Ashes of the Fallen

Ten hours had passed since we first set out on our voyage, eight hours of which I spent offline eating and sleeping. This wasn't quite fast-travel, what with it taking so many hours to cover the two-hundred or so miles, but it was automated travel.

As a consolation prize, that wasn't half bad.

It sure as hell beat pulling a sled for a week.

And finally, our destination was in sight.

The winds that blew east never let up the entire trip, so the men were well rested as we took in the sights along the way. The Elven Northeastern Region was a bit different from the North we called home.

Sailing southward up a series of small rivers, the climate was considerably warmer than the western side of the continent. We were at the very tip of this continent after all. The western region was our home, with the middle occupied by an undisclosed, undiscovered region, while the eastern edge had been settled by the elves.

The trees themselves, mostly Oaks of a rather frighteningly large stature, seemed as if they were alive with their branches spreading out and hovering about like tentacles in the air. The green foliage of their massive tops created complete dark zones underneath as the sunlight was hard-pressed to sneak through.

Easily twenty feet across the base and who-knows how tall in height, the trees were exceptionally large. Beautiful, yet scary at the same time. To be lost in these woods in the dead of night was not on my list of things to do.

There were, however, plenty of creatures.

As we passed rather quietly up the river, countless deer and elk were spotted grazing along the forest floor. A few uncharacteristic hoots from an owl seemed out of place in the middle of the day, but it kind of fit with the surroundings. Smaller creatures were abound as well, foxes and rabbits a staple, though the appearance of a weasel, a red squirrel, and a couple of beavers added some variety to the scenery.

This definitely wasn't the North.

I still disagreed with it being called a wasteland but, there was some truth to the term. We lacked diversity in relation to our animal population, at least compared to the other regions. Though, we also had the most diversity in terms of fish and sea life on the continent, so it all evened out in the end.

If anything, I was now convinced that fishing very well might be my meal ticket. Fresh seafood, if it was as realistic as the rest of the game, would be a delicacy that players could splurge on. Having some control over that market, maybe even running the export industry… hah, the possibilities were endless.

"Sigurd, a campsite is within distance," interrupted Eindride.

"Ah, it is as you say," I replied as I turned my attention to the small village that was probably more aptly termed a campsite. Ellieby's guild site, the land they had laid claim to and were slowly developing for fun. It… wasn't quite as impressive as I was hoping.

"We'll beach as closely as possible," I instructed as I grabbed an oar and began to aid in the steering. With twelve able-bodies, the ship was easy to control and navigate with as we came upon the campsite.

Slowing the ship down to barely a crawl, we landed on the beach with hardly a thud.

Hopping over the side and into the shallow water below, the river didn't even wet my knees. As I stood in maybe a foot of water, a few onlookers from the guild had come over to greet us.

Only, half of them turned away and walked off once they saw who I was.

That silly hunter and priest, they weren't too friendly with me.

"Sigurd, you made it!" yelled out Ellieby as she gingerly waved.

It was a bit odd, the enthusiastic greeting with the cautious wave, but I figured that had to do with her guild mates being apprehensive with my visit.

After all, I did just beach a sixty foot boat right up on their camp with a few NPC warriors in tow. If I was a hostile enemy, they would have been dead before they even knew it. I could have raided their little village and been on my way in the time it took to snap my fingers. That gave me some ideas, ones I would keep in the back of mind.

For future reference, was all.

Nothing nefarious.

"Ellieby, good to see you're doing well," I replied, returning the greeting with a light wave of my own. "Upgraded your gear too, I see."

"Yeah guy, I've been busy!" she said while beaming with pride, hands at her hips and chin held high. Without breaking a sweat, her face quickly changed to a curious expression as she threw her arms out. "So? What do you think? Its great isn't it?"

"Huh?" I asked, a bit lost.

"Oh you ass, you know what I'm talking about!"

"Ah, yes, cute location, great place," I replied with a mocking tone.

"Ahhh! Don't use my words against me!" she laughed out, not taking my words to heart. She often teased me, so I felt it was fair game to play with my words, too.

"Soooo… what the hell is this," she asked while pointing at the longship behind me.