CHAPTER 61: NORTHERN FROST

Jules shrugged at Alindra’s implication.

"I mean, she could be trying to help the souls coming. Or not be involved at all. It’s hard to tell the difference just from some reports of spikes and of sightings from a distance."

Aelindra turned to her mother, speaking with a low voice.

"Could she truly do that? Influence the coming of the players, be it to help or hurt?"

Cecilia thought for a moment. Her mind searched for the knowledge of souls in her Lore skill, and she was caught by a sudden certainty.

"Undead are a blasphemy to the cycle, so she is as distant from Ephemerys as one could be. And this... this bringing of the souls of the players to this world is a matter of the cycle. Ephemerys is certainly the one governing it.

If she was attuned to the cycle, the souls could hear her and come to her. But, as a vampire... I won’t say it’s impossible, but it’s nearly that."

She felt like someone else had taken control of her mouth and had spoken through her. This was not within her personal beliefs as Cecilia, but it was something a priestess of Ephemerys would say.

Oblivious to her mother’s internal struggle, Aelindra went to the practical issues.

"There’s nothing that can be asserted with confidence just staying in this room. We need to go there and see with our own eyes."

"You mean we have to go, right? You’re the queen, so you have to stay. Your people need you here."

The finality in Cecilia’s words hit Aelindra, making her slump her shoulders.

"You’re right, Mom. I wanted to go with you like in the old times, but you’re right. I’m not an adolescent anymore. I have responsibilities."

The moment of vulnerability passed quickly, and she recomposed herself, giving direct instructions on how to proceed and how to handle the players.

"Jules, you’ll have to sit this out as well. I’ll need you so Morielen can send me updates, or if I need to send her a message."

Cecilia smiled at that but then hesitated. She wanted to give Aelindra and her other two followers the power to send her messages, the same way she did for Mina and Marya, but she didn’t want that to be known by other people.

She quickly came up with an idea and put it in motion.

"There’s no need, Aelindra. I have an item that does just that."

She opened the UI and pretended to be searching her inventory for the item while using her admin powers to unlock chat for Aelindra.

"Check your inventory, it should be there now."

She saw Aelindra’s eyes switch out of focus and then light up.

"Oh, I see. This item is really something else."

She understood what Cecilia did, even though it wasn’t clear how - the fact that it was her mother was enough explanation for her. That was how much faith she had in her. She also understood the reason for the pretending and went along with it.

:::

It was then that an unforeseen obstacle hit Cecilia. Everyone there had several means of quick transportation and were able to reach the northern territories quickly... Except for Marya.

Even if Cecilia could create scrolls to teach her the techniques, they still scaled with Attributes and with the Hiking skill, and the SP drain, though it was very low for her own pool, would be staggering for the little girl.

"I can carry her piggyback. Or in bridal carry."

Mina saw the doubts in Cecilia’s face and proposed a solution before she could even say what was troubling her.

"That’s a good catgirl. Thank you, Mina."

Cecilia petted the girl behind her ear, making her purr.

Marya looked at Mina a little bit embarrassedly but didn’t say a thing. She was sad that her mere presence on the journey was already creating issues but was also very happy to be going with them.

:::

Not much later, they were over the top of a hill, brittle and silent. The ground was covered in frost, and below them the world fell away into a maze of ridges and frozen valleys. The peaks of the Velen Mountains rose like teeth against the western horizon.

"Sensei... It’s... Cold..."

Marya was trembling like a leaf in the wind. Only then did Cecilia think that the girl didn’t have any cold resistances.

"I’m sorry, it’s my mistake. Here, have this."

It was Mina who took a coat out of her inventory and handed it to the girl. It was a (red) level coat that negated the effects of cold on the body.

"This one adjusts to the user’s size. I used it a lot in my travels with Master, before picking up and leveling up my cold resistance."

Cecilia nodded, seeing it, and added.

"This time, we’re here with a specific goal in mind. But I think that we should come other times, later, to build up your resistance."

Neither she nor any of the others was wearing any clothes geared towards cold weather. They were, in fact, wearing the exact same things they had in the capital. Well, except for Jules, who was wearing a coat.

He shrugged, explaining it to Marya.

"She says that, but it’s not that easy. I built a bit of resistance back in the day, but you have to spend a long time feeling cold for it to build up enough that you don’t feel it anymore. I’m not that much of a masochist, thank you very much."

He laughed, leaving the girl wondering what a masochist is.

"That’s just an excuse, Jules. Back in the day you wouldn’t actually feel the cold, even though your body felt the effects. But I agree that, now, it’s a lot harder."

Cecilia sneered, remembering the time she went exploring the far north for no other reason than to max out her cold resistance. She lost count of how many times her character died from the sheer cold before she managed to max it out.

But she knew that Marya didn’t have that many lives. If she died once, it was the end. But that was exactly one more reason for her to build her resistances. And Cecilia’s role as her teacher was to make sure she wouldn’t die while at it.

"Anyway, let’s head to the sanctuary. It’s north from here, in that mountain over there."

In the region she had pointed to, there was a little forest of dark pines heavy with frost. Their branches were bent and twisted, and some visible patches of the ground were purple.

"That’s vampiric influence. It spreads in patterns, like a memory of her hunger."

"It looks like mold growing beneath glass. Disgusting."

Ephyrael complemented Siraaeniel’s observation, prompting a chuckle from Cecilia.

"That means she’s really been here. Let’s go."