Viv spent one week going from stone to stone, spending her evenings in the underground dwellings of grateful villagers. The walkers had spread the word that she spoke the local language, and also that she had recharged the stones to full capacity which other teams often failed to do. It was a classical case of ‘good enough’ caused by exhaustion. She also set a record by finishing in half the usual time.

There were no real attacks during the operation. The dozen revenants that came to her every day got handled by a group that could have held the line against twice their numbers. The loser of the latest card game was in charge of undead disposal, disabling the creatures until Viv could yoink them. One of the temple guards was even able to set his sword on fire, killing the creatures for good in one blow.

They returned to the main settlement after she was done. Other tribes lived further along the mountainside, but her guides said that they lived in valleys between peaks, not so close to the deadlands.

Viv considered the trip to be an investment. All the stones shared the same inscriptions, which showed that what the engraver lacked in ingenuity, he made up for in consistency. The pattern itself showed ways to use ambient mana as fuel. That was what she needed to make Solfis more mobile. She still wanted to get a good look at the ward stone in Harrak, but that would have to wait.

In the end, Farren got his wish and the elder agreed to assist him with his expedition, going so far as to offer guides to the most likely locations.

The trip back was as boring and uneventful as ever, with the addition of Viv really looking forward to a good bath. Her hair had regrown to pixie length, though kind of messy, and the group was dirty and dusty. She took comfort in her own progress.

Meditative Trance: Expert 1