Hello everyone, your favorite slacker here.
I'll be posting this chapter first before the continuation of the side chapter since its still underway, though I should have it done within this weekend, maybe even Zero Fate to boot.
Peace!
.
.
.
—----------------
/Step... Crunch.../
'And thus, it began, their journey into the continent, to lands they never went before... Most of them at least.'
'With each step, as they walked further and further away from Orario, the number of travelers and people to be seen on the road slowly decreased, leaving them alone with the rocks and weeds.'
/~Humming~/
'Taking this chance, Hestia hummed a song she heard on the main plaza a few weeks ago, happily skipping as she looked around excitedly.'
'To her who had never explored the outside world beyond the walls of Orario, everything was new and extremely exciting.'
'There was nothing to fear and everything to enjoy as she knew there was little in the world that could pose them harm with their escort at their side.'
"Woah..."
'The more she walked, the more the terrain changed and the greater her awe became.'
'The tales she could only hear from others slowly became a reality as they unfurled in front of her very eyes.'
'From the lush green fields surrounding Orario to the distant deserts and Kingdoms, they slowly made their way to the rocky cliffs of the Beol Mountains directly North of the great city as they traveled deep into mostly abandoned and unexplored territory.'
'Here, nature was in control, wild and savage, monsters waited in the shadows, biding their every move...'
'Genkai was gargantuanly extensive, so massive it would take months to years for boats to arrive from the Far East depending on their route, hence its name.'
'There were many secrets and mysteries scattered throughout the lands, some better off left forgotten, sealed away for eternity...'
'Albeit Silver had plans to dig some of them out.'
"Hum… Strange…" Hestia mumbled to herself as she looked around
"Is something wrong?" Artemis asked as she turned to her
"Well, since we're now outside of Orario, I thought we were going to see some of Demeter's farm fields… But there's nothing around us."
"Oh, that's simple." Silver said as he pointed ahead and then to the East
"This path leads directly to the Beol mountains, it's not a path used frequently so there aren't many travelers around, if any."
"Demeter's farm fields are indeed located to the North of Orario, but a bit further to the East and West of where we are right now."
"The land around us isn't very fertile, or better put, it's rocky and hard to be used as a proper field, not to say of its dangers due to its proximity to the mountains."
"Monsters frequently descend the mountain, and Demeter is known for their farm products, not her strength, and even if she has guards, what would happen if a wyvern burned her fields to a crisp?"
"Orario would fall into a food shortage." Artemis added as her expression soured
"That's right, because of that, her farm fields are much closer to the West, in the fields between Melen and Orario where it is safer."
"We saw a few of her Familia members on the way to Orario, didn't you see the many carts coming and going? Those belonged to her."
"Her Manor is at a very suitable location, causing many merchants to pass by and trade with her, albeit she never trades food directly with them."
"She only sells her produce inside Orario, which allows the Guild to control the market prices and keep them low and accessible due to how massive and trustworthy her image is."
On that note, I did hear Demeter had a secret warehouse in the Beol mountains, a super silo of sorts in case there were hit with a famine, large enough to sustain Orario in its entirety for quite some time.
My parents and Grandparents also joined her Familia so they could grow a bit through her blessing, it's slow but over the years the blessing will have an effect.
Field work isn't easy nor light, years of doing it under the scalding sun will increase one's stats, and then, an encounter with a monster may be just what a Farmer needs to Level Up.
Extremely rare but nowhere as rare as there are Level 4 adventurers within Orario.
As for my Grandparents, did it mostly as a way to update their old Statuses, and if not for the fact I knew of this beforehand, no one would even know Demeter has two first-class adventurers under her name.
Knowing their personalities, they may very well help her if she asked for it, but at the same time, knowing how kind-hearted she is, Demeter would never pull them into her issues.
And until recently, my grandparents were being pursued... So they likely refused to stay with her... That is, if she knew of their troubles.
It's almost like a paradox where neither will approach the other as a way to protect them...
"Cough... In any case, that is where her main farm is located, can't say for the others under her name… She likely has a few large farms scattered around to grow specific crops." Silver said as he touched the back of his head
"I see, I didn't know that, Demeter never went into such details." Hestia said with a curious expression as she squinted her eyes, trying to find her Manor on the horizon
"Well, it isn't proper to talk about it anyway, it isn't that good of a conversation topic." Artemis said with a chuckle as she put her hands behind her back
"Hum… Demeter isn't the kind to share her troubles, she usually buckles up and solves them on her own, which is pretty annoying…" Hestia said with a nod, agreeing with herself
"Then, where are we going? You have yet to tell us that!"
"... Where else?... My home. It's been a while." Silver replied strongly
"I also..."
""!""
'Both Goddess already expected to hear something along those lines, given all of the stories Silver shared with them from his time growing up.'
'But hearing that was their destination… To see where he had grown… His family…'
'It was an experience in itself. It may very well be their way of finally… Claiming him as theirs.'
'They only needed the approval of his parents, wasn't that how mortals usually did things? Yeah, right, there was a special word for the term, when two individuals joined hands together...'
'If they could get it…'
'Because of their shock, Silver's words slowly dissipated into the wind as their focus went elsewhere...'
/Fire…/
'Somehow, the eyes of both Goddesses lit with fire, a hot and burning passion, and a silent yet warm love.'
"... This is the path I took when I first came to Orario, it's a bit different from when I arrived, given we were in the middle of Winter, but I remember the way back with no problem." Silver said as he looked around
I came around the end of November to the start of December and Met Hestia around the New Year.
Right now it's still the second week of September, a bit far from Winter but the air is already starting to get a bit chilly.
On my way home, there is only one place I wish to visit in the Beol mountains… Maybe two...
Though maybe I can leave those to after meeting with my parents and catching up with them.
It's not like it'll just run away.
"Woah… I know I asked this already, but that was your first time at Orario right?" Hestia asked as she looked at the very ground with a strange emotion, maybe pride?
'Pride that this very path led her lover to her? What a strange way to look at the world.'
"Yes, before, I only ever heard of the city through word of mouth and sometimes, albeit very rarely, from pieces of journal and books that somehow made it out of its walls."
'The Guild always kept tight locks surrounding the city's activities, to the point it wouldn't allow even good news to come out sometimes.'
'But from time to time, it was natural for things to spread, Ouranos couldn't keep the merchants and travelers in the city, and neither would he want to.'
'Orario exports a lot of things and that generates interactions, a little bit of a leak won't kill the city nor bring it much harm.'
'Besides, with the city being as large as it is, if someone skilled enough made its way inside, they would already be able to get a lot of info.'
'The important thing about the city is its adventures and technology development, those Ouranos keeps under tight wraps.'
'Some famous adventurers will unavoidably be recognized, but as long as their strengths and weaknesses aren't known, then what will they do about it?'
'A Kingdom will have, at most, a Level 3 Knight, maybe 4. Sometimes, it's only a few Level 2 individuals.'
'What can they do against a top Level 7 monster if not just beg for mercy?'
"You said you grew about here?" Artemis asked as she put her hands behind her back
"Not quite, but not wrong either." Silver said as he looked at the mountains in the distance
"I grew up in a Village at the foot of the Beol mountains, around a week on foot from here... If you take your time."
"It was a rather safe place as rarely would any monster descend from the mountains and cross the forest to reach us, but it did happen from time to time…" He said as he remembered some… Unpleasant memories
I still hate Orcs... And sometimes, I'll have the urge to puke upon seeing a Goblin.
The ammount of Goblins my grandfather had me kill for the sake of mastering weapons and combat... Maybe that is one of the reasons I awakened the Skills I have, but at the same time, I would prefer had I never gone through it.
"Monsters? Was it dangerous in any way?" Artemis asked with some concern, clenching her hands as she thought of the many people who still lived in fear
"Not really." Silver said as he shook his head, understanding full well what Artemis was thinking and reflecting about
Even if she is strong, a single Goddess cannot save the world.
Two tried once, and after 1000 years of preparation, they failed.
"Still, my Village was one of the lucky ones to have retired adventurers in it, so we never had any trouble."
"Monster encounters aren't that frequent, but while a mob of villagers may be capable of dealing with a Kobold or your ordinary Goblin, a Troll is something else entirely."
"As such, it's not like we were safe all the time." He said as his voice grew a bit quiet
'Memories he didn't quite want to remember.'
'Silver spent most of his time growing up alone, but he wasn't entirely an antisocial child...'
'Albeit it was mostly because he wasn't interested in playing around the mud with other kids, he did once have people he considered "friends".'
'However, one day, when he was much smaller, one of them was attacked by a goblin and unfortunately, died before his grandmother could save him with her potions.'
'Losing a 'friend' like that, one too young to even have appreciated the world left quite the scar on him.'
'It was always too sad to see a child die, much less one you grew close to.'
'Silver may have been the child's age, but he saw it as family in a sense, the little bugger had grown close to him somewhat.'
'When he saw the corpse… He lost interest in interacting with the others, focusing instead on training and studying.'
'It was cowardly in a way, but that wasn't done intentionally, it was mostly something he did naturally.'
'As someone with a head too developed for his own good, the moment he lost his sole hook to the world of children, he completely let go of it soon after.'
'And as the years passed, he just outgrew it as all do, the problem is time only moves in one direction and one can never recover what belongs in the past.'
"Living outside the city isn't easy, the further away you are from it the wilder things become, that is why people cluster together."
"I grew up safely, thanks to the hard work of many."
'Silver's tone grew heavier as his words slowed down...'
"... It shouldn't take too long for us to get there, as even when I made my way here, it didn't take me too long to arrive."
"Silver…"
"Don't, this wasn't meant to be sad. I kind of wandered about too much on the topic."
'He turned to Hestia, tapping her head.'
"For now, let's enjoy the way forward, there are many paths on the way back home I never tried, how about we check them out and see where they lead?"
In the past month, as I was recovering, I took the opportunity to access the Gnome Library.
'The Gnome Library, likely one of the oldest still standing libraries in the entire continent.'
'As its name said, the library was erected by Gnomes, spirits of the Earth, most of them are thousands of years old, their intellect unmatched.'
'Funny enough, their sole interest is in amassing wealth while protecting their knowledge, and the way they found to enforce their way of living was by creating a luxurious, high-class library.'
'People would pay astronomical values to access their knowledge, as they should, and the Gnomes knew it, so, to not make others covet their secrets, they made it public, if you had the coin...'
'It was a very profitable business module, it stood the passage of time for centuries and it would continue to do so... That is, until the Gods create the Internet...'
There, apart from information on magic and its relation to the physical body, I also studied many books on history and geography.
I know exactly where to go, even if I lost my way I just have to follow…
"... Silver?... Silver? You listening?" Hestia asked as she jumped in front of him
"Hm? No, I got a bit distracted, can you say it again?"
"Stop thinking so much! You're always thinking about something." Hestia said with a pout as she pulled his index finger
"Still, as I was saying…"
'Despite trying to get Silver's attention, soon enough, his thoughts strayed away as he looked at the distant mountains.'
…
/Step step…/
"...Hm?"
This place is…
'After going through a few more minutes walking, Silver decided to speed things up by teleporting them to the top of the slope of the mountain, leading them deep across the mountain path a few hours away from Orario.'
'From here, they couldn't see the city anymore, nor Babel, it was safe to say they were a few Km deep in the mountains now.'
'Silver didn't feel strained by using his powers to cover such distance, however, he knew his limits.'
'He had already tried to connect directly to his home once, and the result wasn't positive.'
'There is progressive feedback the further he tried to extend his reach, and right now, he suspected his limit to be between 15 and 20 Kilometers maybe a bit more, which was already rather extensive.'
'As for his quick, short-distance teleportation, he placed a range of about half to 2 Kilometers, maybe more or less depending on how desperate or tired he is.'
'He calculated his home to be around 190 to 240 Kilometers away from Orario after checking many maps and asking many merchants over the months.'
'However, that was only on a straight line, because for once, travelers would often walk around 40 to 60 Km a day before resting, so the fact the road he took by the mountains was expected to make him arrive within a week didn't quite add up to the numbers.'
'And above all, the mountain road was assumed to be the faster route since it cut right through it, even with all of its twists and turns. Most merchants would have to go around the mountain if they wished to get to Orario directly from the North without meeting any monsters or getting any unfortunate accidents.'
'Although there was always the chance of meeting a monster, whenever you are...'
'But of course, when he took the path all those months ago, he arrived within 2 days because he used his Plasmids to dash around faster than a horse.'
'Still, as he admitted before, he could easily get home in a few minutes by opening several portals back to back and traveling across them, he would get a bit tired by doing so, but the time he would take to walk all the way there would far surpass the time it would take for him recover from his tiredness from magic overuse.'
'His powers were really convenient... And fearsome.'
'Like some of his Familia companions said, he was a scary man, facing an adventurer was one thing, facing a monster was another, but he was something else entirely.'
'For once, wasn't it ridiculous to think of an enemy that wouldn't die if you pierced its heart? That was how absurd he was, even though that wasn't necessarily the truth.'
'Could could "patch up" most of his injuries as long as he had Mind to sustein it, but if he was pierced in the heart without the resources to heal himself, he would bleed to death... Or maybe not.'
'It would be a fight between his natural Mind recovery and his body's constitution as he bled away, bit by bit...'
"..."
This place… I remember it.
'Memories of many months ago filled his mind, of the time when he dreamed of the city and the many adventures within it.'
This was where I was… 'Robbed'...
'When he walked from the mountains and was approached by several thieves, throwing them down the ravine before continuing on his way.'
Thinking about it… I guess I was a hillbilly in my own right huh… Being impressed by it all.
Hum... I wonder if by now the Gods of Death already purified their Souls and sent them to reincarnate?
Hopefully, they were luckier this time and were born in a better household where they can grow to be productive rather than resort to a life of thievery.
It would be depressing to kill them again... I plan to live very long, enough for several lifetimes to pass, so that could happen...
I'm a hypocrite for that but so be it.
/CAWWW!/
""!""
/Flap! Flap!/
Suddenly, a strong chirp echoed in the mountains, and soon enough, the sound of wings flapping reached their ears.
"CAAAWW!"
A strong and heavy raspy call, it was a massive eagle with dark gray feathers!
"S-Silver!" Hestia exclaimed in worry as she jumped into his embrace
Hehe...
"!...!"
'Meanwhile, Artemis reached for her back, but unfortunately, she was walking without a bow…'
'She then turned to Silver and Hestia, and upon seeing Hestia's expression as she shoved her face onto his chest, her mood soured.'
Maybe I should've done the same… Sigh...
'Feeling a bit left out, she walked to his side nonetheless, though she was ready to kick ass if the creature came to her.'
'She could still fight with her fists if necessary, she could and would snap a minotaur's neck if it got too close!'
/Chuckle…/
'Meanwhile, Silver laughed a little as he patted Hestia's head, looking at the angry eagle jumping on the ground in front of them as it opened its massive wings to block almost the whole path.'
'The eagle was massive having a wingspan of around 5 meters, it was enough to cover all three of them in a blanket.'
"Shoo shoo! Please..."
/CAWW!/
"AHH!"
'Hestia on the other hand raised her hand, trying to shoo the creature away, only to cause it to screech back at her.'
"Calm down, that's not a monster." Silver said out loud as he snapped his fingers
/Snap!/
"CAW!... Caw?..."
'With that, the three of them vanished, becoming invisible.'
'But that wasn't the only thing Silver masked, their smells, breathing, heat, everything the eagle could sense was also hidden away, causing the animal to jump back warily before looking up the precipice.'
"Not a monster? That large eagle?" Artemis asked with some confusion
'She had gone many places but this was her first time seeing such a large eagle that wasn't a monster.'
"It's a Cliff eagle, they're the natural apex predators of these lands and they must've taken this spot off the road as its territory, its nest should be all the way up on those cliffs." Silver said as he looked up
'Their path was around the edge of the mountain, a wobbly and decadent road carved on the stone.'
(Image)
'To their right was a tall mountain, and to their left was a deep ravine leading to the forests below.'
"But don't they live all the way up there, why would they attack us?" Hestia asked as she held his hand
"Because it's almost Winter." Silver said with a chuckle as he looked at the eagles
This type of eagle mated for life and they usually remained in the same spot all their lives, they're a type of bird that will find a mate, build a nest, and use it continuously.
It's rare to see them bother others like this.
'But today was a special day...'
"What does Winter has to do with any of this?" Hestia asked out loud as she scratched her head
"How about we approach them? You'll understand." He said with a cheeky smile as he pointed forward
"Hum… Alright!" Hestia said as she stepped forward
I'm curious now.
""...""
'Smiling slightly, Silver and Artemis watched the exited Hestia walk closer to the eagles, it was impressive how much she trusted Silver, and how big those birds were.'
"So… Does this frail Goddess need some comfort after such frightful encounter?" Silver asked as he pulled her close to a hug
"!"
/Kiss…/
"S-Stop…"
"You're usually more accepting, are you embarrassed?" Silver asked with a chuckle as he let her go after a kiss
"..."
/Sizzle…/
'He felt as if he could see her head steaming, likely from multiple forms of embarrassment layering atop each other.'
"Anyway, we should go before she gets too close." Silver said as he held her hand
"... Mhum…" Artemis replied with a gentle smile as she held it back
…
"KYA! It's so cute!" Hestia said with a smile as she watched the small chick on the ground, though it was about her hand in size, pretty chunky
"So this is the reason? They were moving their chick through the road?" Artemis asked Silver as she looked at the eagles
"Not quite, that's only part of the reason, look above, there comes another…"
"Huh?... GHUAAAAAA!!!" Hestia screamed as she saw another chick hit the ground like a cannonball
/Thud…/
"S-SILVER! The bird!!! H-Help it!" Hestia exclaimed as she shook his body
"Haha… Calm down, it's fine, see? It just got up again." He said as he pointed at the chick
Well... I think...
"Huh?... Whaaat?"
"... Are you surprised or happy it survived?" Artemis asked as sweat fell from her forehead as she looked at Hestia
"Happy of course! But why did the chick jump?!"
"Because it's almost winter." Silver replied with a small smile
"Soon enough these mountains will be full of snow and these chicks will die of cold."
"So to prevent that, they need to go somewhere else, but the nest of these birds can only be reached by flying, something it'll take a few months for these chunky boys to figure out…"
"So they jump, it's the only way to get out of there… Oh, there comes another." Silver said as he pointed up
"EH?! KYAAAA!" Hestia exclaimed again as she saw the bird jump
'Even Artemis closed her eyes…'
/Thud… Up…/
'But just like the ones before, the chick got up, chirping as it ran after its parents after wobbling a little, getting beneath the wings of the father bird as it continued to look up.'
"Three huh, that's quite lucky, most don't survive the fall."
"HUH?! You said they would be fine!" Hestia exclaimed as she grabbed his collar
"Well, they were meant to be fine, that's what they were built to do."
"But this is a cliff, not a kids' park… Some are just unlucky… Not to say the predators lurking around." He said as he looked around
No matter how much you evolved, if they fall onto a sharp rock, it's game over.
"Nonetheless, I guess this path makes things easier, it cuts down the way down considerably and makes it easier for the parents to watch over, this is an example of human influence in nature."
"... Even a simple road can affect an ecosystem considerably, making a bird whose population is controlled through the survivability of its eggs thrive."
"Though that shouldn't change anything anyway, the ecosystem is already half destroyed due to all the monsters…" Silver added as he touched his neck
"There's another." Artemis said as she closed her eyes
"KYAAA!"
…
/Later…/
'In the end, all of the chicks survived the fall, a total of five.'
/Chirp chirp!/
"Huff… Huff… This is too tense for me." Hestia said out loud as she looked at the little birds chirping, the parents seemed rather pleased as they walked down the road
"Where are they going?" Artemis asked as she looked at them
"Likely to one of the many hidden clearings of the Beol Mountains, as you know, there are many hidden forests, lakes, and similar places within, and it's the perfect place to raise them while seeking shelter from Winter."
"Then, once Springs come, those chicks will have grown enough to be able to take care of themselves while the parents will reconstruct their nest and repeat the cycle, I think they'll still take care of their children if they do meet them, but that shouldn't last long."
"Then, the next winter after, those chicks will have matured and the cycle renews itself."
If they survive…
Out of 8 eggs, it would be unlikely for even 1 to survive to adulthood, it was already incredible that five had lived, but given how there were only five indicates a few died before even having the chance to jump.
Such is nature.
"I see… It's beautiful." Hestia said as she saw the birds walking away
"It sure is, nature is full of surprises, some cuter than others." Silver added as he started walking
"How do you know so much about them?" Artemis asked as she followed him with Hestia
"My grandparents lived in these mountains for decades, there's not much they don't know about them. I just learned a thing or two over the years." He replied with a smile as he kept walking
'There was still a long journey ahead of them, and although it was fully subjected to Silver's will, he decided to enjoy the little things as they went.'
'The moment they started to grow tired, he wouldn't mind speeding up things a bit.'
'But from their expressions, it seemed that wouldn't be happening anytime soon.'
'That was how they went by on their journey…'
.
.
.
Notes
Done, a cute little chapter to start this new Arc.
Next chapter will be the end of the Side Chapter and we'll proceed from there.
Peace!