102 Sylvomurkuwar Fortress (1)

Wuying looked at the parchment and the land in front of them and spent a few minutes pondering the whole thing. It looked like a piece of land from the Cradle, but how could they be sure? They were estimating distances from a cave high up in a mountain. As they looked out over the land Wuying stopped considering things as he noticed something that Yun missed in her sketch.

"Yun. . . What's that over there? Can you see that?"

Yun followed his arm's direction to see what he was pointing at and noticed something that looked different in the forest to their left, something that might be a hidden set of structures. Looking at it, Yun marked it down on her map after estimating distances before she sat down to consider the addition.

"Wuying. . . I think I recognize this area. I have a strange feeling about that river. . ."

"What kind of feeling, Yun? Looking at the map with that structure on it I'm almost certain that this is the Cradle. Make a note of the symbol on the portal will you?"

"Mmn!" Yun nodded her head as she drew the star-chart that she didn't recognize from the portal wall. She looked back at the other portal they had found with the same symbol again. Unfortunately they had no idea where that other portal exited, as the only view they had from it was of a giant Ironwood tree's trunk.

After preparing themselves thoroughly they both decided that they were certain of the portal and stepped through. As they arrived on the other side and smelled the fragrant air of their homelands they felt a huge sense of relief wash over them. After only a moment they turned around and discovered that the portal they had just gone through was nowhere to be seen. They both reached out and tried to find it but it was gone. This must be a one-way portal, and they were uncertain if they would ever be able to use it again.

Wuying looked at Yun and asked if she knew how to get back to the cave they originally entered from. He had a distinct lack of memory from the period before the Miasma infected him and only vaguely recalled the terrifying Immortal Wyrm they had been in conflict with. Yun, pausing for a moment to think, decided it was best not to mention that she had nearly memorized the terrain around them before they had been attacked and was fairly sure she could retrace their steps.

She replied in accordance with her decision and told Wuying that she might be able to find it in the future, but she was fairly sure that by the time they were able to go looking for it she would have long forgotten it.

They both took a short time to relax and acclimate to their own world again before they set off for the structures to the north of them. Now that they were here they were easily able to determine which direction they were looking at.

Yun stood up and prepared to leave. As she stepped out of the cave Wuying also stood and joined her, a little sad about the loss of the Star Chamber's location. He racked his brain over and over but really wasn't able to even get close to remembering more than a vague impression of the conflict on the cliff face.

Hours later they managed to leave the mountainside behind them as they ran through the dense woodland below. First to the river-bank, then north to the structure that hugged the river. Their path would take around five thousand kilometers, which meant at a good run they would take around five days to get there.

After the first day, they had gotten most of the way to the woodland border before camping out in a small depression between hills. Knowing that this far north they would likely never encounter any Volvaka in the cold nights. They both pulled out their camping gear and set up tents to stay warm for the night.

Over the night Yun meditated on a great many things, not the least of which was related to Wuying's behavior after the exit from the Star Chamber. She was worried that he was thinking of doing something regrettable. Sighing inside, she tried to relax herself and meditate, but something about all of this just kept impacting her heart.