Azimuth: The Elden Throne (New Version)

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/Hustle.../

/Crack... Crunch.../

The trio, Dale, Hina, and Bolbom, began their journey across the damp woods.

The forest was alive with the cries and echoes of countless critters, creating a symphony of nature that surrounded them as they walked.

Toads, birds, insects, and small animals teemed around them, and they wanted to make them know that.

"... I thought the forest would be silent, but its quite lively. I feel as if I've heard over twenty different birds by now."

"Because you have, this is a rainforest, and the biodiversity here is large on all steps of the food chain."

As he said that, Dale raised his arm, fetching a small toad from a large leaf beside him and showing it to Hina.

"They're everywhere, so be careful where you step, many of these are poisonous."

"Uhm... It's quite cute." She said as she held the frog for a moment before putting it back on the leaf Dale found it at

"... So... You talk as if you've been here before..." She asked with sembarrassment as she tried to break the ice

Hina, though she may not act like it, was a fan of Dale. She had been dying to know many things about him and the potential things he had done and seen.

Her curiosity was piqued, and she couldn't help but ask, "... So... You talk as if you've been here before..."

"I did."

"At first, I trained in the forest with sof the Villagers."

"Trained?... Here?... Like a form of solitary martial training?" She asked with a gleam in her eyes, unfortunately, the story wasn't that incredible

"Nothing of the sort. Although I would love to have the tto sit down and train like that, many of my Quests are timed, so I need to be constantly on the move; it was no different then."

"It was part of their Questlines, to accompany them and learn how to hunt in the forest... So I didn't refuse despite the dangers."

"There I cface to face with quite the problem... It was when I first learned of Variant monsters..."

Dale began narrating his stories one by one, not exactly afraid of revealing too much. He knew his tales pique her interest, and he was eager to see her reactions.

Trusting people wasn't so bad occasionally, and he liked to see her reaction and discuss her thoughts about him.

It was a nice experience.

Soon enough, they arrived at their destination, the lake. One of the first few milestones of the area.

The path they took was different from the one Muddan used when he first guided him and the others to the forest;; it was faster, and didn't pass through the Hill near the forest entrance.

Maybe it was because Bolbom was older and wiser than Muddan, or maybe because they had the tto grow more accustomed to the area following everything that happened.

Anyway, they moved on. The journey would be a long one...

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/Splash... Sha sha.../

On the abandoned port next to the lake, Hina looked everywhere with great interest while Dale looked at the humble boat floating there.

"..."

'This must be our ride.'

The Karkavan weren't great navigators; their specialty stood in hunting down things and standing in synch with the forest around them, so it's not unreasonable to say they're faster in the woods than in the river...

But it's not so simple.

Before, the Karkavan requested grains and other supplies to help with the reconstruction of their cities and to help their people.

Resko was already stretched thin, but they still helped; however, the question stood in transporting those supplies back to the cities... So in the end, the rivers becthe go-to choice to resolve the matter.

The Karkavan knew how to fish so they weren't complete idiots when it cto navigation, they were decent if not good, so the process was a simple one to implement.

There were still a few issues to solve first before anything...

First, they would need to move upstream to go from the capital to the lake.

The lake was located at a higher elevation than the ocean. Although the inclination was minimal, it was still something to consider as the current grew erratic in sareas.

And the Karkavan made things more complicated... Their size only made creating boats harder as they had to think much more to create something suitable for their towering stature.

And lastly, the biggest hurdle was the many beasts that lived underwater.

To most Karkavan, they were food. But if they were to be caught unprepared... Then they would becthe food.

"Ohhh... We'll be using a boat?" Hina asked as she approached Dale

She saw a rather large canoe floating in the water with an old Karkavan sitting atop it, hewasn't very tall, only three meters in height, but he was muscular nonetheless.

He held a large wooden pole that extended deep into the water, using it to move the boat around with finesse.

"Yes."

"You must be... The Great Warrior." The elderly Karkavan said as he turned to look at Dale, his eyes heavy

His pronunciation was also rather good, whichcas a surprise forDale, not so much as Hina, whodidn't understand muchof anything.

"Guam shall guide you. Step inside." The elderly Karkavan added as he pointed at his boat

/Creak!/

Bolbom did not hesitate at all, stepping on theboatheavily.

His weight caused the wood to creak and the canoe to splash water around, but none entered it.

"... Is this even possible?" Hina asked as she looked at the two Karkavan on the canoe

The boat was big forthem,but for the giants...It was claustrophobic.

"... Only one way to find out..."

/Step.../

The boat did not utter a single sound as Dale stepped onto it, not even registering his weight.

Happy, Hina quickly followed, grabbing his hand as he almost fell on the water due to her clumsiness.

"Let's move, weshould arrive in notime." Dale said as he looked at Guam

'It took us a few days to reach the Karkavan city in the past, but we traveled across the dense woods, and Muddan had to slow down for us.'

'Now, we're on a boat going downstream, itshouldn't take long for us to get there.'

'This time, I'm going to meet with the Karkavan to confirm several things,toactivate their Questlines, and begin my preparations for the fateful expedition.'

So far, I have...Four...Maybe five Quests will leadoutside of Resko. More if I add in Quests, which I do not possess.

I need to figure out the secrets of the Royalty and their connection tofallof the Corps, Ineed to figure out what's going on with the Ju-Arkesian Church...

The Karkavan heroes never returned, the Naval Troops that vanished at sea, the desert beast that fell from the heavens...

A few moretoo.

I don't thinkI'm ready to venture into the Continent's center, but I should be able to prepare to advance beyond the Wall, possibly completing two of said Quests in the process.

It'll be a lengthy journey...I need to get everything in order as I won't be returning from it anytsoon...

/Tap.../

"What are you thinking so intently about? Another adventure?" She asked with a smug face as she kept tapping him with her finger, trying to get a reaction out of him

"Stop it. It tickles." He replied with a chuckle as he turned to her

"Then answer me! I don't like being in the dark."

"You're quite authoritative for someone who's just taggingalong." Dale said with a smug expression as he turned to look at her

"That's just my usual personality." She replied proudly as she dramatically moved her hair around, itseemed to be skind of Emote...

"Sigh...I wasjustthinking about sof my Quests and the most efficient path to complete them, nothing else."

"Hm... Sometimes, you sound just like my brother, thinking about profits and efficiency before fun...That's not cool at all!" She said in a displeased tone as she looked away, bothered

"Oh? That's a misunderstanding, I'mhaving a lot of fun. Do you know how cool it is to do something like this?" Dale asked as he placed his right hand on the water

/Flick!/

He flicked his finger, and a powerful wave slashed through the lake's calm waters, leaving behind a small ravine thatwas quickly refilledmoments later.

"Becoming stronger is fun, and seeing others rely onis good too, butresponsibility isn't something I takelightly."

"I'll make this place surpass its previous glory. That's what I decided to do. It can be stressful periodically, especially given I'm a Hardcore Player, but don't misunderstand, I'mhaving lots of fun." He added with a smile as he turned to her again

"But what about you then? If you wish to have fun, why not stay in theCapital? Why call the way here?"

"In Resko, you'll only find hard work and heavy Quests. There isn't much to do here.

"What are your goals?"

"My goals?..."

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Notes