“The 21st and 15th Regiments have documented an alarming increase in distress beacons being sounded across villages in the region. This development has been corroborated by clerks in the Adventurers Guild pointing out a higher number of moderate to high level postings as well. In conjunction with the Arterian Rangers and Outriders, I have preemptively authorised the deployment of the 6th Lowland Scouts Regiment in investigating and assisting with such matters.”

  - Captain Theodoric Lester, Ascar Southeastern Border Command, “Letter to Prince Mayor Ashlin Montroi of Sturmbreaker”

  The next two days were oddly peaceful. Both groups kept their distance and therefore minimized any unnecessary friction. Though judging by how the frostfyres kept at least two members of their party to constantly watch over Ary’s, she suspected that it wasn’t a move done to engender trust. Still, it meant that separately, they could each maintain a more relaxed atmosphere amongst their own, and that she supposed, was good enough for now.

  What was less encouraging was the weather. The closer they got to the Highwall, the colder it got. Worse, at the foot of the mountains, there appeared to be a small snow or rain storm brewing. Neither of which were particularly good omens for what lay ahead.

  It was Cassian the mage that first broke the ice between the two groups. The girl held up her hand to signal for the convoy to halt once they reached the foothills. Ary watched as she traded a few words with her mentor before moving to converse with Galen, then slowly making her way towards Ary’s group.

  “Lady Aryana” The mage impassively greeted her.

  “Magister Cassian.” She replied curtly, the others in her party slowly moving into position behind her in case things took a turn for the worst.

  “My senior and I suspect that the storm will pick up once we start our ascent. It might be more troublesome but I suggest we hitch the wagons and horses here and hike up on foot.”

  The news lined up with what everyone was expecting, but that didn’t change it from being a disappointing outcome regardless. Still, Ary tried to nudge the magister a little. Voicing what was likely some of the other’s doubts as well as her own.

  “If the hike will be difficult, is there anything we should worry about time wise?” Ary asked.

  Cassian frowned and looked at her. The mage evidently is still trying to come up with her own answer to this question herself. After a few moments of silence, she murmured something to herself before meeting Ary’s gaze.

  “Only by a few hours or so. We should be able to have everything prepared by today and finished by tomorrow.” Cassian stated, “After analyzing the composition of the entire group, you’d be the one most likely affected by the harsher conditions.”

  There was no malice or disdain in her voice. Only a very factual neutrality. Perhaps that was why a small chuckle came up from behind Ary. Sophia was trying her best to not laugh at the merciless comment. A little offended, Ary tried her best to keep a semi pleasant smile on her face, her hands unconsciously tousling with her braid.

  “Oh. Would… would that be a big detriment? In your esteemed estimation?” Ary tepidly asked.

  Cassian looked her up and down, the mage examining her without even a hint of amusement. Then she shook her head.

  “You seem physically fit enough, though less so than the others. I would politely estimate about two hours or three of delay by forcing you to go on foot instead of by carriage.”

  Ary smiled but winced a little. She wasn’t offended at the claim, on the contrary, she felt that it was at least one genuinely based on observational skills. She was more annoyed by the implied gap between her and the others. Even though she hadn’t exactly been exercising or practicing her combat skills like the others with her. It was an even more disappointing reminder that she had that much more to improve. Worse still was that she had expected maybe at least two or three of the clansfolk to get a little lazier at the Academy or at least rounder around the waist. That they still surpassed her in some way felt almost like an insult in itself.

  “We’ll get things sorted, thanks for the heads up.” Sophia surprised Ary with a hefty pat on her back.

  “Geh!” Ary unintentionally squeaked.

  Cassian nodded, then let out what almost looked to be a snicker at the amusing display. Without another word, the mage brusquely turned back to rejoin the front of the convoy.

  “Sophia-” Ary tried to admonish her companion for the surprise attack when Sophia rudely held her lips together with her fingers to silence.

  Ary frowned but was unable to voice her discontent.

  “Ary. Focus.” Sophia hissed at her, a bubbling disappointment in her eyes.

  Ary wanted to growl back at first. But then she caught a better look at the girl and wilted under the withering gaze. Sophia was Sophie’s twin. Seeing her cold, judgmental, downright angry expression directed at her hurt. The slight crease with her narrowed eyes, her nose flaring ever so slightly in disdain. She felt her insides hollow for a moment, the brief flicker of fear that gnawed far deeper in her soul than anything else. A fear only slightly nullified in knowing that this wasn’t Sophie. If she looked at me like that…

  Her resistance faded, opening herself up to any admonishment that might be levelled her way. Perhaps seeing Ary’s diminished demeanour, the frown on Sophia’s face softened slightly. The girl then cautiously released the fingers holding Ary’s mouth shut, the despondent redhead not even bothering to make a noise.

  “Ary.” Sophia softened her tone.

  Ary just meekly grunted.

  “We’re in this for real now. Until they catch on, I’m Sophie, got it?”

  “Uhn.” Ary glumly mumbled.

  Sophia let out a low growl of annoyance before tousling Ary’s hair, the half elf even patting her head afterwards.

  “Look, I need your head straight and focused, alright? We’re both doing this for her, and we here are currently very outnumbered. So if it all goes smoothly, the better for all of us, right?” Sophia stated.

  The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

  Ary nodded.

  “Good. Remember, I’m Sophie for now.”

  “Uhn!” Ary grunted with a bit more vim.

  Though her mind was still addled, she at least understood the message that Sophia was telling her. They were walking into enemy territory now, and they would need to be more alert. She had almost given the ruse away, and though Cassian seemed to pay it little to no mind, she held no doubts that Galen would be far more alert about Sophia’s true identity. A mistake with him could potentially escalate into violence. Spirits knows he already dislikes me enough. She shuddered, he even stabbed Sophie back in the clansmeet.

  An awful memory of an awful era of her life. She shook her head to wipe it from her mind, but it was too late. The stains of the past had etched themselves back onto her once more. Galen’s presence only added fuel to the embers.

  Sophia had gotten what she wanted and turned back to the others, informing them of the minor delay. Ary meanwhile, kept her gaze to the mountain. Another bitter reminder of her own home. The small little house and compound that she shared with her parents. Before they both disappeared and she became an outcast to the clan. Was I that horrible? To be so deserving of such disdain? Or rather, why were they so hostile? It couldn't really just be because of mom and dad, could it?

  The mountains were her home, her stomping grounds, and yet, even now, the scars of the past made the idea of setting foot, let alone ascending one, seem that much more alien to her. She had even partially prided herself in almost fully distancing herself from what could easily be mistaken for Frostfyre lands. Or rather, mountaintops covered in white and under constantly bad weather. A typical day for life in the clans. A life not meant for me.

  She chuckled bitterly, half shivering from a cold breeze that reached her, half just annoyed. What a fine mess all this is. The flame spirit in me, possibly dying, and just… returning it back to the clan after everything. Hah. And I have even less answers and more questions about everything.

  Her hands balled up into fists and she squeezed until she felt them hurt. The last connection with the clan, huh? This ends today or tomorrow. But it will end, she growled to herself. And then… she let out a heavy breath, then I either live or die. Her lips trembled. It was a prospect she had prepared herself for, yet it still felt almost surreal.

  Hearing a whistle from Hanabi, Ary turned around, the fog in her mind momentarily shattered. The others were busy hauling what they needed in sacks and bags. Realizing she was needed, she distanced herself from her thoughts and shuffled back towards the wagon. Whatever the situation might be, she was still part of the group, and she wouldn’t let them down, whatever burden she might have to bear.

  Cassian did not lie about the ascent. With every step she took, Ary could feel her energy and willpower being sapped away. Where the foothills were gently snowing and interrupted by heavy gusts of ice cold win. The moment they were but a half hour uphill already meant exponentially harsher weather conditions.

  In the short time that they had pushed upwards on foot, the wind now whipped at their cheeks. The snow poured down even more heavily. Frost nipped at their heels with every step, the few pieces of greenery at the foothills now replaced by dead trees or ever growing mounds of unmoved snow. A few of the clansfolk had ice picks and shovels to help them clear the way, the one perk for those in the back to simply follow along without that labor.

  Their arduous journey up was compounded by the fact that out of her company, she was the only one who lacked any significant combat capabilities. Thus, she bore the burden of carrying a part of their camping equipment using a traditional Frostwinder technique of having a large basket worn via supporting straps and a head strap to better distribute the weight. It allowed her to carry far more than she normally would with just a backpack, a useful technique high up in the mountains of the Frostwinds. Though she was well aware that those who carried things this way looked fairly ridiculous.

  Thankfully, Hanabi’s own outlander blessings allowed her to hold onto the rest of their kit. Meaning that they would not be found wanting when it came time to set up temporary camps for rest and respite. The clansfolk meanwhile, had their burdens spread amongst the group, barely slowing their pace at all despite the supplies they were hauling up the mountain.

  The mages looked none the worse for wear, the mercenaries with them even less so. It only made Ary more wary, for they seemed far too familiar with such an out of the way locale. That meant they likely knew about hidden nooks or crannies that her group didn’t. If she didn’t know better, she’d have thought that they were being led into an ambush. Only knowing the seriousness behind Galen’s desire to obtain the spirit of the undying flame did Ary know that they weren’t being led to their deaths. At least not yet.

  With a tired step, she tried to keep up with the clansfolk. To prove to them that she was not weaker nor worse off without them. But reality was not so forgiving of her desires or delusions. She was struggling with the weight on her back and gradually lagging behind. She grit her teeth with a bubbling sense of dismay and anger mixed together. Everything was simply becoming a reminder of her inadequacies. A beacon to which Galen and the others could point to her once more and say, she’s not good enough. To be one of us or to hold her own. A sentiment that she sorely despised if only because it was one that she grappled with often enough trying to keep up with Sophie.

  The others looked similarly miserable, but more from the terrain itself if anything else. Only Sigrid looked rather carefree out of everyone here, the mermaid likely already having casted some spell or another to regulate her above ground temperature. Or that she simply cared little about such conditions.

  Noticing Ary’s attention on her, Sigrid clicked her tongue curiously, the mermaid’s head cocked sideways and stared right back at her. Ary smiled, unsure of what to say. Sigrid, possibly not thinking too much about it, simply bobbed her head and smiled back. The mermaid’s easy-going nature bringing about a calming aura that Ary appreciated in the moment.

  Trudging ever forwards, the group pushed through the snowy mountainside for yet another hour. To Ary, she could only watch in disbelief at the vigor in which the others seemed to be pressing onwards. Letting out a soft breath, she pondered her current situation while taking another step.

  She wondered how the others were faring. Their journey across the seas to distant shores. She was only a little jealous that she was stuck in this frigid expanse, marching ever so slowly upwards to her potential death. She fantasized about being on a ship once more, to feel the cool sea breeze brush up against her, the wide blue expanse both equal parts wondrous and terrifying.

  She still remembered how she had been the one to care for Sophie back then. When the half elf was still in a far worse state after her encounter with monsters in Melisgrad. She smiled a little, ignoring the cold that now irritated her sinuses. Even since back then, Sophie had wandered head first into a myriad of troubles, sometimes with her in tow. Though one thing she would never forget was how Sophie and Taurox had come to her aid when she got abducted. An eerie thought crossed her mind as she stole a glance at Sophia. If they had been a minute slower, I might’ve ended up in her position.

  Realizing what she had just allowed into her mind. She dashed the thought aside, ashamed that she took Sophia’s suffering for granted. Despite their relatively short time spent together, Sophie’s twin had already suffered unimaginable indignities and still stood firm by their side. It embarrassed her even more when she recalled expressions she could sometimes catch within the girl’s eyes. Not quite a scowl but something in between a frown and distantness. A look that pierced through the tough facade that Sophia often wore around everyone. One that, much like the mountain around them, seemed frozen in place. A grief that could never leave.

  Ary wanted to reach out, to offer some comfort or words. But she was afraid. She didn’t know what she could say or do. It felt almost akin to a violation of the understanding Sophia wanted to establish with the rest of them. A breach of the unspoken trust she had. And yet, Ary tried to hide the crease in her brow. How can I just ignore her pain?

  Her question would reach no conclusion, for a whistle from the front of the column signalled their arrival at the first rest area where the group would set up camp. Dismayed at not having enough time to contemplate things, she sighed and resolved to contemplate matters after everything was done. For now, she just turned her thoughts to the more immediate concern. Disentangling herself from the spirit and getting out alive.