While I was biting my lips in annoyance, I saw the harpies flying to the distance and spreading around all the border… It looked like they didn’t find us, but they were pnning to use the snowstorm to unch an attack. While they had high chances of catching their targets off guard, if their pn failed, they wouldn’t be able to regroup that easily.

  ‘They are insane, but I already knew that given the number of attacks they unched on Ironcliff without obtaining any results… still, they have confidence to attack fast and running away even faster if necessary.’

  The harpies would be too busy to find us, but the people of Talimor would be too cautious to receive us. It will be better if we cross a rge area before stopping. That was fine with me since I didn’t want to leave Alissandra close to the border, but now that I thought about it… would anyone be welcoming to a baby harpy under these conditions?

  I wanted to facepalm so hard… all this work coming here for nothing. Still, I had to at least check the nd before deciding anything. Exploring the dungeons and byrinths here wouldn’t be a bad idea either.

  In any case, I could tell the direction in which the harpies went, so I moved away from it. They should be targeting the bases that the kingdom of Talimor had close to the border.

  ‘I really need a damn map. I am sick and tired of walking the dark all the damn time when moving across the world.’

  Although the visibility was poor, we managed to cross the border just fine without meeting the harpies or anyone else along the way. In the end, the trouble that I faced was more mental than anything. Still, that wouldn’t make reaching my goal any easier.

  Alissandra didn’t make much noise during the night. Maybe it was because the cold made her sleep more peacefully. Then again, harpies should be resistant to that.

  When morning began to arrive, the snowstorm began to dissipate as well, and I decided to take a break nearby. I had no idea where I was heading since everything was covered in snow, and the light of the day would give me a bit of help to find some possible paths.

  “Awoo?”

  Gcien woke up and then looked at me in confusion. Despite being an animal, she wasn’t a morning creature. She spent the whole night sleeping and so she realized the blunder.

  “It is okay. Just pull the wagon. We already get too much attention with this kind of vehicle, after all. It would be too much to move using the engines. Look for any settlement around that you feel that is safe.”

  “Awoo!”

  Gcien had good instincts for that kind of thing and we should be pretty further in the territory. Staying hidden also would make us look more suspicious than anything. So no more camoufge.

  As the next day arrived and the sun began to illuminate the surroundings, I was able to see the yout of the area. There were some vast mountains to the east and north as well. They were pretty close to each other, so it made me think that they could be the borders of Talimor in those directions. I had no idea of the dimensions of this nd, after all.

  ‘They shouldn’t be small if they can fight the harpies… but they can’t be that numerous, considering that most of the world hates half humans.’

  Half humans had a hard time having kids with other half humans. Unless they were basically the same type of couple, like both being half dwarves or half elves, they would be a hard time conceiving. It was even rarer for half elves. They don’t live as much as the regur elves, but they live for quite a while. Even so, it was rare for them to have more than one or two kids, even if they lived for hundreds of years.

  I didn’t care about that. What I cared about was what their society would look like with the mix of so many species. Human, Elven, dwarven and even beastkin elements should be found here.

  It didn’t take long for us to see a town on the horizon, its silhouette standing in stark contrast to the open ndscape. For a kingdom stuck in a war against the harpies, the sight was unexpected. Unlike what I had imagined, a fortified pce with towering walls as defensive structures, the town was entirely open. There were no walls to ward off invaders or any sign of ongoing preparations for an aerial assault. It became clear that the ck of fortifications wasn’t due to neglect but rather a matter of design.

  The architecture itself was surprisingly simir to what I had seen in the empire. Rows of brick houses stretched out in neat formations, their uniformity lending an air of calm and boring normalcy. The buildings weren’t ostentatious or particurly innovative, just practical structures that spoke to a society focused on functionality rather than grandeur. Smoke curled zily from chimneys, and the faint hum of daily life carried through the air. It was almost too ordinary, given the kingdom’s current circumstances.

  Still, I couldn’t shake the sense of vulnerability the town projected. Without walls or visible defenses, how did they intend to repel an attack from the skies? Or was this confidence a sign of a kingdom that had learned to coexist with the constant threat and adapting?

  ‘Well, this is a bit disappointing…’

  Still, when I approached the town, I soon realized that things wouldn’t be so simple and disappointing. I saw some half elves bsting away the snow from the buildings with magic and I also saw half dwarves driving some vehicles and moving the snow from the streets. There weren’t many, but some half beastkin were moving around and patrolling the town. They looked the ones most suited for combat, so it wasn’t surprising.

  ‘This isn’t half bad… It is exactly what I had imagined. A peaceful and organized pce where bance reigns supreme.’

  Perhaps I was jumping the gun, but it was refreshing to see something for the first time that didn’t make me raise my eyebrows.

  While I was thinking along those lines, the guards finally saw my wagon approaching and they were able to see and sense my smell. I could tell that they raised their guard and their mood changed, but at least they didn’t grab their weapons and pointed at me. I had to slow down when they got ready to block my path.

  “Halt, who are you?”

  The guard that also seemed to have the blood of a dogkin raised his voice while asking that question. He raised his voice enough so that everyone around could look at me… it made me feel like sighing.

  “Just someone traveling. My name is Regulus. Can I enter the town or not?”

  Maybe I was being a bit impatient and forceful, but it was better to make those things clear from the beginning. I wasn’t trying to hide my identity, and I wasn’t staying hidden, so I had nothing to hide.

  The guard looked at his companion and wondered what they should do. They were at war, but they were known for being welcoming to all half humans as long as they weren’t criminals. They should know about my game, but it would benefit the empire to spread news about me.

  “... You may enter, but we have ws here. Don’t break them and don’t do anything suspicious.”

  “Anything in particur that I should keep in mind?”

  “... Vampire antics aren’t welcome here.”

  “No problem.”

  I wondered what could be considered vampire antics. Dark rituals? Blood sucking? Necromancy? I wasn’t into any of them and I wanted distance from that kind of shit.

  The guards looked at Gcien and frowned a bit. She seemed calm as ever and despite her massive build, they didn’t say anything about her. Still, they had this look of understanding when looking into her eyes. Was that a kind of animal telepathy?

  “Anyone else with you?”

  “Just one.”

  I grabbed the basket where Alissandra was sleeping and then showed her to them. The guards frowned while looking at me… I still looked very young, after all, and she had no traces of my characteristics.

  “Very well, you may proceed.”

  Since Alissandra was wrapped in her bnket, the guards didn’t notice the traces that marked her as part harpy. Her feathers, though partially visible if one looked closely, were completely hidden under the thick fabric, leaving no visible signs for the guards to suspect anything unusual. What surprised me even more was how they didn’t seem to notice her scent.

  For half-beastkin guards, I had assumed their improved senses, especially their sense of smell, would have alerted them to something out of the norm. Whether it was carelessness, overconfidence, or something else entirely, I couldn’t say, but it worked in our favor. Either way, the encounter left me with an uneasy mix of relief and curiosity about just how much the guards were able to notice.

  Gcien began to pull the wagon while ignoring the stares around. Now that I finally could enter one of those towns without seeing people with pitchforks in their hands, I realized that I didn’t know what I should do here… could even I do anything here?

  I looked around and considered what I should do… for starters, milk to Alissandra. Then a map next would be a good idea… then a bunch of magic implements with effects that I didn’t know of. That order should be fine.

  ‘I also should consider what I should do next if I don’t find anyone here to look after Alissandra. The nds beyond this pce are pretty harsh. The people in the north don’t like the harpies that much, and my knowledge is limited about the East of Talimor. The empire is in the south… so, I guess my only option left would be the Kingdom of Felyndor.’

  At this point in time, I couldn’t help but feel like I was being thrown around in all directions and had no agency over my own life.

  WritingMachineGun