Falling Stars and Diamond Lakes?! [Travel]

Posts : 65

The girl’s eyes peeked a little just to see how the day was going. Recently times had been pretty rough, Galateia was on probably the least secretive run anyone’s ever seen. The girl just tried to walk around the small towns and hide from people seeking her head for the bounty but she ended up killing more people and getting into more trouble. It was a cursed circle of trouble and the worst part was that she had to train to grow stronger, if her bounty keeps going up soon the likes of Hiruzen will start coming after her. Not that Galateia wasn’t excited for the concept!

Right after the warrior got used to the light she jumped up on her feet and stretched out, before she put on her several light armor plates Galateia decided to do some training. The girl picked up her sword and headed out to the farther reaches of the forest. Recently Teia was thinking a little bit, thinking of traveling to another Country, seeing new places. There was only this much of this same mountainous region that one could have witnessed before growing bored. Hell, the girl even started recognizing some of the bandits that sometimes came for her bounty.

Galateia started swinging her sword around cutting trees down where it went. Her will was still strong and cut even the strongest trees down, she felt ready for a bigger challenge and wanted to see more of the world. Recently she’s even been wondering why was she even stuck around this country in the first place. Sure she’s been slowly advancing south every day to the point where Snow Country couldn’t have been too far away but Galateia could have moved much faster, subconsciously she was sticking around for some reason.

“Hey, you’re the “Silver Sunshine”, Galateia, right?” a man asked, Galateia turned around furiously swinging her blade and cutting down two more trees in front of her. The girl obviously did not like her training to be interrupted in such early stages. What if her will grows weak and she can no longer split a man in two if she wants to? “You wish to fight for the bounty of my head? Come on, let’s go!” the girl got into her fighting stance with some excitement that each battle brought but the man shook his head.

“I’m afraid you misunderstood. My boss has heard of you and your friend, we are not sure if you two are a gang or… Anyways, my boss wishes to speak with you.”

Galateia tightened the grip on her sword as the man smiled and waved his palms at her as if signaling her to stop.

“Please, Silver Sunshine Galateia, reconsider, I am not strong, I will not entertain you. My boss lives in the Snow Country and he has a problem with a certain strong fighter. He has heard of your accomplishments and wishes to give you the battle as a gift.” the man said, he clearly knew what buttons to press to play the girl like an instrument. Galateia sheathed her sword and nodded. The man then bowed his head in gratitude for his life.

“Please, just travel to Snow Country and all will be made clear, I will meet you there and take you to my boss. You will not regret it, Galateia.” the girl impatiently jumped around, she was already hyped for the upcoming battle. The girl looked at the man with innocent and hopeful eyes, the man looked very confused by the girl’s childish expression. “Is that man I will fight really strong?!” she shouted out like a child asking what flavor of ice cream she is being given. The man just nodded forcing Galateia into a girly shriek as she ran back to the camp.

“PACK UP, AOI!!!!” she yelled out, obviously her hype for the new surfaced challenge made her ignore the conditions she gave the boy when they decided to travel together. “AOI! I’M LEAVING FOR SNOW COUNTRY, THERE IS A FIGHTER THERE WHO IS GOING TO FIGHT ME!!!” she yelled without giving a single crap about if the boy was awake or even if he was standing right next to her. One thing was for certain – the entire damned forest heard Galateia’s shout. Almost like she was told that heaven can be found in Snow Country the girl packed her things in the speed of sound and ventured out without waiting for her friend.

“Aoi… Which direction is Snow Country in?” she yelled out her reason for announcing her plans to the boy that followed her. Had her friend showed her the way Galateia would have simply treaded that direction and if not she’d just kept walking south as a random choice. Either way, if she walked south long enough eventually she’d end up in Snow Country right? Even if that meant walking around the world, world was probably a lot of kilometers long, then again, when was the last time that Galateia let anyone named “kilometer” stop her?

With a childish skipping fashion, filled with unlimited joy and excitement Galateia would have proceeded towards Snow Country (probably, hopefully, maybe, most likely…). Then something popped into the girl’s head. Had Aoi decided to follow Galateia the girl would’ve then simply turned at him, forgetting for a moment that she was in for a challenge of her life and asked.

“So your Jiangshi magic is cold, does that mean Snow Country is where other Jiangshi hang out? Maybe you’ll find a family and a place to stay there?! Wouldn’t that be awesome? Both of us would get what we want in Snow Country!” Galateia would have clapped her hands and started skipping faster. She barely contained all the energy inside, the desire to just run, dash forward was almost limitless. After another rocky mountain left behind her the girl just couldn’t hold it anymore, “YOSH! SNOW COUNTRY, HERE I COME!” she yelled out and started dashing forward with all of her might.

If Galateia knew how to measure distance she could have told someone for how long she ran before losing her wind. All that she could see was that it was getting cold and the usual desert and mountainous wasteland now looked much more like a snowy field, covered with a thick layer of snow and it was starting to get pretty cold. The girl’s nose started to drip forcing her to start sneezing, she was NOT prepared for this weather nor has she ever experienced something like this. After laying in the snow for a couple of hours the girl jumped up and shot her fists into the sky, shouting into the endless void of stars, some of which have been coming down in shape of snowflakes (because that’s what snowflakes were, obviously!).

“WORLD IS SO AMAZING!”

An exclamation of unmeasured and newly found joy, Galateia literally looked like a baby that has first seen snow, mostly because that was the case. Having seen all those endless new things made the girl excited, what sort of effect would these conditions have for her battle? Will this cold keep her reflexes sharp and concentrated or will it serve as an awesome handicap? So many endless possibilities and things to be found beyond this snowy horizon! One could’ve almost forgotten about the battle waiting somewhere further away in the Snow Country…

As the girl started to venture forth she noticed that something was following her, she turned around unsheathing her sword and yelling out in vibrant and energetic voice. “COME ON, LET’S FIGHT!” but to her disappointment there was nothing. Only some sounds of thuds in the snow. The girl stopped moving and sat down, had Aoi hurried up perhaps he’d have caught up to her using some of his “tracking magic”. However the more Galateia has been sitting around, the more she felt like she was being watched. The girl knew that this instinct could not have lied to her so she stuck around and waited for the enemy to attack.

And attack it did, right as Galateia started wondering where she could find some food, nature provided food in the shape of a hunter – a gigantic wolf compared to the smaller mountain wolves that hunted around Galateia’s usual habitat. The girl was ready for him, with a backhand swing she blocked his vault and turned around. She knew quite well that wolves hunted in packs, she could already see the others approaching. Strangely enough, unlike their mountain counterparts these guys weren’t worried about fire, probably somehow they’ve gotten used to it.

As the majestic beasts attacked Galateia roared proudly into the night’s sky unleashing her Quickblade technique on the wolves, slashing down at least four before the remaining five or so ran away. Galateia didn’t have too much time to count them properly, numbers got confusing at some point after five and she needed more time to properly count them. Not that it mattered, in her current hyped pose Galateia might have taken down whoever she wanted, she felt almighty, she wouldn’t die until the day of the fight comes! The girl dragged the wolves closer to the fire and cut one of them up, removing the furs from each of them and putting the meat of one of them on small sticks and sticking them into snow.

Galateia also used the fur of the wolves she skinned as a coat, she could have definitely used some of that warmth, these wolves were just so much more furry than the mountain ones. The amount of soft and warm fur almost made Galateia wish to own one as a pet, maybe if she punched it around enough it could be tamed? “How are animals tamed? I bet you just punch it in the teeth until it stops growling and then you hug it really hard… That’s how it knows you’re best friends now…” the girl mumbled as she placed one cooked muscle of the wolf in her mouth. Had Aoi joined her by then she’d have obviously shared both her thoughts on taming animals and the food.

Sleeping on furs felt weird, on one hand it still felt really cold just coating a rock in furs and sleeping by it, upright as she always did since some point of her childhood. It felt really royal-like on one hand but also still had that “You’re sleeping in the wild you stupid idiot” vibe to it, it also felt some funny marks of hair on Galateia’s face as she realized in the morning. As Galateia kept walking she saw a small town up ahead, separated only by a lake of crystal. The girl looked over the crystal lake and wowed.

“This is awesome, but people here are so stupid… They have an entire lake made out of diamonds and they don’t sell it! How are people not all over this diamond lake?” Galateia wondered out loud and took a step only for her armor boots to slip making the girl fall flat on her face. Red faced the warrior jumped back up and pouted for a moment before starting to cry like a child. After her fit of childish sadness passed the girl once again tried to step on the diamond lake, it took her several tries but eventually, after fourteen falls on her soft butt, Galateia made it across – the small town was right ahead!

[1905 Words Travel Completed]

Posts : 45

It was rather surprising how much crap Aoi and Teia had been into lately, yet at the same time he knew exactly why. Every town they had visited, Teia had wound up causing a ruckus. She was always on the look out for strong opponents and would fight anyone who gave her that impression, whether it was correct or not. On top of that, it appeared that their names had been recorded in the 'Bingo Book' and distributed throughout the various countries. This made travelling very difficult, since most people would end up reporting them on sight. Said reports would then bring in the inevitable bounty hunters trying to cash in on a quick job.

So far they had either been able to evade or defeat their assailants. Unfortunately, with every bounty hunter they killed, the more infamous they became and the more value was placed on their heads. Of course, Teia welcomed the challenge. It gave her something to look forward to everyday. Aoi however, worried for her. It was hard to tell if she realized the seriousness of the situation. With the increasing bounty, not only would more bounty hunters arrive, but their skill would increase as well. Again, not that Teia would complain. She was perfectly willing to lose her life in a battle against a stronger opponent. The fact was, Aoi wasn't ready to lose her.

Once again they were camping out in a forest, Aoi having piled up some leaves to make a bed while Teia was content to just lean up against a tree. The last town they had visited had chased them out solely due to their reputation. It was surprising how fast information could travel to little places out here. Out in the wilderness however, they were safe. No one from small towns like that would dare venture this far into the forest. Sure the hunters could track them down, but their reputation did act as a deterrent out here. This was their turf and pursuers knew that. They would wait until they popped up again in the next town.

The morning came and as usual, Teia was off on her own. Aoi always had problems waking up early enough to keep up with her. Quite often the girl would wander off on her own leaving it up to Aoi to catch up later. This was the usual affair and had been part of the rules set down when they first met. Today however, Teia broke her own rule. For the first time, she came back and woke Aoi up. Screaming for him to pack up, Aoi was startled out of his sleep and bolted upright, frantically looking about to see what the commotion was. "Waaaah! What? What!?"

Teia must have heard rumours about a strong fighter in the Snow Country, judging by how insanely energetic she was, the girl was literally bouncing around the camp gathering up whatever she could. Even though she had awaken him, Teia made no effort to wait for Aoi to finish packing. The moment she had her things together, the girl was gone. Despite beng so rudely awakened, seeing Teia so full of energy was enough to kick start Aoi's own mind. He was able to gather up his things quickly enough and followed her as quickly as he could. It was not long before Teia doubled back to shout at him for directions.

"Just give me a second to catch up and I'll tell you!" Aoi called back, floating towards her as quickly as he could. Once they were reunited, Aoi motioned for Teia to wait a moment as he climbed the tree to get his bearings. Atop the tree, Aoi surveyed the landscape. If he remembered correctly, the Snow country should be to the South-East of their current position. It would require travelling over the mountains unless they stick to the highways. The latter case held the risk of bounty hunters, plus they would need to bypass the border guards. The former would allow them to avoid that, but would leave them open to the elements.

Coming back down, Aoi pointed south-east as he spoke. "The Snow Country is that way, directly south-east. However, we need to choose whether or nor we stick to...the...roads..." Aoi's voice trailed off as Teia paid no attention to his words beyond south-east. Sighing, he flipped though the handseals needed to reactivate his jutsu. "Should have known." He muttered with a smile. Floating up once again, he followed behind the anxious girl.

Sometime into their journey, Teia turned back to Aoi. She asked him if he had been from the Snow Country and if he could find family here. He would find a place to stay while Teia would find a good fight. "My clan's origins are tied to the country, but I came from Kirigakure. Either way, I have no desire to meet any other of my clan members ever again, much less my own family." Aoi had simply ignored the Jiangshi bit. By this point he had just accepted that Teia would not listen to his denials anyway. As he spoke, Teia had clapped her hands and skipped off at an increased speed. Aoi wasn't even sure she had heard him. The girl then broke into a full out sprint that Aoi could not hope to keep up with. "And she's gone again. I was hoping we could have stopped by an outpost or something. Her clothes are not suited to wandering in the Snow Country."

Slowly, Aoi made his way up and over the mountain. The closer they got to the Snow Country, the more the temperature fell. Snow began to coat the mountain the higher he ascended. His flight capabilities would serve him well here. The terrain was harsh and even with Teia's speed and stamina, it would slow her down immensely, allowing him to close the distance. Aoi had no fear of footfalls or injuries due to climbing and the cold did not bother him in the slightest. The snow even made it simple enough to track Teia. For a while he had been worried that he would lose her, but so long as the weather held steady, he could easily track her prints.

It was about two days before Aoi caught up to her. Having crossed over the mountain, the Snow Country greeted them with a wide open field of undisturbed snow. It was nightfall and in the distance, Aoi spotted a lone fire glowing among the sea of snow. Floating over, he found Teia sleeping on the pelts of some slain wolves. "Looks like you weren't bored without me." Aoi settled himself down for a light nap. It would be morning soon and he didn't want to lose Teia again.

In the morning, Aoi awoke around the same time Teia did. The girl bundled herself up in the furs as Aoi doused the fire. "Listen, I know you want to fight, but we should find a town quickly. Those furs are warm right now, but they need to be treated. Otherwise they're just gonna freeze or rot on you. We can sell them and get you some proper clothes for this climate. It will help with your fight too." By adding in that last bit of information, Aoi had hoped to temp the girl just enough to follow his advice.

As they moved deeper into the country, the two eventually spotted a village in the distance bordering a frozen lake. At the sight of it, Teia was completely awestruck. Thinking the lake was made of diamonds, Aoi floated up to correct her. "That's not diamond, it's ice. When water gets really cold, it freezes. The top of that lake froze over, but underneath the ice, there is still fresh water." As they made their way to the village, they had to cross the lake. Teia's armoured boots lacked any real grip and the girl immediately slipped and fell flat on her face. As she started to get back up, the poor girl started crying like a child.

"Oh crap, I'm sorry. I should have mentioned that ice is very slippery. Would you like some help?" Aoi offered his hand to help Teia up. He could extend his jutsu so the both of them could fly over the lake. It would be slow, but she would not get anymore bruises. Teia however, was a stubborn one and insisted she cross it on her own. So instead, Aoi followed behind her and tried to catch her when he could. He was not always successful but at the very least he did save her a couple of times.

Entering the town, he felt a bit more safe here. Their journey to Snow had been almost completely random so there should not be so many watchful eyes here. First thing they needed to do was get Teia some proper clothing so she did not suffer from frostbite.

Travel Complete: 1493/600 Words

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