“The Implacable Jade will bombard Cierra Village the day after tomorrow,” Veran Jake said casually as he walked alongside Yuriko, who blinked curiously down at the man.

“Why?” she asked.

“To help with your cover,” he answered. “His Highness anticipated that just crossing the border between our territories isn’t that difficult, but continuing within would be. So by bombarding the village, he hopes to prompt the civilians within to evacuate.”

“Oh.”

“Excuse me, but that’s a bit…er, dangerous for the civilians, no?” Braden asked.

He and his twin were walking just behind Yuriko, with their hoods up to keep the rain off their faces. Yuriko’s poncho hood was also over her head, though she lightly suffused the fabric with her condensed Anima to keep the cloth relatively dry. The ponchos served as rain cloaks, but the incessant rain would eventually seep through them.

Mud and puddles splashed on their boots, which were polished brown or black leather. Yuriko’s were black, and she also used her kinesis to keep the mud from sticking to it.

“Didn’t you say to the prince that the Cierra villagers defected?” Veran asked curiously.

Orrin said hesitantly. “Yes, but I imagine many were like us. Given little choice.”

“Well, you’re right. The Implacable Jade intends to strike at military buildings, so fewer worries there.” He shrugged. “I’m not the one to decide, but the prince and the Knight’s Council.”

“Are you worried about your family?” Yuriko asked softly even though she knew it was a rhetorical question.

The twins nodded and kept their silence.

Yuriko sighed and marched on. They crossed the Caradec half an hour ago and were just about to exit the eastern district. The rain had caused most of the parks and gardens to overrun, and the soil had spread across the roads. The street’s draining could barely keep up now, and most of the roads had flooded.

They reached the Rumiga Road and walked for another half hour before turning right to follow the Cierra road. Only for a longstride though. They turned back towards the mountain and followed a dirt road that serviced half a dozen farmsteads. It was here that Veran and his Chainbreakers left them.

“We’ll hunt down any stray Kadracki, don’t worry. You have a safe and quick trip now.”

The Chainbreakers peeled away from them and marched north. She thought she saw a few Kadracki while they were moving south, but they kept their distance. For now, they had to determine their plans. It was just past noon, and they had eaten ration bars on the go. The overcast skies meant that as long as they stayed away from hilltops and ridges, they shouldn’t be easy to spot. On the other hand, travelling at night was probably safer.

“Sheamus, what do you think?” she asked the older man.

He shrugged and whispered, “You’re the boss, you know.”

Yuriko rolled her eyes and the other two women. “Thoughts?”

Gwendith glanced around and said. “Better make quick time to get to the border. How are we crossing Barnabei Rill, by the way?”

The Rill was a tributary of the Caradec and actually served as the natural border between the Federation and western Rumiga. According to the maps, the nearest crossing point was roughly six leagues south of Faron’s Crossing, two south of Cierra. But the tributary splintered and curved towards the south closer to the Zarek.

Six leagues as the cranes fly would only take a couple of days walking, but if they had to stick to lowlands and avoid the hilltops, it would probably take half a day longer. Firstly, they needed to go closer to Zarek by five or so leagues to avoid the guarded border. There was a primaeval forest on the mountain range’s foothills and they needed to stay away from that or they’d be slowed unduly. Wildlands, woods, and marshes dotted the southern countryside, but the closer they got to Haveena, the more arid the environment would get.

They kept a steady pace for the rest of the day. The farmsteads near the dirt road were all abandoned and the fields were muddy puddles all throughout. The barns were empty and not a stray animal in sight.

“Caught and slaughtered by the invaders, I’d imagine,” Gwendith murmured.

“Oh, I remember an entry on loot and salvage,” Braden said slowly. “I was forced to do administration duty, you know.”

“Better than being forced to repair and re-etch the runescript devices,” Orrin muttered.

“At least you two weren’t in danger,” Heron laughed. “My squad had to fight the Ivalans most of last year.”

“Oh, what happened before you left?” Orrin asked curiously.

“Well, there were traitors and insurrectionists that sabotaged the undercity tunnels…”

Yuriko observed the three boys. Each of them had been affected by her Mien once, and ever since she broke those chains, they’d been quite mellow. She roughly remembered that Heron didn’t like either of the twins and often grated on each others’ nerves, but there was no sign of that now.

She and Gwendith chatted idly while they walked. Her cousin kept mostly silent, but her eyes continued to scan the surroundings, understandably worried about an ambush. Yuriko’s perception aura covered the entire group, and she kept her touch light to avoid the telltale glow. She saw Saki marching on their perimeter, though her attendant Shadow Guard often left their vicinity to scout ahead.

By the time the Radiant Sun was about to set, Saki led the group towards a camping spot. The fields and plains were mud, and there was no way they were going to pitch their tents there. Instead, they sought shelter within an abandoned farmstead, in an empty barn. Yuriko would rather not disturb their homes without reason.

Desire asked for her daily feedings then settled down to meditate and gather ambient Chaos to help keep her Well full since Yuriko couldn’t give much distilled Chaos to the other girl.

The water had already seeped into the barn and the floor was nothing more than mud mixed with hay. Thankfully, there were lofts that they could climb to. The roof leaked, there was a steady drizzle coming down, and the entire space reeked of animal manure. In fact…the sodden floor was probably half animal droppings and soil at this point. Which promptly made the whole lot of them change their minds.

The homestead was raised from the ground by several inches, at least, which saved it from getting flooded inside. Yuriko’s Animakinesis reached through the door to unlatch it but found that it was already unlocked. The door swung open with a push and they entered the antechamber which was an inch lower than the ground floor. There was a mud scraper leaning on the shoe closet, as well as an empty shoe rack. The stone floor was tracked with mud though, and the place looked ransacked. Thankfully, the smell of blood was absent so the house was already empty when the Federation scavengers got to it.

Not that they were any different, huh. Her boots were pristine owing to the protective layer of Anima she put on them. She didn’t rack her boots as the ground floor was already dirty, but she pointedly gave the mud scraper to Sheamus who had already stepped on the raised floor without cleaning. He arched an eyebrow and glanced at the muddy tracks, but sighed and did as she asked.

The rest of them cleaned their boots as well as they could while Yuriko went in and used her kinesis to gather the dried mud and tossed them out a window. The homestead was a two-storey affair and with her Animaperception, she found four bedrooms upstairs, a kitchen and dining room, as well as a large common area. There was minimal Animatech within, only lamps and a bit of air-cooling runescript weaving within the bedrooms. The temperature in western Rumiga never went below freezing even in the Season of Water, but it did get a bit low at night. She spied several woollen comforters in the closets, as well as spare clothing scattered on the bed. The pantry and store room were empty and the shelving doors left open. It looked like the looters had gone for food rather than any valuables, since the hidden wall safe she detected in the master bedroom was still concealed. She pushed her perception through the steel, somewhat curious about what she’d find inside. Mostly papers and a few bits of jewellery. Gold necklaces, and rings. The papers were probably the title deed to the farmstead. She left those alone after she satisfied her curiosity.

“The stove’s gone,” Heron grumbled as he came back out of the kitchen. “We’ll need to get wood for a fire.”

“The backyard is flooded, too,” Asami grumbled in turn.

“So make a space in the kitchen?” Gwendith pointed out.

“Why don’t you do it?” Asami glared. “I’ll grab firewood.”

“Fine.”

Heron’s eyes darted from one girl to the other, before he met Yuriko’s. She shrugged back. Gwendith did say that she and Asami weren’t particularly close. Instead, she motioned for Heron to come with her. The living room still had chairs and a sofa, though the latter’s cushions were gone.

“What is it?” he asked curiously.

“How’s your training going?”

“Hmmm, the new Strengthen Physique technique you gave me is wonderful.” He smiled shyly. “I think I’m stronger and have more stamina now than last year. By two or three times.”

“Oh, impressive,” Yuriko nodded. “Er, what about speed and flexibility?”

“Er…”

“...demonstrate.”

“Now?”

“When else?” Yuriko said imperiously.

“Right.” He coughed. “Uh, what do you want me to do?”

“Bend over backwards and slowly go into a handstand.”

So he did just that. A bit awkwardly but he managed.

“Hold yourself up with just one arm. Alright, good. Now with just your fingers. Now just two. Now one. Switch over. Bend your waist to the side. Doesn’t matter which, but do the opposite afterwards…”

By the time she was done testing Heron, Asami and Gwendith were observing with identical smiles on their faces. Yuriko was currently pressing down on Heron’s body with her Anima in order to test his level of strength. He was actually stronger than she was at that level, Journeyman, but wasn’t as fast or agile. Considering that the Body Forging method she gave him emphasised strength and resilience, in the short weeks he had to practice, he reached his peak. The only thing left was to initiate him with Chaos baptism.

“What are you waiting for, Yuri?” Gwendith asked curiously.

“I need to gather more distilled Chaos,” she admitted. “You can ease up on your intensity, Heron. Just maintain your current level of physique. I think I’ll need a few weeks to gather enough, or kill a few dozen nameless.”

“Alright,” Heron agreed while breathing heavily.

He mopped the sweat off his face and grinned. Yuriko rolled her eyes when her perception caught him flexing his chest muscles though she couldn’t help but notice his scars. They were quite prominent against his bronzed skin.

“Ahem,” Asami coughed, “let’s settle the watch schedule.”

“Do as you like,” Yuriko said absently as she looked towards the kitchen. Orrin and Braden were working on the damp firewood and were having little success. “Gwen, can you help the twins build the fire?”

“Sure.”

Gwendith walked up to them and extended a hand towards the soaked wood. She expanded her bluish-pink Anima across it, froze all the water inside, which coincidentally shattered the wood, leaving all three of them sputtering splinters off their faces.

“Foddering fool.” Gwendith cursed as she staggered back. “Sorry,” she muttered to Orrin and Braden, who both shrugged.

“At least it's easier to ignite now.” Braden laughed.

Gwendith extended her Anima over a different pile and instead of freezing the water, she drew it out. Her face was tight with concentration and strain, but she eventually succeeded. Afterwards, Orrin arranged the wood into the stove area. The actual device was gone as well as the runescript inlays, but that still left a depression on the stone. One of them popped out a pot, filled it with water and began making ration bar stew.

After dinner, when everyone was too keyed up to go to sleep, they gathered in the living room and told stories to pass the time. Gwendith squeezed up against Yuriko’s side while they sat on the floor leaning on the sofa. Braden told spoke about life under the Federation and mostly said that it wasn’t all that different, really.

“We’ve been to Haveena City several times before,” Orrin admitted, “when we followed Uncle Colin’s business trips. It's huge, bigger than Rumiga City by a third, at least. Rowdier too.”

“We were only eleven last time we went there,” Braden admitted, “but even then, the place had a certain mystique.”

“Were there any signs?” Yuriko asked.

“None,” both answered quickly. “Cierra’s invasion was as surprising as Ivala’s attack.”

When the hour grew late, they broke up and headed to their resting areas, with Sheamus and Heron taking the first watch. The menfolk would stay in the living room, while the girls went up to the master bedroom. Yuriko sank into meditation while the other three went to sleep. She needed to gather distilled Chaos, after all.

The next day they continued south, and the day after that, they arrived on the banks of Barnabei Rill.