“I think we are quite a bit further south than originally planned.” Olivia remarked, as we traveled along the valley we had been moving in. We had traveled for another day, after fighting the Manticores and by now, the sparse vegetation of the high mountains had been replaced by ancient forests, filled with all sorts of animals and sounds. The dense canopy made it a little difficult to maintain direction, though her spells and Adra’s abilities circumvented that problem. What brought a smile to my face was just how excited Adra was, ever since we had reached a forest that deserved the name. And where her excitement brought a smile to my face, the way she fondled the trees we walked past, caressing them in a manner similar to the way I liked to touch Sigmir, made me shake my head, reminding me of the epitaphs used by that satyr-innkeeper. Maybe there was a reason why he had called her a tree-hugger.

“Do we need to hit Narristo, or can we turn in our quest further west?” I asked, before realizing that if we didn’t go to Narristo, we’d be quite low on rations, forced to rely on foraging almost entirely.

“We might be able to turn the quest in elsewhere, but I think we should go to Narristo. It’s a detour at this point, but I don’t think we’d actually lose a lot of time, given that traveling on the Ancient Road is simply faster.” Olivia replied, prompting me to nod in acceptance.

“At least we should be out of the Manticore-territory now.” Adra muttered, obviously happy that we didn’t have to constantly keep an eye on the sky above us.

“Probably, though I’m not certain how many more are out there.” I admitted, pulling out the Manticore-Blood I had frozen quite some time ago, trying to use it to determine where creatures of the same bloodline where. The resonance was faint, and growing fainter, to the point that I could barely determine that there were more somewhere, with a slight inclination to the south. But that might be due to the time that had passed since we had killed that Manticore, it could be due to distance or it could be that the nearby Manticores in that family had died off and I was tracking some ancient ancestor.

“Regardless, we need to remain on our guard, didn’t you say that the Manticores were driven out of the area south of us? That means there’s something down there that drove them off, and I don’t think I’d want to get closely acquainted with that ‘something’.” I added, making another mental note to keep out of high-level areas, until we were ready to face that level of challenge. It certainly explained why people had considered the idea to travel through the White Mountains a challenging and difficult one, after the Manticores had taken up the territory.

With that in mind, I briefly focused outward, even while cursing a little at my lacking ability. While I had high intuition, which in turn meant my senses were extraordinarily sharp, my perception and mindset were mostly geared towards the detection and analysis of magic and Astral Power. Detecting something as mundane as some carnivorous monster sneaking up on me, intent on making me a snack, was not quite my speciality. As such, there was little surprise when I failed to detect anything out of the ordinary, either from lack of such a presence or due to inability.

We continued on our merry way, now angling further to the north, with a slight slant east-ward, not quite doubling back but certainly going out of the direct way we ultimately needed to move in. As we moved, I occasionally tried to parse our surroundings, though almost all my attention and focus were on either discussing Magic with Lenore or making sure that Sigmir wasn’t suffering any aftereffects of her use of the Avatar-State.

While she had recovered easily, and I was quite sure the session we had spent on relaxation and connecting with each other had eased any lingering discomfort, I couldn’t help but worry. At the end of the day, using the Avatar-state was a massive burden on both body and mind, even as it brought equally massive advantages. There was a reason I didn’t casually use that ability, even knowing that I was protected by my status as a Traveler.

Lenore and I were trying to puzzle out just how we had managed to swat the Manticores from the sky, with me adding the impressions gleaned from the video put out by Pantheon Entertainment to our overall knowledge, when Adra, moving at the front of our group, suddenly stopped, her hand raised in a warning sign.

The effect was immediate, as we all shifted from mostly vigilant, but relaxed, walking into a stance of readiness, prepared to react to whatever danger Adra might have detected. Normally, I would have let my frozen shuttles soar, though I had yet to replace them, not willing to simply create a new set from Hard Ice, as it would be a paltry imitation compared to the marvel I had created with the help of the Nexus in Neyto, all those months ago. Even if I was stronger now, the purity of the Astral Power I had available back then was not something I could replicate, even now. Instead, I drew my two blades, ready to either use them normally, or by wielding them with my Ice-Magic.

“There’s something over there.” Adra’s soft voice warned us, gesturing forward, slightly off the direction we had been traveling in. For a moment, I considered whether to let whatever she had detected be, but at the end of the day, curiosity won out, prompting me to quietly ask her to lead us. At the same time, I mentally reached out, channeling some power into the concealment-spell I had used so often during the last two weeks, to the point that I felt I would be able to cast it in my sleep. While the shadows cast by the various trees weren’t as deep as the darkness of the night, it was more than enough to allow me to hide us all, it might even resonate better with the concept of concealment, the shadows moving, indistinct and hazy, just what you needed to conceal yourself.

The six of us, Ylva still not quite comfortable within her Hallow, moved forward, quietly stalking towards whatever Adra had noticed, Sigmir moving up to the front and Rai moving back, joining Ylva in covering the rear. Olivia and I remained in the middle of our formation, protected and shielded between our companions, ready to support them with our magical abilities whenever necessary.

It didn’t take long for me to hear what Adra had noticed, the cracking sounds of wood, along grunting noises that might come from the exertion of a humanoid, though they might originate from something more animalistic. What assured me that there was something sapient involved in the commotion I was hearing, was the sharp, ringing sound of metal, something I had yet to see from a beast.

Knowing that we were about to meet with other people, I reflexively tightened the twilight-concealment I was trying to make second nature, hiding the disturbing effect of the ‘Mortal Hubris’-trait, possibly alongside a few of my other, more disturbing traits and titles.

Guided by Adra, we arrived next to a newly created clearing, where a rather massive boar was duking it out with a group of Adventurers, for that was what they had to be. Two large forms, similar in size and heft to Sigmir, had engaged the beast in melee, using shields and axe or spear respectively to keep the beast occupied, obviously more interested in inflicting small, annoying wounds than to score that critical, battle-ending blow. That was not to say that the countless, bleeding wounds they had cut into the beast wouldn’t take their toll, they just wouldn’t kill a boar the size of a car quickly.

Behind them, mostly hidden in the trees opposite of our own position, were two additional beings, one having the equine features of a centaur, the whistling sound of an arrow in flight telling of their choice of weapon, while a tell-tale, metallic-gray glow around a diminutive, though wide, form told of a dwarven spellcaster, possibly a supportive one as the glow was mirrored on the shields of their front-line.

For a moment, we all simply watched, not certain if we should involve ourselves in their battle. Any action taken might result in unforeseen circumstances, especially given that we were hidden in the shade by my concealment-magic, making it unlikely that we had been spotted.

Before a decision was made on our part, a medium-sized figure darted from the trees on the side of the clearing, roughly in the middle between the two concealed figures on their side and us, an almost comically large sword glinting in the shade, enveloped in the dull, metallic glow of magic, as another combatant charged into the fray.