Chapter 85
Great Frostfather
The frost orcs turned out to be a pretty decent bunch.
Rather than instantly blurting out the reason why it was their ‘greatest hour of need’ and begging for Rel’s help with whatever it was, they insisted on throwing the feast first.
The tables were soon loaded with piles of steaming food, and I am pleased to report that there was indeed stew. There were also great haunches of roasted meat – the sort you'd expect to see on the table of a medieval king.
Now, I had no idea what animal the meat came from. I couldn't imagine they had many cows or sheep in these parts, but sometimes it's better not to ask too many questions. Otherwise, I'd probably discover I was eating a polar bear or a frost wolf or some shit like that.
Whatever it was, it was delicious, cooked to perfection, and seasoned with some herbs that I was entirely unfamiliar with but incredibly appreciative of.
“You are the travelling companion of the Great Frostfather?” asked the orc sitting beside me.
She was young, perhaps around fifteen. Her face was framed by hair so dark it was almost black – a stark contrast to her very light blue skin. Several times throughout the feast, I'd noticed her turn towards me, open her mouth as if to speak, then close it again and quickly look away.
It appeared she'd finally built up the courage to talk to me.
Honestly, I had no idea why she was so hesitant to strike up a conversation. I'm an incredibly friendly and approachable guy, after all. Perhaps she was just intimidated by my apparent connection to the ‘Great Frostfather’.
Before responding, I reached for one of the pitchers of ale to refill my goblet. As I did, I caught sight of my reflection in the polished metal and was struck by another theory as to why she might have been so reluctant to speak to me.
I was beginning to look like some sort of caveman.
My hair now hung almost to my shoulders, and my beard looked like the sort you'd see on someone who was either incredibly trendy or incredibly homeless.
In that moment, I assigned myself a new quest: get a haircut and shave when we returned to Stonehaven.
“I suppose you could say that,” I replied.
She shook her head a little bashfully and gave me a timid smile. “What an incredible honour,” she said. “You’re a very lucky man… sorry, what’s your name?”
“Pete,” I said, then turned to study Rel for a few moments before I commented on the rest of what she’d said.
He was no longer sitting on the head table. He was standing on it, a fireball flickering at the tip of his tail, a lightning bolt crackling in one paw, and a frost bolt coalescing in the other.
“It's a common misconception among my worshippers that my powers are limited to those of winter,” he said, gesticulating rather emphatically and nearly slapping a nearby orc across the face with the fireball. “Indeed, I am a master of all the elements.”
The village elders gathered around him looked suitably impressed.
One of them even clapped.
“Do you know what?” I said, returning my attention to the young orc beside me. “I am a lucky guy.”
Rel might have been arrogant, somewhat selfish at times, and occasionally – okay, frequently – irritating, but I knew that if I was genuinely in trouble, there was nobody else in the world... or, I suppose, galaxy, that I'd rather have by my side. There wasn't the slightest doubt in my mind that if I needed help, the fluffy little bastard would leap into battle – risks and consequences be damned.
*
When the plates and what remained of the food were cleared from the tables, the mood changed almost immediately. The smiles and laughter evaporated, and it suddenly felt more like a funeral than a feast.
Mayor Slorik – one of the orcs who'd spent the last ten minutes listening to Rel explain why the title Great Frostfather wasn't entirely accurate – rose to his feet and cleared his throat. This was apparently the cue for the rest of the hall to fall silent, and suddenly hundreds of pairs of eyes were fixed on him and Rel.
“Great Frostfather,” he said, stepping forward and dropping to his knees before Rel. “It is likely that we are unworthy of your aid, but we beg for it nonetheless.”
He rose once more and paused for a few moments to gather his thoughts. The poor guy was trembling, and I couldn't decide whether he was terrified Rel might tell him to fuck off, or terrified by what he was about to tell us.
“The past few weeks have quite possibly been the darkest in this region's history. For the first time in a thousand years, the Dark One roams these lands once again. He has pierced the veil that separates our world from the Darkness Below.”
The Dark One…? The Darkness Below…?
What the fuck had Rel gotten us into?
“The Darkness Below is a realm suffused with foul, chaotic energies, and the Dark One feeds on them to sustain his form. That energy is almost non-existent in our world, which is the only reason we have remained safe all these years. However, it would seem that he has found a way around that – at least temporarily, anyway. He has possessed the dire wolf Winterclaw, a proud and powerful creature who has called these lands home for hundreds of years.”
“An eldritch entity?” asked Rel thoughtfully. “Regardless of how strong this Winterclaw is, it's unlikely that his body will be capable of hosting such a powerful being for long. The chaotic energies will tear it apart from the inside. I suspect it is only a matter of days before the vessel is destroyed and this ‘Dark One’ is banished back to its own realm.”
I was too engrossed in the discussion to question how the fuck Rel could possibly know that.
Mayor Slorik shook his head.
“That is what we believed too, Great Frostfather,” he said. “But Lord Thorek's shaman has shared some most disturbing news. Through its possession of Winterclaw, the Dark One has left a mountain of bodies in its wake, thousands having already died beneath its claws. More disturbing still is the fact that with each life taken, a tiny tear opens between our world and the Darkness Below. More and more chaotic energy is pouring into our realm, sustaining the Dark One's form.”
“He's using some sort of veil-piercing spell or ritual? Interesting,” said Rel.
He didn't sound particularly worried. In fact, he was very much in Professor Rel mode, apparently fascinated by whatever arcane voodoo shit was taking place.
“I cannot pretend to understand the truth behind what is happening, Great Frostfather,” said Slorik. “I'm merely a hunter and the mayor of this small village. All I know is what I've been told by the shaman, and that is more than enough to terrify me. If the Dark One is not stopped, and he continues killing and opening these tears, it is possible that enough chaotic energy will eventually enter our world to sustain his true form. And if that happens...”
Mayor Slorik sagged to his knees once more. This time, it had nothing to do with showing respect to Rel.
“And if that happens...” he repeated, his voice barely above a whisper, “then it will truly be the end of all things.”
Holy shit.
I had no idea what the fuck was going on, and even I was a little scared. Were we seriously about to throw hands with some sort of god of chaos?
Actually... that sounded pretty fun.
Besides, the villagers had fed me. Say one thing about Peter Brookes: he doesn't turn his back on people who give him stew.
The system decided to join the party.
Quest Assigned: The Dark One
For a thousand years, the veil separating this world from the Darkness Below has remained intact, preventing the eldritch entities that dwell there from manifesting within the mortal realm.
That peace has come to an end.
The being known only as the Dark One has found a way to circumvent the veil. Through its possession of the ancient dire wolf Winterclaw, it has left a trail of death across The Frostlands.
With every life claimed, tiny tears form between the worlds, allowing chaotic energies from the Darkness Below to seep into our realm. Should enough energy accumulate, the Dark One may be able to manifest its true form.
The consequences of such an event are unknown.
Locate Winterclaw, and destroy the vessel before the Dark One's influence can spread further.
Rewards:
???
Do you know what I hated about world quests? There was no way to judge how difficult they were going to be without actually attempting them.
If we could've seen what the rewards were, it might have given us a rough idea. After all, if it rewarded something completely badass, it'd be a safe bet that whatever we were about to fight was an absolute beast.
As it was, it was entirely possible we'd find the wolf, I'd flick it on the forehead, and half its body would explode into a bloody mist.
It was also possible that it was by far the most powerful creature we'd ever encountered and that mine and Rel's time in the Trials would come to an abrupt and violent end.
Or, ideally, it'd fall somewhere in the middle and prove useful for training.
As I considered the possibilities, I realised something that made me rather proud of myself: I'd actually learned a lesson from what happened on the first day of our journey from Oakreach to Stonehaven.
You know, the day we were assigned two world quests.
The first involved helping a farmer push his cart out of a ditch. The second involved one of the draeven very nearly opening up my stomach after I yanked Kaelis out of its path.
What was that lesson, you ask?
I think it was Sun Tzu who first said it. Or maybe it was someone else. Either way, they are undoubtedly wise words:
Don't assume an enemy is a little bitch until you actually have proof that they're a little bitch.
Before I had chance to dwell on it any further, my profound philosophical thoughts were interrupted by Rel.
“You need not be afraid,” he said. His eyes turned blue and began to crackle, while tiny arcs of lightning danced across his fur. He rose into the air and hovered above the table. “The Great Frostfather, also known as the Great Lightningfather, Great Firefather, and Great Windfather, is here. My loyal champion Pete and I will scour these lands until we find this ‘Dark One’ and destroy the vessel that allows it to remain within this realm.”
“Thank you, Great Frostfather!” replied Mayor Slorik, and the cry was immediately taken up by every single orc in the longhouse. “However... there is no need to scour the lands to find him. Based on the most recent reports, our village lies directly in his path. In fact, it is possible that–”
The rest of his sentence was drowned out by a howl so powerful and piercing that it was impossible to hear anything else. It lasted for several seconds, and when it finally ended, my ears were ringing. I glanced at the young orc sitting beside me and saw her clutching at the sides of her head, blood dripping between her fingers.
Right. Absolute beast it is then.
Cool.