The High Peak of Brenn [southern shores of Fuminao Legacy Kingdom], local time [1794.01.05]

As the sun started to settle down, the heavy clouds pushed by violent winds caught up with them. It happened a little earlier than Yarik suggested, but they both welcomed the storm with open sails, even if the temperature started to drop even more.

The road was slopping upwards more and more, so having an actual wind pushing them forward was a godsend. Now, all they had to worry about was to keep themselves warm and light up the way ahead. Zeph was using two Stabilized Flashlight Spells to deal with the latter. He was pushing quite a lot of his mana into them to increase the intensity as the snowstorm was getting stronger by the minute, reducing the visibility to a few meters at best.

Neither Zeph nor Makani had problems with adapting to their new speed of travel. Makani was naturally talented in all fields involving air movements, and Zeph’s relatively high Power and experience with Martial Arts gave him an edge in this first-ever attempt at windsurfing. The long hours of moving at a snail’s pace made them accustomed enough to the mechanics of the sport, too.

It wasn’t even the 20th hour of the day when they finally arrived at the first village of the High Peak of Brenn. As they slowed down, cautious of possible pedestrians, they quickly spotted the caravan they were chasing. It was parked in the empty fields behind the houses to their right.

The only road through the settlement was empty but still illuminated by the light coming from homes and outdoor lamps. It seemed that people already settled down for the night, probably hiding away from the cold brought by the storm.

They slowed down even more when they arrived at the center of the village. The buildings here formed a small, round plaza. Most of them had signboards, barely visible in the dense snow carried by the winds. The empty spaces were filled with merchant stands, although snowdrifts claimed most of them, forming an almost uniform snow wall around the place.

And in the center stood a tree. It was illuminated by a few yellow lights set somewhere inside the crown.

Despite the freezing cold, green leaves decorated its gnarled branches. It was growing out of the center of a wide stump, as if a much more majestic plant stood there at some point, but the shape of the contorted branches suggested that it was actually made that way by design.

No matter how Zeph looked at it, it was clearly an altar of some kind, formed from living wood. The fact that it seemed to force the winds to circumvent it and take away all the snow was also a quite good clue. He could even spot naked sand between the overgrown roots of the stump.

“Is this what I think it is?” Zeph asked loudly through their combined Spell as they stopped entirely near the tree. The howling of wind was making it hard to communicate properly.

“Yep!” Makani nodded. “It’s a Shrine of Custos Naturae Onji. Well, more like his Altar. A huge part of the population in the High Peak of Brenn made him their patron.”

Zeph looked around. There was no living soul outside. Turning to the caravan’s wagons, he could spot some lights coming from the interior of the carriages. Even if someone was on a watch duty, he wasn’t able to see them.

“You think we should continue? It’s getting quite cold,” he commented, forcing another Heat cantrip to manifest under his coat – he just had to pull on it to make some space inside.

“Hmmm…” Makani looked up, concentrating. Zeph waited patiently for him to finish whatever magic he was doing. After a minute or so, Makani finally spoke up. “The winds are getting weaker… I don’t know how long the storm will last. If we continue, we will arrive at the Viviscale Village in a few hours. And there is a quite steep slope we will have to pass soon…”

Zeph nodded. “Let’s go then. Going by the lights in the caravan’s wagons, I doubt we would be able to find a free room in the village either way.”

Makani shrugged. “Your call. We rested enough the previous night.”

With that, they spread the sails once again and sped up into the night.

~~~

The village they entered a few hours later looked almost the same as the two they passed along the way. A small plaza with a tree altar, a vast field of nothing in the direction of the forest, and the same lamps hanging near the entrance doors of the houses.

It was the Viviscale Village and nothing suggested that it was facing an issue.

Zeph tried to use his detection Spells as they slowly pulled over their windboards. The feathers affixed to the lattice-like fabric of the sails were all in disarray. They lost the wind half an hour ago and were now dealing with the damage that their hastened pace caused. Yarik did warn them that the feather-lined sails were more prone to damage in difficult weather, but they didn’t really care nor knew how bad it could become.

Either way, they arrived late at night. Their first order of business was to find a place to sleep until the morning. Sadly, this village didn’t have any inns.

“Let’s just build an igloo or something,” Zeph said with resignation. There were no lights coming from the windows, and there was no caravan. Waking up a family just to get a few hours of sleep could be done, but he would rather not irritate the locals.

“What’s that? Normally, people are making burrows in a deep snow if they have to sleep in the wilds,” Makani said while dismembering his board.

“Well… it should work, I suppose,” Zeph started.

The weather was calm so they could talk normally. This allowed them to drop all constructs and rest a bit. Constantly using Spells and their Stabilized variants was not only mentally draining, but abusing Willpower also influenced Will thus causing Intuition to influence a Manacaster’s mind in strange ways. It wasn’t a problem for Zeph, but Makani reported that he was close to his limit some time ago.

“I meant an enclosed space made from ice bricks, so a burrow should work the same or better?”

“Not a burrow, but a burrow,” Makani corrected, using a more obsolete word instead. “It’s not just about digging down. It’s about melting the snow and allowing the wet walls to freeze back. It’s an old art! We will use that method more on the plateau itself.”

Zeph tried to massage his beard, only to be stopped by his helmet. That didn’t stop him from scratching the helmet’s chin, though. Especially because it was so intricately carved.

“Sounds like an igloo variant, alright. Just a deeper one. The kids at the orphanage were making normal ones, so it’s known, too. But, I suppose, we can go deep instead of building up?” he idly mused.

“Stop wasting our time and fold that damn thing. Anyway, making a burrow is easier. We just need to use a few dispersed variants of Heat Beam and shape the place correctly, the rest will be done by the temperature,” Makani said, heaving up his windboard. “I don’t think this thing will last much longer,” he added, looking at the mess of feathers on his shoulder.

“Is the location far away?” Zeph asked absentmindedly while dealing with his ‘vehicle’.

“No, we are almost there. But it’s still a waste; discarding 70 silvers just like that…”

“Let me deal with the feathers. I may be able to find some uses for the internal Mana patterns in them…”

“Good luck with that.” Makani snickered. “If you are able to solve that problem by hand, we can advance as a society. Anyway, we need to go out into the fields. I will tell you where to fire the Spell and for how long.”

Zeph shrugged. “Shure thing, boss.”

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

The construction didn’t take even half an hour, to Zeph’s surprise.

~~~

Gru woke them up with the first light.

The few hours of sleep were enough to refresh them, so they quickly gathered their stuff and reentered the village.

People were already working around their ice walkers to attend to the pipe system set in the sea, so in a quick order, they found out where the Bai family lived.

As they walked closer to the house, it immediately became clear that no one left it today yet, as there were no traces in the snow and a small snowdrift still covered the door. But a thin line of smoke coming from the underground fireplace indicated that the residents were inside.

They had to wait for quite a while after knocking on the door, but finally, a scrawny, aging man opened it slightly.

Seeing their attire and the piled-up snow, he immediately gestured them to move to the foyer.

He waited for a moment for them to shake off the snow.

“Can I help you?” he asked in a somewhat tired voice.

“A Temple sent us here to investigate a little. We heard your daughter and wife are sick? Someone got interested in the cause.” Makani started and the man suddenly became much more nervous. “Makani Borre Tootalo Blackwind, by the way,” he added, nodding at the man.

“Zeph Einar Kumiaitalo Sepia Familia,” Zeph also introduced himself, this time using his association with their Guild to indicate that this business was being done in the name of the organization.

“Ah, Carrick Orsenbai a shipwright,” the man returned the greeting. “Come inside. Is something… expected from us? Your… contracts…”

“No, no. As I said, someone got interested and that’s it. We are not really contracted or anything. You can treat us like passing Medics or something like that,” Makani said lightly and Carrick visibly brightened up after hearing that. “We won’t stay long, too. It may be a free service, but we can’t guarantee anything,” Makani explained as Zeph started to take off his winter clothing and helmet.

He was becoming slightly jealous of Makani’s enchanted robes. They even came with a hood of sorts—although it looked more like a turban when he had it up—so the Manacaster had to worry only about his boots, gloves, and face mask for the windy days.

“Good, good… I will prepare something warm,” the man suggested.

“That would be appreciated.”

A moment later, they were sitting in the big kitchen, their gear piled by the wall behind them. The interior was quite regular, if a little bit messy.

Zeph also noticed that there wasn’t much food lying around. The two sick women probably put quite a burden on the man.

Carrick prepared some herbal tea and joined them at the table.

“I take, telling the story comes first…” the man said, sighing depressingly.

“Can you start with the symptoms first? I would like some context,” Zeph said before sipping the hot liquid from his cup to bring some more warmth to his body.

The man shrugged, idly swirling the tisane in his cup. “Mental strain… or something similar. At the beginning, they couldn’t sleep or eat much. With time, it evolved into a constant drowsiness and weakness of the body… It’s getting worse.” He shivered, probably at some unpleasant memory. “They have been unconscious for two days now. I can see they are struggling in their sleep, but they just won’t wake up... They are losing to their trial.”

“Is that why you didn’t bring them to the city’s Shrine?” Makani asked dryly, squinting at the man. “Because of Custos Naturae’s ways?”

“Heh, you have us for idiots?” Carrick chuckled sadly, even as his shoulders sagged. He wasn’t looking them in the eyes. “It’s not in Custur Onji’s views for the intelligent to leave themselves at the mercy of their environment. No, it was a choice of my beloved and our daughter,” he finished with more resolution in his voice. “Ya see, the nature is… uncompromising. When the weak are left behind to wither away, the strong thrive, using them as stepping stones. It’s a constant fight out there. An unending contest for survival that brings strength. We, humans, may be above that struggle a little bit, but…” He paused, a few contrasting emotions fighting for dominance on his face. Finally, he slowly raised his eyes.

The dark gaze emanated a heavy, bitter purposefulness.

“The folk living here is weak. Unadapted… to the wider world. Like the algae we eat… But that doesn’t mean we don’t have bigger dreams… So, I can’t… blame anyone for striving for more. And I have promised…” his voice petered out. He took a moment to take a deep breath and drink from his cup.

They waited patiently for him to gather his thoughts. It was obvious that things weren’t exactly easy for him.

A minute later, he resumed his story, now much calmer.

“A month ago, I think, my wife and daughter received a vision when meditating by the altar. It was… quite blurry, from what I heard. But one thing was clear - they were presented with a choice. Rewards… Rewards they always hungered for, and more, in exchange for a life-threatening trial… For providing help in a balancing act of some kind… For something obscure and ethereal. And even if they couldn’t understand what were they to be used for… They’d made their decision even before the vision came. That’s why they were meditating near the Tree every day… We heard the rumors of similar happenings closer to the peak…”

Zeph frowned. “That doesn’t explain why you were avoiding the System’s Shrine, though.”

The man shook his head. “We were told not to, if possible. Custur’s dealing are His, System’s are Theirs.”

“What were those rumors?” Makani asked curiously, trying to bring the talk back on track.

“Of random people receiving trials… Of some dying in strange circumstances. But you must understand something first,” he said sternly. “Nature is not built on individuals. It’s a process involving the living, but something more in the grander perspective. A constant change. Adaptation of life in the face of adversity. And death is a part of that process.” He looked at them appraisingly, making sure they understood this truth. “That’s why Custur stays neutral most of times. As long as the grander balance isn’t under threat, he won’t reward and won’t help. He definitely won’t strengthen any one creature overmuch. For Him to reach to us directly… It’s extremely rare. For Him to provide such rewards, unheard of. Something important must’ve happened. Besides that, the folks living closer to the mountain are hardy. Much stronger than us… Living in that environment, in the middle of the plentitude of life of this blessed peak… It’s obvious why the rumors came from them. To receive the same opportunity here?” He gestured at the modest interior and slowly shook his head.

I really hope it’s not just some ploy produced by Onjis… That would be really disappointing. For many reasons, Zeph thought. At least I can better understand what happened. But one thing is a little bit strange here…

“Are you suggesting that Custos Onji dumped something that he wasn’t able to deal with on the shoulders of your people? Isn’t that… unreasonable? And I thought he would act more protective of nature? From what you are saying, people are interfering plentiful on this blessed-by-him part of the world…”

“What you expect from me?” Carrick shrugged. “That I know what really is happening? As for Custos Onji, He is protective enough, in His own ways. The balance He guards is good to live in. He strengthens wide aspects of every creature, making sure they are ready for worse times. Species that are close to extinction, He protects. Especially those with potential – He likes to find new lands for them. Species that are threatening the natural balance are culled by people. It makes us stronger… Well… most of us,” he sighed. “The lands he influences are plentiful. It’s how He is.”

Plentiful… Ready for any catastrophe, more like. Is it a garden of a mad biologist, or something?... Umm, I better stop with thought. He decided silently, remembering about the rumored Telepathy of the sea denizens. Who said that crazy biologists couldn’t also use it?

“Doesn’t seem that protective in the case of your family. Aren’t they just slowly dying without any help? He already took interest in them, so why not finish the job,” Makani noticed.

The man grimaced slightly. “It’s not… That simple. I am cer—“ He paused for a fraction of a second. “I’m almost certain that other Temples would be notified of the problem if the two of them were close to passing, but… That would mean they suffered all this for nothing.” He clenched his free hand into a fist. “I don’t think they will be rewarded if they had to be rescued… People are calling it a trial for a reason. Even if the two of them managed to help in Custos’s case somehow, they would just be helped back… And… My wife… She would be devastated if that was to happen…”

There was a heavy atmosphere preventing them from speaking. The situation was, indeed much more complicated than they expected.

“She always dreamed of visiting the Shrine on the Peak… of seeing the wider world without fearing for her life…” he whispered. “It’s not easy when… when you notice, too late, that you missed your life opportunities… If things continue as they were, she will wither with me on this unimportant, forgotten patch of land… Without the ability to push any of us higher… We are too old… Our potential is mostly spent at this point…”

Zeph grimaced. It seemed that they ended up with quite weak Classes after the sub-specializations. This meant an inability to easily level up further. It meant a much shorter lifespan and an inability to help their daughter to find a better path. He could relate, somewhat.

“The fact that you are here,” the man continued in a subdued voice, “is truly a blessing. If you weren’t sent here per Custur’s word, that means there is still hope… And if you can do anything to help…”

Makani was looking at the man with compassion, stealthily wiping away a stray tear.

Zeph, though, had enough of this sob story. He gulped down the rest of his tisane and tapped the empty cup on the table. “Let’s not waste time, then. Can you show them to us?”

Carrick nodded and stood up without a word. They followed him to the room at the back of the house.

The two women were lying on a big double bed. The room, in contrast to the rest of the house, was clean and tidy. The two weren’t looking sick per se but were definitely malnourished. Their faces were peaceful right now, but Zeph was sure the man already cleaned their sweat if they had any nightmares last night. Even their long, black hair was meticulously combed. The wife still looked youthful despite her state and age, while the daughter seemed to be in her late teens.

Let’s see… From what he told us and from how they look, it definitely looks like a Soul issue… Or maybe not. The System should be able to notice something like that. Hmmm… maybe a Will problem? A shame I won’t be able to check that one, not to mention helping…

Gre! sent Gru immediately, interrupting his thoughts.

Are you reading my mind, fella? Yes, it could work, but that influence isn’t something I can provide consciously, he sent back. And it worked best on kids after spending long hours with them. We don’t have time for me to sit here for days just to check if it would do anything for these two. Anyway, are you ready for some Soul-scanning?

Gra!

“Now. First, tell me how you were feeding them…” he started, coming closer to the bed to check the women’s vital signs.