After that night, Li and the group traveled at a consistent pace. The Vukanovi made a consistent and solid pace, its roots shambling it forwards past soil, mud, stone, rock, and any manner of terrain. Using its spider-like leg roots, it could even scale sheer rock formations. It far surpassed the pace of any regular work horse or even magical beast based transportation for this reason, and after a full day of traveling, it had left Riviera far, far behind.

In fact, it almost seemed like human civilization itself had disappeared. First off, there were almost no humans left at this distance. They did stumble upon one or two frontier villages, but they had long since been abandoned, their residents travelling eastwards to take shelter in Riviera or other more heavily fortified areas.

But it was not just the people that changed – the land did too.

The terrain shifted from forestland to more rolling plains with patches of small forest here and there, but what was noticeable was the Triforge mountains standing tall and ominous in the far horizon, their triple peaks craning towards the sky.

They seemed to be as threatening as the legends and tales surrounding them, for they seemed to be enveloped in a permanent fog of ashen mist. Li could tell even from a distance that the mist was special in nature, inscrutably packed with a magical energy that felt cold and hollow in nature.

Not the kind of alien cold that emanated from his eldritch powers, but more the kind surrounding the undead. He made a mental note to have some preparations ready against the undead and potentially discomforting mental status effects that wading into their territory could have.

By mid afternoon of the second day of travel, the Vukanovi stopped itself in the midst of a patch of dry grasslands. Through the familiar's eyes, Li could see that a lone Aarakowa, half man, half bird, hovered over with shamanistic staff in hand, blocking the Midpath which shone its runes through a dirt path running through the tall grasses.

"Papa, bird man!" said Tia from Li's lap as she pointed to the wall from within the familiar that showed the outside world.

"Ah, so we've settled upon beastman territory," said Old Thane. The wall could only project images the Vukanovi saw, so with his blindness, he was left to piece together clues through what others said.

"I hear they can tear a man right in two with their talons," said Mason.

"If their storm calling does not turn you into a burnt crisp first," added Mercer.

"The Aarakowa are a fierce kind, aye," said Old Thane. "But much the wise type too. I am certain with some talking, all will be solved."

"Then talk, I will," said Li. He carried Tia up in his arms and bade the others to stay.

========

Outside the Vukanovi, Li beheld the Aarakowa shaman. Certainly, it looked much the same as it would from Elden World. Its racial affinity towards elemental shamanism also remained the same. This particular one, he could tell was quite old.

His head looked like that of a falcon's, the yellow beak curved and roughed up with scratches and ridges grown over many years. Large white and black checkered wings kept him afloat and hovering in one place. His sharp, beady black pupils moved with lightning speed around bright yellow sockets, focusing on Li with mostly wariness. Grabbed in clawed hand, a roughly carved staff of wood sparked with arcs of blue electricity.

"May I help you?" said Li from atop the Vukanovi.

Tia adjusted herself in Li's arms, cocking her head as she stared with unbridled curiosity at the beastman.

"You speak the Old Tongue?" said the Aarakowa in his own tongue, one that sounded like a mixture of harsh screeches and clicks. It was similar to that of the harpi's, but it was far more discordant and guttural, wilder and more aggressive.

Li's eyes flashed with divine green light. He knew the beastman was referring to his ability to use Allspeak. "You hear correctly."

The Aarakowa directed its staff towards Li in a probing manner and then nodded in solemn understanding. It stopped moving its wings and landed upon the top of the Vukanovi in kneeling position.

"You hold the might of the grasses within you," said the Aarakowa. "It has been long since I have seen it. Long I have thought the spirits of the grasses had faded."

"You have respect for forest spirits, and no doubt, you are well attuned with the forces of nature in general. Your commitment to the elemental forces is already commendable," said Li, noting that the aarakowa was level forty – quite high for this world's average mortal – and quite proficient as a shaman mage.

"I am certain you can thus appreciate me. Is this your territory? For if it is so, I seek passage through it." 

The aarakowa's head bobbed up in recognition. "Your sight is sharp, good spirit, or perhaps spirit vessel – the distinction matters not to me. Yes, this is the land of my people, but passage, you shall receive. But will you not speak more? I am curious to hear why you wish to travel further west towards foul winds."

"Your people?" Li could not sense much of any life signatures around him. "Strange that they are not near."

"Hm. Will you come with me?" The aarakowa stood up, its muscle, feather, and scarbound stature towering over Li.

"We fly now?" asked Tia as she stared at the aarakowa's wings.

The aarakowa looked at Tia with surprising gentleness. "No, hatchling. I can sense you have long held your wings back, but now is not the time. What I wish to show your father is within the soil."

"Lead the way," said Li.

===========

Li followed the aarakowa, and the Vukanovi followed behind them. The aarakowa was silent in leading him throughout the grasslands, breaking off from the Midpath, and the more they traveled, the thicker and taller the grass grew until at a certain point, they reached up to Li's waist.

Finally, after what seemed to be the better part of a silent half hour, they reached what the aarakowa wanted to show Li. It was the edge of the grasslands, for they had an end. And end, they did abruptly, spilling off into a massive ravine littered with roots and rocks that must have spanned more than a hundred meters straight down.

Interestingly, Li could note that the ravine led into rocky, mountainous pathways flanked by towering stone spires that, if followed, would lead straight to the Triforge mountain in just another day's worth of travel. In other words, a shortcut.

The aarakowa looked out into the vast expanse of the rocky ravine below and then turned around, slamming his staff into the dirt. A surge of electricity jumped from the staff, pulsing outwards in a thin veil of shimmering blue. The pulse passed through Li harmlessly, and Tia tried swiping at it, letting out a gasp of wonder when it phased through her fingers.

The pulse lit up several small pillars of blue light dotted throughout the tall grasses around them. The aarakowa pointed a talon to them.

"My people," said the aarakowa. "I am an elder and attuned with the spirits. Here-," the aarakowa waved his hand across, pointing out the vast breadth of lights shining into the sky. "Are my people. My ancestors. Graves of those who came before me. A sacred place. A place I defend."

The aarakowa turned back to the ravine and pointed beyond it, westward, past the Triforge mountains looming fog covered in the distance. "The rest of my people, those young and strong, move to fight the foul winds. Others, the hatchlings and the mothers, take refuge in the Greatwoods."

"I see," said Li. From investigating the updated map that Old Thane had brought, he knew the Greatwoods were a forest that grew near this area, away from the Midpath in such a way that Li and the party would not naturally encounter it.

It was said to be a forest where the trees were all enormous, forming tightly knight together pillars that towered into the sky.

"But you," said the aarakowa, pointing his talon now to Li. "I can sense seek also to face the foul winds."

Li nodded.

"I tell you now, do not go," said the aarakowa. "I show you the graves as a warning. Many of these graves, they hold bodies from times last when the same winds flowed. And now, the winds are far darker. Colder. No place for a spirit of the grasses such as yourself.

The world will lose much if you are to fade away, for you are now the last of your kind."

"If I do not go now, the world will lose far more than what it would gain should I stay safe and sound," said Li. "You deeply respect the forces of nature, I can see that. But you of all should know that they cannot be controlled."

The aarakowa lowered his talon to Tia. "The hatchling, then, I can defend. Send to the Greatwoods, if needs be."

"Away from papa?" said Tia worriedly.

"There will be no need for that," said Li. "Though I do appreciate the sentiment. Rather, I instead worry for you. Should the foul winds reach here, the greatwoods alone will be insufficient to defend your people. Or your ancestral land."

"Then I defend this land to the death," said the aarakowa. He paused. "But it is true. The hatchlings will not survive should the winds reach this far." 

"Land can weather scars. Young lives cannot." Li closed his hand into a fist, and when he opened it, a piece of wood had formed within. It was shaped into the crest of the Farmer's Guild, and he held it out to the aarakowa. "If ever you find danger brewing nearby, then send your young to Riviera and show them the crest. They will be defended and taken care of."

"Riviera?" The aarakowa took the crest, inspecting it with its hawkish eye. "A human city. They do not take too kindly to us."

"Human, beastman – the distinction matters not for those under me," said Li. "At the least, I can guarantee safety far beyond that which the greatwoods can provide. Consider it a token of appreciation for leading us to this shortcut, though I suppose you did so by accident."

"Shortcut?" The aarakowa looked back down at the ravine. "That is no passage for those that value their lives. Life giving grass becomes cold rock. Trees become stone pillars. Creatures of ill intent roam night and day. Beings of Undeath crawl from beneath.

And then there is the Dread Eye."

"Dread Eye?" said Li.

"The path below becomes narrower. Rockier. At a point, one must pass by the Dread Eye. A great winged serpent whose eye of purpled evil turns blood to the very cold rock that litters its lair."