Explorer of Edregon

By this point, their motley gang had perfected their system for traveling from one fragment to the next. Due to the fact that a person had to travel anywhere between six to twelve miles to cross the length of a fragment, depending on where they ran through it, the only one in their group capable of running that in any reasonable time was Vin.

Everyone else had found alternative solutions.

Where Vin relied on his high endurance and his Distance Runner passive, Shia's method was far more mystical. Her magic staff that consisted of two small trees growing intertwined with one another was capable of morphing into a strange wooden panther-like creature made of branches that seemed to be able to run without end. Shia sat atop it as it bounded forward, somehow entirely at ease despite the complete lack of saddle.

For whatever reason, despite the fact that she could simply float along beside them, Alka preferred to pretend to run next to him as they traveled. Her footsteps were entirely silent as she technically wasn't actually touching the ground, but that didn't stop her from swinging her arms and looking every bit like a regular runner. Other than the fact that her glowing green body was completely see through of course.

Reginald was lightning fast in short bursts, but couldn't keep up with Vin's endurance for more than a few minutes, so he was nestled comfortably in Vin's shirt pocket. One of the nice things about Project Ark's grey fatigues was that there was no end to the number of pockets the military had decided to slap onto them, so the rat had his pick of the litter if he ever wanted to change things up.

And with his ride out of commission, Scule was content to simply ride on Vin's shoulder as he ran, trusting in his high dexterity no doubt to keep him from toppling off with every bump.

Despite the fact that their group was traveling at a pace that would have impressed any professional marathon runner back on Earth, Vin was the only person actually expending any effort as they ran, which meant the group was able to chat freely amongst themselves as if they were all just sitting around.

Even when Vin really, really wished they couldn't.

"...anyway yeah, that pretty much wraps up the time I had to give Reginald the talk about the birds and the bees. Not something anyone warns you about before picking the Animal Companion passive," Scule said, kicking his feet as he lounged on Vin's shoulder. "Reginald's tried to get the family together on more than one occasion, but while smart, regular rats aren't that smart, you know what I mean?"

"Still, I had no idea Reginald was a great-grandparent," Shia said, looking impressed. "Next time we break into the citadel, we'll have to say hello and leave them a gift or something."

"We barely got out of the citadel with our lives the last time we were there," Vin argued, remembering the explosion that had nearly wiped them all out. "You really want to go back already?"

"It's not like we can blow the holy district up a second time," Shia shrugged, petting Blossom as the cat ran. "Besides, I haven't officially given you the news yet. I finally prestiged!"

"That's awesome! Congrats!" Vin grinned, happy to hear his friends were getting stronger as well. "What's your new class?"

"Wild Druid. It's not actually the same prestige class I received the last time I hit level 20, which I imagine is due to the fact that I actually left the Sacred Forest this time around." Vin noticed that while Shia sounded excited, she looked a bit sad about the news, as though she still wasn't sure how she felt about her new class.

"Well don't leave us hanging," Alka said, picking up her fake-running pace and moving over next to the Druid. "What's your new passive?"

"The Forest Within. I've explained how my mana has a nature and life affinity before, right? Well, this means that not only are my spells just a little bit more effective in general, they also won't be as heavily impacted if I need to cast them in environments that would normally stifle my magic, such as areas tainted heavily with death mana, or a literal desert."

"Damn, lucky giants," Scule grumbled, glaring at her. "Wish my level 20 passive was an effect that was always on."

"Guess you'll just have to wait until level 40 and hope for the best," Shia said, shooting him a pointed grin. Vin tried not to chuckle as he sensed Scule's full body shiver at the rows of pointed teeth directed his way. It had taken him a while to get used to the elf's smile, so he didn't blame the petian for being unnerved.

It probably didn't help that Shia could technically eat Scule in a single bite if she really wanted.

"Anyway, like I said before, I actually have a couple more spells in my arsenal that my master helped me learn back before the Great Reset," Shia continued. "I finally got my focus high enough to handle the runic formation of my Whispering Wind spell. Uses very little mana, but the runic formation is a pain and a half to keep stable."

"Ah… I'm guessing that's the spell that you surprised me with back there?" Vin said, putting two and two together.

"Yep," Shia grinned. "I can pick a target or an area and hear what's being spoken there, as well as throw my own voice wherever I please. Super helpful for hunting parties or relaying orders when trying to be stealthy."

"I can imagine!" A sudden thought struck him, and Vin gave his magic mentor what he hoped were big, pleading eyes. "You know, that spell sounds like it's affiliated with wind rather than life or nature. I don't suppose…"

"Yes, I can teach you the spell," Shia said, rolling her eyes. "Assuming your own attributes are high enough to learn it of course, you're right that it won't tip your personal mana into having an affinity."

Woohoo! Vin mentally cheered, trying to keep the excitement off his face. "Thanks Shia, I'm looking forward to it!"

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The four of them continued chatting amongst themselves as they ran, and it wasn't long before they hit the border dividing the two fragments. Thankfully there weren't any giant scorpions waiting for them and seeking revenge for their fallen brethren, and they crossed over into the stony fragment without issue. As the dry, warm air settled upon them like a thin blanket, Scule frowned.

"Bleh… Can't say I'm a fan of this fragment. A bit too hot if you ask me."

"Just be happy you didn't have to trek across a literal desert," Shia said, shuddering at the memory. Not only had they suffered through the blazing heat, she'd nearly been eaten alive by a giant frog monster after all.

Vin passed around his enchanted waterskin, using his own mana to refill it and allowing everyone to take a drink before they continued on. They only had a few more miles to go, but no sense in letting themselves get dehydrated when they had magic at their disposal.

Vin hadn't been back to this fragment since leading Samtha and her fellow missing warriors back to the village, but the environment was just as he'd remembered it.

Shia laughed at the swarm of dusty armadillos that got spooked at their rapid approach, curling into balls and rolling away as fast as their bodies could take them. Alka licked her lips when she spotted a fat looking bird trying to use its thick beak to crack into a rock, requesting he grill one and let her take over his body later so she could give it a taste. Scule looked on in amazement at one of the camouflaged geckos that Vin could now spot far more easily with his higher focus. The petian mentioned offhandedly how useful such an ability would be for an animal companion, and earned himself a disgruntled squeak from Vin's pocket.

Vin even spotted a new creature he hadn't seen the last time he was here; a small, grasshopper-like critter that seemed to live amongst the rocks. He only spotted it this time when a handful of them exploded out of one of the rocks the bird broke open, quickly leaping in all directions in an attempt to escape their winged doom.

He wasn't sure if he should be relieved or worried at the fact that despite keeping his eyes peeled as they ran through the fragment, they never once encountered that unnerving goat.

The sun had just begun to set when they finally crested a hill and the familiar village came into view. Not much had changed since the last time he'd been here, though the fact that he wasn't currently being chased by a murderous mutant scorpion was a welcome one.

Not wanting to freak anyone out, the four of them slowed to a walking pace, approaching the village at a far more reasonable speed. As they got closer, Vin suddenly remembered something that he hoped wouldn't be a problem.

He'd actually left out his whole interaction with Alka when he'd explained to the village elder what had happened during his journey to save Samtha the last time he'd been here. And as thanks for saving them, Samtha and her team had respected his request to keep that bit to themselves while he was there. But based on their society's strange appreciation toward honesty, he could only assume the whole village probably knew all about Alka by now.

Because of that, as Alka drifted back and went to echo him once again he stopped her, shaking his head.

"I haven't interacted with these people much, but they seem to value honesty pretty highly," he explained. "I was a bit panicked last time we were here and didn't want them to think I'd been possessed, but I don't think you should hide this time."

"Suit yourself," Alka shrugged, continuing to walk alongside them as they approached the village.

Vin had thought it impressive how quickly someone had spotted him last time during his panicked run, but he realized that without any sort of walls or natural fortifications, the village had to have people standing watch at all times.

Sure enough, once again he spotted commotion in one of the taller buildings, and a familiar force of six spear wielding warriors met them at the edge of the village. Vin even recognized a few of their faces.

Led by the same disgruntled man that had actually killed the scorpion chasing him last time, the six warriors stopped a few dozen feet away, leveling their spears at them and dropping into combat stances. Vin knew from experience just how deadly those stone tipped spears could be, and he motioned for his companions to halt.

"Who are you and what do you want?" The leader demanded, his spear tip pointed unwavering at Vin's chest. Vin waited a moment to see if he had any other demands or if the warrior would recognize him, but it seemed he'd changed enough since he'd last been here that the warrior no longer saw in him that fearful, exhausted boy who'd practically come crawling to them for help.

Before he could answer however, one of the warriors straightened from their combat stance, adjusting their stone helmet and giving him a shocked look.

"Vin?"

Shifting his focus to the warrior in the back, Vin grinned as he recognized Samtha's startled face. The woman looked a hell of a lot better than the last time he'd seen her. Her cracked armor had been repaired, and the deadly looking spear was a nice improvement over her chipped and crumbling mace she'd been using when he found her.

"Hey Samtha!" He called out, waving at the surprised warrior. "How's it going?"

As soon as he spoke, a spark of recognition lit up within the leader's eyes, and the man placed the butt of his spear against the ground, peering more closely at him.

"You are the one that was being chased by the hunter? How did you learn our language in such a short time?"

"Oh, you know… Magic and all that," Vin said, waving off the man's curious look as he walked toward Samtha. "So, is working as a border guard a promotion or a demotion for you? I'm hoping my request for you to not mention Alka until I'd left wasn't asking too much."

"No no, it was fine!" Samtha laughed, clearly caught off guard by his sudden appearance. "The elder completely understood your hesitation, and she appreciated you didn't try to ask us to keep the events that occurred a total secret. And patrolling the border is a job all warriors within the village are tasked with, I just happened to be on rotation today." Samtha gave his shoulder a strange look, and Vin only then remembered that he had Scule sitting beside his head.

"Ah, sorry! Samtha, these are my companions," Vin said, introducing them each in turn. Samtha bid them all welcome, and even gave Alka a small nod when it was her turn, clearly remembering the ghost.

Not that Vin could blame her, seeming as Alka had not only possessed one of her friends, but nearly killed Samtha herself after an entire day of exhaustive fighting.

"We were hoping to speak with the elder and maybe stay for a day or two if that was okay," Vin added, hoping they had some form of inn they could use. He'd stayed in more run down motels than he could count back on Earth, ranging from positively decent to absolutely horrid, so he was used to taking what he could get.

"Shouldn't be a problem!" Samtha said, pausing to glance at their group leader. Receiving a nod from the man, she grinned, motioning for Vin and his friends to fall in behind her.

"Follow me!" She said, leading them into the village proper and gesturing around them with her spear. "I know it's not exactly your first time here, but allow me to give you a proper introduction."

"Welcome to Sakis!"