Two more weeks pass and Michael could see the tell-tale sign of winters approach. It was getting colder far quicker than he'd expected, the days were getting shorter, and frost was beginning to form on the plants around them.
Michael hadn't thought much of winter at first, but upon the first snowfall, Ralf had gotten the group together to talk about what they were going to do. Apparently, the winters in Albion were far, far colder than everywhere else in Halkegenia, this was mainly due to its position north and its status as a flying continent.
The weather would continue getting colder until you couldn't go outside without a shit ton of clothes on, otherwise risking frostbite. Their tents and campfires wouldn't keep them warm any longer, so they'd have to move someplace warmer, or risk venturing into villages or towns.
The latter option wasn't really available to them, as their faces had been plastered across the entire continent. Usually this would be manageable but, it wasn't just the loyalists who were hunting them, it was the remnants of the Reconquista, as they considered Michael, Tiffania, and Ralf partly responsible for the death of Cromwell, as well as their eventual loss.
It was to such an extent that there wasn't a single person in Albion who didn't know their names... The group had even come across hunting parties, not to kill game or monsters, but specifically searching for the trio. This was primarily due to the ridiculous bounty on their heads, granting anyone who captured them with not only fifty thousand gold, but also a Noble title.
Now, you might say, "Oh, that doesn't seem like a lot.", but you'd be wrong, as this title was applicable to everyone, even those who didn't possess magic, essentially making them the first non-magical noble based in Albion. A historical event to be sure, even if Germania had a lead on everyone else in this aspect.
While the trio had managed to avoid their pursuers, it was a certainty that they'd be discovered if they ventured into a town... And once people got a hint of their trail? They'd be badgered until they either died or escaped the continent entirely.
Ralf actually thought that escaping to Germania or Gallia was the correct path forwards. Due to Albion's renewed friendship with Tristain, along with Michael's already formed hostility to the River-country, going to Tristain would be jumping from the pan into the fire.
Michael crosses his arms while tucking his cloak closer against himself in an effort to stay warm, "So what? We just fly down to Germania or Gallia and hope everything goes well?"
Ralf nods, "It is that or staying here, Albion will continue to get colder until the air starts to burn you. Trust me, you do not want to have something freeze... One of my men once went to go relieve himself and forgot to take precautions... We had to cut off his manhood to save his life." he says, causing Michael to grimace, despite the fact he'd probably heal from such an injury.
...
"Tiff, what do you think? Personally, if we had to go somewhere I want to go to Germania... Less people who want me dead... And warmer." he says, knowing that Sheffield was the Familiar of Gallia's king from the anime.
"If you say so then, lets go." she nods, not really having an opinion one way or the other.
Ralf crosses his arms and leans back slightly on his tree stump, "Flying to Germania will take half the day, my dragon will be exhausted carrying us all once we get there too. We'll have to walk to the South Eastern side of the continent to make sure we make the journey... This time of the year Albion should be closer to Germania than Gallia anyway." he explains.
"Sound good to me." Michael says and Tiffania nods with him. In all honesty, he was getting a bit antsy from just sitting around and training all day. While it was effective, he felt like he could be doing something productive... Which is a surprising difference to his attitude back on Earth...
Sure, his life or death fights with Slark and Riki were helping him a lot and alleviating his blood lust slightly, but such fights didn't grant him exp, as much as he wished they did.
With that decided, the group packed up their things, put them in Michael's inventory, and begin the long trek to the South Eastern side of Albion.
During this, Michael takes the opportunity to see his progress from his various training sessions.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name : Michael Hunt
Rank : Hero
Stats :
Strength : 16 > 17
Agility : 35.1
Intelligence : 18
Abilities :
[Gandalfr] : Enables user to utilise any weapon at two ranks above their current proficiency while granting them the knowledge necessary to use them. While wielding a weapon, temporarily gain +100% in all stats.
[Language Comprehension] : Enables user to understand all spoken tongues, and increase the rate of which they learn reading and writing.
[Basic Mana Manipulation] : Allows user more control over his magic, spells, and some abilities. Mana efficiency and control of power is increased.
[Pain Tolerence] : Allows user to endure great amounts of pain with little to no negative effects as a result.
[Novice basic Swordsmanship(Two handed swords/One handed swords)] : Determines how skillful the user is when handling swords.
[Novice basic Dagger techniques(Single edge, curved, straight, double edge.)] : Determines how skillful the user is when handling daggers.
Affinities :
[Lesser Water Affinity], [Lesser Fire Affinity], [Lesser Lightning Afffinity], [Lesser Darkness Affinity]
Spirits :
Commoner Tier :
Shadow Shaman : MAX
Slark : Lvl MAX
Riki : Lvl MAX
Hero Tier :
Anti-Mage : Lvl 2
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
He nods his head at the new listed skills, knowing that edge one would massively buff the bonuses he receives from his Gandalfr runes. He was looking forward to seeing what was above 'basic swordsmanship', he'd hopefully find out once he masters it... Maybe something like Haki? Or maybe not, who knows at this point.
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While Michael and his group were trying to leave the continent, two other people had just entered it. The first was Matilda, or Fouquet of the Crumbling Dirt. Who was returning to provide supplies to her charge, Tiffania Tudor.
It was a duty that'd been handed down to her by her father even before they'd lost their nobility. And as much as it annoyed her to do, she was never one to break a promise. Now that the Reconquista had been defeated, gaining access to Albion was easy enough, though, the tax at the ports had been increased to help the country rebuild. Not that such a thing bothered her, after all, she was quite wealthy from all her ventures in thievery.
Unfortunately, her plans screeched to a halt as soon as she arrived in West Wood, finding that a good portion of the village had left for greener pastures, while those that remain looked weak, malnourished and with hatred in their eyes.
Ignoring them for now, she hefts the big back of supplies she'd brought and walks straight into the forest, heading for Tiffania's cabin... And stopping when she discovers the burned wreckage of it.
...
"What is this..." she mutters, unsure how to react to this. She circles around the area, finding all of Tiffania's favourite plants either trampled and dead, or burned from the fire. There were many items of clothing inside, along with all the furniture, books, and other valuables Tiffania liked... Fortunately, she hadn't yet discovered a corpse, meaning that Tiffania had been taken somewhere for some reason. This still worried her however, Elves weren't regarded well, especially with the Reconquista's demonization of them and their propaganda trying to recruit people to take back the 'holy land'.
She ventures back into the village and speaks to some villages, and quickly discovers that they weren't who she thought they were. Usually these people were kind, accepting... But as they are now? Hateful, and derisive when speaking about Tiffania, or 'Elf-Whore', 'Demon-Bitch', and other insults they threw out at a whim.
"She was burned at the stake in Cendri, but returned to her cabin looking completely healthy?" Matilda asks, sceptical.
The villager nods, "Yeah, some fuckin' noble magic that. Plus that False-Familiwhatever she was runnin' around wit'. Guy killed many of us with 'er help, killed my brother they did." the man says, a furious scowl appearing on his face as he speaks.
Matilda frowns, "False-Familiar?" she questions, feeling as if she'd heard that before.
The man nods, gesturing over at the village elder's house where a poster had been nailed into the wall. A bounty poster, displaying Michael, someone who Matilda had abanded to die in the Academy months ago. Not only that, there was a picture of Tiffania and another man named Ralf next to it.
She rubs her face, feeling as if karma had come back to bite her, "Why me..." she mutters, knowing that she'd have to follow to make sure Tiffania was safe... Her families vows weren't for nothing, enhanced by magic and empowering her own abilities as long as she took care of Tiffania. If she neglected her charge, she would suffer for it.
She lets out a sigh and tosses a silver to the villager before taking the posters and leaving towards Londinium. Hopefully the bounty office would have some information on where they'd gone.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The other person who'd arrived is none other than Tabitha, atop her dragon familiar Sylphid. Her mission, to kill the False-Familiar, given to her directly from her Uncle, the King of Gallia.
Getting to Albion wasn't all that difficult, Sylphid was strong enough to fly to the continent with some effort, but issues began popping up when she arrived.
She flies down to the middle of a street in a relatively large city, hopping off and looking around for any news of the False-Familiar... The only problem was the fact that she herself seemed to draw the local's ire.
A large group of men wielding swords, bows, and wearing the best armour they could scavenge walks toward Tabitha, the leading man with a cocky grin on his face, "Oi! I don't remember seein' you here before, girl!"
"She must be one of them dragon knights, boss." another says from the side, but the 'boss' shakes his head.
"Naw, our dragons are red, not this weird blue thing... And look at her hair, never seen anyone with her like that before." the man says while pointing at Tabitha's blue locks.
The girl herself just stays silent and waits for whatever they wanted to do. After all, this wouldn't be the first time she'd been attacked in a foreign country. Her size and appearance made her look like an easy target, though, she thought it would be different now that she had Sylphid with her.
"Girl, you're comin' with us. We ain't gonna allow some foreigner to walk around like they own the place." the man says, staying a good distance from Sylphid while walking towards Tabitha, attempting to grab her arm.
Only for Tabitha to wack him in the face with her staff, breaking his nose and sending him stumbling backwards. "Do not touch." she simply says, the head of her staff glowing slightly to show that she meant business.
"Y-you fuckin' bitch! You broke my nose!"
"Boss, are you alright!?"
"Of course not, you fuckin' dolt!" the man growls before turning back to Tabitha, "Fine, be like that! We'll see how the King reacts to foreigners running around his country attacking his men at random!"
Tabitha shrugs at his threat, deciding that she wouldn't find what she's looking for in this town and hopping back onto Sylphid. Hopefully the next town would be friendlier, otherwise finding information on her target would be far more annoying than she anticipated...
She couldn't fail her task, otherwise her mother's life would be in peril... Her uncle wouldn't care what obstacles got in the way, only that she failed his task.
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