Walking a Windy Path [Job:Sky High] (Shu/Akeya)

Job Description:

Grey clouds covered most of the skies, only a few patches of blue hinting at the fact that it was noon, pillars of sunlight shining down out of those holes in the woolen carpet to illuminate the land below. Or at least parts of it. For the larger part, the sky was overcast, creating a somewhat grim mood for one who paid attention to the weather in such a way. For others, with a more practical and straightforward mindset, it was just a sign that the day would be colder, and that they would have to be wary for rain and possibly even snow.

At the foot of the mountains, on the northeastern side, a small group of people was preparing themselves for the trip ahead. The weather wasn't perfect, but schedules and jobs rarely allowed such a thing to call for a delay. The trip was one that would take several days and nights, and seeing how two of the travelers in question were in something of a hurry not even a single day of wasted time could be afforded. These two were the ones looking somewhat uncomfortable, looking up at the tall and imposing fortresses of stone and earth that rose up in front of them. The Phoenix Mountains were a large mountain range, formed out of the kind of mountain that would try to hinder any kind of travel as best it could. The sides were rocky and treacherous, causing a single sound to already be enough to provoke an avalanche if one didn't watch out. In the begging the slopes would make things easier, but afterwards the only path left would be mountain trails, thin and windy as they sneaked their way around and in between the large monuments that dominated the landscape. And as the altitude increased the temperature would decrease. An inexperienced traveler could very easily fall prey to it, surprised by just how could the day could become even if they were well below the snowline.

Even if they were in a hurry, this trip was not one that one could just risk being hasty with. If they didn't watch their step, if they weren't prepared, they would only hasten to a terrible fate.

The travelers looked around at one of the two mages they had hired to help guide them through this treacherous landscape. The mage in question was one who was very familiar with the Phoenix Mountains. In fact, her own home village was located in one of the many valleys hidden behind stone and earth, a place only known to the merchants which visited from time to time for trade, and the ones who left their home to seek fame and fortune in the wide world outside of this mountain range. She had accepted this job because she was quite sure that there were not many other mages who were quite as suited for it. Even if they had traveled here before, not many of them would have lived up there in the shadow of the peaks for nearly twenty years before leaving home. She was also looking up at those mountains, but rather than trying to steel her resolve and attempting to conquer her uncertainty she was busy scanning the path before them, trying to find the best route to take. She had lived in the Phoenix Mountains for as long as she had been a child, but that didn't mean she knew the entire landscape like the back of her hand. The best she could do here was use that familiarity and experience to find the best path.

Although of course she'd also have to deal with the fact that these travelers weren't too comfortable around her. So far as ability to safely get people through the mountains was concerned, Akeya was a good choice. However these travelers were the ones that would be paying her at the end, but they were already giving her uneasy glances. Or rather, they were sneaking glances at her large draconic wings, folded up on her back, and the long tapered reptilian tail swaying slightly behind her, both wings and tail covered in midnight blue scales. They looked at her hands and feet, covered in more delicate scales of the same colour, and the short but still obviously sharp claws that had replaced her nails. One of them also was somewhat distracted by her female figure, but other than that they were too busy trying to convince themselves that they would be safe with this half dragon, whose eyes they could only feel but not see, as they had been hidden behind a blindfold which failed to protect them from the weight of her gaze when it fell upon them.

Akeya would be the one leading this expedition, but the other mage would be having the important task of making sure the travelers would follow Akeya without hesitation, keeping them happy and calm so they wouldn't make a mistake that could get all four of them killed. Akeya could lead the way, but she would never be able to make others feel at ease. It was simply a skill which she did not possess, which in some ways she had willingly thrown away when she accepted the dragon blood from her ancestors. But if the travelers weren't calm they could panic at a crucial moment, especially if they encountered one of the more dangerous creatures which inhabited the Phoenix Mountains. And if they panicked their first instinct would most likely be to run away without knowing where to go, and doing such a thing in such a dangerous place was a good way to quickly meet the end of your life. If they were calm they were more likely to trust the two mages to do their job of keeping the travelers safe, and if they were happy they would be more generous with their rewards once they reached the other side of the Phoenix Mountains.

They were nearly done preparing, the only thing left to do was to get moving before the day had grown so old that they would no longer be able to cover enough ground at the beginning. The beginning was the easiest part of the entire trip, so it was best to try and get as far as possible before they would have to come to a halt for the night. Her draconic part was from a dragon of shadows and darkness, so the half dragon from Blue Pegasus would actually prefer moving at night, but doing so when she had to keep an eye on two completely normal humans, and possibly another human mage as well, was not possible.

"Let's get moving."

The cold wind whistled as it flew through the mountains, flowing down the slopes to hit the travellers waiting to ascend those very same mountains to reach the other side of the landscape, where their business had called them to be. The wind also touched the half dragon and the other mage, both of which reacted differently to the harsh weather. The other mage reacted pretty much as one would expect her to react, with attempts to keep the chill at bay and stay functional in the type of weather where most animals would be finding a place to shelter and spare their energy for more productive days.

It was the half dragon who was not obeying these rules. Dragons, as mighty and powerful as they might be, could still be categorized as reptiles. Thus one would expect them to adhere to the ruling that they didn't like cold weather, and that in fact it made them considerably slower. However this half dragon was either proof of the opposite, or she was just ignoring the fact that she should be feeling rather cold by now. The truth was, even if she hadn't been home in quite a while she had still grown up here, so this kind of cold was not something she wasn't already used to, and even her abandoning her humanity to become one of the great wyrms wasn't capable of changing that. Her arms, legs, and even midriff were exposed to the cold air, the bright sun which occasionally managed to worm its way through the grey blanket of clouds reflecting off the midnight blue scales on the limbs and her sides.

Akeya saw that the other mage was already busy the travellers wouldn't panic, feeling that their supposed guardian was just another monster for them to be wary of. It made her sigh on the inside, mostly because she would decide to do escort missions even though she knew what kind of reaction she would get. However a job was a job, and if she -Shu, was it?- could keep the human travellers calm and cooperative this shouldn't be too difficult. Akeya would find the path for the four of them to follow, guide them through it, and Shu would make sure neither of the travellers got themselves into trouble. Of course, at the same time both of the mages would have the job of protecting the travellers should some kind of animal decide to come out and attack. It didn't happen often, because most animals found humans too large and dangerous, but in these areas where the land was harsher, it was not unheard of. And then there were bandits as well, who would hole up in some handy natural alcove out of the wind, waiting for poor travellers who had no choice but to use these mountain passes.

Akeya was pretty sure that if they had to deal with anything more than an angry goat she would be the primary defender. She had already inspected the other mage, and while her magic looked interesting it was clear that she had the superior fighting potential. After all, even if one disregarded the magic she was still a half dragon while the other three were normal humans. Even if people kept calling her a freak over and over, they could not deny that a full blood human didn't stand a chance against a hybrid like her when it came to raw physical strength.

However that was only if things went less fortunate than Akeya was hoping for. As a pessimist she was already trying to think of the best way to deal with any bad situations, but at the same time she was also hoping that the worst thing they'd encounter was this weather, with the chilling wind that could cut through the bone.

Shaking her head the half dragon walked through the snow, the nearly black scales of her feet contrasting starkly with the pure white snow and leaving a trail that could quite easily be traced. Not something she was happy about, but for now she would travel in front of the group and merely act as a normal guide. If she immediately began flying about and using her magic tricks while they still needed to be completely calmed down by their other companion it might make things more complicated. However this also created the situation where said mage was trying to introduce herself to Akeya.

Akeya looked at Shu, her eyes hidden behind her blindfold even as her gaze had enough focus that the other female most likely felt it clearly. Her eyes travelled across Shu's body, inspecting her general health and strength, before returning to her face, once again looking at the magic that flowed inside of the girl. It was quite interesting, and not something she saw often. If she could trust her own senses, and the blindfold which revealed magic to her eyes, this girl's magic allowed her to affect gravity, one of the most fundamental and powerful of forces one could find. The question of how effective it would be was something Akeya could only await the answer of, but she already judged it as being noteworthy. After several seconds Akeya finally extended her hand to shake Shu's, the smooth midnight blue scales of her palm pressed against the soft skin covering Shu's.

"Akeya Kuusai. Let's make this job a successful one. I'll have the job of guiding us all and chasing away wild animals or bandits. You can make sure that the travellers stay healthy and safe, and that they don't end up doing something stupid because they aren't used to my appearance."

The way she phrased it Shu might have difficulty figuring out if the half dragon was actually asking her to do that, or whether she had already decided that Shu was going to be doing that and was only telling the mage what she had decided.

While Shu was thinking about Akeya's name the half dragon was allowing a small part of her mind to also indulge it's curiosity regarding Shu. Her name was small and simple, which was something Akeya approved of. Of course, high and mighty beings usually had large and imposing names as well, but a short and simple name was both efficient and useful. During the hunt you didn't want to have to whisper a whole sentence just to call out one of your allies, whereas saying 'Shu!' would take less than a split second. One could also call it cute, depending on whether you were the kind of person to think of names like that. Akeya wasn't really used to it, but she still admitted that it was a suitable name for the girl next to her.

The girl herself was small as well, and looked about as human as anybody Akeya had seen so far. Nothing about her said anything about her being anything other than a human. Her hair was black, like Akeya's, although whereas the half dragon's hair was raven black Shu's hair was a bit softer, a shadow compared to Akeya's darkness. She was of an average height for a human female, which meant that compared to Akeya and the male travellers she was notably smaller. Her eye colour was somewhat curious, however: one didn't often find a human whose eyes were a shade of purple, although Akeya didn't believe that was a result of magic or anything abnormal. Sometimes people just had exotic eyes, or even hair. Cute was a term which fit the girl quite well, although Akeya had to admit that her own taste in females was a bit more for the tall and buxom ones. Still, Shu would probably have no trouble finding a male who appreciated her type of beauty.

While a small part of Akeya's mind was thinking about this the main part was focused on something a little bit more practical. She still had to find the path which the two of them and the travellers following them had to follow. The weather wasn't as awful as it could have been, but it still was cold. If it wasn't for the fact that Akeya had both improved fortitude and had lived up in the mountains for most of her life she would have had trouble. It was only the combination of those two things that allowed her to be fine even though she wore the same outfit she wore back in the rest of Fiora, at a lower altitude where the weather was more gentle and definitely warmer. And even then she couldn't be careless: she wasn't immune to the cold, she merely displayed a resistance towards it that was greater than most humans, especially those who were used to warmth or heat. If she didn't keep moving the chill would begin to penetrate her skin, after which things would become difficult. One of the easiest ways for one to die up in the mountains was to take a wrong step and break a leg as a result, after which you could no longer keep moving. Without the warmth generated through movement the cold had a much easier time claiming your body. And after you had died that same cold would begin to preserve your flesh, so that others might encounter your remains long after your soul had already passed onto the next world.

The travellers behind them were calmed down by Shu's presence, both because of her normal and kind appearance and her friendly and gentle demeanour. Seeing Akeya still made them worry and feel discomfort, but seeing how it was clear that the half dragon was focusing on the road ahead instead of looking at them, while the human girl was keeping them safe, helped them focus on walking instead of trying to think about what was the deal with the inhuman mage. The four of them were climbing pretty steeply at this point, gaining altitude quickly even as they had to struggle to make their way up without stumbling or falling. This part of the trip was actually still the easiest, and already it showed plenty of opportunity for things to go wrong. One could only imagine what it would be like once they were in the middle of the mountains, where they would have to walk right past certain death several times before they eventually returned to safer roads. In the middle of the mountains there were very few real paths: almost anybody who wanted to go past the Phoenix Mountains would either go around or find a road which only skirted the edges, which was safer but slower. The only reason these travellers had chosen to go straight through is because it was the only way that they might make it to their destination on time.

As Shu mentioned how Akeya so far had been acting rather comfortable with their surroundings the scaled mage at first remained silent, leading the other three to a stable piece of ground where they should have an easier time staying on their feet, with fewer loose pebbles to throw them off balance. Eventually she opened her mouth, even though her mask hid that fact from the other female.

"I come from a village up in the mountains. I am used to this place."

A short silence, the half dragon looking back to see if the travellers were still correctly following in her footsteps. A minute or so later she spoke up again.

"Our top priority is keeping our clients safe. That is your job. I'll get us through the mountains. If you want to do more, keep an eye on their stuff. There's creatures that live up here that wouldn't pick a fight but would try to steal everything you own. They like shiny objects. More importantly, they might steal food."

At the same time four of these creatures where in fact sneaking up on the four travellers from behind, beady eyes focused on the large backpacks of the two males. They looked a lot like oversized rats, with rough grey fur. However their tail and paws were also covered with that fur, and their legs were longer, allowing for them to climb mountains. Their long fingers also helped significantly with this. Like rats they were fast and agile, and could force themselves through small gaps. However most of the time they just ran about, finding scraps of food and sometimes eating even smaller critters. Travellers were often targeted by these thieves. However they stayed at the middle altitude of mountains, where their fur was of the same colour as the rocks. They could deal with some cold due to the thick fur, but they wouldn't go so high as to reach the areas where there was always snow.

The member 'Akeya' has done the following action : Dice Rolls

'Monster Dice' :

Akeya quickly turned around when Shu gasped, her eyes narrowing as she noticed the four critters that had been approaching them from behind. In the mountains keeping a good eye on everything was very difficult, especially with weather like this. The wind was almost always blowing, throwing scents everywhere. The clouds created shadows that messed up the contrast of the landscape, and even if you had the sun out it was usually bright and glaring. And now that it was snowing that hindered your sight even more. The most reliable method of detection around here were your ears, and even those could be deceived or led astray by the howling of the wind. Truly the mountains were a challenge for everybody, both predator and prey.

And because of that she hadn't been able to notice the small creatures until they had already gotten this close. The half dragon growled to herself in disgust at her lack of diligence. Regardless of whether or not it was difficult, it was her job to keep an eye out and make sure nothing bad happened to the other three. To immediately fail at that job made her almost feel sick. Clearly this could only be a sign that her time living in the guild hall had made her too soft, too certain that she shouldn't be worried about the worst situation. Being around powerful mages tended to make you feel safe, which was fine for most people. However Akeya couldn't let herself become dull because of that.

Luckily at least her fellow mage was already moving quickly, from the looks of it being motivated and encouraged by the fact that if she didn't those two travellers would be in trouble. That kind of concern for humans was not something that Akeya possessed, which meant she lacked that particular edge in this kind of situation. Instead she would have to rely on her other edge, the one she cultivated and refined as often as she could. Instead of concern for others she'd use the instincts of a half dragon, and her own focused mind.

One of the thieving creatures was quickly sealed up by Shu, who created some kind of transparent sphere around the beast that kept it from moving. The other three didn't look too happy about finding their fourth member being trapped like this though, if one were to judge according to how two of them immediately headed for Shu and the two travellers. Shu however looked ready to protect the two employers, who both had decided to do the sensible thing and cower in fear while being protected by the two mages. Of course Akeya still found them weak to begin with, needing the protection, but at least right now they weren't doing something even more foolish such as running away to who knows where or actually fighting back.

Although honestly it wasn't like these creatures were that dangerous. They mostly stole food and shiny objects, and so far as Akeya knew they only really attacked if aggravated or threatened. In this case they were aggravated about how one of them was just put inside a bubble like that, but still. If those two travellers were experienced and brave enough they could have deal with the little mongrels themselves just by kicking and punching them. However right now it looked like the two travellers were frozen on the spot, so it was up to Shu and Akeya to clean up this mess caused by the half dragon's lack of attention.

Shu was already keeping the two more aggressive ones busy, so Akeya focused on the last one, the one that wasn't yet sealed but had yet to join the assault of the others. After taking a short moment to decide whether to chase the creature away or kill it Akeya just decided that she didn't feel like being merciful. In fact, she might as well treat this as a free meal. Turning into a shadow she quickly dashed straight for the fourth critter, which snarled and tried to dodge. Unfortunately it wasn't quite fast enough, Akeya altering her course while in one hand a black dagger formed.

While Shu used her spell on the two others Akeya spun and lashed out with her impromptu weapon, cutting through fur, skin, and flesh as she carved a deep line into the creatures neck. After the first slash she followed up with a stab, burying the dagger straight into the thief's brain before the black weapon dispersed into shadows. As the dead animal fell onto the ground like a puppet with its strings cut Akeya turned to the two which had been hit by Shu's magic, another dagger appearing in both her hands as she prepared to finish off the three remaining beasts.

Even with her face covered Shu might notice that Akeya was moving with little hesitation, having swiftly killed one of the animals and now dashing towards the two that had lunged at Shu and the travellers with the clear intent of repeating her actions. The way that Akeya moved was not of a soldier or a warrior, but a predator which was in the middle of taking down its prey.

Akeya remembered a certain memory of her past, when she still lived up here with the rest of her family in one of the valleys hidden amidst the peaks. The family was large enough that they had been able to form an entire village on their own, but the harsh surroundings had forced them to cooperate well enough that even with so many people they still had managed to feel tightly knit together. Each had their own job to help the village survivor, and a fair amount of the adults had been hunters, chasing down critters like these and others, like mountain goats. Akeya had accompanied some of those hunts, observing her uncles and aunts as they showed her that a hunter wasn't some bloodthirsty monster that ran out and lashed out at everything that came close: a hunter was the same as a predator, and a predator didn't care about satisfying their thirst for blood. A predator hunted for the sake of getting food, and would try to find food with as little issue as possible. Fighting could lead to injury, and injury could lead to death. A predator was sneaky, stealthy, silent. They tracked down their prey, and only when the prey was either too weak or exhausted, or presented an opportunity, the predator would strike.

This lesson was the one that Akeya might have taken to heart most of everything she had ever learned. As somebody who had inherited the soul of a dragon she instinctively felt like a predator, and she would do her best to become a successful predator. Unlike some other Dragon Slayers, who would become bruisers and brawlers in a fight (like Akryn, her teammate), Akeya was what others would call the assassin and the hunter. She focused on speed, efficiency, and stealth. And even if the fight had already started she could still apply those traits, reducing the chances of incurring damage while swiftly executing her opponents. Of course this was combined with a tendency to treat any of her opponents as prey. More importantly, she didn't see any reason to show mercy or let them live. If they were her opponent, that meant that for her to succeed they had to die. The only times when she strayed from this belief is if she either was tasked so for the job, or she could afford the luxury of taking the extra effort of keeping her prey alive while at the same time rendering it helpless.

But these critters did not warrant that kind of treatment. Akeya had already killed them in the past during hunts, and she knew that she could disable them if she wanted. However she did not want to, and treating them as an extra source of food was only beneficial. So when she dashed to those two animals that had been knocked back by Shu as she defended the two employers she readied the two black daggers that had formed in her hands, preparing for another set of swift and efficient kills.

The creatures themselves saw her coming and like the first were quick enough to react. However in contrast to the first they didn't run away, instead snarling and pouncing at Akeya even as she dashed towards them. Their sharp teeth were exposed, reading to bite into her exposed flesh even as they closed the distance rapidly.

Unfortunately for them they were simply outclassed in this fight. Akeya was in her element in these mountains, where she had lived for so long, and more than that she was a trained half dragon who already possessed enough prowess to be considered a B-Rank mage. These critters weren't strong predators: they were small scavengers and thieves. They could be ferocious and dangerous if cornered, but in this case it was simply that they had encountered the wrong group to try and steal from.

When their fangs were about to reach her Akeya turned into a shadow, the critters squeaking in confusion as they flew through thin air without hitting anything. The half dragon then spun around and shot forward while still a shadow, appearing above the two beasts still in mid-leap. Turning back into her physical form she slammed both her daggers down in an icepick grip. The shadow-formed weapons embedded themselves in the bodies of the two prey, who squeaked again and loudly as their flesh and organs were punctured. Akeya let go of the weapons and landed on all fours as behind her the two animals fell down already beginning their last moments, the shadow daggers disappearing.

Looking around the half dragon noted that the last remaining animal was being knocked back by Shu. Another shadow dagger appeared in her hand, but she was somewhat slower in killing this one, wanting to see if her companion was also capable enough. However should Shu be tardy she would be witness to a dark shadow flashing forward to behind the rat-like creature, driving a dagger straight into the back of the furry critter's skull before revealing itself to be Akeya.

Regardless of whether Shu was the one to kill it or Akeya ended up finishing it off the half dragon would look at Shu for a moment, her expression still hidden behind blue cloth as she inspected the other mage and the two travellers.

"No injuries?"

Without waiting for a response she turned around and began gathering the animals, holding them up by the tails while blood leaked from the open wounds onto the white snow below, leaving a trail of red snow behind Akeya which she seemed to be prepared to just completely ignore. With each of the animals she inspected if they were healthy and fat, and if the wounds had been clean and up to par. Just because she had killed these before and they weren't much of a threat didn't mean that she couldn't still mess up in delivering the finishing blow.

All four the creatures looked in good condition, or at least looked like they had been managing quite well in this place before they had decided to attack this group of travellers and got killed for their troubles. Akeya couldn't find any indication of disease or illness in any of them, and all in all they hadn't been starving either. She actually was thinking that their arrival could be seen as a lucky break, since it meant they could quickly increase their food supply. Of course, she doubted that the other three would want to eat these: humans tended to be rather squeamish in the face of eating creatures which they had seen while they were still alive. At least, humans who lived in the city. Those who lived in villages were a bit more robust, although even then those had a tendency to at least demand that the creature were to be cooked and prepared, which in Akeya's eyes could be done if one had the time for it, but ultimately wasn't necessary. She was planning to keep these for herself, since she was most likely the only one who would appreciate them.

She held all four the dead animals in one hand, gripping their long hairy tails so they dangled right next to her, blood slowly seeping from their individual wounds to eventually reach the tip of their nose, after which it would drip down onto the white snow, marking it red. The red spots and the carcasses themselves were already spreading the strong scent of blood, which meant that other predators could be heading here. That was a bit of a disadvantage, however if they left quickly they should be fine, especially since in this cold weather, cold enough that it was snowing with no sign of the white flakes decreasing, it shouldn't take too long before the bleeding would stop. To hasten the process Akeya knelt, gathering some of the snow that was already covering the ground. More specifically, she gathered some of the snow that was still white. Ignoring the cold that was now assaulting her scaled hand she began to put snow on the bleeding wounds, which would accelerate the freezing process and also help decrease the bleeding before that point.

With her prey secure and ready for further travelling Akeya looked around, watching with raised eyebrows as the other mage turned away from the scene. She snorted with some disdain, guessing that the woman was afraid of blood. The magic abilities displayed by Shu had all managed to not inflict any visible damage onto the creatures, instead having been of a purely magical nature both in origin and effect. With a magic like that it wouldn't be surprising if this was the first time in months, if not years, that Shu had to face the sight of blood, especially so freely spilled without hesitation. Akeya herself found this a strange idea, and had trouble sympathizing. As a hunter blood, both the red substance and the strong scent, were natural for her, and as a half dragon they in fact had a kind of attraction to her. Not like vampires, who needed blood for nearly everything, but blood was as much part of the meal of a predator as the meat which contained the blood-filled veins.

If she picked up on the conversation between Shu and the travellers the half dragon didn't show it, instead waiting for the three of them to recover from the ordeal. They couldn't wait too long, however, because with this wind something would pick up the smell of blood, and most likely come here. In the mountains there were plenty of predators, even if not as many as on the ground. However even if they were less numerous they were all tough, since they needed to survive and thrive here. These critters hadn't been any real threat, although it looked like the other three might disagree if she voiced that opinion out loud. The travellers still looked somewhat shaken, both by the sudden attack and the fact that the half dragon that was escorting them had suddenly killed those four beasts quickly and without any hesitation, and was now holding onto the carcasses as if prey from a hunt. The fact that from her point of view the latter was true wasn't going to convince them though. As for the girl, she looked like she was a bit better at recovering, although Akeya wouldn't forget her initial reaction.

When Shu approached her, the two travellers hesitantly in tow, the first thing she did was ask Akeya whether she knew of a place where they could stay for the night. That was a good suggestion, and the half dragon decided that she wouldn't argue. She herself might want to travel at night, but she was alone in that, and moving on ahead without her employers wouldn't work. So instead she looked around, trying to figure out which way they should go to find shelter. After several seconds of glaring through the snow and her blindfold she spotted some signs which indicated that they could move in that direction if they were planning to quickly find a place to rest and recover. She nodded, not bothering to actually look at Shu as she instead made a motion with her free hand that the three would have to follow her.

"I'll find us a place where we're out of sight and the wind. Follow me, and let's hurry. It shouldn't be too long before other animals come to try and lay claim to what remains of what died here. I'd rather not fight them for this."

She lifted the dead critters, then began to walk, her tail swaying behind her as her midnight blue scales and olive skin made a stark contrast with the snow. She wasn't looking around to see if the others were following, instead relying on her ears. Although honestly, she didn't see what they could do besides following her. She was the one who knew the way, and the only one who appeared resistant enough towards the harsh weather that she would be able to survive on her own.

Finding your way in the mountains is a tricky business, especially if you have no map. If you knew the area you could navigate by looking at the horizon and comparing the positions of the peaks with what you remembered from a couple of minutes ago. You could also make use of the sky, looking at either the sun or the stars. However if it was day the best you could do was figure out the cardinal directions. Stars were a lot more reliable and precise, but those only showed themselves at night, at which point most travellers would halt and wait for the day because they didn't want to stumble about in the dark. And this was only for people who actually knew the place, and who had experience navigating like this. Somebody completely new to it would need a map or otherwise they would most certainly get lost.

And that wasn't even considering the weather. The sun and the stars were only visible if the weather was clear, and in the mountains that was most certainly not always the case. If you were lucky any clouds had already finished dumping their load before they managed to climb up the slopes of the tall mountains, but if you were unlucky the entire sky would become a vast expanse of dark grey, from which the snow would begin to fall. On such a day finding your way would become significantly more complicated, and not even only because of the sky being blocked and turned into a uniform grey that told you nothing except that the weather wasn't as clear as you wanted it to be. The snow itself was also a hindrance, in more ways than one. For one thing, it would hinder and limit your field of vision. The denser the snow the shorter your view range, and if you couldn't see the mountain peaks properly you were in trouble. And even if you had special eyes which could see far and sharp, they still wouldn't help as much as in normal weather. Snow didn't hinder your vision by making things darker. It was in the way because it just occupied the space in between you and what you are trying to see, something which you can only deal with if you have some really special eyes.

And then there was the way that the snow would pile up on everything. Out in the fields snow could melt as quickly as it reached the ground, in which case your biggest problem was that the water turned the ground into a muddy mess. But up in the mountains, were it was almost always cold, the snow would stick, and more snow would follow. Soon the entire landscape would be decorated with a layer of the pure whiteness, making it difficult to move forward as you trudged through it, slowing you down. The snow on your body would melt, slowly making you and your equipment wetter and wetter while around you the snow just kept coming. Eventually the snow on your body would also stop melting, and you would feel yourself becoming colder and colder as your body burned its reserves to try and fight off the invading chill.

Looking around for landmarks you'd find that this blanket of white, so innocent and pure looking, was as deadly and treacherous as a field filled with mines. Everything would be covered, literally everything, and landmarks would be nigh unrecognisable. Shapes which you thought would never change suddenly were entirely different, leaving you disoriented and confused because that landmark that you thought would be there wasn't there, or at least so far as you could see. And because you became used to everything being white, and the world becoming darker in contrast, anything that wasn't white could easily be mistaken for empty space, even though it could just as well be the underside of a cliff or the entrance of a cave.

Travelling across the mountains was something which was only done if you were very certain of what you were doing, and had somebody with you who was experienced with such things. Even more so, most people would just decide to never travel through the mountains if they could help it, unless they possessed either enough riches or power that even the forces of nature could no longer be considered a challenge. In this scenario this most definitely wasn't the case.

Akeya narrowed her eyes as she tried her best to figure out where they were heading, her green eyes hidden behind her midnight blue blindfold as she glared through the snow. She had lived in this mountain range for nearly twenty years, and explored it plenty of times. The weather and the fact that she had to limit her movement to what her companions could keep up with were definitely making things trickier, but she could still somewhat reliably lead the way. Feeling the wind blowing against her, and watching the way the snowflakes swirled and danced through the air, she was pretty sure she knew where she could find a safe spot. The winds would always take the smoothest path, only hindered by obstacles and itself. The snowflakes were impeding her vision, but at the same time they made the wind patterns visible, allowing the half dragon to begin leading the others towards a place where the wind wasn't blowing, which in turn meant it was a good place to take a break for the night. The sky was quickly becoming darker, so they couldn't move much further anyway.

At that point the other mage, Shu, approached her once again and began asking about her past. The Shadow Dragon Slayer frowned slightly at this, although Shu would most likely miss that subtle sign, it being hidden behind Akeya's mask and blindfold. After considering how much she could tell the other female the half dragon eventually began to talk, sounding somewhat distracted as she kept stepping through the snow to lead them towards their temporary resting spot.

"My family was kind, because if you don't work together in these mountains when it's a bad year people could die very easily. The life was simple, since a little village up in the mountains doesn't have to worry about anything besides surviving and making sure everybody is healthy and happy. Personally I preferred it to the way that the humans in more merciful climates make everything complicated."

It looked like the little mage walking next to her had run out of things to talk about, since she had fallen silent once again, leaving Akeya to focus on the road ahead. That or she felt embarrassed, or the more likely explanation that Shu was too busy trying to avoid freezing to death. The weather was certainly making it a hard task to stay strong for the travellers, and Akeya could only count herself lucky that she had plenty of experience with this kind of weather, and an extra portion of sturdiness and fortitude to boot. If she wasn't a half dragon she would have been in the same state as the three humans accompanying her, if not worse because her clothing definitely wasn't suited for this kind of environment. She hadn't really bothered to prepare for this journey except to gather some more food beforehand, an action which had become somewhat redundant now that she had four of the crawling critters to feast on while the other could share their rations. Well, unless one of them wanted to try raw meat. Actually she was pretty sure that for humans raw meat was unhealthy. Something about how they were so used to eating it cooked that their stomachs weren't very good at dealing with raw.

Regardless the fact that Shu was now busy trying to stay warm meant that Akeya could return all her focus to finding the path to a safe place to stay for the night, because as it was now the three others would have a high chance of dying simply because of the sheer cold and the chilling wind which could feel as if it cut right through your clothing. Akeya herself was a bit better off, but even she wasn't looking forward to sleeping outside in the open. Resistance did not have the same effect as pure immunity, and Akeya might be used to cold but she wasn't one of those Ice Slayers, who most likely would make a bed of pure ice if they got the opportunity. Which stood to reason, since Akeya liked to make her nest where it was dark and where she didn't have to worry about the sun reaching her in the morning. The half dragon looked around as she tried to glare through the falling snow, inspecting her companions. The travellers were showing signs of the cold, but they had prepared themselves well and seemed to be capable of continuing for a fair bit longer, although it most certainly wasn't going to be pleasant for them.

The problem was Shu. She also had warm clothing with her, but it wasn't of the same quality as the travellers who most likely had prepared for this journey for a fair while now. The other mage was struggling hard, but Akeya could see that she wasn't going to last much longer out here in the open. Rubbing her arms, chattering teeth, clear signs that she was trying her best to get warmth from any source she could find, even if that meant wasting more energy in moving to generate it. Akeya frowned as she looked back forwards, narrowing her eyes as she hastened her pace. She didn't feel a special connection to the female mage, but if the other mage on the job died from the cold that would put the entire journey in a sour mood. Not to mention that the girl's guild would most likely get mad about it. Or not. Akeya had no idea which guild Shu belonged to and what they were like. Maybe they wouldn't even care, since Shu wasn't one of their top class mages. Maybe they would just be sad. Could be anything and the half dragon couldn't make a guess.

However that wasn't really the point. The point was that it would be better for everybody if they quickly found shelter, because Akeya herself wasn't too happy about the current circumstances either. The snow was starting to begin to settle on her scales and skin, which was a bad sign. Larger energy reserves and greater resistance to the cold or not, if her reserves ran out they wouldn't just miraculously refill again. Being a half dragon was not quite that convenient. Luckily Akeya saw that they were in fact getting close to a good place to hide. Up ahead there was a spot where the snow did not bother to fall, most likely because the wind did not go there and there was an overhang keeping it from just falling straight down. A rock formation partially in the slope of the mountain where they should be able to stay for the night. As long as other animals hadn't already decided to stay there. Actually, Akeya didn't think that would be much of a problem, using her tongue to touch the inside of her teeth, specifically the fangs which had formed out of her canines. Just because she already had four of these small critters didn't mean she wasn't willing to accept some more offerings.

First things first though, she raised one hand and motioned for the other to keep following before pointing up ahead, towards where they should now also be able to see the safe spot. It wasn't exactly a secluded spot, but the rocks and the fact that the mountainside was somewhat hollowed out there would keep them out of the worst of it, more specifically the winds and the snow. With those out of the way they should be able to survive, and in this weather they could probably get a fire going without having to worry about anybody else noticing it. By the time that they were close enough to catch a glimpse of the glow they would have been close enough to find them anyway, with the way that the snow was obscuring almost everything. Akeya looked around at Shu, deciding to help her out a bit by unfolding one wing and wrapping it around the smaller mage, keeping her somewhat close and blocking a fair amount of the wind and snow with the large draconic limb as they came closer to safety.

It looked like using her wing to shelter Shu was the right decision, as the human mage seemed to begin recovering quite quickly now that the wind was no longer able to cut right through her. Akeya's wing might not be one covered in thick and warm feathers, instead being the scaly and leathery kind shared by the vast majority of the dragons. However it still did its job of functioning as a barrier against the cold and the wind, and the blood that flowed through it was warm, warmth that could be shared with somebody who touched the wing. Body warmth was one of the most effective ways of combating the cold of the mountains, although of course sharing it was normally difficult if you were outside and travelling. As a half dragon Akeya actually had a pretty big advantage in that regard, as she could quite easily cover somebody of a small stature as Shu with one wing even when the both of them were walking.

Now that Shu was no longer in danger of falling asleep, a sleep which she would most likely never have woken up from, they could hasten to actually reach a more solid type of sanctuary. This sanctuary would be the rock formation and the hollowed out mountainside that Akeya had managed to spot while doing her utmost best to glare a hole through the snow. She hadn't actually managed to do that, but the more important part of finding shelter had been completed, so she could continue with that particular objective another time. Actually she could probably still do that while they stayed inside the naturally formed shelter against the blizzard for the night, since it wasn't as enclosed as to not give a good view of the weather they were trying to escape.

Once inside the shelter Akeya checked to see if Shu was doing better now. The two travellers sounded fine, proclaiming how they were happy that they were out of that horrible blizzard. They had been better prepared than Shu, but no human except those with a special connection to the frost and the cold liked being out in a frozen storm like that. Earlier in the day it had still been manageable, but as it got darker the snow only got heavier and the chill only stronger, and the wind changed from a breeze to a messenger of the cold which could cut right through any clothing you might have. Such weather was best avoided, but up in the mountains that was not always possible. Akeya knew that better than anybody here, remembering her childhood in the village. Of course they were in a valley, which meant they were hidden from the worst of it, but that didn't meant they didn't have their nights were everybody was huddled together to make sure nobody would freeze to death. They most likely would have suffered a few losses if some of them didn't also possess magic which allowed them to safeguard the village to some extent when working together. A village where everybody possessed magic abilities was one which could survive hardships many times tougher than what a normal village could be asked to endure.

Shu looked like she could stay warm by herself now that she had been given a metaphorical leg up by Akeya and was no longer forced to fight off the blizzard with her small form, so Akeya withdrew her wing and positioned herself closest to the opening of their sanctuary, motioning for the other three to move further inwards. She was better equipped as a creature to deal with the cold, so she would take the spot where she would be exposed to it the most. Looking at the travellers she noted how at least they were no longer shying away from her gaze. Not that they looked any more likely to actually walk up to her and start a conversation, but it looked like guiding them to safety at least made them grateful enough that they would try not to be rude towards her by showing their discomfort in active attempts to avoid her.

"If you have the required items you can start a fire. With the blizzard outside hiding everything we'll not be found, and if we are I'll take care for it. And you three look like you could use the extra warmth."

The travellers looked at each other before looking back at Akeya and nodding, kneeling down as one of them fished the required equipment out of his backpack and began arranging a small fire. Akeya herself watched them as she placed her prey on her lap, then studied the critters which had attacked them only to turn into her meal. It looked like they had nearly frozen solid in the weather outside, so she would have to wait until the fire had been started before she could thaw and eat them. While waiting she looked at Shu, who was thanking her for the help and expressing a desire to pay the half dragon back. There wasn't really anything that Akeya could think of that Shu could give, at least nothing she was actually going to ask. But at least she could keep that in mind for the rest of the journey, or even encounters in the future.

"I have warmth to spare and it would be a shame if you died out here. There's no reason to worry about it."

Honestly Akeya didn't care as much about Shu's life as, say, your average human, but she wasn't lying when she said it would be a shame if the human mage died like that. Living out here most of your life made you a bit more inclined to try and keep people from freezing to death up here. Living with your own family you would without questioning it help each other survive, and once you had done that for long enough seeing somebody else going through the same hardships you would almost instinctively help them out as well.

Akeya didn't move much as she waited for the two travellers to get a fire going, watching her three companions on this trip silently through the blindfold that hid her eyes from sight, even though it could not hope to hide the weight of her gaze. She felt the cold of the blizzard outside of their shelter attempt to enter the sanctuary against the howling winds and the cutting cold, reaching her back which faced the entrance. This place wasn't as shut off as to count as a cave, but it still was a place where they should be able to catch their breath and recover from the weather outside. But right now the chill was still seeping in slowly, even if the wind didn't come in here.

The half dragon considered this for a moment before she spread her wings, the large limbs quickly blocking most of the entrance as Akeya felt the chill spread faster now that it had more surface to attach itself to. It still wasn't something Akeya couldn't deal with, but this wasn't the most comfortable position she could remember being in. However she could endure, and the three inside would be able to take note that the air was starting to get warmer now that the half dragon was basically catching all the cold with her own body to keep it from reaching further inside the shelter, where a fire was now slowly starting to form and fight off what cold remained inside both the air and the travellers. And Shu of course, who also looked liked she could use the extra warmth a lot.

Watching the other three Akeya automatically divided the group into two in her mind, with her on one side and the three humans on the other. Her becoming a half dragon had done more than change her appearance. Those three might try to include her, but she herself didn't feel like she was part of the group. Fortunately she also didn't see this as a loss: dragons were solitary creatures by nature, in sharp contrast to humans who survived by being social and banding together. For these humans to be alone would be difficult, because as animals they were supposed to survive by sticking together. Their entire psychology was based on this idea, so being alone was simply unhealthy for them. However as a half dragon Akeya lacked that part of the human psyche. She could spend years on end alone without feeling lonely or bothered in the slightest. And in the same vein did she have trouble with the concept of being part of a group, especially a group of humans who quite honestly were now mostly just prey for her.

Yet these humans were still trying to make her part of the group, inviting her closer to the fire and thanking her for what she had done so far. Akeya stared at them before shaking her head.

"If I were to get closer to the fire the cold would get inside, so I need to stay where I am. Unless..."

Her voice trailed off as she looked around at the entrance, frowning as she stood up, folding her wings back onto her back. Standing in front of the entrance she looked at the rocks which formed the roof of their shelter. The blizzard had already covered nearly everything in the area in a thick layer of snow, which would make it difficult to see anything but endless white underneath a dark sky. However this could also be an opportunity. Akeya hadn't thought of doing this before, but as she looked at the thick blanket of snow that covered everything she was pretty sure that it should work. She just had to be careful that she didn't cause an avalanche or anything like that.

Concentrating the half dragon used her tail to stab a hole into the thick snow on the ground, then another one in the snow that covered the shelter. She then made grasping motions with both hands, then pulled them towards herself. Stepping back inside the shelter the other three would be able to see how suddenly a large amount of snow was starting to cover the entrance, pulled into place by shadows which quite obviously were being controlled by the half dragon. Continuing to focus Akeya kept piling up the snow until the shelter was completely blocked off by a thick layer of snow, then began to compress the snow so it wouldn't immediately collapse at the slightest wind. Once the snow was solid enough that it should do an acceptable job of acting like a wall she used her tail to stab several holes into the top of the snow wall, allowing air to get in and out of the shelter.

The end result of this exercise that now the blizzard outside was almost completely shut out, the only way it could get inside was through those small holes. This way Akeya wouldn't have to personally block the cold, and they wouldn't have to worry about being found by other animals or people during the night. The half dragon patted the newly formed white wall a couple of times before turning around and walking over to the fire, sitting down and holding one of the critters she had killed today above it to slowly thaw it.

"That should keep us warm and safe for the night."

Even after she had gone through the trouble of making sure they were completely shut off from the blizzard outside the half dragon still acted as if she was separate from the group, focusing on her frozen food as she waited for it to finally stop being frozen. While she was now sitting closer to the humans she was still clearly at a distance on a mental level, not once looking in their direction. The two travellers were clients who paid her a good amount of money of getting them through the mountains safely. Shu was a mage who was here to also help the travellers in exchange for money, and who could help the travellers be at ease being a fellow human. Even though Akeya would help them and make sure none of them died from the cold she was just doing her job and watching over them. There were no real personal feelings involved in the matter.

The member 'Shu' has done the following action : Dice Rolls

'Monster Dice' :

Young lady. That wasn't a description Akeya heard a lot when people were talking about her. She supposed that technically it was true, at least in the fact that she was still rather young. For human standards she would be counted as a young adult, one who had already fully matured physically and mentally even though she would still be considered inexperienced. On the other hand dragons would most likely see her as not even old enough to count as a teenager, seeing how dragons tended to live very long lives and as a result it also took very long for a dragon to be considered an adult. Akeya didn't know what the lifespan of a half dragon was like, although she suspected that she would at the very least outlive all the humans by a long shot, not counting those who also had methods or circumstances that made them stand outside the normal rules for how long a human could survive before their body simply began to give up. So no matter how one looked at it Akeya could be called young.

However it was the lady part which puzzled the half dragon. Lady was a term which technically you could use for any female, so if you looked at it like that there was no issue. However the term lady was in practice only used for females who displayed a certain amount of class or control over etiquette. Nobles, royals and rich merchants tended to get titles like lady and lord. It was a term used to refer to people above your own in ranking and those who simply have a high rank. But those ranks were from society's point of view, at least most of the time. Akeya was a half dragon who didn't really have much with the rules and norms of humans, and certainly didn't care a lot about etiquette. Etiquette from her point of view was just another way that the humans had made life more complicated for themselves.

On one hand Akeya felt that as a half dragon she was noble enough a creature that lady was appropriate. On the other she wasn't sure if she liked the sound of being called lady. Well, not really important enough to pay too much attention to it, so after she had finished the wall of snow she sat down in front of the fire that the travellers had created, waiting for her food to thaw. Once that was done she began to quickly eat it, displaying yet another factor of being a half dragon. First of all she didn't bother to wait for it to get roasted or even somehow heated up: as soon as it no longer would freeze her mouth or be stiff due to the cold she began to dig in. Second she didn't use tools or anything. She just grabbed one of the critters and pulled down her cloth mask, revealing a mouth that when opened had some razor sharp teeth in it. She still seemed to have all the kinds of teeth needed to be an omnivore, but the fangs and teeth used to tear meat apart were clearly more pronounced and prominent than with a human. Using those teeth she began to rip off pieces and swallow them in chunks, her mouth quickly becoming tainted with blood as she slowly worked her way through the critter. Fur, skin, flesh, blood, organs, she just bit through it all and gulped it down, a display of savagery that would make any human who looked at it wonder if this was still a half dragon who at least followed the rules of society and civilization.

Even more so, she didn't stop eating just after finishing one of the creatures. She had several, and within an hour she had finished eating all of them, extending a long reptilian tongue to lick her fangs and mouth clean before pulling her mask back up. Whether the travellers and Shu had been watching or showed disgust was of no concern to her. She had finished her meal, and even though it was dark it might be a good idea to go sleep now. If she had been on her own this would have been the perfect time for the half dragon to continue travelling, but her current companions were humans who lived in the day and rested in the night. As annoying as it was she couldn't really follow her own pattern right now. So after watching the other three go to sleep she sat down in front of the snow wall that shut off the entrance and closed her eyes, falling asleep while still sitting, her wings wrapping around her and hiding most of her except her head

In the morning Akeya woke up quickly as she realized that outside the darkness was slowly receding. Turning into a shadow she crept through one of the air holes she made in the snow wall and looked outside, seeing that the bright sun was coming out. Everything in the vicinity was now covered in a thick layer of snow. Combined with the fact that the clouds had fled and the sun was now getting its strength back everything was starting to become very bright, enough so that if Akeya's eyes weren't protected by her blindfold they would have been hurt from watching the outside world. Returning to the cave she saw that the others were now also waking up. It looked like the night's rest had done its job of refreshing them and preparing them for the rest of the journey. Akeya helped to quickly remove the snow wall that she had put up before the four of them began to walk again, Akeya once again taking the lead as she tried to find a path through the thick snow covering everything.

And not too long after suddenly the ground began to shake, making Akeya immediately turn her head to look at the mountain behind them. She could see the first signs of an avalanche already start high above. It looked far away, but those with experience knew that was a lie: it would gather speed quickly, after which it would wash over the world below and cover everything without any escape left for the animals living there. An avalanche wasn't something you could just outrun. And even if they wanted to outrun the avalanche, it looked like two more of those rat-like critters had arrived because they smelled the remains of their own kind on the half dragon. Snarling at them it was clear that these critters weren't going to let them go.

Three people to take care of, and no escape because those critters were in the way. Although to be fair even if those critters weren't there three humans wouldn't be able to just outrun the avalanche, and if they headed back towards the shelter they would be running straight towards that danger. Thinking quickly Akeya made a quick motion with one hand, after which a shadow detached from herself and headed over to the travellers. Once it reached them it seemed to rise up and take on a shape, turning into a fox made out of darkness, looking at the travellers with glowing white eyes.

"Hide inside the fox. Korikami will keep you safe. Quickly, before avalanche reaches us."

The travellers wouldn't have much time to ask what the hell Akeya was talking about before Korikami would suddenly move towards them, losing his shape as he just turned into a mass of shadows that engulfed the travellers, appearing to swallow them up before turning back into the fox, who then returned to being a shadow underneath Akeya's clothing. The half dragon turned around at the sound of the one critter attacking after Shu had captured the other. Feeling too rushed to be careful about it Akeya punched it straight in the face, sending it flying before she wrapped her arms around Shu's waist.

"Hold on."

With that the half dragon jumped into the air, spreading her wings as she flew higher and higher towards the bright cold sky as the avalanche approached rapidly from the mountain. The half dragon flew as fast as she could, moving upwards in a blur until she had gone high enough that the avalanche wouldn't reach them. Making sure Shu wouldn't fall she watched the avalanche begin to roll over the spot where the four of them had been walking, engulfing those two critters down below and dragging them with it as the already white landscape was given yet another blanket, this one being filled with random rocks and rubble from the mountain above.

At first Akeya only focused on moving upwards as fast as possible, disregarding anything else as she could only hope that she could ascend faster and higher than the avalanche could roll towards them. Avalanches tended to be a lot higher than most people thought. Otherwise they wouldn't be able to completely wipe the map clean and leave behind a blanket of snow and rubble. The travellers were safe inside the shadow realm that they had entered with the help of Korikami, the shadow fox who had turned back into a shadow inside Akeya's clothing. He wouldn't be lost unless Akeya herself was caught by the avalanche, and as long as Korikami was all right the travellers wouldn't be in trouble either. They couldn't be touched or interacted with inside the shadow realm, so the only worry was that Korikami would be available to let them out before they began to suffer from their surroundings. The shadow realm Korikami could store people and objects in had air to breathe and some semblance of ground to stand on, but not much else. No food or water, and everything just looked dark. Humans couldn't stay inside for too long before they would be affected psychologically, but right now they didn't have much of a choice.

Once it was clear that they were high enough Akeya checked to make sure that Shu was also all right. The small mage was the only real problem right now, since she was the one that Akeya had just carried up instead of storing her inside Korikami's shadow realm. The fewer humans had to be in there the better, and Shu had already been standing right next to Akeya when she made up the plan on how to protect the three humans and herself from the new threat of the avalanche. Shu was small and light, so carrying her wasn't a problem. And she had been fast enough to properly react to Akeya's warning and hold onto the half dragon as she flew upwards at such high speeds. However Akeya still had to make sure she was all right.

Luckily it looked like the only thing Shu had to worry about were the cold winds and the feeling of vertigo as she had been forcibly pulled upwards even as gravity tried to keep her close to the ground. Most likely she wasn't very used to flying, if she had experienced it before at all. Akeya held Shu close to at least help somewhat with the cold, although since they were currently flying she couldn't use her wings to ward off the wings. Instead she could only keep her body close to Shu's and wrap her arms tightly around the smaller female's waist to share her body warmth, a warmth which was a lot more resilient and enduring than that of a human. During the night Akeya had recovered pretty much completely from the trip through the blizzard, and could once again keep going for a lot longer and keep warm than a human, especially a rather small one like Shu. Since she couldn't have Shu dying on her she would just have to share her body warmth like this.

Her midnight blue wings spread themselves wide as they slowly went up and down, their large size allowing them to catch enough air underneath their membranes to push the combined weight of the half dragon and her passenger upwards with as much strength as the world below them was using in an attempt to pull them back down. Thanks to Korikami the weight of the travellers wasn't a problem: weight from mass in the shadow realm was of no consequence of the real world, and the only thing which limited what the shadow fox could store was size. Mass was no problem, so although he couldn't carry much more than two grown up human males those two human males could be very heavy without it causing even a single problem. Not that these two travellers were that heavy anyway, even though they had prepared themselves well for this journey. Still, carrying three people would have been a bit much for Akeya. Strength wasn't a problem, but her wings, large as they were, had a limited amount of mass they could keep up in the air before it just became too much. Strength wouldn't help there: it was simply a result of the wings not having enough surface to catch enough air.

Looking down below Akeya waited for the avalanche to finish its business of cleaning up the mountainside. The critters below were long gone, swept away by the relentless wall of snow that had rolled right over them. The chances of them surviving that were very low, and even if they did survive they wouldn't be in a state to trouble the four of them any longer. Beyond that Akeya had a good view of their surroundings. They had gotten pretty far on the first day, but they would still have plenty of distance to travel. Although now that they were up here Akeya got an idea. She looked at Shu as the female mage thanked her for saving her from the avalanche.

"The travellers should be safe for about half an hour before we have to get them out of Korikami's realm. Until then I'll shorten our journey."

With that she began to fly onwards, still holding Shu close as she headed straight towards the other side of the mountain range. She had a pretty good idea of where exactly they were, and since she also knew their destination that meant she could actually make things a lot easier for all four of them by just flying for a while. The reason why she hadn't done this earlier was because putting humans inside Korikami wasn't exactly on top of her list of things she thought was a good idea, and she could only really fly at a speed useful for advancing their journey while carrying one person, preferably the smallest (i.e. Shu). Below them the avalanche was already beginning to settle down, but now that she had already been forced to put the travellers inside Korikami she might as well make use of it for as long as it was safe. The travellers willingly entered the shadow fox's realm, so they should be able to stay calm and collected for at least half an hour before the special qualities of that place would begin to genuinely unnerve them.