As they're traveling the sun begins to go down. "We're gonna have to camp this one out." Kaito says.
"Who's turn was it hunting today?" Dante asks. Rika looks away whistling. Dante luckily had made a tally system.
Since the three began traveling they took turns doing the chores. Like setting up the tent, or gathering water, or hunting. They had made a system where each of them would have to do it.
If it was a hunting day, and it landed on Kaito they'd have the best return since he was good at it. If Dante and Rika were on hunting duty however it wouldn't turn out so great. Leaving Kaito to go hunt anyways.
"Looks like it's a Rika day." Dante says and Rika snaps her fingers. "Fine you better not be mad if I flop!" Rika says as she storms off. "You should've hunted earlier!" Dante shouts.
Kaito and Dante set up camp together. "So Kaito how come you never use that bow?" Dante asks. Kaito thinks and then he laughs. "I forgot I had that." Kaito giggles.
Dante shakes his head. "How could you forget about something like that?!"
With a beautiful golden light, Kaito summons his hunter bow. Dante marvels at the equipment and Kaito looks towards a tree with a makeshift arrow. He attempts to knock the bow but he can't even draw the string back.
"What the!?" Kaito questions as he tugs with all of his might but he fails to knock the arrow. "Woah this things impossible!" Kaito says. It would appear that he's too weak to even draw the bow.
Dante nods. "I guess that makes sense, it's a phantasmal weapon so I guess you just aren't strong enough yet." Dante mentions and the revaluation kind of irritating Kaito.
So for the rest of the duration they wait for Rika, Kaito constantly attempts to use the bow. Using even energy fission to strengthen his arms he could only wiggle the drawstring.
As his hands became worn and blisters formed on his palms he decided to call it for the day. "Are you even good with bows?" Dante asks. Kaito shakes his head. "Actually i'm terrible at throwing too." Kaito smiles.
Dante shakes his head. Rika returns as they sit around the campfire and all she has is a small rabbit creature. "Listen I tried." Rika says.
Kaito still does his job and he whips up food. He decided to turn the small morsel of meat into a stew. "Love the innovation Kaito." Dante says as he eats the stew.
Afterall is said and done they go to sleep for the night. Kaito however comes out of his tent and watches. As Kaito is on guard tonight he spends his time still practicing with the bow.
The next morning had arrives and they were back on the road again. Rika had begun humming herself a song. Kaito nodded along to her song. "We should get someone who plays music to come with us." Kaito says.
"What like a bard?" Dante asks.
Rika smiled while humming still. "That's a good idea, I need someone to tell the exploits of my awesome deeds!" She says before hitting a dramatic pose.
She looks at the two of them and realizes it might be a little awkward, but the boys laugh and pose with her. Rika smiles and continues posing.
"A bard would be nice, music on the road wouldn't be too bad." Dante says.
"So which road should we take to Veloria?" Dante asks.
Kaito tilts his head like a curious dog. "There's different ones?" He asks.
Dante nods, before clearing his throat nervously. "There's the way on the normal road. It'll take us about a week to get there, but we don't have much food so it's a gamble." He says.
Rika nudges him. "Spit it out already."
Dante shakes his head like he knows Kaito will say something. "Or we can cross the mountains east, across the bridge of eternal ice." Dante says.
Kaito's eyes glow. "Bridge of eternal ice!?"
Dante groans. "I knew you'd get excited!" He shouts. "We should take the safe route!"
Kaito throws his arms up exaggerated. "But safe is boring, bridge of eternal ice sounds fun!"
Dante shakes his head. "Why is your idea of fun, mean we could literally die?!"
Kaito scoffs and shakes his head. "How are we gonna die?"
Dante shows him the book. "It's a bridge of eternal ice dude, it's slippery."
Kaito begins laughing. "Is that it?"
Dante looks back at him squinting his eyes. "It goes over a fifty thousand foot drop." He says.
Kaito stares back at him, a straight face at first, but sure enough a smile slowly grew, and Dante just shook his head and started walking.
Rika looks at Kaito. "You happy?" She asks him. And Kaito nods.
It'll take them half a day to reach the bridge, about another day after that to reach Veloria, considering nothing gets in their way. Which is highly unlikely.
On the way however Rika was wondering why the empire even has a checkpoint set up there.
"It could be because of the age of war." Dante says.
Kaito looks over but before he can ask Dante continues.
"The age of war started about thirty or so years ago. It was like a really bad time a lot of stuff changed the world during that period, conflicts rose so much that the empire got extra defensive and a lot of really bad stuff happened." He explains.
Rika looks over at him swaying her arms side to side. "Have you heard of the conspiracy theories surrounding it?" She asks.
Dante nods. "Yeah, like how Ravoli was saved by king Chisaki right?" He asks.
Rika shakes her head. "Casual, that one's true, I mean how they say the Kaya played a part in it all." Rika says and Kaito gulps hard for a moment.
Dante seems deep in thought for a moment. "No, I've never heard about that actually."
Rika giggles. "They say, the wars were outsourced to the Kaya and they played big parts in changing and reshaping the wars."
"But I thought Kaya haven't been seen for over thirty years, they would have disappeared before the wars even began." Dante said.
Rika smiles. "That's why they're called conspiracy, if you ask me the empire was getting whooped so bad, they blamed a fictional group of people." She says.
Kaito who had began being lost in the conversation seemed puzzled by this. "Fictional?" He asks.
Rika laughs. "I mean come on. There's no way they're real." She crosses her arms. "If there's a group of mages that strong, why're they hiding?" She asks.
Dante thinks. "Maybe because the empire is hunting them?"
Rika rolls her eyes. "I don't buy it, what do you think Kaito?"
Kaito actually struggles not to smile here, since Rika is saying he doesn't exist but he holds it. Until Dante cuts in. "Would Kaito even know what a Kaya is?" He asks.
Rika snaps her fingers. "Oh right, grew up in a forest no history books."
As the conversation was on going, they had reached the bridge of ice.
Kaito's jaw drops, completely forgetting the conversation prior. He runs right up to the edge and looks into the hole. "It really is deep!" He shouts joyfully.
Dante and Rika creep up to the edge, looking down at the endless darkness and then at the ice bridge that's supposed to carry them across. They both share a collective shiver.
Kaito however already stepped into the bridge sliding around on it. "How can a bridge like this even exist!? He asks.
Dante nervously steps on as he explains. "Well uh, a long time ago a really strong ice mage made it to cross, but he was so strong it never changes temperature, or breaks, so then it became permanent." He says.
Rika follows cautiously on the steps behind him. "How do you know all this random trivia?"
"I always was interested in this kind of stuff, so when it came up in school I was all ears, didn't you ever pay attention in your school?" He answered.
Rika stickers her tongue out. "Booooo school, booooo!" She yells.
They're shushed by Kaito who had stopped them. Since he heard howling.
Dante silently prays. "Please, not now, I know I must be cursed but not now." He begs.
His begging fell on deaf ears apparently since a human began sprinting wildly at them. Rika shouts first. "It's one of those cannibals!" She yells.
He sprints directly past Kaito and darts for her. "I think I owe this one money!" She yells.
Before they can question anything Rika dodges the man's jump and he slips from the bridge falling into the hole. Rika's face goes pale. "I DIDNT KILL HIM JUST NOW! HE DID THAT TO HIMSELF!" She yells.
But they look down and see that he fell into a cave underneath. So he lived. Rika took a deep relieved sigh.
Kaito slipped too but he caught himself with a small laugh. "HOW DID YOU FIND ALMOST FALLING FUNNY!" Dante yells at him.
They finally manage to cross the bridge and Kaito is still laughing at it. "I kinda wanna run around on it some more." He says.
Dante shakes his head. "Gods, what is wrong with him." He asks.
Rika shakes her head. No words she just shakes her head.
"We made good ground today, I think it's best to set up camp for now, before it gets too dark." Dante says. Rika looks away whistling. "It's your day to watch Rika."
"DANG IT!" She shouts.