Isaac showed a guard their mission pass. The guard gave a curt nod, then gestured for the person controlling the gates to let them through. 2 grand, wooden gates slowly opened, revealing a world of snow, ice and pine trees to the group.
They stepped through the gates and into the real world, leaving the safety of the sect behind.
The gates thudded shut behind them, cutting off any route of retreat. They were committed to the mission now.
That meant they had to take the first step towards completing it – reaching Kirk Village. Johan had long since requisitioned the map from Isaac, so he got it out with a flourish and quickly set a course to their destination. The navigation wasn't difficult since a route was already marked on the map. Using the scale at the bottom of the map, Johan estimated the journey would take 2 days if they followed the route.
Thankfully, they had all prepared well. Each member of the team carried a bag packed with essentials such as food, water, matches, and large waterproof sheets they could use to build a shelter. Isaac had prepared especially carefully due to what happened last time he ventured into the wild. He even carried a spare set of clothes in case his got damaged in battle again.
Spare clothes might also come in handy if what he was wearing got soaked through. The clouds above were so thick even the midday sun could barely penetrate them. They loomed overhead, thick, heavy, and strongly threatening to rain.
Some of the villages surrounding the sect had a saying: 'there are only 3 guarantees in life: taxes, death, and piss-poor weather'. They were likely to see the latter today.
However, rain, snow and hail were constant occurrences in Northern Tundra, so the group had already expected to deal with bad weather. They paid no mind to the storm building overhead and embarked on their journey.
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Snow crunched underfoot and ravens cawed from unknown locations, concealed by the branches they perched on. Aside from the rustling of trees blown by the wind, these were the only sounds heard by the group throughout 8 hours of walking. The sun had set a few hours ago, but Johan was a better navigator than Isaac and he had been confident of guiding them in the right direction despite the pitch-dark conditions.
They'd been trying to keep their pace up and make it to Kirk Village as soon as possible, so they'd had very few breaks in their walking. Now all 4 of them were exhausted from the trek, so they decided to settle down for the night.
It was raining, so there was no chance of them starting a campfire. They all sat together at the base of a large tree and ate some of the food they'd brought with them. When they were finished, they bade one another goodnight before climbing the branches of the tree and each finding a thick bough to rest on.
Isaac tied his waterproof sheet between the branches above him to block the rain, but he couldn't see whether the others had done the same. It didn't particularly matter to him either, so he dispelled any thoughts about the mission or the group from his mind and tried to get a peaceful night's sleep.
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Being able to sleep well in any circumstances was a skill – a skill that Isaac had mastered through years of living in the farm's noisy dorms. The relentless pit-patter of rain could not keep him awake and he'd managed to drift off just minutes after putting his head down.
Now, however, it was morning and he'd already woken up.
He untied his waterproof sheet, descended the tree and began to eat breakfast at its base. Soon, he was joined by Abbie and Eva who also looked well-rested after a good night. It had stopped raining midway through the night, so there was nothing to stop Eva taking dry sticks and kindling out of her bag to start a campfire.
The trio warmed their hands above the fire and even used it to cook some of meat they'd brought with them. The cut of meat was small but quite high in fat, making it a valuable source of energy and calories.
As the meat was cooking, Isaac shouted out for Johan to join them.
5 minutes later, Johan emerged from the lower branches of the tree. There were dark rings under his eyes and he looked rather tired. He hadn't had the same experiences as the other 3, so sleeping in noisy, cold and uncomfortable environments was still difficult for him.
While Johan was still struggling to shake off his tiredness, Isaac took the meat off the campfire and cut some for both Johan and himself. He tucked into his own portion while Johan came over and sat down unsteadily,
"I hope you're able to keep up today, since I'm not gonna slow down just for you."
Eva looked up and gave a simple remark. She wasn't really having a go at him; she just didn't want anybody to drag her or the group down. However, Johan decided to take it as an insult. Just as he was about to rebuke her, he was interrupted by Abbie,
"I'm sure he can manage. Johan wouldn't be in the team if he wasn't at least that capable, so you should put a little bit more of your trust in him."
Eva didn't respond and just went back to eating. Johan also calmed down and started eating his meat. The atmosphere of the group was rather cold after that, so nobody said anything and they just ate in silence.
Soon they finished breakfast. It was important to reach Kirk Village as quickly as possible, so they set off without wasting any time. Light flurries of snow had begun to fall from the sky, and the going was tough to begin with. Just putting one foot in front of the other was difficult when you were walking through 3 feet of snow.
They trudged onwards for minutes, which stretched into hours, which eventually knotted together into the long rope of a day. Just as they were approaching the end of that rope, an oasis of light appeared on the horizon. At first it was just a faint yellow dot, no bigger than a firefly. But as they crept closer, the dot grew bigger and bigger until it assumed its final form: Kirk Village, lit up like a beacon in the night.
Isaac and the others were like moths drawn towards its light. They made a beeline for the village so they could finally stop walking and relax their tired bodies. In particular, Johan was looking forward to sleeping in a proper bed where he could get a good night's rest.
On the other hand, Isaac had used his Snowshoe Anima a bit so he wasn't as tired as everybody else. When they reached the village, he was the one who interacted with the guards.
Compared to the fully-armoured, well-trained guards at the sect, these so-called guards looked more like clowns. The pair of gatekeepers were both dressed in mismatched pieces of ragged leather armour and they were chatting to each other while not paying attention to the surroundings. Isaac had to shout to get their attention.
"Hey! We're disciples sent by the sect, so let us in!"
When the guards heard him, they were both shocked. They immediately straightened up their posture and tried to look professional, but failed miserably. One of them said a few quiet words to the other, and then promptly disappeared from sight, leaving only one guard to speak to Isaac. She seemed a little anxious and stuttered as she spoke,
"H-hello sir – hello sirs and madams," she nervously corrected herself when she saw the rest of the group. She'd caught a glimpse of Isaac's sect disciple badge and she felt it looked real, so her anxiety only grew, "I-I-I welcome you to our humble village."
Then she tried her best to give a formal bow. Her rigid movements made it clear she had never performed such an action in her life, but Isaac commended the effort nonetheless.
"My colleague... has just gone to fetch the village head, so I hope you can come inside and j-just w-wait for him to arrive. He won't be long, I promise!"
The very idea of asking guests from the sect to 'wait' was nerve-wracking for the young female guard. She had gathered all her confidence before asking, but she was still extremely nervous when she did so. Contrary to her expectations, Isaac didn't get angry or berate her. Instead, he calmly ordered,
"Let us in and give us a place where we can wait and dry off."
The guard hurried to obey. Isaac saw her disappear from the top of the wall as she went to go and open the gate. 30 seconds later, the thick wooden gate began to slowly rise. No; it would be more accurate to describe it as a portcullis rather than a gate, since it had to be pulled upwards using a winch.
When the portcullis was fully raised, Isaac and the others stepped forwards. They had entered Kirk Village, the site of their quest.