Chapter 33.1

Five dire wolves, five clean kills, and no injuries except for Red's bruised knuckles. And that all while holding back and using different techniques. Eirwen didn't need her guides to explain this was an incredible result.

When all were convinced no surprises awaited them, the guides got to gutting the wolves. While the rest stood guard or helped gather wood for burning things, the creatures were quickly processed into all their useful parts.

Once all the business with the villagers had been taken care of, Eirwen's group now owned three wolf pelts, the pack leader's full wolf skin, and a decent amount of meat. The rest either went with the villagers or was burned, to avoid luring in other predators. With one carriage now loaded with goods, they continued further into the mountains.

Once they took their next break, Eirwen raised an eyebrow at Red. "Alright, I've waited long enough. Explain yourself, please." She was somewhat amused, though a bit of irritation did surface in her tone. She had known he would be alright, but that hadn't stopped her from worrying. Or feeling hurt about his plotting.

"Three lessons. One for me, one for you, one for them." His eyes made clear the second lesson was for all of them, while the third had been for the villagers. "Let's start with explaining the second lesson. The kills were simply too clean. Even without giving too much away, we always had the situation under perfect control. So I wanted to show what would happen if your shield and sword fail you. A dangerous brawl."

Fang rolled her eyes. "Oh please. You wanted to show off, stretch your muscles. You'd have done it even if the other fights had been longer." Eirwen agreed. He had been looking for a fight from the very start. 

"True. That's lesson one. I needed to let loose for the first time in a while, feel what it's like to be in a bloody brawl with a beast. So that next time, I'm used to it again. Who can guess the third lesson?"

Oath cursed at him. "It's still about you bloody showing off, you madman! You wanted the villagers to know just how easy the fight was, to help bolster your reputation. And what do I get? Knuckles near breaking to patch up. One of these days I'll make you take care of such injuries yourself!"

"You won't. Snow would worry, so you'd give in far too easily." He grinned. "Oh, you'd still berate me, but you'd heal me just fine."

He turned back to Eirwen and his grin faded off his face. "There's something wrong in these mountains, and I need people to know they can depend on me. Use my reputation to gain trust and hopefully figure out why things feel off. And build yours while we're at it. For that, I need them to tell stories of our skill. But you already knew that. That's why you never stepped in."

He was keeping secrets again. Eirwen snarled at him. "You still didn't tell me! You have multiple ways to communicate with me in secret, you share my bed, yet telling me your plans isn't an option? Why do you still let your contrition drive you away from me?"

Her tone turned softer. She didn't want to remain mad at him. Didn't want to wallow in hurt once more. "I'd give you the world if you desired it, Mo Chéadsearc. Please, just tell me what you're plotting. Don't shut me out, not even for my own sake. Share your theories, your plans. Share your hopes and dreams with me."

His breath hitched and she saw the guilt break through his facade again. No, not a facade. It simply was that he hadn't thought much of his guilt recently, but his bad habits had resurfaced and when she had called him out, it had reminded him of all he had done to her.

He took a few counts to gather himself. "Alright. We're looking for snowplums. Because we need those for forging, but also because I think they're why the Dire Wolves are so large in this region. I have similar suspicions regarding Frost Giants their size. And to find a good supply of snowplums, I sought out an aggressive wolf pack. Because those normally live near snowplums and keep others from getting close."

He ignored the surprised sounds at his statement as he continued. "That likely means we'll be attracting Frost Giants afterwards. Such a fight will also help with managing your reputation, letting us grow it enough to help your influence and investigations into the current state of the mountains. And I can really use your skill with investigating the snowplums, as I feel I fall just short of a breakthrough there."

Fang interrupted him. "Red, how did you conclude aggressive wolf packs relate to snowplums? That seems like a rather peculiar conclusion to reach without much evidence. It's the kind of talk I expect from drunks in taverns, not from you."

"Because I can sense snowplums." He looked at Fang with a slightly smug grin. "It's easy to figure out when you find snowplums near several packs you defeated. The wolves consume them, but they don't gorge themselves on them. So any extra defensive pack likely is defending a good supply. Case in point, the group we fought was large and healthy, and their mana control was quite decent. All things they had in common with other packs that hoarded snowplums."

He gave them a few counts to think that through, before continuing. "One last thing, Mo Stór. We all caught traces of that there is something wrong with the mountains. That's why we're building your reputation, but not so fast that it attracts too much opposition. The Frost Giants communicate with each other, so we don't want to draw their attention too quickly. That's why we're so secretive about everyone's true abilities."

"That won't work for me." Her comment surprised even herself, but she couldn't just keep making him bare all without answering him in kind. "Because I need you to earn a name. I need you to be larger than life, performing deeds for the world to see, so that nobody can stop me from giving you a name."

She slowly stepped towards him. Ah, there was that guilt again. She reached out and cupped his face with her hand. "I want you by my side, not as a nameless servant, but in colours that fit your hair and eyes. Not as the person that they all whisper might betray me due to his past, but as a new person who has left that past behind. So I will be building your name as much as you're building mine. And if we don't find a suiting occasion in these mountains, I'll find another place and battlefield for you to show everyone not just what you're truly capable of, but also that it's all in my name. So let's not hold back. I need you to fully let yourself run wild, for the first time in your life. Show the world who you are, Mo Chéadsearc."

She turned and walked back to her horse, leaving everyone behind without the words to respond. But she could sense him, sense the turmoil he was going through. He feared. Because he hoped.

That would have to do for now.

The next few hours, they went higher up, snow now surrounding them. The path they were on was an obvious game trail, so still doable, though the carriages were slow. Near noon, Red finally caught something and led them towards a clearing.

The ambient mana here had a subtle flow to it. Eirwen focused and followed it with her mind, finding the various places it was drawn to. Red was grinning, caught on to what she was doing. As she observed in detail, he spoke with amusement in his voice. "You caught on as fast as I expected you to. Took me more effort, but you always were better at sensing."

Absentmindedly she took note of how her entourage were spreading their own senses wide, a net that made sure none could sneak up on them while she was investigating. The round objects were buried under the snow, mana gathered inside. Now that she knew how to recognise them, she could sense dozens in this area. "Can I just grab one, or?"

Red nodded. "Yes, they're already separated so they can be handled just fine. It's just that they need the snow to draw mana, so once removed, the rot starts to set in. But they're utterly delicious. Just take care with the pit, because that's where their true secret comes in."

While everyone else formed a perimeter, Eirwen dug one up. Its skin was pale white, almost indistinguishable from the snow it was buried in. When she pulled it out, she could tell it was still drawing in mana, but the fruit now suffered from it. Ah, so the snow acted as a filter. No wonder the fruits spoiled so quickly once dug up.

She took a bite, and it felt as if she was eating a sweet dessert, the taste of honey overwhelming her. It was delicious and exceeded her expectations. "This one tastes as if it ripened far more than what people normally forage." She threw it at Red and he took a bite, nodding his agreement, before handing it back.

They gathered all of the snowplums in the area, enough for all to eat one and still have left. Fang too agreed with their assessment, these had ripened far more than the usual. "So is this why you wanted an isolated region guarded by a wolf territory, Red? Because you suspected that meant a higher quality?"

"Indeed." He held a pit in his hand, studying its mana flow with care. "They pull in ambient mana and gather it until a breaking point. These were in an excellent state. So, when you look at the pits, what is the first thing that comes to mind?"

"""A mana stone.""" Most of them had reached that conclusion. The pits indeed felt like rough, lower-quality mana stones. No wonder they proved so useful in creating enchantable weapons. As Eirwen studied her own pit, she felt the similarities with Crimson. She took a moment to fetch the sword from a carriage, drawing it and letting her senses go through it.

"So, you're thinking that they consume these pits. Both Dire Wolves and Frost Giants. And that it helps them grow larger. That these embed inside them, like how the dust of pits was used in Crimson, the same dust alters their bodies, allowing for a permanent Gigantification effect?"

"Exactly." The grin on his face couldn't be missed. He could tell she found his theories believable. "There are limits, otherwise they'd be eating them constantly, but they instinctively know to gnaw them to pieces from time to time. And that, of course, is why we're going to get targeted by Frost Giants. Because they will be able to sense we have these with us."