It had been two days since Edol and Ghost had been summoned to this new world, and the duo had spent the entire time wandering southwards.
Ghost had quickly reaffirmed his claims of being an experienced relic hunter and traveler by identifying nearly all of the surrounding plants and wildlife, allowing him to estimate their current location.
"That broken statue in the shrine we started at looked like the water goddess, Danu. From the information we gathered during the war, the country of Miaan is under the control of the Church of Danu, as well as several merchants. Along with that, are a lot of pine trees and oaks around here, so I'm guessing we're in the north somewhere near Miaan!"
Knowing that there was a great, largely uninhabited forest in the north of the eastern continent, Ghost speculated that their best shot at finding civilization was to head south.
Unfortunately, even after a day of travel, the duo had failed to find any hints of human life. It didn't quite make sense. The shattered statue back at the shrine had been fashioned from high-quality marble, something that likely couldn't be found in the area. It was a sign that trade had occurred here- and with how recently it looked that the village had been destroyed, it was likely that trade had still been occurring up until recently.
How could there be no roads for merchants to bring their goods?
It wasn't only the lack of roads that troubled the new traveling duo. Ghost's life magic made it easy for him to grow potatoes, but thanks to him becoming an eagle, this wasn't much of a help.
Ghost had to grow a delicious, fragrant, succulent potato, then cry as he watched Edol chow down.
"Yo, Asshole. Stop making faces as you eat and go find me some food!"
Edol waved him off, chewing as he responded.
"You're the eagle, go catch some food for yourself! You were so cocky before, but now you can't even catch a rabbit. Disappointing."
Edol turned away mockingly, seeming to have forgotten that the food currently gracing his mouth had been provided by his traveling companion.
Ghost was (still) a flightless bird. After leaving the surroundings of the destroyed village the forest opened up a bit, populated by old-growth trees instead of the bushy undergrowth.
It gave Ghost plenty of room to practice taking off, but he'd still failed to take flight. All his muscles were in different positions and his limbs were completely different. One might wonder how Ghost had managed to walk about immediately after being summoned, while in a completely unfamiliar body.
This said, Ghost's efforts in the past day hadn't been fruitless. Leaping up and batting his massive wings once, the giant bird of prey catapulted himself directly into Edol's face.
"Disgraceful creature! I feed and give you directions, yet you act like this?!"
The massive claws swept passed Edol's face, knocking away the potato he'd been munching on but luckily missing his cheek by a few centimeters.
A chill ran down Edol's spine as he fell back, unable to stop himself from imagining what his face would've looked like had that claw been even a little closer.
"Y- you nearly killed me!"
"Unfortunate about the nearly part. Let me try again!"
Before Ghost could lunge again, Edol hurriedly yanked a line of string from his pocket.
"Chill, chill! I'm already working on a fishing line for you! Birds like fish, right? Jeez, I can't joke around here without some rabid beast trying to rip my throat out!"
Edol glanced down at the fallen potato, now stained with mud off the forest floor. The brit leaned down the grab the potato, avoiding the mud with his grip.
"Luckily, I think I can hear a river nearby. Gather up some small branches and kindling, I'll head to the river to try for some fish."
Ghost finally squawked in agreement, and began hopping toward a white-coloured tree while Edol made his way toward the sound of running water.
The traveling frenemies were very lucky.
This far north, the temperature would fall below freezing and snow would begin to pile up in the winter. The duo might have frozen to death had they found themselves stranded in the winter wilderness- the current late-summer weather was truly a blessing.
The weather had also been perfect. The moist trees and muddy spots on the ground hinted that it had rained fairly recently, most likely shortly before the duo had arrived in this world.
The clouds, having spent their moisture, had disappeared, allowing the sun to shine down on the northern forest.
In front of Edol, a decently sized stream split the forest in two. Sparkles of silvery fish flickered in the water, occasionally breaking the smooth surface with a light splash. The flowing water was just between what one might recognize as a stream and a river. Narrow enough to be bridged by a fallen tree, but not shallow enough to wade across.
Peering over the edge, Edol caught sight of his own appearance.
Light blonde hair bordering on white crowned his punchable-looking face.
'Damn… Why do I look like the type of guy who thinks he's going pro in football, but everyone knows he'll never make it? I've become the bargain brand version of Aaron Ramsay!'
Edol stroked the similarly light-coloured stubble growing on his chin, and he took a moment to admire his lean muscles.
'Eh, still a lot better than before. Sis'll never be able to call me a twig again!'
"Oi Twig, what're ya looking at yourself in the water for? You're supposed to be catchin me some fish!"
Edol's self-examination was cut short as Ghost tossed down a pile of sticks enwreathed in white bark. The massive bird then nodded his head once, and the pile of firewood burst into flames.
Clenching his teeth, Edol watched Ghost with envy.
"That's going to be so broken if you ever learn to fly."
Ghost spread his wings, tutting happily.
"They'll call me the Angel of Fire! Oh, the praises I'll receive as I burn the enemy's cities to the ground effortlessly! It's really a shame about earth magic though, not being able to use it from the air. Oh well, I guess I'll just use it for elementless casting."
Edol's ears perked up, and he turned to Ghost.
"Elementless casting?"