We walked through the few people still in line to get documented and admitted to the city of snow, the most unwelcoming town we had encountered so far. Perhaps even more so than Guldan, where they openly hated anything related to magic or mana.

As soon as we exited the cave which had led us to the large room with the desks, we were hit with a strong gust of frozen wind. The snowstorm was still raging and the land was dark.

So dark that we could barely see beyond a few steps ahead, the perpetual daylight of the far south completely blocked by the thick layer of clouds. I cast my simple illumination spell and we walked through the snow, trying to make our way down the low hill we’d previously crossed on the airship’s bridge.

Name : Minor Torch Light

School of Magic : Evocation

Verbal Components : 8 words

Somatic Components : None

Material Component : None

HP Consumed : 0

MP Consumed : 0

Divine Mana Consumed : 90

Range : 700 inches

Casting Time : 6 seconds

Precondition : None.

Description : A directional light source is fixed on a fixed point in space or relative to the caster’s position. The light source can be moved within the range without additional MP expenditure but rather removing 1 minute from it duration per movement. The spell is active for 60 minutes.

It was not an easy feat, especially as we were trying to be careful with our footing so as not to slip on the frozen surfaces beneath. It took us a good two hours to descend to the level of the valley and even though we were protected from the cold wind by our magical gear, our muscles were exhausted.

We quickly searched for a place to hide our chest until we saw a small crack in the rock on the side of the mountain we had previously entered. I cast only the bare minimum of protection and camouflage spells around it and we climbed down the stairs to the comfort of our portable home.

“What are we going to do now, Myriam?” Kai said, exasperated, as he removed the almost frozen layer of furs he was wearing. “I don’t want to wait for three months. Not now that we’re so close.”

“We’re not going to wait,” I replied, taking off my own excess layers. “Take out the map and we’ll find a way.”

“But you saw how long it took us to just climb down here,” he protested, though he did retrieve the map from one of the bags laying on the ground near the stairs. “Even if we attempt to cross the valley, it will be difficult to use the chest if it gets buried by snow and we get trapped inside it.”

“I’ve already taken care of that,” I replied, smiling at his thoughtfulness. “I’ve placed a spell trigger on top of the chest which will remove anything blocking it from opening. However, you’re right in saying it is almost impossible to cross the valley in such weather. Let’s see if there is a shorter or more protected way we can work out from the map.”

Both Kai and I leaned over the pirate map and tried to figure out if there was a more effective way to reach the monastery. As expected, the path marked on it was pretty straightforward and Kai was getting increasingly frustrated by the lack of options. Just as he reached up to run his fingers through his hair, a small piece of ice broke off of the tangle on his head and landed on the map.

“Kai!” I exclaimed, pulling him back from his brewing fit of rage. “Look at the map!”

The tiny icicle had now almost melted but the part of the map it had touched was starting to change. A faint light blue line could now be seen in the south. The map had clearly had magic of sorts cast on it.

“Is there some kind of invisible layer on the map that only appears when it’s wet?” Kai asked, and turned around to grab a glass of water.

“No,” I replied, knowing exactly what this was. “Not water. The cold.”

I had read about layering maps with magic and this could be achieved with water. However, this map wasn’t waterproof, as I could see by the effect the melted icicle had on the paper. I cast an 8-word cantrip which momentarily blew a cold gust of wind from my hands.

Name : Freezing gust

School of Magic : Evocation

Verbal Components : 8 words

Somatic Components : None

Material Component : None

HP Consumed : 0

MP Consumed : 0

Divine Mana Consumed : 130

Range : 700 inches

Casting Time : 6 seconds

Precondition : None.

Description : A gust of wind originating from a randomly selected plane of blizzards makes its way to the caster’s target. The gust will blow for 6 seconds or until the caster cancels it.

The spell was not enough to cause any damage in battle scenarios but would be enough to drop the temperature of anything it touched. The map did not change much but an additional route appeared exactly where we needed it.

In the south, a series of intersecting paths appeared. One of them looked like it passed directly below us, which could only mean one thing. These were underground tunnels.

“Myriam…” Kai’s voice was full of wonder. “Is this what I think it is?”

“It is,” I replied, a smile on my face once more. “It’s our way to the monastery. Not in three months, but now.”

I recast the spell several more times as we studied the tunnel complex. It looked like there was a tunnel entrance close to our current position.

We needed to follow that tunnel across many intersections, without making a turn, until we reached a place that looked like a seven-pointed star, corridors spanning in every direction. However, the one corridor we needed to take was the one leading south, which would eventually resurface quite close to the monastery.

“These tunnels must be filled with pirates,” Kai said. “What are we going to do if someone sees us?”

“Same thing we did with that Darr fellow on the train,” I said, a plan already forming in my head. “We’re pirates from the vicinity of Yubna and we’re traveling to the monastery. That should be enough.”

“Well, it worked last time,” Kai said, hesitantly, “so I guess it will be okay.”

“It will. Don’t you worry,” I said, though his face didn’t show any concern. “I won’t let them capture us again, Kai.”

“I know,” he said, with a smile.