Chapter 163 – Speedrunning the Loop, Solem 2-3

In the morning, Mirian went wyvern hunting.

On previous trips, she’d brought her myrvite detector up to identify their locations, and found several nests. She had to be picky, though. The lesser wyverns had shorter wings and thinner bones. She needed greater wyverns. According to Professor Viridian, the lesser and greater variants were the same species, but the greater wyverns somehow used the mana of their prey to reinforce and build their scales up until they were much tougher.

While Winterblossom preyed on the nearby shrubs and generally menaced anything he noticed that had the temerity to stay green during winter’s approach, Mirian started moving through her route.

She flew up the nearby cliff and found a nest. The greater wyverns would be out hunting. If she flew after them, they’d see a comparable sized flying predator-looking thing, and avoid her. But as soon as their young started crying out for help, they quickly returned. Two enhanced force blade spells cut off their heads.

Sorry little ones, she thought at the young wyverns. You’ll see them again, though.

Then it was to the next nest. A large adult male wyvern nested in a crack in the cliffside, and it liked to sleep in. Then it was off to the other side of the valley where a third greater wyvern nested. Her campsite was on the way, so she dropped off the three corpses she was manipulating with mass lift object. Once at the nest, she hid behind a pine tree that was downwind of it and waited an hour for it to return from hunting, then ambushed it.

Back at camp, she carefully cut off the wings, then folded them up and wrapped a canvas over them, then bound them to Winterblossom’s saddlebags. She could always fix the breaks with mend bone later.

Then, it was back to galloping. As they wove up the foothills of the Littenord, Mirian gave Winterblossom his second mana elixir, and started levitating them both up the steepest portions of the trail. As they ascended the steep trails of the pass, Mirian downed her first mana elixir. One, she thought.

They made it to the heights of the pass a few hours after noon. The sun was threateningly low in the sky. Mirian cast her nested perforated force spheres. She’d tried it without Winterblossom, and while it saved mana, it cost speed; the extra weight was useful for tumbling down the mountain. Repeated practice with force spells had reduced the friction of the outer sphere, and changes to the perforations, reduced the drag. Winterblossom went through his usual overdramatic hysterics and Mirian enjoyed the thrill of it as they careened down the mountain.

That was when she heard the rumbling.

She looked behind her, at first not seeing anything. Then, they rolled through a clearing, and she could make out the white cloud moving down the slope behind them.

Avalanche. Shit, the sphere’s impacts must have triggered it near the top.

They were still bouncing down the mountain, but it was only the second day and there was already an unplanned problem. Let’s assume we’re traveling at the same speed, only I’ll stop first when I get to the bottom. It might peter out as it hits the woods but…

She looked back again. That’s a big cloud. And a lot of snow on the mountain. She did some quick calculations based on the estimated distance. We’ll have… two minutes to get out of the way? Then she looked back again. Actually, I think it’s gaining. She revised her calculations. It’s going to hit us near the bottom.

Mirian wasn’t sure if the avalanche impacting them would push them along or just bury them, and with her allies already in motion, an early end to the cycle would risk her true goals being exposed. She needed to be alive to counter any of Troytin’s moves, if he made them. There was too much she needed to do to properly disrupt his moves, which meant her plans were vulnerable this cycle.

The rumbling grew louder as they smashed into the stream gully, shearing off a pile of nearby icicles. A hard hit as they ricocheted off a cliffside jostled her. They were in the treeline now. When she looked back, she could see the white cloud approaching, streaming down the mountain like a malevolent fog.

Winterblossom made an undignified grunting noise.

“There there,” Mirian said. “We’re going to be fine. It’s just going to take more mana than I budgeted for.” And good timing.

The rumble grew overwhelming and Mirian looked back one more time. She got a glimpse of the cascade of snow gaining quickly, and launched them into the air with her levitation wand.

Levitating from a standstill was one thing. Levitating while tumbling down a mountain slope inside a primordial forest was another. Mirian found herself tumbling through the air, utterly disoriented as branches crashed into her. The air became white from the fine snow kicked up. There was a rush of cold air, and at first she thought it was above her, but then realized it was from the avalanche below. She used it to orient herself, and realized her concentration had slipped, and she’d lost control of the force sphere spell. Which meant—

Mirian saw Winterblossom plummeting towards the churning snow, along with most of her gear and the wyvern wings. Without thinking, she assumed a dervish form, then used a blast of raw force magic to keep the beast aloft while she used telekinesis to flip through Luspire’s spellbook to lift person.

Winterblossom let out a panicked screech as the raw spell that had juggled him back up above the roaring slide ended and he started falling again, all six legs flailing. Mirian could hardly see him in the white cloud. She lashed out with her spell, just catching him as the avalanche continued to roar beneath them.

She yanked him up, then flew over, remounting and recasting the layered force spheres as the ground below her finally settled. She’d just lost a lot of mana for no good purpose, but at least she’d prevented total disaster. It’s too early to slip up. Mirian let the force sphere fall back to the ground, and finished her roll to the valley.

***

She came up on Frostland’s Gate two hours late. The avalanche had scared away the glaciavore she’d been planning to kill and sell. Worse, it was now night, and the artisan’s shop was already closed. The wings would have to stay in her rented room, stinking the place up, and her project would be behind schedule. She stabled Winterblossom, stashed her things, then headed out to hunt. The glaciavore was lost to her, but she knew the locations of plenty of other myrvites. She’d just have to sacrifice a few hours of sleep.

***

In the early morning, Mirian woke well before sunrise, scarfed down another massive breakfast, then headed out to Beatrice’s house. She used manipulate glass to open one of Beatrice’s windows and telekinesis to open the latch on the shutters. She stole a bag of Labyrinth supplies, leaving an apologetic note in its place:

Dear Beatrice,

Hi, it’s Mirian. I stole your Labyrinth supplies to help save the world (complicated). Lily is doing well in her classes and misses you. The spellward fails on the evening of the 19th as myrvites swarm the town, but if you set up barricades funneling them, they’ll just run by. I’ll stop by to chat some other time loop, but can’t do that this time, sorry!

Love,

Mirian

PS – Yes, really

PPS – This part of the message exists to make sure you don’t try to follow me into the Labyrinth like you did that one time. Please leave the elevator lowered or my timetable gets screwed up.

PPPS – Remember that time a baduka boar chased you and Lily around as kids? Yes, really. Take care!

The note had done the trick in a practice run, so she was hoping that particular bit wasn’t subject to variation from small events. There were too many minuscule changes to properly account for and thoroughly test. She mended the window up so her friend’s house wouldn’t get too cold.

She stopped by her room, got the wyvern wings and bones, then headed over to the artisans. Normally, she ordered her device in the evening, but since they didn’t start work until morning, she hoped there’d be no delays.

“Hi,” she said, calling them each by name. “You don’t know me, but I know you. We’ve been working on a project together, one that will revolutionize travel to and from Frostland’s Gate. Here’s the blueprints,” she said, setting down the rolled up paper. “Here’s the payment,” she said, setting down a bag of gold. “Plus full rights to the design. And, I’ll deliver letters to your families in Palendurio and Cairnmouth, so have those ready tomorrow.” She listed their names and locations in each city. “And the materials are just outside.”

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“You’re a student,” one of the artisans said.

“Was. I’m about to head down to the Labyrinth. I’ll bring you a device from the Vault to tinker with. Deal?”

To some degree, this was rehearsed. She’d tried several different entrances, then hid and watched their progress on the crafting project, then debriefed with the artisans afterward about what was the most effective. Easing them in didn’t work. Projecting overwhelming confidence did. Telling them about the time loop just led to too many questions. She let them fill in the blanks.

The other thing that helped was the design.

“Hey, take a look at this,” the second artisan said. “This is… how’d you learn our notations?”

“They’re my concept, your designs. I’ll be back in the evening. It must be done by then.” She gave them a mock salute and a smile. “See you in a few.”

And then she left, leaving them with the gold and blueprints. Just outside, they’d find the wyvern wings and bones. They’d argue for a bit, then they’d look at the design one more time and get excited. They were, after all, artisans, and they’d gotten into the trade for a reason. They were looking for an excuse to make something beautiful, and they would.

Mirian headed to the Labyrinth entrance. She was early by a few minutes.

She waited two blocks down. The morning bell rang, and the guards, exhausted from the night shift, stumbled towards the barracks. It was a small village, and they were lax. Mirian started walking toward them. “Morning!” she said in a chipper voice, and telekinetically lifted the glyphkeys out of their pockets, cutting the key rings as she did with slice metal. As soon as they were around the corner, the street was clear. She opened the portcullis, then the door. The glyphkey slots were on the outside of the structure, so to close it, she had to remove them with force spells. She let them fall into the snow so they were hidden, then activated the elevator.