Dream Life Vol II Chapter 8.1: “Karsh Pass”

　July 4th.

　After spending the night in the village of Bowden, the trading party was scheduled to leave the village at 7:00 a.m.

　Fortunately, there were no pests in the bed, and after a good night’s sleep, I was in excellent physical condition.

　Today, we were headed for the town of Thornbrough, 30 kilometers away.

　The route to Thornbrough is through the Farthus River and the forest. However, about 10 km north of Bowden, we enter a difficult section called the Karsh Pass. The Karsh Pass is a rough road with steep gradients, making it very difficult for wagons. In particular, Norton’s merchants purchase heavy items such as swords, spears, and axes from Ars, the royal capital of the Kingdom of Caum, which places a heavy burden on the wagons.

　Furthermore, the location is far from the city where the garrison is located, making it a place where bandits and monsters are apt to appear.

　When they arrived at the meeting place, both the caravan coaches and the mercenaries showed signs of nervousness.

“…Today we will cross the Karsh Pass. As you know, our merchant team has a lot of heavy luggage. Don’t wander off the road…” (Norton)

　Norton, who usually smiles amiably, was giving warnings to his men with a rather serious expression on his face.

　Byron, the leader of the escort team, also had a serious expression on his face as he gave instructions to his men.

“Today we are crossing the Karsh Pass. Be careful of bandits and harpies. Be careful not only of your surroundings but also of what’s above! Once we get through here, there will be no more difficult places! You’ll have to be strong for the rest of the day!” (Byron)

“”Yeah!”” (Mercenaries)

　Byron, who had finished his instruction, found us and gave us a warning as well.

“Today, I would like to ask everyone to keep a close watch. It is said that harpies prefer the flesh of women and children. Please be very careful in the skies above.” (Byron)

　As I listened to him,

(Harpies, huh? …It’s finally starting to feel like a real fantasy world. I may have to use my original spells today…) (Zack)

　Sharon seemed a little intimidated at the mention of a preference for child flesh, her hands trembling slightly. I put my hand on her shoulder and smile at her.

“Don’t worry, Guy and I will protect you. And you can use the [Swallow Cutter] today.” (Zack)

　Perhaps a little relieved by my words, she flushed a little and spiritedly replied, “Don’t worry. I’ll shoot down any harpies that come out,”

　The wagons moved slowly forward, making rattling noises.

　Our position was the same as yesterday, between the fifth and sixth wagons.

　Before we left, Guy had given us a warning.

“Please don’t ever leave me. Today, the four of us will be working in a tight group. You must follow my instructions no matter what they are.” (Guy)

“I understand. But please consider not only my safety but also the safety of the merchant caravan.” (Zack)

　Guy nodded at my words and had a meeting with Liddy.

　When Liddy nodded, she removed the hood of her cloak.

　To my surprise, Liddy says,

“Guy asked me to have a clear sight.” (Guy)

　Liddy, an elf, has very good eyesight. Rob, the hunter, and Guy, the scout, also had good eyesight, but she still had better.

　So, Guy asked Liddy to remove her hood, which was blocking her vision.

“Is it okay? I’ve got good eyesight too. You don’t have to do this…” (Zack)

　“It’s for your own safety. Also…” she said, smiling, “I was feeling a little less anxious.”

　As soon as Liddy took off her hood, the eyes of the mercenaries and the merchants focused on her.

　However, the impudent glances are over in an instant, and they quickly turn their attention to their own work.

(As one might expect, we can’t afford to be distracted by a woman on a dangerous mountain pass. And maybe it was a good thing Guy and I got Byron’s respect…) (Zack)

　The first three hours got us to the entrance of the pass.

　After a 30-minute rest, we began to ascend the pass.

　The pass was different from the road before, as it was a wall of craggy rock cliffs cut up from the Farthus River flowing on the left side. The deep forest on the right side of the pass gave way to pine-like bushes as the rocky terrain became more and more rugged.

　The initially gentle ascent gradually became steeper and steeper. The wagons struggled on the road, which was strewn with stones the size of a fist.

(It looks like it was cut out of the rocky terrain. The coachman had no time to be aware of his surroundings, and his escort had to be conscious of the horse’s maneuverability. If we had to be on the lookout above the rocks and the trees, it would have been impossible with my level of horsemanship…) (Zack)

　In fact, Sharon and I were too occupied with controlling our horses to be aware of our surroundings.

　As expected, Guy and Liddy are firmly alert to their surroundings while dexterously maneuvering their horses, but I can clearly sense the wariness even from the two of them.

　The neighing of the horses and the creaking of the wagon wheels echoed through the mountain pass.

　We had left first thing in the morning, but we were being overtaken by other merchants, perhaps because of the heavy weight of our luggage, as Norton had said. By the time we entered the pass, we were at the tail end of the procession of wagons.

　After about an hour, the slope becomes gentler.

　It seemed we were nearing the top of the pass.

“We are almost at the rest stop! But don’t put any more stress on the horses than necessary!”

　Norton’s instructions were passed on by the mercenaries as if it were a game of telephone.

(They’ve got a good system, huh? Not only Byron’s instructions but also Norton’s instructions are conveyed by the mercenaries…) (Zack)

　After another 30 minutes, when the sun reached its peak, we crossed the pass.

　Near the top of the pass, there is a narrow passage between two sheer cliffs about 10 meters high. Ahead of us, we can see the Farthus River gently curving to the left, the road that runs along it, and a dark green forest to the right of it.

　As I ran my gaze along the road, I saw a small blackish rectangle in the distance

(The vantage point is nice. The difference in elevation is about two or three hundred meters. The road was rougher than I thought it would be. And all we have to do now is descend. …The square town in the distance must be our destination, Thornbrough.” (Zack)

　The rest stop is about ten minutes down the road from here, I heard and I let out a sigh.

　Just as everyone’s consciousness relaxes, Liddy’s high-pitched voice echoes through the mountain pass.

“On the cliff! There are harpies!” (Liddy)

　At the sound of her voice, everyone looks up.

　They were hard to see, hidden by the rocks, but there we saw the harpies, humanoid monsters with brown eagle-like wings.

　The harpies were perched on top of the cliff, waiting for us to pass by.

(Are they aiming for the tail, where the escorts would be the fewest? How cunning!) (Zack)

　As I was thinking this, a dozen or so harpies took off at once.

　I shuddered at the sight of the harpies as they took off with such numbers.

(They were huge! They’re nothing compared to birds of prey… They are going to swoop down and attack us! If those sharp claws attack me, my leather armor will be as good as paper…) (Zack)

　Around us, the leader of the escort team was giving loud orders.

“Archers, intercept! They’re aiming for the coachmen! Protect the coachmen!” (Byron)

“Move forward slowly and calmly! Don’t panic and wreck the wagons!” (Norton)

　Byron and Norton’s instructions at the front are passed on by the mercenaries.

　Harpies use their sharp claws to grab people and soar into the sky. Once they gain some altitude, they release their captives and drop them to the ground.

　Once caught, the harpy will lift you several meters in an instant, and even if you escape its claws by cutting them with your sword, you will not be spared from the damage of the fall. The key to fighting against harpies is how to avoid being grabbed.

　In particular, they often target unarmed warriors, and panicked coachmen often caused their carriages to run out of control and get damaged. They seem to understand that if the wagon is damaged on a narrow road, it will stop others behind, so at first they aim low and go for the head of the caravan.