[color=95A5A6][b]> "We should rest for the rest of the night." <[/b][/color] [hr] [color=95A5A6]"I'm all for raising a drink to adventure but,"[/color] you began as you lifted your mead to join the others above the table. You spoke again with a sigh, finally letting your fatigue catch up to you. [color=95A5A6]"I'm beat. My legs are killing me Aika."[/color] You looked up at her as she half stood across the table in readiness to run out the door, the glint of adventure in her eye hesitating for a moment. [color=95A5A6]"There's no way I could make it down this mountain tonight, unless I just lean off a cliff and roll all the way down,"[/color] you cracked a tired smile along with your joke, which seemed to land rather well among your company here. [color=7ea7d8]"Ahh, of course. Tonight is the night of getting-ahead-of-myself, it would seem,"[/color] Aika replied with a smirk of her own. With a mutual agreement on the matter, you both turned your attention to Umildraen expectantly. Post-toast, his face was deep in the mug before he realized that he was now the center of attention. He looked a tad flustered as he rushed to finish his drink and reply. [color=E6B0AA]"Well, if it's a place to lay yer head yer lookin' fer, then look no further,"[/color] he set his mug down and stood up. [color=E6B0AA]"Any proper mountain-guide worth his beard's got an extra cot or two layin' around for exactly this!"[/color] With his hands triumphantly on his hips, he expected some sort of awe-filled acknowledgement, but with the night growing longer and longer, he was only rewarded with two slightly amused looks veiled in readiness for rest. He cleared his throat and turned to the door behind him with a slight hustle. [color=E6B0AA]"Er- th'guest room's right through here,"[/color] he said as he opened the way. [color=E6B0AA]"Make yerselves at home, an' we'll send ye off in the mornin'."[/color] With that, he made his way around the table to a door on the other side, and excused himself off to bed. With the promise of a good night's sleep ahead of you, you and your new ally wasted no time packing it in as well. [hr] In the unobscured sunlight, the snow was nearly blinding as you and Aika stepped out into the world beyond the cozy cabin on the mountainside. It wasn't much warmer than it was last night either, the only saving grace being that it wasn't currently snowing to make the wind even worse. The dwarf behind you waved you off with another wish of safe travels as you bid your good byes and took to the narrow path that led up here from the world below. At the least, the soreness in your legs from dealing with that troll last night seemed to be gone. The whirling breeze kept the silence of the hike at bay, with the singular path leading the way down the mountain. The road slightly-more-travelled here was visible mostly because it simply had less snow than the area around it, enough that you could move along it without having to trudge though the stuff. As you moved along though, turning around a cliff face revealed to you a split in the path. From your altitude, you could see quite well down each, enough to see more immediately where they led. To the south-east, the road you were more familiar with on your way up here was certainly the most direct route back home, it would bring you ever closer to the Daldon-Geland border at the base of the mountain in about another day's travel. Further down this road, you could see a carriage of some kind, accompanied by several humanoid figures walking with it, heading west towards you. Directly south, the road steepened toward a small village. It would only take a few minutes to make your way down to it from here, and seemed to be the mostly likely destination for the carriage, but it was out of the way compared to the other route. [hr] [color=95A5A6] • Take the direct route past the carriage. • Take the detour towards the village. [/color]