Rise Online: Return of the Legendary Player

Chapter 684  Over the border

After the conversation with Ragnar around the roaring campfire, Kaizen felt the need to share the information he had obtained with Alina, the most intelligent member of his group. He knew that the situation was becoming more and more mysterious, and the warm welcome from the adventurers didn't quell the unease he felt.

Kaizen found Alina a few minutes later, with her hands resting on her waist and a serious expression on her face as she gazed up at the sky filled with clouds of smoke. Kaizen approached with silent steps, respecting her concentration.

"Alina?" He called softly. She turned around in surprise, but her face lit up when she saw Kaizen approaching.

"Look who's back..." said Alina, with a warm smile. "How was your conversation with the leader of these people?"

Kaizen nodded and looked around to make sure they were alone before answering. "The conversation with Ragnar was interesting, to say the least. It seems that chaos is spreading from Mibothen, and that all this fire isn't caused directly by the destruction of the kingdom is something more... strange."

Alina frowned, worried. "Strange how?"

"Ragnar mentioned that there's some kind of bizarre lichen spreading from Mibothen," Kaizen explained. "And the strangest thing is that the heat of the fire is the only thing stopping it from spreading further, so the villagers have set fire to the surrounding forests to stop it from getting any further."

Alina's eyes narrowed as she processed this information. "Liquén? That doesn't make sense. Lichen don't spread quickly."

Kaizen nodded. "That's exactly why it's so worrying. No one seems to fully understand what's going on, and the locals are calling it 'the wrath of the gods', as you said it might be."

Alina sighed, looking up at the sky again. "Kaizen, this is more complicated than anything I've ever seen. And this crowd of adventurers who are gathering here... Are they just looking for adventure, or are they also investigating this strangeness?"

Kaizen shook his head thoughtfully. "Apparently, most of them are here for adventure, but I don't know if they'll go through with it. Ragnar doesn't want to."

Alina nodded, worried. "So, what do we do now?"

Kaizen looked up at the night sky for a moment, pondering. "Ragnar told me that minutes before everything happened, people near the border saw a beam of green light coming from a place called the Eldoria Mountains. We can investigate the place, at least that's better than wandering around this destroyed kingdom."

*

An hour later, Kaizen and his group were already gathered next to their wooden carriage, ready to set off. The carriage was pulled by a single large horse, actually a mare, called Black Cloud, with its black mane. Kaizen held the reins firmly, while Alina, Ragnar and the other members of the group waved back.

Ragnar, the leader of the group, approached Kaizen with a horse and, with a serious look on his face, he said:

"Remember, Kaizen, be careful. Be prepared for anything."

Kaizen nodded, feeling a mixture of excitement and apprehension.

So Kaizen watched the large group of adventurers and saw how they laughed and shouted even as they said goodbye, oblivious to the darker mission Kaizen and his group were about to embark on. With one last glance at the campfire and the camp, Kaizen clicked his tongue, signaling to Black Cloud that it was time to leave. The horses began to move, pulling the carriage away from the camp, away from the festive atmosphere.

The road ahead was dark and winding. Alina, who was now the one sitting next to Kaizen, broke the silence.

"Do you believe in legends, Kaizen?"

He looked at her, his eyes meeting hers in the dimness of the carriage. "It depends on the legend. Why?"

Alina looked thoughtful. "Somewhere, I believe I read that the Eldoria Mountains hold ancient secrets, perhaps an ancient elven structure, I don't remember for sure. I only remember that there are stories of strange creatures, mysterious portals and even powerful artifacts hidden there."

"So it's a kind of dungeon?"

"Put it this way, I think so... It reminds me of a dungeon."

Kaizen frowned. "And how do you think this is related to what's happening in Mibothen?"

She shrugged. "It's hard to say, but there's a possibility that they used something that was in the dungeon, I don't know."

As the carriage moved along the dark road, the surrounding landscape began to change. They were leaving behind the now dark borderlands to finally enter Mibothen, and when they finally crossed a long dirt road surrounded by a forest completely destroyed by the flames that had passed through it, Kaizen's group finally arrived in the Kingdom of Mibothen.

Andrew looked out of the carriage window and muttered:

"What's that?" He asked, putting his hand forward and a gray particle landed on the palm of his right hand. "Is it ash from the fires?"

"No." Kaizen promptly replied, looking up and seeing the same particles falling from the sky all around him. "It's snow. Mibothen is a very cold kingdom, where it snows for most of the year."

"Snow?" asked Jayaa, sticking her head out and looking at the same thing Kaizen had seen. Gray snow falling from the sky.

However, while Jayaa was admiring this sight, the carriage suddenly braked hard, almost throwing him out. Andrew, however, managed to grab him by the shirt with one hand and pulled him inside.

"Hey, what was that?" Jayaa asked, a little scared and annoyed.

"Guys, come out here. You need to see this."

The group of adventurers got out of the carriage, curious to see what had caused the sudden stop. As soon as their feet touched the gray snow that covered the ground, they could feel the cold and gloomy atmosphere of Mibothen.

…

Edited by: DrHitsuji

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