"Winter is Coming"

Two more weeks pass and Michael could see the tell-tale sign of winters approach. It was getting colder far quicker than he'd expected, the days were getting shorter, and frost was beginning to form on the plants around them.

Michael hadn't thought much of winter at first, but upon the first snowfall, Ralf had gotten the group together to talk about what they were going to do. Apparently, the winters in Albion were far, far colder than everywhere else in Halkegenia, this was mainly due to its position north and its status as a flying continent.

The weather would continue getting colder until you couldn't go outside without a shit ton of clothes on, otherwise risking frostbite. Their tents and campfires wouldn't keep them warm any longer, so they'd have to move someplace warmer, or risk venturing into villages or towns.

The latter option wasn't really available to them, as their faces had been plastered across the entire continent. Usually this would be manageable but, it wasn't just the loyalists who were hunting them, it was the remnants of the Reconquista, as they considered Michael, Tiffania, and Ralf partly responsible for the death of Cromwell, as well as their eventual loss.

It was to such an extent that there wasn't a single person in Albion who didn't know their names... The group had even come across hunting parties, not to kill game or monsters, but specifically searching for the trio. This was primarily due to the ridiculous bounty on their heads, granting anyone who captured them with not only fifty thousand gold, but also a Noble title.

Now, you might say, "Oh, that doesn't seem like a lot.", but you'd be wrong, as this title was applicable to everyone, even those who didn't possess magic, essentially making them the first non-magical noble based in Albion. A historical event to be sure, even if Germania had a lead on everyone else in this aspect.

While the trio had managed to avoid their pursuers, it was a certainty that they'd be discovered if they ventured into a town... And once people got a hint of their trail? They'd be badgered until they either died or escaped the continent entirely.

Ralf actually thought that escaping to Germania or Gallia was the correct path forwards. Due to Albion's renewed friendship with Tristain, along with Michael's already formed hostility to the River-country, going to Tristain would be jumping from the pan into the fire.

Michael crosses his arms while tucking his cloak closer against himself in an effort to stay warm, "So what? We just fly down to Germania or Gallia and hope everything goes well?"

Ralf nods, "It is that or staying here, Albion will continue to get colder until the air starts to burn you. Trust me, you do not want to have something freeze... One of my men once went to go relieve himself and forgot to take precautions... We had to cut off his manhood to save his life." he says, causing Michael to grimace, despite the fact he'd probably heal from such an injury.

...

"Tiff, what do you think? Personally, if we had to go somewhere I want to go to Germania... Less people who want me dead... And warmer." he says, knowing that Sheffield was the Familiar of Gallia's king from the anime.

"If you say so then, lets go." she nods, not really having an opinion one way or the other.

Ralf crosses his arms and leans back slightly on his tree stump, "Flying to Germania will take half the day, my dragon will be exhausted carrying us all once we get there too. We'll have to walk to the South Eastern side of the continent to make sure we make the journey... This time of the year Albion should be closer to Germania than Gallia anyway." he explains.

"Sound good to me." Michael says and Tiffania nods with him. In all honesty, he was getting a bit antsy from just sitting around and training all day. While it was effective, he felt like he could be doing something productive... Which is a surprising difference to his attitude back on Earth...

Sure, his life or death fights with Slark and Riki were helping him a lot and alleviating his blood lust slightly, but such fights didn't grant him exp, as much as he wished they did.

With that decided, the group packed up their things, put them in Michael's inventory, and begin the long trek to the South Eastern side of Albion.

During this, Michael takes the opportunity to see his progress from his various training sessions.

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Name : Michael Hunt

Rank : Hero

Stats :

Strength : 16 > 17

Agility : 35.1

Intelligence : 18

Abilities :

[Gandalfr] : Enables user to utilise any weapon at two ranks above their current proficiency while granting them the knowledge necessary to use them. While wielding a weapon, temporarily gain +100% in all stats.

[Language Comprehension] : Enables user to understand all spoken tongues, and increase the rate of which they learn reading and writing.

[Basic Mana Manipulation] : Allows user more control over his magic, spells, and some abilities. Mana efficiency and control of power is increased.

[Pain Tolerence] : Allows user to endure great amounts of pain with little to no negative effects as a result.

[Novice basic Swordsmanship(Two handed swords/One handed swords)] : Determines how skillful the user is when handling swords.

[Novice basic Dagger techniques(Single edge, curved, straight, double edge.)] : Determines how skillful the user is when handling daggers.

Affinities :

[Lesser Water Affinity], [Lesser Fire Affinity], [Lesser Lightning Afffinity], [Lesser Darkness Affinity]

Spirits :

Commoner Tier :

Shadow Shaman : MAX

Slark : Lvl MAX

Riki : Lvl MAX

Hero Tier :

Anti-Mage : Lvl 2

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He nods his head at the new listed skills, knowing that edge one would massively buff the bonuses he receives from his Gandalfr runes. He was looking forward to seeing what was above 'basic swordsmanship', he'd hopefully find out once he masters it... Maybe something like Haki? Or maybe not, who knows at this point.