The next day, we found ourselves once again tracing a path through the wilderness. The tranquil surroundings did little to alleviate the monotony of walking and I had gradually grown tired and bored of it. I was practically dragging my feet by noon.
"Why am I even walking?" I mused aloud, halting in my tracks.
I halted, gathering the threads of mana around me and lifting myself into the air, hovering a few meters (or feet for others, the unit doesn’t really matter) off the ground. The earthy scent of the soil was replaced by a cool breeze on my face as I glided through the air. I glanced back at Finn and Elara, both of whom wore exasperated expressions.
"Will your mana be ok? Using magic constantly like that" Finn asked, his voice filled with concern. It was understandable, apparently it was quite uncommon for people to fly around leisurely due to its high mana usage. However, I couldn’t even feel a thing. Using magic like this now felt as natural as breathing to me so my mana capacity must be great. I didn’t know what my limit was, but at least I have yet to experience my mana ever running low.
"I don't feel anything. Don't worry about it."
As we carried on, I matched their pace, floating a bit behind them. I didn’t need to move my muscles nor did I need to pay attention to avoid accidentally tripping. It felt like being on a cloud, a welcome change from the relentless walk. The days passed with ease, for me.
On the fifth day, we finally arrived at the ruins. The increased travel time was due to us being on foot rather than riding a carriage. The area surrounding the ruins was as we left it, abandoned campsites with still visible signs from our last trip.
Finding the entrance down, Finn looked excited, his eyes sparkling with a sense of adventure. Elara remained calm as always, her keen gaze piercing through the downward tunnels.
'Here we are again' I thought, a sense of nostalgia washing over me. ‘Should be quick this time.’
We raced each other down corridors, relying on the fact that we’d already thoroughly explored this place once. In no time, we reached the teleport room, mana swirling throughout the air just like before. We carefully shuffled our way in and began examining the room, trying to figure out how the mechanism worked. Upon closer inspection, we noticed the room was filled with numerous inscriptions and strange symbols, though their purpose remained a mystery.
Tap tap
Clueless about how to trigger the teleportation, we stared eagerly at Finn as he went around poking stuff with his sword.
Tap tap tap
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“It’s not working,” Finn said, his voice laced with frustration.
“How’d you do it before? Just do it again.” I urged. Neither Elara nor I knew how this worked so we were counting on Finn to do his thing.
“I don’t know, I swear it was just like this.” Finn groaned as he continued poking and even kicking anything in sight.
Tap tap Thud tap
"No good, it's not working." Finn declared, his face crestfallen.
“Just keep trying!”
Despite our eagerness, we were clueless about how to trigger the teleportation magic. After a series of more failed attempts, frustration began to creep in, followed by a sense of disappointment.
‘The gold, the easy money.’ Sigh
We remained in the teleport room a while longer, trying various other means to trigger it, before finally coming to terms and giving up. The excitement and anticipation we had harboured for the past few days had dissipated. Our chatter had quieted down and our spirits were dampened as we made our way back out.
As we started our journey to our next destination, Portus, Finn tried to cheer us up, "Hey, we can try again next time. Besides, we're still rich!" Though his attempt at levity only made me feel more disappointed. 'Maybe you're rich, but I'm down to my last three gold coins...' I thought.
…
We decided to carry on with our journey towards Portus, beginning by pathing through the thick, lush forest surrounding us. Elara, with her vast knowledge of nature and survival, took the lead to guide Finn through the forest maze. I, however, took advantage of my ability to fly and ascended above the canopy, following from high above.
From my vantage point, I could see the forest spreading out endlessly. The sea of leaves was truly breathtaking, a sight one wouldn't be able to appreciate from the ground. I watched as Elara and Finn moved through the thickets, their figures fluttering through the foliage, barely discernible had I not enhanced my vision to compensate. It felt tranquil, liberating even, to glide over everything, unhindered by the obstacles below.
After a while, I grew bored of the slow pace at which we were travelling. Elara was fine, but Finn was just too slow. 'Why don't I just explore ahead? I can just group up with them after.' I gave myself a mental thumbs up for the brilliant idea before yelling out to them, "I'll go ahead and explore a bit. Will catch up with you later!"
Before they even had time to voice any objections, I shot ahead, enjoying the burst of speed and the wind against my face. Flying up and up, I felt free. Everything looked so small from up here. ‘I can see why people loved penthouses now’ I thought. Being this high up and looking down felt oddly empowering, as though I was superior and had complete control over everything below. In the distance was a long river snaking its way through the verdant landscape. Its clear waters glittered under the sunlight, a stark contrast to the surrounding greenery. With a goal in mind, I swooped down.
The river I spotted from up above was bigger and more magnificent up close. The water sparkled under the sun and drew me towards it. I swooped down, pulling up at the last moment to skim the surface of the river, my fingers dipping into the cool water. The splash sounded like sweet music to my ears, accompanied by my own carefree laughter.
For the next hour, I amused myself by frolicking around the river. Skipping stones, catching fish, even occasionally freezing parts of the river to waddle around on ice – anything that came to mind, I indulged in.