BXBX NOVEL Chapter 325 324: Mammoth Hunt (1)
Kat PoV
Departing from Scythiara was a mixture of sad and relieving.
Saying goodbye to Oya, Poepa, and Quarta forever was sad; these last two days spent with them has been really fun and enjoyable, and I likened them to siblings I never had.
Oya\'s maturity and seriousness was tempered by her sisters playfulness and mischievousness, and they made me wonder about the siblings that I was due to have when Mother gave birth in a few months time.
That was a thought that made my sadness grow, forcing me to wonder about how she was taking my disappearance once again, and how that was affecting her body.
However, that was also why I was relieved that we were departing; I wanted to begin my journey back home in earnest, and now that we were going to leave Scythiara behind I could do so.
So, after hugging Oya and her sisters goodbye, the expedition set off for Polaris City, bundles of goods strapped to our packs and sleds as the Arese began their scheduled journey.
Like always, the Rimelands were subject to lazy snow showers and nipping chills, the sky overcast with fluffy gray clouds that could unleash a storm at a moments notice.
The snowy tundra laid out before us was free from any blemishes made from mortals, and the gorgeous scenery helped occupy my mind as we began to trek across the Rimelands.
Eyoli and Valaka told me of the purpose of this journey to Polaris City in detail, alongside informing me that we would be hunting a few more animals on our way north, so that the Arese would have more to barter and trade with the citizens of Polaris City.
The Arese were capable of fending for themselves, but they weren\'t as advanced as the other civilizations around them; being stuck in the middle of nowhere and forced to fend off whatever came over the Cimmerian Mountains would hamper a peoples ability to improve in aspects besides fighting.
So, for things like cloth, heating, building materials, techniques, farming and the like, they traded with the people of Polaris City, who were always looking for fresh meats, pelts, and bones to utilize for their own use or to trade to others.
On top of that, the mammoth tusks that the Arese sold were always profitable, as the ivory provided quite a large chunk of change for all parties involved.
The citizens of Polaris City traded with ideas and basic machinery with the Arese, who provided them foodstuffs and luxury items in great abundance.
Now, of course, whether the Arese could use those ideas or machinery was up to their own capability, but they had learned a lot through these trades.
Although apart of the Nevrokopi State, Polaris City was accepting of the Arese, mainly because they were profitable, but also because they had known them for a long time.
Which was why Eyoli told me that we would be hunting any mammoths we came across, so that they might be able to purchase something important for the Tribe of for themselves; steel weaponry was in high demand, as was the techniques behind mining, refining, and forging.
That also included the materials needed to mine, refine, and forge things, which were expensive to even normal citizens, let alone the Arese.
With that in mind, we trekked through the cold Rimelands and pushed Northwards, towards the bustling trade city of Polaris.
Located well over 100 miles Northwards, this would be a multi day journey; traversing the snow was difficult, and when you add on the various sleds and packs we were traveling with, our average \'speed\' was apparently roughly 30 miles a day.
Still quite good, as expected of such a physical race, but that meant we were three or four days away from Polaris City.
The first day went by slowly enough, and we set up camp just as night started to fall.
The second day started off slow, with us waking up before dawn and setting off just as the sun began to rise.
From dawn until noon nothing happened, but an hour or so after noon one of the Arese amongst the vanguard alerted the rest to mammoth tracks, halting the entire expedition.
Warriors clustered around the various supplies, while the hunters grouped up together, studying the tracks and determining the distance and location of the mammoth as best they could.
Joining Valaka, I crouched beside the woman, emulating her posture and trying to figure out just how she distributed her weight to not disturb the snow as much as possible.
It was interesting, trying to copy her as best I could, all while I listened to her muttering about the size, depth, compactness of the snow, the layer of fresh snow over the track and more.
Archiving each in my memory, I filed them away for further analysis as she stood up, her hands patting her sheathed knives as she gestured for me to follow behind her.
Despite their near black skin tones, the Arese were like wraiths as they set out to follow the tracks, their white tattoo\'s blending with their dark skin to create a sort of camouflage as they moved.
Alongside that, their fur armor made little noise as they stalked through the snow, and the various bone weapons hanging on straps across their body didn\'t make much noise either.
Comparatively, I found myself frowning as the wind billowed against my cloth and leather armor, while my remaining daggers smacked against my thighs and waist with soft plops; you could barely hear it through the wind, but it was still there.
Many glanced at me, their black eyes narrowed as they scanned my attire, before turning and creating distance between us.
Gritting my teeth, I decided that, for the moment, I would allow myself to \'cheat\' as I tried to determine how to better traverse the snow.
Tracing runes in the air, I created a Wind Cloak that wrapped around my body, diffusing the sounds I made into near silence.
Alongside that, I coated the bottom of my soles in Water Mana, allowing me to walk on top of the snow with better results.
Valaka nodded approvingly at my choices, her whisper barely making any sound, forcing me to strain my ears.
"Better. Mammoths are near now, so be careful. Follow my lead."
Giving her another nod, I crouched down lower and focused my attention on our surroundings, wondering what these mammoths would look like in reality.
Were they the fur covered elephant like creatures I remembered, or something else?
I didn\'t need to wait long, as we eventually crested a hill and gazed down on a herd of giant mammoth.