Before Zey left for the Ascendency, she had a quick word with Ezra and Darnell. Despite not being part of the crew, they were important and less-than-predictable elements of the Human contingency. She felt it worth giving them specific instructions.

“Listen up. Anselm is in charge now, but I need you both to help her by being eyes and ears. If anything here seems strange at all, let her know. She’ll hopefully be able to reach both groups. Don’t do anything to jeopardise our position here - we’re in more than enough trouble as it is. And don’t fraternise with the rabble if you can help it. They’re still sizing us up, and an air of mystery might make us seem bigger than we are. Good luck.”

Shortly after the Captain and her group left, a pair of Lord Silbermine’s Glen-at-arms clanked up to the group destined for Mythadia. They informed the Humans that the noble’s cavalcade would be leaving for Keraknúr shortly. They were invited to ride with him as honoured guests under his protection. They’d be taking the most direct route back to the castle, through Sudenúr’s marshland.

Silbermine had earlier made a show of conceding his camp far up the slope. In exchange, organised opposition wasn’t arrayed against the main Mythadian camp creeping up the lower hillside from the swamp. This tent village followed the trough made by the Jotunheim’s rough arrival, and terminated not one hundred yards from the ridge that the ship rested on. Brightly coloured flags denoted particular services being offered by craftsglen and opportunistic merchants. Teams of young bucks worked rope pulley systems to pull shards of scrap metal from the earth around the trough. Spider drones supervised, blaring instructions in S’toric. One of the androids stood on the ridge cradling an assault rifle, looking down at the camp.

More recent arrivals stockpiled building materials at the edges of the camp that could be used for a variety of purposes. Building a border wall around the Jotunheim was one application. They could also be used to prepare infrastructure for a permanent settlement. A constant pung pung pung rung out as smiths began preparing all manner of fixings to begin construction.

The Glen-at-arms led the Human backpackers and lone mech through the tent village to an imposing tent which Silbermine had made his residence. It was pitched on a rare bit of flat land on the slope, and flew the House flag. Outside they could see two dozen armoured fighters being loaded with provisions, and in the middle Gesith Silbermine stood in full majestic armour.

The Glen all turned to watch as the Humans approached, especially Eva in her 8ft tall suit of armour. Then Silbermine brayed happily, clapping his hands together.

“Welcome, Humans, to our humble fellowship! The gods smile on our journey with fair weather and fine company. The path ahead is fair from civilisation, but nairy a night terror or bandit will trouble us with such mighty warriors arrayed against them. Now, are you prepared? Your leader mentioned you had lost something in the mire; my scouts have not reported back - we can search for it on the way?”

Eventually, the Mythadian party set off for a raised path that locals knew cut a relatively safe path through the marshes. Six knights accompanied Silbermine and the Humans, each with three Glen-at-arms under their command.

“Tell me.” Silbermine began the small talk after twenty minutes or so, addressing the group in general.

“How go repairs to your home?”

The cart had been loaded for hours. He was ready to "hit the road" as the hu-mans say, but large groups took forever to get ready. He sighs, munching on a fresh tuber. When he returned, he wanted to be more than prepared for the work at hand.

---

"Mystique, huh?" Jack paused, then returned to his cabin, only to step out moments later with his garment bag. Perhaps this would help bring that mystique the captain wanted. Or at least he'd have something to be buried in.

"Okay people," he said, his voice raspy in the mask. "You should have ten days worth of rations, two quarts of water, decon tablets for your canteens, your supplement tablets, your translators, and your essential gear. We'll be trying to acclimatize as we go to the local conditions, eating the local food, and learning as much as possible while keeping from telling our escorts too much."

He smiled thinly.

"Some of you disagree with this, but keep in mind if they try something before they're ready, it could be a disaster for them. And we don't want to thrust that on them, do we?"

"So, if you feel light-headed or a pain in your chest, don't try to tough it out."

Itxaro could barely focus on Kolvar's words as they spilled out of her translator. Her dark eyes were locked on his nimble hands as they worked at a near-imperceptible speed. He seemed as either-handed as a spider and similarly dexterous. The alien's hands gesticulated and twisted in strange ways and she felt a warmth growing in her leg, not unpleasant. Itxaro watched as the red-streaked flesh knitted itself back together under Kolvar's touch. He began chanting in a tongue yet unfamiliar to her even in this alien world, and the translation device read back an error screen. When all was finished, Itxaro couldn't even tell which leg had been shot.

She laughed in disbelief. "I think you're gonna put our medics out of business, Kolvar. Thanks. Wish you were tagging along with us."

The alien was curious just why she'd been attacked in the first place. "I am curious about the reason why you were wounded by your own crewmember."

"Yeah, I'm curious about that too, Kolvar. It wasn't one of ours who did it, though. I don't think so, anyways. Human politics are a little complex," She replied as she stood up, testing her leg as if it were a new and alien part of her body. It felt fine. Better than fine. Better than she ever remembered. She wondered if she could get a full spa treatment from these mages, a sort of rejuvenating treatment.

Kolvar continued. "If I may speak freely, I am worried that each faction is using you against each other. And once they are finished dealing with the other faction, they will try to enslave you. I know your captain wants to resolve this situation peacefully, but I would be cautious of Kareet and Silbermine. There is no telling what their true intentions are.”

Itxaro appreciated the alien's candor. "Thanks, Kolvar, but I think that's something my crew has considered one hundred times over by now. They're a paranoid lot. We're just gonna have to take it one day at a time, I think." There was growing suspicion among all parties, it seemed, and Itxaro was already weary of it. She was glad to get away from at least some of the humans and try to diffuse whatever conflict was growing.

With a wave, she said her goodbyes to Kolvar, hefted up her pack, and headed to join the rest of her party. She took one last look of the Jotunheim. An ugly thing in her eyes, a foreign scab on the landscape, and she was happy to be leaving it.

---

Itxaro spent the next several minutes frantically running around Silbermine's camp like some mad tourist. She watched smiths work metal with foreign tools into alien shapes. She studied tailors as they transmuted crude fabrics and leather into fine clothing and boots suitable for a human form. Glenn knights in full plate tested their mettle against one another as they clashed in a makeshift arena. Itxaro had been to many renaissance fairs back on Earth, a guilty pleasure for her, but this was like nothing she'd ever seen. It was all real.

One Glenn, large even for their race, called out to her from their small tent. "Human! Come, come, try my food. You'll grow as strong as our host Lord Silbermine on this stew." The Glenn wore simple and stained clothes and bore no antlers atop their large head, so Itxaro assumed this was in fact a female Glenn. She couldn't resist, of course, and was drawn to the Glenn's tent by both her call and the powerful and unknown aromas sent forth by her cooking.

"You don't do to-go orders, do you?"

"Tew-go?"

"Nothing. Can I take that in a flask or something?"

The Glenn smiled, showing their large forager teeth, each row like a line of little tombstones. "I was told you humans are strange. But it can be done." She doled out a massive portion of stew into a dried and painted plant of some kind with a stopper affixed to the top, not unlike a gourd bottle. More than Itxaro could ever hope to eat in a single day. Not that she wouldn't try.

"Thank you. What's this called?" Itxaro asked as she slung the bag over her shoulder like a bandolier. It was surprisingly heavy.

The Glenn responded in kind, but not to Itxaro's satisfaction; the translator failed her, as she should have expected. Itxaro asked what was in the dish, but was met with similar disappointment. She thanked the Glenn profusely before realizing she was meant to be leaving with Silbermine and scrambled off.

---

Itxaro just caught the tail-end of their host's speech before they departed. She didn't find it difficult to keep pace with the Glenn, especially now that her leg was mended. She fell in line next to Mallory and Shirik. Itxaro felt light despite the gloomy marsh; even in this swamp she found beauty, admiring the wild and alien plants that grew from the murky puddles, tufted stalks which bore large and luminous bulbs at their ends. She barely paid any attention to the party's banter until Silbermine's voice cut through.

"They go well, Lord Silbermine, thank you," Itxaro said, slipping into the antiquated speech she often used when addressing him. For fun, mostly, as if she were acting the part of a medieval knight in some play. Anyone fluent in English would detect the mirth in her voice that the translator flattened. "The resource in greatest demand for us now is time. Given enough, we should be able to mend our home."

She switched off her translator and looked to Mallory.

"So, what's the plan? We shouldn't let this cocksucker know what we actually need yet, right? Keep it vague?"

@Quest Abandoner @Cath

Kolvar Stilmyst

Arancini Barberio

Kolvar’s head turned to face Itxaro with an inquisitive look on his face if it could even be read by the human. Again the thought of how her crewmember shot her briefly flashed in his mind. “Thank you, although I do not think I am as skilled as your doctors.” He nodded his head while finishing tightening some flesh together. He finished by saying a prayer in his native language, this prayer not being so long and dramatic. “I wonder if someone had tried to murder you and use the crash of your ship to cover it up?” A statement that was a possibility for Ixtaro to think about.

“Well, then I assume you humans have spoken about being cautious of both parties. But i was not helping with instilling paranoia in your group, and for that, I apologize.” He bowed his head toward her in a polite manner. Waving goodbye to the woman before walking away. He didn’t really pack like the rest of them. The only thing he brought was his robes and his rapier, which was still strapped behind his back. Last night he had made the decision to travel with the group going to the Acendency. He soon joined the others but made sure not to be seen by Kareet and Silbermine. His many eyes scanned the room of the others talking to each other. He was hesitant to speak to any of the other natives.

He opened his mouth as if to say something to a passing human but nothing came out. He felt stupid standing in the middle of the field not interacting with anyone. But he didn’t want to bring attention to himself. Kolvar decided to pretend to look busy by studying some nearby flowers. If asked he would say if was checking to see if he could make medicine from it. Finally, he went with the Ascendency party Once again making him look busy. He stared at the sky watching the clouds slowly floating by.

Arancini had just arrived from packing his things and being prepared to leave. He was both nervous and excited to explore this new world. However, all of the plotting between the two factions made him worried for the crew’s safety. He didn’t want to bother Kolvar who seemed busy studying flowers. The gangly-looking man went with the Mythadian group because he assumed he would find materials to find the ship.

Despite being a much shorter distance overall, almost half of the time they were going to be spending on this journey was in the mountains on the way to Ertiseda. It was difficult terrain on land, and once they got to the river, their pace would improve exponentially. Still, Kareets estimates of how much time they would require did end up being inaccurate. Based on their size, weight, and body structure, Kareet did not expect that they would be particularly adept at mountaineering. Certainly, they could not keep up with a Tekeri’s pace, but what she had not planned on was exactly how much endurance they seemed to have. Even those who did not have too much physical conditioning were able to keep marching on for much longer than Kareet would have thought. They were able to get by with fewer breaks than they had planned on.

---

Upon reaching Ertiseda, Kareet and J’eon would find it seemingly a much different place from when they had last seen it. The small, peaceful village was now host to a sizable force of soldiers from Lenkik. Their camp was outside the bounds of the village, but the number of tents they had collected there was almost enough to match the size of the village itself. In any case, none of them would be staying in the village for long. In fact, they made a point to take a wide path around the village. The arrival of the Humans would be announced in time, but until then, Kvarr had requested that they try to avoid letting rumors spread unabated.

The barge the group was guided to was one of the many that had been used to ferry the soldiers from Lenkik. It was a simple vessel that emphasized having ample space for cargo and passengers. It was largely wooden with some metal reinforcements.There was a canvas canopy that could be raised over it in case of inclement weather, but otherwise it was open to the elements. It had more than enough space for all of its passengers and all of the supplies they would need, but it was hard to say that it was going to be “comfortable” for any of them to spend the next few days confined to a riverboat. Hopefully, no one on board was uncomfortable with crowded spaces.

The barge had plenty of oars and seats along the sides for rowing, but those were meant as a backup to the primary means of propulsion. At the stern was a sizable paddlewheel powered by a mechanism operated by a pair of Lightning mages. There were a set of gears that translated motion from a single, large spiral spring at its center, connected to a large gear. A Lightning mage could easily apply tension to the spring, which would steadily release its energy into the mechanism.

"Doctor," Jack said, eyeing Shirik with a sickly smile after hearing the most dangerous being they'd met so far speaking English. "Right now, we don't actually know what we need, just what we want."

"Just as our host wants our ship," he adds, waving at Silbermine, "And our participation in this ranking contest. But neither of us knows what he actually needs. Neither, I wager, does he."

"So our mission is to observe and to learn more about the people here, while limiting what they learn about us." The X.O. sighs, deflating. "Which unfortunate is not going to happen, because everyone here wants to show off for the locals."

Jack pauses to scratch the side of his head. "Really, our only hope is we spot something before they do. And that's where you come in, Doctor Ibarra. You see, they know we need those of their people who can generate electricity. That actually gives them a measure of control over us, since they control the sources of that ability. But if you can spot an alternate way that isn't so obvious to them, some of that control passes back to us."

"Now, let us see what our friend Shirik has for us?"

“I am glad to hear you make good progress. I have instructed my craftsglen to assist in whatever way you deem appropriate. They tell me they are not currently able to make the same materials as you, but they are quick learners. With time, they will make fine understudies for you.”

Silbermine had given the flaming tree a wide berth since it had been clear he was disliked. When it addressed him, his ears flapped as if to deter a flying insect.

“Hunters from Sudenúr have foraged in those hills for millennia. They know every crag and ravine of that place, and gladly part with that information in exchange for the favour of their Lord. I imagine you must have seen many things on your travels. Does anything compare to our current predicament?” He looked back at the hill range and the mountains behind, then at Shirik.

The Mythadian group followed the beaten path as it skirted around a wiry purple tree and into the marshes. There were no hills in front for as far as the eye could see. Just one winding path through a misty field pocked with trees. The grass squelched under foot, and bugs chirped in the brackish ponds on either side. After a while, one of the knights began a slow and rhythmic chant. The Human translators struggled with the lyrics, as some of the phrases sounded very different from S’toric, like it was an entirely different language. The notes reverberated around the lungs of the massive Glen. Before long, the other knights and Glen-at-Arms joined in, harmonising with the stomp of Eva’s mech footsteps.

“I am curious to learn how you might approach a trial such as the Running.” Silbermine asked, ambling slowly among the smaller creatures.

“It is truly an enchanting event - a chance to prove your mettle and heap glory upon your name. Many groups participate, with some harbouring grudges going back generations. Any Monastic Order you ask for patronage has the right to enlist you on a quest. Is that something Humans are accustomed to?”

A few dozen feet from where the group trudged, two sanguine red eyes studied them. Inches above a pool of foetid water, studded into an obsidian head which could easily have passed for a rock. It watched them pass by, then sunk below the waterline. Tiny ripples followed alongside the travellers.

---

Zey stayed alert the entire time they trekked through the hills with the Tekeri.All manner of strange wildlife inhabited the area, and some watched inquisitively as they tackled the terrain. Zey took her mask off when it became particularly taxing, and the highly oxygenated air quickly restored her.

The high vantage points offered stunning views over plains and marshlands off to the right, and a dense forest basin surrounded by imposing mountains off to their left.

“We need to get a signal repeater up on that mountain at some point - that should fix any black spots. Anyone want to share that they’re actually a winter olympics gold medalist?” Zey joked to the group, using a handheld laser to mark the summit of the mountain they appeared to be skirting. It’d be a long and challenging climb, but if they were going to be stuck here for a while it’d be worthwhile.
Zey made it clear to her crew that there would always be one of them awake during this journey. They camped three times on land, and she took first watch each time. She spent this downtime planning their next moves, endlessly checking her gear and occasionally talking to some of the natives who appeared to be much more active in the night.

Eventually they made their way around the foothills and a view of a mediaeval village opened out before them. Nestled along a bend in the river, a sea of tents surrounded a cluster of quaint wooden dwellings. Zey marked this village on their map with her laser pen and hoped they were still within range of their lone comms mast. She took a quick video of it on her wrist pad as well.

The Captain looked disapprovingly at the boat once it became clear they would be sailing for the second leg of their journey. “Let's sweep the ship, make sure there aren’t any surprises.” She said privately to her crew. Zey then addressed Kareet.

“Are you sure these waterways are safe?”

---

There was something of an exaggeration in what Nellara said. Or at least, it was only true from a certain point of view. The Ascendancy’s cities, and the passages connecting them, were indeed well-patrolled and safe. For the most part, the Ascendancy relied on the rivers for transport, and so there were frequent patrols to keep them secure. Beyond that, farther from civilization, the Ascendancy, much like the rest of Kanth-Aremek, was still a dangerous place. Though, it could be said that all of the parts of the Ascendancy that really mattered were safe, and for the purposes of their current journey, that distinction was irrelevant.

Kareet tilted her head towards Zey, nodding in agreement with Nellara. “The rivers are the lifeblood of the Ascendancy. It is certainly in our interest to keep them patrolled.”

Kareet found a corner to tuck her pack into, then found a place to sit. Naturally, for the Humans, it all seemed built for creatures larger than themselves, though that was far better than the reverse in this case. It would still be crowded, but they would have some space to move about on the barge during the trip. Still, for Kareet, the thought occurred to her that she would have plenty of time for more interviews, if she was so inclined. It was not as if the Humans could go anywhere else.

“Do your people still make use of boats and rivers, or have flying craft like your Jotunheim replaced all of those?” Kareet asked.

The mountain trek had been rough on Vigdis, the entire party having to adjust to her reduced pace, sometimes after less than an hour in that terrain. At one point she seriously contemplated asking J’eon for a ride, but daring herself to not insult one of their local guides, she gulped down a handful of the painkillers doc Feng had given her like they were red skittles and soldiered on.

Once they got on the boat, comfort ceased to be an issue for Vigdis. She didn’t have to walk, what more could she want? She’d lived in student AND military housing, in a pinch she’d fall asleep leaning against a running cement mixer and not even complain. Even sharing a confined space with someone with feathers wasn’t new to her, one of her roommates at university had been a furry. On top of that, the boat provided another distraction, Vigdis spending upwards of an hour on their first day on the barge watching the mages work the mechanism, examining it as closely as she dared approach and taking meticulous notes, muttering something about “transmission shifted under load”, “lamellar clutch”, “synchronizer gears” and “propeller” from time to time. The thought of the boat being essentially a giant child’s toy given what it was powered by was a little funny, but if it works, it’s not stupid.

”Aircraft are used when you need to move something fast. Ships and boats are more fuel efficient, cheaper to maintain, can carry bigger loads and their crews are more easily trained, so they still see frequent use on Earth. Mostly on big lakes and oceans though, river use is limited by dams in a lot of places.” Vigdis answered Kareet’s question, ”But Earth is the only planet we’ve colonized that has a lot of water on it. My home Venus, even the cities fly out of necessity, Mars’ hydrosphere is still in its infancy so overland trains made of self-propelled carriages are the name of the game and as far as I know no other colonized world is even capable of having liquid water on the surface.”

Then she realized Kareet only mentioned rivers. ”How much of K-A have you explored?” Have they already had their own Leif Eriksson, Columbus and Maghellan or not?

---

Some might have had a hard time accepting that simple water craft could possibly remain relevant when flying craft were available, but Kareet actually seemed to understand the explanation Vigdis gave. It was a matter of economics. What caught her interest in the answer was the fact that Vigdis mentioned traversing oceans with their ships. If anything, she would have expected that would be what flying craft were mostly used for.

“You remember the map I showed you before, yes?” Kareet questioned. “That is the land about which we know the most. There is more to the continent, to the north and east, but it lies on the other side of harsh and nearly impassable mountains and deserts, and the oversea route to bypass them crosses too much deep water to pass safely. It has been passed before, of course, by some explorers, and mapped to an extent. It is just too difficult to reach for there to be much of a connection between here and that part of the world.”

Kareet grabbed her notebook and made a few notes on what Vigdis had said while she continued. “As for what is beyond this continent, we know there is something. Islands, at least, from the tales of lost sailors that managed to make their way back home. Some tales speak of whole other continents, but it is hard to say for sure what lies beyond the deep seas. If only we had the sorts of ships you must have to sail the oceans, as you say. How have you managed to protect them from the creatures of the deep?”

Right, sea monsters. She didn’t take those into account when asking the question. ”Monsters of the deep? Oh, that’s easy: We don’t have any. Well, some are still left, but those stay in the depths. Either they live so deep down they can’t function near the surface or they learned that bothering us isn’t worth the trouble it brings. Humans have this tendency for disproportionate retribution: Countless times in our history, when one type of animal killed too many people or livestock for our liking, we nearly or completely eradicated that animal from that part of the world.“ And then had to airdrop Wolves into Yellowstone in early 21st century, once people realized they were important for keeping other animals in check. ”Many of the large sea creatures have died out on their own thousands of years ago due to there being not enough food for them, others died due to water pollution.” Vigdis counted on her fingers. Blue Whales were hardly monsters, if anything they had been known to protect other creatures and even humans from sharks and killer whales, if documentaries and Vigdis’ grade six biology teacher were to be believed, but the Orcas definitely counted. ”Plus we started building our waterborne ships from steel… 450 years ago? That would’ve helped too.”

”Hey, Captain, have you heard? There’s a fortune to be made shuttling explorers and settlers beyond mountains and oceans once we get the Jo airworthy again.” Now, Vigdis was clearly joking, even the locals would’ve recognized laughter by now, but in a pinch…

”So you never had someone who one day decided ‘I’m just going to sail West and see where I end up.’? We had people like that even back when we believed in sea monsters, magic and gods. A quarter of Earth’s landmass was discovered due to navigation errors. Everyone had been sailing to India due East, until one day one man decided he would find a Westward path. Found a new continent because it was in the way.” Bit of a simplification, but it got the point across. ”And how does magic factor into it? No life mage ever tried changing into a creature that would tolerate the harsh conditions during the overland crossing?”

---

There seemed to be a few moments, after Vigdis mentioned it, where Kareet was genuinely considering whether or not steel ships would actually solve the problems they faced. Regardless, the very fact that Vigdis was asking the questions she was implied a world quite different from Kanth-Aremek. A planet all to themselves without creatures that could truly challenge them: it seemed like it would make for an easier existence, but she wondered if the lack of challenges would end up holding them back. Or perhaps, in absence of other substantial threats, the Humans had become that threat for one another, like the S’tor.

“As I mentioned, the other side of the continent has been explored, and mapped to an extent, but those are individuals or relatively small teams. Establishing a connection to that land, at scale, is impractical. Just as many expeditions have failed to return as have succeeded. If not more.” Kareet explained. Some of Vigdis’ word choice had caught her attention. She said that Humans had once “believed in” sea monsters, and even magic. Did she believe that the creatures Kareet described were merely myth? Obviously, she did not believe magic to be a myth, considering she had seen in performed right in front of her.

“I can say for sure that people have sailed into the deep seas before, intentionally or unintentionally, but very few return. Most large vessels fall prey to leviathans.” The word, as she spoke it, had a direct translation from S’toric, as it seemed, but the way she spoke appeared to be about a specific type of creature. “They are fiercely territorial creatures, and they seem to act as if ships are their prey or, more likely, competition. I have wondered before what might be beyond the seas. Experiments have calculated how large our world must be. It is hard to imagine that there is only a vast expanse of ocean out there. Perhaps we will find a way to explore it one day. Perhaps you will help us?” She suggested. “One of my colleagues theorized that we might use Thought magic to repel leviathans from an expedition. It is a difficult theory to test, though, considering it requires both getting approval for the assistance of a Thought mage, and finding a leviathan to test it on. And if it fails, they die.”

"You say that," Jack says with a shrug, "But how could any of us possibly surpass the Glen? Especially in running! You've quite the advantage in that department."

He couldn't remember seeing any former Olympic runners in the crew manifest, or among the people they'd dragged along with them.

"And I'm not so sure I would be comfortable partnering with a monastic order. What they might ask for in return may not be mine to give," he added. "You see, I follow a difficult path we call the Prime Directive, which forbids us from interfering in the development of other cultures. At least not without learning everything we can about them, first. And our wise ones caution against interfering with a planet's social development."

"It's similar to an oath our doctors take, which is to do no harm," he added. "First, we must learn more about this custom before we could hope to participate, so as to not do any harm to your reputation."

He hoped that Silbermine would accept that, for now.

He only smiled when Shirik gave his warning. Had his people found an alien ship had scattered bits of itself across the world, they wouldn't necessarily tell them about it all at once.

“Thank you, Nellara…Again, for your hospitality.” Zey replied. Mulling over what the Castigator and Kareet had said. Was she picking up a note of discordance between the two Tekeri’s idea of safety?

“Nellara, that camp we passed before. How many more like that does the Ascendency command?”

She turned and smiled at Vigdis’ joke, a light breeze tugging at articles clipped to her backpack as she leant against the gunwale. Her mask hung around her neck.

“We could make a fortune! Will just need to find a way to lash fifty Tekeri to the roof. Kareet, do you like heights?”

Silbermine shook his great antlered head in distaste. If having this flaming Iriad as part of his retinue wasn’t such a resplendent prize, he’d have hewn it in two himself already. Alas, every potential King of Mythadia must know humility during the Running.

“You jest, traveller, but the turmoil of recent years is not to be taken lightly. Real things fall from the sky, and rifts open in the earth. Demons crawl up from the deep to terrorise innocent townsfolk more with every passing moon. Before I found you, I was travelling to meet with the Mendicant Seers at Falag Núr. They believe these recent terrors actually came with the advent magics. What they don’t know is why it is only now they are becoming so…active?”

For a moment, Silbermine’s features were animated and curious. He wasn’t a grizzled veteran at that moment, but a curious young buck who spent time with scholars in the drafty halls of Kerak Núr while his father slowly went insane.

Silbermine looked to Mallory and laughed heartily, smacking the Human encouragingly on the back.

“We play to our strengths - if any running is involved in the games, I will supply fast, fresh beasts of burden. Like those that the Warden and other S’tor rode in on perhaps? I think you will fit inside or on its back. You seem light, with good grip, no? I’m interested to hear more about what sorts of attributes you might possess, so I can build a team around you.”

---

As they ventured further into the wide, flat marshlands of Sudenúr, the drastically different fauna of Kanth-Amerek became apparent. Flying insects the size of sheep with deafeningly loud wings buzzed from pool to pool. Their long proboscis probed the water to suck up eggs stuck to the reeds. Things that looked halfway between a duck and a monitor lizard raced around on two legs after spiders the size of manhole covers. Far off in the distance towards the shoreline of Lake Núr some kind of long necked, long tailed dinosaur which looked several stories tall.

Some of the animals took an interest in the Glen and Humans, who must have looked strange to them in their armour and clothing. Silbermine’s Glen shooed them away with sticks by day and ringed their camps with flaming torches by night. The blackness was a cacophony of unfamiliar calls.

Progress was slow. Silbermine insisted on making large detours to recover and mark boxes of equipment that came up on the Humans’ scanners. He was interested to see what else had previously been inside the Humans’ ship.

At dusk on the fourth day of travel they made it to the northern bridge between Sudenúr and Mythadia. At least, what was left of it. The weathered stone arch had collapsed into the river, leaving a thin ridge of uneven grey stones poking out of the water. The river itself had burst its banks in the floods just before the Jotunheim landed. While it had receded greatly in the past few days, it was still high and flowed quickly around the ruined bridge. The marsh crowded in on either side of the thin path the group walked on their approach to the bridge. Light rain pattered into the pools of brown water.

“Hmm. There should be work to repair this.” Silbermine growled, staring across to the far bank.

“Where is everyone…”

“My lord.” One of Silbermine’s knights spoke up.

“It is strange that the marshes are quiet for the first time since we arrived. Don’t you think? Listen.”

The annoying buzzing and rustle in the undergrowth was utterly absent. There were no flying beasts in the sky.

“Hmmm.” Silbermine grumbled, rain running down his face.

“Perhaps we should set up camp, and depart at first light, when visibility is better.” Another knight offered.

“We’ll be much safer on the other side…What say you?” He turned to look at his travelling companions.

Kareet tilted her head as she looked over at Zey. “Like…heights?” She questioned. She had heard the laughs from the Humans, and by this point and could guess that there had been a joke, even if she did not understand it. “Sorry, I don’t think the question, or…expression translated well.”

---

Now that they were on the river, there were only a few days ahead of them on their journey. It would not take long after leaving Ertiseda for Kareet’s comments about the river to be seen in practice, as it was a busy waterway, all things considered. This river in particular connected the Ascendency to Lake Núr, which could connect to over half of the nations on the continent. It was the less popular of the two rivers which connected to the Lake, but it did provide a shorter path to Kerak Núr and most of the major cities in Avko. Riverboats carrying goods, or soldiers on patrol, were a common sight, though it did not truly start feeling crowded until they reached Lenkik. The city sat at the convergence of two rivers, and three major trade routes. Not to mention, commoners of Lenkik who made their living on the water added to the traffic on the river. Especially considering the small fishing boats, there could have been hundreds of boats on the water at once. No doubt, the Humans in plain view on their boat caught the eyes of many as they passed by, but it still felt like they were almost lost in the crowd as they moved past the city. The last leg of their journey, between Lenkik and Arcaeda, was on an even busier stretch of the river than the first. While not so densely packed as the area immediately surrounding Lenkik, it was rare for there not to be another vessel in view.

---

Kareet sat back on one of the seats near the rear of the barge, looking up at the bright blue sky above. It was close to midday, when she would normally be fast asleep. The Humans seemed to prefer to be active during the day, so ever since making contact with them, she had adjusted her schedule to match. Tekeri in some professions and places had adapted to sleeping almost entirely at night, but she still felt strange being surrounded constantly by such bright light. It was unnatural, and a bit unsettling. Nellara and her soldiers did not seem to be as visibly bothered as Kareet had been. They were professionals who were accustomed to rough conditions, she supposed. Granted, she was no stranger to such conditions, but she also tended to have control over her own schedule.

After a while, Kareet was snapped out of her thoughts when she noticed some of the soldiers were starting to become uncomfortable for entirely different reasons. It took a while for her to figure out what was unsettling them, as no matter where she looked, she could see nothing that stood out around them. Eventually, she realized it was the “nothing” that was the problem. There was not another boat in sight, and for this stretch of river, that was rare. Not impossible, of course, especially for just a short time, but she had not been paying attention to how long this had been going on. Not to mention it was…quiet. The usual constant chirping of birds from the forests around the river during the day was conspicuously absent. For that, she had no explanation.