“Bad news rarely comes alone.” - Old folk saying.

“What’s the news?” asked Aideen to trademaster Goras’anoviel after the man finished with his conversation.

Just a few minutes ago, one of the caravan’s hired guards returned atop his avian steed to report the situation on the other pass. The man made his report directly to the trademaster, and Aideen happened to be far away at the time so she didn’t catch what was being said. The report would most likely determine the course the caravan would take, though.

“The Asevo valley was damaged worse than here,” replied the old elf with a frown on his face. The two valleys of Asevo and Neivas were the main trade routes on the north side of the Kingdom Down Under. They were currently camped at the northern entrance of Neivas pass at the moment, and Asevo pass was further to their west.

“So what does that mean for the caravans?” she asked back.

Both of the main passes being damaged beyond usability was a serious issue. It was an issue that the Kingdom Down Under would likely take care of as soon as they could, but so soon after the incident, those who found their lives disturbed by the damages had no choice but to look for other avenues to fulfill their needs.

“Those who were headed to Alfheim would likely carry on with their trip in another day or two,” said the trademaster after he pondered for a moment. While the incident had temporarily cut off the biggest trade route from Alfheim to the Kingdom Down Under, those already on the other side might as well carry on with their journey. “It’s those who were still in the Kingdom Down Under and us who faced the dilemma.”

“Are there no other passes that caravans could traverse?”

“There are several large enough for the caravan to pass through, but most of them are unused. As such, they’re not exactly patrolled or kept clean of dangerous monsters. It would be rather… risky to take them,” replied the trademaster carefully. “I know we have guards, but the beasts that inhabit the Borean mountain range and the plains are very different. Worst case scenario we would run into something they might not be able to handle. If Milady wishes to return to Alfheim instead, I am certain something could be arranged with the other caravans.”

“Yeah, no, I’m headed for the Kingdom Down Under,” replied Aideen with a shake of her head. “If your caravan still intends to continue the journey there, that is.”

“I will need to discuss the matter with the head of the caravan behind us first. If we were to combine our caravans, we would have more guards and it might be more feasible to brave the other passes,” replied the old trademaster. “I assume Milady would be joining us for the trip then? Please be advised that the risks in situations like these would be greater than usual.”

“We’ll stick around and help out as needed, yeah,” said Aideen with a firm nod. Ever since she helped out the healers, the people in the caravans had been calling her “Milady”, with the occasional rumors of the moniker she seemed to have gotten at times reaching her ears. It wasn’t the sort of situation she wished for, but there was no avoiding it at times.

“Very well, then. I will return once we have decided,” stated the old trademaster before he gave a slight bow and left.

It was not until a few hours past noon that the trademaster returned and informed Aideen that the caravan would join together with the one behind them and brave the next pass to the east together. Since the trek through the pass would be riskier than normal, the trademaster further emphasized the risks of the trail, and confirmed their willingness to proceed.

Aideen and Celia naturally agreed to proceed onwards, but most of the other passengers chose to turn back, finding transport back to Alfheim with the other caravans headed that way. In the end the caravan was left with maybe a quarter of the passengers they had before. It was a situation the trademaster had expected, however.

From their original caravan of twelve wagons – seven of which were laden with goods and five were passenger wagons – the caravan detached four of the passenger wagons and had them temporarily join other caravans headed for Alfheim. That reduced the caravan’s size to two-thirds, but they retained all the guards they hired, which meant more security for the wagons that remained.

The other caravan they joined with did the same, and altogether, their convoy had fifteen wagons and five times as many guards between them. It was such a convoy that headed east at the dawn of the next day, where they headed to Loevinsaft valley, a rarely used pass that was nevertheless large enough to allow their wagons to pass two at a time with room to spare.

It was obvious from the moment they reached the pass that the route was in disuse. The road was more a crude path that weaved between two mountains, with many obstacles at times partially covering it. The wagons of the caravan entered the pass in a single file formation, with their guards riding all around them. That way, there was plenty of room for the wagon and its guards while they moved through the valley.

Fortunately the worst of the incident’s effects had not reached the pass. There were no avalanches or rockslides, and at worst, the guards only had to remove some trees that had fallen and barred the way. The road was uneven, but there were few complaints from the passengers, who knew that they had signed up for when the trademaster asked them the day before.

Since the caravan entered the pass at dawn – they had rest early the day before after they reached the pass – the trademaster told Aideen that should things go smoothly, they should be able to exit the pass by the evening, and thus would not need to spend a night in the valley.

Fate decided otherwise, however.