The tension between the two groups festered and grew with each passing second. Soren could feel it in the air—that a fight was close to erupting.

Neither side trusted the other. In such circumstances, the best option was usually going their separate ways—with enough distance, both sides will find comfort knowing that the danger no longer exists.

However, that option didn't exist for them.

They needed guidance. After the storm they had experienced just the day prior, the pair of magi realized that the journey ahead would become perilous. Without the advice of locals, it was clear that they would not survive for long…

In a way, these circumstances were the opposite of what they had to go through in the Avalon Ruins. Rather than the monsters, it was now the environment that threatened their lives. They needed to find a solution, and fast.

Quickly, Soren scanned through his levitating ancient tome… Its shimmering golden pages flickered like flames before closing. With a slight nod, he turned to Myrin and signalled with his fingers a '7' followed by a '2.' His companion immediately understood what he meant.

A 7th Class Sentinel and a 2nd Circle Magus… He thought.

Fighting them would indeed be difficult. Although Soren's measly battle experience was honed with victories, all of them came close to ending him instead…

That was especially true of Knight Captain Rodrick. As a 5th Class Sentinel and a Tier 4 Phantasm by way of his contract with the Sacred Treasure, Gale Reaver, he was a true menace in battle… If not for the two-week long preparations he had set up and the assistance of Tazzith, they would have had no chance of surviving at all.

And now they were faced with both a 7th Class Knight and a 2nd Circle Senior Initiate magus. Since the tiering system for Sentinels orders things in reverse, a 7th Class was the equivalent to a 3rd Circle magus in power.

Although both of them were significantly weaker than Rodrick, Soren would be foolish to underestimate them. After all, they were now on their home turf. As someone who fervently believes in environmental advantages, a fight like this one was unfavorable to them… Not to mention, they still had no clear idea of their full capabilities.

Aside from their Affinities and the fact that neither of them were Phantasms, Soren wasn't able to obtain much from seeing the unseen.

"We mean no harm!" Myrin yelled out. "We're simply headed for Mount Tolarion. Are there any settlements here we can rest at?" As he said this, the Elven Songster inadvertently took a step forward in the thick snow.

"Step back!" Uruk yelled while gripping his spear tighter. "Leave! I don't deal with foreigners!"

Soren glanced at the young man again, this time frowning. Isolationist tribes people… Just great. The situation was not looking good. Their food supplies were slowly dwindling—if they couldn't find a proper place to rest, they would soon freeze to death. But it became clear to Soren that the pair of strangers were too stubborn to convince…

For a moment, he considered using force to threaten them. But then, the woman besides the spear warrior stepped up. It seemed even the man named Uruk was surprised by this gesture.

"You say you come from the South. From where?" Her voice was both calm and regal, slicing through the tension in the air.

Soren and Myrin looked at each other for a moment in puzzlement. In the end, Soren decided to answer her question:

"Celestine Citadel! We're Aellorans!"

There was a slight pause before she spoke once again. "And you're heading toward Mount Tolarion? Why? What is it that you hope to find there?"

Soren immediately answered, "We hope to reach the summit!"

The pair of hunters flinched back slightly—their expressions twisting. It was now their turn to be confused.

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"Are you trying to make fun of us?!" Uruk yelled while grinding his teeth. "A helpless bastard like you hopes to reach the Estuary of the Stars? Are you mad?"

Isha looked at her brother in shame then shook her head. She glanced up at Soren—her expression turning serious.

"I don't know what it is you hope to find there, but it is definitely not worth throwing your life away! Mount Tolarion is guarded by both wind and nature. Even the most veteran of explorers have died trying—their corpses frozen solid and left as reminders for those attempting the same!"

Indeed, what they were attempting might as well be suicide—Soren couldn't disagree with Isha's logic.

But sometimes, abandoning rationality was the only option. After all, this world in of itself was irrational.

"Thank you for the kind-hearted warning! But we must head there no matter what!" Soren answered back, to which he could only see disappointment on the woman's face.

Isha shook her head. "You don't understand… Mount Tolarion isn't something anyone could just waltz into. Aside from the Tolarion White Expanse, which spans a grand distance, the mountain itself is divided into three—the Lower Winds, the Upper Winds, and the Celestial Heights where the Estuary of the Stars is said to be…

"From our own tribe's historical records, only a few have ever made it to the Celestial Heights! The Three Temples of Stars which are said to reside on the Upper Winds are already notoriously difficult to get to…"

Hearing this, rather than be fearful and apprehensive, Soren actually felt excited.

"You have records of people who visited the Celestial Heights?!"

For the longest time, Soren had not been able to find a single written account of what the Upper Winds and beyond looked like. He was utterly clueless—if not for the Orbits of Fate compelling him to go there, he would never have even considered such a foolish trip to begin with….

But Isha's words finally gave him some semblance of hope. If he could obtain those records, their chances at surviving would instantly increase.

"Yes… We have such records…"

"Then—" Soren took another step forward, only to be startled by a powerful booming sound. It had come from Uruk who was standing next to his sister—firmly planting his spear on the ground. The shockwave it created blew the snow away, revealing the green grass hidden underneath.

Soren looked at the menacing warrior for a few moments in silence. Noticing his gaze, Uruk yelled angrily:

"Don't even think about it, foreigner! We won't share anything with you and your ilk! Get lost!"

"Uruk!" His sister protested, "We're having a conversation, why are you interrupting!?"

"Conversation?" He scoffed, "These bastards are foreigners from the south! You know how tricky they can be!"

"Even so," Isha insisted, "Let's hear them out first! Why are you coming to conclusions on your own?! Be patient, you oaf!"

Uruk shook his head in disgust. "I can't allow you to bring these filthy bastards back to the tribe. They will plot against us!"

"Uruk, are you going against the will of the Holy Shrine Maiden? She was the first to allow foreigners in. And they weren't any regular foreigners either—soldiers from the Silver Moon Church!"

"Th-that's different!"

Isha shook her head then glanced over at Soren. "We can offer to bring you to our tribe. But you must promise to abide by our rules. The shamans there will cast a magecraft spell that will seal your anima flow, disallowing you from casting anything.

"Do you agree to these terms?"

Soren and Myrin glanced at each other for a moment. With a slight frown, the Soothing Bard addressed his concerns:

"Don't you think this is a bit sketchy? We don't even know what tribe they belong to—countless cults exist in these parts that are unknown… They could perhaps be heretics or possibly even cannibals…."

"But what choice do we have," Soren countered. "Our supplies are running low. And I doubt we can survive another freezing night like this."

"True…"

"Besides," Soren continued, "you have your inherent ability to help you detect lies… We can figure out their intentions as we head there. But from the looks of it, their apprehension of us is definitely genuine. And the same goes for the offer that girl spoke of…"

Soren also realized something fundamental. At the current moment, neither of them had any power to negotiate. Complying might mean getting backstabbed, but not complying would surely spell their deaths… If simply sealing their anima for a bit could give the pair of hunters some level of confidence in controlling the situation, then that was a sacrifice Soren was willing to make.

As they pondered over their decision, a slow rumbling sound became apparent. One that slowly grew more and more, until the very ground began to shake underneath them.

The pair of magi were instantly startled.

They glanced over at Uruk and Isha, who both seemed to have realized the same. Except, their expressions seemed far more panicked.

"What in the Six Divines is happening?!"

"An earthquake?" Soren asked as he frantically glanced around, only to notice nothing unusual about their surroundings.

"If you don't want to die," Uruk screamed, "Hurry the hell up and run!" In their panic, they scrambled to the Spirit Beast near them named Zaya and ordered her to move quickly.

Isha gave them one final signal to follow before sprinting ahead herself:

"It's a Spirit Beast stampede! There's no time—hurry!"

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