A deal worth making

Hildegard is alternately looking down into the shadow of a crevice and signalling the other two. Zewrepa arrives first. She does not hesitate and extends her magical claws, ramming them into the rock to hold her on her way down. A third of the way down her foot causes a cascade of splintering rock to tumble into the abyss. Anjali’s voice calls down „Wait, don’t move. I am going for cloth to use as a rope.“

I am sort of flying on a wave trajectory. An imbalance of mass and weight needs training to allow clean flying. I can learn a lesson if it results in enough pain in my shoulder. I decide to walk the rest of the way to the outcropping facing our rock with the backpack carried in my hand. Although that raises the question why Marental designed the damn thing as a back pack in the first place, even as you cannot fight well while wearing it. I am missing something, though it may be that somebody as important as Marental considers himself had somebody to carry his backpack for him.

For the same reason I am also alert and watching my surroundings. Hence I quickly notice the frantic movement across the chasm, though at first it is too unusual to understand. Zewrepa, being unmistakable due to having six limbs is clinging to some rocky outcrops. Two people are standing on top of the outcrop trying to get a stripe of cloth to go down to Zewrepa. They aren’t equipped to counter the wind blowing against the face of the chasm resulting in their improvised rope dancing like an electrocuted weasel.

Zewrepa is running low on mana. She has limited the use of her claws to the times she’s about to slip. She is considering a jump to the ledge. The cloth might hold her weight, but if she jerks too hard on it, her companions would go over the edge.

I drop the backpack and burst into an unencumbered flight. I even manage to catch the rope while landing on the rock wall. This is the first time I shift gravity outside an experimental setting. „Wrap the cloth under my lower arms and tie a knot. Then grab me around the waist and pull“, orders Zewrepa, who is unshockable with displays of new magic.

I fall on my ass, as she crests the lip of the chasm, but we make it. With one exception, as I look along or down, depending on view point, the side of the chasm. „She has moved nothing since I have found her.“ Hildegard informs me. „I will touch her, so that I know with certainty.“ I reply.

I hear a small whimper from in front respectively below me. How do I transition to the ledge in the crevice? I opt to not do anything experimental in this setting, take to the air and normalize gravity.

A very small face with a lot of scrapes stares at me. She looks like she has lost the strength to scream and feels cold, much too cold to my touch. I freeze. My powers act almost without my concious decision. I feel my powers of heat and restauration activate next to my healing power.

„If she is dead, throw her down. We cannot leave her here to draw even more attention to this place and pulling her up is much too dangerous.“ urges Zewrepa from above.

I bow down. My sight declares her a hopeless case. I have to kick her to move her, my hands being occupied.

My sight fades.

„What were you thinking !?!“

„That she was doing something stupid. The bridge was not safe.“ – „You admit it!“.

A much younger version of me screams back „So what was I to do? Force her? Bend her arm and march her back home? She is sixteen. Old enough to know that you don’t scale a closed bridge for a photo.“

„She was sixteen. And you were responsible.“ the other voice screamed back. „Then tell me how you like it when I force you“ and I hit the screaming man into the solarplexus and push him across the room. The next morning he is gone.

„Peregrinus, do you hear me?“ Hildegard yells from above attempting to keep her voice down nevertheless. I wave up to her. I hesitate. I did not kill three men for that food only to abandon it now. I put the baby under my cloak and retrieve the backpack.

Branislava is quietly sobbing in the kitchen. We dare not leave her alone and yet I need to brief the others about my mission, as the already asked why I returned so quickly. Saying everything twice does not make it easier.

„I found an outpost of cheesemakers closely by in a valley, which had been attacked by goblins. I stole food from them. There is some left. I would like to return quickly, lest somebody else steal it. I also need … to remove traces, so that nobody find us that way.“

In the end we decide that I shall leave right away, so that the wind has more time to remove traces over night and that I better spend the night on the adjacent summit.