—— ? ——

  The next hour was torture.

  Simon kept glancing to the sky, the flickering light of the aurora making him tense. It seemed to be growing in strength, but would sometimes sputter to darkness. But as they ran, it kept coming back.

  Simon couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. Obviously, when faced with the prospect of potentially fighting a Cthulhu horror of the night, yeah, that would give you a feeling of dread.

  But he just couldn't shake the feeling that there was something more.

  They ran, unmolested. No horrifying howl. No attacks.

  It was eerie.

  Simon and Kaelalin pounded through the snow, leaving behind a cloud of powder. The shimmering faint light from the sky lit it, giving it a vaporous multicolored gleam.

  If Simon wasn't in this situation he was in, he might have thought it stunning.

  Despite everything this valley had, the beauty of the lights were gorgeous. As if spirits or flames danced across the snow.

  Simon’s mind wandered as they dashed across the landscape.

  Were there fae in this world now? Spirits? Fairies?

  Maybe.

  Simon definitely wanted to see one of them if they existed.

  He really wanted to see more than this snow-covered valley. There was a whole world out there, filled with magic and wonder. Simon promised he would explore his new reality, given the chance.

  That would have to come after he survived.

  He would find somewhere new, something nice. Unfrozen and not filled with carnage, betrayers and assholes.

  He shook his head, trying to remove those dark thoughts. Thoughts clear, he focused on his next steps.

  What was it that book said? Fill every step with intent?

  Simon tried focusing on that.

  But he couldn't feel the growing sense of dread.

  Every step, it got worse.

  At the half hour mark, he couldn’t keep it to himself.

  "Hey, Kaelalin," he said to his traveling companion. "I have a feeling there's something wrong. Are we missing something?"

  Kaelalin glanced at him, her breath labored.

  “What do you mean?” She replied in his mind.

  Simon focused as each step followed the next. “Like a memory I can’t recall. It just keeps growing, like something is about to pounce on me.”

  She rolled her eyes as she faced them forward. “Oh, you feel uneasy that we’re both out here in the snow in the middle of nowhere?” Their steps crunched louder as they hit an icy section of snow. “Or is it because there's a massive predator that could descend on us at any time?”

  “Yeah…” Simon chastised himself. “That’s probably it. I swear, this valley is cursed.”

  “Projecting much?” Kaelalin snorted.

  “Hey, the bunnies and this dark nightmare creature were here before I was, alright.”

  “True.”

  They crested a rise, then ran down hill. Kaelalin continued.

  “At least there aren’t any of the horrors from my world here. Well, maybe there is at least one. I would put money on Maelis being possessed.”

  Simon grinned. “Do those creatures have a preference for names?”

  Kaelalin turned her face and raised an eyebrow. “Why?”

  “Melodian, Marden, Maelis. I’m just saying, there's a trend. Although the last one, I don’t get why he’s such a dick.”

  Simon paused. “Well, besides me ignoring him guess.”

  “What?”

  “Yeah, I forgot to tell you… not sure why… anyways, Maelis ambushed me on the way back from the tunnel. Said he wanted to talk.”

  Simon hopped over a clump in the snow. His eyes traced it. He swore it was in the shape of a hopper. When nothing happened, he continued

  “I ignored him. That’s when he hit me with his hammer. The jerk told me in no uncertain terms that I was ruining his and his buddies' lives by helping Kurda. Said there would be an accident if I continued.”

  Kaelalin’s face snapped to him, alarm written all over it. She slowed her pace.

  “Why didn’t you say anything?” She huffed out loud.

  Simon shrugged. “Not sure. But I only helped him for another day. That shouldn’t have made him so pissed.”

  “Simon.” She said between breaths, then switched to mental communication. “That’s a big deal. He attacked you?”

  “Yeah.”

  “... that’s why you wanted to talk.”

  “Yeah.”

  There was a pause, the sound of their steps filling the silence.

  “I’m sorry, Simon.” Kaelalin’s reply was quiet. “I should have been there for you.”

  “Don’t worry about it.”

  They were quiet for a few minutes, before Simon asked.

  “What about Marden then? Why did he have a bone to pick with me?”

  “No idea.” Kaelalin replied. “Maybe because he was still upset we made him pay full price for the Aurora Hoppers?”

  That didn’t make sense, but Simon didn’t have a better idea. Well, he had one theory.

  “You think it was because of the percentage from the Realm of the Forger?”

  Kaelalin’s steps slowed every so slightly as she thought.

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  “Maybe. I can’t see how Maelis is going to profit from that. He did swear to give out free treatment from now on.”

  Simon scoffed. “Just like he swore he had my best interests in mind. Man I was an dumb for trusting that.”

  “A little.” Kaelalin replied, her slight smile transferring through the thought. “But, I don’t think you are to blame there. What else were you going to do? It seemed reasonable at the time.”

  Her thoughts gained a growl. “Stepping around a vow like that. Disgusting. I didn’t think you could do that. Guess we all learned something from that speech.”

  “Yeah. Don’t trust people whose names start with M.”

  Kaelalin smiled.

  They were silent for the rest of their run. Simon nervously searched the world around him, using his goggles to their max. Nothing moved across the snowy landscape.

  Nothing.

  The dread grew.

  He should have insisted Kaelalin stay at the other portal. But if he was honest, he wasn’t sure what his plan would have been. Probably to just find a flat open area and use it to run circles.

  Now way that didn’t backfire.

  “There it is!” Kaelalin huffed out, breaking Simon out of his thoughts. Simon’s gaze snapped to the direction she pointed.

  A large hill grew out of the snow, it’s outline standing out against the drifts. It looked just like the one at the sub-realm of the forger.

  They had made it.

  Kaelalin didn’t hesitate. She moved in and energy crackled across her arms. The spell cast out of her and the snow blew away.

  As it flew away, scripts lit up against a stone frame in the hill.

  Energy poured across it, it wasn’t a molten orange like the Realm of the Forger, instead a tannish brown. The energy wrapped and wove itself around the doorway.

  Simon breathed a sigh of relief as a prompt appeared in the air.

  —- SYSTEM NOTICE—-

  > YOU HAVE DISCOVERED A SUB-REALM

  > Name: Unraveled Weave of the Adapter

  > Status: Partially Stable

  This realm has not fully integrated. A step is required.

  As the first to discover this realm, you and those with you may attempt to stabilize this realm. If successful, you will gain a percentage of everything harvested.

  Harmony is offered. Growth is earned. Limits are unknown.

  ——————————

  Simon finished reading, then shook his head. “Oh man, Emrick is going to shit a brick”

  He turned to Kaelalin. “Assuming that is what I think it is. It’s gotta have some type of cloth in it with a name like that.”

  The Frost-kin was staring, dumbstruck. She made no sign of hearing what Simon had just said.

  “Uh… Hello? Earth to Kaelalin?” Simon stepped toward her and tapped her shoulder. “You there?”

  Kaelalin shook herself, then turned wide eyes on Simon.

  “Simon do you realize what this means?”

  Simon looked at the portal, then back to her. “...the fashion industry in Varnholt is about to explode?”

  “No! Well.. maybe… Wait, that's not important. This sub-realm!” she gestured at the portal. “It’s name is ‘weaver’”

  Simon nodded slowly. “Yeah, got that from reading the prompt.”

  “You don’t understand.” Kaelalin replied, her eyes not losing their look of wonder. “The first place we explored was the realm of the ‘forger’. This one is likely the realm of the ‘weaver’.” She looked at Simon, but his expression remained blank.

  “Gah. Right! You aren’t a crafter.” she shook her head. “You wouldn’t know.” Kaelalin stared at the prompt in amazement again. Then she continued. “My focus is on inventing. My class is part of what is named ‘the schools of creation.’”

  She tapped her palm, counting out. “There are ten schools or disciplines. My abilities fall under the ‘school of the inventor’ as do Brian’s. There's also the school of the constructor. Kurda’s class and abilities fall under that.”

  Her eyes twinkled with wonder. “But there are more, such as applier, carver, and combiner. There’s more, but the two that are important are: Forger.” she paused. “And adapter.”

  Simon raised his eyebrows. “So each realm in this valley might be connected to a school of creation?”

  Kaelalin nodded enthusiastically. “Exactly!” Her eyes were locked on the tan energy of the portal. “I know there are at least nine schools. Brian and I asked after one of the system events that explained them.”

  She pulled out the map and doublechecked the marks. “But there are eleven places you found that have that energy signature. I think every school is represented here!” she moved around like a kid on Christmas day.

  Simon smiled at her, but then frowned as a thought crossed his mind.

  Surely, not right? He shook his head.

  “Hey, Kaelalin. Not to throw a wet blanket on this, but maybe we talk inside instead?”

  Kaelalin paused, the flames in her eyes dimming. “Right. Survive tonight.” she shook herself from her enthusiasm, but there were still embers. Her gaze drifted out to the wide plain around the portal.

  “It’s just… this means my school could be out there.” she gazed up at the aurora tinged sky. “Can you imagine? The realm of invention.”

  “That sounds really cool.” Simon nodded. “Kind of glad this one isn’t it. It would probably be dangerous as shit for me. A whole realm full of Kaelalin and Brian level inventions that go boom.”

  Kaelalin laughed. “Oh you would have a horrible time. I bet there would be complex arrays or mechanisms that would require days of research to decipher.”

  “Nope.” Simon shivered. “No thank you. I need a problem I use a beat down to solve.”

  “Very true.” Kaelalin looked expectantly at Simon. She gestured to the portal. “Alright then, after you.”

  “What?”

  “You’re going in first.”

  “Wait why?”

  Kaelalin rolled her eyes. “Because I don’t want to lock this down for a week if I have to run out. Based on the Realm of the Forger, I would guess the system would make the same rule. Also, if there’s something that requires a ‘beatdown’ as you put it, I want you in first.”

  “Oh.” Simon said. Yeah that was a no brainer.

  He stepped forward. Right before he touched the portal, he stated the dumb thought he had earlier.

  “You know, if they are all schools from that school of creation or whatever, it would really suck if they were all linked.”

  His foot touched the portal…

  …and Simon stepped through.

  —- SYSTEM NOTICE—-

  > FAILED TO TRANSPORT

  > Location: Unraveled Weave of the Adapter

  > Cause:.This location is connected to a registered realm with the local hub. Simon Starfall is currently banished from Varnholt Artisan Enclave. Because of current status, entry is denied.

  ——————————

  Why the hell did I say anything?!

  Simon stared at the snow on the other side.

  The same thing had happened. Instead of being transported into another realm, he had warped to the other side of the hill.

  “Simon?” Kaelalin mentally contacted him “Did it work? You vanished, but the party says you aren’t in another realm.”

  Simon sighed, then stomped around the hill.

  “No it did not. Same shit.” He grumbled. "This is what I get for trying to help the town, for turning in that quest. What a fucking... why the fuck did we do that?”

  He stared at Kaelalin. “Now what?!”

  She had the map out and was studying it intensely. “There has to be something else.” She muttered. “There has to be.”

  Simon moved next to her and looked at the map. The marks he had made were lit up by the tan glow of the portal.

  “Kaelalin, I think this is it.” He shook his head. “I don’t think there's another plan.”

  The Frost-kin’s face was scrunched in concentration, as she traced from point to point.

  “This one, we could–.”

  “Kaelalin…”

  “Simon!” Her eyes burned as she stared into his eyes. “We aren’t giving up. There are eleven hills. I only know of nine schools of creation. We have already found two, that leaves two out of nine that could be unrelated.” She jabbed a finger at him. “You aren’t allowed to give up.”

  “I’m not giv–”

  “Sure sounds like you are. Look” Kaelalin pointed at a spot on the map. “This one is just about an hour or so away from here. We make a run to it.”

  She folded the map, and started moving.

  “And if it’s another creation realm?” Simon called after her.

  “Then we search the next one!” She replied, her voice firm.

  Simon watched her move away. This was a bad idea. He glanced to the sky. Flecks of color sparked across it. The aurora hadn’t weakened, but it hadn’t grown stronger.

  He needed to put a stop to this…

  Kaelalin was further away.

  He…

  Simon sighed.

  One more.

  That was it. After that, he was done. No more chasing after this plan. Kaelalin was just going to have to deal with it. He didn’t care if she disagreed, he would shove her right into the portal.

  One.

  More.

  Try.

  Simon tensed his legs, then exploded forward. As he caught up to Kaelalin, the Frost-kin increased her pace as well.

  They ran into the night.

  Again.

  Simon’s steps felt heavy as they pounded across the snow.

  What was it?

  Was it just his nerves?

  His mind ached from running through the feeling. There was something here. A memory, or a bit of information, or some detail about the valley that wasn’t making sense.

  Simon leapt over another small mound in the snow. He had tripped over one of these buried hard rock-like things earlier. He needed to watch his step.

  And figure out exactly what was bothering him.

  As soon as possible.

  —— ? ——