, small, perhaps a couple hundred, it was kind of hard for me to tell. Other than some clearly sew clothes and things like bone or wooden flutes the biggest work on things seemed to be coming from the man who looked to be my father.


    Dad, as I would now be calling him, spent his evenings with a piece of leather draped over his leg knapping flint. He sang as he moved the bit of stone around in his hand, tapping in place after place and sending little flakes of it down to the ground around him. He knew his business, and could turn out things like arrowheads or spearheads faster than I would have thought physically possible. Each was a perfect little shape, the points seeming almost artistically done.


    As he sang I could see a bit of a flow around him. A bluish sort of mist that ebbed and eddied coming off in small waves. I suspected this was some form of magic, but couldn''t be a hundred percent sure. My thoughts kept going to how sometimes the stone seemed to meld a bit in his hands, changing to just the way he wanted, or smooth just a bit too perfectly.


    He wasn''t the only one to have such a phenomenon. There were two or three who had something similar going on much like him. Of note was one of the women who had a growing white streak in her black hair. I couldn''t yet understand the words that everyone was using, but it was clear as day that she was a person of respect in this tribe. Several of the women were near her, and the few times I''d seen men coming back from hunting trips she''d always been offered something personally by them.


    Along with the white-streaked woman was a man who seemed to lead the hunters. He and father often sat near each other, and while my dad was a bit scrawnyer than most this guy was ripped. I''d seen him and dad trading the arrowheads for meat, and while they were different they acted like the oldest of pals. He moved like water flowing between the stones and it was clear that a number of the women in the group rather fancied him. I hadn''t seen him too interested in most of them yet, but maybe he was biding his time.


    Then there was my mother. Mom frankly kind of scared me, not because she did anything violent, but because of the way people reacted to her. If the white-streaked woman had been respected mom was downright feared. She spoke softly most of the time, not bossing or ordering anything, but when she spoke, people listened. When words left mom''s mouth those from others stopped, and if there was a disagreement and she spoke, it ended. She and the white-streaked woman were clearly the powerhouses when in the camp.


    Finally there was me. All around my skin played tiny green bubbles, floating and hovering just at the edge of my view. I could tune them out most of the time if I wanted, but when I looked, they were there. The others who had always on phenomenon had seemed giddy in my first few days of life, always coming by to play with them. It was important somehow, but I wasn''t yet sure how. It did clue me in on the fact that they could see my bubbles though, much as I could see the various things going on around them.


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    As for the other members of the tribe. Sometimes I would get little flashes of light from them, but nothing sustained. This normally accompanied some kind of odd behavior in the world, lending credence to my theory of magic. Perhaps a fire would light suddenly, or a rock would be thrown perfectly straight at a bird. One guy had even shown the ability to perfectly straighten a piece of wood using only his hands. That was a neat trick, limited usefulness, but very neat.


    Our accommodations, such as they were, consisted of a woven, dirt floor... hut? It was not a perfect descriptor, as it seemed to be made of living interwoven branches and vines, but hut was probably the best. It was maybe twenty feet in diameter and shared by several other couples, and one other child. There was no fire pit or anything, those were all in a little communal area in the center of the settlement. Everyone just slept here on piles of leaves, branches, and a few furs. I was placed in a little basket for the night in a bit of a change, but it too was just lined with moss and soft plant life.


    Morning broke and my new mother came to get me. She was dressed much as she always was, in a brief leather outfit that when done up covered her and provided at least some level of support. My father wore something similar, as did most of the other members of our little tribe. it wasn''t much, but looked functional and easy to deal with. The sewing was prim and exact, clean lines that had been put together one by one into the simple shapes of the garments. There was no cloth as such though, all leather.


    As I looked at the various patterns to the make of clothing I began to think about all the other decorations. While food seemed hardly an issue here there was a great quantity of what could only be considered art. Tools, stone as they were, had intricately carved wooden handles, geometric patterns or clear animal motifs. The baskets that were ubiquitous for various things all seemed carefully shaped, with color gradients to them and even some simple patterns here and there. Then there were the beads.


    Pretty much everyone in the tribe was wearing some quantity and quality of beads. The men had fewer, normally only woven into their hair in places, or a couple of strands, but for the women... It was like some kind of strange contest. Though I lacked the ability to understand much of what was being said, it was clear that these were some kind of marking of status. Brighter colored, or more intricate beads were more valuable, as were those with odd properties or materials.


    Like most things, mother seemed to be winning. While many of the women in the tribe were wearing wooden or bone beads simply carved and rather plain, hers were different. Most of mothers strands had carved stone beads of bright colors. She also had a very few carved from what could only be shell, the slight luster of pearl shining bright. The only person in our tribe to beat her, and soundly so, was white-streak, who was decked out three ways from Sunday.


    In fact most of the women from our little cohort were decked out in comparison to their peers. Even the men outshone some of the less decorated women. It sufficed to say that by whatever standard stone-age elves held, we were rich, really rich. The products in our little group were nicer than most, and though it was hard to tell, I thought we were even getting more meat, the only foodstuff that seemed to have much in the way of value.


    Dad decidedly had something to do with this. His worked stone blades and points were sought after, and I suspected that when he got a mind to he probably carved a lot of those trinkets mom was wearing. Which made sense, a good stone-knapper in this society would be a cornerstone of any group.


    As mom went to put on her basket/backpack I was handed off to who I assumed to be one of my aunts. She looked almost exactly like my mother, and they spent much of their day together. Said aunt had no children of her own, at least not that I saw, but that only meant that she doted on me like any relative would on a cute baby, playing peek-a-boo and making faces as she held me. It was kind of adorable, and I wondered what we''d be doing today as I saw the many women gathering their things up. While whatever it was might not be my chosen activity, I was sure to learn something, and perhaps even pick up a few words.

 Chapter 3 Elian

    This morning we headed out to a field. It wasn''t farming as such, but rather a more open space near the village that the women, collectively as a group were going to gather. Along a small path everyone trudged, chatting the whole way. As we went I got to see and start to get a feel for the area around me.


    The village was nestled in a valley, and either by geography or design the area around it was fairly clear. It was hard to tell which it was, at least for now, but it meant that a small stream meandered down past us and provided water to our little home. The sides being as they were gave great sight lines in every direction, and while there weren''t any walls as such the huts seemed to be arranged so tightly that it didn''t much matter, there wasn''t any way in without going through the main opening.


    The huts themselves were the only trees for hundreds of feet in any direction, and were clearly abnormal. Either by magic or by hard work and arrangement the branches and leaves had been shaped and formed into these, woven tightly into a form of walls. Even above the main area of the huts there were sort of paths between the larger trees, bridges formed by the interwoven wood.


    Each hut was dug a couple of feet down into the ground for it''s floor and placed in what looked to be circles around several large communal fire pits in the very center of the village. This too seemed to indicate things, since our home neatly opened into the central square while those who I thought looked poorer seemed to live further out to the edges.


    Regardless of how much there were clear indications of status there wasn''t much in the way of wealth disparity. At least not so much as I could see. The huts near the edge looked much the same as those near us, and while there were demarcations in things like decoration it wasn''t as if there were skyscrapers and slums. The hierarchy seemed mainly focused on maintaining instead some form of organization.


    Following the stream out of the village one could go either upstream or down. I wasn''t sure where down led yet, as we seemed to prefer going upwards, like we were today. In this direction the small stream met up with a larger one after perhaps a half-hour of walking, with a wide and well-worn path snaking alongside.


    Once we got to our gathering spot the various cliques spread out a bit, each going after a different area and product. It was hard to get a look at all of them, but it was clear that each different group had a certain thing they were after in particular. There was some overlap, and I could see people taking the easy to get stuff in the area that they chose but they also mostly stuck to whatever they were doing.


    By and far the most common ones were the diggers. Groups of girls who used little stone tipped spiky tools to carefully remove the dirt around roots of a common fern-looking plant. They were pulling out something that looked like a small potato, about three inches in diameter.


    Then there were the nut gatherers. First thing they did was take one of the few children with us, a boy who looked about ten, and send him up a tree to shake it. Then the group would work its way around, systematically searching for everything that had fallen and could be used. I had to say that the boy in question was energetic about his task and looked to be having a blast.


    White-streak had only a couple of women with her, and I got to see why she was so important. There were a number of threes that had large fruit, but it was clearly too early in the season and these had yet to fall. She reached up and I could see her aura flare. Suddenly one of the fruit popped off of its stem and floated down to her. Her pair of companions could do the same, but it seemed that it was far more draining, leaving them looking tired and waiting for minutes before trying again.


    Mom, and our group seemed to be going after berries though. This was wild to me, as I could see when we approached that there were none, but that didn''t matter. With a wave of her hand mother caused the little patch of bushes that she and the others had come over to to burst into flower and fruit. Nobody but me was surprised and I made a little cheer from the little holder I was in on her back.


    ''Could I do that?'' I wondered as I saw her actions.


    Perhaps magic here was inherited like that, the skills being passed generation to generation. She hadn''t used any kind of incantation or markings, but rather just a flex of power. I''d have to figure it out later, as for now.


    Mom had heard my cheering and brought me down from her back, instead holding me since I was awake. While the others picked the berries she''d made she spoke.


    "Oha...Nida...Elian?" I could barely keep up with her words, but a few were repeated often.


    The last was one she said a lot to me, but not much to others, unless it was something to do with me. At least that was my working theory. I couldn''t do much to confirm other than make cute faces and try to get her to talk more for now, but if I could work out a few words, I could start to learn for real again.


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    After a bit mom went back to picking fruit, an all morning exercise. None of the people here seemed in even the slightest rush, each woman keeping deep in conversation as she picked, dug, or gathered. They had enough, and without a good way to store things long term, there really wouldn''t be much of a reason to pick more than needed. So they didn''t, they enjoyed the time together as the day''s work got done.


    When we finally returned to the village that afternoon almost all the men were gone. This didn''t seem to surprise anyone, and the evening''s cooking commenced. Roots were buried in the fire-pit while everyone gathered round. The gathered nuts were brought out and on larger stones were cracked open. It was informal, and while everyone had gathered different things almost all of the goods were shared equally.


    While mom and the woman I''d taken to considering my auntie had taken care of me for most of the day so far now there was a line. It seemed a lot of the younger girls wanted a chance to hold me or the like, and they gathered up, each clearly offering in turn to take care of the baby.


    Perhaps they wanted to practice for when they had kids? I couldn''t help but notice that I was the only infant. Even the number of children was low, with perhaps a dozen total in the village. I tried to parse that with the lack of birth control and the current state of society, but couldn''t, there just weren''t enough.


    There also weren''t any old people, at least not that I''d seen. Twenties seemed to be the cutoff, with white-streak looking like she was perhaps thirty, max. That was odd too, perhaps elves aged differently? I knew a little about fantasy, and it seemed to indicate that they lived for a long time, but the complete lack of elders was weird, and I didn''t know enough about anthropology to take much of a guess.


    Being passed around was helpful though, as several of the girls who reached for me kept saying ''Elian,'' and that was about as much confirmation as I needed for my new name. I wasn''t sure how I felt about having a new name, I''d always been Justin, and rather preferred that to Elian, but I could tackle that later.


    Now I had to deal with the constant moving around as the girls tried to get some time playing with me in. They''d reach and depending on how I reacted I might be passed over or left where I was. I''ll admit that I got a bit frustrated by this after awhile, as some of them downright sucked at holding babies.


    I couldn''t even properly hold my head up on my own quite yet, instead it lolled around, too big to be supported by me. So after awhile of discomfort I tried crying. This led to a number of responses and eventually my mother came to retrieve me. From that point on through the evening the curious girls were rebuffed, either by mom or auntie. Eventually I fell asleep, something I did off and on, and spent a good chunk of the night in that state.


    When I woke up in the night I thought about my situation.


    Being a baby sucked, in a multitude of ways. I was helpless, truly helpless, unable to walk, or eat, or, well, pretty much anything except cry. I could look around whenever I wasn''t falling asleep, but that seemed to happen a lot too, and much of my day was a blur as every hour or two I''d simply doze off. I couldn''t even use the bathroom on my own, which was painfully embarrassing for someone who''d been an adult.


    All I could really do for now was learn. Learn what was what here, and try to grow, that was my goal. I really, really hoped that the stories were at least not wholly true and I wouldn''t spend the next century or whatever as a baby, the chances of me making it out of that sane would have to be almost zero.


    While I was thinking I heard a small humming tune, and made my wakefulness known with a light cry. This ended with dad coming over and sitting beside my basket. Normally I''d be unable to see, but in his hand he had a small light, pale yellow like the sun but barely visible. He smiled down at me and continued to sing in a low voice.


    As he did he spread out his hands, and small stars of light bloomed, swirling gently around my crib. I wasn''t sure how he was doing it, but it was clearly part of whatever magic he had, he could make these little lights and even though it seemed draining to use magic for everyone chose to use them to try and keep me happy and calm.


    I hadn''t been in this world long, but there were a few things that I knew. I knew that my parents cared for me, the sheer love and kindness that they displayed, the peaceful smiles showed that too much for anyone to debate. Because of this I couldn''t think of them as anything except mom and dad. While they didn''t know where I''d come from, or the secrets locked away in my little head they knew that they loved me, and showed it every time they looked down at me. That kind of feeling was irresistible and I found myself responding in kind. It was like it was hardwired in, like the only option for their care was reciprocation, and honestly I didn''t mind, it made me happy, and I could tell that my smiles and laughs brought them the same joy.

 Chapter 112 Journey of a Thousand Miles

    I stood looking at the morning light, those that were coming with me joined me, those that were staying behind stood a bit away, letting us check our packs one final time.  Auntie Atie, Ida, and Ian, who I was refusing to call my uncle, were all offering last bits of advice, particularly to the young Chien.  While I''d not been looking it appeared my aunt had apparently decided that she liked him, though in a way that reminded me of her treatment of me, if lesser.


    Then there was the third wheel so to speak, who stood nearby, her own leather pack tied tightly.


    ¡°You know, you don''t have to come with us,¡± I said to her.


    ¡°I am coming regardless, at least as far as that village.  There are things that must be done, and I will be doing them.¡±  Her tone brooked no argument.


    Jina had apparently decided that the pool needed to be either sealed or at least watched, and there was nobody more qualified than herself to do it.  She''d therefore declared that as we left she would be escorting us to whatever remained of Elayatol and taking care of the issue herself.


    I found that I couldn''t really argue against the idea of dealing with that place.  Cino''s actions had proved that it was too dangerous to leave alone, even if he''d been considered mad by most of the current crop of Elders.  Was Jina the best person to do it?  I honestly didn''t know, but while she could be a grouch, and had a mean streak a mile long she didn''t seem to take it out on innocent bystanders.  There was also a feeling that she was giving off, like she hurt and wanted to do something about it.


    There wasn''t much fanfare as we made our way to the gate and out into the surrounding lands.  Some of the guards knew what was going on, and a few even nodded to me as we went, but the majority of the populace didn''t.  Even then those acquainted with me were a little standoffish.  The battle hadn''t been so long ago and the land around was still scarred and poisoned from what I''d done.  Before it healed my people, with our long memories were unlikely to change their opinions too much.


    We trudged westward, the best way to start even if we didn''t have a cranky old woman with us, and towards the mountains.  Those served as one of the easiest to find and navigate borders, the large stone giants far less wooded than the thick forests, and faster to walk along even if crossing them was a pain.


    ¡°Planning your way out?¡± Jina asked as we ate dinner, seeing that I''d drawn some squares on the ground.


    ¡°Yes, as much as I can.  Any thoughts?  I''m sure you''ve been to one of these places.¡±  I waved to the rough outline.


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    ¡°I haven''t actually, but I''ll make one.  Start with the North first, then work your way around.  I know grandfather had a good relationship, or as much as he could have, with the old ruler of the northern wood.  He''s most likely to be friendly.  I''d also avoid the inner lands if I were you, Cino''s people are going to be in havoc right now, and showing up won''t be helpful.¡±


    That made as much sense as any other advice I''d heard.  There were no maps of our lands as such, but rather the ideas of territories, and the people who lived near the edges all knew where those borders were.  This made navigation a bit difficult, if only because I had to try and find places that I had only verbal descriptions of.  At least border disputes were rare, with wars like the one we''d just been in exceptionally so.


    What I''d learned from the Elders of Atal and some of those who traveled a bit wasn''t all that helpful.  Most of my people were fairly well dug in, not liking to go to and fro, and those who did didn''t often end up going into the territories of other Ancients.  Even messages between them were sparse, meaning that some of my information could be painfully outdated.


    Generally though our lands covered most of the Eastern seaboard, a thick rain-forest of dense growth up and along much of the coast.  Going North from there though the climate cooled a bit even if it got more prone to floods.  The northern wood was, if descriptions were to be believed, something more akin to a temperate zone, with less undergrowth and far larger trees.  If anyone could really be considered a trading partner with the former city of Atal, it was the villages here.


    If one went West through the northern wood then they''d eventually find the western coastline.  That coast was dominated by a massive plateau  Again information was sparse but it seemed that other than a small green belt along the side this geological feature dominated.  One thing that everyone agreed on about this region was that it was bitterly cold, the altitude and winds meaning that the top of that plateau were frozen.


    These three formed around the lands of the now deceased Cino.  While the Ancient that I''d killed possessed the most land, something else everyone agreed on, it was also viewed as some of the poorest.  From what I understood it was a large bowl of poor grassland, with few trees and fewer edible plants to speak of.


    Below this, and sharing a border with both the lands of Atal and the West were two known fiefdoms, both were understood to be grassy, and well off.  There was also more to the South of them, but that was where reports really broke down, with conflicting answers to how many, and what the rulers controlled.


    It was my job to go to these various areas, find the Ancients who ruled them, and inform those old monsters of the deaths of Atal and Cino.  This was a tradition, a message sent to tell them that those who came to rule those lands were gone now.


    ¡°Do you think any of them will try to take Cino''s or Atal''s lands now that they''re gone?¡± I asked Jina.


    ¡°If there is another close to becoming a proper Ancient they might if we''re lucky,¡± she answered, something which surprised me.


    ¡°If we''re lucky?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Cino was a bastard, and we were at war, but if another his age decided to come and insert himself into the city people would breathe easier.¡±  At my look she shook her head.  ¡°Yes, even me, so long as they ruled fairly.  There are threats far worse than you''ve ever seen in this world child.  Threats best taken care of by the old, a good ruling Ancient can handle things even I cannot.¡±


    ¡°But there are few,¡± I added.


    ¡°Yes, few.  As we get older we fight others our age more.  Many also end up fighting powerful monsters.  Many fall before they are fully an Ancient, many don''t even become Elders, their first few white hairs leading them to believe they can handle anything.  It is the cautious, lucky, and powerful who tend to survive the longest.¡±


    Those words caused me to sit and think until Chien came to tell me that dinner was done.  I wondered if we could improve those numbers one day.  It would be hard of course, but perhaps we could have at least a few dozen Ancients around to protect our people, that would certainly make our population safer.

 Chapter 113 Remnants of Home

    I stood at the edge, at the precipice, in a place I hadn''t thought to see again so soon. It brought me no joy to come home, no pleasure at seeing the place where I''d first entered this world again. It sprawled out below me, the valley, the place where the village was, unseen due to the high trees and vines.


    The trip here had been easy enough, with the last of the Wester forces in full flight back to their homeland or being hunted like the dogs they were there were few impediments. Of course, there were few places to stop as well, with most of the villages in this tract of land being destroyed, little left but ruins if even those could be found.


    Idly I wondered if there would be some kind of population boom, or moving out of the city. A lot of older elves didn''t like being kept under the heel of their elders, and could probably be convinced to establish new villages. I''d even seen that one fighting over resources, if both of those factions had survived I couldn''t imagine that one or the other wouldn''t just leave now, taking one of the large sections of now vacant territory.


    Those thoughts managed to occupy my thoughts as we walked down the paths that two of us knew like the back of our hands. Isha was beside me, silent, for she''d been here when Cino arrived. The other two members of our party were behind a bit, keeping their eyes peeled.


    As the village came into view I knew there was nothing here for us. I''d hoped that someone had survived, some others had made it out, but what I saw told me there were none here. There''d been a part of me that had hoped that one of the boys I''d grown up with were hiding somewhere, that Ninden would pop out of some bush with little Olond in tow, having managed to find a hole to crawl into while they destroyed everything.


    The houses were destroyed overgrown, perhaps that might have been overlooked, the forest was always making its inroads after all, and might have been ignored if someone wanted to remain unseen. The bodies however wouldn''t have been. There weren''t many, with the time elapsed since they''d destroyed this place so long there wasn''t a lot left, but a few bones here and there, a skull sitting near the fire-pit that we''d all gathered around so many times. None of our people would have left those be had they known, had they come back home even after the Westers had left.


    Isha sat down by the fire-pit and began to weep Jina comforting her as best she could.


    ¡°Anything I can do boss?¡± Chien asked, seeming unsure of where he should be right now.


    ¡°Help me gather the bodies if you can. Keep them together and mark where they came from. No real hope of knowing who was who, but it''s something.¡±


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    I spent a moment or two with the woman I loved, letting her cry onto my shoulder before I kissed her head and got to work. Everyone dealt with grief differently, myself included, and I knew what would help. I would work, something physical, something hard and sweat inducing, that would be better than crying, better than letting myself sink into despair. Thinking didn''t appeal at the moment, nor did collapsing, that would only make me feel helpless.


    My first home on this world was falling apart. It had been ransacked, ripped apart and scattered. That stung, but it was clear why. There had been copper here, my father had worked it, known how it was made, had some. They''d wanted that when they came through, to get it and use it. With Cala''s hatred towards me I didn''t delude myself that either of my parents were alive. They''d known where I was and could have come as easily as Isha and Atie had, that neither did told me that I''d never see them alive again.


    I thought I''d made my peace with the grief of losing my parents, but apparently not, for my heart ached as I moved through the remnants of my old home, looking for anything salvageable. There wasn''t much, but I did manage to find an old digging stick, not something anyone really liked, but something of use. There wasn''t a scrap of metal left, not a copper bead, not a tool, all of that thoroughly raided.


    That done I found one of the more isolated spots in the ruined village and began to dig. The graves didn''t'' need to be too deep, but it didn''t feel right leaving any bones that were left to the weather and whatever animals might wander in after we left. No, they would have a burial, perhaps not the proper one they''d have gotten, but something, something that we could do.


    It helped that this action was mindless. I could have used magic to make graves in an instant, carve them from the earth without breaking so much as a sweat. This felt better though, more natural, right. This was the way things should be.


    ¡°How is Isha?¡± I asked, seeing the barest bit of aura bleeding into the world around me as Jina approached.


    ¡°She would be better if you spent some time with her, but I understand,¡± she answered, voice calm.


    ¡°I need to do this. We''ll rest here tonight and in the morning we can head to the cave, that''s what you''re after after all isn''t it?¡± I tried, but failed to keep the barest hint of anger from my voice. She wasn''t like Chien, who was here to help, she had her own reasons for joining us.


    ¡°Justin, you may think me cold, and perhaps I am, but I''ve seen this so many times. After seeing everything, it gets harder and harder to feel things the same way. It... builds up, only gushing out at times. You''re burying those you care for? I''ve done that a thousand times. Losing friends? I''ve had hundreds I''ve put in the ground. When you''ve seen everything, it is hard to feel it again, but I am trying.¡±


    I turned to her and walked forward, sweat and soil coating me head to toe.


    ¡°You have seen nothing,¡± I informed her. ¡°I have seen things you can''t even imagine, lost more than you can comprehend, suffered in ways you have never known.¡±


    There was a spark of fear in her eyes, an understanding. She''d seen what I could do when I wanted, and knew that those words were true, but there was more, kindness buried under all the time and roughness she so often displayed.


    ¡°I believe you,¡± she said. ¡°And yet you are still so young.¡± She wrapped her arms around me, patting my back gently like an old friend. ¡°Still so very young child. I can see it in you, the lack of years. Perhaps I''m wrong, perhaps one day you won''t become like me, or like my grandfather was. Maybe that mind of yours will keep you feeling, but feeling hurts.¡±


    That moment I seared into my memory, no matter how much it hurt I needed to remember to not drift away from my emotions. If I suffered for centuries, then so be it, but I needed to feel, feeling kept me going, kept me moving towards something. Without it I knew that I would just stop, stop growing.


    That evening we held the burial. We couldn''t bury them with their favorite things, nor say too much, since it was impossible to tell who was who, no, it was a more quiet affair. Afterwards I gathered up some flowers and the girls set them to growing over the graves. The roots would keep them in place, giving some new life while marking the location and keeping animals away. It also felt right, graves should have flowers in my opinion.

 Chapter 114 The Last of the Enemy

    In the morning as we crept up to the pool''s cave we found something Jina seemed to be half expecting. Near the entrance there were a few small huts, and a makeshift wall of thorns and wood. It stopped us for all of about a heartbeat. While she may not be Atal, our new companion was still very old, very powerful, and one hundred percent done with these people. The wall rotted in seconds, the few soldiers who strode out to meet us dying like dogs.


    Those weren''t the only ones in the camp though, there were others. Huddled in the houses, sometimes in makeshift cages or back rooms were women and children. The former seemed terrified, hiding and crying as we strode in, the latter held in their arms.


    ¡°Hey, it''s okay, we''re here to help,¡± I said to a few girls hiding in the first house we looked into, extending my hand.


    ¡°Please don''t hurt me, please don''t hurt me,¡± one of them mumbled, a few bruises obvious on her arms and legs.


    As far as I knew few of the other victims of our war had been found, being killed or shipped back to the Wester homeland as slaves. This was, unfortunately expected, one of the realities of war in this world. Before I could do much to reassure the terrified girl though a hand landed on my shoulder.


    ¡°Justin, let Jina and I talk to them. You and Chien go and make sure there aren''t any other warriors around will you?¡± Isha asked.


    ¡°Of course,¡± I agreed, realizing that I was probably not the best person for this job. ¡°If you need us call.¡±


    Chien and I did as she bade us, moving to the edge of things and keeping an eye out. It wasn''t needed, as either word of the battle at Atal hadn''t reached these men, or they think they needed to run for their lives. We''d caught them all early, having barely left their beds.


    ¡°They look bad,¡± I observed to my young assistant.


    ¡°I''ve seen worse,¡± he answered, shrugging when I raised an eyebrow at him. ¡°I have. They''ll live, or they won''t, but there''s not a lot you or I can do for them right now is there? All the villages around here are wrecked, and we''re not supposed to go back to the city.¡±


    ¡°Fair point, don''t even know what they''ll want. Suppose we''ll have to ask and...¡± a pair of screaming voices interrupted me and both of us took only a second to start running in their direction.


    At one of the nicer huts in the little makeshift camp two women were being ripped out and set upon by the others. Jina and Isha stood to the side, looking displeased as a mob leapt upon them, scratching, pulling, punching. They didn''t have weapons, but small hands tore at the two, dragging them about by hair or whatever limb could be reached.


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    ¡°Stop!¡± I said as I reached them, and was promptly ignored. ¡°Jina!¡± I insisted to the woman in question, ¡°Stop them.¡±


    ¡°They deserve what they''re getting,¡± she said coldly.


    ¡°You need to stop this, even your grandfather would''ve given them a chance to make their case. You''re staying, we''re not, the precedent you set here and now won''t go away.¡±


    She frowned at me, but she still stepped forward. ¡°Cease,¡± she commanded, and I felt the wave of power she put forward with it. ¡°Bring them forwards.¡±


    There was muttering and angry noises, but the former captives seemed to decide that they didn''t want to fight old Jina. A few moments later the pair were brought forward, kneeling, missing clumps of hair and covered in small wounds.


    ¡°You can''t be thinking of letting them live!¡± one of the women hissed. ¡°She killed my brother when he refused their poison!¡± she pointed at one of the pair.


    ¡°We have one accusation,¡± Jina said, almost formally. ¡°What others?¡±


    Every one of the former captives had something to say, some of them quite a lot. These two they''d gone after were Fala and Ura, and each had a list of crimes a mile long. Both had been ''preferred'' by the men who''d been holding them here, and rather than being mistreated like the others had instead helped the soldiers. They''d helped kill some of those who had disobeyed, they''d held down several of the girls while the soldiers did what soldiers were known to do, a betrayal few of these women were going to forgive.


    ¡°Do you have anything to say? Anything which might excuse your actions?¡± Jina asked, having slipped into the role of judge. Neither had spoken, nor been permitted to speak as the others made their cases.


    Fala looked up at her. ¡°You know what they''d have done if we didn''t,¡± she said.


    ¡°Yes, but you would have lived. Instead you chose to harm others for comfort.¡± Jina had not an ounce of mercy in her voice.


    ¡°Please,¡± Ura begged. ¡°I-I am with child.¡±


    There was a long pause, silence taking the small section of forest for ponderous moments. Of all the things that she could have said, that might have been the only one that would spare her life. Our society loved children too much, even the child of a traitor would be often spared. A baby? No, harming such would be unthinkable.


    ¡°If you are lying you will suffer,¡± Jina warned her.


    ¡°I''m not,¡± she said with a quivering voice.


    The Elder extended her hand and there was a soft glow between it and Ura''s body, after which she sighed.


    ¡°Truth, and it survived the beating she received.¡± She looked to Fala. ¡°Strangle that one, the other will live until her child is born, then shall share the same fate.¡± Jina produced a vine for them with a wave of her hand and left them to it.


    ¡°Watch,¡± the one who took up the cord told Ura, who was still being held.


    They killed Fala slowly, holding her so she couldn''t move as the vine was wrapped around her neck just tight enough so that she couldn''t breathe. Several of the mob shooting malicious looks at the one being forced to observe. When it was finally done, the one who''d done the strangling came close.


    ¡°For when your turn comes,¡± she hissed as she tied the vine around Ura''s throat. The prisoner being able to do little more than whimper in fear.


    As they dispersed Chien leaned in. ¡°Women are fucking scary sometimes,¡± he whispered.


    ¡°They can be very unforgiving,¡± I agreed. ¡°And quite vindictive too sometimes, don''t forget that. Can you really blame them though?¡±


    ¡°Fair point.¡±


    The girls were still giving the two of us a rather wide berth. They might understand that we weren''t there to hurt them, but pain took time to heal, some of it never going away completely. Jina did come to us after dealing with the prisoner and the corpse.


    ¡°Good call,¡± she said.


    ¡°Have the sky and ground switched places?¡± Chien asked in mock confusion, this world not yet having adages about pigs flying or hell freezing over. For his effort he got an unamused look through half-lidded eyes.


    ¡°We have other things to do though,¡± she said, pointing towards the cave.


    ¡°That we do.¡±

 Chapter 115 Underground Once More

    Jina walked next to me as we descended, slowly, carefully, into a place I never wanted to be again. Every step made me hurt, made my heart ache, ache for the destruction this place had caused. Jina was silent, as if it made her too contemplative, at least until the first of the bubbles drifted forwards.


    ¡°What is that?¡± she asked, almost panicked as she brought her hands up before her.


    ¡°Nothing to worry about, they''ve always been here, some kind of weird aura or something,¡± I answered, pulled from my thoughts.


    ¡°An aura? Like the light that surrounds us?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°It looks... almost like yours,¡± she said accusingly.


    ¡°Yes, it does.¡±


    I didn''t stop moving forwards, letting the light from mosses and mushrooms growing here guide my way. Now was not the time to keep pestering me about that, something I wanted nothing to do with. Jina however kept shooting me looks, looks I could see and feel.


    There''d once been a massive underground sea, but it was gone now. Either through magic or pure manpower it had been filled, the beasts lairing within it presumably killed. However many blockages had been placed in the way, not something that could slow us, but enough to slow us a bit.


    It seemed like such a long way, without magic to power our steps or push us forwards it took time, so much time to make it. Our steps echoed against the walls, the pale glowing patches and bubbles to guide us seeming to invite, to call us downwards.


    Eventually we came to the final chamber. I doubted I would ever get over the scope of it, the massive underground crater, the powerful magic in the air, the vines that so reminded me of that day I''d died. In the back of my mind I could remember it like it was moments ago, the pain as my flesh was burned away.


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    Jina moved forward, stepping among the vines. Carefully she reached down, and though I couldn''t tell what she was doing there was certainly some magic there.


    ¡°I cannot effect them,¡± she declared after a few moments, then tried ripping a leaf between her fingers.


    The vine there didn''t respond, it didn''t rip, didn''t break, didn''t seem to care about what she did. Her efforts got more and more, but nothing came of them.


    ¡°Odder and odder,¡± I said.


    ¡°Tell me, and the truth, are you of this place?¡± she said, moving over to one of the skeletons and moving the vines aside so she could see the skeleton.


    ¡°Could you clarify?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Your power is similar, your behavior odd as well. Are you the guardian or child of these plants? Are you something else?¡±


    ¡°I am an elf,¡± I responded. ¡°I was born in the village we passed through to parents who dwelt there, not in this place, not of these vines. Perhaps I''m odd, perhaps this place effected me, but if so I don''t know how, nor why.¡±


    If I outright lied she might have some way of knowing, some spell that told her about my body''s reaction. So I didn''t, I didn''t understand it, I didn''t know why, or even what these were, nor where they''d come from. So many questions.


    She looked at the pool, at the eggs from which this power flowed.


    ¡°Stranger, eggs for sure, but to what? These creatures?¡± she pointed at the skeleton. ¡°Or whatever killed them?¡±


    ¡°I''m more concerned about what will happen with it,¡± I told her.


    ¡°I will seal this place for now, as best I can. Then I will build a home above it and keep any away.¡±


    ¡°You won''t try to destroy it?¡± I asked.


    ¡°No. Something in my gut tells me that doing so would bring danger.¡±


    I hadn''t felt that, but then again I''d never tried to destroy it. Perhaps it was like the trap I''d been stuck in, perhaps there were other defenses, deep down in it. I didn''t know, and for now I didn''t need to. Perhaps one day I would return to work out the mysteries as I could, perhaps not, but for now her suggestion would do. I did have one question though.


    ¡°What do you think will happen when the eggs hatch?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Nothing good.¡±


    Neither of us wanted to get too close to the water, so after she was satisfied at what she''d found we slowly made our way back to the surface. On the way the barriers were rebuilt and fortified. Jina could make roots as strong as steel and thick as my thigh in a hurry and I made walls that were actually walls by manipulating the stone into place, sealed tightly so that nothing could get through. At each of the places where the tunnel got thinner it got a new barrier, a new stop for anything trying to get down here.


    As we returned and saw the women, along with Isha and Chien I looked to Jina. ¡°Hey, so about them.¡±


    ¡°I''ll do what I can for them. I imagine some will want to go home, but some might stay here, or nearby for now. Do you care if they resettle the old village?¡±


    ¡°No, so long as the graves aren''t disturbed,¡± I told her.


    ¡°Things will be done with respect,¡± she assured me.


    ¡°Um, excuse me,¡± said a high voice, the child it belonged to approaching us.


    ¡°Yes?¡± I asked, since she was clearly looking at me.


    ¡°Is, is it true that you killed Cino?¡± she said, asking about the leader of the army who''d done all this.


    ¡°Yes,¡± I said solemnly.


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°You''re welcome.¡±


    ¡°I''m Era,¡± she told me. ¡°If one day I can help you, let me know.¡±


    I didn''t know how to respond to that, an offer of aid from one so small. I doubted I''d ever call that favor in, but being disrespectful wouldn''t help.


    ¡°Very well Era, thank you.¡±


    With a small bow she left us, turning and running back to the women.

 Chapter 116 The Great Forest

    It had been days since we''d left the old village, and still we were finding destruction. Places that should have been here weren''t, clearly abandoned in haste or destroyed. There were few bodies, those having been reclaimed by the forest in most places, but some. Paths were also overgrown, lost amidst the war.


    Our directions were... vague, at best, with mostly only the general area we needed to travel towards. Normally we''d have sought information from the villages as we passed, but without their knowledge we only had rough reckoning, and that was limited in use.


    ¡°What''s that?¡± Chien asked.


    ¡°An iron needle that I''ve changed a bit, it''ll help us when we can''t see as well.¡± There were clouds forming above us, so now was a pretty good time for it at any rate.


    ¡°What''s it do?¡± he inquired, leaning close.


    ¡°If allowed to move freely it will point North.¡±


    ¡°Huh, that''s neat.¡±


    He''d seen me use magnetism before, and the items themselves weren''t unknown in this world. Naturally occurring magnets, or those made by magical creatures existed, rare perhaps, but not novel. There might even be some people who understood enough to make basic compasses. Chien might also be numb to the fact that I came up with new things all the time, however not everyone was.


    ¡°An iron needle?¡± said Isha as she drew in. ¡°Like for sewing?¡±


    ¡°You could use it for that...¡± I said, looking at it, there was no hole for thread, but otherwise it would work.


    She picked it up and looked at it for a moment.


    ¡°Too small,¡± she finally declared. ¡°Far too small, and no way to put on sinew or cord. Even the stuff Ida was making wouldn''t work, even if there was a hole. Maybe for something else, but not for sewing.¡±


    ¡°Guess I''ll just have to keep using it to find North then,¡± I said, pleased that she wouldn''t be asking me for a bunch of them right now. I could''ve made them, but this wasn''t the best place for experimenting, or working iron.


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    Our journey continued, and it was oddly peaceful. The sleeping arrangements weren''t much to my liking, with Chien staying with Isha and I, preventing anything much from happening at night, but he was a wise enough young man to give us some time alone every now and then. With only the three of us we could move fast, taking game or the like as we wanted, or just asking Isha to make us some food periodically.


    My significant other soon began to resent our requests for sustenance, and the fact that she couldn''t make many different dishes also grated on all of us. It was another incentive to move quickly and find what we could, but as weeks passed some of our favorite plants became a little less common.


    Oddly to me it didn''t get colder. I''d always associated the North with being cold. Years and years I''d spent as a resident of the Deep South, watching the weather and declaring that it sucked to live in the northern section of the country. Here however it remained mostly the same. Sure, if we got really close to one of the mountains nearby there was a noticeable drop in temperature, but so long as we stuck to the forests it was pretty much always the same.


    The fauna however did change drastically. It seemed mile by mile the trees and plants grew. It was subtle enough to miss at first, but when every tree started looking like it was centuries older than what you were used to you began to take heed. As we took to rest by a small creek it stuck me that some of these here would give the redwoods of Earth a run for their money.


    That night we found shelter in a fallen and hollow mammoth of wood, it was dry, clean, and the bugs weren''t any worse than they were elsewhere. Overall the location was pretty nice compared to some of the places we''d rested. The worst was when it rained, leaving us with little shelter. Soon the rainy season would be upon us and I''d rather be up into the mountains when that arrived, easier to avoid any flooding.


    ¡°Justin!¡± called Chien around midnight, ¡°Need you here.¡±


    Quickly I made my way to the spot he was using to keep watch, he wasn''t alone. There were around a dozen elves with spears, shields of bark and vine, and unhappy looks upon their faces. They weren''t in an aggressive stance just yet, but it was clear they didn''t want to be here. Rather than the leathers we favored they were dressed in clothes sewn together from some kind of leaf.


    ¡°You are trespassing,¡± their leader declared, stepping forwards. ¡°As we told the other''s you cannot seek shelter here.¡± It was clear from the small shock of white hair on his head that he was the Elder of this group.


    ¡°We have spoken to no others,¡± I began, before a raised hand cut me off.


    ¡°Perhaps it is so, and I am not without mercy, but you cannot stay. We will not get involved in the fighting between the men of Atal and the men of Cino.¡± That bristled, but I understood why, they didn''t want war as well.


    ¡°That is not our purpose, nor to stay. The fighting is over, we''re here to report the results to your Ancient.¡±


    There was a look of understanding in his eyes at my statement, and a deep look of sadness. This one at least had seen enough to know that I was here to report a death, not a positive thing for our species in general. ¡°Oh, I see. Come, we will go to the village.¡±


    ¡°Old one? I thought we must turn them away?¡± one of the younger elves said, piping in.


    ¡°He is a messenger, he may pass.¡± The Elder looked at me. ¡°Since you appear to be a man of Atal should I assume that he won?¡±


    ¡°Both fell,¡± I reported, to the stunned look of more than one of the greeting party.


    That wasn''t a secret at all, and it was my job to spread the news. There was every possibility that it would beat me to one or more of the Ancients that I was going to see, but that didn''t matter, what mattered was the ceremony. The word of their deaths was to be spread, with a designated person to tell the Ancients of our people of the loss of one of theirs.


    ¡°That... we will speed you along then, this news must be spread,¡± their Elder said after a full ten seconds of staring at me. ¡°Come, there is no time to waste.¡±

 Chapter 117 The People of the Forest

    The local Elder, called Old One by the locals, quickly escorted us to his home, and what a home it was.


    The people of this forest had taken some parts of the culture I was used to, like the living trees and vines in our homes, and amped them up to eleven. Rather than simply having them as support structures and extra parts they lived in the trees themselves, houses grown from the plants around them. Bridges of vine connected platforms of living wood between the giants they were suspended in.


    While I liked my home this place much more resembled the ideas that most of the people of Earth would have associated with my kind. It was clear that there was some sort of connection here, something more at play, however I didn''t yet know what.


    The village was obvious once you got near, and I was sure that from the air it would be even ore so. Each of the trees here was far larger than the surrounding ones, with the centerpiece being more akin to a miniature skyscraper than something formed from normal wood.


    ¡°That''s some kind of tree,¡± Chien commented idly.


    ¡°I planted it when I first became a man, as is our tradition. The others of the village were the same, but not mine, rather my kin''s,¡± the old elf informed us.


    ¡°Interesting tradition, is that why all the trees here are so large?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Some of it. When we are able we have those whose power blooms within them strengthen the trees or shape them, growing them larger and larger as we age. Similarly, when we die the trees are no longer strengthened, and will instead eventually join us in death,¡± he explained as we made our way to a ladder that came down to the ground.


    The Elder went up first, along with his people, followed by Chien. I briefly looked at Isha and gave a mischievous smile, only for her to point me at the ladder with an amused expression. We both knew the view the other would have on the way up, as brief skin clothing sort of beat that into your system.


    When she finally made it to the top Isha spoke. ¡°So the others are from your family?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± the Elder explained. ¡°That was my sister''s tree,¡± he said indicating one close to the large central behemoth. ¡°My cousin, my grand-niece,¡± he listed as we moved about. ¡°Most are gone now, but are honored by those who''ve taken up residence in their trees.¡±


    When we reached his home it was fairly nice by all metrics. With the height there was little dirt inside, and of course the floors and walls were shaped magically, so they formed more organic looking openings. There were even some fungi that let off a soft light glowing on what were clearly brought in logs, rather than the tree itself.


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    ¡°So what happened to the Ancients?¡± we were asked as we came in, a few of the locals bringing food for us.


    ¡°There was a great battle at the city. They fought, others fought as well, and when it was all done Cino killed Atal, only to be felled by one of our leaders comrades,¡± it was the truth, even if I wasn''t taking credit, though nonspecific enough that I didn''t anticipate any issues.


    ¡°Is the one who put down Cino taking over as the new leader?¡± he asked in response.


    ¡°No, we are now without an Ancient. Do you think it likely any of your people will...¡± I didn''t even finish before he began shaking his head.


    ¡°We prefer to stay in our forest, and I doubt any of the oldest will change what they want.¡±


    I shrugged, perhaps some of the others wanted an Ancient around, but I didn''t much care for them. If there were things we needed them for it might be better to just improve tactics and weapons. My opinion was that they would be better in the long run than one potent leader who could otherwise do whatever they wanted.


    ¡°We understand, if it is not too much to ask, could you point us in the fastest way to the Ancient?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I will provide you with a guide and some food for part of the way, since clearly you''re unused to this place,¡± he said with a small laugh. Fair enough too, we really didn''t know our way around. ¡°And also some advice, travel in the afternoon and seek shelter high. There are few beasts in the forest, but those that are here are difficult to battle. Between that and the rains you do not want to be on the ground at night.¡±


    His piece spoken he invited us to eat, and we got to try the local foods. They were wildly different than what I was used to, with almost no roots or berries and few meats at all. Much of what was brought looked something like a breadfruit, large and round, seared on the outside. With it came a number of other more familiar fruits, and a lot of salad. If they didn''t go to the ground much that made sense, leaves were easier than digging in the dirt, and perhaps they were even grown up here. We were also given a number of eggs, cooked in the shell, a good substitute for the otherwise missing protein.


    Overall the Elder here was quite pleasant, it seemed he understood our mission, and approved of it. I didn''t even need to question why that was, since I was basically telling him that his border, something which for the last year or so would have been a major thorn in his side, was now secure as it could be.


    The other villagers were much more standoffish. They didn''t take any action against us, but it was clear too that they really wanted nothing to do with our group at all. Briefly I wondered why that was, but it seemed impolitic to ask, so I let it go. At any rate we''d be out of their hair soon enough, so there was no need to stress about it.


    About noon small sacks of a tough, sewn together leaf, were delivered, and we met our guide. He was shorter than me, with brown hair and sharp eyes.


    ¡°I am Rolan, son of Rylan, and the Old One has asked that I guide you part of the way to the Great Tree,¡± he announced.


    ¡°Well met, I am Justin, these are Isha and Chien,¡± I said as our spokesman.


    ¡°It is considered polite to name your fathers as well,¡± he informed us.


    With a nod Isha and I did just that, our third member though ran into another snag.


    ¡°Never met him,¡± Chien said with a shrug.


    ¡°But certainly you know his name?¡± Rolan asked.


    ¡°Nope,¡± he answered with a smile.


    The guide seemed a bit taken aback by that, almost unsure of what to say. ¡°Then... did another man of your family raise you? That would be the next best answer.¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    It was clear that we''d thrown Rolan through a loop here, and with how serious he seemed to be in his introduction I was sure that Chien was having a blast with it.


    ¡°Then another? Certainly there has been someone.¡±


    ¡°Closest to that is Justin, started teaching me when I was still this high.¡± Chien made a hand motion of about how tall he was when we first met, strangely accurate at that too.


    ¡°Then you are Chien, of the tree of Justin,¡± Rolan said before approaching me and clapping a hand on my shoulder. ¡°To take in a child that is no relation to you is a noble thing.¡±


    ¡°I don''t think I deserve any merit in that,¡± I replied, having been mostly taking in the kid for my own reasons.


    ¡°Humility too. I think I will like traveling with you Justin.¡±


    I on the other hand thought it might be a bit of a chore, something the snickering behind me almost certainly confirmed.

 Chapter 118 Paths Through the Trees

    Rolan was by no means the worst traveling companion I''d ever had, but he was certainly the most serious. He was, formal, like everything had to be exactly the right way all the time. Knowledgeable too, being able to show us to paths we''d never have found on our own that arced through the trees rather than the ground. If he could just relax a bit we''d all have gotten along a lot better though.


    ¡°It sure seems like a lot of effort to build and maintain all these,¡± I said as we crossed another bridge between two giants.


    ¡°Less than you''d think. The paths are alive, so just a bit of work here and there keeps them as they should be. If they were dead wood and fiber like your people use it would be, but we prefer it this way.¡±


    There was a good point to that. The bridges were fairly nice too, and while I didn''t really love that they were something that I couldn''t work with I''m sure those like mother who could have would probably appreciate it. The vines stretching between trees with an almost wicker weave for a floor. I wondered just how far you could take this, though I also felt I was likely to find out.


    ¡°So you just grow them? Is it really that easy?¡± Isha asked, and since she could work magic I couldn''t she might well know better than I.


    ¡°Easy? No, but worth the time,¡± Rolan answered. ¡°Do you mind if I ask one in return?¡±


    ¡°Go ahead,¡± I offered.


    ¡°I''d like to hear about the battle, about the glorious war between the two Ancients. I''ve never truly seen one fight and it must have been amazing.¡±


    For a few moments you could almost hear the crickets. Nobody spoke, but those of my camp looked at me, watching, waiting to see what I would say. That was good, for I truly did have my own opinions on the matter, and neither Isha nor Chien had been present for the deaths of the Ancients.


    ¡°It was not glorious, it was not wonderful. Perhaps there are battles like that, battles where someone is right and they do well and there is honor, but there was none in that fight. Cino killed Atal with his magic, and died shortly after. In the end there was poison on the ground, smoke in the air, and more dead younglings than I cared to ever see,¡± I told him.


    ¡°I... youths?¡± he seemed confused.


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    ¡°Yes, our enemy used them as soldiers, poisoning them and sending them to die. By the end of it all far too many lay dead.¡±


    That made him be quiet for a time. Rolan didn''t seem the worst sort, and probably held to most of the same kind of traditions we did, but there was much he didn''t know. So we passed much of that day in silence, trudging along the roads grown into the sky.


    Night came eventually, and in one of the trees there was a sizable hollow. It looked like something from an old nature film, like the inside of a giant bird''s nest, sans most of the nesting materials. The entrance was small, and covered by a wicker door, presumably to keep wildlife out, but soon enough we''d settled inside and set up our watch.


    The sun set slowly, sinking unseen until the forest was deep in darkness, and then a new life began to awaken among the underbrush. There were fireflies here and there, pulsing like a wave near the forest floor, signaling to one another. Among them, in the excess light they gave off and the slivers of moonlight that slipped through the branches roamed animals, mostly small critters looking for food. Even birds sang in the night, something that didn''t happen much where I came from, species that lived in this area telling others of their kind about their territory.


    ¡°It is beautiful isn''t it?¡± Rolan asked as he settled near me.


    ¡°Yes, almost peaceful,¡± I agreed.


    ¡°Anything but,¡± he chuckled. ¡°I used to think it was peaceful, but down there they war. Each of those creatures seeks mates, or food, or to fight others of their own or different kinds. It is beautiful, but only because we watch it from so far away.¡±


    ¡°An interesting take,¡± I said thoughtfully.


    ¡°I offended you earlier, I apologize. Watching from afar I thought the war you were in must have been glorious, but much like this,¡± he pointed below. ¡°It would have been much different from your perspective.¡±


    ¡°I made weapons,¡± I told him.


    ¡°Oh? And I took you for a soldier.¡±


    ¡°Not normal ones, special ones, ones just for that war. I made weapons so horrid that when it was over, they asked me to take on this task. The people of the city fear me I think, fear me for what I did.¡±


    ¡°Ah, that... makes sense. New things can be fearful indeed, but do you regret it? Would you have held those back had you known what would happen?¡± he asked.


    ¡°No. I have regrets, failures of my own, but knowing what I knew, and what I know, I do not regret my actions.¡±


    I saw Rolan smile across at me from the little opening we sat beside. ¡°Then put it from your mind, for we must all do things we hate doing. It''s sometimes better than doing naught at all though, and knowing which is which is the most important.¡±


    ¡°Atal was... well I won''t say I trusted him, or thought him a particularly kind person, but he did some good didn''t he? His rule was at least peaceful and fair to an extent. I wonder how the city will fare without him,¡± I mused.


    ¡°Did you know him?¡± Rolan asked.


    ¡°Hmm? Oh, a bit. Like I said, I made weapons, and I made some for him.¡± I laughed. ¡°It was almost funny, he was so excited when I got him the first prototypes and they functioned for him at all. I get the feeling he missed the way a spear felt in his hand, or a club. Most emotion I ever saw out of him if I''m to tell you the truth.¡±


    Rolan lay back a bit. ¡°Yes, it seems that the older one of us gets the more we become bored by things. Elders get it bad sometimes, where they become almost like trees, hardly moving unless they must, hardly reacting. I hope I never become like that.¡±


    ¡°Nor I, but you know, there seems to be so much in the world we don''t know that I doubt I''ll ever run out of topics to look into.¡± I looked up. ¡°Who knows, maybe one day we''ll walk among the stars, having learned more secrets than we could have ever imagined.¡±


    ¡°That my friend is a dream, one you should pursue. If you aim so high I''m sure that you''ll find great and wonderful things. Take care though, sometimes we end up doing more damage than we could imagine if we should fall.¡±

 Chapter 119 Talks with Rolan

    I thought it impossible that the flora would get bigger than it already was in those first days that Rolan traveled with us, and I was proven wrong. The trees didn''t seem to get much taller, but they got thicker, wider, with branches that I could have walked down. They weren''t quite the size of a city block, yet, but they were easily their own small ecosystems. There were things living in them, in the little pools that gathered in the hollows, in the bark and along their length and breadth. Most of the animals we saw up with us were small, but they weren''t the only things about.


    ¡°I don''t want to fight that,¡± Chien said, looking where we all were.


    ¡°Agreed,¡± I informed him.


    ¡°It''s not a predator, so even if it sees us it''s likely to leave us be. Well, so long as we don''t threaten it,¡± Rolan pointed out, and I could see what he was talking about.


    The creature in question looked almost like an elephant, though there were no tusks, and it had a thick, shaggy coat. It was also easily thrice the size of the largest of those I''d ever seen, a creature that could dwarf them. It trudged along, reaching out now and then to rip up a low-lying piece of vegetation and eat it, munching on ferns and vines that were easily as large as I was.


    ¡°Even those that eat plants can be pretty nasty if you anger them,¡± I pointed out, remembering the stories of moose from Earth.


    ¡°True, but we''re not planning on fighting it are we?¡± Isha asked.


    ¡°If you do I''m not helping,¡± Chien said with a shake of his head.


    At any rate the creature was a couple hundred feet below us. I certainly wasn''t going to go and irritate it, and none of our companions seemed keen to either. Of course I did have some questions.


    ¡°No, we''ll leave it be. Though, Rolan, do your people ever hunt those? I imagine that one would give quite the amount of food.¡±


    ¡°Sometimes,¡± he answered. ¡°Though generally only at the end of the mating season. The males that lose their fights for the females will be injured and can be taken without too much trouble, assuming enough powerful individuals come together to work. Sadly while there''s a good bit of meat on them it is rather tough, not one I''d recommend.¡±


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    As days passed we skirted the territories of some of the other villages, the center of the forest was still some ways away, and we didn''t want trouble with any others. Night after night darkness came, washing over the world, and night after night I found myself in deep conversation with Rolan.


    ¡°You wish to see a world where there is plenty?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Yes, though more than that, a world where our people are safe,¡± I returned.


    ¡°Our?¡±


    ¡°Yes, our, all of us. Not just those who live in the coastal forest, or the great northern one, even Cino''s people who live upon the plains. A better world for each and every one of us, where children can be safe and monsters do not hunt our kind.¡±


    He chuckled. ¡°That is a pleasant dream, but I doubt it will ever come to be.¡±


    ¡°It may not,¡± I agreed, certainly Earth had it''s fair share of problems. ¡°But even if things are better than they are now that is something. Even if the goal we seek is unreachable I still think the seeking is worth something, is it not?¡±


    ¡°I suppose, and even my people have worked towards that. Progress is slow, but I''ve been told that before our Ancient took power the forest was much darker and more dangerous place, with fearsome beasts that no longer roam it. Nowadays there are far fewer monsters to hunt us, and we live in relative peace. The fruits also grow bigger, though nobody is sure why.¡±


    ¡°Hm? Oh, that''s likely because people protect and plant more from the best tasting ones,¡± I said, stretching.


    ¡°How should that matter?¡± he asked. ¡°Do you think the new ones remember the old?¡±


    ¡°No, nothing like that. It''s just that if a vine produces tasty fruit, then it will be propagated. Most or all of its descendants will be like it, but if for some reason or another one tastes just a bit better then it will become the one people want to grow. Continue this for many generations and they''ll improve.¡±


    I didn''t bother going into the deeper parts of evolution with him, but that basic concept was simple enough for anyone to understand.


    ¡°But how does it know what to make?¡± he asked.


    ¡°It doesn''t need to. Look, children look like their parents right?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    ¡°It''s like that, but with fruit, or leaves, and over many, many generations. Small changes heaped one on top of another that lead to slightly larger changes.¡±


    There was a look in Rolan''s eyes, something, odd. He looked as if he understood, but he wanted more, more understanding, to know why I thought this way, why I thought what I did.


    ¡°What makes you think this is so?¡± he finally asked.


    ¡°Experience,¡± I answered.


    ¡°Odd, you''re an odd one Justin, a very odd one. You''re young, I can tell that by how you move, but you also feel, old, older than you should be.¡±


    ¡°Atal thought much the same of me,¡± I admitted.


    ¡°I imagine he did. I''m sure our Ancient will want to talk to you at length, and don''t think that he''ll let you get away with not telling about exactly how Atal came to die either. My understanding is that the two were, if not friends, at least well known to one another.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, one of Atal''s people said they got along well. His granddaughter Jina. I rather like her, even if she''s a bit rough around the edges sometimes,¡± I said, leaning back.


    ¡°Is she the one taking over from Atal?¡± he asked. ¡°I was of the understanding that nobody had.¡±


    ¡°No, she''s... doing other things, things she feels she must. Personally I think if she tried most people would accept it, but she doesn''t seem to want to. I get that too, leading is probably no fun at all.¡±


    That set him to laughing. ¡°No Justin, leading is seldom enjoyable.¡±


    While I was supposed to be up and watching I found myself strangely tired. Rolan gave me a motion that I could rest, and within moments my eyes shut, letting me drift off into sleep.

 Chapter 120 The Great Tree

    Though our journey wasn''t that long I liked to think Rolan and I became friends. That was something I''d had few of in either life, but he was inquisitive, decent, and generally interested in what others thought, and that went a long way. For my part I answered his questions about my thoughts where I could, but there were some things I still wasn''t willing to share with anyone.


    ¡°Tomorrow we''ll be in sight of The Great Tree,¡± he informed us as we ate dinner, a mix of food Isha had summoned and some greens he''d shown us.


    ¡°Glad to hear it, I''m looking forward to seeing what you guys have for a city and spending tomorrow night there will be something to look forward to,¡± Chien said through a mouthful of food.


    ¡°Agreed, and we''re almost out of supplies,¡± Isha pointed out. She''d taken to managing that aspect of our journey, similar to how she''d helped with running my home back before we''d left Atal.


    ¡°Um, no,¡± Rolan said with a shake of his head.


    ¡°No?¡± I asked.


    ¡°No, we''ll not be resting in the settlement tomorrow. I''d explain, but it''ll be easier to just show you in the morning.¡±


    The rest of us just shrugged. He''d been an excellent guide through the forest so far and we had no reason to worry about waiting until dawn to see. Perhaps the settlement was visible from far off, the center standing out from the surroundings, or maybe we''d be on a hill or something. I really didn''t know what the underlying ground was doing, having spent so long in the treetops.


    Well before dawn we rose, Rolan thinking we should get into position, so we did walking in the cool morning darkness. I summoned a number of magical lights to guide us, simple glowing orbs to show the way as Rolan moved us into position. Before too long we found the place he wanted and our direction changed.


    As the patches of sky visible through the thick canopy began to lighten we climbed. It was clear that we weren''t the first, stairs and simple rails growing from the tree we were ascending. Step by step we reached upwards, like the branches all around us, aiming for the sky. Even in the excellent shape we were all currently in we were also quite tired by the time we made it, bursting forth from the shade of the leaves and onto a bough that grew above the surrounding limbs.


    ¡°So, what are we looking at?¡± Chien asked looking around.


    ¡°The largest tree in the forest,¡± Rolan said pointing towards what appeared to be a mountain.


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    ¡°Is it on that mountain?¡± my young apprentice asked, making me shake my head, though even I didn''t want to believe it.


    ¡°No, it is that mountain,¡± I said, trying to fathom what I was seeing.


    You''d be forgiven for missing it at first, but that particular plant was... impossible in size. I couldn''t make out the branches, or what was on them, but the thing had to be a mile high. There were low-lying clouds around it, and it seemed to just blend, like it was meant to be there. Smaller trees grew all about, giants surely, but nothing compared to the mammoth there. Heck it wouldn''t surprise me if there were a good few growing under it as well.


    I''d have to check, but as Rolan had pointed out, not today. It was far, and our movement through the forest wasn''t exactly fast most of the time. Trudging through bridges and over old limbs wasn''t quick, and it wasn''t like there was a river for boats or anything. Then again, with flora and fauna this large I''d hate to see what kind of monsters would live in any body of water.


    ¡°Magnificent,¡± Isha said, earning her a small smile from Rolan.


    ¡°It is isn''t it. I never get tired of seeing it in it''s full glory.¡±


    ¡°Have you been here many times?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Oh, a good few over my years.¡± I''d known he was older than me, but not how much. Less than a hundred years presumably, since he had none of the white hairs we gained at such an age.


    As we got closer and closer it was clear that the paths were more maintained, the trees more curated. That wasn''t to say there were tons of people about, as it was another day-and-a-half before we met another elf on one of the paths between the trees.


    ¡°Hail strangers,¡± he said as he approached, packs bulging all over his body. He was clearly a trader of some kind, out and off to wherever he was going.


    ¡°Greetings,¡± I nodded. ¡°Hard journey?¡±


    ¡°Oh, no better or worse than any other, and just starting out at any rate.¡± He began setting down his burdens and stretching a bit, looking us over. ¡°Please call me Layen. So, anything in particular you''re looking for?¡±


    ¡°We were going to wait until we got to the center...¡± Chien demurred, looking towards us.


    Layen looked almost shocked, eyes going between each of us. ¡°You''re from far away, I can tell by your clothes, but surely you won''t leave me without some exchange?¡±


    Rolan coughed. ¡°It''s considered bad luck for a trader to not have some business with those he meets if he''s more than a day from any settlement. Indicates that the other side doesn''t trust him, or means him harm. Even an exchange of stories is enough, if you have nothing else.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes,¡± the man nodded. ¡°Even if it''s not much.¡± He gave an odd look to Rolan, but then returned his gazes to the rest of us.


    ¡°I''ve got a few beads I could part with if you''ve something to make our dinner more interesting,¡± Isha offered.


    Back in Atal beads were the medium of exchange, with rarer types and materials acting as larger denominations of the local currency. What Isha offered were some of the cheapest from the city though, small shells similar to cowrie, not even colorful ones. It seemed she didn''t expect much from this exchange.


    ¡°Oh, those are interesting. Use them in your hair and stuff? Novel, not sure how people will take to it, but I''m sure we can come up with something for it.¡±


    ¡°Is wearing such things not common around here?¡± Almost everyone back home had some worked into their outfits somewhere, often better off women flaunted them like wealth, which they were of a sort.


    ¡°Not really no,¡± Layen answered.


    ¡°Then what do people decorate themselves with?¡± Isha asked, tilting her head. Seems she''d never really considered other options.


    ¡°Oh, feathers, bits of shell worked into clothing if you can get it, and you can tell someone''s really well off if their clothes are grown, you know, all the leaves perfectly shaped. Takes skill to do that right, but almost nobody wastes their time.¡±


    I was finding this all very interesting. Each culture had its small differences even if we were close enough to all speak the same language. Chien had other thoughts though and elbowed me before leaning in to speak close.


    ¡°Boss, should we worry about funds? I didn''t bring much other than beads to trade with.¡±


    I just smiled. ¡°No, I''ve got some ideas,¡± I answered as Isha pulled a few small herbs from the man, looking rather pleased with what she''d managed to get.

 Chapter 121 Ascent of the Tree

    Unlike Atal, where there was a wall, here in the forest there were no such things. That didn''t mean that there weren''t guards, there were, and we were certainly stopped well before we got to the shade cast by the arboreal king that dominated this region. Most of them only took a few moments to look us over and ask basic questions though, and since we were a small group with a woman and youth in tow it was clear we weren''t here to make war.


    Once we were under the branches themselves I couldn''t stop looking. There were houses and businesses grown from the thick bark, pulled up with even more plants atop them. More than that though were the clouds.


    ¡°It has its own weather,¡± I remarked, looking at the condensation hanging in the air.


    ¡°Oh yes,¡± Rolan confirmed. ¡°Particularly at this time, near the rainy season this place is unbearably wet.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± asked Isha, outside the branches there were no clouds this low.


    ¡°Water evaporates, like your hair drying, and when it does it goes into the air. From there it moves about, into the sky to fall again as rain. However with the leaves covering it here it cannot escape. It acts like the roof of a hut, keeping smoke, or in this case water, in.¡±


    All of them looked at me, and I realized that once again I''d said something strange.


    ¡°I''ve... never heard it put like that,¡± Rolan said, giving me a questioning look.


    ¡°Justin''s weird,¡± Chien answered.


    ¡°But normally right,¡± my lover added.


    ¡°Yes, normally right.¡± For the time that seemed to satisfy Rolan, but I made not to keep my mouth shut around him for just a bit longer.


    Some of the bridges here were getting to truly impressive sizes, living vines and wood grown was only so strong. As we approached one moving us to a branch with something akin to a road on it I bent down to look, letting a few drops of the forming rain bounce off the back of my neck.


    ¡°See something boss?¡± Chien asked.


    ¡°These shouldn''t work,¡± I said.


    ¡°And why not?¡± our guide asked, seemingly offended.


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    ¡°Look at the size Rolan, they''re massive, and plants are only so strong. Is something done to strengthen them?¡± There had to be magic worked into them somewhere, either a special type of plant or something else, I just couldn''t work out what.


    ¡°The Old One back in the village did some things to make the vines there stronger, so probably. I''m sure we could ask someone, but how did you know?¡±


    ¡°Rolan I''ve built a lot of things now. Not a lot of bridges, but a lot of things, and there''s a certain point where all materials stop working. A short crossing made of plants is one thing, they can do that no problem. This one will take us to a count a at least a thousand and four people could walk it beside one another. That''s different, and I don''t think most plants could handle that, their own weight would be a problem.¡±


    ¡°And you don''t trust them?¡± Rolan inquired.


    ¡°Oh, I''m sure they work, I just want to know how. Would help for doing things in the future.¡±


    After a few minutes I decided that it was both a question for later and one I hadn''t the expertise for right now. I wasn''t really a plant guy, just thought they were neat, and I''d wasted enough time on it. We also had several people stopping to look at us strangely, and we weren''t really here to cause a ruckus, so it was time to keep going.


    It took over an hour to reach the trunk of the central tree, and when we did I was still stunned. The size simply couldn''t be overstated, looking almost like something from a painting surreal. It put to shame anything from Atal, or that I''d seen in this world so far, and gave me some hope that there were many new things to see.


    A path had been grown for those going up or down, stretching and winding between the different branches and their districts, and we began to climb. Going a mile up didn''t seem like too big a deal, until you realized that we weren''t going straight up. To keep the incline manageable the ramp wasn''t that steep, meaning it was long, miles and miles long of circling the massive tree, almost seeming to go up by mere inches.


    ¡°Don''t suppose you know a way to fly Justin?¡± Chien asked, looking tired.


    ¡°I''ve got some ideas, but none that are immediately helpful.¡±


    ¡°On flying?¡± Isha and Rolan chorused.


    ¡°None that are immediately helpful. Are you sure we have to go up all the way Rolan?¡± It had been him who''d led us here so far, though he didn''t look as bothered by the hike as the rest of us.


    ¡°The Ancient resides on the highest level, not quite the very top of the tree, but close. Being high and above others indicates how close to him you are.¡±


    Looks like the idea of ''having a view'' was almost multiversal too. I couldn''t really blame him, the ruler of this place could probably have things brought straight to him if he wanted, and seeing the whole forest from that height really had to be beautiful, at least a bit.


    ¡°I''m sure we could find you a mountain or a massive tree to live in one day Justin,¡± Chien needled, seeing my thoughtfulness on the subject.


    ¡°Nah, never really liked being too high up. Pretty to see, but not where I''d want to live.¡±


    A few more moments and our break was done. I had to give it to the locals, even if I thought their idea of living like this was weird they did at least put plenty of sitting areas along the path for those ascending to take breaks on. It''d be necessary for people who didn''t have body-based magic or weren''t able to just hurl themselves through the sky by some method or another. By the forth hour though I was sorely tempted to try and figure out how to fly though, if not for me than for Isha, as she looked miserable.


    ¡°Please tell me we''re nearly there,¡± she griped.


    ¡°Almost, but we might want to wait here for a bit longer. If you''re not in a rush?¡± Rolan said.


    ¡°Not horribly, but why?¡± I returned.


    ¡°You''ll see.¡±


    It was already late, the sun starting to set, so we took a longer break to eat some and have a little picnic. Even this high up there was plenty of room, and since these areas were specifically for rests nobody cared. As darkness fell I began to see what Rolan meant too.


    Slowly, quite slowly at first, the dark places below us began to shine. In the shadows near us I saw them too, flowers and vines that gave off a pale radiance in varied colors. It wasn''t bright, not the strong light of a fire, but it was more than enough to see by. I''d not noticed it on the way here either, the leaves shielding the glow, but now below me the branches and homes began to stand out.


    ¡°No fires, just... plants?¡± Chien said, looking below us at the shimmering lights.


    ¡°It gets dry, fire would be dangerous, but these,¡± Rolan nodded.


    I was glad we''d stopped like he said, perhaps I wasn''t much for ''views'' but this one was certainly one to see.

 Chapter 122 Another Ancient

    When we finally reached the top of the tree we were greeted by a several guards. They looked us over as if waiting, waiting for what we had to say.


    ¡°I am a messenger from the lands of Atal, here to deliver news to your Ancient,¡± I declared.


    After a few more moments of staring one sighed. ¡°Come in please.¡±


    Even at the top of this absolute monster of a plant there was a ton of room. It was also clear that the inside here was almost completely hollow. That didn''t make a lot of sense with what I knew about plants, but who knew what sort of nonsense a powerful magus could come up with if they had centuries to think it over, so there wasn''t really a point in worry too much. It did make me wonder how this tree grew though, questions I could ask if it came up.


    There were rooms, and we were shown to one, not carved or cut, but simply a part of the tree, grown fully from the wood. It even had a few places to sit, with woven branches for softer spots and a small risen table to wait at.


    And wait we did, an hour passed while our group sat there, doing nothing. Perhaps the local Ancient was busy, or sleeping, or just didn''t want to see us. It rankled though, being made to wait like this, even if there was nothing for it.


    ¡°Mind if I go talk to the guards?¡± Rolan suggested. ¡°Maybe see what''s going on?¡±


    ¡°Go for it,¡± I encouraged. I may not have known the proper procedure, but perhaps he knew some way to speed things up.


    He did, and after some moments of whispering that I didn''t bother trying to listen in on gave me a smile.


    ¡°I''ll be back a little later,¡± he told me.


    ¡°Look Rolan, be careful. I knew Atal fairly well and he wasn''t one to suffer fools. If the Ancient doesn''t want to deal with you, or tells you to go away, do it.¡±


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    He patted my shoulder and thanked me for the advice before leaving with one of the guards. Shortly afterwards we were told that we wouldn''t be seen tonight, but that we could sleep in this room. That was a bit bothersome, but having a roof over my head was at least something nice. Would have been better if they''d provided a proper area to sleep though, or some privacy.


    ¡°Is he coming back?¡± Chien asked as Isha pulled in close to me and began to curl up.


    ¡°It''s fine,¡± she assured him. ¡°If they wanted us hurt, they wouldn''t need to wait.¡±


    That wasn''t reassuring, but what did help was our guide returning in the middle of the night. I''d just woken up to relieve Chien of the guard rotation, something we were keeping regardless, and he quietly strode in, smile on his face and a small basket of fruit under one arm.


    ¡°Everything well?¡± I quietly inquired.


    ¡°No problems. Just needed to explain some things, we even got some snacks.¡± He passed me one of the fruit, a small almost citrus-like thing.


    ¡°Thanks, it''s been good traveling with you.¡± The snack was sour, quite so, but I didn''t much mind that.


    ¡°You too Justin.¡±


    ¡°After we deliver the message, well, we''re off to the West. Going to try and go around Cino''s lands and get to the plateaus up there. From my understanding that''s the next Ancient.¡±


    ¡°I''ve heard of her, she''s... well, she probably won''t hurt you without cause, but those folks are supposed to be pretty rough.¡±


    ¡°Want to come? If you don''t have anything else going on we''d love to have you.¡±


    He chuckled. ¡°I appreciate the offer, but sadly I can''t run off to circle the world with you.¡±


    ¡°Well enough, though I think you''d have enjoyed it. If you change your mind.¡±


    ¡°I''ll let you know.¡±


    From there we did our normal nightly ritual lightly chatting until it was his turn for the watch. It was nice, and even if it was coming to an end it wasn''t like there was no chance of us meeting again. We lived long, long lives, and so friendships could come and go. It wasn''t even like there was a rush to it.


    The next morning a guard came to get us, she seemed pleasant, if formal, and didn''t seem bothered that we weren''t really in the best of conditions. It would''ve been nice if we''d been given something more than the fruit from the night before for breakfast, but I didn''t anticipate that the Ancient was pleased to hear his friend was dead, assuming word had made it before we did.


    We went back outside, circling around the tree a couple more times before finally coming to another little entry. Inside was decorated with glowing plants, vines, and fruit trees, all melded into the wood of The Great Tree. In the center was of course a throne, it seemed Ancients liked thrones, and it fit them, almost king-like in their ways, rulers of our kind. Briefly I wondered if criminals were brought here like they were before Atal.


    One thing was different though, the throne was empty, its owner missing. There were guards, servants, and aides, but the ruler himself was gone, missing. I looked around, but they all just stood there, waiting, watching.


    ¡°What''s going on?¡± Chien whispered.


    By way of answering Rolan stepped forward, one hand coming up to run through his hair. As he did so it changed, the color fading, stripping away. I couldn''t take my eyes off of it, watching his locks go to pure white as he turned, taking his seat.


    ¡°My apologies for the deception,¡± the Ancient said, smiling slightly. ¡°You see, I needed to get home anyway, and learning what I could on the say seemed entertaining. Now, let us talk about what happened in Atal, and who exactly killed whom, and how.¡±

 Chapter 123 A Brief Goodbye

    Rolan, who I''d traveled halfway across these lands with smiled at me from atop his wooden throne. He seemed, at peace, satisfied with how things were going, and to be waiting for me to respond.


    ¡°So, is your name actually Rolan? Or was that a farce?¡± I asked lightly.


    I heard the gritting of teeth from some of those here with us, but the Ancient just laughed, throwing his head back.


    ¡°See, that''s what I like about you, you''re... different. Too few would dare to make a joke like that, even of my own people, even of the ones I like. It is Rolan by the way, but few use it.¡±


    The guards who''d visibly tensed loosened, though a few still glared at me. It was something to disrespect him here and now, even a little. This was his place, his home, his palace, and I had no doubts that if he wanted he could kill me with little effort.


    ¡°Well... I suppose that I''ve done my duty and delivered my message then. Though you said you wanted clarification?¡±


    ¡°Yes, who killed Atal, truly?¡±


    ¡°Cino, managed to get Atal stuck in the air and that was it,¡± I answered easily, it was the truth.


    ¡°Believable, I''ve never seen an Ancient fall that way, but others have. I''m sad to hear it, but what is done is done. The real question though is who killed Cino?¡± He stared at me, eyes boring into mine.


    ¡°I did, with a one use weapon.¡±


    ¡°What kind?¡±


    ¡°Made of magical crystals, not exactly something one finds sitting around everywhere.¡±


    His eyes went wide and he leaned back. ¡°That''s, certainly effective, well, depending on the type of crystal...¡±


    ¡°He deserved it after the number of children he killed. Mind if I ask one though?¡± I didn''t want him thinking too hard on where I''d gotten such a weapon, of if I could make one again. While I didn''t think he''d mean me ill, it was still best to avoid that question.


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    ¡°Go ahead.¡±


    ¡°Why were you at the edge of your territory? It doesn''t seem like a coincidence.¡±


    Rolan laughed. ¡°Oh yes, I was hearing of the increasing issues at the border. While I didn''t want to I did need to consider that I''d have to act. If Cino won, or if he turned his eyes towards our lands next my presence there would have been necessary.¡±


    I sighed a bit. ¡°We really could have used the aid.¡±


    ¡°It was not my place to interfere in the doings of Atal''s lands. There are few of us, and even though I liked him as much as I did that might have ended up with us in conflict. We avoid conflict most of the time, that is how me make it to our ages.¡± Rolan seemed almost saddened by that, but I got the feeling it was the truth.


    Atal didn''t, as far as I knew, ask for any help. Perhaps if he had Rolan would have sent some form of aid, but that would have displayed weakness, a weakness that would have invited other challengers that he surely didn''t want. It also would have put Rolan at risk for a fight that didn''t benefit his people at all. Surely neither of them wanted the trouble, and so they kept separate about it.


    ¡°Now I have a question,¡± Rolan said. ¡°Why did you despise Cino so much?¡±


    ¡°He used horrid tactics, destroyed all that stood before him, and on a personal note destroyed my village. I had many reasons to oppose him.¡±


    ¡°But why did you?¡± he asked once more.


    I took some time to think on that. I''d hated him, but for so many reasons. Sure, Atal had come to me for aid against him, but I wanted it to. Was it for the children? Perhaps if he''d just killed a bunch of kids I''d have fled. Was it that pool? While I certainly didn''t want people messing with it I would wager there was only so much they could do.


    ¡°He killed my family,¡± I finally answered, the pain in my heart knowing that I would never see my parents of childhood friends again giving the answer.


    Rolan leaned back once more, tapping the arms of his throne. ¡°Yes, that is a good reason to oppose someone.¡±


    He looked back at my companions addressing Isha first. ¡°Though we''ve interacted little thank you for joining these two.¡±


    ¡°Justin needs someone to look after him, else he''ll do stupid things like not eat,¡± she returned with a smile.


    ¡°You too Chien, you''ve much growing to do, but I think this journey will help.¡±


    ¡°Of course it will, boss knows his stuff. Nice tree by the way,¡± he joked.


    ¡°Thank you, I planted it when I was young and I must say it has grown better than I could have ever hoped, an old friend and family member of sorts.¡± He seemed to find the comment at least a bit amusing.


    The old elf turned back to me, still smiling. ¡°I enjoyed our time traveling, and while I''ll still have to deny joining you for the rest of your journey I''ll extend this invitation. When you are finished you are welcome to return here, I''m sure that I can find a place for you.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, I''ll keep it in mind,¡± I doubted that I''d ever really want to join this nation, but it was clear that he meant it.


    ¡°In the meantime I''ll have my people prepare you some supplies, to ease your trip.¡±


    With that we were released, perhaps he wanted more, perhaps he didn''t care, after all I was sure that he''d seen more than I could imagine. I got the feeling that while he liked me our grouped ranked far lower on his priorities now that he knew there was no direct threat and that Cino hadn''t been killed by someone aiming for him too. Then again, what did I know of the priorities of a thousands of years old king? Not much other than that he seemed a bit more relaxed and less bored than the last one I''d met.


    We were shown back to the guest room, now deprived of our formerly missing party member. In the time we''d been gone a feast had been arranged though, with plenty of fruits and vegetables, and even a good bit of meat. All of us dug in particularly to the last part, since we''d been lacking in the protein department horribly for the last few days.

 Chapter 124 Lift

    The morning after our meeting with Ancient Rolan we were brought to packs and a selection of supplies. Here came our first surprise, for among the gear brought to us were several garments that looked almost like large coats, sewn from the hides of a long haired animal. There were also blankets of a similar make.


    ¡°Those are going to be heavy,¡± griped Chien.


    ¡°If Rolan sent these to us he must think we''ll need them,¡± I said.


    ¡°He probably knows something about where we''re going,¡± agreed Isha. ¡°They are going to be heavy though, and the packs as well.


    The packs she indicated were large blankets sewn from some similar material, though without hair, clearly meant to be folded up into sacks. They weren''t loaded yet, and rather we''d been brought a selection of dried foods and some basic tools, things that might help us. Overall there was too much for us to carry everything, but some of it at least would be easy to bring. After thinking for awhile I turned to one of the attendants.


    ¡°Excuse me, would it be possible to get some wood, straight pieces about this long? Also a bit of twine?¡± I indicated a few lengths with my hands, and she nodded. After all, I''d not asked for anything complex.


    Over the next hour I built frames, getting some small strips of materials to make into belts and straps. Basic sacks were easy to make, but proper framed backpacks, even improvised ones, would be a lot better for us to take a larger amount of supplies. This was something I''d not bothered with before, but with the extra size and clothing simpler bags wouldn''t do, and I got the feeling if we left those coats behind we''d sorely regret it.


    ¡°Congratulations, you made them heavier,¡± Chien sassed.


    ¡°And distributed that weight so you''re not carrying all of it in one place. Trust me on this, it''ll work better.¡±


    ¡°Oh I do, but I''m still going to joke about it.¡±


    The attendant who''d brought me the supplies watched intently as we tried them on and loaded them up, blinking at the way I didn''t struggle with the much heavier load than expected. She shortly ran off, looking like she was looking for someone.


    ¡°You''re doing it again,¡± Isha quipped, poking me in the arm.


    ¡°The words you''re looking for are ''Thank you'' my love,¡± I returned, no respect today, none at all.


    ¡°For attracting more attention to us.¡±


    Shortly thereafter the attendant and a man I recognized from Rolan''s throne room reappeared. The latter came up to us.


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    ¡°That''s an interesting design, may I?¡± he asked.


    When I nodded he picked up my pack, weighing it, than put it on, moving for a few moments.


    ¡°Thoughts?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I see why our master likes you Justin. I hope you don''t mind if I make more of these.¡±


    ¡°Go ahead.¡±


    ¡°I''m Lein by the way, one of those responsible for bringing new things to pass around here. As a thanks would you mind if I showed you one of my own creations? I think it will make the beginning of your journey easier at least.¡±


    There were enthusiastic nods from our group. I myself was excited to meet another inventor, another man who I could discuss things with.


    ¡°When you''re ready to leave then,¡± he said, seeming happy to wait off to the side.


    It didn''t take us long and soon we were escorted just outside. A short walk away was Lien''s invention, hidden away up under a branch with a little platform leading out to it. I looked up, seeing the spool and the person working it and understood immediately.


    ¡°With this we can speed our way back to the bottom. It doesn''t to all the way, but there are several more on the way, and with them we can bypass most of the walking. Though a lot of people don''t like them.¡±


    It was a lift, more like a basic crane than anything else.


    ¡°I can''t believe we had to walk all that way,¡± Chien sighed.


    ¡°Most people don''t like them,¡± Lien said with a shake of his head.


    ¡°Because it''s incredibly dangerous,¡± I mumbled, using this for people was insane.


    ¡°Would you like to try it out? You''ll get back to the more traveled branches in no time at all.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Isha answered for us, stepping on.


    ¡°Wait,¡± I tried.


    ¡°I do not want to walk that far, if something happens can you fix it?¡± she asked.


    I did some quick calculations based on how much magic I had left and if things did go south I could at least keep us below bone-breaking velocities and guide us to somewhere safe to land.


    ¡°Yes...¡±


    ¡°Then get on Elian, taking hours of marching off our journey is a gift.¡±


    Hesitantly I did, looking down as I white-knuckled one of the ropes holding this thing together. Lien, who I''d thought I might like seemed totally at peace with riding the death-trap down. There weren''t even handrails for goodness sake, just an open platform with a rope lowering it. For cargo that might be fine, but it was stressing me out.


    ¡°You good?¡± Chien inquired, seeing how tense I was.


    ¡°One day Chien I''m going to make a proper elevator, with magnetic locks, and safety cables, and a frame, and a box, and inspections, so many inspections,¡± I said through gritted teeth.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± the ''inventor'' asked.


    ¡°Don''t ask that, you''ll just get nonsense answers,¡± Isha said, patting him on the shoulder. ¡°Well, nonsense until he builds it and shows you what he means.¡±


    ¡°I''d still like to know,¡± he said turning to me.


    ¡°There are so many problems with this.¡±


    I went on to ask him questions about what would happen if the line broke, or we were blown off course by wind, or knocked off because there was nothing keeping us on this thing. He didn''t seem too concerned about them until I went into detail about how that rope would fatigue over time, how it would break, not if, when, how people would die, without question. He looked concerned by the time we made it to the first landing and led us to the next ''lift'' of his.


    That ride down I went on in detail about how there should be safety measures, not one, not two, but plans on plans for failure. How we should remain safe so long as the world kept working as it did almost regardless of what happened. There was so much that for the next two or three lifts I berated him about potential dangers and how these should only be used for cargo.


    ¡°But you''re still riding it?¡± he asked.


    ¡°I have enough power to catch us all if something fails. If I can''t Chien should be able to at least keep us from dying from the fall.¡± My companions at least seemed relieved by that.


    ¡°Ah, I see. Well, that was the last anyway.¡± We got off several landings, and many hours of walking, down. The fact that we didn''t have to basically circle the tree over and over really had shortened the journey down, even if it had stressed me.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± we bid him, and began our walk away.


    ¡°Going back up Lien?¡± one of the operators asked as we turned to leave.


    ¡°I uh, I think I''ll walk actually,¡± he said quietly, it gratified me that at least he was learning.


    Isha briefly pinched my ear. ¡°Poor guy, you ruined his dream.¡±


    ¡°Kept him from killing himself,¡± I retorted poking her. Poking her was fun any time, even if she slapped my hand away.


    ¡°Well, it was fun at least,¡± Chien said as we walked towards the path that would lead us out of the city. With our memories even seeing it once was enough for us to know the way.


    It was sad that we''d lost Rolan from this trip, but he''d be here when we got back. Maybe I would come to see him some time, come and show him some of the things I made, and how he could as well to improve his people''s lives. He was a good enough guy that I didn''t think he''d abuse it too badly.

 Chapter 125 Out of the Forest and Into the Trees

    The trail out of Rolan''s lands was at least sedate. We walked along the paths through the trees, taking our time as we picked our way to the north-west. With the supplies we had and the time we''d taken there was no shortage or rush.


    Isha still stopped to trade with a few of the roaming merchants we met. I got the feeling that there were either more of them here, or there were so many fewer paths that we were meeting more of them. That seemed the most likely explanation at least, as nobody really walked along the ground in the forest. It meant that though there weren''t really fewer people they seemed more concentrated, and you passed by basically every village regardless of wanting to or not.


    Nobody stopped us on our way out either, at least not more than just to talk. A lot of the Elders were curious where exactly we thought we were going, but when it was explained they let us pass. After all, we''d seen their Ancient already, and he''d not had us thrown off of his tree, (Something I later learned was an occasional execution method) so we must be fine.


    The village structure was similar to ours, though that made sense. One older elf leading the others who were younger than them. Even in the trees there must still be monsters now and then, and a more powerful individual would be needed to fight them. Their gathering was far, far different though. These elves didn''t do as much digging for roots as our people did, instead preferring vines, ferns, flowers, nuts, and mosses that could be harvested from their treetop homes, or grown there.


    They even had a basic form of something I was stoked to see.


    ¡°Look on the roofs Chien,¡± I enthused as we passed through one village.


    ¡°Looks like moss,¡± he answered, squinting.


    ¡°The same moss they gave us to eat,¡± Isha said, seeing where I was going with this.


    ¡°Yes, they''re growing it here themselves. Even if it can''t be gathered this will make it a sustainable food!¡± I was so proud of them.


    ¡°Is this that agriculture stuff you''re going on about again? It looks nothing like what you did back in Elayatol,¡± Isha griped.


    ¡°Of course not, that was a ground based attempt,¡±


    ¡°That made a mess.¡±


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    ¡°And here they''re growing it up in the trees. This is also a perfect environment for moss, warm and wet.¡±


    My lover rolled her eyes, she''d never thought much of my attempts at farming. The first had been when I was much smaller, back in the village we both grew up in. It was an abject failure, not just because I was not a farmer, but because nobody cared. The food there had been too common, too easy to gather, so nobody saw any point to it.


    I''d had some success in Atal, selling the concept to people who were in discord about gathering rights. That was all though, and I''d even explained it to the ruler of the city once. He''d understood it, and what it would do, but saw no point to it either. After all the population didn''t grow much or fast and gatherers could get plenty for the city without any of the hard work farming would take. Perhaps he''d been right, with how many people died before getting too old maybe farming wasn''t needed yet. I''d like to change that at some point though.


    After weeks of travel the trees got smaller and smaller, they also changed type. The large ones of the forest looked more like deciduous trees, but as we moved north there were smaller trees interspersed, with needles rather than leaves. There were few at first, just a couple here and there tossed throughout their mighty cousins, but soon the larger ones shrank and were replaced.


    Eventually the bridges couldn''t keep us so high, the giants being too far apart, and sadly we made our way back down to the ground. As we did though we got one look outwards, over the branches and in the direction we were going. I saw the sheer rock faces before us and cringed.


    At first I thought it was mountains, because that would have at least made a lick of sense, but no, not mountains, a plateau, a very, very sizable one. I couldn''t see either end as what seemed to be a sheer face rose from the ground, reaching upwards to the heavens. We even managed to get a nice cold breeze as we stood there looking at it.


    ¡°Why does everyone have to live up high?¡± Chien asked, looking at the direction we were going.


    ¡°Better question, why did nobody tell us what exactly we were going into?¡± Isha retorted.


    ¡°Because they like laughing at people,¡± I told both of them. ¡°I know for a fact that Rolan is sitting back there rolling and smacking his throne at the idea of us marching through what is definitely going to be a blizzard. And if you think Jina isn''t the kind of person who''d let us go into this unprepared you''re wrong, she''s basically a sadist.¡±


    ¡°Jerk,¡± Chien said, shaking his head.


    ¡°Nah, he didn''t warn us, but at least he gave us winter gear. Even if he had it wouldn''t have changed anything. We knew it was going to be cooler, but not this much.¡± I was pretty sure I could see ice decorating the top of that thing, the light white-blue color distinctive even at this distance.


    ¡°Okay, how are we getting up that though, it looks perfectly flat.¡± Isha didn''t seem pleased as she spoke.


    ¡°Don''t know yet, but I''d wager there are crevices we can use. May also be time to develop a flight spell.¡± While thinking on how to do that I descended the bridge to the ground.


    ¡°Wonder why they don''t bring the big trees all the way in,¡± Chien asked as we walked forwards, the number of pines steadily growing.


    ¡°May not be able to, that plateau is rock, no doubt about it. Soil might have something similar below us, getting really shallow really fast.¡± A lot of the depictions of the ocean were like that back on Earth, with a hard falloff in depth at a certain point. It would at least explain the change in vegetation.


    Over the next few days we found ourselves not in our normal forest but in something I recognized from my previous home in the Carolinas, a pine forest. It was pines, pines, pines everywhere, needles everywhere, slippery but at least soft. There were signs of previous burns, but as we approached the rainy season none of those were currently active. By some miracle we''d also missed the pollen season. If we''d arrived to the clouds of yellow dust that must surely arrive yearly I might have just turned around and waited, or burned it down. My eyes found the little orange indicators that it was soon to come though, currently shining a brilliant yellowish-green.


    Everything not covered in needles or the few shrubs trying to make it through the acidic soil was sand, foot deep and loose. At least there were no monsters, which gave me plenty of time to have flashbacks to my first youth, and all the national parks I''d been drug through by well meaning teachers and parents.

 Chapter 126 Yellow Tide

    The base of the rise wasn''t quite sheer, but it was near enough to appear that way. All around the base were stones, starting slowly at first but quickly piling up from where they''d fallen from above. After a couple hundred feet though it went back to the pine forest, clearly marking the barrier between the two regions.


    ¡°Well, that doesn''t look climbable,¡± Chien pointed out.


    ¡°Not easily at least,¡± I agreed.


    We''d managed to spot a waterfall as we got closer and having no other location to choose from headed towards it. I had questions about what it was doing while it was up there, where the water was coming from, and all manner of other things, but those could wait. Right now we needed to figure out how to ascend this thing, and it didn''t appear to want to cooperate.


    The water crashed down, hitting a few spots that might have been capable of holding us, except for the falling fluid, and probably slick as they could be. Most of the water of course was being turned into mist before it hit the ground, forming a sort of cloud, but there was at least some that formed a small lake at the base of it all, before continuing on in a little stream.


    ¡°Those rocks look odd, like they don''t belong,¡± Isha said, pointing at a line of stones, each about the height of one of us. I had to agree, they were off, like their color was different.


    ¡°Let''s see where they go then; maybe we weren''t the first ones here,¡± I said with a shrug, it was better than any of the ideas I currently had.


    The stones meandered up to the side of the waterfall, and then slowly made their way behind it, revealing a small cave, and hidden within the mist a steep stair. Things like this weren''t common, but neither were they unheard of. Elves lived long lives, and those who traveled often had the power to change the landscape, even if they didn''t feel like leaving large signs they might want a way to come back and forth. The hidden safe-house was wet, but with some effort one could make a fire and have shelter from wind or night and the stair would lead the way up. These could be hundreds or even thousands of years old.


    Of course this little spot was a natural place for a rest. It was visible, so anyone trying to travel this route would have no issues finding it, and it had plenty of water for washing or drinking. Food would be sparse, as the pool had little other than tiny fish and some plants, but that wasn''t that big a deal in the grand scheme of things.


    Chien checked the cave while I made my way to the stairs. The craftsmanship was unimpressive. They were uneven, oddly shaped, and tall, but they would serve. Interestingly someone had taken the time to score the surfaces deeply, meaning that at least traction wouldn''t be an issue.


    ¡°Find anything?¡± I asked as he returned.


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    ¡°Whoever used it hasn''t been here in awhile. There was a barrier a few steps in to keep animals out, and you can see where the fire-pit is, but beyond that there''s nothing of note. Doubt anyone leaves things in there.¡±


    ¡°Stairs are rough, I''m betting they just let the rock break where it would,¡± I mused, running my hand over one. ¡°Let''s stay the night, and in the morning we''ll head up.¡±


    ¡°Achoo!¡± came the small sneeze behind me, and I saw Isha rubbing her nose. ¡°Good, something about this place is bugging me,¡± she said.


    The next morning we slowly cleaned up our camp. There was no great hurry, and so we slept in a bit, finally having a sheltered spot to do so. Even the noise from the waterfall was peaceful, repetitive, and calming as it splashed into the pool.


    ¡°I''m going to go wash,¡± Isha declared the next morning. ¡°Who knows when we''ll get another chance.¡± She had a valid point there too.


    I gave her a smile and she flicked my ear before turning to leave. Perhaps in a bit I could join her...


    Before I got the camp fully ready she came back, dripping wet and having clearly hurried to get her clothes on. Chien and I were still going through some of our things, repacking and readying for the ascent.


    ¡°Justin, something''s happening,¡± she said, slightly alarmed.


    We followed her outside to see what she was talking about and I saw it, the wind. Everywhere the wind was beginning to be tainted, stained with the yellow I''d so much feared just a day or two ago. It was late enough that the forest had dried from the dew and now that the wind was picking up it was releasing its sneeze-inducing load everywhere.


    ¡°What is that!?¡± Chien asked, having never experienced pines before.


    ¡°A headache, we need to climb.¡±


    Our female companion was already beginning to sneeze, making cute little noises are her nose tried to rid itself of the invaders. I too could feel it coming on, and had no desire to be here when it arrived in full force, so we quickly gathered up our supplies and began the ascent.


    Chien was leading, while I brought up the rear, making sure Isha didn''t slip in her intermittent sneezing fits. Both Chien and I had stayed at the cave, protected a bit by the falling mist from the allergen while she''d gone right into the brewing storm. Her desire to be clean driving her right into the itching, snot-producing clouds.


    An hour or two in and we found a spot to rest, a little place where a section of the plateau had shorn away, leaving a flat spot on the cliff. The stairs we were using were almost hidden, hard to make out on the rock from the ground, particularly against the plain backdrop. The climb was, in one word, awful. My legs were burning from the odd, uneven movements, and the other two looked much the same.


    Below us though the clouds of pollen roiled in the breeze, the haze drifting along between trees in the circle of life. It looked almost like smog, or fog, rolling over the landscape, safe for the color.


    ¡°Is that stuff dangerous?¡± Chien asked.


    ¡°Just makes your face stuffy and gross,¡± I informed him, pointing to Isha, who was undergoing the symptoms right now. She must have been particularly sensitive to it.


    ¡°What is it?¡± she asked, having never seen pollen like this before.


    ¡°You know how when your with someone and they... you know, and it''s a mess?¡± She looked at me like I was asking stupid questions, certainly she did, we did that all the time. ¡°It''s like that, for trees.¡±


    ¡°I breathed in tree goop?¡± she asked. Interestingly, in our tongue semen was not always addressed as ''seed'' as it was in English, instead most of the more impolite words focused on the consistency.


    ¡°Basically.¡± I heard Chien begin to cackle and realized too late that I really should have held that explanation back.


    She let her eyes darken just a bit. ¡°We will never speak of this again,¡± she informed us.


    ¡°Haha, feeling unhappy Isha?¡± Chien teased.


    ¡°You know we were all in that right Chien? Everyone got a dose, even if Isha got the worst of it.¡±


    That put a damper on him quick, something which our female member took advantage of.


    ¡°What Chien, don''t want to imagine yourself covered in tree goo?¡± she asked, smiling.


    ¡°And here I thought we weren''t talking about this again,¡± he grumbled, before standing and making for the next set of stairs.


    ¡°Oh? Are you sure? I don''t think I mind nearly as much as you seem to.¡±


    Exercising all of my composure, I stayed out of it. It didn''t bother me too much anyway, back in my first life this was an almost yearly occurrence.

 Chapter 127 Glacial

    ¡°I''d like to ask that the next place we go we avoid climbs,¡± Chien said as we neared the top of the cliff.


    ¡°I agree,¡± Isha added.


    ¡°Yes, yes, nobody likes trying to make it up a mountain, or a giant tree, or whatever, and we all agree it sucks.¡± I really didn''t want to have massive climbs, but it seemed as if that was just the way my life was going right now.


    Our ascent had been, slow, mind-numbingly slow. That wasn''t to say that we weren''t making progress, we were, but with this particular climb we were just taking much longer, steepness and all. It was also getting cooler as we rose, away from the warmth that we were used to and into something quite different. By evening all of us had pulled out the extra clothing Rolan had left us, trying to get just a little warmer.


    The next day we made it to where the ice began and I could see that mixed we''d be upon a deep sheet of ice. Perhaps there were parts that wouldn''t be covered by the deep blue material, but some decidedly would be. We also met one of our worst problems, the ice moved, not quickly, not much, but it moved, enough that there were no stairs in it. It looked like parts broke off, falling to the ground far below, and carrying with them bits of the glacier.


    ¡°How are we supposed to get up? Melt new steps?¡± Chien asked.


    ¡°That would take days. You two have been practicing your ability to move things right?¡± When they both nodded I continued. ¡°I''ll do the bulk of it, but help me push us upwards, it looks to only be a couple hundred feet.¡±


    ¡°Flight is supposed to be really hard boss,¡± Chien pointed out.


    ¡°If it were more than this I wouldn''t try, but we can do it.¡±


    They got close, joining me in a big hug and I began to wrap us in a shell of my magic. It had been a time since I''d used so much of my power, but it still came to my bidding without delay, forming and molding around just as I imagined. It was like taking a burden upon my back, work, but not too difficult.


    As I began to lift us I understood Chien''s statements. Picking yourself up like this was a lot of magic, quite a lot indeed and if I hadn''t been practicing controlling kinetic force in such large quantities in the city I doubted I''d be able to pull us all up. It was also disorienting, the sensation was odd, making it hard to stabilize. I suspected it had something to do with the fact that I was moving as I tried to move myself, making the whole thing shift perspective around me quite a bit.


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    Added to those complications was the fact that this wasn''t a brute force type of spell. No, I needed to lift without crushing, and paying attention to orientation. Small movements due to wind had to be compensated for too, and without a stable base that got more and more awkward.


    Isha didn''t seem too bothered, but Chien looked positively green by the time we reached the lip of the glacier, a small push depositing us a few feet from the edge.


    ¡°There''s got to be a better way to do that,¡± I declared, sinking down to take a break.


    ¡°I feel like someone''s picked me up and spun me around their head,¡± my assistant agreed.


    ¡°Babies, it wasn''t that bad.¡± Both of us glared at Isha, who just smiled at her teasing.


    We stood up, brushing off her comments and looked about. Behind us the green carpet of the forest stretched out into the distance, the foliage seeming small from where we stood. Before us brilliant white, swept clean in a few places to reveal the deep azure ice beneath. A few places also had spits of black rock sticking out of them, places where there''d been peaks or rises that for whatever reason resisted the encroaching ice.


    ¡°You''re sure people live up here?¡± Isha asked.


    ¡°Supposedly.¡±


    ¡°How?¡±


    ¡°No idea, but we need to see about finding them.¡±


    All of us were cold, but after some brief discussion about techniques we wrapped ourselves in warm air, cushions to block the chill wind and protect our own heat as we moved about. To my surprise we soon found that the landscape wasn''t quite as empty as it looked. As we approached one of the rocks I could make out small plants, darker than I was used to, but present, nestled around the base and in the crevices, looking for any form of nutrient. There were also a few places in the snowy areas that looked like they had some tracks, though it was impossible for me to tell how old they were.


    Before it got too late we began searching for a place to rest. In the forests we could whip something up in a hurry, but here? I was unsure, but perhaps something built from ice or snow would be best if we couldn''t find a cave. We''d also have to prepare it right, or we''d be miserably cold, and in potential danger.


    Luck wasn''t on our side on the cave front, but ice was everywhere and between Chien and I we could carve blocks of it with relative ease. Large square chunks of the glacial material were easy to come by and move into place, and with a bit of effort we got a little hut that looked like a mix between an igloo and something one would find in a block based video game.


    ¡°Sleeping on ice is insane,¡± Isha grumbled.


    ¡°Who''s being a baby now?¡± I asked, shifting the bits that would be the roof into place.


    ¡°Ice is cold Elian,¡± she said, reverting to my old name again. She was about the only one who switched between them these days, and only when she was truly frustrated.


    ¡°We''ll sleep on the furs, it will be fine. Haven''t you learned to trust me by now?¡± I asked.


    She just pouted, but when it was all done joined me in what was going to be my bed. Bed might have been a very generous term, but at least it was a divot where I could pile up any covering we had to try and keep warm.


    ¡°I''m not going to be cold tonight,¡± she declared, ignoring the spot I''d made for her. She buried herself in my spot, looking at me expectantly.


    ¡°You said keeping the air close was a good idea right? Maybe we should build little chambers around our beds too.¡± Chien properly read the room and brought us in some ice for just that, and it was a good thing he did.


    I was glad for my assistant, for privacy had been hard to come by, and Isha''s actions weren''t entirely for the ''warmth'' of either of us. Over the past few weeks we''d spent almost all of our time together, and in earshot, but with so much building material around more individualized rooms were now quite possible.

 Chapter 128 Pockets of Life

    The plateau''s winter seemed perpetual, snow and ice never going away. Rather than rain instead we had snow, destroying visibility and blowing against us hour after hour. Days passed as what would have been the rainy season advanced and we found ourselves practically buried every morning.


    That wasn''t to say we didn''t make any progress inland, for we certainly did, nor that we didn''t find anything at all, for that too would be untrue. The first came when I was digging us out of our nightly shelter one morning.


    I could have been digging with hands, or perhaps one of the few tools I''d brought along, but no, magic made things easier, and there was no reason for me to waste time and effort trying to do with physical work what I could more easily do with nothing other than the power of my mind. When all of a sudden a head popped out of the side of the tunnel.


    It was a rabbit, a bit large perhaps, pure white and surprised at having met me here. For a moment the two of us blinked at each other, eyes locked before it panicked and turned, fleeing back into its tunnel. I was so surprised that I didn''t even try to catch it. We could have use the meat, sure, but it wasn''t dire or anything, and I took it all as a sign of good luck. This showed that there was still some life up here, even if most of it was hidden.


    Leaving the foot on the lucky rabbit worked, as by midday the snow had all but ceased. That was good, as I was getting tired of keeping all of the spells needed to manage the cold flakes at bay. As the winds slowed and flakes stopped drifting down in waves it revealed that we were some few hundred feet from a patch of small trees. The little evergreens struggled, but pushed their way upwards looking for some freedom from the knee-high snow.


    Seeing a chance to make our journey just a bit easier we pulled some of the ones that looked to be doing poorly. After all, wood was not exactly common here, and we wouldn''t want to deprive the locals of prime materials. The bits we took were spindly and whipish, and made perfect a base for a rudimentary sled. Sled building had been one of the first things I''d taught Chien, and while these were certainly different than the more sturdy constructions now used in and around Atal for dragging things about this one would be excellent for snow.


    A vehicle, even the poor little one they fashioned, greatly sped our progress. No more was our group trying to push through all the snow, struggling for our steps or just melting our way forward with magic, now they sailed across the top of it. Magical pushes and a few good hills made things all the easier, and even fun at times.


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    That''s not to say there were no hiccups. Several times they capsized, sending their whole crew sprawling to the sides and causing no small amount of bruises. Even a bit sore their speed and the sheer enjoyment made it all worth it.


    ¡°Where are we going anyway?¡± Chien asked as they took a break for lunch.


    ¡°No idea,¡± I admitted honestly, getting looks for the other two.


    ¡°Seriously?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Yeah, I don''t know my way around here. My best idea is to wander about for awhile until they spot us and decide to come talk. Do you have any clue where their camp is? Or even how to navigate in this mess? I mean, I can get us a general direction and whatnot, but there have to be paths and passes somewhere.¡±


    ¡°So, what''s our general direction then?¡± Isha didn''t seem impressed with my plan.


    ¡°East, with a bit of a north or south lean at any given time and depending on what we see. If you see anything you want to check out we can.¡±


    An hour later Isha was the one to point a place out. It looked to be a dip in the horizon, surrounded by small hills. Seemed to me a good a place as any to check out, and if not we could make camp there tonight, as it should at the very least be nicely sheltered.


    We weren''t the only ones interested it appeared, as a small herd of some kind of deer had taken up residence in the bottom. There were less than twelve, but all of the bucks had horns that glowed slightly, surrounding a small orb in their heads.


    ¡°Take them?¡± Chien asked.


    ¡°Magic, definitely magic, let''s watch for a bit, see what we can learn before we go in to try anything. I don''t fancy fighting some kind of powerful beast if we don''t have to.¡±


    While the animals seemed a bit agitated at us, occasionally looking up to us where we waited on the edge of the little bowl the fact that nobody was getting any closer or displaying more than interest seemed to keep the m calm. Sadly that meant that I didn''t really learn anything about them, but it was at least a restful way to spend part of my afternoon, or at least it would have been.


    ¡°Hey,¡± I heard a sharp, harsh tone from nearby. ¡°What exactly do you think you''re doing? This is our hunt.¡±


    I jumped and we all immediately began to look around for the unknown voice. The other two looked nervous, but I pushed out a wave of mana, trying to sense anything.


    That failed of course. I''d never tried anything like sonar or the like before, magical or otherwise, and so it was a complete bust. That didn''t mean that it did nothing though, as our visitor wouldn''t know that.


    ¡°Reveal yourself,¡± I said, to no one in particular, getting ready to fight.


    A small pile of snow, not even ten feet from us rose up a bit, to reveal an elf in a full cloth outfit that matched perfectly with the color of the snow, looking like it was one with the surroundings.


    ¡°Don''t play coy with me. We''ve been following this herd for days, they''re ours. If you want some deer yourself go find others, but I''m not giving up a group I''ve spent this much time and effort into. Also, keep your voice down you dolt or you''ll scare them all away.¡±


    ¡°I don''t want the deer, I''m a messenger sent to speak to the locals.¡± He looked at me like I was an idiot. ¡°It''s true, I really am looking to spread news.¡±


    ¡°Whatever, you can wait here then, and when we''re done I''ll take you to see someone, but we need those antlers for our home.¡±


    ¡°Fine, like I said, I don''t care about the deer.¡±


    ¡°Then you''re an idiot, they''re needed, particularly for our house, we''re always trying to get just enough.¡±

 Chapter 129 Icehome

    I stood back and watched the locals go to work. This valley had to have been prepared, either that or they knew the deer would come here, because this was where they were going to take them. I didn''t see them at first, but when it all started dozens of people seemed to pop out of the landscape, spells and spears hurling towards the surprised animals.


    They''d formed a loose circle around the herd, and it looked like they were keen on keeping each and every one of the animals from escaping. I wondered briefly what they wanted the antlers for, but soon decided that it probably didn''t matter too much to me. Perhaps they needed them for weapons or some form of magical ink like those in the tattoos I''d learned to make. Regardless, that wasn''t what I was here for.


    One of the deer jumped, making it over their line and charging for the lip of the valley near where we were. It seemed that our new companion was supposed to be part of the attackers, but in coming up here to deal with us he''d left a small hole in the force. I heard him curse behind me, but since I wanted his help I figured I could do something about it.


    The animal turned as it neared us, clearly trying to get away and that was the moment I sent a flurry of kinetic bolts at it in a fan. The thing was fast, and I didn''t want to let it get away. I was at least careful to make sure the locals weren''t in my line of fire and that I wouldn''t hit the antlers even by mistake, no need to antagonize anyone.


    The newcomer looked at me warily though as the creature went down spasming, of course I''d not even raised a hand to shoot that volley, and it was clearly something that only one of those who had real power could do.


    ¡°That kill is ours,¡± he complained, though I could tell he didn''t want to fight me on his own.


    ¡°I already agreed to that. It was merely an act of goodwill since you seem to want them so badly.¡±


    Chien was chuckling behind me, now that we could see the elves below us we were getting a measure of their abilities. Between the two of us we probably could have driven this group off had we wanted to, and that wasn''t even including Isha. She wasn''t as suited to combat as we were, but her scream attack wasn''t something to underestimate, and against those without enough magic to defend against it it would cause havoc.


    Soon the killing was done and the cleaning began. It was quick and dirty, mostly they just drained the blood from the kills and opened them to remove the organs. All of this was of course packed into skins and containers that each of the hunters had on them, and all of it was done with hurried moves.


    As they did so I took my time to examine their clothes. Each seemed to be made from sewn together skins, but rather than leave the outsides as they were there was snow worked in. Each of them had a layer of the white fluffy stuff all over them, further adding to the illusion. It was also some of the best craftsmanship I''d seen from my fellow elves if I were being honest.


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    ¡°So is there a village nearby?¡± Chien asked while I looked over the progress they were making on the deer.


    ¡°Village? The Icehome is a few days away by foot. How do you not know this?¡±


    ¡°This is our first time here, did I not already explain this?¡± I interjected. ¡°We are looking for your Ancient to deliver our message.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, very well but know that all who stay must contribute to keeping our home warm.¡±


    I wasn''t sure what he meant by that, so I shrugged. ¡°We''ll do what we can within reason.¡±


    The hunters packed the animals on their backs, distributing the load. It wasn''t lost at me that a few were eyeing our little sled, watching it move across the snow effortlessly. They too had some manner of not sinking, though that was huge furry shoes that kept them from sinking. None of them asked to use the sled though, or said anything at all really.


    While our newly met traveling buddies did their best to ignore us we made good time. It was only a few nights more of travel until we reached our destination. They of course had their own manner of tent, which they could deploy with some effort. For our part though we kept using the igloo technique, something which drew some interest. Perhaps they could have used something similar, but oddly there were no magic users among them, only elves with basic abilities like all members of our race seemed to develop.


    When we arrived I agreed with this much Icehome as a name fit this location. The place was a glacier, a massive wall of ice with a large arch carved into one side. From here it was impossible to tell just how big the place was, but looking at the sheet of ice they''d picked to build on it could be of conceivably massive proportions, rivaling Atal or the trees of the forest dwelling elves with ease.


    We walked in without any opposition, though since we were with a known group that might have helped. As soon as we were inside the doors, really large slabs of stone, were moved into place. Another elf approached us, older I could easily tell by the shock of white hair on one side, he looked curious.


    ¡°Welcome outsider, I am Lorn, and I keep this area for Matriarch Neera.¡± I had to guess, but perhaps Icehome was divided up into regions or something? Regardless it didn''t change what I needed to do.


    ¡°Greetings, I''ve come with a message for your eldest. Am I right that this would be the Matriarch?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes. You may stay while awaiting an audience, but know that all must contribute to keeping our home warm.¡±


    I nodded, having already learned that much from one of the hunters. ¡°So long as it is not odious I agree.¡±


    ¡°Oh it''s nothing horrid I assure you,¡± he said with a smile.


    Admittedly Icehome, despite the name, was quite warm inside. I wondered how they were managing that, but knew that patience would save me the trouble in time. The elder excused himself to go and deal with the incoming hunters and while he did Isha tugged lightly on my arm.


    ¡°Look at them, they''re so pale,¡± she whispered, seeming to find it strange.


    It was true, I hadn''t noticed because I was sort of used to differing skin tones in my previous life, but as they stripped off their coats and protections it became clear that they were different from us. All of the elves I''d met had been slightly darker in tone, it didn''t really match anything from Earth, but was closest perhaps to a southern European or perhaps someone from the tropics. However the elves of Icehome were paper white. Their features were much like ours, and like us their eyes came in a few differing colors, but they looked so different. They really must have been isolated for that to happen.


    Lorn returned shortly thereafter, looking pleased. ¡°I''ve sent your request for a meeting to the Matriarch, shall I show you where you may stay until she''s ready to meet with you?¡±


    ¡°Please do. How long does it normally take for her to arrange such a meeting?¡± I asked.


    ¡°It will take as long as it takes,¡± he answered, and I got the feeling that she would be in no hurry at all.

 Chapter 130 Heating Room

    ¡°I still can''t believe that''s how they''re doing it,¡± I complained, not for the first time.


    ¡°Is he still going on?¡± Chien asked as he joined us in the little common room between our sleeping arrangements.


    ¡°Yes, and refuses to hear otherwise,¡± Isha giggled.


    ¡°I refuse to hear otherwise because this is the most asinine, most senseless, most... inefficient way to heat something I may have ever seen.¡± They both just sighed and began to tune me out again.


    Icehome was a lovely structure, and extended deep into the underlying stone. That was important, as it meant that there was always going to be some residual warmth, once you got underground the temperature just didn''t change that much. While they all lived down below the offices and official areas were above inside the glacier.


    My issue was that while they knew they needed to keep it warm, and were even devoting time to such an operation, they were doing it so poorly. Fires underground like this wouldn''t have been practical, but boilers, or some kind of local heaters would have worked. Of course that wasn''t what they''d gone with at all.


    ¡°Well, you''re up anyway, feel free to complain to our hosts,¡± Chien said.


    ¡°I may,¡± I retorted.


    With a sigh I turned and left our quarters, passing by several lamps in the hall. These were fashioned from the antlers of the deer we''d seen before, shaped and used to keep this place bright even if there was no sun down here. Luckily the ''heating room'' wasn''t far from where we stayed, something granted to us by our ''hosts'' after they discovered we all had proper magic.


    After going down several sets of stairs I found the temperature ticking up perceptibly until I finally found my way into the central area of the whole city-like hive of the northern elves. The room itself was swelteringly hot, and I had to stop at one of the little alcoves to remove most of my clothing. This wasn''t odd, as almost all of the elves in here were either in very little, or, in a few cases, nothing at all.


    The room itself was the size of a small stadium and divided into tiers, each moving downwards until they got to the very center, where stood a large crimson crystal. Each successive tier was nicer and nicer, with water features and baths for cooling, or even food and drinks brought to those resting on the tier if you were low enough.


    It was a hive of activity, particularly the upper levels. People were coming in, focusing for a few moments, and then leaving, all of this enforced by a handful of guards who were watching what everyone was doing. The elves up here had developed a few unique techniques for just this place, ones they were more than happy to teach us.


    ¡°Welcome back Justin, heading down to the fourth?¡± asked one of the guards as I left the alcove.


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    ¡°Yes,¡± I said as I spun up the first of the tricks they''d taught us, a sort of rope to feed mana into the central crystal at a distance. I knew the expectations for each tier, and set it appropriately.


    ¡°Goodness friend, you know you could get to the third with ease right? I can see your aura, maybe if you really tried you could be on the second, though not for long.¡± The guard did as all the others did and pushed for more effort, more mana.


    ¡°No thank you, I really am just here for a time until I can meet with the leadership.¡± I always gave the same response.


    The guard didn''t continue to argue, only smiled as I picked my way down the tiers. Some of those on the top frowned at me, but they weren''t here for more than a few moments, just enough time to dump their mana into the stone and leave. They were the workers, the lowest class of this place, with each successive step closer getting more wealthy, more important.


    Heating in Icehome was done through a form of passive ventilation. Cold air was brought in through a series of tunnels, pumped into this room through grates beneath the crystal and as hot air did, rose through holes in the ceiling to heat the rooms above. There was no insulation, no closing off of unused parts, no shutoffs or the like, just a rising of air to circulate through the whole hive, for Icehome could hardly be described as anything else.


    I passed hundreds of elves as I descended, for Icehome contained thousands and thousands, even if relatively few were currently here. Soon enough I found a spot that I favored for these required jaunts, a little area on the fourth tier where there was a small pool to cool off and a few pleasant benches. Cooling off was a requirement as you got closer to the crystal, as even at this distance it felt like I was standing near my forge.


    Each tier down changed the people too. I''d thought that the hunters we met were pale, but they were nothing compared to those here. Spellcasters were treasured and in this society they spent all of their time warming the compound or relaxing away from the cold. By the fifth tier people looked like paper, and when the closest in passed by you could practically see their veins through their skin.


    ¡°Ah welcome back Justin,¡± one of the local women purred as I entered the water, she got close, but not too much, knowing I wasn''t interested.


    ¡°Hello again Imra,¡± I replied cordially.


    ¡°I thought you might come back when Chien left, he is a cutie isn''t he?¡± Chien was fawned over, mostly because he had power and was clearly single.


    ¡°He''s a good kid.¡±


    Soon I laid back, feeding magic into the crystal wasn''t particularly arduous, but it was boring, so I began to play with a small bit of water, snapping it into rings and various shapes as a sort of fidgeting.


    ¡°Hey, you''re pretty good at that,¡± observed one of the others here, coming to see what I was doing. I saw him look on in interest as I ran the little trickle of fluid through geometric shapes and symbols.


    As the other elf tried to repeat my actions I watched, frowning. This was the thing I hated most, they were all bad at magic. He frowned, eyes furrowing in concentration as he tried to get the spell to form properly, and if I was a judge, using far too much mana to do it. All of the casters here spent so much time pushing their mana into this damn crystal to improve their social standing that almost none of them actually practiced with their magic.


    ¡°It should be effortless, control, shape, and continue,¡± I instructed, getting Imra and a few others to come a bit closer.


    ¡°Effortless? For someone in the second tier maybe,¡± he complained, unable to even get a handful of water to shape into a proper clean ring.


    ¡°No, you do not need more mana, you need control of the mana,¡± I said, using my term for the magical energy even if they called it something else.


    ¡°Where did you learn?¡± one of the nearby girls asked with a smile.


    I sighed. ¡°Where I''m from when a child is found to have magic they are pulled away from the others and instructed by an elder until they can safely control it. You can spend days or weeks alone doing little more than practicing until you get at least the basics. Do they not do something similar here?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Imra answered. ¡°When you''re found to have power you''re brought here and taught to donate it until you''re tired, then you know what tier you''re in and get better rooms, better food, and all that. Because you''re happy and tired you never cause problems.¡±


    There was a deep desire to punch whoever came up with that burning in my heart. Sure, it meant that the kids were safe to be around, but it also hamstrung them from ever getting stronger. The whole thing was bread and circuses as far as I was concerned. Well, since the esteemed Matriarch Neera didn''t seem bothered to see me I''d see what I could do about getting her attention.


    ¡°Well, if anyone wants I could run through a few basic exercises to improve your magic. I''m pretty sure they even improve your overall amount of mana over time, so...¡± Several jumped at the opportunity, and I smiled, the simple things I could teach them would make them all the more able to oppose those in power should they ever decide to be a thorn in someone''s side.

 Chapter 131 Stirring the Pot

    I spent the better part of several hours giving small lessons in magic to the elves of Icehome. There were issues of course, mostly that I had to limit what I was teaching to the absolute smallest things. They didn''t want to ''waste'' their mana on my teachings when it could cause issues for them or their families, so many only wanted tiny tricks.


    That wasn''t too much of a problem though, as there were tons of things I could do with only the tiniest trickle of power. Most of these were parlor tricks, but small color-changing lights, sparks, illusions, and most popular, the manipulation of water from the cooling pools. Eventually a few of the watchers in this room came to see why so many were gathered around, but since there was no disturbance in the flow of energy to their precious crystal they didn''t complain.


    ¡°You''re pretty good at this,¡± Imra observed as we wound down for the day. ¡°You know, you could probably go with the stronger hunters to get a personal fire crystal if you wanted. My cousin did years ago and the Matriarch was so thrilled she met with him personally.¡±


    ¡°My own personal fire crystal?¡± I asked the flirt. ¡°Like the one in here?¡±


    ¡°Well, sort of, they''re normally only the size of a grain of sand or something, and kept in sap or little stone boxes. My cousin keeps his in his rooms to keep them warm himself. Said it was a lot easier than coming to donate here, and works better too.¡± Of course it worked better, it wasn''t trying to heat an entire fucking mountain of stone.


    ¡°Interesting, so people want those?¡± I asked innocently.


    ¡°Oh yes, though they only come from large beasts in the south. It''s said there''s this large hill of rock that spits fire and the monsters there have little tiny ones in their bodies. You need to use magic to find them though. Supposedly it''s where the Matriarch got the one for Icehome, though she beat a much more fearsome monster than most of our warriors could even consider fighting.¡±


    ¡°So if I could get one...¡± I was already aware of how to make similar things, heck, my hammer had been an amalgamation of them.


    ¡°If you got one you could have almost anything you wanted for it,¡± she said, smiling like a Cheshire cat.


    ¡°Like a meeting with the Matriarch.¡±


    ¡°You''re no fun, you know that?¡±


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    ¡°I''ve been told, but thank you.¡±


    I left her then to gather Chien and find Lorn. He might have been in charge of the entry to the hive that was Icehome, but as one of the leaders here I was sure that he could help me with a few small things.


    ¡°I cannot help speed the meeting on any more Justin, please stop asking,¡± he said before I even had the chance to speak. He was of course near the main entrance to Icehome, overseeing people coming in and out.


    ¡°I''m not here to request that,¡± I told him honestly, though I may have pestered him a few times over the last several days.


    ¡°Oh? What do you need then?¡± the elder asked, clearly disbelieving.


    ¡°A workspace, somewhere plain with stone walls. The main issue is that it''s going to get very hot in there and I might damage the rock, so I didn''t want to do it in our sleeping area.¡±


    ¡°How hot are you going to make it?¡± he asked, raising an eyebrow.


    ¡°Enough to melt stone.¡±


    ¡°Why!?¡±


    ¡°Nothing bad I assure you, but a surprise. Help me with this and I won''t need to pester you about meeting the Matriarch again.¡±


    He looked at me for a few seconds solidly tapping his chin. ¡°Your companion Isha, she''s done some trading, don''t suppose you''d be willing to trade something?¡±


    Isha of course was trading, she was always trading for things we needed or things she wanted. She''d gathered several new pelts for bedding and even some lights for when we left this place. In exchange she''d sold some of the spices and trinkets she''d gotten from Rolan''s people. I had no doubt that when we went south she''d trade more.


    ¡°Very well, how about this, I''ll make you some small gems, they''re pretty and I''m sure someone will want them.¡± I could make diamonds almost without effort, so it wasn''t like it would be an imposition.


    ¡°Alright, I can do that.¡±


    He handed off some of his duties and led me back down below, all the way to the heating room once more. Here he broke off, making his way all the way down to the center, where he spoke with another elder who joined him coming back up.


    ¡°Lorn says you need a room that you''re going to get hot?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Yes, it might damage things.¡± I didn''t know this elder, but she seemed to at least consider things.


    ¡°Alright, I''ve got somewhere, and the extra heat will be welcome anyway.¡±


    People moved quickly out of the small woman''s way as she led us around the room, taking me to what looked almost like a storage closet. There were others nearby, but this one was empty, it didn''t even have a door, just a small open space in the center. Of course I would have liked some privacy, but it would do.


    ¡°Good enough?¡± she asked.


    ¡°... It should work. Won''t be a problem if I damage the walls will it?¡±


    ¡°No, I can repair them if needed, just don''t go trying to dig new tunnels or anything.¡±


    The left me and I got to work. One grain sized mana crystal was enough to get Matriarch Neera''s attention? Pfft, I''d made a whole hammer of them, of a different element granted, but I could do fire. I loved fire, I worked with fire, controlled fire, weaponized fire, we were friends. By the time I was done the leader of this conclave would have no choice but to come and see me.


    ¡°So boss, what''s the plan?¡± Chien asked, having kept back while I dealt with the elders.


    ¡°First thing''s first.¡± I took a second to grab up a little of the carbon from the air and form some diamonds like I''d promised, I even worked in some of the local stone to give them color, ending up with light yellow crystals.


    ¡°You gonna teach me that trick?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Not today, that one I''ll need to run you through a lot of things for, but we''re doing a much better trick. Can you put up some barriers for me...¡± I really needed to get around to running him through... well a lot of things.


    Once we had privacy barriers I explained how magic crystals were made and the young man''s eyes got wider and wider. It was one of my most closely guarded secrets, but Chien had proven himself time and again, and he deserved this much at least.


    ¡°So we''re going to make one?¡± he asked.


    ¡°One? Oh Chien, who do you think we are? One won''t be nearly enough.¡±

 Chapter 132 Beginnings of Chaos

    Over the next few days Chien and I worked. Nobody bothered us about heating the hive as a whole, mostly because of the massive quantities of heat being blasted out of the small room we''d taken, and partially because Isha decided to keep up appearances by upping her level of ''donation'' to their crystal. She was like that, and I loved her for it, always doing things we never asked for and often didn''t realize we sorely needed, never complaining about it, just there, the perfect support for my antics.


    For antics was what we were certainly up to in that time. One by one I began to form crystals for fire magic, encasing each in a tiny gem, just large enough to keep track of the potent magical artifacts. We even ran a few trails, making sure they worked just as well as we thought they would while hidden away in our chambers.


    When it finished we had a total of sixteen, five for each of the members of our group, and one additional to kickstart the plan. It had been exhausting, the amount of mana spent had been at the upper limit of what I was capable of. Even with my kinship with fire the cost was still staggering, much like how it had been when I''d first begun making my hammer.


    Chien and I rested with our backs to the outer wall, both covered in sweat until dripping and smelling absolutely rancid.


    ¡°Just holding that was... too much boss. How did you even come up with this?¡± He''d certainly had his work cut out for him, holding all the heat in he could while I worked.


    ¡°Honestly? I just saw one and had a theory, first time I managed it I passed out.¡±


    ¡°I believe that, I can sense the amount of power you''re putting forth you maniac.¡±


    We decided to make our break extended, stretching and enjoying a meal. This did not go unnoticed as soon enough there came a knock at the doorway to our little workroom. Normally there was a small privacy barrier there, but we''d dropped it since we weren''t talking about anything notable and the work was done.


    ¡°My my you two not working? What a change...¡± Elder Oma said, voice drifting off as her eyes landed on the back of the room, where a still glowing section of half-melted rock dug into the wall. ¡°What in the world have you been doing!?¡±


    Elder Oma was the small woman who was in charge of this section of Icehome, and the one who''d assigned us this room in the first place. She wasn''t as old as my former teacher Jina, but because of her position was one of the more respected people residing here. Over our working time she''d come by a couple of times to investigate, though we''d always cleaned up before, now there was really no need, we were done.


    ¡°Making trade goods, what did you think we were doing elder?¡± I asked, managing to keep the smile out of my voice.


    ¡°Practicing magic, since you seem to enjoy doing so. Wait, what were you making?¡±


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    I gave a nod to my apprentice, since the plan was to start a craze anyway now was a perfect time, he smiled and nodded acceptance and I produced the latest of our creations, held tight in a thumb-sized diamond. I always liked diamonds, they were easy, great conductors, and pretty.


    She caught the thrown gem with effortless ease, looking deep into it as her eyebrows began to rise.


    ¡°Go ahead and put some of your energy into it, give it a try.¡± Her eyes flicked towards me as I spoke and I almost felt the tendril of mana go into the gem before a strong radiating heat filled the area, like we were near a campfire.


    ¡°You two look like you have a lot to discuss, why don''t I go see how Isha''s doing?¡± Chien said, quickly excusing himself and slipping away before things got out of hand.


    After he''d left I waited, eyes locked on the older elf as she stood stunned. If she''d been a computer I would have heard fans spinning at maximum right about now as she tried to process it. She didn''t even move, eyes just twitching slightly as she kept on testing my work.


    ¡°You can make a heating crystal?¡± she almost whispered when she finally managed to speak again. ¡°In just a few days?¡±


    ¡°One? Oh no I made quite a few. In fact, as my thanks for loaning us this room why don''t you keep that one Oma; it''s the least I can do.¡±


    Perhaps I wasn''t the nicest person in the world, enjoying the scene as the older elf began to almost hyperventilate, rubbing one hand along her temple as she tried to work out all the implications of what she''d just been told. I knew these were valuable, treasured items only gotten by those who really, really tried, but perhaps I''d underestimated just how valuable, or how much chaos they might cause through release. After all, heat was life here in the northern lands of snow and ice, and something as small as this would be a game-changer.


    ¡°Ha ha ha.¡± Breathless hysterical laughing was probably not a great sign, or maybe it was an excellent one.


    ¡°Why don''t you sit down? I was taking a break anyway,¡± I offered, extending my hand to a now open section of the floor.


    ¡°Tell me Justin, what is it you want exactly? What are your goals with these?¡± she asked after she''d calmed down a bit.


    ¡°My goal? Oh it''s very simple, I''m here to deliver a message to the Matriarch, nothing more. I was told that the acquisition of one of these had gotten a man a meeting with her before, so I decided to make a few. Chien will likely go and try to get one, or several, of the more attractive girls around here to give him... attentions, for the duration of our stay if I know him. Isha will trade for goods, and anything she finds interesting.¡± I knew my companions, and a guess told me that was exactly what they would do, Isha loved her trading wherever we went and Chien was definitely a bit of a womanizer.


    ¡°Haha, so you tired of her games I see. Though nobody''s done something so extreme as this before.¡±


    ¡°Quite, why delay us anyway?¡±


    ¡°Our numbers are small in comparison to other groups,¡± she admitted.


    ¡°There are a good few here,¡± I disagreed.


    ¡°Not in comparison there aren''t.¡± Adding into account all of the villages and the larger cities she wasn''t entirely incorrect. ¡°And we get few visitors, if we can convince even one to stay every few hundred years it''s quite a boon.¡±


    ¡°Irritating people isn''t a good way to get them to stay,¡± I pointed out.


    ¡°It wasn''t meant to irritate, rather to give time, time to form relationships, friendships, connections, time for you to like it here, and hopefully decide not to leave. For example, with his power your apprentice could likely find a mate, and if he did, certainly she wouldn''t want him to leave.¡±


    ¡°Doubtful from what I know of him, but why?¡±


    ¡°Too much of the same blood is bad, we all know that.¡±


    I sighed, she wasn''t totally wrong. Their population was smaller than the other communities, and because of their habits also weaker, so pushing out and taking a different territory would be rather fraught with danger to the people as a whole. No, trying to keep people around wasn''t the worst idea to combat inbreeding, it was just a pain in the neck for me.


    ¡°Well, with Chien''s proclivities you may well end up with a child or two of different parentage.¡±


    That got me another laugh, then she looked on a bit more seriously.


    ¡°Spreading these around too much will be disruptive though. Sure, the strong will love them, but those without any power will suffer, they depend on the warmth we generate for their safety and comfort. So I will ask you not to make any more than you already have.¡±


    ¡°Get me a meeting with your Matriarch and I''ll be happy to agree.¡±


    ¡°Believe me, she will want to speak to you now.¡± I wasn''t sure if that was good or bad, but it was my goal after all.

 Chapter 133 Boiling Over

    My plan went swimmingly, well, a little too swimmingly if I were to be honest. Chien had let Isha know the trading was on while I spoke to the elder, hoping to get attention quickly and boy had they. She was deep in negotiation with several small clans while he was nowhere to be found by the time I was done.


    I''d cleaned myself off before going to join her in her escapades in one of the inner circles of the heating room. Donating mana wasn''t a challenge right now for me and if I were being honest sitting back in one of the pools while she went back and forth with several other elves was relaxing. I could see why the people here had fallen into the trap they had, it was comfortable.


    ¡°We could arrange a whole chamber for you and your family if you like? I assure you that my brother is the best at making furnishings in all of Icehome and I know he would be willing,¡± one of the perspective traders offered, trying to get Isha to agree.


    ¡°We need portable goods, not large ones,¡± she clarified.


    This had been going on for the better part of an hour, with more people appearing with offers slowly over the time. I watched on from the side, happy to be ignored for the most part. That looked to be changing though, as Oma and several others with shocks of white hair decorating their heads came up from the inner tiers. I hadn''t even see her return after she''d run off to see the Matriarch, so I was surprised.


    ¡°Come to stop things Elder Oma?¡± I asked her as she approached, trying to be as polite as I could. There was definitely a non-zero chance that she''d been ordered to do just that.


    ¡°Not quite, though the Matriarch has requested that three of your products be reserved for her. I''m assured you''ll be compensated generously.¡±


    ¡°And the meeting?¡± I asked.


    ¡°When you''re done with this,¡± she said, indicating the trading.


    That was a relief, as was the fact that they didn''t seem to want a fight. With how little the people here actually used their magic I might have been able to fight one elder, but the five who''d arrived could most certainly have dealt with me, if for no other reason than the fact that they''d have more stamina. I did have a trick or two up my sleeve if it came to that though.


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    She nodded to her companions, and all but one of them moved to speak to Isha, the younger elves, knowing that more serious parties had arrived pulled back a bit. All of knew that Elders weren''t to be crossed lightly. Even me, the leaders of Atal could have easily subdued me had they wanted. Oma, having what she wanted seemed content to let her fellows make their trades.


    ¡°It occurs to me that perhaps I should speak to you instead,¡± said the man who''d held back as he looked at me. ¡°Young Isha may be the one who trades for your group, but you''re the one who made these heating crystals no?¡±


    My wife looked more than a bit taken aback by that, and I was too. She''d been the one handling this up till now, the one who wanted to, the one I wanted to as well.


    ¡°No,¡± I said in response.


    ¡°No?¡±


    ¡°No, I dislike negotiating trades intensely.¡±


    ¡°And I much rather speak to those who are actually in charge of things, rather than some girl,¡± he said flippantly.


    I stood from the pool of water I''d been lounging in, letting it flow off me in rivulets as I released my hold on my magic. All around me the air filled with the power of the aura every spellcaster let off, pushed out by my anger until it flowed down from the tier I was on. Most of the time I ignored auras, pushing them to the back of my mind as just another natural part of this world, like shadows or the smell of the wind, but when we were angry we could loose them, and I did so now. The small green bubbles that were always around me now pushed out like a wave.


    Those who lived here had likely never seen war, never had to fight against our own kind seriously, and never expected me to respond so harshly. After all, I''d been fairly laid back until now, but there were things I wouldn''t stand for, and disrespecting Isha was on that list. The people around me saw that, and many began to pull back, eyes widening as I prepared to fight if I deemed it necessary.


    ¡°You should leave,¡± I warned him.


    ¡°There will be no fighting here!¡± Oma shouted, moving between the two of us, flexing her own power as she put barriers into place. ¡°Eren, you''re out of line. Our guests told you who to would handle the trades and were more than willing to engage with you properly.¡±


    ¡°My apologies Oma,¡± he said, bowing a bit as he took a step back.


    ¡°And you,¡± the diminutive woman said, turning to me once he''d gone. ¡°You are a guest here, and should have let me handle that. This place is too important for you to be fighting here, regardless of the reasons.¡±


    ¡°Understood,¡± I said with a bow of my own. It rankled, but she was the one in charge of this area, so she could enforce her rules, and I was a guest here.


    Eren turned towards Isha, who was looking at him with a small scowl. ¡°Would you be willing...¡±


    ¡°Why would you speak to me Elder Eren? I''m just some girl,¡± she said with envenomed sweetness.


    ¡°I suppose that settles that,¡± Oma said, clearly indicating that the other Elder should leave.


    After he''d left one of the others who''d come with Oma laughed under her breath, apparently Eren wasn''t well liked by his contemporaries.


    Isha continued on with her trading, managing to get a good stock of the lights they used here and some other trinkets that were honestly of little value to me. Icehome it seemed had it''s own form of dyes that were more vivid than what could easily be made back in Atal, and a few unique herbs from mushrooms or the small plants that dotted the icy tundra that surrounded us. She secured ample amounts of those and even a recipe for a magical tattoo ink that served to bolster one''s resistance to cold, not something I had in my repertoire, but would surely be of value to someone.


    Once she was all done Oma took me off to go see the leader of Icehome. Technically Chien still had a few of his trinkets to trade, but we didn''t actually know where he''d gone off to, and I didn''t really expect to see him for a bit anyway. He could handle it though, though I hoped he didn''t get involved with that other Elder.

 Chapter 134 The Matriarchs Throne Room

    Oma led me upwards, higher and higher into Icehome. Most of the important people lived low, below the rock line, where it was warmer, where the stones insulated better, but not the leader, no, she lived above. I was surprised when we got to a rap that led us upwards, somewhere I''d not yet been, a ramp that corkscrewed through the glacier.


    I knew we came to the place when a pair of thick blue-white doors opened up. It was odd that they had those, as they seemed significantly more smoothly made than was normal, but this was an Ancient after all. They stood out, pale against the surrounding deeper blues of the glacial ice, it seemed intentional.


    As the twin doors swung open, seemingly on their own but decidedly through someone pushing them with magic, I saw her Matriarch Neera sat, regal on a throne of ice. She''d covered her seat at least with furs, more on the floor before her, but here and there the frozen water peeked out.


    The room wasn''t cold, as one might have expected for being inside a glacier. As a point of fact it was warm, pleasant heat radiating from several of the people here, the advisors and direct subordinates of the oldest elf present.


    Matriarch Neera herself looked, almost cute, smaller than most adult elves and with her hair done up in complex braids, with crystals of blue and white entwined within. Her dress was flowy, made of several layers, almost like some kind of fabric, but from here I could tell that it wasn''t something so plain as that, rather it looked to be some form of fur, only so fine and so thin that it moved like nothing I''d ever seen. It gave her the look of one of the magical girls from Earth, I briefly wondered if she was cold, since it was quite a bit shorter than what one would normally wear in this environment.


    ¡°So you are the young man causing such a ruckus in my home,¡± she said lightly as I approached.


    ¡°Ah, forgive me Matriarch, I have been told that I lack subtlety.¡± The millennia old girl giggled at that, a high, tinkling thing that didn''t match the destruction any of our kind that had gotten to her age could sow.


    ¡°I believe I requested certain goods from you as well?¡± she said, holding out a hand.


    I took out the three stones she''d ordered be brought to her. Sure, she could take them and give me nothing, but I wouldn''t really be out much, after all, if I really wanted more, I would just make them. Rather than have me approach her throne the crystals, suspended in their diamond cases floated forwards, circling around playfully before her. I could feel the mana wafting off of her as she cast, blue eyes locked on her new toys.


    ¡°This is interesting work,¡± she commented after a few moments.


    ¡°Thank you, your subjects seemed quite keen to have their own heat sources,¡± I agreed.


    ¡°No, not that, the little stones you''ve suspended them in. We could easily have more heating stones if I wanted, but these little clear gems, I''ve never seen their like before.¡±


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    ¡°If you could get them then why don''t you?¡± I asked, confused. I knew it was a great thing for her people to do, a huge achievement.


    ¡°You don''t know about us child, that much is clear. Very well, I''ll take some time to teach you. Well before my time we lived in the mountains all over this continent, but in doing so we were divided, separated, weak. By the time my predecessor took over our tribe there were almost none of us left, but he gathered what he could and tried to take territory, good land that would support us.¡±


    ¡°And he brought you here?¡±


    ¡°No, he lost almost every one of his warriors, almost everything, the remnants settled here, chased to the ends of the world by our enemies. At that time I was the only Elder, the last, and if I''m being honest, I was also the weakest of those we''d had. Still, I managed to build this place, to expand it, and once I''d gotten strong I got the heating stone you saw down below.¡±


    ¡°You never tried to leave?¡±


    ¡°We''re too weak, we have too few strong fighters to take the territory of any of the other Ancients, and while some of my people might be able to leave, they would be highly intolerant of another of our age about. Perhaps if we''d be allies of lovers before attaining our age, but not now.¡±


    ¡°If you want more strong fighters then you can stop with the heating room, it''s keeping them pathetically weak.¡± That was one of the things that bothered me most, it was almost criminal in my eyes.


    She sighed, almost tired. ¡°Teaching them and sending them out would make them stronger, but I have so few, I need numbers before anything can happen, numbers I simply don''t have. Perhaps you hate it, think me cruel for not encouraging their growth, but that growth is dangerous, surely you know this? I want my people to thrive, and for that, we''ll need more than we have now. It''s why I meet with every one who goes to get a heating stone, to tell them not to get more, and the consequences if they do. Most of them understand in the end, but I doubt you care.¡±


    I backed down, after all it wasn''t really my business was it? And she did seem to have her people''s best interest in mind, rather than some evil plot.


    ¡°I suppose, I am just here to give you a message.¡±


    ¡°Very well, what is it?¡±


    ¡°Atal and Cino are dead.¡±


    For the first time since I got here she actually seemed bothered. ¡°Both of them!? How?¡±


    ¡°Cino killed Atal, then died himself.¡± I didn''t feel like elaborating, after all I didn''t want her to feel threatened.


    ¡°I... see, and their lands?¡± A valid question if she''d been stuck up here with her people.


    ¡°No Ancient has claimed them. I know that in Atal''s city there is much stress about that.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I would assume so... I really shouldn''t have delayed you.¡±


    ¡°Are you going to try and take them?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps I''ll take Cino''s lands, protected as they are it would be good, and surrounded by mountains, but there will be much to do first, so much.¡±


    ¡°Very well, that was all I needed to say, so if there''s nothing else...¡±


    ¡°There is, did you not hear me ask about this stone? Where did it come from? How did you make it?¡±


    ¡°The heating stone?¡±


    ¡°No child, the clear one, I want to know about it.¡±


    ¡°That is a very private matter, one I would rather not share.¡±


    She frowned, almost a pout. ¡°I would give you much for it, very much.¡±


    ¡°That secret is not for sale I''m afraid.¡±


    ¡°I could force you you know?¡±


    ¡°You could, I know you could, and you''d probably succeed, but I would be your enemy afterwards.¡± As I spoke I prepared to act, the trick I''d readied for this very situation, one she''d fallen into.


    ¡°Should I fear you?¡±


    ¡°You never asked who killed Cino.¡±


    She froze at my words, froze and sat back, looking at me intently. I knew that Ancients didn''t get to their age through foolish actions, and while she might be able to smite me where I stood, she might not. After a second of thinking she breathed out.


    ¡°Perhaps you did, perhaps you could again, perhaps not, but you might be a useful ally to no? You could stay, if your words are true, and with your abilities I would treat you well.¡±


    ¡°And if I say no?¡±


    ¡°Then you may leave in peace as you came in peace.¡±


    ¡°I would like to leave in peace.¡±


    ¡°Very well.¡± She snapped her fingers and one of her aides approached. ¡°See to it our guest is paid for his goods, and allowed to leave when he is ready.¡±


    I didn''t relax until I was several floors down, well away from the Matriarch. It was a relief I''d not had to fight her, because while she''d taken those crystals from me, and I was sure I could have detonated them from where I stood nearby I wasn''t sure it would have beaten her. A trick pulled successfully once was one thing, but that was still the only way I had to reliably beat someone so much stronger than me, and I didn''t want to use it too many times.

 Chapter 135 Angry Isha

    Matriarch Neera was generous as she sent us away, providing enough of their meager supplies of wood for us to make a proper sled and loading it down with a mix of trading goods and slightly magical compounds. These included several antlers, pelts that seemed to never get even slightly wet, and a mix of herbs used in tattooing inks and the like.


    I''d never had much to do with magical materials, or rather those that were already doing things, other than my brief lessons on tattooing, but they still held tons of value. Even if I''d never seen many of them, I knew that there were many types of magical beasts and plants that came about rarely and had fantastical powers. Sadly most of what I''d seen, except the weird shadowy beasts that had once attacked my home village, were very minor effects overall, and seemed very similar to some of the weird biology of Earth.


    Isha added her things to the sled, but Chien had been cagey. I didn''t know what his trades had been, but had some ideas based on what I knew about him. As we approached the door out of Icehome a girl appeared near the back of the entry chamber, looking around.


    ¡°Shit, we gotta go boss,¡± he said, hurrying out the exit.


    ¡°What did you go and do?¡± I asked as I began pulling the vehicle.


    ¡°Don''t worry, it''ll be fine, we just need to go.¡±


    ¡°Chien...¡±


    As we began to move through the snow, flakes falling around us he whispered. ¡°Look, I may have made some mistakes, and she might think that I''m significantly more interested in staying here than I am, and...¡±


    ¡°And you didn''t have the guts to tell her the truth?¡± Isha accused, looking disgusted.


    ¡°She was trying to get me to meet her family!¡± he said, trying to be quiet while shouting at the same time, we were still not too far from the hive''s doorway, close enough that others coming in and out could hear us. ¡°What was I supposed to do when she went to get her parents, huh?¡±


    ¡°Stop her, and explain things properly obviously!¡± Isha reached for his ear, but my assistant ducked her hand, pulling ahead. ¡°Come back here right this moment, you''re going back and fixing this right now!¡±


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    ¡°No I am not, she''ll be fine, it''ll all be fine, you''ll see. Sure, she''ll mope for a bit, but that girl wasn''t that dense, I''m sure she''ll understand... eventually.¡± Isha tried to chase him, but Chien simply had longer legs, and unless they started to sling spells at one another there really wasn''t much of a chance there.


    I smartly kept my mouth shut. Sure, what Chien was doing was wrong, but I''d be a liar if I said I didn''t understand. He didn''t want to get involved, to get tied down. The girl in question hadn''t meant anything to him, even if she''d thought she had, and he was running rather than explaining that to her and possibly her angry relatives. I was also sure it would come back to bite him in the ass one day though, these things tended to and we lived long lives.


    The two of them were so busy bickering that they hardly noticed as we pulled away from Icehome, getting further and further from the large settlement. Our working plan was to travel South and East, since I was told there was a coast that way, and hopefully a way out of this awful tundra. How far would it be? I didn''t rightly know, but it could take weeks and weeks even if we went quickly. We weren''t in a rush though, things would take as long as they took.


    That first night away from Icehome the change in our preparations showed itself in how great it was. The little igloo we made from the snow and ice wasn''t cold, but pleasantly warm, one of the heating stones we''d reserved filling it with hot air. With the furs we''d gained our beds were several times better than they''d been, and food was both plentiful and tasty compared to what it had been.


    One thing alone put a damper on it, and that was the fact that Isha was still angry with Chien. Shooting him glares the whole night and even adding me to her list when she realized that I wasn''t going to do anything about it.


    ¡°You can''t think he''s right,¡± she complained as she joined me in our bed.


    ¡°I don''t.¡±


    ¡°But you''re not going to say anything to him?¡±


    ¡°He''s an adult, he can make mistakes if he wants to. I''m certainly no paragon of morals to tell him what he must do.¡±


    ¡°How can you say that with all the people you''ve saved?¡± she asked, taking my face in her hands and making me look her in the eyes.


    ¡°All the people I''ve killed,¡± I responded.


    ¡°Sometimes we have to kill, but I know you Elian, I know you hate hurting people. I know you didn''t want to do those things, but you had to, because of what would have happened if you didn''t. Can you seriously tell me that you enjoyed hurting people?¡±


    ¡°I don''t, but it''s not the same.¡±


    ¡°Sometimes good people have to do things they hate to stop evil. You could have caused lots more trouble back there in Icehome, and we both know it, you could have done so much more, but what did you do? You helped people, you gave them means to keep themselves safe while teaching them what you could. Sure, it irritated the people in charge, but you didn''t try to lead some sort of rampage, or just up and tell them they were being wronged, instead you took a gentler path.¡±


    ¡°You see more good in me than I do love.¡± My thoughts went back to the children Cino had used, how I''d failed to save them, failed to help them, how I''d failed so many times and all the pain that came from those failures.


    ¡°Someone has to, but remember this, if you were a monster you wouldn''t really care about harming others would you?¡±


    In response I just kissed her on her forehead, for that was better than any words I had.


    ¡°Which is why you should tell Chien off,¡± she complained.


    ¡°I think we''re a bit beyond going back to apologize,¡± I retorted.


    ¡°Maybe, but he should know not to bloody do it again. He probably does, but he''ll listen better if it''s you who points it out.¡±


    ¡°Let''s not talk about this any more tonight,¡± I said, kissing her lightly.


    ¡°Fine.¡± With that word she turned her back to me, looking out the other side of the bed angrily. It seemed I wouldn''t be getting any piece over this either for the moment.

 Chapter 136 The Gap

    After a few days I pulled Chien to the side one evening.


    ¡°You know I care for you right Chien?¡±


    ¡°Yeah boss, what''s up.¡±


    ¡°Please don''t ever do a repeat of your actions in Icehome again. I''d rather have a bit of peace with Isha.¡±


    ¡°Yeah me too. Did you notice how she''s making only the foods she knows I hate?¡± he asked. Isha, with her ability to conjure certain foods into existance generally took care of most of the cooking.


    ¡°Yeah, yeah I did.¡± It wasn''t lost on me that those were also some of my least favorite foods.


    ¡°So we''re letting her win?¡±


    ¡°It''s not about winning or losing, she''s right to be unhappy with you. You never win against someone you care about, because then they have to lose, you merely fix things, so please try to fix things, because I care about both of you and this is foolishness.¡±


    We traveled in near silence for day after day, the pale ice and bleak landscape not much to inspire conversation. Added to that that my two companions were fighting and it made things boring indeed. Rocks and gulleys passed, small points of black in the white background, sometimes with pale blue or light green sprigs of growth dotting them.


    Over our travels I did manage to hunt a bit, taking out small hares periodically. Those at least added a bit of fresh meat to our diet, beating the smoked rations we had. Unfortunately there weren''t really any nuts of trees to speak of, nor the roots I had grown fond of over the course of my life. Even fish and seafood, something I''d not always loved but had come to appreciate while living in seaside Atal was missing.


    As we walked I mused, because I didn''t know how people did it, living in a place like this. It was just so pale, and always the same, no seasons, no migrations, I had a hard time imagining myself living here long term. Maybe that was why the elves of Icehome had been so loath to do more than live in their hive, at least there they could entertain each other with games and stories, better than wandering the wastes. It was also clear that Neera had chosen the best part of the wastes for her home, because they were getting somehow more bleak.


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    We came upon a crevice in the ice, a shattered and jagged line crossing the landscape about a week after I''d spoken to Chien.


    ¡°Looks deep,¡± he said, chucking a small orb of light into the black canyon.


    Chien''s light sent a sparkling cascade bouncing between the walls, glittering like diamonds as it fell lower and lower.


    ¡°Decidedly deep,¡± I agreed. ¡°And I don''t see an easy way around.¡±


    ¡°Over?¡± he asked, the break being about fifty feet.


    ¡°Might be able to manage that spell, but I''m hesitant to try something new over something like this.¡±


    ¡°What do you think then?¡± Isha asked, looking between us.


    ¡°I''ll go north a bit,¡± I said pointing. ¡°See if there''s a way around, if not, we go south, it''ll take us off course a bit, but better that than trying something dangerous.¡±


    ¡°Should we all go?¡± Chien asked.


    ¡°Nah, no point dragging the sled and all along, just be needless work. I''ll be back in a bit.¡±


    I hurried along the edge, looking about as I did. Could there be a monster here? I didn''t know, but they did seem to like odd places, and this certainly was one, so it was possible. It was also possible for this thing to be unstable, not somewhere I wanted to spend too much time, but there was no choice.


    Twenty minutes was enough for me to see quite a bit of this thing, and no end in sight. Just as I was preparing to turn around though I saw some movement opposite myself on the other edge. I squinted into the snowy landscape, and there it was, right on the precipice.


    The creature in question was a bird, white on top with dark blue feathers underneath. If it had been black I would have called it a crow with the beak and rough size. The little bird, the only bird I''d seen on this plateau looked at me curiously, blending in almost perfectly with the icy background.


    ¡°Caw!¡±


    ¡°No worries there friend, I''m not here to hurt you,¡± I said calmly to it, nodding a bit.


    After cawing at me a few more times and seeming to realize that I didn''t care to mess with it the little avian turned back to the cliffside and began to peck, eventually dislodging, and promptly eating, a shard of ice.


    ¡°Magic animals are weird,¡± I declared to the universe at large, at least it didn''t seem aggressive.


    I made to return to my companions, sure, I could keep going out of the way, but eventually we''d find the end of this gash in the ice and it wasn''t like we were in a huge rush. As I got nearer I slowed, seeing them sitting there, apparently deep in conversation. My run came down to a slow stroll, after all they''d been arguing and if they were now chatting that could only be good, probably.


    Even though I all but stopped I was eventually noticed by my companions, who waved me over. They were sitting back to back on the sled, and as I came near they looked at me expectantly.


    ¡°Anything good?¡± Isha asked.


    ¡°Sadly no, looks like we''ll just have to go around.¡±


    Chien just shrugged like it made no difference to him and we continued. Their attitude had changed though, and where there''d been silence now they started up a game, looking for familiar scenes in the sparkling ice or the waves of the snow. Was everything always going to be alright between them? Well, probably not, everyone argued sometimes, but they were trying, and trying was the important thing.


    Through the day we saw a few more of the strange little birds. Those close to us flew off, hopping away either to the other side of the crevice or down into it. It was weird, but once more since they weren''t hurting anything we were happy enough to leave them. These things were clearly at least a bit magical and I didn''t want to risk that they were as smart as actual crows and might hold a grudge.


    That night our little shelter was brighter than it had been since leaving Icehome, rather than the quiet sleeping we chatted well into the evening. Isha and Chien didn''t tell me what had transpired between them, but it didn''t much matter.


    However as we finally put away our lights and went to go to bed there was a tapping on the roof of our ice hut. First it started in once place, than another, and another, soon it sounded like all around us little hammers were slamming into our shelter.

 Chapter 137 Battle of the Birds

    Pecking, pecking, scratching, tapping, the noises filtered down to us through the shelter, almost like being in a hard rain. This rain however was a rain of beaks, of potentially very intelligent animals. I really just wanted the birds to go away, but the chances of that at this juncture seemed low.


    ¡°They''re ripping up the shelter!¡± Chien yelled.


    ¡°But why!?¡± Isha asked.


    ¡°They eat ice, particularly the edges of the ice. Maybe they find it easier to take on things that have edges already, and if that''s so our little hut is perfect for them. They''re probably hungry, and I''d wager they had a good hand in making that crevice.¡±


    ¡°What do we do boss?¡±


    ¡°Pack everything quickly, and get ready.¡±


    I threw up a bubble around us as I dressed, it was cold out there and I didn''t want to get a face full of icy wind or have this hut collapse on us. It was fortunate that I did too, as they quickly made a hole in our little home, a pair of eyes peaking through and looking down.


    ¡°CAW!?¡± said the surprised looking bird, peering in at us.


    As it did the noise increased, sounding like we were caught in a hailstorm of beaks. There was cracking as bit by bit our shelter collapsed under the weight of the pecking, and I could see them, hundreds, maybe even thousands of the little beasts, munching away at our house.


    The ice sloughed away, disappearing into the gullets of the ice crows and piles around what used to be our shelter and Chien looked at me. ¡°Fight?¡±


    ¡°I don''t think they''re after us, just the ice,¡± I replied right before one of them started pecking at my shield bubble. ¡°Then again I could be wrong, let me try to be nice first.¡±


    Who knew if the bird-brains thought my shield was just some really hard delicious ice, or if they actually wanted to fight, but I wasn''t willing to find out. I started with a pulse, trying to push them back without going too violent.


    That was apparently a mistake as the enraged flock cawed loudly before one of them made a strange movement, sending several of it''s feathers at us like icy darts. One led to several, led to dozens, led to all of them.


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    ¡°Alright, no more nice, hit ''em hard!¡±


    Chien and I both let loose a barrage of darts, fire from me, and force from him, all of them striking into the horde and some of the flying irritants. Of course Isha outdid both of us, screaming loudly at them and taking whole sections down. Apparently they didn''t have much defense against sound, as wings and beaks simply shattered under the auditory assault.


    As I watched one of the ones I''d struck with fire struggled on the ground, bits and pieces of the others attracting to it like iron shavings to a magnet. Seconds passed and it began to form into some unholy frozen abomination.


    ¡°Don''t use fire!¡± I shouted.


    ¡°You were the only one doing that!¡± Chien replied.


    Several of the beasts I thought I''d taken down rose, excess wings, beaks, feathers, and strangely shaped appendages sticking out of them at odd angles. Of course they could still fly, it was only natural right? As they rose into the air we bombarded the now larger creatures, sending them flapping with waves of sound and physical force.


    ¡°Abso-fucking-lutely not!¡± I screamed as I blasted another as it tried to rise from the ground with the hardest kinetic bolt I could manage, we were not having any more eldritch ice bird abominations here today, that was a hard no.


    The battle felt like it had gone on for hours, though realistically it''d probably only been a few minutes when the last living birds decided to retreat, ceding the field to us. Everywhere I looked there were bits of them, feathers and broken bodies littering the ground. A few were still moving, making pained noises as their injuries prevented them from rising. We quickly went about putting them out of their misery, as dangerous or not they were living things and shouldn''t be made to suffer needlessly.


    ¡°Alright,¡± I said to my sweat soaked companions. ¡°I vote we get as far away from here as possible before remaking camp.¡±


    ¡°I''ll second that,¡± Isha chimed in.


    ¡°Thirded.¡±


    ¡°Good, it''s unanimous then. I''d rather lose the sleep than have that happen ever again.¡±


    Even as I spoke I noted the place mentally. Sure I didn''t want to risk carrying these monsters away with us now, but in the future who knew? They seemed fairly tame... at first at least, and it might be possible to use them one day. Not today though, as there was no chance I was trying to capture and carry those things off now that they''d been all worked up, even if I had a way, which I didn''t.


    We fled to the south, hoping to find our way across, agreeing that if we couldn''t we''d go back west to get away from here before continuing. As a hope of speeding thing along we all hopped on the sled and I propelled it with magic. The sensation was odd, trying to move something you were on was subtly disorienting, but it was possible. I''d have to note that if I ever wanted to fly properly, which I did one day.


    A small murder of the ice-crows followed us at a distance, watching our moves and shadowing from high above. None got too close though, seemed they too realized that we were dangerous and wanted nothing more to do with us. Those that were munching away at the crevice itself were quickly sent into the air as we approached by a series of caws from our escorts. That boded poorly for how smart these things actually were if they were doing something that complex. At least they weren''t using tools, yet.


    All night and day we traveled, Chien occasionally switching out with me so I could regain mana. We even had to get out and push a few times, but after far too long we found the far end of the canyon and managed to make our way across it. How long had these things been here? How did the ice keep coming back? How many were there? I didn''t know, and didn''t need to know. All I wanted was to get past this blockade and back to our mission, long though it may be.


    Once we actually started moving away the birds only followed us for a bit longer. They could see we were leaving their territory behind, having not attacked any more since our battle, and seemed content once it was clear we wouldn''t be hunting them down today.


    We even managed to find outcroppings with a good overhang before going to sleep, only having to use snow (decidedly not ice) to form a doorway. All of us were exhausted and as I slept I had nightmares, dreams of hundred foot tall balls of flapping wings and ice bearing down on us with avian hatred. Those alone were enough to make me wake several times in a cold sweat, something my companions seemed to do a few times themselves.

 Chapter 138 Off the Ice

    After weeks of travel we discovered a few things. One, that riding on the sled was far, far, faster than any other method of travel, and two, I really needed to work on doing more magic. There was never enough, and the only way to get better at it was to do more. Using the sled was tiring, exhausting even, but with the speed it was so worth it that none of us wanted to stop.


    Even Chien got in on the sledding action, but we found that he was much weaker than I something I''d expected, but never had full confirmation on. I wondered if it had something to do with my otherworldly origin, or if I just practiced that much more. Even though admittedly I still needed to do more.


    Weeks passed, and as with everything we improved. The spells got worked out, the tricks of the trade to smooth things were cleaned up. We ate the snowy ground over a dozen times, only for Isha to fix us up. As we moved we ate through our supplies, literally and figuratively, and if not for Isha''s ability to magic food into existence we might have been struggling a bit.


    ¡°Good shot,¡± I told Chien as he sniped a hare with a small kinetic bolt.


    ¡°Thanks, keep an eye out while I clean it?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± We were now keeping watch whenever we stopped for even a moment, though we''d not had any experiences with more magical fauna.


    His cuts were exacting, quick and practiced. All of us knew how to do it now, but that didn''t mean that we were all good at it. Ironically I was probably the worst of us when it came to cleaning animals and all other manner of outdoors skills. I just did it via magic, skipping all the hard parts of it.


    ¡°How far you think we are?¡±


    ¡°Dunno Chien, probably something we should have asked before heading out, but I can''t imagine it''s much further. Still think it''s a minor miracle we found the others when we did, we could have wandered out on the ice for years if we''d not stumbled upon them.¡±


    ¡°I''m not staying out here for years,¡± Isha chimed in.


    ¡°I doubt we''ll take that long.¡± I didn''t say it, but we must have traveled over a thousand miles, so there was no way it could be that much further until we made it to the far side of the continent, I hoped.


    Hopeful thoughts aside there really was only one way to get through this, and that was simply to get through this. That said I was seeing some more rocks and scrub, which could only be a good sign so far as I was concerned.


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    The next morning the horizon looked odd to me, and as we got closer and closer it became apparent that there was a large change, on the horizon. The edge of the world, which had been flat with only the smallest of bumps began to rise on one side, while falling away on the other.


    ¡°Is that what I think it is?¡± Chien shouted.


    ¡°Don''t jinx it,¡± both Isha and I yelled at him.


    It was though, as as we approached we found the edge of the plateau. The world below us spread out, clouds parting until below us a strip of green was revealed. To one side rose a line of high mountains, to the other the pristine blue of the ocean. Between the two lay a line, perhaps only a few miles wide, or verdant land, small trees and lush grasses spreading out, with the occasional ribbon of silver sliding down the mountains to water the coast.


    ¡°Well, how do we get down?¡± Isha asked, looking about for the answer.


    We''d managed to find a perfect spot on our way in, hidden behind a waterfall, but there were no such features nearby, nor were there any spots that stood out from the sheer drop. We went up and down the plateau for a bit, but with the small area that we actually wanted to be in there was a very finite number of places to look. Could we have found something eventually, probably, but after long enough, it was enough.


    ¡°I have an idea,¡± I finally said.


    ¡°Okay,¡± my companions agreed.


    ¡°Get in the sled.¡± The obliged and I hopped on the back, before catapulting us over the edge.


    Chien let off a very imaginative series of oaths, curses, and obscenities. Isha mostly screamed. Mostly that was just distracting as I wrapped my magic around us and tried to pull upwards. The sensation was still odd and uncomfortable, but with the practice it worked, slowing us significantly.


    The landing was... a landing. The runners from the sled shattered when we hit, but with the layers of stuff packed in they were the only thing, and it wasn''t like they were that thick anyway. I went flying, jarred by the impact and sent on a mad tumble out of the sled, though the other two managed to stay with our things.


    ¡°Elian what were you thinking!?¡± Isha screamed, grabbing a fur from the pile and advancing upon me. It was always easy to tell when she was really angry because she started using my childhood name again.


    ¡°That we''d probably be fine,¡± I answered my displeased significant other.


    ¡°Probably!?¡±


    I covered my ears, people in this world always went for the ears. Isha didn''t disappoint, slapping me with the little rabbit fur vigorously, mostly upon the head. As all things though she eventually ran out of steam, huffing and puffing as she tired herself out.


    ¡°Were you not going to help?¡± I asked Chien as she stalked away; his response was to throw a stick at me, which was fair I supposed.


    As soon as I was back up and going we had things to sort through. The sled was mostly a bust, which was fine, as there were now a few trees in easy enough reach, none were huge, but they''d serve for remaking little woodworking projects. We were also all well versed in the making of such things, so it wasn''t too much of a chore to rebuild.


    Interestingly much of the wood here was some form of either ironwood or birch. I tried to remember if the leaves and such matched what I''d known from my previous world, but honestly I''d never really known what they were supposed to look like, mostly looking at the bark. They looked to match as far as I could tell, but my knowledge, while perfect for what I could remember, didn''t tell me about things I''d never looked at.


    I considered making wheels, but wheels did best with roads, and roads we did not have. I wasn''t even sure if anyone lived on this side of the mountains. That could be something to bring into Atal when I finally returned. Wheels and balloons maybe, I liked balloons, didn''t need nearly as much complex math as a plane and I was pretty sure that with magic we could make them far better than anyone had on Earth.


    Soon enough I had the sled rebuilt, the stuff repacked, and my significant other mollified enough that we could begin moving south once more. We all shed our coats and the layers, going back to the leafy clothing provided to us before we''d gone to find Neera. The temperature was at least nice now, the quick drop having rapidly brought us out of the ice and into a far more reasonable climate.


    ¡°Let''s go,¡± Isha grumped, beginning to walk and leaving me to pull the sled.

 Chapter 139 Coastal Forest

    There was a certain light joy to this little coastline. It was odd to me that it was so small, barely going up to the mountains before steeply climbing, but I knew neither enough about geography nor about how magic might interact with it to know if that was normal. It was pleasant though, for you could always smell the subtle salt on the wind and always find nearby shade. Odder still was that the floor of the forest wasn''t all sand, though that was more welcome than I could easily state; I subtly hated sand.


    Isha pouted, Chien walked silently, and I pulled, either with magic or muscles, our little sled. I had the feeling that both were rather still irked at me for my stunt with the cliff, but what could you do? It would''ve taken days and days for us to try and climb down slowly, and I simply wasn''t willing to wait that long, nor did we have the right equipment.


    ¡°Well, at least it''s not cold,¡± I said after awhile.


    ¡°True, does that have something to do with us being closer to the sea, or not as high up?¡± Chien asked.


    ¡°Yes, the air gets cooler as you go higher up, at least most of the time. There are a lot of factors.¡±


    He accepted it with a shrug. ¡°Okay boss, if you say so.¡±


    ¡°You shouldn''t just take my word for it,¡± I said, lugging up the rope to conserve on mana. ¡°You should test it. I mean, I think I''m right, but who knows about everything? I could be wrong at times, or just not know, it will happen as time goes on.¡±


    ¡°How would I test that?¡±


    ¡°You know, that''s a good question. Think on it for awhile and see if you can come up with something, then we can both test it. I mean, I think a lot of things, but I could be wrong about any or all of them.¡±


    He nodded once more and began to let his thoughts take him. That was good, I mean, there was every possibility I would die before we got far with this society, and if I did... well, it would be best if I could leave something behind for others, and the scientific method was one of the best things I could leave them. Even if I''d not taught something, that might manage to help them learn it.


    All around us there were plants I''d never seen, flowers and trees slightly different from those back in Atal''s area. Most interesting were some of the fruits, which hung heavy from trees. Some of them were as large or larger than coconuts, big balls hanging in the air. I wondered if they were edible, or if they''d need some treatment to become so. On the shore there were of course a few actual coconuts, or the local equivalent.


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    That first night we camped just in the jungle, just off of the sand. Even in this world sand-flies were a menace, and none of us were willing to brave their territory while dreaming. Though as the sun set to the west we watched it sink over the horizon, a novel experience. For us it was normally as the sun rose that it passed over the ocean, but on the opposite coast we could see the deep reds and purples rather than the pinks and yellows of dawn.


    As we prepared to return to the small shelter we''d made I saw a light in the ocean, just a flicker, just for a second. Then there was another, and another, and soon the ocean looked like a churning sea of stars. Each wave brought in more light, pale glows hanging in the waves, before taking it back out again.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Isha asked breathily, getting a bit closer to see.


    ¡°I don''t know,¡± I responded, myself pulling nearer the waves.


    ¡°Is it safe?¡± Chien asked, and that brought both of us back to our senses and from the place where the water crashed into the sand.


    ¡°Good call, we don''t'' know if its'' dangerous or not. Best to stay out of the water for now...¡±


    For awhile we watched the pretty colors, keeping well back upon the shore, until one of the lights stayed behind. After it did several more followed, each first sticking to the sand before moving upwards along it.


    Interested I reached out with my magic, gently picking up one of the little glowing bits, before bringing it closer to look at it. We all gathered around to see, that upon the bit of sand I''d grabbed was a tiny crab, smaller than the nail of my pinky, moving about. The animal didn''t seem overly pleased to have been plucked from it''s place, and was waving a minuscule claw around threateningly.


    ¡°It''s so cute!¡± Isha said, her voice hitting octaves I''d seldom heard. ¡°Look at you you angry little man.¡±


    She tried to poke at it, and the crab pinched her finger causing her to pull it back quickly away from the unhappy crustacean with a yelp. Both Chien and I got a good laugh out of that but it left a glowing mark upon her skin. Something that made me stop as soon as I saw it.


    ¡°Purge whatever that is, don''t touch anything,¡± I said, flicking the crab back towards the sea. ¡°It''s probably poison of some kind.¡±


    Isha''s eyes rose and she began to sing, but the glowing spot didn''t go away, it merely spread, from a pinprick to something the size of a letter on a page. Without hesitating I grabbed her hand, focusing my mana to quickly slice around it. She screamed loudly, but I held her in place. A toxin that spread when exposed to magic was no joke, and we didn''t know what it would do.


    ¡°I''m sorry love, heal it again, and we need to get back from this shore.¡± I could already see where the flowing bit of her flesh had fallen, and how there were lights now advancing towards it from the waves. The crabs seemed to know where the poison was and were seeking it. I could only pray I''d gotten all of the effected region off quickly enough.


    She sang as we retreated to the forest, and Chien looked at our shelter with a frown.


    ¡°Further in boss?¡± he asked.


    ¡°All the way to the mountain, no risks.¡±


    We kept an eye on Isha, but it seemed we''d gotten lucky. There was a chunk of her pointer finger missing, and she was quite alarmed by her healing having initially failed, but she was safe. With the sled in tow we retreated up to the base o the mountains, and I made a note to keep well away from the shore, at least at night.


    Over the next few days we walked, trying to find anything that would supplement our rapidly dwindling supplies, but animals were sparse on the ground here. I even resorted to going nearer to the ocean, looking for any fish that might be swimming about. That was of limited use, as I wasn''t willing to get in the water, and we weren''t even sure what around here was edible.


    About a week in though we found something. At a place where the chore pulled in to make a small cove there were huts, raised above the shore on poles sunk deep, or perhaps some type of tree grown into the sand. Each had a small odd-looking thing at the base, but there were people, elves going about their business along the shore and around the houses. A few even looked up as we approached, waving us inward.

 Chapter 140 Seaside Village

    ¡°Good that you removed the flesh when you did,¡± the elder of this little village said.  He barely had a white hair upon his head, but was amenable enough.  ¡°It''s not that dangerous, but it attracts the crabs and they''ll swarm.  They''re persistant too.¡±


    We''d arrived here a few hours ago, and while we spoke a child with spots all along her skin sat by us in the elder''s home.  The glowing bits didn''t seem to hurt, but there were only two choices, to let the venom fade on its own, or to cut it away.  Nobody wanted to cut a child, so the answer was clear, time and time alone.


    ¡°Thank you for sharing what you know, is there any other beast we should know of in the area?¡±


    ¡°Few, from the waters sometimes we get monsterous creatures, but they are mercifully few here.  Further to the south near the flaming mountains there are more, and I''d advise you to avoid them, unless you are keen to hunt the beasts as so many who come down from the plateau are.¡±


    ¡°No, hunting isn''t the goal of our expedition.  Tell me though, if Neera and her people know of you, which I assume they do, why do none come here to try and take the land?¡±


    ¡°Couldn''t handle them could it?  Sure, we know them, and often their people trying to get their little heating stones come by, but there''s not anywhere near enough forest here for them all to live.  The matriarch has her lands, which can support her population, but if they came here most would starve.¡±


    That tracked, the village here was small, maybe ten huts, with less than fifty people total.  I also suspected that they were heavily influenced by their more northern neighbors.  My reasoning?  They were paler, not as pale as those of Icehome, but close, and covered much of their skin when outside.  If I had to guess the two popultaions had a lot of overlap, either from passers through, or from this one being an outgrowth of the other.


    ¡°Fair.¡±


    Beside us Isha was playing with the young girl, who seemed rather bored with being  cooped up.


    ¡°You know I got one too, right here on my finger,¡± she told the child.


    ¡°Yeah, I fell in the water at night, mommy told me to stay back, but they''re pretty.  You don''t have spots though?¡±


    ¡°No, had to cut away the light before it could spread, it hurt bad.¡±


    ¡°I have to stay here till they go away, mommy said she would cut them off if it were just one, but too many is bad.  My auntie got one too when she pulled me out of the water, and they just cut hers away and healed it.¡±


    The kid seemed well enough, if bored.  Perhaps I could fashion some checkers or chess pieces for her.  It was''t like it would be much of a challenge, and would at least give her something to do.  My understanding was that it would take around a week for the venom to fade completely, and until it did every night the crabs would swarm around anything effected.  Ostensibly the reason the little girl was having to stay here was so that the elder could keep back the animals if any managed to get close.


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    I finished up my conversation and was invited to a feast that evening, some tradition for guests.  I wouldn''t say no to free food.  It would also give us a great chance for us to see what people ate around here.  The local fruits were unknown to us, and knowing those would be a huge boon.


    Of course I''d told the elder here of the deaths I was spreading news for, but it wasn''t like it really effected him at all.  This little village was the definition of rural, far from any large settlements, and the large scale politics of the world.  It reminded me of home, in a lot of ways.


    Then again there were a lot of differences.  I didn''t know why they did it, but the people here had build over the sand, even below the waterline, on poles.  They were poles too, they''d been sunk into the sand, with the homes built atop them.  Walkways crisscrossed the few homes, one leading to the ground.  For whatever reason, my people liked to be up in trees or in weird places.  Humans I guessed wouldn''t have ever considered some of the odd housing arrangements.


    While we waited for the evening food I moved into the woods, heading up towards the mountains.  There was no reason to not help the little girl with some games, so I would.  The walk to the stone sentinels that loomed high wasn''t long, and there were plenty of rocks of various colors that I could use.


    By the time I''d taken things in hand and made both a board and some pieces it was time to return to the village.  The sun was setting and I didn''t want to be caught out if things went wrong.  As I did so I briefly wondered where my assistant had run off to.


    It turned out I was just in time for the festivities, and was greeted to the sound of happy chatter and the smell of food.  All of it was happening around the elder''s house, being that it was the largest of them about, the normal privledge of the strong.  He waved as I came near, gesturing for me to sit around a small improvised table made of leaves.


    ¡°Welcome back my friend, please, eat, join us.¡±


    The large fruit we''d seen appeared to be something akin to breadfruit, and after being cooked were cut open and served in their shell.  This was one of the main foods, with everything else being added to it like putting fish or sauces onto rolls.  Texture was a bit weird, but the taste was subtly sweet and quite filling.


    I''d worried about Chien getting into some nonsense, but no, he was sitting between two other men deep in discussion about woodworking.  They seemed keen, and being that the people here were using slightly more advanced techniques than we had originally had in Atal indicated that they would likely catch on quickly.  Isha still stayed with the  child, and I slipped the board over to her.  She''d know what to do, and I saw her smile at me.  Looks like I might  just be forgiven for throwing us off of a cliff.


    Below us the phosphorescent crabs swarmed, attracted to the injured girl.  Something about the pylons repelled them though, some kind of layer on them that the creatures couldn''t stand.


    ¡°Don''t worry, they won''t come up here,¡± the elder said as I looked down.


    ¡°What''s repelling them?¡±


    ¡°A mix of things, mostly a goo from certain fish, suspended in tree sap.  Has to stay wet to work, but it has served for a long time.  You can rest well.¡±


    I liked these people, they were decent.

 Chapter 141 Volcanic

    As the night wore on and people went to bed I found myself sitting beside the village elder, looking out at the moon over the softly crashing waves.


    "I wanted to ask you for a favor," he said, looking at me.


    "What''s that?"


    "Not agreeing first, someone''s asked for one before then I take it?"


    "We''ve have a long journey."


    ¡°Haha, well, this one I don''t need you to come back for, and it''s at least on your way.¡±


    ¡°You still haven''t told me.¡±


    ¡°Very well, as you travel south the mountains change, some of them spit fire. Within these are a number of fairly dangerous beasts, but there''s one mountain in particular, don''t worry you won''t miss it, that I''d like you to look into. We always try to keep a check, but nobody''s been by in awhile.¡±


    ¡°You said I didn''t need to come back. How exactly are you supposed to learn of what we find if we don''t?¡±


    I was starting to see some problems in his request here, and I wasn''t writing it off, but I really didn''t want to backtrack when we''d already done most of what we needed to to finish this awful mission.


    ¡°Simple, there is another village just before you hit the swamps. Tell them, I''m sure they''ll be thankful and if there''s anything immediately dangerous they may well do something about it. If there''s not then the report can make it to me whenever it does.¡±


    ¡°And what exactly do you need me to do?¡±


    ¡°Get as close as you can, see what you can. I''m not expecting too much, but that place spawns beasts like the ocean makes fish, just having someone put eyes on the mountain itself will be enough.¡±


    ¡°Very well, I can''t promise that I''ll get close, but I''ll look at it, see what I can.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    The next morning we set off, our hosts having given us more than we could imagine. It wasn''t just the supplies we traded for, though we did do that, but the knowledge. We now had several plants that we could easily harvest for food. The breadfruit ones were my personal favorite, and I wondered if they could be transplanted back to Atal. As an attempt I filled one of my pockets with seeds so we could try.


    Our trip was almost relaxing. We stayed mostly towards the mountain side of the little strip of land, wanting to avoid anything nasty coming from the ocean, but sometimes we''d take a day to walk along the shore instead. With the strip of good land only a few miles wide it wasn''t much of a challenge to change if we wanted.


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    Once or twice more we found small villages, and they were much like the first. Each was widely spread out from the others, making sure that there was almost no competition between them, but all were friendly. The people here lived simple lives, with few enemies and only the occasional attack from monsters and their own slow birthrate keeping them from covering the land.


    We also started to see some changes in the ground. The forests seemed more fertile and denser, the sands changed from a pale white to almost black over the course of a couple of weeks. The plants were at least much the same, but they grew larger, taller, thicker. Knowing there were volcanoes somewhere it was likely the effect of the soil being brought up from that, but we''d yet to see one of them at that point. The lands were also getting wider, slowly expanding from a couple of miles, to around ten, then further, the mountains were still close, ever looming over us, but it seemed as if each day they fled further from the shore.


    I almost didn''t notice the first of them when they appeared, only realizing when Chien pointed it out.


    ¡°Hey boss, is that what they were talking about?¡± he said, nodding towards one of the mountains.


    ¡°May be.¡±


    The sentinel was barren, covered in black rocks and shorter than those around it, as the sun set that night we saw more too. Rather than rivers of water that I''d come to expect this one had a few small reddish lines of magma dripping out from it, slowly spilling down. At the base were clouds, ostensibly where those flows met others of water, but I couldn''t see them from our vantage point.


    ¡°Why is it glowing?¡± Isha asked.


    ¡°Because there''s melted rock flowing down the side of it.¡±


    That put both of my companions a bit on the back foot. They knew that things could be melted like that, obviously because I was by trade a smith. They also well understood just how hard such things were, with massive amounts of time and effort going into melting even small amounts of metal.


    ¡°Can we forge anything from it or in it?¡± Chien asked, still thinking of business.


    ¡°Doubtful, though there may be some interesting rocks nearby from where it cools, we should look for those.¡±


    That night I began working on my floating. Flying like a bird was probably still out of the picture for me, but I could at least try the basics of going up and forward, something we might need. Nobody had said anything, but what if one of those lava flows ended up making it all the way to the shore? I didn''t have a boat, as a point of fact I''d never seen a proper seafaring vessel at all, only small rafts and canoes.


    The next day as we traveled we got nearer to the volcano, trying to get a look at it and as we did we began to see things. First were sections of new land, places where the old flows had hardened into fresh rock, smooth and devoid of life. Then as we neared one of the rivers of lava I spotted movement, it was subtle, and far off, but I stopped our group.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Isha asked.


    ¡°I don''t know, something by the river there.¡±


    ¡°I can''t see anything,¡± Chien said.


    ¡°Just saw it for a second, really need a better way to see them...¡± I lamented, knowing that binoculars would be wonderful here.


    ¡°What about that bending light thing?¡± Chien asked.


    I''d tried to give the kid as good an education as I thought he could understand, and years ago he''d asked about water. Why did water do weird things to the angle when you saw stuff? Everyone knew, because they could all see in calm rivers and streams, the way the light rippled. I''d not gone too deep into it, simply telling him that light could bend, but he remembered. Frankly I was stunned that he''d thought of it.


    ¡°What? You said it messed with how you saw things right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah... might be best if we tried it like this,¡± I said, drawing a simple diagram for him. ¡°Want to give it a go? It''s your idea after all.¡±


    With a nod he did just that, warping the area before him into a lens. I sat back, looking on in pride as my apprentice did something I''d not suggested. Was this was having a child was like? No, it wasn''t quite that deep, but there was a smile on my face as I watched him grow, and give us something to look through. It was a bit blurry, and decidedly angled along the edges, but he made a wonderful magnifying glass for us.


    It also did the job perfectly, zooming in on the little lava river. Within seconds we''d seen what we needed, beasts that looked like some kind of unholy mix of fire and crocodile pulled themselves along the river of molten rock, coming to shore for brief moments.


    ¡°Boss, I don''t wanna fight one of those.¡±


    ¡°Agreed.¡±


    ¡°Very agreed.¡±


    With three for and none against we moved to avoid the mountain altogether, pulling away. Only to discover the next day another, and another. Mountains were replaced by them one by one, and in no lesser number along the far edge of this strip of shore, and I worried which was the one I was supposed to look at, a worry I need not have had.

 Chapter 142 Birth of Fire

    It''d slowly crept over the horizon, building and building, a black colossus standing tall above all and any around it. As we approached what could only be the nastiest looking active volcano I''d ever seen I frowned. The sky was blackened by soot, thick, burning rivers covered it, not the small streams that had flowed down its companions but roiling tides of death, I could even see monsters from a few miles out flowing upon its surface, pulling themselves around the burning rock.


    ¡°Feels like someone''s supposed to throw a ring into that,¡± I mumbled.


    ¡°What?¡± Isha asked curiously.


    ¡°Nothing, but this is decidedly the one they want us checking on.¡±


    ¡°You think?¡± Chien quipped. ¡°Lens first?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, let''s see what we can see before getting near it.¡±


    He pulled out his newest spell and we saw that it was easily as much of a bleak hellscape as I''d thought it was. It looked like even the ground was steaming, and it must be burning hot. That was probably as much as the elder had wanted, just confirming that there was nothing too odd going on, but it wasn''t enough for me. If I was going to do a job, it would pay to do it right.


    ¡°Alright, I''ve got something I''m going to try,¡± I told them.


    I''d played with the idea of flight, and found it to be awful. Now I tried again, wrapping bands of force around me like ropes and pulling myself up. The sensation was awful, my inner ear screaming as my point of perception shifted along with where I was trying to move to, but I''d had an idea.


    Once I was up I didn''t simply try to move myself forward, instead visualizing something akin to a zip-line, and setting it into the sky before me. That done I hooked my rope-like construct to it and tried pulling myself along it. This, while still rather unpleasant seemed to remove the worst of the nausea, rendering it a much smaller issue.


    ¡°You can fly!?¡± Isha asked. ¡°Not even Elaya could to that!¡± she shouted, referencing the elder from the village we grew up in, she was right too, flight was an obscenely rare skill.


    ¡°It, sort of works. Okay, I''m gonna go and see what I can, I''ll be back in a bit. Keep each other safe until I return.¡±


    ¡°Be careful,¡± Isha admonished as I flew away.


    The path was halting, as I had to stop to make new lines for me to flow along, but it did function. My long and arduous practice making more and more physical forces helped too, making the whole thing easier. I loved that aspect of magic, that things we practiced got easier. Soon I was zooming along over the mountainside, looking at all the beasts below me.


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    Most of them seemed standard, something I''d seen from Chien''s lens, but among them there were a few outliers. Bigger versions of the same monster curled up in some of the pools, the large reptilian lava-lizards seeming to relax. In and of itself that didn''t seem a problem, but it was notable. I also saw them fighting each other, with a few situations where one ripped another to bits.


    If I had to guess, these, or other related beasts, were what the northern elves hunted for their well-loved heating stones. Even if they weren''t actively using magic these beasts were clearly magical in nature, with black cracked skin that showed fire leaking from underneath. I''d wager that within each was a stone like those I''d made, the size of a grain of sand or something similar.


    There were thankfully no fliers about, nor any sign of anything that might nest and come for me. If I''d seen even one I''d have turned back, unwilling to try fighting while flying, too much risk. So I continued on, towards the top of the mountain.


    Thick waterfalls of lava cascaded down the black cliffs like something from a story, raining burning death upon the land below. I avoided them, going up and up, higher along the dark stone. They must have been falling from the bottom of the caldera, as the cliffs rose hundreds of feet higher above them.


    As I crested the peak I looked down. The bowl inside had to be the size of a city, with rippling black and red soup bubbling and churning in the natural cauldron. The sides were high, high enough that after checking the heat of the rock I was safe to land, the heat dissipated before reaching this altitude.


    The beasts from below were absent here, perhaps they needed a shore, something this caldera lacked, or perhaps some other quirk kept them away. No other monsters were roaming about either. That didn''t mean however that there was no sign of one.


    A skeleton clung to the inside of the caldera, looking like some sort of t-rex, but massive, the size of a skyscraper. It was clearly long dead, bones peaking out beneath cracked and broken scales, thick as the armor on a tank, below it the rock seemed to boil like water on a stove. Slowly I guided myself over to the massive dead beast, careful to keep well away from the burning gasses and stone below.


    With care I made it near one of the claws, the hands it had been using to try and hold to the edge. The nails looked calcified, the bones with layers of rock from old eruptions splattered upon it. Whatever this beast had been it had found the slightest slope it could here, laying down before its death, allowing the body to stay where it was, even as its tissues fell away. Certainly this thing must have died centuries ago, the heat and lack of any predators preserving it.


    As I contemplated trying to get one of the armor plates I looked at the lava below, and realized I''d been wrong. I thought it was boiling as I approached, but that wasn''t so, no what appeared to be bubbles weren''t bubbles at all. Massive eggs, each the size of a school-bus floated atop the molten stone.


    Curious I made a lens like Chien had and looked down. Within each and every one I could see a creature like the one before me, only a fraction of the size, was this normal? Did this thing naturally lay eggs here? How long until one hatched? Most of them had little monsters of black or red inside, but one was smaller, with a creature of pure white. I looked down at it almost in pity, it must be a runt, or have some defect.


    While I was looking the membranes over the unborn monster''s eyes pulled back, and a pitch dark eye looked up at me, locking on my own through the spell. I sucked in a breath, for I could feel a wave of visceral hate and anger in that eye, staring back into the lens I''d made, boring into my very bones. In a second I''d dropped the spell, and a few later I was flying away. Internally I knew it couldn''t hurt me, but it still felt as if the beast could see me, and wanted nothing more than to end my life.


    Moments later I returned to Chien and Isha, zooming back as quickly as I could. My hair still stood on end, frayed from the seconds of looking at that little creature.


    ¡°Hey boss, everything good?¡± Chien asked as I landed near him.


    ¡°I think so yeah, should tell the villages that there are some large eggs up there though. Nothing moving around yet, but they may want to keep an eye out.¡±


    ¡°Is it okay?¡± Isha asked.


    ¡°I think so.¡±


    Little did I know that at that moment a small horn was ripping through the membrane of an egg, releasing a monster unseen for generations.

 Chapter 143 Break for Forging

    As with all things, travel down the coast took time. After passing the massive volcanic mountain of doom things slowly went back to some semblance of normal though. I wondered if there was something like a ring of fire on this world, as there had been on my previous. If so, was it the mountain region I was so familiar with? I didn''t think so, as none on the other side of the continent had had any signs of ever being volcanic.


    I thought on this as we made our way along the shore. At night we had to find somewhere safe from the menace that was the ocean, but that was easier than dealing with angry flaming mountains. The monster population other than those near the volcanoes.


    ¡°What ya doing there boss?¡± Chien asked as I walked along, one hand roving over the sands gently.


    ¡°Look,¡± I said, showing him the handful of black sand I''d pulled to me.


    ¡°More iron?¡±


    ¡°We''re almost out of trade goods, and a few tools wouldn''t go amiss either.¡±


    ¡°Have to build a forge,¡± he pointed out.


    ¡°You know, I don''t know if we do. Between the two of us I''m pretty sure we could smelt it without, but even if we do we can improvise one pretty quickly.¡±


    ¡°No other reasons you''re doing that?¡± Isha chimed in, knowing me well.


    ¡°There are actually, I''ve been thinking.¡±


    ¡°Dangerous,¡± she said, getting a nod from our other companion.


    ¡°I''ve gotten good enough at fire and force magic that I can now make crystals of them. What if I could do the same with other basic forces? I could start on building something bigger, more... lasting.¡±


    ¡°She''s right, dangerous,¡± Chien answered with a shake of his head.


    I hmmed roving back to my thoughts. ¡°I want a boat.¡±


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    ¡°Like the ones used to go down rivers?¡± Chien asked.


    There were such things, canoes and rafts basically used to move goods and people between cities, but they were painfully basic.


    ¡°Not quite, I want one good enough to go on the ocean.¡±


    ¡°Saw a guy take a canoe out there once,¡± Chien informed me, and that was news to me.


    ¡°How did it go?¡±


    ¡°Well enough until a wave hit it wrong and flipped the whole thing. Think we wanted a moving version of one of a fishing platform.¡±


    Platforms were easy enough for our people, and popular too. Basically just tied to trees or the like; with the ability of some elves to grow said trees into the perfect shape or in the perfect place it made going up sensible. Once or twice I''d even seen people primarily weave them from vines, but that was a lot more work.


    ¡°So how do you think we should go about building a boat for the ocean?¡± Isha asked, seeming almost curious.


    ¡°No idea.¡± That got me a pair of guffaws, as normally I had at least some thoughts.


    I did have some thoughts, I mean, I understood how boats worked. Water displacement was easy enough to wrap your head around, and could lead to really interesting designs. However that didn''t mean I knew anything at all about making a boat. Even with my perfect memory, even with all the time I''d looked at things, and videos, and all the like, I was drawing almost a complete blank. Boatbuilding was something that had never really caught my interest, and I knew enough to know it wasn''t a simple subject.


    ¡°So you want something you have no idea on how to make? That might be a first,¡± Isha laughed.


    ¡°Definitely a first,¡± Chien agreed.


    ¡°Both of you shut up. I don''t know everything.¡±


    ¡°But a lot of things,¡± Chien pointed out.


    ¡°Sure, a lot of things.¡±


    They kept on for most of the rest of the day. By that point I was very thoroughly decided that I was going to have to build not only one, but many boats. There would be no other way to wipe this particular failing off of my record, and if I didn''t they''d probably pester me for the next century or two.


    That thought brought a smile to my face as I laid down to sleep. No longer did I have the gnawing fear of old age, of people leaving me like they did before. My family could live on forever, or almost forever, so long as they weren''t killed. I''d lost loved ones in both lives, but in my first so many had fallen to the specter of age. Once I brought this world forward we could have whole cities of ancients, we could tame the world together, as one. That dream carried me through the night.


    The mountains went back to being just that, mountains, and as we moved slowly retreated from the shore. That line of ancient soldiers fell back, giving way to more and more of the pleasant tropical forest. It still wasn''t anything like a wide opening, with the sentinels maintaining their vigil in the far distance, but it was noticeable.


    We stopped for a few days at that point, taking the time to build a bit more of a secure structure and forge out the iron I''d gathered. There was no hurry, no rush, even if we wanted to be done with this mission there wasn''t any reason we had to keep moving, and the weather was nice, so a vacation was called for. Also, the sled was getting heavy with all the ore I was building up in it.


    ¡°This seemed easier when we did it back home,¡± Chien observed as we poured our first ingot.


    ¡°Because we had a whole shop full of tools. I assure you it was this hard at first.¡±


    We managed to forge out a small stump anvil, a little contraption that fit into said stump, and matching hammer, not big, but big enough for some simple work. This was followed up by a set of knives, knives were too useful to not have and somewhere through the trading we''d lost one. They were poor compared to my normal work, but still ages above what most people had, just simple all iron blades.


    The few days of work were followed by a full week of rest, during which Isha began working with plants. She didn''t say anything, but I saw her once or twice out of the corner of my eye. Perhaps she was working on something special, and if so, I relished the chance at a surprise.


    Chien and I took apart the forge with all the gusto of two young men who had a chance to destroy something, and we set off, eager to see the next part of our lands.

 Chapter 144 Last Stop Before the Bog

    Sometimes it seemed like this journey would never end. Days upon days passed, and though I missed the comfort of being at home, and the friends I''d left there I didn''t hate where I''d come to. We picked our way south, slowly advancing after our short break.


    What we eventually came upon was a town, a proper town and not some small village. It stood at the mouth of a great river, between the forest and a massive saltwater marsh. People were going about their days as we approached, but looked at us strangely, like they''d never seen anyone not from here before. None approached though, and being that we had business we didn''t bother them either.


    We approached the wall, a small, fortification that circled the hill the town had been build upon, grown from briars and trees. There were people nestled above them somehow, some kind of platform or similar allowing them to look out over the landscape, but there weren''t many. There were also none at the gates, though more and more people began to give us looks.


    ¡°We''re getting a lot of attention,¡± Isha whispered to me.


    ¡°I don''t think they get many visitors. Luckily they don''t seem to object to us, just curious I think,¡± I answered her.


    People were everywhere, and if I estimated this place had several hundred residents. That alone was a good sign, though an odd one, since most of the villages we''d passed had at most a couple dozen. It also meant that whoever was here would be slightly more entrenched, and with the setup I didn''t doubt that they had more experience than the average village leader.


    There were also no obvious shops, though with a community this size would there really need to be any? If only a handful of people made or did any given service then they''d just be known, and you could go to their homes for what you needed. That was tiresome, but not completely unexpected, as most villages were the same, but it did mean no inns or the like.


    I wondered if we''d need to find the local leader, but of course that worry was worthless, because he found us.


    ¡°Greetings strangers,¡± came the voice from off to our side.


    ¡°Good day Elder,¡± I said as we turned looking toward him.


    The elf in question was clearly older, half his hair white and eyes that showed almost a tiredness from his years, but he still smiled.


    ¡°Welcome to my town, it is seldom that we get visitors from afar.¡±


    ¡°Afar?¡± asked Chien.


    ¡°Your skin, and style are too different from normal to be from either our north or south. You aren''t pale like those from the matriarch''s home, nor do you have the clothes of the swamps. Not that many of either make it to this edge of the world. Where are my manners though? My name is Lokan, a pleasure to meet you.¡±


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    We quickly gave our names, and offered one of the knives Chien and I had made, it was poorer than most of our work, but an iron knife was still far and above what most people in this world had.


    ¡°A wonderful gift, allow me to return you one. You should stay with me for the night, as my home has the most extra room.¡±


    It was no secret that it would also allow him to keep an eye on us and prevent any trouble from brewing, but that was fine since we needed to speak to him anyway.


    He led us to his home, and there were several servants there, marked up like those in Atal had been to denote how many years were left on their time, and excused himself. Regardless of where they were, administrators were always busy.


    As for the room itself, it was cozy if basic. In the center there was a firepit, lined with stones, and a large sleeping area filled with soft grasses and the like lay off to one side, it almost reminded me of my first home, though the building was a bit more strongly built than that hut had been.


    We were invited to dinner, a large affair where all the people of the house sat around sharing the frankly massive quantity of food that had been brought in. As guests we were sat beside the Lokan and his family so we could talk.


    ¡°Ah, Lokan, I was asked to check on the one mountain on the way here.¡±


    ¡°Were you? I appreciate that, since our hunters seldom like to get close to it.¡±


    ¡°Yes, there''s a large skeleton there, and...¡± I wasn''t sure how to phrase it so that it didn''t sound too alarming. ¡°A large number of eggs.¡±


    The elder sat back, eyes going a bit wide. ¡°My, you got close indeed to have seen that.¡±


    ¡°I don''t know if you need to send someone...¡±


    ¡°I don''t, those have been there since before I was born, and will likely be there for well into the future. The bones you saw belonged to the beast whose heart now heats Icehome, supposedly slain by old Neera, though,¡± And he leaned close as if sharing a conspiratorial secret. ¡°I suspect she merely found the beast dead or injured after laying those eggs and harvested its heart.¡±


    ¡°Good to know that it''s not a worry then.¡±


    ¡°None at all my young friend.¡±


    ¡°Would you mind if I asked you a few questions?¡± I inquired.


    ¡°Of course not, go on.¡±


    ¡°The elders in our area didn''t know anything about the situation in the swamps, if there was an ancient ruling them, or what had happened. Could you clarify who''s in charge for me?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± I must have shown how taken aback I was on my face because he continued. ¡°It isn''t that I don''t want to Justin, but that I cannot. We get visitors from the villages just to our north every now and then, one or two a year perhaps, but from the south? It has been over a century since any have come this way. That last one was to tell us their previous leader had died, much like your own message.¡±


    ¡°Are they so insular? Do they not send out any traders at all?¡± I asked, stunned at the lack of communication.


    ¡°You''ve never been to the swamps have you?¡± he asked, amused.


    ¡°No...¡±


    ¡°Then you haven''t a clue of the scale. First of all, most of it is empty of our people. Nobody likes living in a bog, well, almost nobody, so the majority of it is just open land.¡± He reached down in the dirt and began to draw a map as he spoke.


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°You''re from Atal right?¡± At my nod he added that to the map, making a line upwards. ¡°You must have traveled north and around, through the forests, and the ice.¡±


    There was a sense of scale to it as he went, our lands were medium sized, but as he moved northwards he showed the enormity of the frozen wastes. Then he moved downwards, adding mountains and the slim strip of coast we were on now. From his drawing I could see that the lands within the circling mountains that had previously belonged to the ancient Cino were quite a bit larger than the forests of my birth.


    ¡°And the swamps?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Down here. Most of the people live around a large inland sea, bigger than any lake upon a series of three great hills, those aren''t as tall as our mountains supposedly, but high enough to avoid the waters. Here and there within the swamp are other settlements, places were the land is dry enough to make small woodlands, but most of it is home to nothing but beasts, bugs, and those who would rather be left alone.¡± As he spoke he drew and pointed out the structures he told me about.


    The swamp we were looking at wasn''t some small thing, it was massive, almost as large as the ice shelf. I could also imagine the ''joy'' of crossing such a thing and frowned. The lake he spoke of and the hills we were likely to find whatever leader there may be were also at the very point of the map.


    ¡°What you thinking boss?¡± Chien asked, leaning in.


    ¡°We''re gonna need a better way to travel.¡±

 Chapter 145 Im Rubber

    We decided to stay in the town a bit longer than originally intended. I wanted a better way to cross the divide than we had before setting off, even an imperfect one, to reduce the amount of time it would take. I didn''t delude myself either, there was no way this was going to get us all the way, but even part would be a boon.


    An air-boat would''ve been the perfect thing, but sadly that was probably impossible. There were other options though, we could try making something seaworthy and sailing around. However I knew there were monsters in the sea, and didn''t know how to make anything even approaching seaworthy. Canoes were another good option, giving us at least the option to skip the mud.


    ¡°What about using the shore like we have been?¡± Chien suggested as I bounced ideas off of him.


    ¡°Might work for parts of it, but I''ve been told there are a lot of seaside swampy areas once you get a day or two down the coast, also wouldn''t solve our trouble getting further inland to find those cities.¡±


    ¡°Shame we can''t all just fly.¡±


    Now that was an idea... planes were beyond our ability at the moment, and not anywhere close even, but what if we could fly? Could a glider be made? Probably not, for the same reason as the plane. I needed something a bit simpler in the whole building department. Something easier, less joints, if we had fabric enough a hot air balloon would be perfect.


    ¡°If only we had something that could hold air,¡± I moped.


    ¡°Don''t know something like that, ask the locals maybe?¡±


    ¡°Good call,¡± I said, praising that advice. There were still a lot of things I didn''t know.


    As I walked around town asking questions I thought about other options. Carbon fiber sounded cool, and might be light enough to work, but I didn''t know how to make it. Cloth just wasn''t available, at least not the quality and types we''d need for something like this. Leather? No, leather was far too heavy, even at its thinnest, and who knew if I could get that. What about leaves or something then, grow one? No, somehow I doubted that would be possible.


    ¡°Actually, I do know of something,¡± one of the townsfolk said as I asked about air holding things.


    ¡°Please do tell,¡± I answered with a smile and a nod.


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    ¡°There''s a tree just on the edges of the swamp, the inner bark is pretty light, and you can get huge sheets of it. It should hold air too, it''s all weird feeling and the like, like soft skin.¡±


    I was over the moon, hot air balloons here I come! He even had the time to take and show me, because it wasn''t like there was a rush on any of his business. All he asked for was that I help him cut some of the wood for his own purposes, something I could do in seconds. A deal struck we headed out of the town and towards the edge of the marsh.


    The trees we were looking for weren''t uncommon, but I got the feeling nobody really thought about them holding air or not, so nobody had noticed. Each was wide and squat, with a look that almost reminded me of cypress otherwise.


    ¡°These them?¡± I asked my guide.


    ¡°Indeed, just need to cut it down and strip the limbs and we can get the bark for you. They make great firewood too!¡± He hefted his ax, having brought it along. I didn''t bring any such thing, but I assumed he wanted to trade off, that didn''t work for me.


    With a quick series of hand motions a series of sharp cuts, almost like a chainsaw would make were made into the lumber. My guide stood back, sputtering as in seconds I felled a tree that would''ve taken an hour or so by hand. Kinetics was one of my favorites, and so it was no issue to slice where I wanted, though I could tell that it was significantly more durable than most trees I''d run into. Next came the limbs, sliced away and piled to the side.


    ¡°Well... that''s one way to do it. Er, how close did you say you were to becoming an elder?¡±


    ¡°Not at all. Now, for the inner bark, can I just slice along the length and peel it like a fruit?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that would work.¡± The man was still stunned by the quick work, answering almost in autopilot.


    Doing just that the outer bark cracked and fell away, leaving a long sheet of brilliant orange. Just from the cuts I''d made I could tell the stuff was tough enough for my needs and I smiled, until I tried to pick it up.


    ¡°Something wrong?¡± he asked nervously.


    ¡°I thought you said this was light?¡±


    ¡°It''s very light for something that keeps air out, and I know it does too, I''ve seen bubbles get trapped in it before.¡±


    The sheet in my hand was about a quarter inch thick, but rather than canvas or nylon it was like rubber, thick rubber. Consistency wasn''t quite the same, with a bit of a grainy feel to it, but rubber was the closest thing I could compare it to. Even if I sliced it into thinner sheets I doubted it would make a good material for balloons.


    ¡°I uh, don''t suppose you''d help me get some of this back to town?¡± the would be woodsman asked hesitantly.


    Technically I''d more than fulfilled my end of our bargain, but goodwill was worth it and getting it back if you lost it wasn''t easy. If I told him to kick sand he wouldn''t be able to complain that I''d reneged on our deal, but I knew he''d never help me again, and some of the people in town might not either. Small towns were rumor mills and I was decidedly an outsider. Maybe I wasn''t planning to return, but our kind had long memories.


    ¡°Well, you helped me out, so I can help a bit, but this is a lot even for me. I won''t be able to get it all all the way there.¡±


    ¡°Can you get the main trunk back? The limbs I can do trips for.¡±


    ¡°I can do that.¡±


    It was a sizable tree, and even if I wasn''t taking all, or most of it getting this much back was no light task. Several breaks were taken through the day, and it occurred to me that had I not been here this would be a task for a good few men. Well, either that or my companion would''ve had to make a lot of runs back and forth. It also wasn''t lost of me that he didn''t want the tree cut into more manageable lengths. Perhaps at the beginning he''d been thinking of firewood, but with the thing whole he could hew planks from it, a much more valuable use for any wood.


    When I finally made it back to our rooms Isha looked at me with a raised eyebrow. I''d not been planning to be gone for the whole day. In response I hauled the tied up roll of rubber-like bark over my shoulder and before me, where it jiggled up and down suggestively like rubber was keen to do.


    ¡°I swear you do the weirdest things.¡±

 Chapter 146 Bouncy!

    ¡°Why, why would you get this stuff!?¡± Chien fumed, trying to cut the sheet of rubber back a bit.


    ¡°Goodness, use magic, this stuff isn''t that bad.¡± I of course was using only magic, because it was in fact that bad, the material was like trying to cut through wood, which made sense, since it was bark.


    ¡°Do you even know how to use it?¡±


    ¡°I''ve got a few ideas.¡±


    He made a chopping motion, sending a magical blade to slice off the strip he was trying to cut. ¡°Ideas he says...¡±


    ¡°We can probably sew it together.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Isha said from a corner where she was prepping some other plants for dinner. ¡°Not unless you''re doing it, because I don''t have a needle that will go through that and you''re not ruining one of my good ones. A thick iron one maybe, but that seems nonsensical.¡±


    ¡°Well, maybe it melts.¡±


    ¡°Will it remain waterproof afterwards? And even if it does, this stuff is heavy.¡± Chien had spotted the same problem I had.


    ¡°Sure, but we can make a boat out of it, maybe one to go along the top of the marsh.¡±


    I''d written off air-boats as impossible, but if we worked it right, this stuff might just work for a raft that we could then push like we had the sled. Well, at least that was the best I was coming up with unless someone had a bunch of helium sitting around, and even that would be iffy.


    ¡°Changing the plan again then Justin?¡± Isha teased.


    ¡°He does do that a lot.¡±


    ¡°Enough, both of you. We have to work with what we have, unless you want to spend the next couple of years trudging through bug and monster infested mud.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


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    ¡°That''s what I thought.¡±


    ¡°Do we have to go though?¡± Isha asked.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°I mean, we could just go home. Nobody knows if there even is an ancient in the swamps, and they never talk to anyone anyways. Or we could stay here, it''s fairly nice Justin, it would be easy. Is there really anything back there other than a few friends? And we could just wait awhile and go home later too.¡±


    I looked at her, and I could see it in her eyes. She was tired, we all were, all of us just wanted to go home. Sure, I knew that we might be some trouble on this journey, but nothing like the environments we had. The other two, they probably didn''t even know how to parse the tundra we''d been through, or the rivers of lava. Anyone else might just call it and pack up, go home, however I had a stubborn streak a mile wide.


    ¡°We could, but we''re so close, I just want to finish right.¡±


    ¡°Alright, but you''re going to owe me something when it''s all done.¡±


    ¡°Sure, name it,¡±


    ¡°I''ll tell you later,¡± she said with a mischievous smile before taking her work and leaving us.


    ¡°I''m with you till the end boss,¡± Chien told me once she''d left, shrugging.


    ¡°Oh? No demands?¡±


    He tapped his chin for a minute. ¡°When you take over I want to be in charge of the treasury.¡±


    I raised an eyebrow at him. ¡°Assuming I do.¡±


    ¡°You will boss, one day.¡± He said it without the smallest hint of doubt, like it was just a fact, the truth.


    ¡°Fine, you can be minister of finance when I rule Atal. Now let''s get back to this.¡± I really didn''t want to argue with him about the fact that I never wanted to rule anything, so I just pointed to our project.


    The rubber, for I was simply going to call it that, did in fact melt. It was at a pretty good temperature, not forge hot, but fire hot, so I wasn''t worried about it doing so in the short term. Even once that was done however the seams weren''t perfect, and were very prone to breaking from each other. The stuff was at least still tough everywhere except the joints, enough that it took a sharp knife and a lot of effort of just magic to slice it up.


    Since just melting had failed we went for a series of connections. Sewing it first didn''t seem to solve everything, after taking a day to make the needle we needed and some thick twine. The next one involved sewing a reinforcement strip over every joint and melting it all. The joined pieces were huge too, since we''d just cut the tree-sized strip in half and sewn the edges, it was about fifteen feet wide and just as long, really they were monstrous trees. However that try the joint looked good.


    ¡°Think it''ll hold?¡± my assistant asked, smacking the bouncy surface.


    ¡°Have to test it.¡±


    ¡°We''re gonna be going over dirt and water fast if what you''re saying is true. How to we even test it, hold it out and slam something on it for a few hours?¡± he quipped.


    I chuckled under my breath. ¡°Yes, that''s exactly what we''re gonna do. Can you gather up the kids from the town? Maybe the adults too since it''s getting later in the day. I bet they''re all done with their work for today.¡±


    ¡°And bring them here?¡± he asked, looking around the small, old hut that we''d managed to barter for access to. The village elder had offered to keep hosting us, but it felt wrong if we were going to be here for a couple of weeks.


    ¡°No, just outside the village, near the nearest trees. Get Isha too, wherever she''s run off to.¡± I didn''t look back as I grabbed some of the rope we had from our things and hauled off the huge rubber tarp.


    I found the perfect spot in minutes, several trees with a nice big opening between them, nothing too sharp nearby, soft grass and mud below it, and easy to see from the village. Preparing was simple enough, a few holes, a few ropes, the fact that I had no springs would make this passable at best, but it would still be fun.


    ¡°Hey!... We need to!.. Test how strong this is!.. Want to help!?¡± I said between jumps at the approaching group of elves. They all thought we were a bit weird, but we traded well, and seemed to think anything we wanted to show them might be neat.


    ¡°He is such a child sometimes,¡± I heard Isha whisper, shaking her head as I tried to get higher and higher on this world''s first trampoline. She still joined me though.


    The village''s children, what few there were, showed their emphatic agreement by all bouncing on moments later. The adults gave them a bit of time before switching out, letting the little ones tire themselves out. This continued well into the night, with some of those capable of magic sending up lights and food appearing from somewhere. It was fun, and by the end of it I was satisfied that our material would hold up.

 Chapter 147 An Agreement

    After a long evening of bouncing up and down, pun decidedly intended, we retired. The rubber had held up admirably, without any visible damage of note. As people left I inspected it, and it seemed that the extra reinforcement had done it''s job perfectly, sure there were one or two small deformations, but I couldn''t even find any cracks in it, so I called it a resounding success.


    There were a number of ways I could have gone about building a boat, designs and plans that might have worked, but there was only really one that I strongly considered. A basic raft shape should work, it wouldn''t be super efficient, or ideal for any given circumstance, but it should function. Sometimes you simply had to do what would serve now, not worrying about what might serve later.


    Building a basic frame was easy enough, if only because of the massive amount of wood Chien and I needed to harvest for the bark. It seemed wasteful, but once we left it could serve as the firewood for this little town for awhile, or building materials I didn''t really care. The townsfolk did give us odd looks though as we brought tree after tree back.


    ¡°We don''t have to bring all of these back boss, it''s not like we need them all,¡± he complained one day.


    ¡°We''re taking the trees down one way or another, no need to make waste.¡±


    ¡°I suppose.¡±


    From there everything was fairly straightforward. The thickest sheets of the rubber bark were used as the base, though the addition was minimal. Thinner sheets served for the sides in the form of tubes, though I was making the bottom slightly inflated too, for added comfort. The real issue was getting it all together and done properly.


    Our raft was about fifteen feet long, about eight wide, and while that might seem like quite a bit, and it would decidedly make for limited places we could go through it would also be serving as our shelter in case of storm of whatever. A small rig so the thinnest sheets of rubber we could find would serve as a tarp over it and we''d be dry, though netting was impossible, sadly, we could at least keep rain away. The different parts would all be sealed together, but not connected internally, so they might be replaced if needed. There would also be plenty of room for our stuff, as even compacted we''d gathered a goodly bit on the sleds and whatnot we''d had over the trip.


    It took us a full week to gather all the rubber thought we needed, and another to get the design lain out over some logs that would serve as out building frame. A third week to get more rubber, since we''d underestimated significantly. That''s when we ran into a problem.


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    ¡°How''s that supposed to keep its shape?¡± Isha asked as she watched us pull the frame out, and the tube we were looking at instantly collapse into a floppy mess.


    ¡°We''ll fill them with air,¡± I said confidently, then realized my issue.


    ¡°How? And how will that help?¡± she asked, only to see me sigh.


    ¡°Don''t worry, the boss has got this,¡± Chien said confidently.


    There was no pump, and even if there was we didn''t have a proper valve. I''d love to say that I could just build one, but I really couldn''t, I had no clue how the valves on inflatable rafts and whatnot worked. I could picture one, sure, I''d even used a ton of them in my former life, but I''d never tried to figure out how they functioned.


    As was my normal solution, when my knowledge failed, I fell upon my magic. We already had bellows from our earlier forging that wouldn''t do well for a pump, but would kinda work, and we were already having to seal around, leaving only one bit open for the end because of how we had to sew these together. Making a one-way barrier was weird though, unintuitive.


    It took a full day for me to get it, because there were so many moving parts. I needed a opening that would let air in, but not out, that would let the tip of the bellows in and out, and could be held for a long period. Several times did we make it about halfway to where it needed to be, only for my control to slip, uninflating the whole thing in an infuriating sound that resembled nothing so much as a whoopee cushion, which was fitting I supposed.


    Finally we did though, and Chien rushed to get the last whole sealed up. It would be the weakest point, but with both the sewing and the heat treatment I felt it should hold.


    ¡°Let''s never do this again,¡± he complained when it was finally done, leaning back against it. ¡°Good pillow though.¡±


    ¡°Chien, that was just one side. We''ve still got the other, the back, and the floor to go.¡±


    ¡°Fuck,¡± he grumbled, it was in English too. He''d heard me say it one too many times over the course of our years long association. There was a similar word in the local elven dialects, but it didn''t have the broad use, or the good hearty power of an old fashioned fuck.


    The rest of it was at least easier, taking us only another day. I''d have liked to have more air pressure in the parts, but there was only so much I could justify fighting with it. At the end of the day Isha and I laid in it, looking up at the stars as we rested on some light furs.


    ¡°This is comfy, why did you never make something like this before?¡± she asked as she snuggled up to me.


    ¡°Never really occurred to me.¡±


    ¡°Well, when we get back I want something like this for our bed.¡±


    ¡°I''ll see what I can do. Glad that you decided you''re happy to continue.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I''m not happy,¡± she said, moving to straddle my stomach. ¡°I''ve made friends here, we could still stay.¡± She must have been able to see my face because she leaned down. ¡°But I can see you don''t want to, so I''ll go.¡±


    I''d not really been paying the attention I should to her, or I would have known she''d been making friends. For our part Chien and I always kind of kept people at arm''s length, but with weeks here it seemed Isha had made connections.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± I muttered.


    ¡°Oh, you don''t have to thank me, I told you already there''d be a price.¡± Her voice was mischievous and I could see her teeth as she smiled.


    ¡°And what''s that?¡± I asked, holding her close.


    ¡°You''re taking a break from all your wild adventures, no wars, no wandering about the world, none of that nonsense.¡±


    ¡°It''s not like I want to...¡±


    ¡°You could have told them to shove it in Atal, but you didn''t, you will in the future until your break is over.¡± Her voice was hard.


    ¡°Alright then, and how long a break will this be?¡± I questioned.


    ¡°Until our first child is grown,¡± she declared, fingers entwining with mine.


    ¡°I think I can do that.¡±


    On reflection I had to agree, something like this raft would made an excellent bed.

 Chapter 148 First Night in the Swamp

    Our leaving the village was actually a bit of an event, not something we''d planned. It seemed with the few visitors, and the fact that we''d stayed long enough for Isha to make a few friends that people had come to find us fun. Though introducing a new game for the kids had also endeared me to them a bit.


    Well-wishers came as we carried the raft from town, a few walking with us down the street of the little town growing until much of the village came. The children were looking for something interesting, the women chatting with Isha, even the local Elder looked amused to watch what we were up to now.


    ¡°Bye everyone,¡± we said as we threw the little boat into the river that separated this area from the swamp, ¡°See you!¡±


    The first few moments were a bit anticlimactic, being that we weren''t going all that fast. Then the spells I was planning to use for this fell into place. The boat began to push forwards and over the murky water, faster and faster until we were bouncing lightly over the gunk.


    Soon enough we were really going and we all began to get some air. Each time we went over something we went up, being thrown about.


    ¡°We really need tie-downs!¡± Chien said as he hit the floor hard. Before he could jump upwards again I saw and felt him spin out a spell and thin ropes of force began to tie us all in place.


    ¡°Thank you!¡± Isha said as she tried to hold herself in place, white-knuckling the straps on our gear.


    ¡°Maybe we should slow down a bit....¡± as I spoke I lessened the speed just a bit. ¡°And not sure about tie-downs, there are ups and downs.¡±


    Sure, it would be nice to have something to hold me in place, but what if the boat flipped? That could be really dangerous. Maybe we could do some for the gear and then bury ourselves in it? I didn''t know yet, something to think on as we did this. I wondered if I could even add something like that right now without reconstructing large parts of the boat.


    ¡°We''re making decent time,¡± Isha said as she looked back at the few people on shore who were now fading from sight, walking this would have taken us hours.


    ¡°Hmm, some way to keep it going without effort on my side too,¡± I mused as we went.


    My thoughts went back to some of my projects before the war in Atal really took all of my time. In my first life I''d been designing computers, and now here I had the time to make one of pure magic, with the crystallized magic I could make something truly neat would be possible. I might even make it able to impart some effects to make things happen in reality.


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    While I was getting deeper into the weeds on those thoughts Chien shouted.


    ¡°BUMP!¡± It seemed that while I was distracted I''d missed a little spit of land, tossing us all into the air as I steered us at it. Perhaps it would be better to pay attention to what I was doing now.


    ¡°Er, sorry,¡± I said as Isha turned to glare at me.


    For the next few hours we just plodded along at moderate speed, until my mana started to get low. Chien was less interested in speed than I was, so while I got comfy and rested a bit he had us floating at a slow clip. It meant that I didn''t need to do as he had and keep us all secured, which was nice, but I also liked going quick.


    Even though we set out near dawn we weren''t expecting to see anything for a long time, so as the large fiery orb began to sink we looked for a place to park.


    ¡°So land?¡± Chien asked.


    ¡°Might be better in case there''s rain, but I don''t know that we really need it. The bottom on this thing is thick enough that it''ll be fine if we sit on the water too.¡± I started to get the top set up, since we wouldn''t want to be exposed to the air as we rested, I could only shudder to think what kind of insects would live in a swamp like this.


    I realized how dense I was as I put the roof on. We already had a few spots where things could be secured, kept from flopping everywhere. Tomorrow I''d see if we could set up something, but for tonight we just needed the rest.


    As Chien pulled onto a little muddy island in the middle of the water I shut everything up, sealing the boat from the outside world just as dark truly began to fall. We could still hear the outside though, birds chirping, splashes every now and then as a fish or something jumped around in the water, the wind on the trees. It was pleasant, and something I''d much gotten used to in this life, sleeping to the sounds of nature.


    Isha and I curled up on one side of the craft as Chien took the other. We talked for a bit about the day, about what had worked and hadn''t, where we could improve. Before long though we all started to drift off, after all, it had been a decently long day.


    ¡°Hey, boss!¡± came a slightly worried call in the middle of the night.


    ¡°Problem?¡± I asked, sitting up quickly and trying to spin some combat magic into place, there were few reasons to wake me, and none of them good.


    ¡°Maybe?¡± he sounded unsure.


    I quickly joined him at the door where he stood, the opening halfway undone. The little ball of light he''d made hovered there over the swamp, reflected in dozens of eyes. The creatures themselves looked rather like gators, though wider than any I''d ever seen and standing slightly higher up off the ground. They were still large reptiles though, and none were attacking.


    ¡°I just got up to go relieve myself and...¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we might not be doing that outside at night. May need to set something up for the day too. Anyway, they don''t seem to be aggressive, so for now we can just keep to ourselves.¡±


    ¡°I still gotta pee,¡± he complained.


    ¡°Need a chamber pot... or a bag I guess...¡± We had the materials so making one in the morning wouldn''t be a problem.


    ¡°Fine, I''ll figure something out.¡±


    I tried, and failed, to get back to sleep, the number of predators here was bugging me. Animals on this world were far more aggressive than those on my previous one. Made sense though, back on Earth humans had been at the tippy top of the food chain, feared by everything that had survived our ascent, or rather only the things that had feared us had survived our ascent. Here though, plenty of things could get away with eating elves now and then, and many did, so few of the animals in this world feared us.


    After an hour or two of failed sleep I grumbled and got back up. Chien was there too, looking at the doors.


    ¡°You can rest if you like, I''ll keep a watch.¡± Watch was another thing I''d hoped to avoid with the larger raft, but it seemed we wouldn''t be able to.


    ¡°If I could I would, don''t think I''ll get a wink for the rest of the night.¡± I smiled at how he put it, some of my sayings were rubbing off on him.

 Chapter 149 Turtle

    It didn''t take long for us to come to a tenuous peace with the environment. The gators, while being weird looking to my eyes, were the largest predators around and since they were content to do nothing but stare at us everything else followed their lead. And man were there a lot of animals once we started seeing them.


    The islands here and there had small bugs that kept well away from the water but seemed to root and rip around on any of the roots they could find. They were fairly normal looking too, not unusual, not magical, or mutated at all, just pigs. That was nice, actually it was amazing, since I knew a good few recopies for pork that I loved and hadn''t been able to make in some time. Not sure where I was going to find vinegar, but if I could we could all be rolling in pulled pork.


    Other animals were similar, large birds, snakes, and even some fish, but nothing obviously magical. I wondered briefly if that was good or bad for this world, but then again, magical animals weren''t exactly common anywhere. There was also a distinct lack of mosquitoes, a blessing from whatever power had brought me to this world was that that particular pest hadn''t made the transfer. On the other hand there were plenty of biting flies, but those were easier to deal with in a lot of ways.


    ¡°I know that look, what are you thinking?¡± Isha asked as I reflected on this about a week into our journey.


    ¡°This place is rather peaceful compared to the last few we''ve been to.¡±


    ¡°Speak for yourself,¡± Chien griped, he''d gotten on the wrong end on several of the biting flies.


    ¡°Devoid of...¡± as I spoke there was a roar, it seemed out little boat had run over one of the gators. ¡°Actually dangerous animals.¡± This was neither the first, nor would it be the last time we''d his one of them.


    ¡°I''d rather not tangle with one of those,¡± Isha pointed out as the creature tried, and failed to follow us.


    ¡°Eh, we''ve seen worse.¡± It was true too, those things would''ve been considered a problem back on Earth, but in this world? They were nothing to those like us.


    ¡°Better than the damn ice birds,¡± Chien said with a shudder, having to run in the middle of our night was awful. Both Isha and I nodded in agreement at that one, happy to be away from them.


    ¡°There''s something ahead,¡± Isha said, pointing.


    I''d missed it, but out of the trees and off to our side was a small rise sticking up out of the swamp, a large rounded hill. Oddly round, like almost perfectly symmetrical, and devoid of anything other than a small layer of moss upon it. On the whole I would''ve guessed it was maybe fifty feet end to end, sticking out of the muck by about ten feet, and easily the largest spit of land we''d seen.


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    ¡°That looks sort of...¡± A beaked head popped up from the water and I banked away. ¡°Like something we want nothing to do with!¡±


    I had been wrong, thinking we were the apex predator of this swamp and now the true king showed himself, or herself, I didn''t know and didn''t need to.


    ¡°A turtle!?¡± Chien asked, grabbing on as I cranked our speed to the maximum I felt comfortable with.


    ¡°A SNAPPING TURTLE!¡± I yelled as the creature turned and began to chase.


    ¡°Snapping!?¡± Isha cried in confusion.


    She was just in time to see said giant turtle snap, its head shooting forward like a rocket and grabbing one of the gators we''d passed in our flight. The poor creature had no chance, head and tail flying as the larger beast clacked its mouth shut upon it. It didn''t stop though, didn''t even pause as it swallowed down one of the beasts that had so stressed out Chien in the night.


    A few moments later it snapped at us again, head thrusting at our boat again, just a little high. I was near the back, but so was Isha, and a few strands of her long hair ended up brushed by the beast''s beak as we pulled away, sending her jumping back away from it.


    Something about that pulled on my emotions like a finger on a harp, stressed until it snapped and sent a wave of fury through me. This overgrown bowl of soup had chased us, had scared us, had gotten a meal already, but it wanted more. Well, if it wanted more, then it was only proper it got some.


    ¡°Chien, get the boat, fast as you can.¡± He was quick, and I felt his magic wrap the vessel and pull it in less than a second.


    As soon as he was in control I leapt upwards. Flying was still weird, the visualization of it still strange and disorienting, but I didn''t need to be that accurate, after all, this thing was huge and I was just getting on its back. I heard a gasp of surprise as I took off, another as I landed behind the head and high on the shell.


    Many people thought of fury like a fire, and in some cases that could be true. Rage could burn, smolder, blaze, but it could also be cold as ice. I was used to fire as well, but it felt wrong here, failing, so I took a different route. I slammed my open palm onto the shell of the beast and began to cast.


    Fire was energy, pure and simple vibrations. Perhaps that was why I did so well with it, perhaps it was that it matched well with my thoughts on kinetic energy, my other favorite spell, but there was another direction too wasn''t there? Rather than tell the creature''s flesh to vibrate, I commanded it to stop, to stay where it was and no further.


    There was less resistance than I would have expected. All creatures imbued with the power of magic had some innate protection against its effects. This could be minor, or major, or anywhere in between, but they would resist it. Even the weakest of magical beasts would be able to fight against some spells, but this thing had almost none of that. Perhaps it was because it relied on its shell, no doubt a powerful defense, instead of the innate aura that others focused on. I didn''t know, but I was happy to take advantage of the fact.


    I sent a wave of cold down a several feet into the beast''s body, spreading out like the roots of a tree. Around me frost cracked and blossomed along the shell, forming fractals and sparkling patterns in the algae and moss that had made a home upon this monster. It was so easy, so simple to send the energy like a spear deep into the body of the turtle, ruining flesh and blood as it went, making razor sharp crystals tear and rip into flesh that had no protections against it.


    The creature made a sound not unlike a scream and tried to stop its momentum forward, pulling into its shell and trying to curl up against the attack. That didn''t help in the least though, it wasn''t some tooth penetrating it, but shards of ice, shards that broke as the monster''s powerful muscles contracted and pulled it inwards, sending spears of frozen water through even more flesh, lancing like needles for precious seconds.


    It wouldn''t be fatal, at least not immediately, if nothing else this thing was big, and I was pretty sure that I''d missed any of the organs that kept it going. However I got a feeling our cold blooded foe wouldn''t be chasing anything with the temperature shock, and had learned a valuable lesson about messing with boats. That was enough for now, and so I ripped my hand away, leaving a layer of skin behind, and tried to fly forward and catch up with my ship.

 Chapter 150 Mystery

    We didn''t run into any other turtles quite the size of the first, for after all a predator of that magnitude cleared an area around themselves. However we did meet several smaller versions, half or less the size but still dangerous. These we sent away with a barrage of cold, something they both understood and disliked. After all, a cold blooded animal such as a turtle couldn''t really function if its body got too chilly.


    Who knew, with magic being real there was a non-zero chance that there was a bigger turtle still, one on whose back we lived. I personally doubted it, but it would be ironic in the extreme if we indeed lived on such a creature. Perhaps one day I''d figure out both a camera and a way to get it high enough to look. A joke like that could take centuries to make come to pass though, so I wasn''t holding my breath.


    It wasn''t until our first month into our journey that we saw our first sign of people, which was saying something, as we were moving at a rapid clip. There were buildings ahead, but no movement among them, no people going to or fro. All three of us shared a look of concern as we approached, for this was certainly not normal. In almost every village we''d found so far there were people around, spotters that picked us out well before we made it to the village proper.


    The village itself was seated upon a hill above the waters, two long almost sandbar like protrusions sticking out and meeting at a wide angle. There was a little outgrown place looking almost like a dock, trees molded to stick out where boats might land, but there were no boats here. Small bays lay barren where people could have brought canoes or other small boats.


    We pulled up along the side of it, the front of our raft bouncing against the clearly unnatural trees as we tied off with some vines.


    ¡°Where are they all?¡± Chien asked.


    ¡°I don''t know, but something''s up here. Stick together, and keep your eyes open for danger.¡±


    With careful steps we moved towards the nearest structure, a small hut. There was no door, in most places that was normal enough, but what we found inside wasn''t. The beds were still in place, though clearly rotting, their boughs and leaves used for a mattress old, weeks, perhaps months gone. A few baskets of poor make were here and there, and tools of much the same, older, more worn ones.


    Finding nothing of note we moved on, each house the same, devoid of people, abandoned some time ago. Everything was arranged in a circle, and that was the only reason I didn''t fall into the central fire pit. This place was organized much like my home village had been, with houses grouped around a large area for fires and sitting, shared meals, and stories.


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    ¡°Justin?¡± Isha asked as she saw me looking at it, plants had grown into the little hole in the ground, leaving the stones covered with leaves.


    ¡°Let''s finish looking around, then we''ll talk.¡±


    I''d calmed a bit, and so long as we didn''t see any trees with CROATOAN written on them I figured I''d remain so.


    ¡°This place is creeping me out,¡± Chien said after we''d finished up, he''d been silent for most of this, looking around jumpily.


    ¡°What do you see?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Empty houses, abandoned it looks like,¡± he said, and Isha nodded along.


    ¡°I don''t like it,¡± she added.


    ¡°What don''t you see?¡± When both of them looked at me with confusion I added on. ¡°No food, no bodies, all the tools look like old ones, not the favorites of whoever made them, no toys for children, no boats either. Haven''t even seen a sign of fighting.¡±


    ¡°You think they went on their own?¡± Isha asked.


    ¡°Yes, but why? The land here doesn''t look too different from what we''ve seen elsewhere. There''s plenty of game to hunt, and while I don''t really know the plants they would be eating I''d guess there''s enough of those too.¡± Both of my companions nodded, seeming uncomfortable at that too.


    ¡°They''re probably the furthest out right?¡± Chien asked.


    ¡°Close to if not,¡± I agreed.


    ¡°Well, then maybe they pulled in for some reason. If a better spot opened up they could? And the coastal villages said they''d not seen anyone in forever.¡±


    ¡°But that wasn''t odd either,¡± Isha pointed out.


    ¡°We''ll have to wait until we see the next village, if there''s another somewhere around they''d know.¡±


    Agreeing we set back off, there was no real reason to stay here.


    One large bonus to this place though was that there were clear inroads and out-roads, places where the water was just a bit deeper, the path through the swamps a bit wider. It pointed us in at least the right direction if we were heading deeper in.


    Through following those paths, and a bit of luck two weeks later we found another village. However it was as the first, empty and long abandoned. A week after that another, also devoid of life. We all began to dread seeing any hills sticking above the water, any signs that there may have been life. The mystery ate at our minds and into our dreams, making us stir from our sleep in the night.


    If we''d found a forth village without any people in it I might have called the whole operation off, scared of what might have caused such a depopulation, but to our luck we didn''t find such a thing. No, in what had to have been the largest spot of dry land yet we found a sprawling cadre of homes, figures visible walking about. We even saw a boat or two out on the water, spears in hands showing they were fishing.


    People waved, perking up and calling as we approached, a few pointing us to their own little landing area. However I noticed that it too seemed to hold less boats than I''d expect, even if some were out working for the day.


    ¡°Welcome strangers, you''re lucky to have caught us before we finished packing our things, heading inwards?¡± asked one of the locals as he came to meet us.


    ¡°Yes, from far off though, where is everyone?¡± I inquired. ¡°We''ve seen nothing but abandoned villages for weeks.¡±


    If there was one thing I loved about elven society it was that linguistic drift was almost zero. With crotchety ancients demanding others spoke as they did and the fact that we could live theoretically forever everywhere we went speech was intelligible. One only need to look briefly at British linguistic history to know that wasn''t a normal thing on Earth.


    ¡°Oh I see, well come sit with me and I''ll tell you what you need to know.¡±

 Chapter 151 Answers

    ¡°I suppose you don''t know the details, so let me begin at the beginning,¡± our host began as he sat, gesturing us to do the same. ¡°About a hundred years ago, we suffered a rather large monster incursion. The main holdings of the local Ancient Tia were beset by a flying beast of impressive proportions. I wasn''t there, but I was told it was a bird of some form, coming from the east and that it ripped and tore apart everything it found.¡±


    ¡°So there were a lot of deaths?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Oh hundreds and hundreds, yes, villages uprooted warriors slaughtered. Old Tia our leader, gathered a war-band of her strongest and led a charge against the beast though. It was through great sacrifice that the band slew it, though in turn it took the life of Tia. She struck it down at the cost of her own life, and the lives of many of her most powerful followers, children and old elders who battered the creature with her, half of them gone in a day.¡± He looked sad as he spoke, and I supposed that made sense, he might even have known some of those who died.


    ¡°But they won though right? So the deaths ended,¡± Chien surmised.


    ¡°No, the killing had only begun,¡± he told us.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Nature abhors a vacuum,¡± I explained. ¡°That many of the strongest gone at once? Did the attacks come from inside or out?¡±


    ¡°In, slowly at first but building. None of the survivors could match Tia''s power, but three tried, one on each of the great hills. Lon the Mighty, was the strongest, a warrior of power and speed, he took the largest hill in the middle, and to his sides were Uro the Singer and Nora the Healer. Lon gathered the absolute strongest of the people to his cause, though there were few. Uro was the second strongest, attracting most of the elders whom he had better connections with, but the weaker folk loved Nora and flocked to her banner like fish to bait.¡±


    ¡°And the state of things now?¡± Isha asked.


    ¡°Lon fell ten years ago to a combined attack. His forces too few and each loss too deep a wound. Since then there''s been several attempts at peace, but neither leader wants to bend to the other. Nora''s forces grow, but are still weaker on average, whereas Uro now suffers much like Lon did. Both are entrenched deeply and are constantly trying to gather more supporters.¡±


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    ¡°I''m guessing most of the villages moved to support one or the other? Promises of high rewards to temp the strong while the weak were fearful to stay behind unguarded?¡± I surmised.


    ¡°You''ve seen such a thing before?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Not personally, but it makes sense. Out of curiosity, who does your village support? Bearing in mind that we''re outsiders with no care for who wins or loses.¡±


    He chuckled. ¡°Nora, she''s promised us better lands with easier hunting and more room for homes. Most of the further out villages do, as the inner ones have long denied us good lands.¡±


    I sighed. ¡°We''re messengers, here to talk to the leader. We''ll have to talk to both.¡±


    ¡°Unlikely friend, they''re at war, think they''ll just let you walk across the border? You have to make a choice.¡±


    ¡°Says who?¡±


    ¡°Says the world.¡±


    For a moment I looked at him, readying to strike if needed. ¡°If I try to choose Uro what will you do?¡±


    ¡°Nothing, though I''d want you to change your mind.¡± He sat back, calm as could be.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Two reasons,¡± he leaned in, as if conspiring. ¡°One, your boat is nice and big, and if you want to talk to Nora, I could arrange it should you help us move inwards, and two, it''ll be safer. Think about it traveler, you''ve come all that way, you must surely know how to fight. Maybe even learned some things in the war you were in huh? You said one ancient killed another, so you know the old ones can die, and seen it done.¡±


    ¡°I''m uninterested in settling here,¡± I told him, looking back at my companions.


    ¡°Perhaps so, perhaps so, but I think if you talk to our lady she''ll convince you, and if I know her she won''t object if you leave afterwards.¡±


    ¡°We''ll need to think about it.¡±


    I gathered my companions and we returned to our boat/temporary home. Nobody seemed to want to stop us, apparently convinced that we''d be convinced. Honestly though, I had my doubts.


    ¡°What to you two think?¡± I asked them when we''d retreated.


    ¡°There''s got to be a way to let them both know,¡± Chien said.


    ¡°Does it even matter? We can tell this Nora, and if she loses we tried,¡± Isha said with a shrug.


    ¡°Maybe, but I don''t want to be involved in this conflict.¡±


    ¡°You, avoiding conflict? That might be a first,¡± she quipped back at me, but backed off when I glared.


    ¡°I don''t like it, just so happens that I''m good at it.¡±


    ¡°Eh,¡± my assistant said. ¡°Better to not like fighting and be good at it than like fighting and be bad at it.¡±


    ¡°That''s refreshingly deep Chien. However, we still don''t have an answer.¡±


    ¡°Take out both of them and rule instead?¡± Chien jokingly suggested.


    ¡°Why would I want to?¡± I asked.


    ¡°How should I know? I''m just saying you could, probably.¡±


    That was entirely unhelpful, though I had to consider for a moment if he was right. With enough preparation time, and some hard work I might be able to do something similar to what I''d done back during the war to Cino, but why? I didn''t really want to rule these lands, and I certainly didn''t like killing. Nor did I care to draw attention to the fact that I could potentially create multiple ancient killing weapons.


    ¡°Screw it, we go with Isha''s suggestion. We''ll let this Nora know about what happened and if we get a chance to send word across the lines we do, but there''s no proper ruler here. I''d like to do a better job of it, but unless one of them wins by the time we get there nobody''s truly in charge.¡±


    They both agreed with a shrug, after all, it really was the best we could do.

 Chapter 152 Packing Up

    Our hosts were delighted that we were coming with them. Personally I suspected that this was because we had a big honking boat, several times larger than one of their canoes. They did indeed ask we carry some of their stuff, and people too, but I nixed the latter part of the request; not knowing these people I didn''t want them to do anything unpleasant on my vessel.


    Of course I was getting something for my aid I hauling their stuff, several things. First I was getting their knowledge of the region, for they knew the swamps and paths towards the center far better than I. I was also getting them as guards, some beasts would attack our small group as we traveled, but a larger group like we were now forming would give pause to even the largest of the monsters in this world.


    There was no elder for this village, he and all of his closest people having left some time ago, instead I ended up negotiating with Curz. Curz was the man who''d met us when we arrived and one of the few people here with any power at all.


    ¡°So, why''d you stay?¡± I asked as we tied down the goods in my craft.


    ¡°After the elder left you mean?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Thought I could take over, reestablish. Seemed a better idea than going and getting in the war. I''m nearly old enough to have my own village, but my power just started making itself known, so it''d be some time yet before I could establish one personally.¡±


    That wasn''t too odd, while all elves had the potential for magic, and even the weakest had some small trick, true ability was rarer among us. I''d even heard that as we aged the chances that it would blossom into something more increased, with every elder I''d ever heard of having some magical talent.


    ¡°So what happened?¡± Chien asked, pulling the rope-like vine we were using taut and flashing off a quick knot into it.


    ¡°Too weak honestly. I''d like to say it''s not a problem, but we had a few close calls, and I wasn''t as strong as I''d need to be to deal with them easily. Most of our best hunters and the like left too, without them the village is indefensible in the long run.¡±


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    ¡°You''re giving up on it then?¡± my assistant asked.


    ¡°No, not forever. What I''m doing is taking the time I need to prepare properly, surely a traveler understands that?¡±


    ¡°We do,¡± I assured him. ¡°And I suspect that''s what''s been happening all over the place. A few of the strongest leave, then there''s just not enough for all that needs doing.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, at any rate we are thankful for your aid. Would''ve had to make some hard decisions on how to do things or made new boats, but with yours we can leave almost immediately.¡± Even if we weren''t taking passengers having extra room since they no longer needed to worry about the stuff helped.


    ¡°And we yours, it would take forever to find where we''re going without a proper guide.¡±


    ¡°On the subject of boats, don''t suppose you''ll tell me how you made yours? I''ve never seen the like.¡±


    ¡°It''s not a secret,¡± I said with a shrug. ¡°So while we''re going I can teach you how. As with most things there are ups and downs to any way of doing things.¡±


    He nodded at that and left us.


    ¡°He''s touchy,¡± Chien observed as the man left to go deal with the others leaving, which was everyone left in the village.


    ¡°He''s leaving his home and not in good straits. Even if Curz isn''t showing it he''s under a lot of stress.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Would you be so relaxed if you were leaving not only your home but your family?¡± I asked.


    ¡°You''ve seen me leave both my home and family.¡±


    I pulled up short at that, because he was right. Chien hadn''t had to come with us on this journey, but he had. He''d also left everything behind to do it, all the people he knew, all the places, and he''d come without so much as blinking. That felt sort of sad to me, but I wasn''t sure I could really stand in judgment, after all I''d left my home multiple times now.


    ¡°Fair point,¡± I said after a time. ¡°But most people are a lot more attached to those things than you seem to be.¡±


    ¡°Nah, I''ve just got my priorities straight. Cities and towns are just buildings, and as for my family, we don''t really get along. It''s an important thing there Justin, to know what you need to care about and what you don''t.¡± Now he was giving me advice.


    I just shook my head. ¡°I always forget what you''re like, still seeing you as that kid I met all those years ago.¡±


    ¡°Haven''t changed much honestly, though I''m a lot stronger now.¡±


    ¡°That you are, and hornier too.¡±


    ¡°Nothing wrong with that,¡± he said, puffing out his chest.


    ¡°I''m proud of you Chien, you worked hard to get where you are.¡±


    He looked over at me with a smile, the joking gone for just a second. ¡°Thanks boss.¡±


    We had just enough room left in the boat for our own things and to sleep, if of course we slept atop some of the gear. Honestly as I looked over the gear that these villagers were having us transport I almost scoffed, but then I remembered myself. Their tools looked much like the ones my own village had had so long ago, before I''d begun introducing things like metal and ceramics, before I''d taught them some of the simpler methods of which I knew. No, as I looked at the tools and goods piled I realized that for this world these weren''t just trash, but prized possessions, it was me who was odd.


    Perhaps I should work more on spreading those techniques, maybe not all of them, but some of them. This world would grow, would change, would improve. Then I realized that now really wasn''t the time for these people, they were in the middle of a war, and my intervention would only spur one side or the other to be far more interested in me than I wanted. I''d teach them the boat technique, as I''d promised, then nothing else. That would do fine for a plan.

 Chapter 153 Flotilla

    While we were slowed by our guides, they more than made up for that with their knowledge. Not just knowledge of the surroundings, though they had that in spades, but of the flora and fauna of the swamp. They knew how to keep the turtles from bothering us, to keep the gators at bay. We were shown the herbs that made foods taste better, and where to find the best berries. Also though we were not moving as fast, we were moving in a definite direction.


    The highways and byways of the swamp were there, but easily missed in the massive region that comprised this place. Currents meandered around zones of marsh that hardly moved, winding in and out and around. They didn''t even stay completely stable, with changes in the environment moving the routes we''d need to take to get where we were going, but a well minded hand could find them, and follow them to their destination.


    So our days were spent thus, days turning to weeks, drifting forwards towards the next stop on our journey. We learned, but stayed a bit distant, keeping well back from the village we knew we were going to have to leave at some point. After all, we''d already made so many new acquaintances, and none of us were planning on staying, Curz however did come by from time to time.


    About a month in he joined us on a larger section of ground, one of the many former villages we were going through. There''d been a several of these, and more where people had opted to join our little caravan, throwing their lot in with the larger group headed deeper into the swamp.


    ¡°Justin,¡± he said, sitting down. ¡°You said you wouldn''t mind showing me how to build boats like yours?¡±


    ¡°I don''t, but why now?¡± I asked, having assumed he''d wait until we got to our destination at this point.


    ¡°One of our scouts came back from the next village ahead, and all of them want to join us. We don''t have enough rafts for that, much less enough good ones. It would be some help if we could have more.¡±


    ¡°Probably be faster to make normal rafts, but might be better to use ones like ours for any children...¡± Regardless of how much I might have started out different there was no stopping the change towards the culture that was all around you, and I felt some need to protect kids quite a bit more nowadays.


    ¡°Mmm, so?¡± he continued.


    ¡°We''ll need some time, a day or two even if we rush it,¡± I pointed out.


    Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    ¡°Should be fine, the village will take a few days at the least to pack their things and prepare what they can, and this is a better place to rest than near them would be, more room, and plenty of dry ground.¡±


    ¡°Chien?¡± I called, looking over to my assistant. ¡°Care to join us?¡±


    ¡°Sure thing boss, let''s go.¡±


    The three of us grabbed a couple of the other villagers for extra muscle and headed out into the swamp. Rubber trees like the ones we''d used weren''t uncommon, and while they might not be everywhere they were certainly easy enough to find. Our companions were particularly helpful with this, more familiar with the environment and where they might grow well, leading us to excellent specimens.


    We harvested a glut of the rubber bark, sheets and sheets, pulling it back to the camp en masse and lashing the wood into makeshift rafts, after all we needed more of those anyway, so why waste the wood? With the help we had we gathered easily enough for three vessels just like ours in only a few hours, many hands making light work. I noted down that I needed to do more things like this, groups being able to make stuff happen just so much faster.


    The men and women of the swamp gawked at us as we unloaded our haul, and didn''t stop as we began the construction process. Chien and I led, but I was once again reminded that the locals of this world weren''t stupid, they just lacked the knowledge my old world had. Their paradigm hadn''t shifted towards where mine was, not seeing some of the use in materials that I''d taken for granted.


    ¡°I see a problem,¡± Curz said as we worked on the first, magic making the needle that would bind it together flit in and out at high speed.


    ¡°What''s that?¡± I asked.


    ¡°We don''t have those,¡± he said, pointing to the little iron tool.


    ¡°Ah, that''s true, but you don''t have to have one like that. One made of bone should work, though you may need to use the bones of a strong creature to make it if you want it hard enough.¡± I wasn''t sure honestly, having done fairly little work with bone needles, but knowing that they weren''t normally as durable or sharp.


    ¡°Is that what you did then, use the bones of a powerful beast? I''ll admit I''ve never seen a material like that before.¡±


    ¡°No, this is made from a certain rock from my homeland.¡± While true, it wasn''t particularly descriptive. ¡°It would be hard to acquire here, but if you want to trade for one I have a few pieces I could make.¡±


    He seemed to waffle for a bit before nodding. I could make him a new needle later, as the process was simple, and win easy goodwill for it. Both of us would get what we wanted, and while I knew that ''bog iron'' was a thing I also knew that it wasn''t exactly easy to gather, nor where I might find it in this massive morass of a wetland.


    It took us a lot of work, but after three days we''d produced three boats, all that we could with the bark we''d brought in. Word came that the village should be ready for us to leave now, and so a newly grown flotilla of rafts plodded down towards the next village over.


    When we arrived the people were all together around the shore, bustling and rushing to and fro. Bundles of goods, food, tools, and personal effects were piled high on their own boats or up along the shore. Children were being herded, families trying to keep things together as they looked for anything missed. It looked like absolute chaos and I was frankly pleased that most of my part in this mess was done.


    We did end up helping with the loading a bit, but only because we had little else to do. I''d never felt right sitting back and watching while others struggled with a task, so a little lifting and the like wasn''t a chore at all.


    As things were about halfway done a man from the village ran in, eyes large as he headed over towards Curz and who I could only assume was the local leader, though she wasn''t an elder either. It seemed the oldest of our kind had truly abandoned their homes. I heard the approaching elf, as did many others when he spoke, breathless and clearly alarmed.


    ¡°A group is approaching fast, ten strong, and all look to have some ability,¡± the scout said in a panic.

 Chapter 154 Mass Abduction

    The canoes that made their way up to the little village weren''t the normal make. Most of the people here used rafts, lashed together with vines and the like to sail on. Rafts were slow, but had carrying capacity unrivaled by other craft, so they made excellent craft for hunters who needed to carry back their kills, or in our case for travelers who were carrying their stuff.


    These boats however were much faster, sleek and cutting through the water like knives. They weren''t complex things, mostly just trees cut in half and shaped by stone ax and fine, but it was night and day. The small boats held little in the way of supplies, instead holding armed men, and only men.


    Our main problem though was that all of those approaching had the tell-tale glow of aura about them. That meant that each and every one of these men had magic of some form. It didn''t mean they were all casters, but it meant that they were all dangerous. The only saving grace about it was that none displayed the shocks of white hair that designated them as an elder.


    I stood well back as they landed, after all this wasn''t my village. Each of them looked interested in the buzz of activity that had stopped as they came near, younger, weaker elves backing away at speed as the intruders joined them.


    One of them, who appeared to be a leader of some form stepped from his boat, a few of the others mimicking his actions. He walked over to one of the rubber craft I''d made for the locals and poked its side several times, eventually earning an echoing *PHONK* noise from the boat.


    ¡°Interesting,¡± the interloper said, loudly enough for everyone around to hear him.


    The nominal leader of this village slowly began to approach, she was a caster of some form, but not a particularly powerful one. As she did several of the newcomers'' eyes flicked up in recognition, including their leader. He then took the time to look around at the others nearby, clearly looking for auras as I saw recognition when he spotted my little group. The three of us all together made him raise his eyebrows.


    ¡°Greetings traveler, what brings you to our village today?¡± the local leader asked, she was a healer named Effa.


    ¡°Ah, you must be the head of this village now? Or is your elder about?¡± he asked the woman who''d come to see him.


    ¡°Unfortunately not, Elder Lysa left some time ago to head towards the cities. As you can see we''re planning to follow her shortly.¡±


    ¡°Of course, of course, my apologies where are my manners? My name is Kar, and our benevolent leader Uro has heard of your evacuations. He knows that with the elders leaving as they are your villages are now under threat, and in his kind understanding has sent us to help you on the path to the cities.¡± As he spoke I could see the men behind him smile, but tighten their stances, ready to fight, and clearly so.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    I wanted to curse, to rage, but I held my peace. It was clear what was going on here, this was a mass kidnapping. Uro knew that people were going to his opposition in large numbers, so he sent people to bring them to him instead, meat for the grinder of his war machine. If the village resisted, or tried to insist they were going to Nora''s side instead it was obvious what would happen.


    There were ten of them, ten proper magic users, armed and no doubt trained to fight, given the situation probably more skilled than most. Could we beat them in a straight fight? Doubtful, but even if we could there would be losses. Curze and Effa were the only two full magic users from these village others were either too weak to be useful or too young to fight. If we fought, we''d likely lose, and should we win but lose the casters the rest of the group would be left without any answer to real threats.


    Chien got close to me while Isha moved just behind. The three of us had seen war before, and both Chien and I had killed our own kind when we defended Atal.


    ¡°Boss?¡± my assistant asked.


    ¡°Watch and wait,¡± I said.


    Effa and Kar had a bit of a stare-down, the woman seeming to weigh her options. It dragged on for seconds before she finally spoke.


    ¡°I see,¡± she said noncommittally. ¡°May I have a moment to speak with the leader of one of the other villages joining us? To plan things out.¡±


    ¡°Certainly,¡± the kidnapper said with a smile. ¡°Take all the time you need. After all, we''re in no great rush.¡±


    Effa rushed off to Curze, pulling him away and towards one of the huts nearby. Seeing this Kar slowly walked over to our group, eyebrow quirked.


    ¡°Greetings friend,¡± he said neutrally, seeming to come to some conclusion. ¡°I can''t help but notice they didn''t consult you? Nor can I help but notice your clothes are different from the people here. Are you perhaps from some village further out?¡±


    ¡°Messengers,¡± I responded calmly, I didn''t like the man, but starting a fight wasn''t to my advantage right now. ¡°From far off to report the deaths of Atal and Cino to the local leaders.¡±


    Kar looked at me confused but behind him I head a hiss from one of his companions.


    ¡°I... don''t know who that is?¡± he said, looking back toward the other warriors.


    ¡°Ancients, both from the north Kar. Uro will want to know, this is terrible news,¡± the other one confirmed, looking solemn.


    It was too, three ancients down in such a short time was unheard of. Two was a tragedy, leaving a whole section of our continent without leadership, but as it stood? Everything in the south was now devoid of the protection that an ancient alone could provide. There was nobody to call for help if another large monster showed up, nobody who might be able to send meaningful aid.


    Massive monsters like the one who''d killed the previous leader of the swamps were rare, but not unheard of in this world, and they were counted as something like a natural disaster of incredible proportions. It was like Krakatoa, or the Tunguska event, things happened, but they were rare.


    Kar looked at us. ¡°Messengers you are welcome to join us, to tell Uro of your story. As we''re headed in that direction already I hope you have no objections?¡±


    I did, and I was already considering ways to deal with him and his men, but that would depend on other things. How did he treat the villagers he was strong-arming into their side? How did he respond to us? It would matter, but what didn''t matter was that telling either Uro, or his opposite Nora was already my goal. If these men became a problem... well I''d killed plenty of our own kind before, and I even had a few of the small heating crystals stashed away if I needed them for explosions.


    With a nod I assured him it would be fine. Effa and Curze joined us shortly, the latter shooting me looks. They''d spoken briefly, probably to weigh their options, and decided that going with these warriors would be acceptable. It wasn''t lost of me though that they''d made that decision because they didn''t have a choice.

 Chapter 155 Memories of Home

    ¡°About those boats,¡± Kar said as the villagers went back to their preparations, stopping only to shoot periodic glances at Curz and his group, as well as mine.


    ¡°What about them?¡± I asked, holding back the sigh as I could already see the villages turning inward and against us.


    ¡°You provided them no? I don''t think I''ve seen the like before and it would make sense if someone from far away brought different things.¡±


    He wasn''t wrong, but I was divided. On the one hand, I really didn''t like these guys. They were going around and strong-arming people into joining their team. That was understandable on some level, as there was a war on, and they at least hadn''t been violent, yet, but on the other it grated against my experiences from my previous world. Having been raised somewhere where freedom was one of the core values seeing behavior like this was quite unwelcome.


    On the other hand, spreading information like this would help the world and our people as a whole. This type of boat wasn''t immediately weaponizable, nor was it too complicated. It would require some work for them to make themselves, but nothing the couldn''t manage already and the materials were locally sourced.


    There was also the consideration of the war to go on. Any information that provided even things that would help the people in general might serve to push the scales up on down on either side. The villagers would know, and while I doubted they''d do anything being around unhappy people wasn''t enjoyable. It might also get back to Nora that I was providing them with technology, even if I''d already given it to Curz, and I might have an unhappy elder to deal with.


    ¡°I did, but if we''re to leave soon I don''t have the time to show you how,¡± I said after carefully weighing my options, in the end denying wouldn''t work and pissing either side off was a poor idea.


    ¡°Very interesting, you know, even if you are a messenger, you could stay. We always have need for people with power in their blood and sharp minds, and Uro is no fool, I imagine he''d treat you well.


    ¡°Thank you for letting me know,¡± I said noncommittally, having received similar offers a number of times already and denied them all.


    I expected the villagers to drag their feet, but was surprised when they were ready to go in only a few hours. Perhaps they understood that dragging things out wouldn''t help them, or that it would only irritate the men who were here to ''escort'' them along. Perhaps they had some sort of plan, I didn''t honestly know.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    That evening we ended up camping on another small island, it wasn''t too far from where we''d begun, but with the number of people we had and the speed of the boats we were traveling at something around the speed of a mighty starfish. It was clear to me that this was going to be one long trip.


    Kar and his men camped a bit off from us, with pairs of them grouping to do a watch schedule. Chien, Isha and I set up our own of course, as did the villagers, none of the groupings truly trusting one another. As we prepared our dinner Curz came to join us, loping over to our small site.


    ¡°Hello Curz.¡±


    The sound around us muted, some spell from him if I had to guess, and then he spoke.


    ¡°Did you lead them to us?¡± he asked accusingly.


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Did you know they were coming?¡±


    ¡°I did not.¡±


    ¡°But you''re fine with going with them? After this nonsense?¡± He was angry and it was clear to see that he was trying to judge where our group would fall.


    ¡°Uro is as likely as your patron to let me leave, and will fulfill my mission to spread the news just as effectively. This is not my fight Curz, and while I may not like these men, there''s a difference between that and wanting to go to war.¡±


    ¡°Pfft, what would a coward like you know of war?¡± he spat, causing both Isha and Chien to look up.


    ¡°How many of our kind have you killed Curz?¡± I asked.


    ¡°That''s not,¡± he tried before I cut him off.


    I stood, drawing close to him, eyes unblinking. ¡°Because I have killed many. The first I killed when I was still a boy, a threat to my people and my home that couldn''t be removed another way. Then, when war came to Atal, I killed more, units of soldiers. In the final battle between our forces I rained fire and death upon our enemies.¡±


    ¡°You...¡± he tried, clearly shaken by my displeasure as I let loose on my magic, feeling it flow out and seeing the bubbling aura that surrounded me expand like a cloud.


    ¡°I know what comes of war, because I''ve seen what it brings. Friends and foes broken and ripped, gasping for air that won''t come, screaming as they die. There is a time to fight, and a time not to, and right now there are too many innocents in the way.¡±


    ¡°So... so you''ll help us? If we can get the others to safety.¡±


    ¡°You weren''t listening, this isn''t my fight. All I want is to get my job done and go home.¡± He deflated, looking about in worry. ¡°Though I won''t stop you should you do something, that is on you.¡±


    For a moment the leader thought, eyes low as he considered things.


    ¡°If I should, and if I should fail, will you see that the villagers make it to safety?¡±


    ¡°I''ve nothing against your people, and I need them to guide me. If things go awry I will do what I can to keep them safe, at least until we reach the cities.¡±


    He nodded and left us, looking like a man ready to die.


    After he was gone I went to sit down in our raft, unhappy with everything going on. Isha and Chien had been there, but Chien had said nothing, probably because he didn''t actually care. Isha joined me where I sat, rubbing my back gently.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± she asked.


    ¡°I''m tired love, I''m tired and I want to go home.¡± I looked over to her as I spoke. ¡°You haven''t told me anything about what you think of this.¡±


    For a moment she looked off into the distance, pursing her lips and thinking.


    ¡°I really don''t know Justin, I really don''t. I''ve never been in a situation quite like this, so I''ll trust your judgment on the matter.¡± Her piece said she kissed my cheek.


    ¡°You''re not worried that I''m making the wrong choice?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± I turned to look at her and she simply shrugged. ¡°You may be a mess, but you tend to do better than I would in wild situations.¡±


    ¡°Whatever comes, I''ll keep you safe.¡±


    ¡°I love you too.¡±

 Chapter 156 Terms

    Curz and his people were strangely silent for the next few days. Sure, there were one or two small incidents where people stepped on each other''s toes, but no attacks, no fighting beyond words. They were there though, in the background, looking, watching, waiting. It was impossible not to notice them, not to see that they were planning... something.


    ¡°Mind if I have a word?¡± Kar asked a few days in, hopping over to my boat with a bit of magic I couldn''t quite catch.


    ¡°I do not,¡± I answered tiredly.


    ¡°I have a question,¡± he stated.


    ¡°Please ask.¡±


    ¡°I believe that the villagers are planning something. However, I can''t help but notice that you''re not joining it. From one outsider to another I wanted to let you know that there could be some danger for you and yours, so you''re not caught unprepared.¡±


    I sighed. ¡°If they have an issue it would be with you, not me Kar. You and your men are the ones who are forcing them into your camp.¡±


    He feigned shock. ¡°No, certainly these people are loyal to Uro, even you should be able to see that.¡± I just stared at him for a few moments before he laughed. ¡°Alright, I suppose there''s no need for deciet, not between us.¡±


    ¡°Since there''s no need for deception, what can I help you with?¡± I asked as Isha watched on from behind and Chien snoozed.


    ¡°If and when things fall apart I wanted to know whose side you''d be on.¡±


    ¡°Mine,¡± I answered.


    ¡°Not a horrible answer, but hardly the clarity I was hoping for,¡± the other elf said, narrowing his eyes.


    ¡°I will not attack you and your men, nor will I help you if should be attacked by others. How is that?¡±


    ¡°So you''re staying out of it?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I don''t suppose you''ve told this to the villagers have you?¡±This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    ¡°If I had and told you that would confirm your suspicions wouldn''t it? But if they asked me, that is what I would tell them.¡±


    ¡°Good to know. Do you mind if I ask you for a small favor? Well, two actually.¡±


    ¡°And what are those?¡± I said, slowing the boat a bit. We were forward and pulling away more than I''d like, didn''t want to be too far from the others.


    ¡°If something happens, will you protect the villagers, particularly the children? They''re a precious thing, and I''d hat eto see them harmed. Not those attacking us mind, those who would stay out of the way.¡± I managed not to laugh, for his opposite had asked me almost the exact same thing.


    ¡°Certainly, and what was the other.¡±


    ¡°Try to convince them not to do something.¡±


    ¡°Kar, while I appreciate what you''re asking, I think you''ve overestimated what exactly I can do here. As you said earlier, I''m an outsier too.¡±


    ¡°True, but one who isn''t hated like I am, one who''s neutral, one who might keep me and my men from having to slaughter people we''d much rather just come along peacefully. I might even lose some of my people or myself if they decide to attack, and I don''t much like that. What I want is for these villagers to come along quietly. Partially because I believe it will be better for them in the end anyway.¡±


    ¡°Why do you believe that?¡± I asked honestly.


    ¡°Because I know Uro, and I knew Nora, and I know which will make a better leader. Don''t get me wrong, Nora''s not a bad person, but she''s not suited to rule. For now it seems fine, but in time I fear that she''ll become a tyrant, and a horrible one at that.¡± That one made me blink. ¡°Also, we plan to win, and having more people safely on our side helps.¡±


    ¡°I hate to say it Kar, but from everything I''ve heard Nora seems... well, people think she''s pretty nice.¡±


    ¡°Do you know why almost all of the older people are now with Uro?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Because he promised you power and land?¡± I guessed.


    ¡°Yes, but no. We know her, we''ve known her for a long time. The swamps aren''t so big that all of the elders here haven''t met. She is nice, at least most of the time, but she''s also capricious, and has a cruel streak when she wants to.¡±


    That gave me a lot of things to think about. In my lives I''d known a lot of things, and one of those was that women who were cruel could be really, really cruel, and could hide it alarmingly well. But you couldn''t hide anything forever, and we lived a long, long time. However, I couldn''t take this man purely at his word either, as he was of course from an opposing force.


    ¡°I''ll talk to them, and tell them that you don''t want to fight,¡± I said. ¡°Can''t promise that will change anyone''s mind, but it will let them know that. Honestly though, you should be the one talking to them.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn''t listen to me Justin, but might listen to you.¡±


    ¡°Very well.¡±


    That night when we made camp I went to go join Curz during dinner, if only for a moment. The man looked up surprsied and initially very welcoming, until I sat down and began to speak.


    ¡°That''s the basic message, they know you want to fight, but they don''t want to,¡± I said after a short explanation.


    ¡°And they sent you to tell us?¡± he almost accused, face flashing between confusion and anger.


    ¡°Thought you might listen to me better. I''ll say this though, he did at least ask me to look after the villagers if something happened. Means that while I may disagree with what he''s doing he isn''t a maniac.¡±


    ¡°Pah, that''s not worth anything.¡± The leader looked displeased, none of those at his fire looking any better. ¡°Could also be that he was seeing who you''d go to tell, getting you to lead him to the leaders.¡±


    ¡°Which is why I went to three fires before this one, and will go to several after. I''m not a fool Curz, and I''d appreciate it if you didn''t treat me like one.¡±


    ¡°My apologies, but it changes nothing.¡±


    ¡°That is your decision not mine,¡± I finally answered. If they were determined to fight and die, well, there was little I could do about it.


    Another week passed, and if what I was hearing was correct, we were finally nearing the outer territories of both cities. We were of course closer to Uro''s actual region, but it had to be a near thing because of how the borders worked out and the pathways flowed.


    We turned off into a small pool, to wait for the slower rafts to catch up when it happened, several people from the villages surged forth, spells flying from their hands.


    ¡°Shit,¡± Chien said groggily from behind me, having been taking more of the night shifts.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± I replied hurridly, spinning shields into existance around us.

 Chapter 157 Marshland Battle

    Over a dozen different attacks headed towards the empowered soldiers, of various kinds. I saw no less than three spears hurled at speeds that would surely destroy them, two bolts of fire, three of water, and one, surprisingly, that looked like electricity and left a small afterimage on my vision. There were also two bolts of esoteric energies that screamed danger, and an attack I couldn''t quite identify. These were mixed in with some more normal spears and stones that were being hurled, but not at nearly the same danger level.


    Kar and his men were quick to respond, though not quite quick enough. I saw counter attacks fly forth, exploding in midair to disrupt what they could, and weapons flash outwards to clash against other projectiles. Oddly I didn''t see any shield bubbles like I used, either they avoided them for some reason, or didn''t think to do something like that.


    Chien pulled the boat back with his magic as I continued to pump protections around us, this was all according to plan, as both of us knew my magic was still quite a bit stronger than his. For her part Isha was already starting to sing, and I felt a light pulse of power from her. She didn''t use her magic as much as either of us for combat, but it felt like she was trying to begin healing, even if there was no need just yet.


    Three of the soldiers looked injured, struck here and there, but not yet completely out of the fight. The others though, looked quite serious, angry at the pain inflicted upon their fellows, determined to stop the assault.


    ¡°They''re going to be crushed,¡± Chien observed as we settled near the boats full of bystanders.


    ¡°Look, there''s something missing,¡± I pointed out as I wove a much larger shield around the innocents, pushing it outwards to slow or deflect any stray attacks.


    ¡°Curz, and the other caster,¡± Isha whispered.


    Kar and his men didn''t notice, several of their outriders launching themselves at the attackers. The physically enhanced individuals were strong and alarmingly fast, and trying to get into the formation of about twenty who were assaulting them.


    Some of the villagers leapt forward at the oncoming soldiers. They looked to be hunters, and not senior ones. My guess was that most of the older ones had either left, or were with Curz wherever he''d run off to. They weren''t helpless though, and on them small lines brightened, causing their skin to shine as the soldiers impacted. It was a tell-tale glow of a magical tattoo, one I''d not seen before or noticed on them, but the effect was obvious. The defenders became bulwarks, stopping dead the first round of strikes against them.


    Even if I hadn''t seen that it made sense. Hunters in these lands would have to contend with powerful animals magical or otherwise, and some defense would be a lifesaver. Did the soldiers know about those tattoos though? Or expect them? After all the images themselves had been well hidden enough that I''d not noticed them on the young elves'' bodies.


    It was at this moment that Curz decided to make himself known. From behind me a series of powerful bolts blew forward, past my shielding, which had only been made to keep things out, and into the boat of the soldiers. One went straight for Kar, but at the last moment he ducked, the attack striking the fighter beside him and blowing his head clean off. The pumping spray of blood into the air soaked those who''d held back on their own vessel in their comrade''s fluids before his body fell. The other caster''s series of attacks was no less effective, even if it was less thunderous, and killed two of the injured soldiers.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    Kar and his people did the same thing I did, turn to see where the attacks had come from. Curz and I were definitely going to have a problem after this, and I needed to know now where he''d hidden at. After all, he''d asked me to defend the innocents, and now he was among them, using them as living shields. I found them on one of the boats, slinging spells and standing among several other villagers who were preparing spears, right in the middle of the civilian''s crafts.


    I was still trying to figure out how to push my shield so it didn''t cover them when the first impacts struck it. It had only been designed to deflect, but the casters on Kar''s side must have been using very different techniques than I was used to because their balls of flame and energy exploded when they impacted the barrier. Some of the spells were only deflected, but they flew so wide as to be useless.


    The more muscle inclined soldiers seemed to identify the true threat around this point, and pivoted, with a couple taking attacks to the back when they did, all but one of them rounding on Curz''s boat. The one that didn''t turn toward him turned at us, and sped forward across the water with murder in his eyes.


    All three of our formations formed a sort of L shape, with Kar''s men being the meeting place of the two lines, the initial attack the end of the short bottom bit, and Curz and his personal forces being the point at the top. I of course was situated right between the Kar and Curz, right in the line of fire from both sides.


    Chien caught the oncoming physical soldier as he bounced against the much more thorough protections I''d woven around our own craft. His spell was kinetic in nature and pretty impressive, similar to what had proven the end of Atal.


    ¡°Not your enemy idiot!¡± he yelled before tossing the man in a high arc.


    Curz, not letting a good moment pass threw an attack as the much slower falling soldier, rendering him into a burst of red chunky rain. That was four, four people he''d managed to kill because I was in the way, and it was enough for me, I pulled back my outer shield, dropping all protections on any who weren''t my own.


    This marked a turning point, and while Curz and the other caster put up a good fight, without a physical magic user to defend them their protectors quickly fell to the leftover soldiers. The initial attackers died screaming when Kar himself sent a fireball into their craft, leaving little but bits and flaming splinters.


    By the end Uro''s soldiers had lost six of their number, but they''d killed almost all of the attackers, leaving only Curz and a few of those on his boat still alive. The other village leader floated in the water with eyes looking in backwards, neck snapped so powerfully that it looked like she''d been born with a head facing in the wrong direction.


    None of those who hadn''t attacked had been harmed though, and that was a small blessing. Even if the two leaders of these villages had been determined to fight some of their people were very young, or had simply hid, paddling to the side of the river when things started to go down.


    Kar called them all out now as he strode over to the leader across their tied together boats.


    ¡°Uro sent us to offer you his mercy, all you needed to do was not fight. We didn''t want this, didn''t want to harm you, didn''t want to kill you. No, you brought this down upon your own head,¡± Kar intoned, amplifying his voice enough that everyone could hear it.


    ¡°Liar, slaver, killer!¡± Curz spat at him, screaming as loudly as he could.


    ¡°Enough, see now what happens to those who refuse to accept mercy or kindness.¡± His men held Curz by the arms as he raised his hand, flames pouring out around it brighter and brighter.


    It was clear he planned to burn the captured man to little more than bones, but before he could do more than show off a small, almost invisible pinprick of light hit him in the chest. The spell took effect instantly and he fell dead, fire dissipating in a poof of air and smoke. Next were the two soldiers holding Curz, who died similarly before anyone could find the attacker.


    ¡°I heard there were disturbances and came to see for myself what was going on, this is not what I expected to find,¡± a gentle feminine voice spoke through the grasses to one side of the marsh.


    Reeds parted and from them strode a number of elves, all clearly elders, at their head could be none other than Nora, with straight hair that fell just to her shoulders, a bit over half of it pure white. The last of Kar''s soldiers tried to flee, but hardly made it a step before they were torn apart by magic.


    A bridge of vines grew where Nora walked, leading her over to where the defeated leader lay sprawled on the ground. She leaned over Curz, smiling.


    ¡°Are you okay dear? Don''t worry, I''m here now.¡±

 Chapter 158 Exhausting Elders

    After Nora''s arrival and wiping up of the remnants she saw to all of the villagers, if not personally, then one of her aides who had similar magic to herself. There was a clear delineation now between us and them, and some of them looked none too pleased.


    I could understand their point too, for I''d done nothing to intentionally aid them, instead leaving the fighters out fully to dry. Then again I''d also done exactly as I''d said I would do, trying to help protect the innocent while letting those who wanted to fight, fight it out. So I didn''t really care to hear any of their complaints at the moment, I just wanted to talk to Nora and be done with this farce.


    However her people had opinions too. They could see clearly that me and mine had magic, and they could tell from what they saw that we''d done nothing to aid Curz in the fight or him impending execution, even though we could have. Several of her people kept an eye on us as she and the other healers saw to the injured, their gazes just short of hostile. However I didn''t run, and didn''t try to fight them, so they seemed content for the moment to wait, their defensive postures making sure we didn''t try anything.


    One of her people eventually brought a small raft over to our larger boat.


    ¡°Greetings,¡± he began with a harsh tone.


    ¡°Greetings,¡± I replied, keeping my own voice calm.


    ¡°The villagers there are none too pleased with you, they say you didn''t help them against the men trying to take them by force.¡±


    ¡°I did not, I also told them I would not, and explained in detail why.¡±


    He snorted. ¡°So I heard, but still you can''t think that was right?¡±


    ¡°The men you killed thought their leader was right, you think your leader is right, who is right? I don''t know, I''m not from here, nor do I plan to stay here. It is not my place to tell your people how to live if I don''t plan to do anything for them,¡± I answered with a shrug.


    ¡°You''re defending that scum!?¡±


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    ¡°No, I''m staying out of it. Did I defend them from you?¡± I asked, trying to get him to reason. ¡°What about Curz and his attack, did I defend them then?¡±


    ¡°That''s... not untrue,¡± he finally said.


    ¡°I''ve one thing I desire, to deliver my message, and to return home. Kindly ask your leader if she''d be willing...¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°No?¡±


    ¡°No, you''re clearly not an ally, if you wish to speak to her, you will go through the proper channels.¡±


    I was more than a bit taken aback by that. This world had its respect, its proper forms of address, and methods of seeking audience, but it was also far less formal than my previous one about that kind of thing. I was here, I needed to talk to her, she was here, the normal thing to do would be for one of her people to escort me over to do exactly that.


    There was nothing stopping me from yelling my message, or using magic to shout it across this damnable swamp. However if I did so her people would probably take rather great offense to that, and perhaps she would too. That would be bad, bad for me, bad for my companions, bad for this foolish, overlong mission.


    ¡°Very well,¡± I said trying not to grit my teeth. ¡°And how would I set up such a meeting to deliver my missive?¡±


    ¡°One of the counselors, there is always one on duty, at her residence. I''m sure they would be perfectly happy to set up such a meeting.¡± He managed to keep his face stony, but deep in his eyes I could see the smugness.


    I considered violence in that moment. Violence was easy, it was also effective, and I was good at it. I''d developed the weapons already, the methods for killing even those far stronger than myself, it wasn''t always easy, but it was very doable. After all, we might be biologically ageless, but that didn''t mean we didn''t break and die.


    ¡°Very well, I shall do just that.¡± As I spoke I felt the ice creep into my voice.


    We were left then, he''d been an elder, that much was clear from the shock of white hair, and being that he was with their leader herself had probably been pretty powerful. What did that matter to me though? Nothing, I was tired, tired of the power plays, tired of this swamp, tired of having to deal with curmudgeonly old elves. Still, just a bit further and we''d be done, I could live with them just a bit further.


    ¡°You good boss?¡± Chien asked after a time, it was clear he sensed just how angry I was.


    ¡°Do we have any more of those heating crystals?¡± I asked quietly.


    ¡°... a couple,¡± Isha answered for him. ¡°I kept them in case we needed them for trade, but I doubt you''ll get anything for them here, too warm.¡±


    ¡°I would like them please.¡± I was glad we hadn''t traded all of them, just in case an example needed to be made, or an escape if they decided we didn''t need to leave their city.


    ¡°Okay...¡± She didn''t argue, but instead began looking through our various bags.


    While Isha was busy Chien sidled up to me. ¡°Boss, please don''t do anything too extreme.¡±


    That brought me back to myself, the reminder that I didn''t need much. I needed that from time to time, friends nearby to remind me who I was, and what I should do. Sure, I was pissed off and tired, but killing senselessly? Raging and bringing pain to others without a good reason? No, that wasn''t what I needed, I needed to be prepared if things went south, sure, but we weren''t there, not yet.


    ¡°Sorry if I lost myself there a bit Chien, I''m just very tired of all this. Don''t worry, I''ll avoid any conflict with these folks, even if they do piss me off something fierce.¡±


    He patted me on the back cheerily. ¡°That I understand, and you''re a good person boss. I''m sure everything will work out fine with it.¡±


    I sighed. ¡°I''m not sure about being good Chien, but I''m trying and that''s got to be worth something.¡± He raised an eyebrow at that. ¡°I''ve got my flaws, as you have yours, we fail, again and again we fail. I''ve failed, more than once, and I''ll fail again, I''m sure of that, but I''ll try, try to do what''s right.¡±


    ¡°I know you will boss.¡±

 Chapter 159 Arriving at Noras

    Water lapped at the side of our boat as we trudged along. Nora''s people had made it clear, abundantly so, that we were not to approach her while traveling, for safety reasons, or so they claimed. For that reason and that reason alone I was grinding my teeth as we moved through the early morning mist.


    The swamps were, on the whole, kind of misty, but today we had bona fide pea soup in every direction. I could make out the other members of our little caravan, but anything far away? No, nothing in the distance was clear in the least. That was a shame, because today we were supposed to be approaching our destination, hopefully the last one on this route before we could turn towards home.


    As for our other companions, they were keeping their distance. The villagers weren''t angry at us, per se, but they weren''t totally happy either. That was understandable enough, as we had left them to their fates, but it didn''t make the journey any more pleasant. Now there was a clear divide, even in the fires the night before it was obvious that they were setting up well away from us, and we weren''t welcome to come nearer to them.


    ¡°So, when do you think we''ll arrive?¡± Chien asked as the sun approached its zenith.


    ¡°Don''t know, but not too much longer since we''re supposed to get there today.¡±


    ¡°Can''t see anything with all this fog,¡± Isha complained.


    ¡°Well, if we''re being honest do you want to see more swamp? I bet there''s swamp around us, with swamp to one side, and swamp to the other. Oh, perhaps there''s some marsh mixed in, what a refreshing change that would be. Can you even imagine?¡± Chien offered sarcastically.


    ¡°Oh yes, the tepid water, the smell of rotting vegetation, whatever would we do without it?¡± I added.


    She reached forward and pinched my ear a bit like I was a naughty child.


    ¡°Ow!¡± I complained.


    ¡°Don''t be a jerk then. There''s supposed to be hills, with settlements on them, and a lake, I''d love a proper lake after all this stupid...¡±


    ¡°Swamp?¡± Chien pointed out, only to get his own pinch.


    It was shortly after that exchange that I realized the land around us was pulling back, opening up to a wider and wider lane. Soon the land that had surrounded our boats fell away completely, leaving us in open water.


    The sun, in its great wisdom, got together with the wind and finally began doing their collective job. A warm gust passed, and bit by bit, the air began to clear.


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    We were in the lake, just off the shore to one side and around us stood three massive hills. Each was equidistant from the others, dividing the central lake, which would probably take most of a day to sail around. It didn''t look exactly like the rumors I''d heard before entering the swamp, but that man may never have been here, only hearing stories. It was also clear that this was a rather deep formation, with openings along the sides for boats to enter the central area.


    ¡°How in the world did this come to be?¡± Chien asked.


    ¡°Someone made it so, look at how they''re spaced, how the heights are the same. This isn''t natural.¡±


    ¡°An ancient?¡± Isha chimed in.


    ¡°I''d guess so, or a lot of work. Never underestimate the amount you can get done with just time and numbers.¡±


    ¡°Look at that one though,¡± Isha said, nodding her head in one direction.


    Two of the hills were clearly occupied, with obvious dwellings on them and even some visible people moving about here and there. The third though, looked wrecked. Dirt or stone hadn''t been removed, the base was still fine, but it was clear to see that on the third hill the structures dotting it had been wrecked. Buildings were destroyed, crumbling and open. It was the second closest to us, but the smoke from fires was clearly far less than the other two hills.


    ¡°My guess is that was where our dead competitor was. As for who controls it now... Who knows? Might even be where they''re fighting. Shame though, that would give them a whole other place to be, and with all these people coming in they''re going to need it.¡±


    ¡°Maybe they''re bringing people in for when they need to fill out those places. With how few there are now many must have died,¡± Isha said, and I had to give it to her, she was probably right there.


    I made my lens, expanding the view I could get and focused on each of the hills as we moved slowly along. The two active ones had clear walls, patched, damaged, but being maintained. People moved around in them like ants whose hive had been disturbed, climbing and churning. There had to be thousands and thousands in this little place, even with all the war.


    On the deserted hill there were still people, though fewer, and clearly ducking from street to street, hiding, either in their fighting or just trying to survive with their homes. It looked like something from an old war movie, with bombed out homes and shattered places abounding.


    Architecture was another thing I noted. Everywhere I''d been built a bit differently and here was no change from that. Unlike the villages, which reminded me of home, these hills were hosting what looked to be mud-brick huts. That wasn''t too surprising, given the supplies would dictate what they could use, but I wondered how they were insulating them against rain. The designs were simple though, with mostly squares or circular shaped buildings abounding. Each also supported a sizable dock, which no doubt meant that much of their food came from the lake in one way or another.


    Each of the hills also sported what appeared to be a much larger residence atop it. Palaces for the rulers no doubt. I could imagine that in times passed either the one who made this place moved from one to the other, or three ruled together. Perhaps I could find someone to ask about the history, with our long memories someone certainly had to have heard something, even if they didn''t see it themselves.


    Soon enough though the front of our little column reached the docks, and a wave of cheering went up. It seemed the people here recognized their leader, and while I couldn''t hear it fully it was clear she was giving a speech. A small crowd had gathered, kept back by some of her guards, only for most of it to start moving up the hill behind her. Others stayed behind though, helping the newcomers unpack their things and set up where they could.


    In time our turn came and we pulled into one of the little berths that someone on shore motioned us to.


    ¡°Welcome friend, do you have somewhere you''re taking your things to?¡± he asked.


    ¡°No, not currently.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I see, well do you know anybody? Because I''ll be honest finding somewhere to stay isn''t the easiest right now. All of the places the merchants from the outlying villages were using are quite full up. You can always sleep in your boat if you want though.¡±


    ¡°Is there some charge for keeping it here?¡± I asked curiously.


    ¡°Used to be, but Nora waved them all for now. With all you lot coming in from outside there''s nowhere for some folks to stay. Better they sleep somewhere safer than clog up the streets at night right?¡± he laughed. ¡°No worries though, once the war is over we''ll be moving a lot of people to some of the homes from the other hills. Might have to do some repairs, but good dry land isn''t easy to come by.¡±


    ¡°Of course, thank you. I hate to ask, but I really need to have a meeting with Nora, her home is at the top isn''t it?¡±


    ¡°Where else would it be?¡± A fair point honestly.


    ¡°Just wanted to confirm, and thank you again,¡± I told him before he left.


    I asked Chien and Isha to wait, and I began the climb upwards.

 Chapter 160 Hurry Up and Wait

    The roads here were packed dirt, old and full to the brim. Walking through them was no challenge though, as people had learned to move around like they would in any large city. Bare feet trod carefully across the winding paths, weaving between buildings like streams through a forest. Rather than going down like water though, I was heading up, always upwards to the top.


    I''d forgotten so much about Atal that came roaring back to me in this short walk. All around people were shouting about their wares or goods, places to stay, services for this or that. Then there were the smells, heavens the smells. Atal always had a slightly fishy smell, being on the coast as it was, but here, in... actually I didn''t know the name of this city, not that it mattered, but it smelled of cooked food and elven waste.


    One sound I realized I was missing though was that of a smithy. I may have been running both the biggest and best one in our home city, but there were others. That was respectable, the desire to build and improve was something I''d always get behind, and I''d even shared some basic details with those back home; not too much though, I was eager to see what they might come up with on their own.


    Things got less crowded as I climbed higher though, the homes slightly bigger if no further apart. The people had more decorations and complex clothing, though made from the local skins rather than shells and beads that would have shown wealth in Atal. It was all a reminder of how things were so different.


    Nora''s home was easy to find once I got near. It had its own wall, smaller than some I''d seen, but impressive, with buildings and I suspected gardens behind it. At a few places along the top and at the gates were men in armor. That seemed odd, her companions hadn''t worn that out in the field, but each of these had breastplates made of thick hide, hardened somehow. On one arm each soldier held a spear, tipped with some kind of bone, or spine protrusion, a slight sheen indicating possible poison, on the other was a shield, crafted from turtle shell, but looking quite durable.


    ¡°Good afternoon,¡± I began, approaching one of them slightly.


    ¡°Hello...¡± he said, looking at me awkwardly, apparently that wasn''t a saying in these parts.


    ¡°I''m a messenger, here with one for Nora,¡± I explained with a slight smile.


    ¡°Oh, I see, one moment.¡±Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    The soldier I was speaking to disappeared into the gate, such as it was, and I was made to wait. Waiting seemed to be a thing I was doing entirely too much with these people. Eventually though he appeared with a smallish woman following along, she was no elder, and no magic user, I could tell that from a single look.


    ¡°Please come with me esteemed messenger,¡± she offered cheerily.


    After getting my name and where I was from I was left in a waiting room. Hour after hour I waited, tapping my fingers on the little raised stone table, until eventually my guide returned.


    ¡°Ah, my apologies, it seems her schedule was full today, could you perhaps come back tomorrow?¡± she asked sweetly.


    ¡°Certainly,¡± I answered with a forced smile.


    Two more days passed without a change. I came in the morning, was taken to the same room, and sat there until sundown neared. Sure, it seemed like a massive waste of time, and it was, but that didn''t mean that nothing was getting done. Petty power plays were something I was used to, and I''d already developed a way to sort them out.


    As I returned the evening of the third day I looked at my companions. ¡°So, what does this city want?¡±


    ¡°Places to stay, they''re desperate for housing,¡± Isha answered. ¡°Food too, but that would be hard to improve I think.¡±


    ¡°Weapons,¡± Chien said with a frown, knowing well how I felt about distributing those to anyone or everyone. ¡°Boats too, I''ve had a number of inquiries about ours, but it looks like others are intercepting them with the information on that.¡±


    ¡°Not surprising, we''ve shared that information already, not like we can control it now,¡± I mused.


    ¡°So what do we offer?¡± Isha asked.


    ¡°Something they need, tomorrow we''ll begin, do we have the funds?¡± I asked.


    ¡°For what?¡± Chien inquired.


    ¡°All of the ashes in the city.¡±


    ¡°We could...¡± Isha answered, still in charge of our finances. ¡°What are you thinking?¡±


    ¡°Cement, best thing for fortifications they can get, and expands their space regardless. Not something they can turn down once they realize it. We''ll also need the rights to a spit of the water.¡±


    I spent most of the rest of the evening making gems, nothing fancy, just a few of the different types that I''d learned to make over the years. These would serve as our currency, and we''d have to act fast, beating out inflation that was sure to come.


    As the sun crested the next morning I changed up my schedule, seeking out other administrators while Chien and Isha went about getting the ingredients we needed for what was on the way. They were more than happy to part with a little spit of swampy ground for the bounty I offered them, a bounty that would be nigh on worthless by sunset. I even managed to get a rental on a little open are we could work in in the city, quite generous.


    Chien arrived with materials all day, as did Isha and both began helping me work. The former had worked with me on this before, so there was little need for speaking as be started to cast block after block of the liquid stone.


    An hour or two before sundown I broke with my labors and went to sit in Nora''s palace. She seemed content to let me wait, so I would be doing the same. As her assistant approached when evening came to give me the same answer as always I changed things up.


    ¡°Actually, and I have no desire to offend, something personal has come up. Would it be possible to return in a few days instead?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Um...¡± the girl answered, clearly not expecting that request. ¡°That should be fine, yes, though it will move you back to the end of the line again...¡±


    ¡°Oh that''s alright, I''m not in any hurry at all.¡± I grinned evilly and saw her blanch.


    Good, good, worry, I''d be giving you something to be concerned about soon enough.

 Chapter 161 Grabbing Attention

    Five days in and our construction was well under way. Both Chien and I were walking heavy equipment, and so excavating a foundation had been easy as pie. With the unbelievable amount of ash we''d started with our turnout of concrete was also quite astounding. People were now even bringing it to us themselves and selling it wholesale for the pretty little stones I was making. Poor quality diamonds and other precious stones were flying off the shelves and ash was replacing it at speed.


    We got weird looks of course, particularly as we ran through the process of making ash concrete, first into blocks, then in a big batch to blind the foundation together. It would be poor, but I didn''t care, we weren''t building tall and I wasn''t sticking around.


    On the second day Isha revealed that she''d worked out a spell that made the stuff cure faster. I was dubious, since that should have had some problems with it, but her magic was so different that it just worked. In hours rather than days the liquid stone hardened, seeming to take on full strength with little effort from her. Some days I really wanted to kiss her, and of course I could and did just that.


    Now, when we left I would be telling people that this wouldn''t last forever, I didn''t want it disappointing or even harming someone, and I fully expected this construction to, much like another famous series of castles, sink into the swamp. However I had no huge tracts of land upon which to build, nor any decent land, but that was someone else''s problem.


    This morning some people had come by to complain about us devaluing gems, and I just shrugged. Before I made my getaway they might well be as valuable as the ash we wanted, and in fact some of them were made from that too, just for funsies. As I waved away the most recent irritated merchant I returned to Chien.


    ¡°How are things progressing?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Isha''s amazing,¡± he answered.


    ¡°Oh I know, but how are we doing?¡±


    He grabbed the edges of his vest, which he''d gotten from someone in trade, and tutted. He looked exactly like a proper construction worker, minus the hard hat, needed to get him a hard hat.


    ¡°So far ahead of schedule it''s embarrassing. If we''d been doing this well in Atal the whole city would have a wall thicker than you are tall. The interlinking blocks idea is working well too.¡±


    I''d suggested an almost lego-like solution to connection. Each block was molded to fit the one below it, then they stacked, slightly offset for added stability, one set upon another. We''d laid out a small tower already, something we''d be taking to two stories if we had to. Already it was as high as my shoulder.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    ¡°Excellent, then we continue onwards.¡± Magic really did bring a smile to my face.


    Isha arrived shortly thereafter to have me come and sing the stone solid with her. I had no clue how it worked, but apparently having people sing with her helped, and watching her work was always weird. Her magic was so different from mine or Chien''s. It was something I didn''t get, magic that bent physics in ways I couldn''t parse. That alone made the work more interesting to observe.


    By sundown I was setting the entrance into place, beautiful arches for double-doors, a smooth floor, and plenty of space. We''d been attracting more and more attention as the days passed, and tomorrow morning I''d try to up that a bit more.


    Another three days passed and while they did we put in a second floor, still all stone, still building at a breakneck pace. I could only begin to imagine what would be possible with a properly trained crew of mages constructing buildings. In the future it might even be feasible for a few skilled magic users to throw up small towns in the span of days, with plumbing, windows and complex designed pre-planned to make things easy.


    The floors had to be made of wood, but that was easy enough to acquire. People were constantly gathering such things from the surrounding landscape, often accompanied by guards so as to avoid the enemy''s troops. That said it wasn''t like it was a normal building material for houses here for some reason or another, probably the lack of more advanced woodworking techniques or metal connectors. To really get properly tight joints for buildings metal tools and good measurement devices were almost a necessity.


    I''d told Nora''s people I''d see her in a few days, but for elves that was sort of an open time. Many of our older people were slow, very slow in how they did their normal business, doing things when they got around to them. There was no hurry, no need to rush, at least most of the time. So spending a week or two putting a small fortress on her front lawn wouldn''t be seen as dragging my feet to visit her at all.


    However the fact that I was putting a fortress on her front lawn would attract her attention, and I was hoping spur her to stop being a bratty child and freaking see me. Since a number of curious craftsmen were lining up to watch us finish our work I''d given it good odds.


    People had asked, and been told they weren''t getting, the recipe for the concrete we were using. Sure, it was clear that there was ash, and water, and aggregate, but they didn''t know the ratios, the method, or any other specifics. It''d be figured out eventually, but eventually was way down the line, and knowing that they had to first cook the ash and slake it wasn''t something they''d likely stumble upon with ease. Others were interested in the way we were working the wood, and they''d likely have far more success. Metal tools would be much better, but if they paid attention they''d be able to see some of the basics of what we were doing with the softer material.


    The roof was a pretty rough thing, but as I finished and came back down to the ground I was approached by a face I wasn''t truly expecting.


    ¡°Excuse me, Justin,¡± asked the same assistant who''d left me sitting bored in the waiting room for days and days.


    ¡°Ah, what a surprise to see you here. Is all well?¡± I asked innocently.


    She gave me a slightly unamused look. ¡°Elder Nora would like to see you promptly.¡±


    ¡°How good to hear,¡± I said with a smile.


    She led me back up the hill, back to the complex the older elf had laid claim to, from which she now ruled this settlement. Rather than be taken to a empty room to be left alone though I was led deeper in. There were guards, they looked displeased, and plenty of aides as well, who also looked like I was a pain in their collective neck.


    Nora''s throne room was less ostentatious than the others I''d seen, smaller, almost homey. The room was some kind of stone, smoothed with magic clearly, and she naturally occupied a small chair on a wooden dais. However there were tables all around, surrounded by elves deep in work. Nora herself of course was upon her little stone seat as I entered.


    The woman herself frowned as I was brought forward, tapping the arm of her seat. We spent some time looking at one another. Normally she''d be the one to speak first, but she seemed content to glare at me. After about a minute of that I decided to speak, she could crush me if she wanted, but we both knew that she probably wouldn''t.


    ¡°Atal and Cino are dead,¡± I informed her.

 Chapter 162 Getting What I Wanted

    ¡°Atal and Cino are dead,¡± I repeated after a few minutes of staring at the elder before me as she sat silent.


    ¡°I know, and I heard you the first time. The people you came here with informed me on our journey.¡±


    I wanted to scream at her, to call her every name in the book for being a profound waste of my time. Honestly though, it wasn''t worth it. This woman, her people, her little power plays, I was leaving them at my first opportunity, and chewing her out wouldn''t make that come faster.


    ¡°Excellent, well then, if there''s nothing else.¡±


    ¡°There is indeed something else,¡± she snapped, finally, something quick.


    ¡°Please tell me what that is then,¡± I answered flatly.


    ¡°You built a fortress at the edge of my city.¡±


    ¡°I wanted your attention, unsurprisingly it succeeded.¡±


    There was a twitch developing in her eye. It was clear that too many people here were fawning over her, always happy she was around, happy when she fawned on them too. I was an outsider though, someone who didn''t care about her, or about her liking me. What would be the point in that after all since I was planning on leaving with haste?


    ¡°It did, you know you could have shown some patience...¡± The look I gave her must have been capable of killing grass because she pulled back a bit. ¡°Well, more patience. It isn''t as if you were given a time limit for this mission of yours, I know well how they work.¡±


    ¡°Just because others didn''t demand my return does not mean I enjoy traipsing around the world like a vagrant. The list of things I would rather be doing than speaking with you, or some of the other old ones I''ve met for that matter, would stretch from your throne room to the docks. So tell me, what did you want that you''re delaying me further?¡±


    ¡°I could kill you you know, for speaking to me like that,¡± she hissed.


    ¡°You probably could, but then whatever it is you want would go unanswered.¡±This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    ¡°Personally I was hoping that you would see reason, that you could be convinced to aid me in this war.¡±


    ¡°No, I''ve had quite enough of war, and already provided your people quite enough aid. More and I would be too entangled in it for my liking.¡±


    ¡°People are dying, do you not care? Soldiers are going out every day, and not all come back. Surely you can see the destruction already present here, already done by our enemies. So many are gone because of what has happened, many more may perish before it ends. With your abilities though, the ones you showed with that fortress, with those new boats, we might be able to win faster, easier.¡±


    ¡°Or you could negotiate, or surrender and end it. At worst you and a handful of your closest advisors could flee, and I''ve told you where you might find somewhere new to call home. None would be able to oppose you if you moved into Cino''s lands, and parts of Atal''s would be open as well. You''ve got the boats, you could leave tonight if you so desired.¡± Technically I knew of at least one ancient who really did want some of that tasty land, but screw this chick.


    ¡°And leave me people at that degenerate''s hands!¡± she screamed, rising.


    ¡°I have met Uro''s people, and perhaps he is worse than they are, but they did not seem inclined to pointless slaughter.¡±


    ¡°They were killing people as I arrived,¡± she said through gritted teeth.


    ¡°People who''d attacked them, I''m not here to defend their overall actions, but I will point out that they didn''t want deaths.¡±


    ¡°You are a very annoying man.¡±


    I didn''t actually have anything to say to that, so I just shrugged. That particular gesture wasn''t perfectly suited to my new world, but there were close enough equivalents that the point got across. It was clear that she had quite a lot more to say about that, but before she could someone else entered in a clear flustered rush.


    ¡°Lady Nora,¡± he began. ¡°There''s been an attack in the fields, we need aid.¡±


    ¡°Please escort Justin here back to his building, and see to it that he stays there until I return,¡± she said to one of her guards.


    Now it was my turn to develop a twitch, then again if she didn''t promptly return...


    ¡°I''ll look forward to your return, perhaps I''ll think of some more fun things to do while I wait,¡± I threatened.


    The elder elf''s lips formed a nearly perfect line before she waved me off. Several of her guards did indeed follow me along the way, taking a stance outside my makeshift home. They didn''t try to enter, which was smart, but rather took places outside.


    Hours passed and I was bouncing around what I thought would be the biggest disturbance when I heard a small thud through an open window. Others followed in quick succession, each in turn. That was... odd, truly, greatly odd. I wasn''t sure what exactly was going on, but I made a motion to my companions, for surely something was up.


    We were preparing all around the building when a call came from the door. Knocking hadn''t yet caught on despite my best desires, as wooden doors like I preferred just weren''t all that common yet. Instead a small voice came drifting up, asking to be allowed in.


    After exchanging glances with Chien and Isha I slowly, carefully opened my front door, to find several figures standing in the evening darkness. There was a light mist around, but even through that I could see the bodies of the guards on the ground.


    ¡°May we come in?¡± The leader asked from under a woven hat.


    ¡°I suppose,¡± I replied, moving out the way. They didn''t seem aggressive, at least to us, and I had a good feeling about who these people represented.


    The five who''d been outside slowly came into my construction, looking about. Their leader even went over to poke one of the walls while chuckling under his breath. That lasted only a few seconds before he took his hat off, and I saw the long strands of pure white. He was easily older than Nora, and all smiles.


    ¡°Uro I presume?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes indeed, and if my spies tell me correctly you''re Justin. I hope you don''t mind telling me what got you so worked up to do all of this.¡± He smiled as he motioned to the walls and floors around us. ¡°Because I''d really love to know.¡±

 Chapter 163 Uro

    I was frankly a bit flabbergasted. Most of the leaders of any size city I''d met on this journey were assholes but this guy, this guy came to me. He''d heard that I was causing trouble to get his opponent to look at me and he''d right up showed up on my doorstep.


    ¡°Well, this is a refreshing change. Atal and Cino are dead,¡± I informed him.


    ¡°That''s it? That''s all of three seconds of information and you built a fortress over it? Don''t get me wrong, I''m grateful to know as the loss of more of our eldest is a massive blow to our people as a whole, but this seems overdone.¡±


    ¡°That''s the boss,¡± Chien said from the side before being shushed by Isha, it was clear that they thought I was the main actor here, and I didn''t want too much attention diverted to either of them.


    ¡°It does deem a bit much doesn''t it, but your enemy decided she didn''t want to hear me and was spending ages to let me tell her what I came to tell her. Honestly I''m ready to go home,¡± I said, drawing his attention back to me.


    He laughed heartily seeming to understand.


    ¡°Understandable, don''t suppose I can convince you to tell me the method of construction for this?¡± he asked, still smiling.


    ¡°Would you be willing to help me and mine get out of this city and well off into the swamp?¡± I inquired.


    Sure, I could have waited for Nora, but she seemed to have a stick so far up it was a wonder she could taste anything other than bark. Truly I thought she might drag things out just to do so, perhaps even trying to find excuses to keep me in the city like she''d done tonight, potentially for a long, long time. Having techniques she wanted would be enough for someone like that. Also, I liked this guy way more than her, so sharing this wouldn''t be anything troublesome, for me.


    ¡°Just like that?¡± he asked, surprised at my small list of requirements.


    ¡°Just like that, she''s already gotten some new things from me, so sharing this doesn''t bother me in the least.¡±


    ¡°Sure, we''re leaving tonight, I can easily get your family out of here. Heh, I''ll even send an escort with you for a bit.¡±


    ¡°The second part isn''t needed,¡± I replied.


    ¡°Actually I was hoping you could appraise them of the situation outside the swamps. If two other ancients have died there may be opportunities for my people, ones we didn''t consider before.¡±This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    Now was my turn to laugh at him, and I did so. Uro was working his way up the list of my favorite older elves in a hurry.


    ¡°Something funny?¡±


    ¡°When I suggested exploring other options to Nora...¡± I had to stop.


    ¡°Oh, I see, didn''t go well?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Well, I''d love to hear the details, but we do need to move a bit.¡±


    ¡°Certainly.¡±


    Isha and Chien were looked at me, and with a nod we all knew that now was the time to go. Perhaps they''d had the same worries I did, perhaps not, but both trusted my judgement enough to follow when I was ready to make tracks.


    For a moment something pinged in the back of my mind, could this man be a fraud? Could he be an impersonator sent by Nora to milk me for secrets she didn''t want to argue over? He was personable, and agreed with basically all of my points, as if he''d considered them, or been told them before. Dye could change hair color, and as we left I could see that the guards were merely unconscious, not dead.


    That doubt pinged as we gathered up the few possessions we cared about and began to make our way outside, then I saw him cast. The movement of the magic was subtle, practiced, and powerful as he wove a spell I didn''t quite understand around us. Words of power flowed like water from his mouth and for the barest second I saw his aura pulse out, massive, yet so very well hidden, like a background noise you don''t notice until someone else points it out.


    Nobody but the highest ranked of elders had magic like that, it was too strong, too big. He wasn''t an ancient, he didn''t have the terrible strength of Atal, or the might of Cino, he lacked the age of Rolan, or the practice of Matriarch Neera, but he was comparable to some I''d met, powerful in his own right.


    Mist spread over the city, thick and deep like a blanket. There were cries of alarm, as surely Uro was known for this type of spell, but they were soon muffled, silenced by the billowing fog that moved outwards, outwards like a wave, dimming the lights of fires, removing vision from all. Before the maker of the mists though a window shone, bright and clear as day, allowing our group to move.


    I could see my significant other trying to peek at what he was doing, watching how the spell formed and the simple magnitude of it. Did she know how this worked? Could she do it herself? Those were great questions for later, but I suspected that if she could it would be of a much smaller magnitude than this, at least for the time being.


    ¡°Tell me of the construction while we move Justin, I''m eager to hear of it and I''m sure you''re eager to be off.¡± Uro walked as he spoke, leading out group forwards towards the docks. ¡°Don''t worry, the mist muffles sounds to a great extent.¡±


    I quickly rattled off the recipe, what he''d need, ratios, and a brief, but thorough step-by-step on what to do. Uro and his men nodded as I spoke, but didn''t interrupt, attention as rapt as it could be while we moved through hostile territory. It wouldn''t matter if they didn''t pay attention though, with our memories they could easily replay these moments and hear it all again.


    Once I''d finished Chien chimed in with a few quick tips and tricks. I may have been the one who came up with a lot of the ideas, the workings and the ways, but when it came to practical experience he was excelling beyond my means. Once I introduced something I tried to be done with it, letting other work out how to use it, both because I didn''t know and I knew they''d come up with things different than I could imagine; it also didn''t hurt that I had so very many projects going. Chien however did quite a bit of work with things like concrete, personal experience that I hadn''t grown myself.


    ¡°You give away so much for so little,¡± he said when I finished.


    ¡°It''s not exactly a secret, the basic formula is known in the city of Atal.¡±


    ¡°Oh I see,¡± he said with a small giggle. ¡°So the price is really nothing to you.¡±


    ¡°Nothing to me, but much to you I''d wager.¡±


    ¡°Yes indeed.¡±


    As we moved I wondered how Nora had fought against this kind of spell, it seemed so powerful. With the ability to move your people unhindered through contested ground you could be anywhere, everywhere, and there''d be little to do about it.


    We reached the boats without a problem, and began throwing things in before I got my answer. My body locked up, freezing joints and limbs that wouldn''t respond. As it did so I saw Uro and his men tense, then with a pulse of their aura''s seem to move again, sluggishly, weakly, but move.


    ¡°She''s here,¡± one of them said as I tried, and failed, to do as they had. My own aura just wasn''t strong enough, and I''d not practiced their technique.


    As he did Uro''s spell began to falter, thinning, not to nothing, but greatly, figures appearing in the nearby gloom, parting their way forward.


    ¡°I certainly am,¡± a familiar cold feminine voice answered.

 Chapter 164 Mistakes

    After she spoke a bolt flew from the gloom striking Uro in the chest. Icy blue shone over his body as he froze, unmoving, unable to respond to the actions of the elves quickly heading towards us out of the mists.


    Behind me I hear Isha draw in a breath, only to stop and begin coughing. Footsteps all around faltered and ceased as one after another the group came to a halt. It was no mystery to me either, for as she approached Nora seemed to be exuding some form of paralysis, keeping us still and in place. The elders with Uro resisted for a few moments, but even to them it was pointless, being rendered immobile and at the mercy of our captor.


    ¡°What''s all this then?¡± Nora asked as the approached, looking us over. ¡°Looks like we finally caught up with you Uro.¡±


    ¡°Should we dispose of them ma''am?¡± one of her soldiers asked.


    ¡°No, I''ll deal with this one personally, the other''s we''ll hold. Perhaps they can be brought back to sense when this is all over. Search them thoroughly though.¡±


    ¡°Understood,¡± I couldn''t see the man behind me, but couldn''t see as he began to rifle through someone''s things. As he did so the older elf turned to me, pulling her head to the side a bit.


    I considered casting, but struggled with the idea. Songs and movement weren''t needed for my magic, though they did work sort of like a crutch, movements that felt right for the magic helping to focus. Regardless she''d have defenses, and if they noticed me building anything big I had no doubts about what they''d do.


    Normal spells wouldn''t work, that was clear. What about something like I''d used on the soldiers in the cave, something pernicious and quiet? Maybe, but I didn''t have the time I had then, and there were too many people nearby, gasses like that might effect my allies if I wasn''t careful.


    ¡°What do we have here? Justin, I''m surprised to find you in this situation. You know, had you only waited for me you''d have been able to walk out of here freely so very soon. Were you with him the whole time? That would be a surprise wouldn''t it. We''ll have to find out together what the truth is.¡±


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    She was teasing me, dangling the same damn carrot she''d been playing with the whole of my stay here. Man I hated this woman, her games, her stupid words. She''d wanted to trap me here, and now she had me. While I silently seethed, trying to think of something, anything I could do to stop her hands began to go through my pouches and clothes.


    Nora had turned, taking a few steps away and moving towards Uro, with a wave he could speak again.


    ¡°We don''t have to fight anymore,¡± he pled. ¡°The messenger, one of us can leave, a new land, no competition. Consider it Nora, an end to this madness.¡± His words were jerky, probably some interference designed to keep him from singing, and breathless too, so no shouts.


    ¡°Another ploy, at this point, really? As if I''d believe that.¡± Uro tried to speak again, but his words froze, almost into a choking sound.


    ¡°We have something,¡± the guard examining me interrupted before she could finish whatever she was doing.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°These are... weird,¡± he said, bringing over the pouch he''d pulled out.


    ¡°Hmm?¡± Nora said, dumping the pouch out into her palm. ¡°Are these... wherever did you get this? And what have you suspended them in? Are these from that old monster up North?¡± As she spoke she looked at me, blinking.


    She looked, and I looked too, for she''d dumped the crystals into her hand. How long I''d had those, bouncing around in my things, all the things I''d considered doing with them. Now there was a chance, now I could do something, defend myself.


    ¡°You''re just a bundle of secrets aren''t you Justin?¡± Nora continued. ¡°I''ll have to have all of them of course, and I will. Perhaps your little assistant would be willing to serve as ''motivation'', or... Yes, I think the woman would be better wouldn''t she?¡±


    The tyrant smiled as she looked over to where Isha was and I saw crimson. How could these people follow her? Did they not realize what she was like just because she doted on them? Didn''t matter though did it, she''d made her decision, so I made mine.


    How little she understood about what she held, how little she knew. I didn''t doubt she''d seen similar crystals before, with her age and power that was a given. Had she seen any made by one of us though? No, if she had she''d have thrown those as far from herself as she could. Instead the greedy elder clasped them in her hand.


    Those were mine though, they were my mana in crystal form. They obeyed me, and so I commanded them, reaching out with my mind to the power I''d put into the small grains, suspended in their artificial diamond prisons. It was a command I was so fond of, one I''d used so many times before, one she deserved.


    BURN


    In an instant each of the little grains ignited with the force of a wildfire. Her magic fought against them, but it didn''t matter, didn''t change the fact that she was holding that much energy that went from solid to heat in an instant. To make those I''d had to focus mountains of power into such a small space, mountains that now burst like a ruptured dam, pouring back out into the world in a torrent of flame.


    There wasn''t a shockwave, that was the only thing that surprised me. No, one moment her fist closed around the set of little jewels and the next it was an inferno. The scent of char filled the air as the fire grew brighter and brighter, consuming the hand, then her lower arm. She didn''t even have time to scream as it melted flesh and carbonized bone.


    As the fire took her arm I was the only one prepared. Others looked on in horror as their leader suffered, or else stumbled a bit as her spell failed. For it did fail, whatever she''d been doing must have taken active involvement she was no longer capable of, because as she charred we were free. We were free and I was ready.

 Chapter 165 Dockside Battle

    The first to go was the guard who''d searched me. He was clearly an enemy and standing right before me, unfortunate for him because I wasn''t in a particularly merciful mood.


    I placed my hand on the back on the stunned man''s head and simply released a wave of kinetic energy. There was a *POMF* sound and a spray of red gore. Nobody could take that sort of an attack at point blank without some defense and his had been sorely lacking.


    For a beat nobody responded, and then chaos reigned. Uro was unsurprisingly the first to begin, from beside me I heard his voice raise and instantly a tingle crossed my skin as he did... something, I wasn''t entirely sure, but it was followed after by screaming, so I guessed it''d proven effective. Others weren''t far behind him though, as shouts and screams began all around me.


    As my second target fell, spewing a fountain of blood all over the ground I spun a quick shield around myself, and just in time. A significant force slammed into my side, tossing me and my bubble into the wall of a nearby mud building.


    ¡°YOU BASTARD!¡± came the shouting voice of one of the others, presumably some physical type magic user since he''d tackled me a good ten feet and nearly shattered a mud brick wall. ¡°I''LL KILL YOU, I''LL RIP OFF YOUR HEAD!¡±


    ¡°Shh, stop yelling,¡± I answered quietly as I sent a wave of yellow smoke at him with a motion. Summoning this wasn''t something I''d practiced, but it came easier than I''d imagined it would.


    ¡°STOP YELLING! YOU INSAN...¡± he coughed as the chlorine reached his lungs, drawing more in. ¡°Wha...¡± the coughing continued, and I kept pouring the poison into his face.


    ¡°You really should''ve listened,¡± I chided as I looked up and back towards the others.


    To my endless relief Chien had moved beside Isha and was projecting the thickest bubble I imagined he could. Perhaps that wouldn''t have been enough against a dedicated assault by some of those involved in this fighting, but they were getting only stray shots as she grabbed him and began to run for cover. In the few moments I had I noticed her scream at one of the other guards who got a little close, sending the man reeling backwards.


    Satisfied that my loved ones were fleeing as they should I turned back to the others. Uro''s men were surrounded, and slightly outnumbered, but there was hope for them yet. Nora''s people had been deprived of their strongest fighter, while now Uro had few here who could oppose him. He was currently locked in combat with three of the guards, and looked to be winning.


    There was a wave of auras over the battlefield, and I began searching them for what I was looking for. Nora was down, but it appeared not dead. She wasn''t still but writhing on the ground, skin and flesh stitching itself back together even as I watched, like some kind of CGI effect. That wouldn''t do at all.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    It was surprising, truly surprising that the sizable bolt of kinetic energy I sent screaming at the injured healer shattered upon her skin. With great interest I watched as the spell fizzled out against her. Was this more of the resistance I''d seen earlier? Still not knowing how that worked I was a bit put out. After all, my best attacks were magical in nature.


    Another of the guards saw me shooting at their leader and apparently took exception to that. He ignored the man coughing up what was left of his lungs at my feet and sent a storm of missiles my way, only for them to bounce harmlessly off my shield. I''d worked long and hard on my kinetic magic, so it was stronger than most, but it was still a threat. My responding volley proved a bit more effective, but there was still some resistance, leaving large marks covering his body.


    That was frustrating, I really needed to get to the bottom of their resistances. I watched closely as another of my attacks hit him, trying to focus on what he was doing. As I observed the spell unwound as it neared his skin, dissolving against what looked like his aura. Another quick look confirmed that all of the combatants save myself and mine were pulsing theirs out, did that have something to do with it? With a sigh I realized that now really wasn''t the time.


    While I was spacing out my opponent pulled together another spell, slamming me and my shield back into the wall once more. It cracked and bricks began to fall off of it, opening a sizable hole in the structure. On a lark I grabbed one of those with my magic, accelerating it towards my attacker as fast as I could. After all Atal had been thrilled to have a weapon that could do something similar, and I assumed he''d known about whatever they were doing.


    Surprisingly that worked, most of my attacks had been stronger than that brick had, but its effect was an order of magnitude more. The piece of mud masonry impacted the caster in the stomach, and he crumbled, tossed back by the energy imparted in it.


    ¡°Huh, guess it only effects magic,¡± I said, hardly even thinking about it. ¡°Now, where were we.¡±


    Nora was trying to rise, one arm a char covered stump, but she still looked out of sorts as she tried to point a hand to where Uro and the others were fighting. It''d already been decided that I would tolerate no more of her, and so I needed to do something about that.


    We were close enough to the docks that I could see them, so I simply wrapped magic around one of the rafts there. Straining to my limit I pulled upon my strength, images of a rope wrapping around it and yanking, hard as I could. Slowly at first, but rapidly gaining speed it rose and began flying at Nora.


    The fighting seemed to pause as I worked, falling away into the background. For seconds that stretched on like minutes the world slowed to a crawl. I could see the moment Nora turned, looking at the approaching calamity, the widening of her eyes, then everything sped back up.


    There was a brief scream, the barest starts of a truly terrified shriek before it was cut off by the crashing of wood into flesh. Not willing to risk her surviving I sent a blast of flames into the shattered remnants of the vessel, perhaps she couldn''t be burned so easily, but wood was well known for doing so.


    ¡°Enough!¡± came a reverberating boom from Uro.


    I had to cover my ears as the elder elf began to speak, amplifying his voice enough that the ground seemed to shake.


    ¡°This has gone on long enough, cease this at once. Take your injured and go back to your homes. Your leader is dead, this fight is over, now cease.¡±


    Picking myself up off the ground I got a glance into the home I''d been slammed into. There was a woman, hair disheveled and cheeks streaked with tears holding a child there, the young girl looking much the same as her mother. Both trembled, weeping and curled up in the far corner of the room.


    ¡°Please...¡± the mother begged as she saw me looking in at her. ¡°Please don''t hurt us.¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry, I...¡± then I realized what this must look like. I''d slammed through their wall, hurling pieces of their home at people and sending spells decidedly designed to kill all around, the whole time quietly talking to myself.


    From her perspective I must be a terror, a villain in the night ruining her home and an immediate threat to her and her child. That bothered me, in a visceral way, deep in my chest it hurt to know that to this woman, these innocent people I must be a horror born of nightmares.


    By the time I realized I still needed to keep my guard up and turned it looked like the fighting had stopped. Several of those still standing were surrounding Uro protectively, while others had taken their comrades in arms and were carrying them quickly away. The man himself looked pensively at the pyre his former enemy was beneath, eyes almost regretful.

 Chapter 166 Away Again

    Uro''s guards allowed me to approach as he looked into his enemy''s pyre, though they seemed nervous about it.


    ¡°I would have preferred she lived through this,¡± he said sadly.


    ¡°Do not regret the fate she brought upon herself Uro; you gave her a chance. Perhaps you think she''d have changed, but even with my short experience with her I doubt that.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps, perhaps not, but now there is no chance for change. Now my people as a whole are weaker than they could have been, now more will suffer than need to.¡±


    It was clear to me that he was the one who should be leading regardless. Perhaps he understood that this war had few possible endings, but still he wanted to do what was best for everyone, not just himself. He''d been willing to consider options, to quit the field, if only to spare others pain. Perhaps that was an issue with him, but it also showed where his interests lie, not with self-aggrandizement, but with the care of his people. Ultimately he''d make a better future for them.


    While I contemplated this beside him I saw Chien and Isha begin to make their way from whatever cover they''d found, peeking out at first, then coming towards us slowly, looking for threats.


    ¡°Uro, it would probably be best for everyone if we avoided further conflict here today. What''s left of Nora''s people are likely to be coming soon, and they''ll fight if they see you here.¡±


    ¡°A wise observation, let us go for now. Come daylight I''ll take the steps to finally end this conflict.¡± He looked at me out the side of his eyes. ¡°Are you still satisfied to leave now? Some might say I owe you something for the service you''ve done me today.¡±


    I considered for a few moments, I really didn''t want anything for myself other than what I wanted before.


    ¡°All I truly desire is to leave peacefully Uro, but there is something else you can do for me.¡±


    ¡°What''s that?¡± he asked cautiously eyes stern.


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    ¡°During the fighting I damaged a home here. Would you see to it that those whose house I wrecked either are given the one I built or another of good standing, the same for whoever owned that boat?¡± I pointed to the place where I''d seen the mother and her child, the massive yawning hole in their home clearly evident.


    Uro''s lips formed the smallest of smiles. ¡°You have my word they''ll be taken care of.¡±


    I nodded to him, his word was good enough for me. Could he betray it and give those whose homes and livelihoods I''d damaged nothing? Sure, but that didn''t seem the kind of person he was. If I had to guess I''d say that when he came back they''d be quickly aided. After all, it was clear to see that he cared about people as a whole.


    Our piece said, and sounds beginning to come from further in the city indicating that people were coming this way we quickly got moving. Getting to my boat was easy enough, and Uro''s men rushed to their own. Before anybody made it to us we were both underway, sailing out to the lake.


    The guards near the harbor must have been in that fight, because nobody tried to stop us as we set sail. Our craft cut through the water, driven by magic into the large central lake, pushed along away from the city.


    As we fled I looked backwards, upon the shore a number of people had gathered. Most were around the flaming wreckage, looking on in shock at what had become of their leader. None of them tried to put it out, seeming to know that there was nothing they could do. One however looked after us.


    Curz had been the one to show us here, to bring us to this place. We''d been lost, looking for aid, and he''d helped us find this settlement. Sure, I wasn''t happy about his deception with Uro''s men, but we''d understood each other to an extent. Now he watched on as we left, eyes sad, tears streaking down his cheeks.


    Would this be my destiny? To forever be forced from my home, to forever leave destruction in my wake? Even when I tried to do good, things broke. My childhood village had burned before they spurned me, the city I''d settled into had be broken and decimated by war. Now behind me another place was left in pain, more suffering.


    No, I refused to accept that. Always I''d done what I could to protect, to save people where and when I was able. I''d brought not only pain but also advancement, hope for the future. Perhaps there would be suffering at times, that was life, but I could also bring good to this world.


    Beside us one of Uro''s canoes pulled up, a pair of soldiers inside it. ¡°Uro asked us to show you the fastest route northward, if you want the help.¡±


    ¡°We''d be grateful,¡± I told them and they pulled forward, picking up a good amount of speed.


    His soldiers didn''t speak to us as we cut through the night. Odd, because I knew he''d originally wanted more info on the boats and the like, but perhaps he was reconsidering that. An image of betrayal sparked in my mind, but I quickly put it to the side, if Uro had wanted us dead, he''d had a good chance earlier. Likely he just wanted us gone.


    ¡°You seem contemplative,¡± Isha said as she joined me where I sat on the boat.


    ¡°It''s been a long night,¡± I told her.


    She leaned in and kissed my cheek, soft lips cool against my skin. Then settled near me, the smell of her wafting up. Soap wasn''t really a big thing in this world, but people still washed. It made for an altogether different smell than I was used to on Earth, more wild, tinged with the smoke from the fires everyone kept, and sweat that seemed everywhere. This mixed with herbs and flowers that some women, even my Isha, sometimes used to scrub themselves, both to improve their scent and to ward off insects. All this was added to by the smell of the branches we often slept upon, to form it''s own perfume.


    ¡°Things will get better,¡± she assured me.


    ¡°How do you know? How do you trust that?¡±


    ¡°Because I trust you.¡±


    I had to hold back tears, wondering what I''d done in either of my lives to deserve someone like her.

 Chapter 167 Off and Away

    We didn''t stop, not at all. Our boat moved through the water at speed day and night; while I rested Chien drove it, while he slept I did. Isha might not have been too good at propelling us but she still pulled her weight, we didn''t want for tasty snacks or a properly set up sleeping area. Her skills might not excel in combat, but when it came to supply she beat me soundly.


    ¡°Do you think they''ll be okay?¡± Isha asked me as I lay down to rest three days in.


    ¡°Probably,¡± I answered. ¡°With only one leader left most people should fall in line now.¡±


    ¡°And those that don''t?¡±


    I frowned a bit, unsure what exactly would be the right answer. There were a few options, a few ways things could go, but honestly I didn''t really care. That in mind I decided to go with the truth.


    ¡°Might be bad for them. If they''re smart they might leave, or they might fight, but honestly I hope they manage to find some peace regardless. We should leave it though, it''s not our business unless they decide to come and make it our business.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, people do like to stay near where they were born,¡± she observed.


    Thinking back on it I realized she was right. Even now I hated being away from Atal and my home, hated it with every fiber of my being. That was odd wasn''t it? Back on Earth I hadn''t had such worries or concerns, it had seemed normal to me, going off to college or moving wasn''t that big a deal, but it was here.


    Chien and Isha weren''t as vocal, but I got the feeling they didn''t love it either, and there were almost no merchants, even fewer that went between regions. Each little country/city-state were independent, unwilling to spread. Even those elves that had been stuck in the far north hesitated to run south when a spot opened up they could easily take.


    ¡°What''s that look,¡± Isha asked.


    ¡°We hate moving around,¡± I muttered. ¡°That''s bad.¡±


    She quirked an eyebrow at me. ¡°Why?¡±


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    ¡°My inventions aren''t going to spread at any real rate, nor will new things come back to me.¡±


    ¡°How horrible, you''ll just have to do more inventing yourself.¡±


    ¡°No, we need people to trade, to go out and think of new ways of doing things, and to bring those new ways between cities.¡±


    ¡°Justin, you''re hardly making any sense. Why would we need that?¡±


    ¡°Imagine if no traders ever came to a village,¡± I said.


    ¡°Okay, that would be unfortunate, but it''s not like they''re really needed.¡±


    From her perspective she was right, a village could live without others coming, or coming very infrequently. The village where we were born didn''t get them often after all, at least not before I began working copper. Most of them could make the basics themselves.


    ¡°But copper never spreading, nor steel, nor new ways to do magic.¡± As I spoke she shrugged. ¡°We need to do something about that.¡±


    With a frown she closed in on me, her face right next to mine. ¡°You made a promise to me,¡± she growled. ¡°We''re not going off on another fool trip for some time.¡±


    I nearly laughed at her reaction, but checked myself quickly. If there was anything I''d learned about women over the years it was that not taking them serious when they were was a recipe for disaster, that and telling them to calm down.


    ¡°No love, we''re not, but I need to keep that in mind. Maybe set things up for other people to do it.¡±


    Isha gave a jerking nod. ¡°Good, just regulate those ideas of yours.¡±


    Regardless of what I told her the thought concerned me. I needed to know if this was something ingrained in our race or merely a function of the fact that we aged weirdly and so became a bit sedentary by the time we were strong enough to move about. Because it was a fact that the transfer of information built societies, and I certainly had a society to build.


    ¡°So,¡± I asked, trying to change the subject to one she''d prefer. ¡°Been thinking of names?¡±


    Isha blushed. ¡°Well, a bit, if a boy after my father, if a girl after your mother, how does that sound?¡± she asked as she cuddled up next to me, nibbling at my ear.


    ¡°Works for me,¡± I replied as I kissed her.


    ¡°I swear,¡± Chien added from the front. ¡°If you two start fucking while I''m trying to steer I will stop this boat. It''s one thing if you''re in private, but quite another when you''re out in the air.¡±


    We both had a good laugh at that, but he seemed serious. Perhaps the fact that we''d been a bit separated from the populace in our last city had irked him a bit.


    ¡°We need to find you a girl for yourself,¡± Isha said.


    ¡°I''m quite good just borrowing them thanks. Whatever would you do if I came home all silly in the head because some girl had gotten me like a bird in a snare?¡±


    ¡°Laugh?¡± I suggested.


    ¡°Exactly, not really the most useful thing for us to be doing now is it? At least one of us needs to keep his head on straight.¡±


    ¡°And you''re the voice of reason now?¡± Isha teased.


    ¡°Darling Isha, I''ve always been the voice of reason. Now sometimes that reason will laugh at you, and sometimes it likes to chase skirts, just to relax. That''s just for fun though, not for anything more.¡±


    ¡°Chien, if you give some girl a child and abandon her...¡± Isha began to threaten.


    ¡°Then I''ll be just like my father, but don''t worry if I find out I''ve fathered a child I''ll make sure they don''t starve or suffer.¡±


    That response hardly inspired confidence in me, but it was something. No family courts here, no child support or anything like that. Honestly I wasn''t even aware of anyone around who could trace family lines, though that should be possible with magic if I was understanding the bio-magic people like my mother had.


    ¡°If you do let me know, I''ll be happy to make sure the kid gets a proper education,¡± I offered.


    At that our current skipper looked back and nodded slightly, looking thoughtful.

 Chapter 168 Wake Up

    I was fast asleep when the blow came, so hard to the stomach that I shot awake, the air knocked out of me.


    ¡°OOF!¡± I grunted as I was thrust into consciousness.


    ¡°Wake up daddy!¡± came the call from my stomach, high pitched and pleading.


    ¡°Adia, daddy needs to sleep,¡± I grumbled, trying to rub my eyes.


    ¡°NOOOO, the sun''s up!¡± she pried, squirming up beside me in the bed.


    ¡°All right, if the sun''s up,¡± I chuckled.


    I''d only gone to bed a couple hours ago, but it was clear that my daughter had other ideas about me sleeping, and I was weak to her. So I leaned up, pulling her beside me.


    ¡°I brought you breakfast,¡± she said, pointing to a single small fruit beside the bed. It was nowhere near enough for such a meal, but she was four, so what could I really expect.


    ¡°Why thank you,¡± I said, taking up the snack and munching on it. ¡°Where''s your mother?¡±


    She shrugged, putting on the most innocent face she could, and I wasn''t buying it one bit. For all that I loved Adia, I knew she was seldom alone. That may have been frowned on by some, but I was now a major player in the city, and I didn''t want anyone targeting my child. Mostly I didn''t like violence and would hate to have to explain to the other members of the council why I''d turned someone into a pink stain.


    ¡°Her mother,¡± came a response from the hallway. ¡°Is looking for her wandering child.¡±


    Isha appeared in the door, looking none to thrilled.


    ¡°Come join us dear, we''re having breakfast,¡± I said, offering the remains of the fruit.


    ¡°I''ll pass, didn''t I tell you to let your father sleep?¡± she asked, turning to Adia.


    ¡°He''s been sleeping all morning,¡± Adia whined.


    ¡°It''s fine love, I needed to get up anyway.¡±


    ¡°Still,¡± Isha joined us, coming to sit on the bed. ¡°Justin, what''s that?¡±


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    She carefully lifted her hand to my scalp, taking a few hairs in hand, eyes focused on one of them in particular. As the strands moved through her fingers I saw what she was saying. Standing out in the light against the other hairs was one in particular, pale, shining white.


    ¡°Has it really been that long?¡± I asked, looking at it.


    ¡°You''ll have to make an announcement,¡± she said, releasing the hair. ¡°And yes, it has.¡±


    I gave each of the two most important women in my life a quick kiss, one on the forehead and the other the lips before rising in earnest.


    ¡°Looks like I actually do need to get up. Daddy''s got to work now, but I''ll be back for lunch okay?¡± I said.


    ¡°Okay,¡± Adia said with a small pout.


    This was unexpected, odd, because I was just a bit too young. At only eighty I''d be one of the youngest elders in history, but with the turning of my hair there was no denying it had come. Among family and friends there would be celebrations, among detractors grumbling, for now the final objection to my place on the city''s ruling council was gone.


    My bedroom faded behind me as I began to move through the house, more like a mini-fortress or complex now. It wasn''t modern, not as such, but it wasn''t what I''d grown up in either. I''d had time, time and the mind to practice, to build, to hone skills and teach them to others. Fabrics had replaced much of the furs, spring beds the piles of rushes we''d slept on for so long. There was even proper furniture, and lighting, almost all the modern amenities I knew were now at my fingertips, but through magic not just technology.


    Not everyone had these things yet, many villages remained almost completely unchanged from where they had been when I''d been born, but the city was changing rapidly. New streets, plumbing, drainage, materials, all moved outwards from my home, all bringing society upwards. Not everyone liked it, with old folks complaining about this and that, but enough did, enough loved it.


    As I made my way down a staircase into the work areas of the complex a girl at a shining desk stood and turned. ¡°Good morning sir,¡± she intoned.


    ¡°Good morning, please summon Chien to my workshop. I''ve need to talk to him urgently.¡±


    She nodded and turned to a series of speaking tubes and levers mounted in the wall. I''d not managed to remake something like telephones yet, at least not on a level I would share, but these were more manageable, signals to people all over the sprawling estate to communicate as needed. It was slow, but he''d get the message before too long.


    Leaving her I headed to my own space. No longer was it blocked by large slabs of stone, but proper doors, with complex locks powered by magic and codes. Making something that could store magic as a usable energy was still beyond me, but I was getting closer. A small jolt into it and a few punched numbers on a little keypad and it clicked open, letting me through.


    Inside I went to my desk and sat, waiting. I hadn''t been this nervous in some time, not since Adia''s birth. That alone had been something that had nearly killed me.


    Isha and I had tried for a child for so long, and to so many issues. I didn''t know if it was something about my being from another world, or something about one of us, but it hadn''t been easy. We''d consulted experts, tried again and again. She''d had miscarriages, a pair of stillborns, and failure after failure. She''d blamed herself, but I was fairly sure it was me, something wrong about me.


    Healers hadn''t been able to tell us anything. Many seemed unconcerned, saying that sometimes it was like that, some people just had a hard time having children, that it would come with time. Others tried herbs and poultices. I bemoaned the fact that I''d never gotten proper medial training, trying to dig through my memories and failing repeatedly. We''d both suffered, until finally Adia had been born, a light for both of us, a sign of hope for our family.


    Adia wasn''t, so far as I could tell, like me and from another world. No, instead she was a normal, happy child. The girl was a bit of a handful some days, but others she was practically an angel. Naming her after my mother had been fortunate too, because though they were slight, there were signs that she had magic too. Her aura flared sometimes when she got bumps and bruises, and when it did, they healed. Perhaps it hadn''t manifested fully yet, but soon it would, and she''d need training then.


    ¡°Hey boss, you there?¡± Chien asked, waving a hand in front of my face.


    ¡°Oh, sorry, didn''t even see you come in.¡± I flushed as I turned towards one of my oldest friends.


    ¡°You really need to get more sleep,¡± he chided, getting me to laugh.


    ¡°Soon, but first.¡± I pulled the lock of hair forward showing him the pale strand.


    ¡°Finally, took you long enough.¡±


    ¡°I''m quite early to it,¡± I scoffed.


    ¡°Nah, you were born old boss, old and childish all at once.¡±

 Chapter 169 Announcement

    ¡°I''m glad you''re taking this so seriously,¡± I said to my smiling assistant.


    ¡°As are you,¡± he scoffed, and I had to laugh.


    ¡°Fair, but things will change.¡±


    ¡°For the better.¡±


    ¡°I agree, but we still need to be prepared,¡± I informed him, trying to impress that others would now react to both of us differently.


    ¡°I prepared years ago, didn''t you?¡± he answered flippantly.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Mind waiting here for a bit?¡± Chien asked.


    ¡°Sure...¡±


    He ran off, based on the direction he left the workshop he was headed to his own, but I didn''t pry. I had my spaces I liked private, and he had his. That had been an important thing for me, making sure those who worked with me felt respected. After all, I''d been in poor conditions before, and even an awful job or two back on Earth, so I knew the kind of resentment that could breed.


    No, Chien had privacy, even if he was within my compound I always tried to give him his full due. With how long we lived that wasn''t just decency either, but self-interested action. Making an enemy of someone who could live for centuries was seldom worth it, and Chien was a friend, a rare thing for elders or ancients to maintain. I wanted him to remain so though, and so if there was something he wanted within reason I gave it to him.


    While he was off I turned to look at my long time project sitting in the corner of my room. My first attempts at a magical computer had been... a mess. Getting the proper amount of power to go through it without overloading the structure had been nigh impossible unless I managed it myself. Those early attempts had still been useful, in some ways. They could do calculations quickly, but with having to almost manually manage things they were very limited in use.


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    The newer models had other crystals built into them though, tiny bits of physical property magic that would allow them to reach out into the world. I''d not solved all the problems yet, but we were making real progress. My issue was still getting them to interface with people properly, but that would come with time. That was my best guess at how to solve the power management issue.


    Before I could get up and keep playing though Chien returned, a long box in hand.


    ¡°What do you have there?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Something I made for you,¡± he chuckled.


    ¡°Should I be worried?¡±


    ¡°I wouldn''t be.¡±


    He opened the box, something that on its own would''ve been impressive many years ago, but now was becoming more and more common and pulled forth a robe. The fabric of it was light and fine, colored a deep blue with small, hardly noticeable designs worked along the hems in black and white. With it were several pieces of jewelry, bracelets and beads.


    ¡°Where in the world did you get that?¡± I asked, looking over the piece.


    Cloth was gaining in popularity as things went on, but most of it wasn''t of anywhere near this quality. People were still learning fibers, methods, and tricks of the trade. Soon such a robe might be something that could be bought, but I''d never seen such a piece for sale before.


    ¡°You remember Ida?¡± he asked, as if I couldn''t remember literally everything.


    ¡°The slave girl Atal gave me? Yes, but I haven''t seen her in ages.¡±


    ¡°She''s gone and joined a little group to the north, they''ve taken to cloth like birds to the wing. So a few years back I sent her a request, for when this day came. This was the best they could make then, perhaps they could make something better now, but...¡±


    ¡°No, that''s perfect,¡± I said with a smile. Ida had been one of the first to take up making cloth, and to wear something she''d made would be an honor, after all, seeing the progress of those my life touched was beautiful to me. ¡°And the jewelry?¡±


    ¡°Oh those are from me,¡± he grinned. ¡°Bit of those metals you gave me. I''ll admit to skimming off the top...¡±


    I looked over the pieces, and it was clear how they were meant to be worn. Copper, then iron, alloys, then silver and gold. Chien had told a story here, the story of the metals I''d brought, in small amounts, but enough to show the movement of society. There were even a few gemstones mixed in, not mana gems, but standard ones that glittered and shone in the light of the workshop. We both knew better than to wear a mana gem made from any mana but our own.


    ¡°Thank you Chien, it''s magnificent.¡±


    ¡°Look boss, it''s not for nothing. You need to make an impression now. You''re an elder, and one who was more powerful than most of those old coots before you got that white hair. They need to know that they''ll respect you or you''ll make them, because if they don''t you''re going to have problems and we both know it. It''s not just you either, they''ll come after me, after Isha, after Adia if they think they can get away with it. Now is the time to make sure they know they can''t, and if they try, they''ll suffer.¡±


    ¡°I''ve built a fortress and manned it with some of the best people in the city, what else can I do?¡± I asked with a shake of my head.


    ¡°Scare the shit out of them boss.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, then it might be time to do something I''ve been thinking of for awhile. I''ll need a few days to get it all in order, then we''ll make the official announcement. Think you can get me a few people so that when I parade my way to the next meeting I''ve got a proper entourage?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Consider it done boss, you mind if I join?¡±


    ¡°I''d be offended if you didn''t Chien, after all you''re my right hand.¡±


    ¡°I''ll get to it then, and leave you to... whatever you''re planning.¡±


    ¡°Don''t want to help?¡± I asked.


    ¡°And ruin the surprise? Never.¡±


    I laughed as he left and turned back to the tools, I''d need some of them, but then again, for this construction I''d have to do most of it by hand.

 Chapter 170 Parade

    The morning of my announcement my family helped me dress. Most of it was the girls doing my hair and making sure all the jewelry was on right, but they fussed a lot, trying to make sure that everything fit perfectly. After all, there were few times when one made an announcement as big as this.


    ¡°Stay still,¡± Isha griped as she put my hair in a braid that would best show off the one white strand.


    ¡°Yeah, stay still daddy,¡± her little twin echoed.


    ¡°All right, all right. No need to gang up on me.¡± They both laughed at my surrender, but kept their hands moving.


    Long hair had been an on again, off again fashion among men over my life, and I''d had times when it had been both long and short. Now however I was letting it grow in anticipation for this particular event. Even if we were sooner than expected there had been a chance that I would have gained my first white hair for the past few years, and long would show it off best.


    In theory, one could keep their hair cropped short to hide their status as an elder for awhile if they really felt like it. I''d heard a few stories of people doing just that, or even resorting to dyes to hide the white strands. There were many reasons for such an action, to avoid conflict with other local elders, to keep your power concealed to an extent, or even just not wanting the attention, but I''d never met anyone who I''d known to actually do it.


    As I let them fiddle with the outfit I thought back on all the people I''d known. My mother had been so close to this advancement, her and dad both, and had they made it just a few more years... well, perhaps they wouldn''t have been there when Cino came to destroy the village. Would that have saved them? Had she gone off on her own and made her own place would she still be here? Perhaps, perhaps not, it''s possible that he''d have gone wherever they did and killed them, but who could say? It wasn''t like I''d personally known the man.


    What about the other elders I''d met over the years? How had they felt when they did what I was doing now? Did they meditate on it? Consider the ramifications? I wondered if they worried for what was to come as I was, or if they''d simply been thrilled to have achieved something few of us did.


    And it was a sad fact that a minority of elves made it to elder status. We might not age, and might have advantages that humans of Earth hadn''t, but we had problems too. Medical technology was basically non-existent outside of magic, so if you didn''t have a healer, you didn''t have anything. Violence was also shockingly common, not so much amongst ourselves, but with the beasts of the wild.


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    Everywhere in this world were monsters, and while you were unlikely to run into one on any given day with so many days, and so many spent roving the wilds, it happened. The first I''d dealt with had been that bear, but there had been many times I could easily have died.


    It wasn''t surprising then that the well off and those who already had magic were the ones who tended to become elders. Though by the time your first white hair appeared everyone would have developed at least a weak form of magic to the level of being a proper mage it was the strongest who were likely to live the hundred or so years it took to achieve the advancement in age. Sadly the weak also tended to die not long after, having the ''authority'' without the power to back it up was a recipe for disaster.


    ¡°All done,¡± my wife finally told me, stirring me from my thoughts.


    ¡°Let''s go.¡±


    I led the way, pulling open the doors and moving out of our chambers into the greater facility. As I descended into the main hall there were gasps of surprise and wide eyes. Some of my people had known what was going on, either leaked or just having seen me, but that was fine, it wasn''t a secret. No the surprise came from what I''d affixed to my belt.


    People needed symbols, a truth that held even across worlds. Symbols united, divided, inspired, they could be the beginnings of bravery or the sign that defeat was imminent. Therefore I''d decided that I needed a symbol too, and only one thing stood out to me.


    From my side swung a hammer, not a warhammer, not something for battle, but something for building, a smith''s hammer, a tool for advancement. It was constructed of a mix of metals and crystals, some magical, some not, but pulsed with inner power and light. This wasn''t the prototype I''d made for Atal, nor was it something I''d be using if I could avoid it, but instead a symbol, and a warning to my enemies of what would come for them should they cross me.


    Chien smiled wickedly as the arranged group of aides and workers looked on.


    ¡°Ready to go boss?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Yes, let us,¡± I answered with a far firmer voice than I felt, but I needed to look strong today.


    He took his spot at my right hand, with Isha to my left, just behind my shoulder and we headed outwards. Doors swung open and the fresh air and sound of city life rushed in. A few dozen of my people were following, chosen to come along. Others were staying behind, managing the facility and keeping an eye on my child, who would watch as we left but wasn''t coming along for this.


    Little Adia cheered and called from an upstairs window as I made my way across the small courtyard to the gates. This place was of course for security, with arrow-slits and spots for spellcasters looking down upon it. I gave her a brief smile and wave as the gates too swung wide.


    As my foot cleared the gate and people began looking up to see what was happening a wave of silence spread up the road. People froze in their tracks or quickly made their way out of the street, for I was known, and they hadn''t been expecting this action. They all knew the results of crossing me on this procession though, for I was going to make a statement, and weakness before such a thing would be unthinkable.


    For that I was grateful, because I''d hate to have to break someone just to prove a point. I''d still do it, it was required, but I would feel bad about it later. Even if I didn''t kill them, my people might, either out of some misunderstanding of what I''d want, or the insult to all of us that trying to waylay such a procession would imply.


    None did though, the street cleared, with only a few people here and there running off. Clearly they were going to tell their bosses what was going on. That wasn''t any issue for me though, I wanted people to know, wanted them to expect what was coming.


    And so I walked, the only sounds reaching me the many feet crunching upon the road and the hushed whispers that a new elder was making their way forward.