The snow had been falling relentlessly since she had arrived at the drifter’s camp. Reiss sat in a small tent alone staring at the ground in contemplation as children peeked at her from in between the tent flaps.

She looked up suddenly and the children bolted with exaggerated screams and laughter. The sound of children faded away and the shallow silence set in again. She had been waiting for almost two hours to see the elder and she was getting very impatient.

She sat in silence but just as she was about to voice her complaints a young man peeked his head in and said “Miss Reiss? The elder will have you now.. If you would follow me.” Reiss gave a quiet sigh and replied “Your elder finally finished speaking with your gods? I hope she was pleased with what she learned.”

Shiv gave a strange look at the weirdly thin-clothed woman sitting inside the tent. She speaks our language very well.. He thought. “Although she is wise beyond any of us the elder does not possess such powers.” He told her with a stiff face.

-”So you say.. But I am somewhat familiar with the leadership of drifter caravans. The elder is the sole practitioner of shamanistic magic in a caravan or rather, magic of any kind. If someone other than the elder, and her apprentice of course, attains any proficiency in magic they will be exiled.” Reiss said with a hidden smile. If they let me wait for two hours the least I can do is stir their pot a bit in return.

Shiv stopped promptly almost causing Reiss to walk right into him from behind. He turned around and stared right at her with disbelief drawn all over his face. “You..I think I wou-” Reiss cut him off with a gesture and said: “Perhaps only five persons of your caravan knows the truth.. However there is never any problems with such individuals because they always perish during the ceremony. Strange isn’t it?”

Reiss felt her hidden smile starting to bloom fully but hid it with a sudden coughing fit. The confused look on the poor man left her with a warm feeling inside but she had to stop herself from saying any more on the subject if she wanted to achieve her real goal. Perhaps I can learn a thing or two.. The newborn immortal must be a drifter but the signal little Voss displayed earlier came from further away.. Maybe the subject is out hunting or.. Or maybe the one I seek is attempting the ceremony?

Switching the subject Reiss said “So how many are taking the ceremony this time?” Hearing the new subject Shiv’s face changed drastically again from confusion to worry. Reiss picked up the change quickly and continued:

“Oh someone close to you? Don’t worry she’s going to be fine. Unless of course something strange happened recently..” It was almost too easy to read his facial expressions as he confirmed everything to her and yet did not speak a single word.

Shiv snapped back from his worries and said “The elder is waiting.. It would not be proper to be late” He turned his back on Reiss again and started walking with hurried steps.

So a single participant, a girl is up in the mountains. This will be very interesting.. The ancient elders enchanted the ceremonial grounds with the help of their gods. The nature of the enchantment is what kills stray magic users among the drifters if they have not received the blessing from the elder marking them as an apprentice and future elder. It will be hard to squeeze anything out of the elder so I might as well be polite..

Reiss had just finished her scheming as they came to a stop in front of a large wagon.

They entered..

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Somewhere in the Travoski mountain rage..

It had become night again and only five days remained of the ceremony. She had to get the recognition of the gods and survive for a week. It seemed a bit easy with this power she had stumbled upon and worried that the gods may not accept her.

Many thoughts went through Vyla’s head as she thought how she would get rejected. Would she die? Or would the elder know as soon as she came back?.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a loud burp and she looked at Zorf sitting content up against a tree. His wounds had healed as soon as he had begun eating and her powers had kept her bleeding in check. After she had devoured the hostile pygmy she discovered a few strange things. She now knew how to speak their language and quite fluently at that as well as knowledge of the many tunnels that ran through the mountains. She had almost scared Zorf to death by answering one of his insults against her with her own.

Zorf had calmed down after promises of food and she had easily felled a prey. Now Zorf was eating happily and not seemingly bothered by her presence at all. Strange how a simple thing as food can bridge the gaps of distrust Vyla thought, although it hadn’t been easy..

She did not blame Zorf for his distrust for her, she had wanted to devour him. She had also listened to the description Zorf gave of her when she was wrought in shadow and smoke. I would be frightened of such a being as well..

She spent a lot of time theorizing what her powers were. Obviously she had gained something significant from that underground facility. This cube was that something but she did not understand it even a little. The only thing she knew was that it could take the form of different weapons and bandage her wounds.

It lived inside her and felt like a whole different being, a very dangerous being.. Well no use in worrying about stuff I can’t control, for now at least.

Zorf had fallen asleep but as tired as she was she couldn’t bring herself to sleep as well. A life time of survival training in the snowy woods had her always on edge but Zorf had been very clear, no dangerous animals exist in the middle of the valley. She hadn’t slept for almost two days now so her body quickly overcame her instincts and a deep sleep enveloped her.

She was lying down on the floor in a dark hallway with slick metallic walls that seemed to go on forever. The walls were deathly cold to the touch and a slight vibrant hum could be heard in the background. Vyla slowly stood up with one hand supporting her on the wall and peered down both paths.

She started walking and after what felt like hours a white door appeared ending the hallway. Behind it she saw a familiar sight of a large cube hovering with that slight hum accompanying it. She approached it eagerly at first but she stopped suddenly as she recalled Zorf’s fear of her.

She didn’t want to lose herself again but in the end her curiosity gave in and she walked up to it. Last time the cube had morphed one of its sides into stairs that allowed her access to the top but now it looked like a doorway was forming leading inside the cube.

Vyla took a quick glance backwards but saw only darkness before looking up to the newly formed doorway. She tried peeking inside but it was shrouded in complete darkness so there was only one way.

I can’t back out now.. Hopefully I’ll get some answers.. The cube was still a bit off the ground however and another set of stairs leading up to the doorway had not formed. Vyla thought for a bit and quickly realized what it wanted her to do.

She reached out with her arm towards it and concentrated heavily. A crude set of stairs started to form out from the entrance and finally connected with the floor right in front of her. I guess I’m not completely useless She thought as she started up the steps. The darkness around the doorway was impenetrable but it did not stop her from entering and it quickly gave way once she was inside.

Vyla had seen many strange things recently, strange and beautiful things, especially in the valley. But this, this had her utterly speechless. She had entered a vast unending dark room. No not a room but a whole new world with a myriad of dim tiny lights littering the night sky.

She had seen the cloudless sky above the valley she was in but this was different. The valley sky was devoid of anything, no sun during the day or stars during the night.

She stared in awe for minutes before noticing that two of the lights shined brighter than any of the others although one of them shined a lot brighter than the other. It looked like she could almost touch it as she reached out her arm and felt warmth when her hand clutched a white orb.

She had plucked it directly from the sky with the power only known to gods.. Vyla felt a wave of dizziness come over her as she realized what she had just done. But this was her, or at least the cube’s dream world so maybe it wasn’t that strange after all.

She put the bright star back and it rejoined its dimmer brothers and sisters and reached for the second but slightly less shiny star. She grasped it as well without resistance and she looked at it trying to figure out exactly what they were.

There was two of them, she could grab them but not any of the dimmer stars. She put the one she held to her head as familiar scenes suddenly flashed into her mind. She saw tunnels, she saw herself beating on Zorf.

She pulled the star away from her head and gasped for air as the flashing memories had left her slightly exhausted. This is the memories of the pygmy I.. I devoured.. The cube stores them in here? But what of the brightest star? I thought I had only.. Done it once?

Vyla broke out in cold sweat. Did I kill.. Or devour someone in my sleep? She fell to her knees and grasped her head in her hands but soon she realized. There’s no way, the caravan would’ve known if someone died during the night.

Shaking her head she stood up again and exchanged the pygmy’s memory star for the unknown one and mentally braced herself briefly before putting the stone against her head with a silent prayer.

Vyla found herself sitting in a quite comfortable chair in a very white room. A large desk was in front of her and on the other side sat a woman staring at her with tired eyes. She had blond hair up in a bun and wore a white coat, she looked to be in her forties.

The woman smiled gently at her, almost how a mother would smile towards her child.

“Hello Vyla, I’m glad we finally meet. My name is Doctor Varish and we have a lot to talk about.."

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

A story told among all drifter caravans..

It can be said that they were the first. They weren’t the only ones braving the roads and always on the move but they were the first who traveled the path together.

It was at a crossroads in the forest they met for the first time. The two wagons, one owned by a woman the other by a man. Neither of them remarkable nor powerful and the roads they traveled were fraught with peril so they were at an impasse. Every road ahead held danger and also reward but they did not dare brave them alone so they made a pact.

They would keep each other safe and always keep a fire against the terrors of the night. They also knew that it was by mans folly that the world had been cursed in eternal snow. So they held their traditions dear and would do no trade nor invite any man to their fire who held technology close to their heart. They knew the gods would punish them again if their quest for godhood would be rekindled like the man of old.

They traveled many miles over forgotten roads forging strong bonds during their travels. They preached the truth of the ancient man and their folly to any who would listen.

In time they came to the end of all roads and as they looked back on their lives they fell in live. With the grace of the gods the first baby to be born as wagonborn came into the world.

They knew that for all their travels this was their greatest accomplishment.

Out on the roads they went again finding that now they were changed. Wagons roamed the paths they had once traveled and they recognized most of them as those who had taken their words to their hearts.

Finding strength in each other they formed the first caravan with the people they knew and it was since then that people from all corners of the world could always count on that as long as there was roads there would be drifters.