“Man, due to his nature, is afraid of the cold and the dark. And so, to kindle his heart, he seeks warmth from others. As ever-so-fleeting and transient it may be, he seeks it, insatiably”.

[We have been on the road for almost three days.]

[We have taken 131,233 steps and counting.]

The sentient being said.

For the past few days it had been talking constantly, taking note of every single thing it encountered, ranging from an ant to objects like wheels. Almost like a newborn, it was as if everything was a foreign concept to it.

[131,244.]

Thanks to that, the 100 miles distance seemed like an eternity to Beowulf.

They had rested four times at the side of the road to recuperate, although the being insisted that it needed no rest. And to top it all off, he refused to carry Beowulf’s burlap bag and gauntlets, saying something about pack mules.

[131,287.]

And even if Beowulf wished to stop hearing its voice, he couldn’t. He had tried stuffing his ears, but of course it was of no use, since it was communicating directly to his consciousness.

[131, 299.]

“Can you please stop?” this was the 7th time Beowulf had asked it to stop counting.

[Why?]

“Because I would appreciate a moment of peace and clarity”, tiredness seeped from every fiber of his being.

[Noted.]

After leaving Morvest, he had taken the elevated path, his destination was the Stronghold of Entradel. The elevated paths were built during Mountaliya’s prime, the common men and traders had complained about travelling through the mist and sustaining high losses in the past. So, a solution was proposed.

Sometimes they seemed like a work of wonder, they were mapped out in such a way so that the mist didn’t reach them and they maintained high altitude. And if there was a slope in the path between two high points, a stone bridge-like structure connected them. Although, mountaliya was a naturally mountainous region, so low altitude was indeed rare to come upon if you were actively avoiding it.

It was almost noon, and a pleasant wind was blowing. Ruffling his hair and flowing past his ears, making a slight howling sound. The swaying of trees and small plants and shrubs alongside the road made for quite a serene sight to behold.

[I fail to understand why you have to travel to this place called Entradel, when there were other towns near Morvest.]

Not even one minute.

It couldn’t stay silent for even one minute.

Its question was certainly valid, if not for the fact that he had already tried to answer that question several times before, each time resulting in a failure. He had tried to explain how he was a wanted man in many places, and Entradel was not one them.

As he was injured due to the fiasco in Morvest, he needed a place where he could recover peacefully. And Entradel seemed to be the optimum choice for that.

[I have observed you, and I can conclude that you are, in fact, not evil. So, there is no basis for you being wanted by the authorities.]

Azlan tried to think of a way how he could explain that its opinions didn’t mean jackshit in human society, but that was a nigh impossible task. This whole shenanigan had started about 35 miles ago, when they saw a wooden post, which was for providing directions.

The snow leopard insisted on heading towards the nearest town, it wanted to observe human towns and culture; while Beowulf declared that it was either Entradel or they should part ways. The being reluctantly had to choose the former, as it had selfishly appointed Beowulf as its guide after all.

[Beowulf, are you paying atten- what is that?]

“Hm?” Beowulf followed the snow leopard’s line of sight.

He could barely make out a windmill in the distance.

Azlan let out a small, barely discernable sigh of relief.

They had reached the stronghold of Entradel.

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