"Dang" Perytos cursed, wiping away the mud from his boot. As a kid he used to love camping, now though, after weeks of traveling- Some of which left scars physical and mental- he would have gave the younger version of him a piece of his mind if he could. Then again he would have told his younger self a lot of different things.

  It turned out, that when not traversing a litteral death zone as a tier one no less, traveling could be almost boring. They spent long days sitting in a carriage, only the company and menial tasks to stave away their boredom. No monster attacked them; any predator being scared off with a glare from Herman. The inaction was synonymous with a lack of struggle- that meant no skill increases.

  Just twelve hours per day of sitting, then setting up camp and going to sleep. The first few days it wasn't so bad, Perytos carved in wood to pass the time; the action proved to be deeply relaxing and gave him space to think some things through. Despite that, it turned stale quickly. When it did, he began talking with Callum, sharing stories of their childhoods, funny anecdotes and useful information about the world.

  He noticed that the boy was well read, citing many books on beast anatomy and a few tomes on crafting. During that time, they both steered away from heavy topics, both agreeing silently to let this "vacation" last as long as possible.

  Because, in a world full of strife you took boring days as a blessing, not a curse. Even if you felt bored out of your mind, especially so, if numbness almost consumed you.

  Despite keeping things light, both youths bonded quite well. Perytos took a liking to Callum's witty humor while the other appreciated a little sterner companion that kept him anchored. While both were chatting away, Allys and Mercel would rather keep quiet; only occasionally did the girl contribute to the conversation. Whenever they got too loud, she would smack them on their heads, but with no heat. Also, if a topic interested her enough, she even shared a bit about herself.

  It turned out their family had a history of being merchants. They dealt with many different things; tools, rations and raw materials just to name a few. Living in a house full of opportunistic character guided her personality; it made her especially insightful and analytic. Perytos noticed whenever she spoke, she described hard to grasp details full of nuance. Over time, he learned to like the strong-willed woman.

  The lykani mostly slept all that time, close to Perytos. He was the ever loyal, lazy companion.

  They rolled through many towns. Perytos saw prominent settlements with buildings made of clear, enchanted glass. The prominent towers were full of apprentice craftsmen, hoping to build a brighter world.

  The expansive farmlands that were attached to the cities were the source of medicine and food for thousands of people. In many cases Perytos could see they were manned only by a few people, or none at all. Hulking constructs of metal and organic material tended to mundane crops like wheat and linen.

  He would love to explore cities and all they had to offer in full, but they were on schedule. Herman might have been retired, but he was still expected to deliver the goods in a certain frame of time.

  It made him sad, but he found solace in the thought he could always return. He was free after all. Free of any obligations, organizations and the like. Right now, he only cared for getting stronger and seeing the world in the process. On the way, he would help all the people he could.

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  And they needed all the help he could give. Not all of the many cities of the Empire had such swaths of talented people or rich deposits of material. Some of the places they went through in passing weren’t impressive. Perytos' hometown of Cortez's edge fared far better in comparison.

  Many of the citizens' eyes were sunken. Their heads reached for the ground instead of the stars; they were afraid to deviate from the norm. Perytos could see signs ribcages poking through bodies capable of felling trees with bare hands. Sure, having access to the system was a huge blessing; it improved everyone's lives by allowing one person to do the work of a dozen. In turn, it made the world really dangerous. The requirements for safety rose linearly to the taxes. Funding for war rose. Imperial soldiers conscripted children into the army or the Adventurer’s guild, forcing the young into frames that didn’t fit them.

  At times like this, living became a drag through hell.

  Herman didn’t take this all well. Perytos saw how he turned and tossed whenever he saw a child begging for food on the streets. Every time, like a clock, money appeared in the kids’ pockets. The old man would whistle, as if he hadn’t done anything. After then, his mood would improve before plummeting again. During the phase of high spirits, he entertained them with stories of his youth.

  One day, when Herman was in the middle of telling a tale of how he bested a Troll in a drinking competition, the terrain began to change.

  The long steppes and occasional trees began clearing into one, vast plain- It stretched for miles in every direction. Behind it were mountain peaks higher than Perytos had ever seen; their tips seemed to graze the sky with their frozen-over surface. However, when he looked away from the Shatterstone mountain range, he literally stopped breathing.

  The hill was as enormous as it was flat. There was a slight incline to scale the colossal hill, which then dropped into a slight recess. It was the perfect place to settle a safe haven.

  Five bent, long fingers were shaped like a claw, weaved together in the fabric of reality. Mineral formations the size of entire cities jutted out of the ground on one edge of the hill. The passage of time hadn’t been kind to the monuments of history; moss covered much of the fingers, making it look like mother nature herself sculpted the place that would become the hub of entire Epision.

  But, it was no avatar of nature. It was something else. Something infinitely more vast. The Titans. In the palm of a Titan, countless souls breathed, struggled, and died.

  In the Grasp of a Titan, was the city built.

  The capital itself was a marvel of architecture and ingenuity but after seeing the terrain that surrounded it, the city lost much of its luster.

  Despite that, Titan’s Grasp shone brightly in the world. Skyscrapers of twisted metal and alloy brought back the same heaven-defying quality the Palm of the Titan carried. In regular intervals, the peaks of the spires glowed with the telltale sign of facet-imbued mana.

  The gate itself was as tall as five men stacked on each other, its wooden face inlaid with a golden alloy. Right now, it was open, welcoming trade caravans, travelers and adventurers from all over Epision.

  From Perytos’ point of view, who was standing with his mouth open at the start of the valley, the entire city could be seen. The royal palace, a vast, if short building. It was studded with glowing shards of glass and crystal which split light into a torrent of colors.

  Deep inside, he had been wondering whether the tales of Titan's grasp had been exaggerated. Now he could say that nothing came close to the sheer beauty in front of his eyes.

  Herman chuckled warmly as he expertly led the carriage. "First time seeing the capital, huh? It's written on all of your faces." But Perytos didn't care about that. Through happy tears, he thought: Mom, Dad, I made it. I finally made it.