Malamo took the lead and kept the pace moving abruptly, heading North toward Mount Aglazad in silence. Even when Menelik tried to break the silence, Malamo would hush him, telling him that keeping quiet would also keep him alive. They had been walking for about two hours now, and they were still no closer to their destination. Without mana, it was going to be an incredibly long journey, leaving each of them to think and reflect on themselves.
Taharqa tried to reflect the hardest and dive the deepest into himself.
He understood exactly what Idris’s grandmother went through, and he could see why and how she was erased from their culture before he was born. He too wanted to be an Adventurer, and just like Idris’s grandmother, he too was cast out. But Taharqa couldn’t say that in the moment, because that’s what he does. He still isn’t sure if it’s a good or bad thing, but he always seems to keep quiet, even if he can relate. He wants the person to be heard and their own thoughts to be valid. He could tell Idris that he too was cast out, but what would that do other than prove Idris’s own point and make him wonder even more why Taharqa still considers them his people? It wasn’t because he was a full Dark Elf; no, that wasn’t why he couldn’t abandon his people. It was because he knew this day would come—without him, they would have nowhere left to go.
The magic used to melt the snow and ice of Nazzaroth can only be performed by those of royal blood, and if he really is now their King, without him, when the kingdom begins to melt after the summer solstice, there will be no one there to build it anew.
Idris was having similar thoughts, ones that he didn’t know if he would get to the bottom of either, but they still lingered in his mind. His grandmother told him that even though she was cast out, he still had claim to the throne. But that wasn’t something he wanted; it was something else. She also told him that until he came here and touched the BiFrost, he would never be able to use all of his mana channels and never reach his full potential as an Adventurer. Yet he still never planned to come back here. Now that he was here, he wondered if he should make the attempt. But at the same time, he wasn’t sure how the others would feel to watch him take such a step forward from them.
Some Adventurers get weird about that sort of thing.
He was also thinking about how much he related to Taharqa. Neither of them wanted to be Kings of their people; both chose a different life. And he knew that Taharqa was cast out. Why else would a Dark Elf not be on Ayce? Dark Elves live and die here. If you find one not on Ayce, they have been cast out. There is no exception. And unless Taharqa can convince the High Elves of Tzang to make their way back here, the culture wasn’t changing.
His thoughts moved toward what he was going to tell the Dwarves about Maeve’s rapier. She was quite adamant about its return to them, and truth be told, he wasn’t sure who he was more afraid of, Maeve or the Dwarves. He would be in their own Kingdom, after all, and soon he would have to tell them that he lost what was theirs. This also prompted him to consider touching the BiFrost, just in case, for a little boost in case things went bad. But again, his mind wandered to Maeve, who probably wouldn’t take too kindly to him hurting her companions. However, none of this matters if none of them can use mana, and he was hoping that by giving the Dwarves the book Loki had given them, they would be able to help.
Menelik’s thoughts were on one thing and one thing only: challenging Zero to a duel whenever he got back from Volja Vatre, just so he could say to the next person who had heard of him that he beat him in a duel.
They continued to walk for a bit longer before Malamo held up his hands to signal them to halt. He turned to them and gestured for all of them to get down, and as they did, they began to feel the ground shake. It was very subtle at first, but after what felt like ten minutes, it began to grow louder and louder, until some time had passed, and they were shaking violently on the ground, the snow collapsing on top of them as more fell overhead. They peered out to see what was drawing closer to them, and from the east, came such an enormous Frost Giant that they all knew instantly it was one of the Maru Tribe. They were enormous, almost beyond comprehension.
Their frame reached beyond their view, up into the low-hanging clouds above. Each step shook the area, and if it weren’t for the kilometer-thick ice and snow that sat upon another, who knows how many kilometers thick glacier, each step would crack the island in half.
"They’re incredible," Idris thought to himself. As he looked at them more, he swore he was able to catch a glance of what looked like a ladder dangling from their shins. "Hmm," Idris said aloud, causing Malamo to shush him once more. "Don’t shush me." He stood up and pointed to the ladder. "There’s a ladder, and I wanna know why." He took off after the ladder, causing Menelik and Taharqa to run after him, which prompted Malamo and Lelo to follow suit.
They raced after the enormous Frost Giant, doing their best to keep up with Idris, who had the head start. Idris quickly leapt onto the ladder and began climbing. He nearly escaped their sight when they too began to climb the ladder.
It felt like it was never-ending, but once they reached the top.
"Holy shit," Idris exclaimed as he took in the view. An entire city had been built around the Frost Giant, a bustling city at that. There were a surprising number of Dark Elves, and even some Frost Giants, along with quite a few Frost Elves, could be seen harboring amongst the cityscape. Just this little glimpse of those running around and going about their day was enough to show just how many inhabitants lived on this frozen landscape that is Ayce. It was far more and greater than what Idris could have ever expected. He had thought of Ayce as nothing more than the Dark Elf Kingdom of Nazzaroth in the South, and the Dwarves of Mount Aglazad to the North, with a few sporadic but very few tribes scattered throughout the in-between. This was by far something entirely different, all on its own. It crushed his thoughts of what Ayce was.
It was an incredible feat of engineering and architectural prowess, in a sense of the way. It wasn’t made of ice or snow like almost everything else on the island. No, it was a mix of light brown wood and dark black stone. And of course, there was ice and snow there too, but most of the structures were indeed made from wood: the bridges, the homes, even the larger buildings. The stone looked to be used to secure it to the Frost Giant, alongside the countless thick ropes that navigated their way around the area, helping secure everything in place. The structures weren’t large by any means, and it was quite hard to tell what was what. Each was oblong-shaped, some sat on top of one another, making a favela of sorts. Those were assumed to be the housing district. Further up the bridges, structures that were just a tad larger and looked to be a bit more spaced sat across the Frost Giant's chest. As you made your way further up, there was one last structure that looked to stop just before the Frost Giant's neck, and this one, it was much larger than the others and looked like a necklace with the way it wrapped down in a ‘U’ like shape. It looked as if there was no bridge that led directly to it, having stopped at a platform below it.
The group stood at the east entrance of the city, a large balcony-like structure made of wood, looking over the buildings around the waist. It was surreal how it all blended together and seemingly meshed so easily with the frame of the Frost Giant. It was more impressive that the Frost Giant himself did not seem bothered in the slightest. Each one of their steps shook the ground below, but up here, it felt like nothing more than riding on a boat during calm waves—it was breathtaking.
Malamo took the lead and kept the pace moving abruptly, heading North toward Mount Aglazad in silence. Even when Menelik tried to break the silence, Malamo would hush him, telling him that keeping quiet would also keep him alive. They had been walking for about two hours now, and they were still no closer to their destination. Without mana, it was going to be an incredibly long journey, leaving each of them to think and reflect on themselves.
Taharqa tried to reflect the hardest and dive the deepest into himself.
He understood exactly what Idris’s grandmother went through, and he could see why and how she was erased from their culture before he was born. He too wanted to be an Adventurer, and just like Idris’s grandmother, he too was cast out. But Taharqa couldn’t say that in the moment, because that’s what he does. He still isn’t sure if it’s a good or bad thing, but he always seems to keep quiet, even if he can relate. He wants the person to be heard and their own thoughts to be valid. He could tell Idris that he too was cast out, but what would that do other than prove Idris’s own point and make him wonder even more why Taharqa still considers them his people? It wasn’t because he was a full Dark Elf; no, that wasn’t why he couldn’t abandon his people. It was because he knew this day would come—without him, they would have nowhere left to go.
The magic used to melt the snow and ice of Nazzaroth can only be performed by those of royal blood, and if he really is now their King, without him, when the kingdom begins to melt after the summer solstice, there will be no one there to build it anew.
Idris was having similar thoughts, ones that he didn’t know if he would get to the bottom of either, but they still lingered in his mind. His grandmother told him that even though she was cast out, he still had claim to the throne. But that wasn’t something he wanted; it was something else. She also told him that until he came here and touched the BiFrost, he would never be able to use all of his mana channels and never reach his full potential as an Adventurer. Yet he still never planned to come back here. Now that he was here, he wondered if he should make the attempt. But at the same time, he wasn’t sure how the others would feel to watch him take such a step forward from them.
Some Adventurers get weird about that sort of thing.
He was also thinking about how much he related to Taharqa. Neither of them wanted to be Kings of their people; both chose a different life. And he knew that Taharqa was cast out. Why else would a Dark Elf not be on Ayce? Dark Elves live and die here. If you find one not on Ayce, they have been cast out. There is no exception. And unless Taharqa can convince the High Elves of Tzang to make their way back here, the culture wasn’t changing.
His thoughts moved toward what he was going to tell the Dwarves about Maeve’s rapier. She was quite adamant about its return to them, and truth be told, he wasn’t sure who he was more afraid of, Maeve or the Dwarves. He would be in their own Kingdom, after all, and soon he would have to tell them that he lost what was theirs. This also prompted him to consider touching the BiFrost, just in case, for a little boost in case things went bad. But again, his mind wandered to Maeve, who probably wouldn’t take too kindly to him hurting her companions. However, none of this matters if none of them can use mana, and he was hoping that by giving the Dwarves the book Loki had given them, they would be able to help.
Menelik’s thoughts were on one thing and one thing only: challenging Zero to a duel whenever he got back from Volja Vatre, just so he could say to the next person who had heard of him that he beat him in a duel.
They continued to walk for a bit longer before Malamo held up his hands to signal them to halt. He turned to them and gestured for all of them to get down, and as they did, they began to feel the ground shake. It was very subtle at first, but after what felt like ten minutes, it began to grow louder and louder, until some time had passed, and they were shaking violently on the ground, the snow collapsing on top of them as more fell overhead. They peered out to see what was drawing closer to them, and from the east, came such an enormous Frost Giant that they all knew instantly it was one of the Maru Tribe. They were enormous, almost beyond comprehension.
Their frame reached beyond their view, up into the low-hanging clouds above. Each step shook the area, and if it weren’t for the kilometer-thick ice and snow that sat upon another, who knows how many kilometers thick glacier, each step would crack the island in half.
"They’re incredible," Idris thought to himself. As he looked at them more, he swore he was able to catch a glance of what looked like a ladder dangling from their shins. "Hmm," Idris said aloud, causing Malamo to shush him once more. "Don’t shush me." He stood up and pointed to the ladder. "There’s a ladder, and I wanna know why." He took off after the ladder, causing Menelik and Taharqa to run after him, which prompted Malamo and Lelo to follow suit.
They raced after the enormous Frost Giant, doing their best to keep up with Idris, who had the head start. Idris quickly leapt onto the ladder and began climbing. He nearly escaped their sight when they too began to climb the ladder.
It felt like it was never-ending, but once they reached the top.
"Holy shit," Idris exclaimed as he took in the view. An entire city had been built around the Frost Giant, a bustling city at that. There were a surprising number of Dark Elves, and even some Frost Giants, along with quite a few Frost Elves, could be seen harboring amongst the cityscape. Just this little glimpse of those running around and going about their day was enough to show just how many inhabitants lived on this frozen landscape that is Ayce. It was far more and greater than what Idris could have ever expected. He had thought of Ayce as nothing more than the Dark Elf Kingdom of Nazzaroth in the South, and the Dwarves of Mount Aglazad to the North, with a few sporadic but very few tribes scattered throughout the in-between. This was by far something entirely different, all on its own. It crushed his thoughts of what Ayce was.
It was an incredible feat of engineering and architectural prowess, in a sense of the way. It wasn’t made of ice or snow like almost everything else on the island. No, it was a mix of light brown wood and dark black stone. And of course, there was ice and snow there too, but most of the structures were indeed made from wood: the bridges, the homes, even the larger buildings. The stone looked to be used to secure it to the Frost Giant, alongside the countless thick ropes that navigated their way around the area, helping secure everything in place. The structures weren’t large by any means, and it was quite hard to tell what was what. Each was oblong-shaped, some sat on top of one another, making a favela of sorts. Those were assumed to be the housing district. Further up the bridges, structures that were just a tad larger and looked to be a bit more spaced sat across the Frost Giant's chest. As you made your way further up, there was one last structure that looked to stop just before the Frost Giant's neck, and this one, it was much larger than the others and looked like a necklace with the way it wrapped down in a ‘U’ like shape. It looked as if there was no bridge that led directly to it, having stopped at a platform below it.
The group stood at the east entrance of the city, a large balcony-like structure made of wood, looking over the buildings around the waist. It was surreal how it all blended together and seemingly meshed so easily with the frame of the Frost Giant. It was more impressive that the Frost Giant himself did not seem bothered in the slightest. Each one of their steps shook the ground below, but up here, it felt like nothing more than riding on a boat during calm waves—it was breathtaking.
