FUCK

I'm tired...

It took an hour the kill all those mephits. I wanted everyone to give similar contributions to the fight, so we all level equally, but I snapped and killed them with Flash Gordon.

The fight took a long time since the [Snow Mephits] heal by eating snow and can "become one with snow" to dodge any attacks. They can't move in this form, so disrupting the snow forces them out. My ice resistance grew in this fight since the mephits kept trying to skewer me or throw mana-infused snowballs.

[Resistance: Ice 58 > 74]

Luckily I remembered tamers are forced to share experiences equally with any tamed beast that contributed to the fight. That goes both ways, so as long as I am giving a passive buff (which I always do), I can sit back and let my beasts grind for me.

Building shelter is the priority. I want to regenerate some mana and health and possibly sleep. The snow is thick enough that we can dig a burrow in the snow and insulate it from the outside elements. It's not that difficult. It's like building a reverse igloo.

Rob is perfect for the job. I get him working before scouting out the immediate surroundings with Duchess. I leave Khan to guard the food as I get onto Duchess' back. I'm glad he isn't a glutton.

We fly and see nothing but snow for miles, but I spot a discrepancy through the storm. There are trees in this fracture, meaning that I can get firewood.

We land in the sparse forest as I lament not bringing an ax with me into the fracture. I guess we can go back and get Rob to create a bone ax with his [Create Tool] skill...

[Ahem. Master?]

"Did you just mentally clear your throat?"

[Can't you just use your sword? Or even your bare hands?]

"..."

~

We arrive back with firewood.

Khan and Rob met no difficulties in our absence, and Khan started to help with the digging. The entrance has to be wide enough for Duchess' fat ass to get inside, but besides that, there are no limitations.

It's less of a burrow and more of a "carved igloo." I started a fire after making sure that there was proper ventilation. I check from outside, and the snowstorm hides our bungalow perfectly.

I head inside and warm myself up to the fire. I will use this place as a home base and explore this fracture to see its worth. I have a handful of low-ranked mana crystals from the mephits, but that's not enough.

My finger slides through the snow as I start visualizing my game plan. The bungalow will be the center of a hexagonal "pizza," and I will explore one "slice" at a time. Six slices that go on for ten miles each. After scoping the perimeter, I can make my way to the base while surveying the entire slice. After the "pizza" is completed and I didn't find anything to note, I could just start the process again somewhere else.

That'll give me a perimeter of sixty miles to search and two-hundred-sixty square miles of land to cover, more or less. That shouldn't take long.

~

After some rest, we leave to comb the first slice.

Hundreds of feet of snow and nothing else. I don't even get a courtesy ambush from any monsters. Nothing to the northwest.

On my way to the western slice, I spot something moving with the snow. My perceptiveness probably saved our lives. Hundreds of roving [Artic Mites] pass off in the distance. They are baseball-sized white furry balls that move in packs. They might not seem dangerous, but the sheer number is enough to reconsider and wait for them to leave. [Ice Mites] to the west.

Southwest and southeast are cut off prematurely by massive glacial cliffs that don't appear to have a bottom. Duchess scouted the cliffs and claimed that she spotted water deep below by utilizing her light magic but retreated when the inhabitants of the glacial cliffs and caverns started to notice her presence.

Is this the end of the fracture? The spacial magic borders these pocket planes in a "natural" way, but is this it? It's not worth going down thousands of feet just to be killed by weird cave monsters. End of the world to both the souths.

Another pack of [Snow Mehpits] attacked the sled when I investigated the east. Duchess uses her AOE light attack to melt the snow while Khan runs interference.

-99

-272

[Resistance: Radiant 74 > 80]

Fuck. I used [Martyr] on Khan and got a double serving of magic. At least I know that the double damage I take from [Martyr] comes before mitigations.

With the snow mostly gone, we can slaughter the mephits without their annoying abilities. Everyone is very close to leveling up. We just need a few more points. Maybe I should've attacked the [Artic Mites]...

Terminated [Snow Mephits] to the east.

The final slice was barren. That direction is towards the trees I found earlier, so around there is where I will set up the next pizza. For now, I head back to base. Nothing to the northeast.

I'm not tired, but I wanted to regenerate a little mana and eat in a comfortable place. All this talk of pizza makes me hungry for a slice. Unfortunately, I only packed meat rations.

I checked how much my ice resistance grew during our outing.

[Resistance: Ice: 74 > 99]

My resistance stopped growing after reaching this point. The constant cold no longer affects me even with [Martyr] active. It seems that chip damage is good for building resistance, but it has to gradually increase, or else I can't "break through" a certain point.

I shall rest and head out on the morrow.

~

There is a "sun" in this fracture, but the days here seem to last longer. How does space work here? I'm sure that each and every fracture doesn't have there own solar system. Is it a fragment or a memory? Maybe something artificial altogether.

Although my radiant resistance allows me to stare at the sun longer than the average man, it's a waste of time. If I want answers, I should go up there, not stare longingly.

I put my queries away in my mind and moved out to the woods. This fracture is sizable. I wonder what else is in here.

This reminds me of an archaic song. Dashing through the snow on a fifty-Khan sled. O'er the snow we go, slaughtering all the way.

The snowstorm starts to let up as we arrive at the woods. What I thought was just a bundle of trees was actually an impressive tundra. I start activating [Scientific Insight+] on random things as we pass through.

[Everwhites] [Snow Berries] [Pine Colds] [Artic Grass] [Wild Turnip]

The everwhites and their pine colds are species of tree that thrive in cold environments. Not much more valuable than usual trees, but a healthy source of wood is appreciated everywhere. Snowberries are a delectable red fruit that is found low in bushes and brambles. Their fruit is sweet and juicy but carries toxins that could freeze a lesser man in high doses. I pick a few.

Artic grass looks like wild cotton plants. However, they aren't suitable for clothing production. They are better for food for grazing animals or something to burn.

A wild turnip is a turnip.

I note this in my [Lexicon], so I can get paid for a report handed in at the end. The massive sled is not exactly stealthy as the party is once again surrounded by creatures.

I noticed the approach, but I didn't stop them. I only informed my beasts to prepare for combat before getting off the sled. The ground here is not knee-deep snow like the flatlands I was just in. This change is greatly appreciated.

Out of the woodworks are some godforsaken wolves. [White Wolves] and [Arctic Wolves] fill the treelines as they stalk my movement. They look malnourished and hungry. There is no getting out of this one.

The ferocious beasts drool red as they leap towards my neck. The hunger in these beasts is concrete, as I have to fight off four of them at once. My skin is pierced multiple times before I could [Bolster Resistance] against their sharp fangs.

Rob "counter ambushes" one of the wolves allowing me to get an arm free and throw one of the wolves off of me. I slam Flash Gordon against the wolf biting into my calf. Blood and brains cook as Flash Gordon turns scorching hot.

The last wolf is trying to drag me to the ground, sinking its teeth into my prosthetic. I punch it once in the snout, and it lets go in a yelp. I kick it away before another wolf pounces on me from behind.

Duchess flew away since her large body makes ample opportunities for her to be ganged up. She does flybys and flash fries wolves with brilliant beams of light.

Rob piggybacks the wolf on my back and rapidly stabs the wolf in the neck with a shovel. When the wolf finally goes limp, he rips the spine out of the wolf before hurriedly shoving it into his bag.

I'd thank him for the assistance, but he seemed too happy about the bones and not about my safety.

Khan is the only thing keeping all the wolves from attacking at once. A quick scan of the wolves shows they are between lv 55 and 65. Manageable.

I grab my barbed sword from the sled and rush back into the fray.

I haven't cut anything made of flesh with this blade. Not until now that it's. The barbs make it extremely difficult to make clean cuts, but the wounds it leaves behind are brutal and sloppy.

The barbs catch and tear at the flesh and fur, splattering blood and guts against the pristine white snow.

Something clicks in my mind as I stab the blade deep within one of the wolves. While it still lives, barely, I activate my rings skill [Branble Blade].

Thorny vines shoot from the hilt and encompass the still-breathing wolf. The wolf cries out in pain as the vines start to constrict, digging the thorns deep into its flesh. Cool, so it can do that. I wonder what else the ring can do once I keep ranking it up.

"Don't kill this wolf. I'll need it for later."

I rejoin the slaughter.