Drip-Fed

“Ya sure about this one?” Reysha asked and looked at the Leaf before them. Beyond the Stem, over silver energies that connected the Branch of the Omniverse to the world that sprouted from it, was the sparkling white of winter. It was too universal and too deep for the Leaf to be anything but one of its kind dedicated to the coldest of the five seasons.

They were in a part of the Omniverse where summer, spring or four seasonal Leaves were most common. Though it was an agreement between the gods that the Omniverse had clusters of the four primary seasons, it was neither unheard of nor undesired that Leaves of other seasons were interspersed. Only Leaves of the season of magic, Sorcia, was exclusive to the Progenitor.

The Inevitable had a poor relationship with the cold. Born on a Summer Leaf, Apexus had not known bitter cold until his assembly of a humanoid body had been almost complete. He never cared much for it and even with the organs to heat and insulate himself reliably, he did not appreciate the cold whatsoever.

Winter made everything more difficult. Snow reduced visibility when it fell, provided excellent cover for ambush predators, and made every step a slogging gamble. It could get so cold that even drinking was painful, if water even stayed liquid at all.

“It would not be much of a challenge if we entered our favoured environment,” Apexus stated.

“We cannot access our winter clothes at this moment, darling,” Aclysia reminded. They had stowed away the thick clothes in the Mobile Estate. Unlike other changes of dress, the stuffed layers were simply too heavy to bother hauling around unless they were being used. “We will have to enter the Leaf first.”

“We will survive,” Apexus remarked.

“Squishy will, she got insulation.”

“A-are you calling me fat?!”

“Well, you are where it counts.”

“I will be called squishy, bouncy, jiggly and all manners of soft, but I will not be called fat… stinky!”

“Stinky?!” Reysha raised up her arms and checked her pits. Wrinkling her nose, she shivered in displeasure. “Okay, maybe a little bit?”

Apexus slowly rolled his eyes. The gesture was unfamiliar for him, so he executed it with care. Aclysia noticed and giggled at the display. “Do you not agree that she reeks?” she asked quietly.

“I do not,” the humanoid chimera responded. He was sensitive when it came to scents, always monitoring them to judge the health of his women. “She smells good.”

“Standards may be skewed due to the proximity to your pheromones, darling.”

Apexus just hummed at that. He barely picked up his own scent, though he could have if he wanted to. The mechanism that made the mind blend out scents it was exposed to for prolonged periods was something he could interact with consciously.

While Korith and Reysha bickered in their friendly fashion, they all the same followed Apexus and Aclysia on their descent of the Stem.

It was, like always, an odd experience. They had spent most of the past 14 days on the Branches, stopping only on Leaves to enter the Mobile Estate and withdrawing new rations from their stockpiles. It had not been that long since they had last experienced the transition. All the same, the sensation was always a unique one.

First was the change in orientation. The silver-threaded Stem became their new floor, the new centre of gravity. The Branch behind them was reoriented. Second was the sky. The distant Branches and the void between them were gradually hidden behind a manifesting sky. It was day where they entered, a cloudy one, the sun swallowed by thick grey and falling snow. Third was the air. Crisp cold masked the scents of civilization.

The city below was covered in a blanket of white. The city coped well with the heavy snowfall. The streets were constantly being cleared by a small army of menials with broad, wooden shovels designed to push the snow along. They shoved the white mass into ditches adjacent to large houses, where the heat radiating from the structures melted the snow so it would run off into an underground system, making sure the ditches were soon freed for more snow.

Few people chose to walk under these conditions. Rolling carriages were more common, moving between the various complexes. The city itself was separated into districts that were internally connected via fully walled-in walkways. Every move had been made to avoid exposing themselves to the outside. Above many roofs fluttered the flag of the Sleeping Empire: the face of a sleeping elven woman.

They stepped off the Stem, snow crunching under their soles.

Reysha raised a hand, catching several of the falling flakes. In her brown, cropped top, she was entirely unfit for the scenery. The shining leather pants furthered that image and her brown complexion cemented it. Dark red lips formed a confident smile as she brushed part of her red mane back. “This isn’t so bad. Bit breezy around the midriff though….”

Reysha Yukana AI

Spoiler

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“Also, your nipples are hard as diamonds,” Korith remarked.

“This is not an issue for her alone.” Aclysia put an arm over her petite chest. That view was for her darling and no one else. “Your midriff would be less exposed if you covered it.”

“Stating the obvious, are we?” Reysha teased.

“It is an obvious factor that you missed.”

“I worked for this, I’ll show it off.” Reysha smacked her defined midriff. It was certainly more toned than most women’s and even a lot of men’s. Rogues usually prided themselves on a lithe build. As with so many things, Reysha indulged in bucking the trend. No one could say she was slower for it.

A sudden, heavy breeze brought with it a magic-infused chill. The mana in the air counteracted part of their innate, superhuman defences against the elements. The group shivered, reminded of how regular mortals felt in a cold like this.

“Let’s put up the Mobile Estate and…” Aclysia started and stopped when Apexus raised his hand.

He pointed at a sign depicting a crossed sword, axe and staff – a common symbol of the Adventurer’s Guild. “Going there will be faster.”