The cliffs kept getting bigger and more imposing by the day. That was only good for me, though I tried to keep an eye on the area's outside of the mountains, skirting where I could rather then trying to see just how deep I could go. Mostly I didn't think anyone would be building here, but if I could get to civilization I might find help.

I had no delusions that I would definitely find someone allied if I did find a settlement, but even an unallied city would be a great help. I needed supplies, aid, roads, and any help in travel I could get. If I were lucky I might find somewhere that was part of the empire, but even if it was some city-state or something I might still find a road or route home. Even in the worst case I should be able to disappear into a crowd.

As a bard I didn't really have the best offensive or defensive options, but solo travel wasn't the worst. My magic covered most of my basic needs with ease. Optimally I'd have been with a group that could help cover my weaknesses, but we had to deal with the world we had, not the world we wanted to have.

I kept travelling, mostly in an eastward direction, for the next three days, every now and then taking a look behind me to see if my pursuit continued. On the forth day I saw them coming along a ridge I'd passed the day before. A series of tiny dots slipping down the mountainside. That was unhappy, but I knew where they were, and where they were coming from, now I just needed a plan.

If my enemies hadn't been sent home by that storm, they were prepared to follow me till the ends of the world, and I just couldn't have that. They had more casters, and more experienced people, eventually they'd catch up, and then I'd lose, unless I could get them somehow.

It took me another day to find the right spot. I quickly marched up to the sheer cliff, the easiest approach clear. The snow there was cleared out as if some wildlife had been using the path even over the last few days to ascend and descend. The path itself was a small, crack between the two sides of the cliff, perhaps ten feet wide, that snaked upwards in an odd way.

This place looked like it should be a heavily used trail for game and the like, but I saw none around, odd. I'd seen a few deer, and the aurochs that were everywhere in the north, but not much else. Predators who were smart avoided humans, and those that were magical were rare in comparison.

"A stream?" I asked as I approached the little path seeing the windswept ice all around the opening.

Sure enough it was. What looked to me like a pathway was instead the spot where a stream had cut through the cliff moved down into a small pond at the base, how interesting. The next interesting thing was the pattern in the ice, I was careful as I teleported around it, before dragging part of my bearskin across it ever so gently. I didn't want to walk on that, and was very glad to the kindly soldier who'd shown it to me.

Once I was at the top I sang up a small snowstorm to hide what I'd seen, and then began my preparations in earnest.

Marco

I was tired, the hounds were tired, the men were tired. None of us cared about this stupid girl, none of us wanted to cross these fucking mountians. We all just wanted to go home.

The men had been getting more and more angry by the day, almost by the hour. This hunt had gone on for far, far too long, and there was no way we'd be paid enough when it finally ended to justify all the time. Our families needed the food we brought back, or the coin, what were these damn nobles thinking.

Cousin Jacob in particular was livid. He had a wife and daughters, they needed him, not some runaway little girl. He'd been keeping it low key, but soon enough I wouldn't be able to stop him from doing something stupid. If there weren't so many of the nobles with us someone already would have, and damn the consequences.

There were just over a dozen of us, and five of the mages. Two wizards and two knights that I could see, along with a bard. The last of which was definitely favored by the lads. He'd helped us at every turn, even cleaning up some of the aches and pains that just came with something like this. Had he not been with the rest of the group, we'd all be raising cups to the man when we got back.

"You doing alright old timer?" I asked old man Jenkins as I slipped back beside him, letting my hounds slow in their tracking a bit.

"Ain't cut out for this anymore boy. If not for the singin' lad I'd've lost fingers last night. The cold is getting to me, slow but sure."

I reached over to take his shoulder. "Don't worry friend, we'll be headed home soon enough." I didn't know if it were true or not, but it was the best I could do.

The path the girl had taken was painfully obvious. There was only one way up this cliff, and every man with eyes could see it.

"I suppose we know what way she went then," one of the knights said, moving forward.

"Aye sir, that's the way," I replied as the nobles began to move forward.

They joined up with us hunters near the front as we moved, the path was tight, but we'd want a few of them to lead out, in case of a trap. If they lost the hounds they might well lose every chance of tracking their runaway.

Before we reached the opening though I stopped, along with some of the other hunters. We all looked down, squinting for a moment.

"What is it?" Asked Rooke, the leader of this abominable expedition.

"It didn't snow last night did it?" I replied.

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The man paled and looked up, screaming. "TRAP!!! IT'S A TRAP, EVERYONE B-"

Before he finished there was a flash of actinic blue above us and the sound of explosion. A bolt of lightning had struck the cliff, sending up a wave of steam before there was an ominous crack and the rock above began to fall. It looked like a mountain plummeting down from above.

The wizards were quick to toss shields of force and shattering lances up, breaking the wall of stone that fell near them. I still heard the pained screams of men as boulders big as housecats smacked them at speed. There was crying in pain from men and dogs and more than one crushed by the onslaught.

A wave of wind passed, kicking up the snow, and I saw her. The girl we'd been chasing was so close, right there before us. She was young, and beautiful. Her eyes, surrounded by tired circles were the color of sapphires and ablaze with fury. Her hair was a pale blonde, blowing behind her in the wind she'd made. Though her clothes were ragged, and she seemed to be missing a hand she turned beautifully in some kind of dance.

The angry knights didn't hesitate, and charged their target, not intending to let her escape. Their feet, heavy in their boots pounded on the ice.

"NO YOU FOOLS!" Rooke howled, but too late.

A second bolt landed right were the girl was as the two men's swords struck, and passed straight through her. The image of the girl disappeared in the flash that left the two knights struggling to pick themselves off the ground. While the strike had knocked them off their feet, they're armor glowed brightly, seeming to absorb almost all of the attack. Guess they'd come prepared.

"Fall in, we need to find where she is, we need-" Our leader tried to take control of the situation, only to be interrupted by an odd keening noise, and a loud cracking.

Tentacles shot upwards from the ice, grabbing at the knights. They'd been lured into place. I paled at all the odd occurances, but reflex took over here and I let out a loud cry. "Ice Grasper, HOME" the last part a call for all the hounds to fall back, one of several common signs hunters trained into all our dogs.

The recognition also got me to turn and run. That was a magic beast, and one none of us could deal with. The wizards seemed stunned and hissed in anger, but had bigger problems.

The creature was slamming the two armored men around like a child smacking her doll against a table. Had they been ready for it perhaps they'd have made short work of it, but they were stunned by the bolt, and the beast was livid at the pain it'd been caused. The casters surged forward, spells slicing limbs to free their companions.

Soon enough the beast was dispatched. One of the two knights had been killed, his head slammed against a rock hard enough that even his armor and superhuman strength couldn't survive. The other was badly injured, the bard began to tend to broken bones quickly, but had to take a break after only a few minutes. Rooke pulled the kind caster away to have a word with him while the knight rested and caught his breath.

The other wizard though marched up to us. We'd lost three hunters, another two were hurt bad and might die soon. We'd also lost half the hounds, enough to threaten our livelihoods. The wizard though didn't seem to care and he came right up to us, rage on his face.

"Why didn't you help against the beast!? Sir Grenwald might have survived!" He waved an accusing hand.

Old man Jenkins was nearest him and spoke. "We don't have weapons to fight something like that you fool!" He was tired and angry, we all were.

The noble looked ready to spit blood at his 'insolence' and backhanded him hard, sending the old man to the ground where he shook oddly, like he was having a seizure. He was a fool, and his action sent a wave of hostility through the remaining hunters. My cousin was the first to move, plunging his hunting knife into the man's gut.

Things happened fast. Someone roared in rage and all of us understood. We'd be killed to a man if this ever got back to the city, so it could never get back. One of the men sent the remaining hounds after the downed knight, a few with longer blades moving forward to aid them. The rest of us charged towards the shocked wizard, perhaps the bard would be spared if he didn't fight.

Alana

I sat on my cliff, behind and slightly to the right of these men, watching the chaos. I wanted to roll with laughter, everything had gone better than I could have ever hoped, as mana intensive as it had been. Their forces had been cut down slightly, several important looking men falling to the monster.

Then, right as I was getting ready to make my way off they started fighting themselves. There must have been some division, but the bastards fell upon their own people. I wanted to cheer, all I needed was a good seat and popcorn. Could I make popcorn? Probably, questions for later. It was a bit dark, but I couldn't bring myself to care too terribly much, at least not right now.

Sadly before long one of them let loose fire on the larger part of the mob. I didn't bother watching how it ended, it didn't matter.

Instead I turned to my makeshift sled, mostly just a log with stripped bark and a bit of shaping and began my way down the mountainside. This slope looked the right angle for me to give this a go, and I wanted distance fast. Teleporting would be down for the rest of the day with all the mana I'd burnt through, but I had a distinct feeling my enemies would be a bit busy in that time.

"Weeee," I said softly as I slid across the snow, still worried about being loud, but unable to resist.