Frostbound
Chapter 319 - The Bay

Chris

The water lapped up on the shore in a rhythmic hum that was nearly enough to put me to sleep. It had been a long time since I had seen a shoreline. The beach left much to be desired, as it leaned toward rocky over sandy, but it still didn't take away from the scenery.

"What kind of nasties you think live out there?" Austin said while he threw a rock skipping across the surface.

With our considerable more strength, it went skipping much further than what was achievable Before.

"I don't know and that scares me. When I traded for the ship blueprints, the Admiral warned me that they wouldn't survive deep waters. He's had to stick to the coast." I said.

Austin, instead of getting deterred, only got more excited, "You think there are Krakens and shit? Leviathans of the deep? Megalodons bigger than Jaws?"

I chuckled, "Only you would get excited about that."

"Wait, hear me out, can we call them Sea Kings?" His face was completely serious, not hiding a smirk or hint of a smile.

"That isn't up to me. I didn't get an invite to any naming committee." I joked.

I found a good enough rock, smooth and flat, and hurled it out over the water. Sprays of water splashed multiple times before I lost sight of it into the sea.

"You think pirates are a thing now?" Austin asked, "Like honest to god pirates, sailing the open ocean?"

"No. I don't think anyone is sailing anything right now. If the Admiral is sticking to the coasts, no one is sailing the open ocean." The man had a massive Faction behind him and getting the tentative border map from Rachel only highlighted that point.

If he still didn't brave the deeps, I doubted anyone did. Anyone alive, at least.

"But," I continued, "There certainly will be. Bandits and thieves are already a thing. Their sea fairing ilk will come around as soon as it's feasible. Air Pirates too, if Gabriel gets his wish for airships."

"Oh, god. Airships." Austin had stars in his eyes. "I can't wait for the day."

"You'll be waiting a while. The skies are nearly as dangerous as the sea."

Austin laughed, "That's okay. I'm content to wait if that means airships become a thing."

I observed the Bay for a little longer before getting down to business. "Alright, let's see this spot you found."

The Glacial seed had been burning a hole in my pocket for over a year now. We'd sent scouts scouring the area to find the right spot and Austin came through.

After getting his arm back and evolving, he was running further and further from Frostheim on his 'outings.' I was honestly surprised his feet hadn't forced him away yet.

I think he wanted to stay for everyone's evolution.

Abigail, in her infinite wisdom, decided to delay placing the Glacial Seed for a full year. She wanted to track and monitor the flows of mana over the course of the year to make sure the seasons didn't mess anything up.

If we assumed a place was perfect but it turned out it was only good for one of the seasons, she would have been pissed. I would too, as that would hinder how fast and strong the Glacier would grow.

So instead, I had to agonizingly wait for the treasure to finally be placed. There were others waiting on it too, since they needed it for their last-minute tasks. Some didn't, and took the same route I did and traveled North, but others were content to wait.

They'd end up paying for the privilege, but it seemed they were fine with that. Only the Order would get to see it for free and even then, not all of them. It would take some kind of merit to be allowed.

"I'm telling you, it's perfect," Austin said while jumping to his feet. "It's not far but with your slow ass, it'll take us a few hours."

His jokes were so funny.

Honestly, Austin's speed was something to marvel at. Our run North had taken days and he thoroughly outpaced me the entire way. Even my endless Endurance wasn't enough to make up for it. He got so far ahead that he could rest in time for when I caught up.

In total, it took us a week, me at a full sprint and him keeping ahead, to reach the Hudson Bay. I wasn't attached to the name and was sure it would get renamed at some point. Glacier Bay or Bay of Ice or something like that, but that was for the future.

Based on the naming conventions after the Change, it would be something outlandish.

The Bay itself was beautiful. Water as far as the eye could see with large waves lapping the shore. Even Austin's enhanced eyesight only saw a sea of blue waves.

It was closing in on Winter, but the Bay hadn't frozen over yet. At first, I was worried that it wouldn't. The freezing temperature of water was... wacky. The mana content played havoc with conventional freezing.

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

The Water Mana fought against becoming Ice Mana and made what used to be a vey firm threshold of 32 degrees much more nebulous. My worries were unfounded because when Winter finally came, the Bay would freeze over just like before. It was too close to the Arctic Circle not to.

Austin led me through the trees for a few hours and instead of my normal bulldozing through all of them, I made an effort not to pulp every one I came across. It slowed me down, but I didn't feel like devastating the landscape.

My straight-away speed had actually increased lately. My movement skill, while not entirely made for it, was perfect for this kind of thing.

Glacial March(Epic):Slow in the beginning, but inevitable in the end. While standing on Ice, Earth, or Sea, your feet push you onward like the steady march of a Glacier. Forces seeking to block, slow, or entrap have a decreased effect until being ground underfoot and thrown off entirely.

It was more geared toward not getting trapped or ensnared, but it still built up speed. Using it was a new experience. It was the first movement skill I'd acquired and it was different than others.

It required sending mana to my feet, instead of my hands. I'd done it before with [Permafrost], sending my mana into the ground through my feet, but the skill kept it in my feet instead of releasing it.

The first few days of our run were me playing with the skill and feeling it out, now that it had been a week, I was much more comfortable with it.

In the few hours it took to reach what Austin deemed 'the perfect spot', I was running at maybe 110% of my normal speed. Not a lot, but enough to matter.

"Voila!" Austin stood proud over the delta? A decently sized river was dumping water in the bay running from the Southwest. "This river meanders around but it starts at Lake Winnipeg. It passes by Frostheim to the Northwest and empties here."

I stood and evaluated the spot while he waxed on about why it was

"You should see it when it freezes over. The Bay and the river both create an expanse of nothing but white. The Water Mana it supplies boosts the Ice mana like crazy. The myriad lakes to the east supply a lake effect which just dumps snow down. It's perfect. It gets a bit warm in the Summer, I'll give you that, but if you go any further North you'll be fighting off bears."

I gave him a pointed look at that comment. When I told him about my experience with bears he laughed at me.

"Yeah, no, I ain't touchin' them. I could feel death creeping closer just being near them." He commented shamelessly.

"The big and mighty D-rank, scared of a few bears." I mocked the same way he had mocked me.

"Fuck yeah, I'm scared. They were close to C-rank!" Austin exclaimed. "They're scarier than you!"

The bears... I could see them becoming a problem. They were apex predators Before and only got more threatening after mana. The wolves, foxes, snow owls, and other denizens of the North were already deadly, and that didn't even include the big bads.

I smirked, "They don't call it the Arctic for nothing."

Austin didn't seem to get my joke.

It was Fall now and Winter was on the horizon and I could already feel the change in the air. Ice mana wasn't too plentiful, but it was sure as hell getting there.

An idea sparked.

Let's see what it looks like frozen.

Since it wasn't summer, my idea was easier, but it was still going to be difficult. I stepped out onto the shore and flared [Permafrost] with an asinine amount of mana. My Law flared and I leaned heavily on the pervading concept. Ice seeking out and spreading over everything.

[Wind Manipulation] came out to play. It was still only Common and wasn't too strong, but my Wind Law supplemented it. Leaning on the Dominating aspect I had used to upgrade it.

Dominating and Pervading.

My mana flowed out in a thick river and I could feel my heart beating to replenish it. The nip was already in the air and my actions pushed the area over the edge.

The Winds aided [Permafrost] and it was a few moments before the water started freezing over. The moisture in the air started coalescing into a frosty fog. It soon sprinkled down from the air as the moisture was too much for the air to bear.

I walked out on the newly frozen water and spread it further. My mana wasn't enough to freeze the entire bay, not even close, but it was enough to catch a glimpse.

When my mana reached below half, and my man-made iceberg reached a respectable size, I cut the flow and gazed out over the area. I imagined what it would look like if the entire place was frozen, and grinned wildly.

"Show off," Austin muttered, but joined me standing on the frozen sheet.

It was large enough that the movement only shook it slightly. He also landed lightly enough to not make waves.

"This is perfect." I said happily, "We will have to Claim the Bay, but I don't see anyone around to fight us over it." Ashton didn't claim anything so far North and there wasn't anyone else in the area.

There were ruins here. Of what was once a very, very small port, but they were thoroughly destroyed by the wildlife. It looked like it hadn't been used in decades, even though I knew it had only been a few years. Everyone in the far North had either died or left. It was one of the most dangerous places I'd ever been.

I wouldn't consider myself the most well-traveled, but I'd been around.

"Go tell Abigail that this is the spot." I said, still grinning, "I'll stay here and get it ready."

I slung the heavy pack from my shoulder I'd carried all the way here. It contained the beginnings of what I would need to ready the area. It didn't have everything, but that wasn't from lack of trying.

The leather just wasn't strong enough to carry everything. The pack was already as large as was feasible, any bigger and I wouldn't have been able to run with it. It was already precariously heavy and the jostling didn't help.

"Aye, aye Captain." Austin mocked, even going so far as to salute.

"Really?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Technically, you are on a sea vessel. As the creator and director, that makes you a Captain." Austin said.

I sent a burst of frosty wind at him as a response.

"Do you mind giving me a lift?" He asked and I sighed. I wasn't sure if the Iceberg would survive such force, but I would do it anyway. [Ice Manipulation] spread throughout, both anchoring me to the surface and doing my best to stabilize it for what was to come.

Austin barely gave me a second before he launched himself at me. I heaved and the entire sheet wobbled threateningly in the water, but it didn't capsize or crack. It was close, but a burst of mana and Law got it through the exercise.

Austin's wings unfurled and he shot off Southwest in what was a much faster speed than we arrived in. He'd only be able to maintain it for a few minutes at best before landing, but it gave him a good head start.

It was also his favorite thing to ask of me.

I went back to surveying the area in more detail. [Formation Mana Flows] was supposed to be used on Formations, but it also worked to scan the area. It worked to see where setting certain anchors would be best.

If the Formation had natural points to rely on and pull from, it would be a lot stronger for less. It would also make it easier to maintain.

[Thermal Regulation] also helped see how the Ice Mana interacted with everything. I wouldn't be done anytime soon, and to make the area as suitable as possible, I'd have to wait and see the area in the Winter.

The grin stayed on my face for the longest in a while.

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