In a sheltered corner, Li Lin used four drones to raise an energy barrier, creating a windless area about four to five square meters in size.
Outside, the wind howled, and snowstorms raged. Inside, the two men huddled near a campfire, savoring roasted meat and the sweet aftertaste of light beer.
"Your Morning Star and Hex Gates have really saved me a lot of trouble," Ryze said, taking a bite of snow hare meat dripping with juice. The spiced and fragrant hind leg meat, sprinkled with Ionia's special chili powder and cumin, paired perfectly with the beer.
Li Lin kept his thoughts to himself, 'If you'd accept the nano battle suit I offered, you'd save even more time.'
"This seasoning is excellent, especially with Ionia's unique blend of spices!"
"I'm from Ionia, of course I know how good things from my homeland are," Li Lin chuckled, clinking his mug with Ryze before asking, "How long have you been in Freljord?"
"Over a month, I think," Ryze muttered, continuing to devour the meat and beer.
Since midday yesterday, all he had eaten was a piece of frozen, nearly inedible dry rations. Traveling through dangerous areas often meant skipping rest at night, and resting during a blizzard was an even greater challenge. Even though his Morning Star had an automatic setup for small, weather-resistant mechanical shelters, these couldn't be placed in the heart of troll territory.
The freezing cold of Freljord wasn't a problem for Ryze, whose body radiated heat from the energy coursing through him. The brutal climate, which could sap the life out of most, barely fazed him. His real burden was the weight he carried—one that dwarfed even the harsh winters of this desolate land.
Li Lin glanced at the scroll strapped to Ryze's back and asked, "A new rune fragment?"
"Technically, it's a keystone rune—if the scroll is correct," Ryze replied, finishing the last sip of his beer as his face darkened.
"What's wrong? You seem troubled," Li Lin noted, concern etched on his face.
After hesitating briefly, Ryze sighed. "It's about an old friend of mine."
"He has a fragment of the World Rune?"
Ryze's startled expression gave him away. "How do you know?"
Li Lin laughed. "Your thoughts are written all over your face."
Ryze's expression turned bitter. "Was it that obvious?"
Li Lin gave him a moment to gather his thoughts.
"His name is Yagu," Ryze began. "I've let him be for far too long."
Li Lin recognized the name. Yagu's tribe was the only human settlement in troll territory capable of standing its ground against the trolls, thanks to a fragment of the World Rune. If Li Lin remembered correctly, that fragment was of the Precision affinity.
"I was too soft," Ryze admitted with a sigh. "I let Yagu deceive me with his lies. He claimed he would lead his people south by spring, but now, five years have passed...
"Five years is enough to change a lot, especially for someone wielding a fragment of the World Rune.
"Even though that rune fragment seems benign and hasn't shown overt signs of corrupting him, any World Rune—fragment or not—can have extreme effects on the mind.
"I suspect he hasn't moved his people from troll territory because the rune has beguiled him."
Li Lin listened silently to Ryze's concerns. "Are you planning to confront him now?"
He continued, "If you can give me his approximate location, I can take you there directly."
"No, not yet," Ryze replied firmly. "We have more pressing matters to handle right now."
From a leather satchel hidden beneath his cloak, Ryze pulled out a parchment map. Its surface bore the rough outline of Freljord, drawn by some long-forgotten, brilliant cartographer. Ryze pointed to a spot northeast of the mountain range and then to the region at Freljord's northeasternmost tip, between the mountains.
"I met the Troll King, Trundle, last night," Ryze explained. "He told me that following the valley would bypass the river bay and lead to my destination. But he also warned me to stay away from here—Frostguard Citadel, home to the Frostguard and the Ice Witch."
"That's sound advice," Li Lin agreed. "The Ice Witch isn't just a myth from history. Over the past few years, the Winter's Claw has been tied to the Frostguard."
Ryze, uninterested in the Winter's Claw, raised his face, his gaze on Li Lin growing intense.
"I can feel it—the darkness is closing in. It's the power of the Void. We must find the keystone rune before it does."
'Or perhaps,' Li Lin thought to himself, 'a Void creature is already lying in wait.'
Calling upon his AI, Li Lin summoned a set of universal nano armor. Turning to Ryze, he said, "Put this on. We're leaving now."
...
After quickly packing their belongings, the two of them traveled across what would have been a two-month journey in an instant, reaching a southwestern valley near the ruins of the once-thriving Yeti civilization.
The valley's terrain was jagged and scarred, with the howling winds and snow even more ferocious than in troll territory. Despite Ryze's magical efforts to clear their path, the conditions were nearly impossible to traverse.
For practicality's sake, Li Lin persuaded Ryze to don the nano armor once again. Reluctantly, Ryze complied, driven by his urgency to locate the keystone rune.
The World Rune was buried deep within the ruins, its energy masked, making it undetectable even to the AI. Ryze had to rely on his scroll from the ancient Helia capital of the Blessed Isles to determine its approximate location.
Flying through the steep canyon and clearing out some mindless, rabid yetis, they soon found the remains of an ancient Yeti civilization.
"The darkness feels stronger here... The ground below is hollow. This must be it," Ryze confirmed.
As Ryze prepared to cast his Arcane magic—*Realm Warp*—to teleport underground, the scene shifted suddenly. The two found themselves deep within the ruins.
"No need for that. My armor has a built-in teleportation feature," Li Lin explained.
Ryze shook his head in resignation but said nothing. His attention was quickly drawn to a glowing object ahead: a rune encased in crimson light, shaped like a torch—broad at the top and narrow at the base.
It was the keystone rune of the Domination affinity—Dark Harvest.
Suspended above a semi-circular magical platform, the rune lay in front of an abyss. Its magical energy was sealed by an ancient force, shielding it from the surrounding dark corruption.
"The Void's power is concentrated here, and the World Rune's energy is calling to it," Ryze said hoarsely. "This place was once a Yeti stronghold. Their magic sealed the keystone rune."
"The wise Yetis went extinct millennia ago, yet their magic has endured until now," Ryze continued. "Still, the seal has weakened considerably—your scroll wouldn't have found it otherwise."
Li Lin's gaze sharpened, locking onto the seemingly empty space ahead.
Activating Data Mind, he scanned the area, and the profile of a Void creature appeared vividly in his thoughts.
Raising his arm, Li Lin fired two plasma rounds. But as they passed the Dark Harvest rune and continued toward the back, they struck a glowing blue energy barrier.
Moments later, a mass of grotesque, elongated tendrils emerged from the shadows, connecting to a cavernous creature. Behind the World Rune, a massive, sinister eye floated mid-air, easily the size of two grown men.
Li Lin narrowed his eyes. "A pawn of the Watchers—Vel'Koz."
(End of Chapter)