The wind of the Northern Territory always carried a biting sense of desolation. It left one shivering, entirely overwhelmed by a profound feeling of insignificance.
Lorin and Pip set out from the north gate of Shallow Beach Town, burdened with packs of various sizes. They trekked steadily northward toward the mine.
"What is that?" Lorin asked, gazing at the massive, grayish-blue shadow rising along the northern horizon. He glanced down at his map, finding nothing but a generic mountain range symbol in that spot.
At the halfling’s lower vantage point, the blowing sand made it nearly impossible to keep his eyes open. Pip squinted, struggling for a long while before finally making out what Lorin was pointing at.
"The World’s Spine," he replied after a moment’s thought. "They say a Divine Spirit placed it there to shelter the people of this continent."
"What kind of Divine Spirit could forge a mountain range like that?" Lorin marveled.
The halfling shook his head. "Pip doesn’t know. But just beyond it lies the Permafrost. That’s where Pip’s mother came from."
Lorin raised an eyebrow. He knew Pip had dwarven blood, and normal humans couldn’t possibly survive in such a freezing environment. Did that mean Pip’s mother was a dwarf?
"Won’t she be worried about you going out adventuring?" he asked.
The halfling fell silent for a moment before answering in a low, dejected voice, "She went back right after Pip was born."
But before Lorin could offer any words of comfort, Pip quickly bounced back. "Once Pip becomes a true barbarian, I want to go visit that place too!" he added cheerfully.
Lorin looked back up at the colossal mountain range spanning the heavens. He nodded with a gentle smile. "Alright. When the time comes, I’ll go with you."
"Hey, that would be great! I heard the dwarves built a massive fortress there—very, very, very big! It’s gonna be so much fun! There’ll definitely be tons of great booze!" Pip gestured excitedly with his hands.
A dwarven city? Lorin’s mind began to wander. He wondered if he would even be allowed through the gates if they went to visit Pip’s mother.
"Oh, wait a second. We haven’t actually figured out how we’re going to split the loot," Lorin suddenly realized. He had no intention of letting a single piece of gear ruin their partnership, so it was best to establish the rules upfront.
Pip looked utterly baffled. "Split? Aren’t we companions? Shouldn’t it just go to whoever needs it most?"
"Uh." Lorin hadn’t expected the halfling to be such a sheer pragmatist. "But..."
"Do you not see me as your companion!?" the short fellow demanded, instantly riled up.
"No, no, I literally just promised to go to the Permafrost with you," Lorin hastily explained. "It’s just... what if we find something that we both want?"
"Then whoever can use it better gets it!"
"Fair enough..." Lorin decided not to argue any further.
The sun climbed higher into the sky. After trekking down a narrow trail for a good while, the surrounding trees grew dense once again, eventually giving way to a shallow gully.
Lorin cautiously approached the edge. The bottom of the trench was littered with rocks of all sizes, likely washed down by the heavy summer rains.
"Are we there yet?" Pip asked.
Lorin squinted at his map. Hiv’s hand-drawn scribbles were genuinely atrocious, and the crooked, cramped handwriting made it a massive headache to decipher. Enjoying the story? Read on at novelping(.)com.
"We should be close... The map shows the mine right next to a gully," Lorin muttered uncertainly.
The two continued to follow the trench for a while. It gradually deepened, and the boulders resting at its bottom grew noticeably larger.
"Careful. I think we’re here." Lorin halted.
On the hillside just across the gully, there was a specific cluster of trees noticeably shorter than the rest of the canopy, as if that patch of earth had caved in.
"Over there," he whispered, nodding toward the spot.
Pip squinted in that direction. He then mimed a crouching walk with two of his fingers, signaling that they should sneak over.
Lorin nodded in agreement. He slowly slid Rusted Throat from its scabbard, then carefully inched his way down the steep slope of the gully before turning to help Pip down.
Lorin thought, "He is ridiculously heavy..."
He had nearly been driven straight into the dirt when he caught Pip. He had no idea what kind of absurd bone density the short guy possessed to weigh that much despite his diminutive size.
They scrambled up the opposite side of the gully. Lorin climbed onto Pip’s sturdy shoulders and cautiously peeked his head over the ridge to get a better look.
Tucked into the depression of the hillside was an opening—about one man tall and two men wide. Piles of haphazard rocks littered the area on either side.
"I see the entrance," Lorin mouthed silently down to Pip.
Using the dense trees and shrubs as cover, Lorin crept silently toward the cave entrance. Suddenly, he reached back and grabbed Pip, who was sneaking along right behind him.
"There are guards out front!" he whispered frantically.
Lorin pointed to a large boulder to the left of the cave. Just peeking out from behind the rock was the sharp tip of a short spear. Off to the right, crouching beside another boulder, was a dusty gray shadow.
"Two of them," Lorin mouthed. He pointed at the one on the left, then at himself, shooting Pip an inquiring look to silently ask if he could handle the other one.
Pip nodded firmly, giving him a thumbs-up before confidently pointing to the right.
The two split up. Lorin kept low, hugging the shadows of the tree line as he circled around to the left. Finally, he got a clear view of the creature.
The beast was even smaller than he had imagined. Dark brown scales clung to a remarkably scrawny frame. Its head resembled a flattened lizard, complete with two small, sharp horns protruding from its brow.
It gripped a short spear in its hands, leaning on it like a makeshift crutch. Its eyelids drooped heavily; it looked like it could fall asleep at any second.
It really did look like a miniature lizardman, roughly the same size as the goblins they had fought previously. It was no wonder Hiv believed they could easily handle this.
Lorin glanced back at Pip and saw that the halfling was already in position. The two exchanged a quick nod.
Raising his sword, Lorin crept silently toward the unsuspecting kobold. Suddenly, he lunged forward. Rusted Throat struck out like lightning. Visit g.com for the full chapter.
The razor-sharp tip of his sword effortlessly pierced through the creature’s scales. Driven by sheer, brutal force, the blade severed its spine in an instant. The creature died before it could even process what had happened.
[First kill achieved: Kobold]
[Reward: 25 Exploration Experience points]
[Current Balance: 102 Exploration Experience points]
Lorin let out a quiet breath. Compared to the utter mess he had been during his first fight with the goblins, he was practically a seasoned veteran now.
Knowing they were about to head into another battle, he didn’t hesitate for a second. He immediately rolled the dice of destiny.
[Consumed 100 Exploration Experience points to roll the dice: 1]
[Current Balance: 2 Exploration Experience points]
The virtual die quickly tumbled to a halt, revealing its face.
[Points: 5]
[Reward: Agility +1]
[Agility: 11 → 12]
It felt as if Lorin had spent his entire life weighed down by a soaking wet winter coat, only for someone to suddenly rip it off. A profound, sweeping sense of lightness washed over his entire body.
He stretched his limbs, satisfying pops echoing from his joints. With a gentle flick of his wrist, he realized the longsword in his hand now felt like a natural extension of his own arm.
CRACK!
A sickening crunch echoed from the right. Lorin looked over just in time to see the second kobold’s entire head get hammered straight down into its chest cavity by Pip.
Lorin pointed to the nearby tall grass, signaling for Pip to hide the corpse. The halfling nodded in immediate understanding.
The two of them quickly went about concealing the grisly scene. The last thing they needed was for a patrolling kobold to spot the bodies, trapping them inside the mine in a deadly pincer attack.
After hastily scuffing out their footprints in the dirt, Lorin pulled a torch from the side of his pack.
FWOOSH.
As the flames flared to life, the oppressive darkness within the mine seemed to flinch back like a living creature, illuminating the grayish-black rock walls marred by countless chisel marks.
Pip pulled out his own torch and lit it. He thumped his chest confidently, volunteering to take the lead, and marched straight into the gloom.
Without a moment’s hesitation, Lorin followed closely behind him, stepping into the mouth of the mine.