Chapter 22 - The Storm And The Whisper

The next morning, we're on the move again. We leave the village of

Aekrestad, and the bard leads us up the dirt path disappearing into the forest

that heads for the mountains of the Kongensgrad, towards the

Himmelenveien route.

Before noon, the gray clouds spill their load and snow floats down, causing

the dirt road to disappear under a blanket of pure white. Every step feels ever

so slightly heavier than the last, as our surroundings become more and more

coated in the color of winter.

The Tokaido is doable on foot in about a week's time. That's only when

traveling under perfect conditions and at a reasonable pace. But that was -

and still is - a well-maintained and paved road with negligible elevation.

That's not the case with the mountain pass ahead of us.

Gram is walking at the very front, clearing the snow with his boat-sized

boots, while the bard follows closely behind him and makes sure we're on

track. Rolan is third and Luna fourth in line, with Kamii walking right beside

me, and Daica dead last as she has been every day since the start of our

journey.

"The Himmelenveien is quite treacherous and takes us near the tallest

mountain in the Kongensgrad, the Solspyd." The bard explains while huffing

and puffing from the exertion of climbing a steep incline while talking. His

breaths create large clouds of visible vapors.

It has been quite cold for a while now, even before we reached Aekrestad,

but due to the weather change within the last several hours and the increasing

elevation, the temperature has dropped significantly. The freezing winds feel

like blades cutting into one's skin.

That is, according to the others. I don't feel it the same way. Of course, I'm

wearing a thick coat, and even through it, I can tell that it's frigid. But it

doesn't give me the same kind of unpleasant feeling I used to have when I

practiced running outdoors during winter. It's all thanks to the body of a

Crawling Chaos.

"Are you alright, Kamii?" I turn to ask the little dark elf by my side.

"Elves... don't freeze." She states with a stoic expression and sets one foot

before the other like she has been doing all these days. There's no change in

her pace, even though we're ascending a snowy and steep incline. Even so, I

doubt she's as unaffected by the cold as she says.

Daica isn't fairing as well as her older sister is, though. She's beginning to

lag behind more and more, so I decide to help her with most of her luggage.

Everything short of carrying her should still be okay to keep up my

appearances before the humans, even if they have expressed surprise at my

constitution time and again.

"How long is it going to take us to get up the mountain?" I ask Rolan, who

relays the question to the bard up front.

"At our pace, we can expect to reach the highest point of our journey in

five days. After that, we will be descending the Kongensgrad again and reach

the capital in four days." He responds. "I am calculating with the assumption

that the snowfall will only become heavier, and that our progress will slow

down more and more from here on out."

He wasn't kidding.

Shortly after our lunch break at noon, on the second day since leaving

Aekrestad, the weather takes a turn for the worse. The snow, previously

coming down like feathers on the breeze, are increasingly turning into icicles

because of the storm that started sometime during the night and picked up in

intensity over the course of the morning.

At this point, Gram is using his shield to push a path into the snow for us to

follow in like a snowplow. The white powder has become more than kneedeep for the shorter people, including Luna, Daica and especially Kamii.

"We'll die out here!" Rolan yells over the roaring of the wind, as he argues

with the bard.

"Do you want to turn back?" The normally composed bard seems to be

quite irritated by the cold as well.

"No, but..." Glancing back at the girls of the party, the leader doesn't

continue what he wanted to say.

"We should find some shelter and wait out the storm!" Gram has come to a

stop as well, looking visibly tired.

"Storms in the Kongenssoevn can last many days. That is why the

Himmelenveien is not used during winter. If we wait it out, we may be delayed for a long time." It seems the bard knows a lot more than anybody

else here. Did he already make this journey before? Well, considering he's

been the guide all this time, I assume he has.

"Then what do you suggest?" Rolan remarks snidely, and I decide to step

in.

"Stop it, you two." Luna is faster. She raises her voice and speaks in a

reprimanding tone, upon which the two men break it up and look away in

embarrassment. "We will not make any better progress if you two argue with

each other."

It seems she's also somewhat irritable right now. Nobody can do anything

about this situation, so there's no point in feeling bad about it. I can

understand that the cold weather and tiredness can do that to the human

psyche.

"How are you doing, Kamii?" I turn to the two dark elves, who have

remained silent for most of today. She hasn't said anything all day because

the cold must be traveling up her coat, and into her cursed arm. Its surface

area is quite big, but due to its shape, it can't be properly covered in cloth.

Even though she has been saying that she's not freezing, she's shivering now.

"I'm fine." Sniffling, the little dark elf tries to act strong. I pet her head and

check her temperature with my forehead. It seems to be about the same as

mine, but I don't know elven physiology well enough to be able to judge

whether that's good or not.

I look back and find that Daica has taken the opportunity presented by this

short break to rest, and is sitting on a jutting rock. There's no need for me to

ask her, to know how she's feeling.

"Is there an alternative route we can take from here? It can't go on like

this." I separate from Kamii and turn to the bard.

"The only alternatives are the King's Pass and more dangerous mountain

trails that only trained individuals can climb." He responds, forcing himself

into a better attitude since it's me he's talking to.

"No, there's another." Rolan suddenly says. "The Whisper."

Well that doesn't sound ominous at all now, does it?

"No, it is far safer up here." The bard tries to shoot down the suggestion

immediately, but it's too late now; my interest has been piqued.

"What's so dangerous about that route?" I ask the leader since I feel that the

bard won't tell me.

"It's a natural cave that leads into Rathgolim, the old dwarven kingdom.

The dwarves disappeared from these mountains a long time ago, and only

their monuments remain." Gram is the one to reply. He seems to know his

stuff, too.

"So they're just empty caverns now?" Pressing the matter, I address all

three men. This way, I can probe for their opinion on this path.

"Some people travel through it from time to time, but you may encounter

the undead." Rolan, the one who brought up the topic in the first place,

responds to my question. "But with Chloe here, we don't need to be afraid of

those, do we?"

"Then we should go there. Kamii and Daica won't be able to continue in

this weather." I gesture at the two dark elves behind me; it's clear that they're

both freezing, and Daica's stamina won't hold up for four more days of this

strenuous ascension, coupled with this deadly weather.

"What can I say..." The bard buries his face in his palm and shakes his

head.

"Dangerous?" Kamii suddenly asks and lifts her cursed arm out of the

cloak, despite the fact that she must be feeling unwell. I doubt she's going to

be of any help in a fight, but I appreciate the sentiment.

"Don't worry. I'll protect you." I pet her hair and look her in the eyes with a

confident expression. In response, she gives me a warm smile that could melt

me away on the spot. "Of course, that goes for you, too, Daica."

The big dark elf raises her hand barely above her shoulder and waves back

weakly to signal that she heard me. It brings a smile to my face. She hasn't

said much today, but at least she isn't completely zoned out from the

exhaustion just yet.

"So, it's decided then?" I think my smile must be really radiant when I turn

around to the others and await their answers.

"Yes, we'll go to The Whisper." The leader makes the final decision, albeit

with a frown at my enthusiasm.

The storm seems to be only active above a certain altitude, so we leave its

effects behind us towards noon the day after we decided to turn around.

There's still snow as far as the eyes can see, but rather than a blinding

blizzard, it's a winter wonderland.

It becomes much easier for us to travel, as we descend further and take a turn near the rock face we passed yesterday. Then, by the evening hours

shortly after sunset, we finally reach The Whisper.

When we approach the place, I immediately understand where it got its

name from. There's a small cave opening with jagged rocks surrounding it

like a set of jaws. The wind blowing through those causes an unnerving

sound that makes my back crawl. It sounds like whispers in my ears.

Sometimes, a larger breeze throws up the snow in front of the cave, making it

look like a massive creature's hot breath creating a plume of mist in the cold

winter air.

I wouldn't be surprised if this was actually a living being and we have to

walk through its entire digestive system to... uh, I don't want to think about it

like that after all.

"Welcome to The Whisper." The bard, despite his initial aversion to the

idea of taking this path, seems inspired by its sight. He heats up his hands by

breathing into them and rubbing them against each other before he brings his

lute to bear.

"Thyra descends unto the netherworld,

To reclaim her lost lover's soul.

Returning the dead carries a toll,

The pure tears of a goddess impearled.

That blessing, unbeknownst to her, now gone,

Granted on a whim, since taken in spite.

He calls, she hears and runs to his side,

In the land of the living, she wakes, alone."

Kind of sounds like the story about Izanagi descending into hell to bring

back Izanami. But it's also different, as it features mortals who are being

toyed with by gods. As always, the bard's voice and musical timings are

great.

"That was quite ominous, do you think not, Sigurd?" Luna comments.

"That may not have been the best poem for the occasion."

Yes, I agree on that part. We're about to enter a cave into a place that might

seem like the netherworld, and the story makes it sound like we're not going

to come out with all members. I'll make sure not to lose sight of either Kamii

or Daica. Senka's in my embrace, so she won't be going missing If there's ever a reason to believe that things are going south, I will stuff the

three of them inside me and make a run for it. While I don't know what kind

of effect I have on the cursed, I think everything is better than immediate

death.

"We'll make camp out here and descend tomorrow." Rolan announces. It's

already dark outside, and while it doesn't matter for an underground

exploration, we marched all day, and everyone's tired. Well, I'm not, but

everyone else is.

We use the time to gather wood to prepare torches, forage for food in the

surroundings in case there's nothing to be found in the bowels of the

mountain, and in general just rest before descending into Rathgolim, the

remnants of the dwarven kingdom.

If undead do appear down there, I can just use Libera Animar or Hasta de

Lumin. Furthermore, Luna taught me about magic theory, even if she doesn't

seem to want to teach me actual spells. Through her explanations, I came to

learn that this half-elf girl must be an exceptional prodigy.

She takes a long time to chant her spells because they're all creations of her

own, rather than ones she learned from books or a teacher. While she does

have some basic knowledge of lower level spells like the obligatory fireball

and wind cutter, all the higher level ones I've seen her use so far come from

her own imagination. If that isn't considered incredible, I'll have to reevaluate

the war potential of humanity.

But if that's the normal way to go about using magic, then doesn't that

mean I can create spells by imagining their effects, too?

Of course, I can't just test that out in front of everyone here, since for now,

I'm still a novice mage who can only use a few spells from the book Arcelia

gave me. I already did enough with the magic I've used so far; I don't need to

give people more reason to be suspicious of me.

I guess when it comes down to it, I can just use the shielding spell I found

in the holy scriptures. If it's light magic, they won't question me about it.

Apparently, this particular spell 'protects the devout and innocent', which is

quite vague, but makes me think of some kind of barrier. I hope that it won't

kick out corrupted beings, but I'm sure that if I can use it in the first place, the

two dark elves and I won't be excluded from its effect.

According to the bard, the ancient name of this passage through the depths

of the mountains, Tvahogan Jattern, can be translated to 'Two-Headed Titan'.

In the age of the gods, two titanic beasts fought here and ravaged the lands.

They killed each other, and their remains turned into the mountain range that

runs across the entire kingdom. The bigger one had two heads, which turned

into the northern range, while the smaller one fell towards the south and is

supposedly half-submerged in the ocean. Both of their carcasses put together

are now called the Kongensgrad. The space between these two titans became

the King's Pass.

We're camping in front of one of the Two-Headed Titan's supposed heads,

on the side called The Whisper. The bard tells me that the other side is called

The Maw because the opening is massive and looks like a titanic beast's open

jaws.

I'm a sucker for such lore! Tell me more!

"Rathgolim used to be where almost all the dwarves of Blereath lived, up

until two centuries ago." As we sit around the campfire, the bard relates the

history of the mountain to me. "They kept to themselves and rarely, if ever,

traded with humans. But one day, when one of the few human merchants that

did conduct trade with them came to visit, it was empty. There were signs of

battle, but not a single body could be found."

That's really eerie...

"There are only a few communes of dwarves left now, and they make their

homes far away from the Kongenssoevn. None of them speak of what

happened here." The bard concludes the history lesson.

It really sounds like something cataclysmic occurred, which might even

have been their own fault. I would be really interested in learning more about

the history of this place - and this world in general - but for that, I might have

to tickle it out of a dwarf someday.

The next morning, we broke camp at dawn and made our way into The

Whisper. It has been a few hours since we started our descent and the cave so

far has looked completely natural. I'm beginning to wonder where the

dwarven kingdom actually starts.

We're taking a narrow path that continues into the depths of the mountain

in an almost straight line, with few smaller tunnels branching off to the sides.

There are markings on the walls to denote that those lead nowhere.

By now, Gram has switched to the rear guard, while Rolan and the bard are

leading the way, just like they did in the catacombs during the Annual Cemetery Clearing quest. Each of them is carrying a torch, while Luna is

using her staff to illuminate the center where us girls are walking.

The bard seems to be keeping track of time somehow since he calls for

breaks periodically. At one point we've gone so deep underground that little

fresh air circulates inside, and it's becoming increasingly harder to breathe.

While the three men and I are fine, the less sporty types - Luna and Daica -

are having a hard time. Unexpectedly, Kamii seems to be holding up really

well, too.

"If keeping your staff raised all the time tires you, I can take over." I

suggest to Luna but receive a strange look.

"Mages do not lend their catalysts to others." She says with a frown. Is that

a tradition or a rule? Maybe each staff is soul-bonded to its wielder, like in

online games, so that they can't be traded?

That would be absurd.

"I don't need a staff to cast magic, though...?" Tilting my head, I'm unsure

whether to make a statement or ask a question.

"That is because light magic can be cast as long as there is light, even if the

source is only the moon, the stars, or even a small candle's flame." Luna

shows me her staff and the three small crystals embedded in its gnarled tip.

"This garnet is for invoking fire, the blue beryl is for channeling water, and

the almost transparent quartz is to control wind. You need a medium for

every type of element you wish to cast."

I see, that kind of makes sense, although I feel that wind is everywhere and

shouldn't require a catalyst. And I don't remember seeing Halfdan wielding a

staff or a wand when he cast his earth magic, either.

"Ignis." I speak, and a small flame appears above my palm, quickly

growing larger and beginning to illuminate the surroundings. Luna's eyes

open wide, and she gasps in surprise.

"H-how did you do that?" She raises her voice, and the others turn to see

what's going on.

"I don't know." I try to look surprised myself and let the flame in my palm

fizzle out, acting as if I let my concentration slip. Maybe that wasn't such a

good idea, to let them know that I can cast magic without a catalyst?

"You surprise us at every turn, Chloe." Rolan comments and gives me a

wide grin. "With your talents in our group, I think the demon queen won't be

a problem at all."

I don't think I'm strong enough to face Maou-mama, especially since we

both have the same type of body, and she had much more time to experiment

and become familiar with hers. Even if I happen to be more talented,

experience isn't something overcome so easily. Also, I'm sure she knows far

more magic than I do.

And I'll be standing against you anyway - if you ever get to face my mother

in the first place.

In either case, with this, I'm designated a torch-bearer as well. Thus, I'm

condemned to hold up my hand with the flame in it, to illuminate the center

of our small procession, while Luna rests and uses her staff as a walking

stick.

Ugh, I shouldn't have proposed this...

Soon, we enter an area that looks clearly manmade. I didn't notice it at first,

because I wasn't using night vision, but the flickering torch lights reveal

angles and shapes that can't be natural. There are cracked pillars, archways

and other structures carved directly from the rock. But as expected, there are

no signs of life down here.

This way, the first day passes without any incident, and the bard signals us

that it has become pretty late already. We find an alcove in the tunnels, which

can be used for camping, and Gram piles up the firewood he and Rolan have

been carrying to make a fire. If they hadn't brought wood from the outside,

we wouldn't have found anything to burn in here.

Magic could solve that problem - and many others - but apparently nobody

thinks of it.

After dinner, we settle on the night watch, before everybody quickly goes

to sleep. While it wasn't as tiring as climbing the snowy mountain,

everybody's nerves are on edge in this all-enveloping darkness and the silence

only interrupted by the echoes of our footsteps. The two dark elves and I can

see in the dark, but it doesn't change the fact that confined spaces can turn

flickering shadows into monsters that nibble at the edge of one's vision as

well as sanity.

I don't seem that affected by it though, which must be because of this body

of mine.

On the second day, we finally see more signs of the dwarven kingdom. The winding tunnels have stairs that lead up or down into rooms dug out of the

mountain itself. There are many forks in the road, but due to the colored

runes on the walls, left behind by previous travelers, it's easy to tell which

way to go.

I spot rusted metal tools from time to time, which travelers who went

through here didn't choose to pick up and take along due to their apparent

lack of value. Their presence tells me that the dwarves ran away with all they

got, going so far as to discard their belongings in their hasty escape. I'm

getting more and more interested in learning what really happened here.

Still no sign of any living things, not even rats.

During our journey through the dark, everybody's perception of time

becomes more and more muddled. Without the bard calling for breaks, the

meals, or nighttime, nobody would be able to tell when to do anything. I have

to wonder whether he has some means to determine the time or just has a

good internal clock.

"This silence is mind-numbing..." I mutter, but my voice comes out much

louder than I intended it to. Kamii looks up at me in surprise, and Luna turns

around as well.

"We should find a place to spend the night." The bard concedes,

understanding that everybody's nerves must be stretched thin by the

seemingly endless darkness.

"How long will it take before we get out on the other side?" I don't think

anyone has mentioned that, yet.

"Judging by our pace, it will take six more days to get to The Maw." He

responds almost immediately, apparently having done the math in his head

beforehand. But six more days in this darkness will be quite taxing on

everybody's psychological state.

"Let's rest up well and continue on faster tomorrow." Rolan encourages

everyone with a smile, acting as a proper leader should.

We soon find a set of doors that lead into a room filled with broken shelves

and crumbling wood. This may have been a storage room for firewood, but

there isn't much of it left now.

"Oh, there is water here." The bard suddenly calls out to us and points his

torch into a corner of the room. From a crack in the wall, a small trickle is

flowing into a puddle at the bottom, which looks clear enough for drinking.

"Let me check if it's potable." Gram dunks a finger into the water and licks it, before nodding. "Yes, this is fresh water."

While we still have some animal skins filled with water, I feel like they

wouldn't have lasted us through the entire journey down here. It's fortunate

that we found this spring, and I hope we'll be able to find more such water

sources throughout Rathgolim.

With newfound vigor, the party makes camp and has a dinner that tastes

ever so slightly better than usual.