"If we keep heading West we're going to meet with a large body of water that we can't cross. To get to the other side, we'll need to head South to reach that crossing. From there it's snow and ice all the way. Let's hope COLUS was right and we can find ourselves a cave to hunker down in..."
Joe was interested in seeing the map, and asked THEROS to pass it around to him whilst we crawled along waiting for COLUS and UOPETA to give the all clear. It was one of the bigger maps that THEROS had managed to create, although this one was a few sections hastily stuck together to show the route, rather than drawn from scratch. Not only did we not have the time to allow THEROS to do that, but it would have likely led to more inaccuracies due to the likely changes in terrain that would have occurred with time. Trees sprouting up, dense foliage, snow cover, etc. etc. Joe passed the map round to the rest of us and I managed to catch a fleeting glimpse of it before it was whisked back to the front, back to THEROS. Before putting it away, THEROS held it out vertically so everyone could see it, and pointed to where we were, roughly. We had made good progress since this morning, although you had to consider the fact that we had begun moving before it was light enough to see. It was the best time to head out, especially from where our start position was. Having said that though, we still had a long way to go, and with the sun now slowly sinking beyond the horizon in front of us, we knew there was little sense in continuing for much longer today.
We continued on when COLUS and UOPETA returned from scouting, and managed a further hour of trekking, before coming to a stop. It was almost pitch black, and we had to be careful about our presence. We didn't know if HoN Co. had established operations in this area, so we had to keep any noise we made to a minimum. Towards the end of the final hour, we had all noticed a slight drop in temperature; initially putting it down to the setting of the sun, we were all a little surprised when over a small hill we could see a carpet of white laid out across the way ahead. We were close to the crossing, but that would wait until tomorrow. UOPETA managed to find a small dugout beneath a large hill, close to a freshwater source, so at least we wouldn't be going without water or shelter for the night.
We had headed as far into the dugout as was possible to protect ourselves from the cold night around us, and to shelter the fire we had made from any eyes that might be watching over the area. We couldn't guarantee we were safe, at any stage, so it was worth taking every precaution even if it meant slowing things down a little. After ensuring our small camp was set up defensively, we broke out the food, whilst UOPETA went to fetch water from just outside. We had brought water reserves of our own, but it was best to leave them for when we needed them. That and there was no sense in wasting something we couldn't take with us. After coming back with a plentiful supply, UOPETA sat down with the rest of us, his back against the stone so that he still benefited from the warmth of the flames, but was able to keep an eye out for intruders.
"How is everyone holding up? I know we've come a long way, and braved a few dangers, but we're not through yet, not by a long shot. Judging from where we are on the map, and the progress we're capable of making, we should be reaching the base within a few days time. There is still a problem, however..."
"A problem? There are thousands! There's no point dwelling on them otherwise we'd never have made it this far if we had!"
"No, I meant a problem with getting to the base. THEROS, get the map out..."
THEROS reached around to the bag behind him and pulled out the map. The rest of us seemed a little confused, but THEROS handed the map over with a face that suggested he knew what COLUS was on about.
"You see... Their base is on a small island, out in the middle of a massive expanse of water. There are no sections of land connecting to it, and swimming out to it was never an option. We have no idea how we're going to get over to it, but we're hoping that we could commandeer a boat or something to get across. This would mean neutralising any potential threats based there, and any more along the way."
"What about a disguise? What if we manage to take out a couple of guards, take their armour and uniform and take the boat across, with the rest of us in the back?"
"It's a good idea, and definitely something to consider, but we're not even sure there will be a boat to take. Even if there is, we can't just land on the other side, disembark and begin to enter the structure unhindered. We'd have to take the boat around to the back of the island, where there is hopefully a more relaxed guard route."
"Well, like you say, it's something we can't determine until we get there. Let's just hope that fortune favours us on the day we reach the shore..."
We continued to discuss the potential threats and obstacles we were likely to encounter along the way, and how we would get around them. It made sense to predict as many eventualities as possible so that we were more prepared, but there were likely to be so many unknowns there would still be so much to guess later. Amie had already fallen asleep by this point, as well as AMPHIS. She was curled up close to the fire, next to me, but I remained awake... for the time being. I was physically tired, but mentally, I couldn't have been more alert! In the end, I lay down when everyone else did, but by that time, I was having a hard time propping my eyelids open anyway. Tomorrow was going to be one more in a long line of very long days. I would need as much rest as possible so that I didn't let down the team.
Syeonyx signing off
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