The terrain grew ever more inhospitable the following day forcing us to go notably slower. Joel Lierin and I had to dismount on a couple of occasions and climb a little to continue on our route to the Far Reach whitan. Around ten miles out from our destination Sania pulled to a halt.

“I can smell blood,” she said across the bond. I dismounted as she let out a few rough barks, and the pack came to a stop around her.

The hunters and a couple of the elders morphed, so they could speak.

“I smell blood ahead,” Sania repeated to them. “I can’t be sure, but it is in the direction of the whitan.”

“I still cannot sense it,” Rilaz replied. “Can you tell what kind of blood it is?”

“Not yet, but we should travel with far greater caution. The weakest should follow on slowly with an escort. I will take some of our strongest with me to investigate.”

“Perhaps we should find a spot to settle for the evening here in case the whitan is compromised,” Sanyl suggested.

“That may be for the best. I’ll send word once we know more. I can communicate with Clive over long distance through our soul bond, so I will be able to let you know if it’s safe to continue.”

“What?” I said outraged. “I should be with you.”

“We’re only going to investigate, and this requires speed, Clive. If we’re discovered, we may need to escape quickly. You won’t be fast enough to escape Wultr, but you can raise the alarm and arrange a defense for us to return to.”

“I don’t like it,” I said grimly. “Make sure you communicate plenty.”

“I will,” she replied with an easy smile and stroked my cheek. “We won’t be long.”

I could sense her absolute confidence and as I watched her lead fifteen of the largest strongest Wultr away from us, I felt my own worry ease.

Riaz and Sanyl moved the pack around half-a-mile further along our current route to a relatively flat area with a small stream running through. It was nothing like what we’d had the last two nights, and hopefully it wouldn’t be our camp for the night.

I sat with Joel and Lierin with the intention of chatting to them, but I was so consumed on the bond with Sania, that I couldn’t concentrate.

After around half an hour, much to my relief she did. There was a touch of humor in her voice. “Stop worrying, Clive. There is not much that I cannot defeat or flee from in these mountains.”

“I’ll try,” I said and meant it. But after another ten minutes when I felt her tense through the bond. I was right back to square one. I knew it was stupid. She was always going to encounter something that would change her mood. I focused on the bond trying to pick up on the suddenly not-so-subtle changes.

Fear and panic blossomed. I stood up straight. Surprising those around us. Desperation now.

“Sania! What’s wrong?”

No answer. The emotions down the bond were a quagmire. I couldn’t bear it. I stood staring off in the direction she was.

“Sania! Answer me!” I screamed down the bond, then realized if she was fighting for her life, which from the emotions I was getting was more than likely. Me screaming like a fucking toddler wouldn’t help her cause.

I looked to the rest of the pack who were lazily watching me, with no conception of what was happening.

“I need to go. something's wrong. Prepare for a fight though.”

“Our reserve will come with you,” Sanyl said.

“No, you’ll need them here I think.”

“I’ll come,” Joel said.

“You’ll slow me down, mate. Stay here and help guard the pack. It’s important.” I didn’t have time to coddle anyone’s feelings and said no more as I sprinted out of the rocky clearing toward Sania.

The terrain was truly awful, and I had to climb as much as I ran. There were two things to be thankful for. The ability to head toward her unerringly, and the beginnings of a new skill I’d developed yesterday. The ability to launch myself in the air.

As I approached the next incline that I couldn’t just run up. Skidding to a halt to concentrate on my core, I then launched myself some forty feet into the air, almost making the top. I landed in an unceremonious, but uninjured heap and was able to scramble the remaining few feet to the summit. From there, I was able to assess the lay of the land a little better. Looking in the direction Sania was I couldn’t make out any signs of fighting. What I could just barely make out, was the smoke of a large fire.

I prepared my core for another good push, then jumped from the summit pushing off the mountain behind me to essentially throw myself hundreds of yards through the air. I was aiming for the top of another peak and I’d given myself good momentum toward it.

I’d totally miscalculated the Neuma fuelled leap as the descent into free fall came all too soon. I was literally above the lowest point of the valley between the two peaks I wanted to traverse. As I plummeted to the ground below, I knew if I didn’t do anything about it, I was going to go splat for good.

I pushed out another Limb of neuma from my core, but once it reached around forty feet from my body, it refused to go further. I let it return to my core and tried again with my meridians. Focusing on the one in my right arm, though so much thinner it did travel all the way to the ground long before I did.

As it made contact, I jolted awkwardly, feeling like my arm wanted to rip off from the force of the sudden stop as I hung suspended in the air. That didn’t last long as I began to topple forward. With a stroke of luck, I fell roughly in the right direction.

I shot a tendril of dark Neuma forward as I dropped, which brought me to a stop a much better distance from the ground than I had been before. Once in that position, I was able to let myself drop the remaining forty or so feet.

Back on the ground, I set off running along the valley floor again, far from happy, but confident that I’d just saved a hell of a lot of time using my Neuma as I had.

“Clive! We are lost. Go back. Move the tribe south. They cannot hope to win here and...”

“Sania! I’m coming. What’s happening?”

She didn’t respond.

Gritting my teeth and kept pushing, as hard as I could. When I approached the next serious incline, I barely stopped running as I focused and desperately pushed from my core. It was a mistake as my stride faltered and I stumbled, which totally fucked up my trajectory. I slammed painfully into the incline half way up.

All of these injuries, I wouldn’t have survived a few short weeks ago, but now had to brush off them off as if I’d tripped on a kerb.

As I climbed to my feet, I ended up sliding uncontrollably back down a little way until I hit a small ledge. Once there, I tried again and pushed with my core to send me to the top of the incline.

I landed relatively well this time, and after a moment's concentration, pushed myself off into the air on the other side of the peak.

This time, before I ran out of forward momentum I shot down a tendril of golden Neuma from my right meridian. When it hit the ground, I was able to ride it forward in an arcing descent. I did the same again with the dark Neuma of my left Meridian. Repeating the process in quick succession I traversed much of the next valley leaving me with only a short run to the next incline once I landed.

As I set off running again, a notification appeared in my vision, causing me to stumble and fall yet again. If there was a god of notifications, I wanted to punch him. At least until I read it.

Congratulations, You have discovered a new Advanced Skill. Flight.

By using your Neuma to travel in a controlled, sustained manner, you have unlocked the skill Flight

+2 Neuma control when airborne.

Advanced skill discovery bonus: 2000xp

Level up:

Congratulations. You have reached Level 30.

You have Ten stat points to assign.

Despite already agreeing with Sania where they should go. Right now I only cared about one thing and without a second thought I slammed all of the points into speed.

Clive Level 30

Physical statistics:

Strength: 38

The capacity to exert and resist force.

Dexterity: 17

Skill and ease in hand-based activity.

Agility: 10

How effectively the body can move into a range of different positions.

Speed: 41

Rate at which the body can move.

Stamina: 31

Period at which body can effectively sustain prolonged activity.

Constitution: 101

The ability to withstand physical punishment.

Mental Statistics:

Intelligence: 21 - 5

Knowledge and its application.

Charisma: 10 - 5

Charm, coerce, inspiration.

Perception: 10

Awareness of surroundings

Spiritual Statistics:

Ethereal Awareness: 0

Attunement with the Gods and spirits of Gulithea. (Necessary for Ethereally supplied magical ability.)

Internal Connection: 21

Attunement with oneself. (Necessary for cultivation of one’s own inner power)

World sense: 2.11%

Knowledge of Gulithea.

Xp to next level 660/1500

The whole process, from falling with the notification to setting off running again, occurred within a couple of seconds. And when I set off again, I was moving much, much faster.

At the bottom of the next incline, I stopped to focus properly. It was costing me too much time recovering from my desperate, misguided accidents. A second calm here would get me to Sania’s side far sooner.

Pushing myself up to this next peak, I could see I was getting close. There was no doubt in my mind that I’d covered the distance remarkably fast.

I tried to contact Sania again, and again, and received no response. There was no emotion coming through the bond either, but I knew she was alive. I had to assume she was unconscious.

To the left of Sania’s location near the large fire was a steep peak. While I hadn’t made it from one peak to the next so far, I was hopeful now, with my greater Neuma sensitivity while airborne, that I could make it this time. I really didn’t want to be on valley floor with all these enemy Wultr about if I could help it.

I used the same tactic that I’d used to gain the flying skill. Only this time, I tried to shoot myself a lot higher to start with. As I would descend in height across the distance.

Once up and hurtling through the air, I sent down my first tendril. I wasn’t sure how much difference the +2 would make and so I was overjoyed with how much easier than before it had become. I still lost altitude too quickly to make the distant peak. With an overwhelming urge not to hit the forest floor this close to my target, I attempted another push from my core to regain altitude. It was awkward to do, whilst still having a tendril from my meridian out, but my core responded, and sent me flying back into the air like a sweet wrapper on the wind.

Once my erratic propulsion had calmed and I was able to right myself, I calmly, guided myself down toward the peak I’d been aiming for with my meridians. Of course, that’s when they faltered. Almost seeming to stutter. Again, my landing left much to be desired.

The notification that appeared filled me with dread for my immediate future.

Neuma Fatigue: -15 to Internal Connection. Duration 3hrs. Continued heavy use of Neuma prior to Debuff lapse will result in Complete Neuma Exhaustion.

“Oh shit,” I said quietly to myself as the notification disappeared. It couldn’t have come at a worse time as I looked down on the carnage of what could only be Far Reach whitan. There were a number of dead Wultr, and giant insect bodies like man sized cockroaches scattered just north of the whitan. Around the whitan itself, where I could sense Sania to be, there was shit ton of Wultr. I also got my first look at the little humanoid rats I’d been told were Krysan and the huge Nystiobek bear like people.

I scanned frantically around for Sania, but couldn’t make her out from my vantage point. I could tell she was conscious again.

“Sania! I’m here. I’m coming for you,” I said across our bond.

“Why did you come when I told you to run? There is nothing you can do. Go back and warn the pack to stay away from here.”

“Nope, I’m coming to get you one way or another. I just…”

“Good bye my love, I must fight their Alpha now and he is a Woltar.”

“Woltar? What the fuck is that.”

She didn’t reply, but I could sense her fear rise. Looking down on the whitan, I saw her. She was being led into the centre of a ring made by the enemy pack. They were all howling and snarling.

I watched as she came face to face with what looked like a Wultr, but could have been a Nystiobek as they were so big, towering over her by a couple of feet.

I couldn’t see clearly at this range, but Sania already looked badly beaten up. Standing up straight, I delved into my core. Cringing as I felt the difficulty in accessing the power within. The distance I had to travel wasn’t too far and even if I lost the use of Neuma after this… then at least I tried. If anyone wanted to fight Sania, they were going to have to go through me first.

Gritting my teeth with the strain I launched myself from the top of the summit, most likely for the last time ever.