The group of adventurers left the desolate village behind and returned to their carriage.
The freezing night air cut through the blades, and snowflakes continued to fall from the gloomy skies. The dark clouds seed to portend more misfortune, and a sense of unease crept into their hearts. Soon, the village beca just a blur of sadness in the carriage's rear-view mirror. Once a community of unity, it was now in ruins, its houses abandoned and its streets silent. There was no sign of human life, only the occasional howl of wolves echoing through the frosty air.
Inside the carriage, the atmosphere was heavy with uncertain thoughts. Inside the carriage, Jayaa was trying to make conversation to lighten the mood, while outside Kaizen was telling Xisrith everything that had happened. And like him, she recognized the na ntioned by the apple thief.
"Isn't that na...?" She asked, looking at him.
Kaizen nodded, clearly serious.
Then Xisrith looked ahead, thought about it and asked:
"What do you think? Could this Fryft girl have sothing to do with all this?" Alina asked, looking at Kaizen for answers.
"It's possible... The coincidence is too great to ignore. An Evolved doing business with a mayor of a remote village days before the entire kingdom was wiped out? It doesn't sound like sothing common... Alina said it might have been Gods punishing Mibothen, but what if it was an Evolved? They might have the power to do it. Even if I'm not an Evolved, I think I can do a lot of damage to a big city like Holinda or the Capital."
"You're right... But why would anyone do that?"
Kaizen shook his shoulders. "I don't know."
As the carriage moved along the snow-covered road, it was impossible not to notice how devastated the land was. There was no longer any sign of farms, animals or even the wildlife that would normally occupy such a rural area. It was as if the land itself was dead, and where the white didn't consu everything, Corruption was beginning to take hold, especially in the forests.
In a cold kingdom like Mibothen, where life is already scarce, this is already worrying, but if this thing manages to spread to Tretidian, it will be devastating.
"Where have all the people gone? And the animals?" muttered Andrew, looking out of the window.
Alina shook her head. "I don't know, but it's getting weirder and weirder."
Jayaa rested her back on the leather seat and took a deep breath. "For our guild's first mission, this is going to be pretty tense. We need to get to the Eldoria Mountains as quickly as possible. Maybe there we'll find answers, help or a place to rest."
*
It was getting late in real life too. It had been at least six hours since they had t at the Raven Feather Shop and set off on their journey, aning that in the United States it was already dawn, but everyone except Jayaa worked at it, so they could continue for at least another six hours peacefully, and Jayaa could call his boss in the morning to say he was ill. Obviously, everyone wanted to get to the end of this mission.
The players just took it in turns to disconnect temporarily in order to shower or eat sothing, and since they were in a party and in the presence of an NPC, their avatars stayed connected, looking like they were asleep.
As the carriage moved along the roads in the empty realm, they couldn't help feeling that they were being watched. Shadows seed to move in the corners of their eyes, and strange noises echoed across the empty landscape, which only made Kaizen jerk the reins even harder for Black Cloud to run. The snowflakes fell more heavily in the middle of the night, obscuring his vision even more.
Finally, after hours of silent travel, the Eldoria Mountains began to appear in the distance. Their majestic silhouettes rose against the dark sky. And then, as they approached the mountains, sothing stood out: large scars on the mountainsides, as if they had been scarred by a terrible force. Crumbling rocks and debris blocked the way, making passage dangerous.
Kaizen ensured that the carriage stopped at a safe distance from the rocks. Everyone felt the sudden braking and the carriage almost lost its axle, but it managed to stop before the shadows of the rocks blocking the road could even cover it.
Kaizen knocked twice on the carriage body and shouted to the people inside:
"Everyone, get down. We've got an obstacle."
So, while Kaizen checked that Black Cloud was all right, everyone climbed down, feeling the freezing cold.
"What's wrong?" Alina asked, with her arms crossed and shivering slightly.
"This is the end of the road. These rocks are blocking the road and further on everything gets steeper and it could be dangerous to go ahead with Black Cloud and the carriage because of the winds and the slippery ground." Kaizen explained.
Andrew's eyes widened. "That ans soone will have to stay."
Kaizen nodded.
"All right, I'll stay." Alina said, raising her right hand. "This is wide-open terrain, I have a wide view of everything and I can summon a magical barrier to protect myself."
"Are you sure about this? It could be dangerous." Xisrith asked, approaching with a touch on the shoulder.
"It's okay, it's serious." The mage continued.
"I'd like your support, Alina." Kaizen said. "However, you are in fact the person who can best protect not only yourself, but also Black Cloud and the carriage. Therefore, I will entrust this job to you."
"Thank you, Kaizen."
So, as the four players began to slowly climb the rough terrain towards the mountains, they looked back and saw Alina erecting a large shield do around herself, not only to protect as well, but also to camouflage herself and so the carriage and her disappeared when the barrier touched the ground.
The whole landscape was covered in a thick layer of snow, and the sounds of their footsteps echoed. The silence was interrupted only by the occasional howl of the wind on the rocks above them. The closer they got to the mountainside, the more the details of the scars from what appeared to be the result of a major landslide beca evident. Large cracks cut into the slopes, exposing rocks and minerals that glowed faintly.
Finally, they reached the foot of the Eldoria Mountains. There, because they were leaning against the mountain, the rocks protected them from much of the wind and there was certainly a clearer view than before. High up in the mountains, like a sinister shadow, stood an imposing building, as big as a royal castle. The dark stones of the building stood out among all the whiteness of the place, making it even more threatening in the darkness of the night.
"There's the building Ragnar ntioned..." said Kaizen, his voice laden with perplexity.
Andrew, who had been eyeing the building warily, suddenly raised his hand. "Hey, look over there." He pointed in the direction of the building.
Everyone followed his gaze and saw birds flying over the building. It was a flock of small black birds, impossible to distinguish at this distance.
A shiver ran down Xisrith's spine. "That doesn't look good," she muttered, and the others silently agreed.
With the building in sight, there was no turning back. They had to climb the mountain and find out what was going on. So, cautiously, the group began to climb the big, tall, main mountain of all the Eldoria Mountains.
The snow lay in a deep layer, and each step was a monuntal effort. The biting mountain wind battered their faces, but they persevered, driven by voracious curiosity and the urgent need to uncover secrets buried under this icy blanket. As they advanced, the scars on the rocks beca more pronounced. So of these crevices were so wide that they looked as if they had been carved to house an entire carriage, while others, as deep as chasms, seed ready to swallow a daring man, but none of them had any trouble getting through.
After a few minutes of exhausting climbing, they finally reached a natural plateau, a well-deserved break from the mountain's rciless façade. There they stood, panting, and gazed up at the mysterious building that had guided them there. The distance that had once seed insurmountable now revealed details that had remained hidden during the climb.
The building stood majestic, built with deep black stones, absorbing light rather than reflecting it. Empty and broken windows marked its façade, as well as many cracks. However, the silence that surrounded them was almost deafening. No birdsong could be heard, nor was there any sign of vegetation. Only the desolation of the Eldoria Mountains stretched out around them like a gloomy blanket, and the flight of birds still circling overhead.
…
Edited by: DrHitsuji
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