NOVEL NEXT 75 - Onward to Bavacium
Winter gave way to timid warmth as flower buds pierced through the snow mantle. Birds returned with songs of a distant land, carrying with them the news of spring.
The class stood on the banks of the Lien River. Recently freed from the ice, its waters were still glacial.
Before them, five vessels, enough to move around thirty people and the goods they transported.
Div and En were talking with their friends.
"Finally, some action," Ambisena rejoiced. "I was starting to be really bored."
"It's the same every winter," Lugsellos agreed. "Personally, I don't mind some quiet. But I'm excited to see Bavacium."
"You've never been there?" Div asked.
They all shook their heads. Aside from Div and En, none of their classmates had ever left Camboaci and its surrounding area. As much as the Lien River was navigable, it was still crossing the Wildlands. Such journeys were dangerous, not the kind you would take children on.
It was only because they had awakened close to a year prior that they were allowed to take the risk. A yearly tradition where the new class took their first steps into the wider world.
Naturally, they were not going alone.
The recent ascension of Theaphilia made her the perfect protector. Brigaseta had to stay behind to ensure the safety of the village, but Camboaci could spare its second Ascended Rank.
Along with the sky mage, Vercinetos and Brimeta volunteered. As elite warriors of the village, they were more than capable of leading the expedition if Theaphilia weren't there.
Their daughter being there was just a happy coincidence.
As the class teacher, Vedovessa was forced to come. The team was completed by Nantosia, in case someone got hurt on the way.
Finally, Martos made sure to join the lineup. Bavacium was reputed for the quality of their wool, but they didn't have an Evolved Rank tailor like Martos to do it justice. He made the trip every year to exchange finished products against a supply of raw materials.
"Alright, everyone is here," Theaphilia said, catching everyone's attention. "It's the first time you are going to leave the village. I'm sure Vedovessa has drilled this into you, but for the whole duration of the trip, including our stay in Bavacium, you are to listen to the adults. Disobedience will be severely punished."
"Right," Vedovessa added. "This is not a game; the Wildlands between here and our destination are dangerous. With spring returning, we humans are not the only ones resuming our activities.
"Furthermore, when we arrive, we expect you to behave. Do not bring shame on Camboaci by acting like savages."
[Who does she take us for?]
(She's probably talking about the others.)
"Now, board the boats," Theaphilia said. "One adult for about five students."
With twenty-three students, six adults, and five boats, the distribution wasn't exactly the same on each vessel.
At Vercinetos' insistence, Div, En, and their group of friends were to spend the journey with him.
Div and En watched the riverbanks drift by. Almost a year ago, they had sailed in the opposite direction with Uncle Basil.
They didn't recognize much of anything.
Different seasons, different vegetation, different points of view, even they were not the same as they had been the first time they navigated on the Lien.
"This is great!" Ambisena said, feeling the wind blowing in her hair.
"Speak for yourself," Segorix complained. The poor boy felt terrible since stepping on the boat. Seasickness, it wasn't going to be a fun week for him.
Bavacium was about a week's journey from Camboaci, with the downstream current carrying them forward.
"Oh, come on Genno," her father said. "Don't be like that. Why do you insist on druidism? Spend some time with us."
"Dad, you know very well that the spirit of the Lien will only speak to someone navigating on it. These are Brigaseta's instructions."
"Briga's not here! Don't worry, I won't tell."
"Thank you, but you know there are snitches on the other boats."
The chances of coming in contact with the spirit of the Lien were next to none. If the spirit of the wall of trees was old, the one attached to the river was downright ancient. It had existed for more than mere millennia.
To it, even a Transcendent Rank's life was nothing but a splash in the unending river of time.
Yet, sometimes, it spoke.
Not necessarily to the powers of the land—but to people who caught its attention for one reason or another. It wasn't clear why, nor was what was said intelligible.
All that was known was that druids lucky enough to receive this blessing were rewarded with rare and powerful facet choices.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
It would be a waste not to try.
As much as Div and En were disappointed they couldn't spend time with Gennorina, they understood her desire to advance.
They shared the same.
"That's it, I'm bored," Ambi said, after only an hour of travel.
"We're far from our destination," Lug remarked.
"I know," she said. "But there's nothing to do on this boat."
Div and En sighed; they knew this issue all too well. They had spent two months going up the river. At the time, they had been happy that the trip lasted this long. After all, they knew what awaited them at the end.
But now…
"Don't worry, kids! If you're bored, you can always talk with me."
(Yes, this is worse.)
Div and En decided to spend their time practicing their spearfishing technique. They had yet to figure out how they could control the rot-attuned skill so that their catch stayed edible.
It was the perfect opportunity to do so.
They grabbed the spear they had been issued by the village's armory and headed toward the edge.
[I'm almost nostalgic of our old bone spear.]
(That's why we can't take it with us and risk losing it. The one we have now is better anyway.)
Although the spear looted from the frostcrawler had been useful, it wasn't a real weapon. The grip was slippery, it was hard to sharpen, and the weight distribution was less than ideal.
A regular, wooden shafted, iron-tipped spear was all they needed.
As soon as they looked down at the water, they realized it was not going to be easy. The boat was moving, and while they were merely following the current, it was still very different from when they previously fished.
(We might as well try. It's not like there's anything else to do.)
Thus, Div and En waited, their eyes scanning the water for a suitable target.
Thankfully, there was a lot of activity in the river. With spring, the forest came back to life, and so did the river.
[Go for it.]
En focused, chose his target and struck. He didn't have the luxury to hesitate. With everything moving, he had to be decisive. The flowing water parted around the tip of their spear as it penetrated the river, then the fish.
But it had been a long time since En had used the spear to fish. Now used to fighting monsters, he put too much strength into it, and the spear came out from the other side of the fish.
When he pulled back to bring his catch on the deck, there was no grip and the carcass slipped into the current.
By this point, En was used to setbacks. A little mistake wasn't enough to move him. It was fine, he just had to try again.
Once more, controlling his strength, En aimed at another fish and struck.
This time, he calculated the power behind his blow just right as the tip of the spear stopped midway into his prey.
He pulled it onto the boat.
It was rotting.
As expected.
For once, Div and En were in agreement regarding rot. Whether or not their skill afflicted their targets with rot was something they should be able to control.
Of course, En's ideal would be to completely cleanse their mana. But even Div could admit that no matter how powerful it was, rot-attuned mana was destroying food and valuable materials when used like this.
(I did it with Rotten Spear, I can do it with Rotten Spearfishing too.)
[It's not that simple, I have yet to progress on Blighted Passage.]
It wasn't for a lack of trying. Yet, despite the months passing, Div hadn't found the key to better control their movement skill.
(Your approach is to control rot-attuned mana. You probably need to acquire Rot Magic before you can transform a skill.)
En, however, was straightforward. He didn't want anything to do with rot. There was no need for him to master complex mana manipulation; all he needed was a little inspiration.
A little inspiration that hadn't come despite looking for it for months.
[I'm rooting for you, En. It's been so long since our last level, I miss how good it feels.]
(Let's try once more. It cannot hurt.)
En easily caught another fish. It didn't help.
It was too easy.
Their Rotten Spear skill being level 10 helped immensely. It was doing most of the work. Even if skills weren't everything, a regular fish didn't stand much of a chance against that.
(Can you deactivate Rotten Spear?)
[Sure.]
Without the help of their high-level skill, En immediately noticed the difference.
He missed.
Several times.
But, ultimately, Rotten Spearfishing was still a level 5 skill, there was some power behind it.
After a few ineffectual attempts, a hit landed.
The fish was rotten. But, at least, it was good practice.
Div and En's spear practice had been enough to distract Vercinetos from the monologue he was giving Segorix about the importance of enjoying the view. Poor Seg, knocked out by nausea, wasn't in a state where he could answer.
"Hey boys!" Gennorina's father said, swaggering toward them. "I see you're practicing the spear. Did you know I'm a pretty good spearman, if I do say so myself?"
"We saw you during the dark day," Div and En answered, taking a step back from the water's edge. "You are fast."
"Why, thank you. Do you want some tips?"
(Of course I do.)
"Yes, please."
"Show me," Vercinetos said, gesturing at the water.
En nodded and returned to his position. After several failed attempts, Vercinetos stopped him.
"You need to hit the fish with the tip of your spear," he said.
"Yeah, I'm trying. Thank you."
"A stab is useless if it can be avoided. Either predict the movements of your target, or strike fast enough so it can't dodge."
"I'm already doing both," En said.
"I'm telling you to pick," Vercinetos said. "One or the other. You don't need both."
"What if my target is too fast?" En asked. "Wouldn't predicting their movements be useful?"
"Try to hit me," Vercinetos said, smiling.
"Really?"
Vercinetos gestured for him to strike.
[Look, I'm releasing my grip on Rotten Spear. You have no chance without it.]
(I don't think it will be enough. But thanks.)
En didn't waste time. Trying to catch Vercinetos by surprise, he attacked without warning.
His spear didn't hit anything. Faster than his brain could process, Vercinetos had moved one step to the left, completely avoiding his strike.
"Could you predict my movements?" He asked.
En couldn't. Not even close. He couldn't even see the man move.
"Granted, I'm at the Evolved Rank, but think about it. Even if my peers can guess what I'm going to do, it doesn't matter if they don't have enough time to react to it."
En understood. Even if Vercinetos was a bit too confident in his speed, there was some merit to his reasoning.
"How can I improve my speed?"
Vercinetos grinned.
"Now we're talking."