Trapped With A Runner

"There you go... are you feeling any better now, little girl?"

"Um... yes... thank you, Master Vastarael."

"You're welcome. Now don't go running off again alright? There are monsters here and you would have been eaten alive. I'm serious."

"I'm sorry..."

"Yeah, don't worry about it. As long as you're safe, I'm not worried at all. What's your name?"

"I... I don't have one. Not yet. I haven't chosen one yet."

"I see. Well then, I'll call you Runner. How about it?"

"That's mean!"

"You did sneak away from the migration and an avalanche separated you from them. Now all we need to do is find them and get back. Okay?"

"Okay!"

The cold wind howled over the snowy plains as Vastarael trudged forward, his fur boots crunching softly in the thick, powdery snow. His golden eyes scanned the surroundings as he carried the small, injured form of a child on his back.

The girl, barely eight years old, was fragile against the stark, unforgiving environment of the frozen land. Her breath came in labored, shallow bursts, the weight of her injuries slowing her down despite Vastarael's healing touch.

If it wasn't for Vastarael's Heat Runes, she would have frozen to death in the cold.

Three days had passed since they had begun the migration, the journey to escape the kingdom's reach. The small group of the Raukerai ihad began making their way out of the Erna Frozen Isles. Vastarael had promised to protect them and he intended to keep that promise, no matter the cost.

Also, it was a side quest so he was mostly doing it for the Vialex.

The first two days had been grueling but... manageable. They crossed the frozen lake, the ice beneath their feet groaning with every step as if warning them of the danger beneath. Vastarael had carefully guided them across, using his advanced vision to ensure the cracks in the ice were sealed and that the weak parts wouldn't collapse under their weight. Still, the journey was exhausting. The wind bit at their faces.and the cold seeped into their bones, numbing the wearied travelers.

Now he understood why they used runes on their robes. They were to make them warm against the blizzards and provide better vision during travelling.

Not that he needed them anyway. Thanks to his vast inventory, he switched to winter clothes, which was another shocking discovery for the frozen nomads. They never expected to see different outfits before.

He gave winter jackets, thick boots and thick gloves to the chief's family as thanks for saving him. He didn't have enough outfits to give to the others and they were doing fine without them...

But the acting chief's family were even warmer before.

By the time they reached the snowy slopes that led to the higher ground, fatigue had begun to set in. The group had to climb steep ridges, the snow so deep in some places that it was as though they were wading through water rather than walking across solid ground.

The women and children, already weakened by the harsh conditions, struggled the most. The men did what they could to support them, but even the strongest of the warriors were starting to falter.

It was on the third day, as they crossed a particularly treacherous slope, that disaster struck.

An avalanche cascaded down the mountainside. Vastarael had no time to act before the force of the snow and ice slammed into the group, scattering the travelers in every direction. The sound of the avalanche was deafening, drowning out all other noise as the snow engulfed everything in its path.

Screams and cries filled the air as those who couldn't outrun the avalanche were swept away, buried under the heavy blanket of white.

Vastarael had acted immediately, using his powers to shield the group, creating plasma circles to deflect the worst of the avalanche's force. But in the chaos, one of the children—this small, fragile girl—had been separated from the others.

Her small, frightened face was the last thing he saw before she disappeared beneath the snow, her cry for help lost in the roar of the falling avalanche.

Miraculously, only seventeen out of more than eight hundred frozen nomads were not found. And with the blizzard kicking in, it was impossible to search for their bodies.

Without thinking, Vastarael had bolted in pursuit. He had to find the girl. Fortunately, the nomads agreed to leave visible traces in the snow to show their direction. And thanks to Vastarael's photographic memory, he already knew the path Indulli showed him the night before the migration.

The hours that followed were spent in frantic search. He scoured the area, his golden eyes glowing with intensity as he used his advanced vision to scan through the snow, trying to locate any trace of her.

Finally, he had found her, half-buried in a mound of snow, her tiny body limp, the marks of her injuries still evident even through the snow that covered her.

Carefully, he had lifted her into his arms, using First Star Healing Circles to heal the worst of her wounds. She had been slow to recover, her fragile body too weak to bounce back immediately. But he had continued to reassure her, speaking softly as he tended to her, his touch gentle and warm against her cold skin.

As he carried her now, his mind was filled with thoughts of the group. The others had to continue the migration. They couldn't afford to stop for too long. He had told them to keep moving, but even as he carried this small girl on his back, he couldn't shake the feeling of guilt. He couldn't help but think that if he hadn't been so focused on protecting the others, he could have saved more.

Even though he didn't care about the nomads, the fact that he saw people being buried in snow was still not a pleasant sight.

But now, with the girl—Runner, as he had taken to calling her—on his back, the only thing that mattered was getting back to the group. They had to reunite, and he couldn't let her down.

The blizzard was getting stronger.

Even with his advanced senses from being of divine origin,(all divine beings had advanced senses) he couldn't even see the way forward. Runner was still on his back, unaffected by the blizzard's cold thanks to the Heat Runes on her clothes. He had to give her a long winter jacket to shield her from the cold.

He already had a lot of those and he couldn't take any chances.

Vastarael was not affected by the blizzard at all. He walked through it as if he was moving normally. The only issue was that the snow was getting deeper with each step. Even the Heat Runes he drew on the soles of his winter boots were not helping.

The further they went, the more he realized that the snow and the blizzards were getting... mystical.

It wasn't like a force of nature anymore but it was as if a mystic force was causing this. The snow was melting at a slower rate. If he was a regular Immortal, then he would have frozen to death.

Thankfully, he had his Heat Runes to keep him warm. But he couldn't keep moving when he couldn't see a thing.

And so, he decided to do something he always saw in ancient texts in the private school he used to study in his previous life.

He gently set Runner down on the snow, her fragile body trembling beneath the cold. She was barely able to stand, still recovering from the avalanche's impact. Her small face was pale from both fear and exhaustion, and she looked up at him with wide, trusting eyes.

"Stay here, alright?" Vastarael's voice was warm, despite the cold air. "Don't move."

With that, he took a step back and began focusing. His golden eyes narrowed, the pupils contracting with intense concentration. He extended his hands, his body radiating a calm aura as he began to summon his essence, fueled by his status as a prince of the Aeterium and his Nexus bloodline, surged within him.

His ability to manipulate sapphire was one of his most versatile and powerful gifts, Sapphire Materialization.

It was an art that allowed him to mold the essence he summoned into any shape he could imagine, turning it into tangible, blue crystal structures with incredible clarity and strength. His crystal in particular, was a rare material, both durable and aesthetically breathtaking, but it also held a natural resonance with Vastarael's soul. The more he focused, the more precisely he could shape it.

With a firm command, he began to shape the sapphire, the ground beneath him humming softly as the crystalline structure began to materialize in thin air.

Vastarael's fingers twitched as he began to form the outline. He imagined the shape of an circular, sturdy structure able to resist the blizzard's fury. The sapphire glimmered with a faint blue light as the material shifted and reformed, solidifying into its true, crystalline form.

The walls grew higher, shimmering with a translucent sheen as they spiraled upward in a perfect dome.

The cold snow beneath them was soon covered entirely by a smooth, glistening layer of sapphire, the structure both beautiful and functional.

Within moments, Vastarael had constructed an igloo, its walls pure sapphire and glowing faintly with a mystical light that seemed to push back the encroaching darkness of the blizzard. The dome was solid, but light enough for him to form without draining all his essence.

"Alright, Runner, let's go in," Vastarael called out gently. "It's safe for now.'

He entered the igloo, checking the interior. The temperature inside was far warmer than outside, and the air had a faint, comforting glow, thanks to the sapphire's inherent properties. But he couldn't afford to be complacent. This was only a temporary shelter and he knew the blizzard was relentless.

So, Vastarael stepped out again.

He summoned his essence once more as drew Heat Runes outside. Each rune, glowing with a fiery orange hue, shimmered on the surface of the sapphire walls. The heat from the runes radiated outward, warming the inside of the igloo and providing a protective barrier from the harsh, biting cold.

The snowstorm on the outside seemed to slow just slightly as the heat began to pulse from the walls, the wind's fury lessening at the edges of the sapphire structure.

Vastarael wasn't finished yet. 

He drew Barrier Runes around the igloo, strengthening the hemispherical barrier that blocked out the blizzard.

'I am so glad I learned about Xinoraci Runes. All that harsh training of draining my essence every day and practicing paid off.'

Vastarael turned and stepped back inside, wiping his hands clean of the cold frost and snow. His expression softened as he looked at Runner, who had been watching him wide-eyed from her spot within the igloo.

"So,' he continued, walking into the center of the igloo and glancing at the girl with a gentle smile. "Who's hungry?"