Abigail

She tried her best to keep the caravan going but the ever-worsening conditions made things hard. They were running out of thick furs for clothes and blankets, firewood was running low which would force them to stop and chop more soon, and people were getting sick from staying out too long. Connor was behind on making medicine and that was only the beginning of their troubles.

Everyone was on the brink of exhaustion because of the pace Chris set but no one was willing to speak up about it. After the fight with the wolves, everyone not of their family refused to say anything that would hinder their path forward.

It would have to be her talking some sense into him, as everyone else was too scared.

Chris didn't know it, but him demolishing the pack made nearly everyone fear him to some degree. No one else in the group could have gone out alone and done what he did and his image had changed after people knew of his accomplishment.

He didn't even have to say anything or tell the tale, just the state of the bodies and the destruction of the area where the fighting occurred were enough to paint the picture. The people in charge of dismantling the bodies knew how high level all of them were and they knew how powerful the leader was. The remnants of its mana and Law were still suffused in its pelt and the person in charge of skinning had to replace his knife afterward as it was irreparably misshaped.

People talked in hush whispers as the rumors spread and even if Abigail wanted to, she doubted she could've stopped them. She wouldn't have, as this cemented Chris in a better light as a powerful leader, but it was out of the bag now and there was no taking it back.

After finding the first possible spots not to his liking, he pushed forward faster every time. Like he was rushing to get where he wanted and each disappointment only made him more agitated.

They had long left what any normal person would consider harsh winter and had stepped into something else entirely.

The snowfall was so thick, a wall of white met their eye in every direction that was impossible to see through. On the days that didn't have any snow, the glistening reflection of the sun made everything so bright you needed sunglasses to see anything.

If it wasn't one thing, it was another.

Austin had a great time during those days but everyone else was miserable. Some even got sunburned from the intense reflections.

Sunburn... in the winter. It wasn't new or unheard of for her, but never in this intensity or quantity.

She knew this couldn't continue and if after this next stop they still didn't find it, she would have to say something.

They were beyond where they should have stopped to begin with. She and the others had tried to get him to settle for one of the previous markers but Chris refused.

Saying it just wasn't right.

Trying to get him to see reason only did the opposite. When she spoke of the ever-decreasing temperatures and how people couldn't handle it, Chris had the fire mages spread out through the line to be portable heaters.

When she spoke of the snow being too much to travel through, he sat at the front and plowed his way through with [Ice Manipulation].

When the Winds blew so hard and sharp bits of ice nipped at people, he condensed the caravan and stood in the center diverting it away as best he could.

He did that throughout the blizzard for 5 hours straight until the winds died down and they made it through the other side.

It was asinine but no matter how much Abigail tried, Chris refused to give up on their search.

All she could do was hope this next marker was the one.

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Chris

I could feel it, this was going to be the one. My mind pointedly ignored the fact that I had felt that way about the two previous spots, but I meant it this time. I had almost caved and settled at the last one but I held strong.

I wasn't looking for a spot to build the average city, I wanted a spot to build the perfect city. It was outlandish to think I would actually find the perfect spot but I at least wanted one better than average.

All the previous ones weren't what I was looking for but I believed this one would be different.

The lake our first marker sat on was quite large and there were a few more places we stopped along its shores but we moved on from all of them. They had ample water and places to grow food, but it wasn't very defensible.

The Northern shores were the marker we were coming from and we were moving on to the next in line. There were only a few placed out further North and even though Abigail would say otherwise, I knew we couldn't keep going.

We would have to stop soon, even if I didn't find it.

The land here was filled with water and the ground seemed fertile enough, the only thing we were missing was a defensible spot. The area was dotted with various ponds and lakes, depending on your definition, and they were littered around the area ample enough for a water supply and irrigation. It put Minnesota's Land of a Thousand lakes to shame.

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Water mana during the summer would be aplenty after they thawed out, but right now, the Ice mana they produced now only added to what was already there. The shear density of the stuff was like nothing I had ever felt. The Cold was more refreshing than any stimulant and it only got more pure and dense as we continued North.

This place was welcoming in a way I hadn't known was possible and it was hard not to push for more, to keep going without regard for stopping just to wade deeper in. I couldn't though, and I knew that if I went any further people might actually die.

It felt that way now, and it would through the winter months, but the mana would change with the seasons and Ice wouldn't dominate year-round. We had marked where the Ice stayed frozen year round on the map before we started and we were still a distance away from that line.

Water would have its time, especially with all the lakes, and food would still be growable, if a bit sparce.

An unexpected boon during the clear sunny days was the light mana that gathered atop the snow. The reflection on the white plain was enough to create a decent amount of it in one place and Austin would have his affinity present as well.

Another harsh wind picked up and I did my best to blunt it and cold from the center of the caravan but it wasn't enough. Some still got through even when I tried my best and I could see people shivering as it blew past them. Concentrating as much as possible, I pulled deeper on my affinity and Laws when a sudden stop of movement sent me tumbling forward and off the top of my wagon. Without seatbelts it was impossible to secure myself.

"What in the hell..." I grumbled as I picked myself out of the snow with only mild irritation, questioning why we had stopped, and suddenly at that... I was too far away from the head of the caravan to see anything so I started making my way to the front.

Along the way, I spotted Abigail doing the same with a confused face to match my own.

"Do you know why we stopped?" I asked.

She shook her head no in response and we both walked past people together. Before we made it there, Austin came jogging up to us with a smug expression and walked alongside us without saying anything.

"Well? What is it?" I asked after he refused to explain.

"Oh, and spoil the surprise, where's the fun in that," He said with a smile.

While aggravating, I didn't push further. We were almost there anyway and seeing it for myself would be faster than waiting for him to answer.

The people we passed kept their voices low it was clear they were curious as well and they would all turn to watch us go by. It was a bit odd to feel their new gaze but I was dealing with it.

Their looks had changed recently and I was pretty sure I knew why.

Jonathan manned the first cart after I had given it up and I saw him in the distance speaking animatedly with Hal for some reason.

Both Hal and Austin being back was concerning as at least one of the two was normally scouting ahead of us. It used to be both of them out together but they needed to start taking breaks when the weather turned and traded off who was out in the cold.

Both of them being back signaled a problem. I had to suppress a groan at that thought. I just wanted to settle down and place the pylon at this rate, why did problems keep having to pop up?

It didn't take a second after the thought arose that we found out the reason we weren't moving. The glaringly obvious reason we had stopped moving so abruptly.

The ground fell away.

While we weren't on a road, the path we were on was no longer viable after the ground disappeared in front of us.

While cliffs and sharp inclines weren't common, we had seen enough to divert around them. Seeing one here shouldn't have been that big of an issue. Turning the carts to go around was a simple enough solution that a mass stop was unnecessary.

We were close enough now not to shout so I voiced my confusion, "Jonathan, why did we stop?"

He just looked at me like the question was obvious and just pointed ahead. Basically saying, "You'll see," without the words.

And see I did.

After reaching the front, the trees stopped blocking our vision and a giant cliff was revealed on either side. As far as I could see on both sides, the cliff dominated the terrain. The angle of the drop varied but it never came close to anything climbable.

It was a sheer drop by what I could see and nearly 90 degrees in most spots.

I remained speechless surveying the terrain and I couldn't help stepping up to the edge to see how far the drop was. This was the largest cliff we had come across and it made me wonder why we hadn't seen it on the map.

Something this large should have shown up.

What met my vision as I peered over was a distance that scared me. The fall was far enough to make even me fear it. Enough that I had to gingerly step away slowly to not allow any chance of slipping. Falling was still a very real threat and even with my high defense, I wasn't sure I would survive.

Gravity didn't care how high my stats were and a fall from this height was most likely fatal. Or as my father would say, 'It's not the fall that kills you. It's the sudden stop at the end.'

It was a sudden stop I didn't feel like testing my mettle against for fear I would lose.

As I looked over the giant rent along the land, I couldn't help but feel like this was it. It wasn't the perfect place I was looking for, but that feeling inside me was resonating with this place.

While it wasn't perfect we could make it so. I felt it once I laid eyes on the cliff. Looking out over what lay below only solidified the feeling. A sea of white that my mind turned into fields of crops when summer came. My fantasies went further imagining a giant walled city butted up to the cliff edge.

We would have to go up and down the cliff on both sides to find the best place but it was a promising spot just from what I had seen already.

As we grew in strength and rose through the ranks the threat of the cliff being climbed would turn more viable but enchantments could fix that.

Same with anyone who tried to blow the ground from under the city to cause a collapse. Any kind of durability Runes and formations lining the cliff would be enough to stop that.

I already knew a few things that would work to stop those two things from happening.

My vision continued picking apart different details but it was coming together into a picture I quite enjoyed.

The cliff would force people to attack from only one side, directly eliminating the need to defend half the city. If we found a place that jutted out farther, that could be cut down even further. Like a peninsula without the water.

Even with only half the city being assailable, that was much better than the places we had come across.

It was slightly annoying the land was mostly flat and we wouldn't have the high ground but that was fixable with enough manpower. It wouldn't be a quick job, but we could eventually turn the land into a slope leading up to it.

The thoughts caused me to be lost in my head and all the others saw was me go completely speechless. It took until Austin's shaking that I snapped out of it.

It felt like all the fatigue burnt away at seeing it and a rush of energy flooded my system. A rush that I quickly turned into giving orders.

"Austin, find the nearest water source and get an initial survey of the left side of the cliff leading that way," I said pointing in one direction, "Hal you take the other," a gesture to the other side to match, "Someone get Brayden up here and bring that Architect with him. I want to know if the cliff side is safe or if it will break away."

"Jonathan, gather the few people with Earth affinity and do the same. I want you to do your best to feel the earth. Help Brayden decide if the cliff is safe." I said. "Any with an Earth Law can strengthen it if there are any problems."

Having the people with Earth affinity survey the cliff was a long shot but I wanted to make double sure anything unsafe would be caught now before we started making plans.

Plans of our potential permanent stay.

With what I could think of delegated out, I turned to the last member of our group who I hadn't given orders to.

"Abigail," I turned, looking at her, "Start breaking camp and plan for an extended stay."