> Kelly PoV

It’s getting dark, daylight should be completely gone soon. We should stop for the night somewhere. Let’s see… Oh, that’s a good spot!

“Land on that plateau on our right!” (Kelly)

“Got it.” (Umph)

Umph went in for a landing as instructed. Even with taking taking breaks every four-to-five hours and sleeping at night we’re almost there. The normally two month trip should only take a few more days to complete. I think. Navigating by just the sun and stars is a bit iffy, so I’m not sure exactly how much ground we’ve covered.

Why is it that out of all those folks, the one I started to miss first was Nano? Well, not like you need precision. The Ecebis Mountain Range is easy to find if you just go north. Then I just need to find the two highest peaks and I’ll know the rest of the way from there.

Umph lands on the grassy plateau. I dismount him and stretch my legs and arms.

“Dat spot looks good to de Sistah of Steel?” (Umph)

He uses his beak to point at a random patch of land with absolutely nothing on it. It looks exactly like the rest of the plateau.

“... It’s all the same, isn’t it?” (Kelly)

I mean, there’s nothing but grass around here. No trees or wildlife. No monsters either, but without firewood or ways to procure food it’s a truly inhospitable place. At least there’s a cold wind at night! Isn’t that nice!? Because obviously I had to find a titan just as the season’s turning to winter!

“Dat is not so. Location is very important when-” (Umph)

“I don’t care! Just make the bloody house already!” (Kelly)

“Very well.” (Umph)

Umph closes his eyes and stands perfectly still for several seconds. Soon enough, a low, soothing hum can be heard around me. It seems to come from beneath the ground.

*Crack* *Rumble*

The earth slowly splits open as a small stone hut gently rises from it like it’s sinking in reverse. As soon as the doorway fully leaves the ground, the humming and rumbling fade away in unison. Umph who was like a statue - or isn’t he literally a statue? - until now opens his eyes and shakes his head, as if waking up.

“All done.” (Umph)

“Yeah. Thanks again, Umph.” (Kelly)

“Any time, Sistah of Steel.” (Umph)

“So how do you do that?” (Kelly)

“I just asked de stone in the ground for a favor.” (Umph)

What, just like that? What about that outrageous flow of mana or the disembodied voice or-

“I see.” (Kelly)

That was close. I almost minded it and started asking questions. That's a bad idea.

This guy loves to make long-winded explanations that make no sense. I mean, the simple ‘do you eat anything?’ somehow turned into a hour-long story of how water is wet and why grass is green or something. I don’t know, I spaced out in the middle of it. A simple ‘No’ would’ve sufficed, you know?

I grab a water canteen, some wood, food and a sleeping bag from the luggage. This should last me through the night. Even if this guy can keep going day and night, I can’t. I tried to sleep in the air, but the constant shaking and fierce winds made that impossible. And since I need to be sure I’m in peak condition, this is the solution we came up with.

“I’ll be getting some rest. You know the drill.” (Kelly)

“Leave it to me, Sistah of Steel.” (Umph)

At least he can make for a good lookout. He won’t actually fight any intruding monsters, but as long as he wakes me up in time I can take care of it. I sit down in the hut and get a fire going in the small fireplace. I eat the hard bread and dried meat in silence.

…

I miss that noisy dining table.

“Sistah of Steel!” (Umph)

Umph suddenly yells from the outside, so I charge out of the hut. The sun’s completely gone now. Khamis Jr. is out so it's not quite pitch black out here.

"What's wrong?" (Kelly)

“De Calling. It’s beginning.” (Umph)

“What? Already? Crap, we must’ve been closer than I thought! It's okay, I got this! Probably!” (Kelly)

“Den. I will be… in.. your... ca… re…” (Umph)

And there he goes. Not asleep, just dormant. I’m glad I’ve taken to wearing Scrappy while flying. It doesn’t completely block the wind, but at least I don’t need to waste time strapping and unstrapping it!

For now, let’s get the light situation sorted. It’s nearly pitch black out here and if the Calling comes, it’ll get worse! Looking up at the sky, the twinkle of the stars and pale white light of Khamis Jr. are slowly fading away! Exactly like the lore books described it. I put my fists together and chant a spell.

“---- [Light Orb]” (Kelly)

A ball of light the size of my head appeared and floated in the air like a miniature sun. I send it to hover directly over Umph’s body. With this I can see clearly in a circle that’s easily over 25 meters around him. This is going to be my stronghold.

*Tak tak tak tak tak tak*

I bring out the maces and stand ready. The area is completely silent for now, but it won’t be for long.

“Come on Kelly… Fuuuu. You can do this.” (Kelly)

I try to calm myself down and focus my senses.

...

…

There!

“Kuaaaa!” (Figment)

A goblin-shaped shadow leaps out of the darkness and rushes me.

“HEYAH!” (Kelly)

*Slam*

My mace hits it dead on. It made a satisfying noise as the Figment’s head is torn clean off its body. It’s still not going down though. Oh, whoops!

“YAH! YAH! HEYA!” (Kelly)

*Slam Slam Smash*

I hit it with a quick three-part combination and the small Figment disappears into a black mist. That's the way! I forgot my enemy wasn't alive and attacked the vital spot by reflex. Since it’s a lump of smog held together by mana, you just have to hit it until it scatters. It’s closer to a golem than a monster, really.

“Kakakakakakaka” (Figments)

I hear numerous voices cackling in the surrounding darkness. Everything outside the range of my [Light Orb] has turned absolutely pitch black by now. Umph’s half-transparent body is lying motionlessly on the ground. Maybe making it this large was a mistake? Still, it’ll be fine as long as I stop any encroachment on time.

Figments start appearing out of the darkness and step into the light. They’re shaped like lower-ranked monsters - goblins, orcs and trolls. They’re all holding various weapons.

Bah, they're underestimating me! I can take this bunch with my eyes closed!

They charge at me from all sides. First come a group of a dozen or so Goblin Figments. They’re fast so they outrun their slower comrades. This time I attack them properly with body blows and they disappear in two, maybe three hits.

Some of them slash at me with their swords. While those weapons may simply be condensed parts of their bodies, they’re still as strong as steel. Or rather, I should say they’re only that strong.

Their clumsy attacks bounce harmlessly off Scrappy’s exterior. They’re too stupid to aim for vulnerable places like the armpit or behind the knee. Well, Scrappy has those covered anyway. It means I can just rampage and wipe them out to my heart’s content! Making Scrappy with a heavy focus on defense really was for the best!

“Haa-yah!” (Kelly)

I crush the last of them between my maces and it collapses into black fog like the rest. The seven Orc Figments come at me next. Big muscle-bound monsters in the vague shape of a human, with tusks protruding out of their jaws. Truly a face even a mother would spit on!

These ones are tougher than those Goblin Figments! They take almost twice as many hits before going down and their two-handed axes and swords hit much harder. They’re still only at the level of steel and don’t even put a scratch on Scrappy, though!

I’ve only taken down three of them when I notice the five Troll Figments are approaching Umph! As expected, they’re wary of approaching the bright [Light Orb]! Right, let’s test if this works! I break away from the Orc Figments for a moment and point my mace at the floating ball! I may not be as good at this as Red, but-

“-[Impact]” (Kelly)

*BADUM*

The [Light Orb] bursts with a flash, bathing the whole area in a blinding white radiance for several seconds. This time, I remembered to close my eyes! I could still see the intense light through my eyelids though!

*SSSSSHAAASHHAAA*

I hear a low hissing noise. Good, it looks like that was effective. Problem is now it’s way too dark to see what I’m doing!

“--- [Light Orb]” (Kelly)

I summon another ball of light, but it’s a rushed one so it’s weaker than the last. The light is dimmer and doesn’t help as much against this oppressing darkness, but at least I can see! Only two Troll Figments and three Orc Figments are left, but they’re all stunned. Good!

I mop them up quickly. The Troll Figments were actually really weak! Well, they only copy the shape. It’s not like those things can regenerate rapidly like actual trolls can. Now there is only one problem.

“GGRRRAAAARR!” (Cyclops Figment)

Make that two. Right, this is a big one. Looks like a 5, maybe 6 meter tall Cyclops. The enormous pot belly and stubby legs make it slow, and even though I can’t make out an expression, it’s undoubtedly an extremely dumb one. It takes slow heavy steps towards me.

Taking down a Cyclops normally involves attacking the legs so it falls, preferably forward. After that you just focus on its head until it stops moving. A Figment has no vital spots though, so showering this big thing with blows is going to take a while. Normally.

I raise a hand at it and, while still gripping the mace, I point at it with my index finger. I refocus my control of the golem to that fingertip - it opens slightly and with a very slight noise, shoots out an [Impact Pellet]. The big and slow Figment couldn't dodge it even if it wanted to, so it smashes open against its body.

*Ting*

*PUH-KAAAAN*

With a loud sound that’s almost like an explosion inside a cave, the Cyclops Figment explodes into a dark cloud of smoke. Good, the test was a success! I really need to thank Red for teaching me the [Impact] spell! Using it like this will make it really easy to bring down those big ones.

As usual she was right - this is a weapon, made for fighting these things. The theory was there, I’m just glad it actually worked! Technically, just this much would have made my pilgrimage a success! Even if a titan wasn't found in my lifetime, Ecebis would preserve the knowledge for future generations.

The light of the stars and the moon is becoming visible, looks like the first part of the Calling is over. Now I can turn my attention to the real problem - the black smoke.

I turn around and, as expected, it’s seeping steadily into the unconscious Umph, slowly tainting that transparent body of his with darkness, as if spilling ink into a lake. I quickly step out of Scrappy and walk towards Umph. After taking off my work gloves, I steel myself and put both hands on his plumage!

The black miasma surrounding me starts rapidly seeping into my skin while the black ink-like substance inside the titan is being pulled steadily into my hands!

“HHRRNNG!” (Kelly)

I let out a pained groan as pain like being showered with needles assaults me! I see tendrils of black encroach my vision before I completely lose control.

“RRRAAAAAGH!” (Kelly)

* * *

I’m panting heavily, drenched in sweat and completely unable to move. My arms and legs are covered in bruises and everything hurts, but at least no bones are broken. Is that the morning sky? Damn, it really did last all night…

“It is good to see de Sistah of Steel is well. You handled de first Calling pretty good!” (Umph)

“You *Pant* call this *Pant* ‘pretty good’ ?” (Kelly)

“Indeed. De Sistah of Steel is still alive and of sound mind. All things considered, I think dat’s pretty good.” (Umph)

Yeah. All things considered…

“What about *Pant* you? I sure did a number *Pant* on you.” (Kelly)

I vaguely remember my rampage after absorbing what was left of the Figments. I recall furiously punching and kicking the only living thing in the area - the titan. As a result, a wing seems to be broken, and parts of the plumage seem to be… bloody. The saddle is a bit worse for wear, too. I hope it holds out…

“Dis much is nothing. Since no pieces were broken off, tis a simple task to mend it.” (Umph)

“Then why *Pant* haven’t you?” (Kelly)

“It is my way of sharing in your pain, Sistah of Steel. Misery loves company, as dey say.” (Umph)

“Hah. Hahaha! Ow! It hurts to laugh!” (Kelly)

I didn’t break a rib, did I? That would suck. I have some potions, but nothing strong enough to heal a bone fracture. I look over at where Scrappy is standing. I see some blood stains on it, I guess I punched it a few times too. Let’s make sure to hide it out of sight next time.

…

There’s going to be a next time, isn’t there? If I have to go through this every night, it means I have to sleep during the day. The time we can fly around in has been reduced by half.

…

I think my body’s recovered a bit. At least my breathing’s back to normal.

“Hey Umph. Two questions.” (Kelly)

“Yes? What is it, Sistah of Steel?” (Umph)

“Can we fly at night?” (Kelly)

“No. De Calling will find me so long as I am close to de Dark One. And me losing control in mid-air is something we want to avoid, yes?” (Umph)

“Yeah.” (Kelly)

Well, it was worth a shot, but I guess it won’t be that easy. Next about that other thing he said.

“What happens if chunks get… broken off you?” (Kelly)

“Ah! Well, de shell pieces dat get separated from my soul nucleus will lose de pseudo-life properties we titans imbue dem with. It’s an indirect consequence of-” (Umph)

“Hey! Simple words! I don’t have all day over here!” (Kelly)

Please spare me! I tried listening to his explanations before and basically fell asleep! Actually, falling asleep sounds good right now, but it's more important to know what I'm dealing with!

“*Ahem* Dey will turn back into normal ice and I cannot regenerate dem.” (Umph)

Exactly like a living statue, huh? Then as long as I get out of Scrappy before flipping out, I can avoid doing any permanent damage to his body, right? I doubt I'll be able to literally rip off bits of him with my bare hands. At least now that I’ve experienced the Calling first hand, I can prepare for it better.

“I see… Well, I’m going to rest for a bit.” (Kelly)

I close my eyes and drift off into sleep. I’m tired, hurting and hungry. In that order.