She shrugs, "You're the mage. If you think the attention is safer than the delay, I'll go with it. It'll save me a long walk, at least."

"-Yeah, it's not that high maintenance."

The sled forms. It takes focus, concentration, to keep up. At least it's engrossing so she can stop thinking about all the ways in which she's fucked up.

Wynn's guest joins her on the sled, and they set off!

The hills and dips make for an uneven ride, but probably not as rough as a carry would be. Wolves (probably the furry kind) are heard at one point, but the pack isn't in the pair's line of travel... and Wynn's careful to avoid any other groups of sketchy plants. As they slide across the land, signs of civilization start to become more apparent; there are old huts, and trails that don't look entirely abandoned. Maintaining the construct is a fair drain on her magic, but it does seem likely that they'll be able to make the village before nightfall at this rate. So long as she doesn't need to fight a battle when they get there, things should be fine.

...She'd rather stop and camp, just in case, actually.

She raises a small covered shelter with Earth magic and scatters a few rocks in a circle around the camp that she says should wake them up in case of attack.

She only has one "bedroll" though; She'll sleep in the dirt, she can make it a bit softer at least.

Her guest takes the hospitality without comment.

The night passes without much event. Wynn is woken up by her wards at the approach of a creature, but it flees the moment it realizes she's awake, leaving nothing but a disconcerting sense of being watched.

She sleeps badly. Whatever. At least her mana's coming back. It's hard to suppress the fear, and after failing to fall back asleep she grumbles and finishes the spear she started over yesterday's dinner, keeping watch and starting on a breakfast of softened hardtack with jam and fresh-picked berries when twilight finally arrives.

Her guest doesn't seem in much better of a mood... but there ought to be a settlement of some kind before too long, and then they'll be finished with this adventure. Still, she tries to make an effort to not be grouchy.

"I suppose if we're going to be travelling together, I should at least know your name. I'm Daisy Sagebalm. You?"

"Wynn. And- No other name. I renounce it."

She interrogates Daisy about landmarks, peering off into the distance to home in on the place.

"If you don't like 'em, I'll bring you back again. Back to the flowers. I always meant to, but... Ah fuck, I'll stop trying to justify myself. I doubt you want to hear it."

"I still don't remember the details all that well... but there's this big old road that runs between the Untainted and the Green. Can't miss it if we keep going this way, and if we head west along it, we'll definitely reach somewhere civilized. My village was one of a few that squat at the roadside and work the lands; so if we go too far, it's back the way we came instead."

She listens to Wynn's explanation with just a touch of bitterness. "It's not like I came to my flower against my will, you know? I was old and sick, and wanted something gentle to take care of me. It was... relaxing, not needing to think ahead, or work hard, or be responsible for other people."

"-I kind of thought you did. It's honestly wonderful that that's an option. It makes sense, super valid. I'll go for something like that once I'm old, maybe. Just. I'd also arrange to be rescued eventually. Personally. Wonder how hard it'd be to figure out how the getting younger works, make it in a vat..."

Daisy scoffs, "If youth could be made in a vat, I'd've brewed it up myself. There are charms that'll slow your aging, but they're expensive... or you can pay a fleshweaver to remake you so that you won't grow old, and that can go badly wrong. Everyone else gets to choose between the afterlife the priests talk about, or paradise here."

"People invent stuff sometimes. -Not fast enough, cold comfort to those here and now." She continues immediately. "I will take you back. Just say the word. I will."

She looks conflicted. "Not... not right away, I don't think? First, I'll want to plant my seeds somewhere they'll be safe and not cause mischief. After that...I guess it depends on how happy people are to have me back?"

"Yeah." Sigh. "Do you think it'll be... Soon? I'm... I want to get back to Luna with something to free her as soon as I can, that's all."

"Umm..."

Daisy pats her belly, "Well, there's only so much room inside me, so... probably before too long?"

"Right. I'll - check back in a week or two, then, whatever happens. Or a month or two. I don't know how long it takes. For now, time to go find that road?"

She nods, and boards the sled when Wynn recreates it.

As expected, the road wasn't that much further. At some point in the past, someone felt the need to lay down tons of cobblestone to make a nice mostly-level mostly-straight path through the wilderness, and it's still in good shape to this day.

"Oh, infrastructure! First step to civilization. Wonder who paid for it."

She sleds along in the correct direction, feeling comfortable to go faster on the smooth surface, passing around or through villages if they're not the right one. And nothing ought to mess with an obvious spellcaster. Probably. Hopefully.

The road is in pretty good shape, and there's a fortunate absence of threatening vegetation nearby, allowing for relatively safe passage. For a good few hours, no threat gets closer than a wolf lurking in a stand of trees about 70 feet off the road, and it doesn't seem interested in chasing down such an overtly magical contraption.

After a couple of hours, the road leads to a bridge. The bridge is in good repair, and includes a guard house, from which a flag bearing a dragon crest flaps in the light breeze. Some kind of siege weapon is also fixed to the roof of the guard house, though it's not in quite as good repair as the rest of it. A trio of guards lounge idly by the door, each wearing sturdy leathers, covered by a tabard bearing the same crest as the flag. They straighten up as you approach.

She lets the magic construct-sled slide to a gentle stop a good hundred feet away. She feels a bit twitchy, but is she just imagining things? Convert-->Defense is a quick enough path if she has to react suddenly, though. She went through it by reflex in a couple seconds last time it was necessary.

She glances, concerned, at her passenger as she stands and walks forward slowly.

"Hello?" She shouts.

The lead guard is smiling, but his fellows are holding crossbows... not pointed in any particular direction, but definitely available. He nods as you draw closer.

"Hello yourself, traveller. Looking to cross?"

"...Suppose so. I admit, the bridge is new to me. We've been crossing rivers with magic and I haven't been this way in some time. Good to see signs of order, though." Bullshit, it makes her nervous. Given the other organized group of armed men she's encountered. But easy to say.

He frowns slightly at that, and the guards with crossbows seem a little more nervous, "Ah, homesteaders? It's not safe, living out in the wilderness like that. Those that do come back tend to be... affected by the experience. I hope you don't mean any trouble?"

"I'm escorting Daisy, here," Mention names, it humanizes you, "Home from a harrowing experience, and there's something I'm looking to buy, then I'm off southeast again. Say, where exactly have I found myself? This is the closest thing to a marked border I've met yet out here."

"You're still in the Wastes, of course, but this part of it is Morata County; it's people are under the protection of the Countess Morata, who is one of the Emperor's vassals."

He looks to the sled, and back to you.

"The toll for crossing with a vehicle is one mark. Silver or stone?"