Having a mount, Tolir with the help of Alyn prepared a pack for a three-day journey to travel through a part of the world of Taril to summon as many cores as possible. After a long nap to recover from his sleepless night, he left on the back of the horse.
This one, well-built due to its function proved to be comfortable and stable, which Tolir appreciated knowing that he would spend the next days on its back. Eager to methodically place his cores, he first returned to the portal. He hesitated to return to Lafin to place cores, but eventually abandoned the idea as too complicated to implement logistically.
When he found himself in front of the stone structure, a few hundred meters further on, the end of the world lay before him, a huge precipice from which a thick fog was escaping. After a long consideration, Tolir had opted to travel the world according to a spiral logic.
First, he would go along its edge to better draw it, then when he had covered a surface that he considered sufficient to spread his cores, he would cross the world until he reached its other side, which he would follow until he completed his route.
On paper, he knew that this was not the most optimal but at the same time, it would allow him to know more about the geography of the place he was missing. If the forest was well known thanks to the excursions of Alyn, this one not being able to go away to more than half a day of walk prevented the knowledge of whole portion of Taril.
He summoned his first core thanks to his emergency fund of aethers and the few points he had collected in his two oldest cores. The total was by no means staggering, but he hoped that his method would allow him to recharge his aether levels along the way.
>>>>> Mastery of Aether <<<<<
Aether: 33
Aetheric knowledge: [Goblin Recruit], [Goblin Fighter], [Goblin Bowman], [Goblin Worker]
Invocation: [Aethereal Core I] (5 aethers), [Aethereal Core II] (20 aethers), [Aethereal Core III] (60 aethers), [Aethereal Core VI] (130 aethers)
So, he rode up the world's border until nightfall and for much of the next day, stopping regularly to rest his mount while he summoned a core. Twice, by chance, he spotted an aether orb, which relieved him of the stress of running out of the precious resource.
It wasn't until late afternoon that he came across the best news since his arrival in this world: the presence of a river! If, at the beginning, he was irritated by its presence since it was about fifty meters wide, it prevented him from crossing it while it flowed into the abyss. Very quickly however, after he went up it, it proved to be an exceptional geographical asset.
After a new night on its banks, he continued the upstream to find during the morning of the second full day of the expedition, a bridge not far from the farthest point of the river from the city of Vold! And not guarded moreover!
Thus, if the river continued like this and barred the whole world in two distinct parts, it would constitute a natural barrier of which he could benefit. Eager to test his theory, he pressed his horse to reach the other side of the border before nightfall.
There, he noticed the accuracy of his premonition: the water, as if pushed by an invisible force, gushed out of the precipice taking the appearance of an inverted waterfall. Stunned by both the good news and this incredible discovery, he hugged his travel companion tightly as a token of thanks.
All the more so as he summoned his fourteenth aetheric core since the beginning of his journey. The only reason for concern in this chain of good news was the fear that in his absence the reinforcements would arrive. If this should happen, he had planned, but this did not prevent him from dreading the possibility.
With no control over this possibility, he fell asleep with difficulty. Tomorrow he hoped to join Alyn and his goblins. Early in the morning, he woke up and hastened his departure. Luckily, the horse seemed to enjoy the journey and showed no difficulty in moving forward. Despite the aching that was building up from his lack of habit, he ignored it and resumed his journey.
On the way back, he ran out of aether, forcing him to go back in search of orbs. So far, luck had been on his side, but with no orb on the horizon, he had to abandon his goal of going along the world for the time being.
He turned in the direction of the immense forest that he saw below the heights on which he was to join his camp. To this shortage of aether was added his impatience to know the evolution of the situation.
He arrived shortly before noon at the provisional camp which, with time and under Alyn's instructions, had become a real fortified post. The bustle reassured him, even though he actively sought out the young girl, whom he found supervising the construction of palisades.
Surprised by his presence here, she exclaimed:
"What are you doing here? I thought you'd be here for at least one more day..."
"I was planning on it too, but I ran out of aether on the way, so I was going to stock up... And I admit that being away from this place for more than two days doesn't make me feel better."
"You mean you don't trust me?" Alyn frowned.
"No, no, I wanted to know where you were and I have information to give you as well."
Tolir's attempt to justify himself made Alyn smile and sigh, amused:
"Don't worry, I understand. To tell you the truth, the situation is calm... A little too calm for my taste... I had the road to the North blocked off, but no one tried to escape... Everything is very strange..."
"I think they prefer to wait for reinforcements than to fight at the risk of losing the city. By the way, I have found the ideal place to block it, which will allow us to gain some time if the balance of power is unfavorable to us."
He explained to her his discovery of the river that runs through the world, preventing the passage of reinforcements except for one point: the bridge that was not even defended. Tolir assumed that the state of peace in which these worlds were usually found explained this absence of guard, which actually pleased him.
For her part, Alyn told him about the events that had taken place in her absence, not much, except for the burial of the two woodcutters. She had even untied the priest, even though she had kept him under guard so that he could perform a final ritual for them.
This explanation displeased Tolir, but he didn't take it personally. After all, there had been no unfortunate consequences to her initiative. Moreover, this anecdote reminded him of the existence of the priest he had forgotten. He wondered what fate he should reserve for him.
If freeing him seemed out of the question, keeping him prisoner ad vitam eternam didn't seem like a great idea either... It was to be believed that he would still keep him with them for some time until a viable long-term solution was found... Or that the army would sweep them away and free the priest...
With this happy outlook, Tolir led part of his troop towards the bridge, leaving only a small garrison in the lumber camp. The fortifications installed in his absence should allow them to repel a very hypothetical attempt to retake the place.
When Alyn discovered the river, his eyes widened:
"It's incredible..." she murmured.
Tolir smiled remembering that she was seeing this sight for the first time in her life. What could she say then, if she ever saw the ocean? Besides, were there any in these strange worlds? He cut short his intellectual digression to return to the center of their journey: the bridge.
Beyond the bridge was an immense flat plain with no relief or trees. Even if this would put them at a disadvantage in the case of a confrontation on open ground, at least they would be able to watch the surroundings without difficulty. Especially since he planned to establish a line of defense on both sides of the bridge to slow the arrival of the golem army until the city was taken.
He explained his idea to Alyn, who approved. This time, there was no question of being discreet, a solid wall was needed to repel the multiple fierce assaults of the army they were planning to hold back. The girl agreed to take care of this part with a motivation that surprised Tolir, so much so that he wondered if, despite her pretty speeches, she didn't also appreciate the construction of fortifications...
In the meantime, he would take care of the supply of manpower and troops. According to his calculations, they were already behind his low estimate, which worried him to no end. If the army was to be defeated in the next three days, they would have no chance of defeating it. Beyond that and for at least two weeks, they would have to rely on the strength of their defense.
This lack of influence on the parameters determining their victory stressed Tolir, who tried to forget it as much as possible. However, he swore to himself that he would always have a say in his own destiny, a promise that resonated strangely with him as he felt he had already made it once.