Chương 433: Chapter 428 - Cramped new endeavours

Scarlett still wasn't especially fond of being on the water. She'd felt much the same the last time they'd taken this route towards the Whitdown Mountains for Fynn's first awakening, but she really wasn't built for this sort of environment. Even when nausea or dizziness weren't immediate problems, the experience itself was unpleasant. There was too much motion. Too much instability. The scenery blurred into repetition far too quickly. And it was cramped.

The River of Three Streams cut through a large stretch of the empire and, at the moment, was more heavily trafficked than usual. With Kilnstones becoming increasingly unreliable, the river had become a major artery for moving resources between cities. Relief supplies, guild shipments, and contracted transports all flowed along it, preparing for when the network would fail entirely. Under those circumstances, one might have assumed securing passage for Scarlett's group—even for a short stretch—would be easy.

Unfortunately, it wasn't. If you wanted to reach the Whitdown Mountains through the official Kilnstone network, you couldn't actually travel directly to Dimfrost, the imperial settlement bordering the northern edge of the range. Instead, one had to Kilnstone south to Angersong Post, then continue north along the Three Streams until reaching Dimfrost by boat. The problem was that Angersong Post was little more than a waypoint.

It lacked a proper harbour, saw minimal traffic, and existed almost solely as a forgotten transit node. The last time Scarlett had taken this route, she'd hired local hands to ferry them north, but this time that option hadn't existed. Angersong Post had apparently suffered a monster attack several weeks prior, and many of its residents had either fled, died, or been relocated. The handful who remained were both wary and poorly equipped.

In the end, Scarlett had resorted to buying one of the few boats still available. It was a slightly oversized rowboat meant for short hauls or fishing trips. Under a generous interpretation, it could maybe have carried a dozen people. Scarlett was currently transporting a dozen, plus a couple more. Her entire party was seated in the boat, pressed shoulder to shoulder in varying states of comfort — Rosa, Kat, and the rest. Alongside them was Skyler's group, only two people smaller than Scarlett's.

And beyond that, there were Carnwedain and Nol'viz. Carnwedain alone should have been enough to sink the vessel. The towering knight sat at the very front, his massive frame forcing his arms and parts of his armour well beyond the vessel's edge. The image was awkward in a way that bordered on absurd. If Scarlett hadn't been actively supporting the boat with hydrokinesis—continuously stabilising its buoyancy—they would have capsized long ago.

One might reasonably question why Scarlett needed all of them crammed into a single, inadequately sized boat as it made its way upriver, nudged forward only by her magic because there wasn't room to row properly. The mix of people was questionable, and the setting was worse. But Scarlett had a reason for bringing such a large group with her. It was simple efficiency.

Her group needed to reach the Whitdown Mountains for Fynn's trial, and passing through Dimfrost made Angersong Post the most practical Kilnstone destination. At the same time, she had assigned Skyler's party a task in the Unresting Steppes, on the far end of the empire. That came with a logistical responsibility to make sure they could actually get there. The fastest option was still the Kilnstones.

Skyler's group had almost certainly interacted with one of the Steppes' nodes before and could travel there directly, assuming they could reach a Kilnstone on this end of the empire. Allowing an unidentified group free access through Freybrook's Kilnstone, however, was still a little outside Scarlett's power. The alternative was to bring them along on her already scheduled trip and have them use the Kilnstone located in the Whitdown Mountains instead.

Simply masking identities through passage to Angersong Post had been easy enough. As for Carnwedain and Nol'viz… There was a bargain involved now, and they were expected to assist Scarlett in the Whitdown Mountains. That made them, technically, part of her party for this leg of the journey. Explaining the presence of a massive knight who practically radiated danger, however, had taken some effort.

Scarlett had concealed most of Carnwedain's armour beneath heavy cloaks and leaned hard into her more imperious persona when dealing with the Kilnstone officials, and even then she felt it had only just been enough. Nol'viz, at least, had been easy. She had simply hidden herself in shadow, which was far more convenient. At least when it came to avoiding attention from outsiders. It didn't help as much when it came to Skyler's group.

Scarlett hadn't explained who Carnwedain or Nol'viz actually were to any of them, but she suspected they were well aware that the two Cabal members weren't exactly ordinary, upright imperial citizens. She wouldn't have been surprised if Regina and Oveth had already worked out the truth. Briana, in particular, had been giving Carnwedain cautious looks throughout the journey.

Between that and the sheer crampedness of all of them being packed into one boat—combined with Skyler's group already being visibly uncomfortable around Scarlett's—it lent the trip a consistently tense atmosphere. Of course, tension didn't mean certain people would ever stop trying to lighten the mood. That role had mostly fallen to Rosa and Kat.

After a stretch of quiet, nonverbal coordination, they'd begun casually chatting with Skyler and the others, Rosa idly threading soft music through the air on her klert while Kat filled the silences with low, easy commentary. Scarlett didn't involve herself much. She did occasionally get annoyed by the fact that she was sitting beside Rosa and kept feeling the bard's elbow in her side whenever she shifted, but there wasn't much to be done about that.

Nor was there much to be done about Skyler, who kept glancing back at her from where she sat closer to the front of the boat. Though the person Skyler watched the most was probably Slate. Or maybe Slate and Nol'viz. The homunculus girl and the Cabal girl had managed to fit into a narrow space just behind Carnwedain. From there, both had remained almost entirely still and silent throughout the journey, mirroring one another in a way that was difficult not to notice.

They only shifted slightly when their focus moved to other ships passing along the river. Scarlett hadn't truly expected much else. Still, seeing the two of them act so similarly did give her pause. Time passed, and Scarlett was quietly relieved when their destination finally came into sight. She drank a mana potion before tightening her control over the steady flow of hydrokinesis she'd been maintaining around the hull, guiding the boat closer to shore. Soon enough, wood scraped against stone.

The impact was gentle, though the sound carried clearly across the water. A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. A few people shifted instinctively. Scarlett noted, with mild amusement, how Skyler reached out to steady herself against Regina. Back in their world, her sister had done all sorts of gymnastics and balance-heavy sports, but for some reason she'd always struggled with rollercoasters, boats, and anything that moved unpredictably.

The shoreline here was little more than a bed of slick stones, rising gradually towards a narrow path that led inland. Dimfrost lay just beyond, tucked into the valley above. Scarlett was the first to disembark. Pulling herself free from where she'd been pinned between Rosa and Allyssa, she stepped over the boat's edge. As her foot brushed the water, it didn't sink.

With another surge of hydrokinesis sent through the surface, she forced it to support her weight and walked across the river with practised ease until her feet met stone. Then she turned back to watch the others climb out. Most of them stepped down into the water without much hesitation, though a few grimaced at what was almost certainly near-freezing cold.

Rosa even shot Scarlett a pointed look, as if expecting to be allowed to walk on water as well, but Scarlett ignored it and turned to Fynn as he came up beside her.

"Are you glad to be back?" she asked. He looked along the shore, nodding slightly.

"A bit." There was a sudden splash. Scarlett turned to see Slate having climbed out of the boat, only to fall face-first into the water. She lay there, most of her head and upper body submerged, not even trying to rise. Several pairs of eyes stared. Still seated in the boat, Nol'viz tilted her head curiously. Then she stood and climbed out as well, creating another splash as she very deliberately dropped down beside Slate. Scarlett hesitated, unsure what exactly she was looking at.

"Should we…help them?" Skyler asked, glancing around.

"I—I think they might be doing it on purpose?" Allyssa said, though she didn't sound too confident. The boat rocked sharply as Carnwedain stood. He climbed out in a single motion, landing beside Nol'viz. Without a word, he bent down, picked Nol'viz up by the neck, and lifted her in one smooth motion. Then his gaze lingered on Slate for a moment before he leaned down again, scooping her up with his other hand.

He straightened, now holding two thoroughly drenched girls, their robes streaming water, as they turned their heads slightly to look at one another. Then he set them both down.

"Slate," Scarlett said eventually.

"Is there a reason you did that?" Slate turned to her.

"We were curious."

"…Curious?" Slate nodded.

"Yes."

"We have heard stories," Nol'viz added.

"Of humans drowning at sea and shipwrecks. We had not been aboard a vessel before. It seemed…interesting to experience."

"The boat did not sink," Slate continued.

"We determined the closest approximation was immersion." Scarlett took some comfort in the fact that she wasn't the only one visibly unsettled by that explanation. Oveth and Fynn were the only two who didn't look either confused or disturbed. She was starting to wonder if letting Slate spend time with Nol'viz had been a bad idea. The Cabal girl's trio of violet eyes studied them all for a moment before she blinked, a fraction too slowly. Scarlett regarded her before turning her full attention back to Slate.

"In the future, I ask that you do not endanger yourself simply to satisfy your curiosity." She had no issue with Slate exploring or learning new things. But she could do without the sudden surprises.

"I will exercise greater caution," Slate replied. Nol'viz nodded beside her. Carnwedain remained silent, looming over them, his helm angled slightly downward.

"Thank you." Scarlett lifted her hand, and the water soaked into both girls' robes vanished instantly. She also dried the feet of those standing along the shore, earning a few quiet murmurs of thanks. Then she pointed inland.

"Fynn. Lead the way." Fynn glanced at her, then briefly towards Carnwedain. He watched the knight for several seconds. Scarlett had made a point of explaining Carnwedain's presence to her own party before they left. She'd told them he was bound by an agreement and that he wasn't acting as a Cabal agent in this instance. She believed they all understood. Fynn especially. Still, Fynn was also the only one there who had actually fought Carnwedain.

And while he hadn't been completely defeated, it was fair to say that the knight had walked away from that encounter the clearer victor. Scarlett didn't know Fynn to be overly competitive by nature, but when it came to fighting, he could be a bit unpredictable. She worried that this might turn into a problem. Thankfully, Fynn soon tore his gaze away from Carnwedain and started walking. Scarlett and the others followed, with Slate, Nol'viz, and Carnwedain at the back.

At one point, Scarlett noticed Skyler drifting a little closer to Slate and Nol'viz, checking in on them with a quiet question. She received brief, flat responses from both. Scarlett looked back just in time to see Skyler briefly meet Carnwedain's hidden gaze, a flicker of wariness crossing her face, before she stepped forward again to rejoin her own group, which lagged slightly behind Scarlett's. They climbed a narrow path and crested a small rise, passing a ramshackle old outpost overlooking the river.

Beyond it, the land opened into a broad valley, hemmed in by high cliff faces. Nestled within were small clusters of wooden and stone buildings. At the far end of the valley stood a massive barrier of stone that looked as though it had been carved straight out of the mountainside itself. They headed towards the village.

"Wait," Skyler called from behind.

"Are we going into the village? I thought we were heading straight for the mountains."

"We will," Scarlett replied, falling into step beside Fynn.

"After a brief detour." Skyler looked ahead.

"A detour for what?"

"People," Rosa answered cheerfully before Scarlett could.

"You wouldn't guess it from the brooding, but this is actually where our white-haired wolf boy keeps his family."

"You've got family here?" There was a note of genuine interest in Skyler's voice. Fynn nodded without looking back.

"My siblings."

"Your siblings…" Princess Regina said thoughtfully.

"Forgive me for assuming, but am I right in thinking you are a member of the Grehaldrael tribe?"

"I am," Fynn replied.

"I thought so."

"Grehaldrael?" Skyler asked.

"What's that?"

"A tribe that has lived in the Whitdown Mountains for generations," Regina explained.

"The empire had formal agreements with them, exempting them from imperial obligations. That said, there are only a few references to them in our archives. I never thought I would meet one in person." Rosa sighed dramatically.

"Funny how we keep running into people who recognise your family, but never anyone who's heard of Rosalina Hale, world-renowned bardical prodigy and lyrical marvel."

"This is just me wagering a guess, but that might be because you're not actually world-renowned," Kat said.

"That's impossible. I'm well on my way there. Fynn's just got a head start because he's pre-famous." Fynn glanced back at her, frowning slightly.

"I am not."

"That's exactly what a pre-famous person would say."

"That's not a word," Allyssa said. Rosa waved a hand dismissively.

"That's the beautiful thing about words, you see. You can just make up new ones. As long as someone understands what you're getting at, you've successfully participated in the natural evolution of language." Next to Allyssa, Shin shook his head.

"The Grehaldrael are an unusual case," Oveth cut in, as though he hadn't been listening to the exchange at all.

"Few recent civilisations have left such sparse yet consistent records. With that said, I believe most accounts end with their apparent disappearance not too many years ago. I was under the impression they were gone, so it's fascinating to see that assumption proven false." A silence settled over the group. Fynn glanced back at Oveth, then turned his attention forward again without responding. Scarlett paid subtle attention to Skyler, watching as her sister blinked, the implication clearly sinking in.

Skyler's gaze moved between Oveth and the others before settling on Fynn. She studied him more closely this time. Something in her expression softened. The path narrowed as it wound deeper into the valley, stone giving way to packed earth and old, stubborn snow. Smoke curled lazily from a handful of chimneys ahead, confirming that the village was still inhabited. Fynn slowed, maybe without quite meaning to. Scarlett noticed, keeping her eyes on him. They passed between the first of the houses.

Scarlett caught a hint of movement through a window. Fynn turned down a narrower side path, and at the end of it stood a squat, weathered house of stone and timber, pressed close to the cliffside. Its roof sagged slightly in the middle, frost clinging stubbornly to the eaves, but otherwise it looked well cared for. Warm light glowed faintly from the windows. Fynn stopped. So did everyone else. He stepped forward and lifted a hand to knock. The door flew open before his knuckles could touch the wood.

A swarm of small, white-haired children burst out at once, laughing and shouting as they slammed into him, clinging to his arms and legs in a tangle of limbs and voices. One pair of bright yellow eyes flicked Scarlett's way. A young boy stared at her for a second, then his face lit up with recognition.

"You're the lying queen with the cool hair!" Scarlett's mouth twitched. Just a little. Right. She'd forgotten these were Fynn's siblings.