The next two days were rather uneventful for Farryn, as a great many usually were. However, she could not stop thinking about the very strange encounter with Erick, the man and his otherworldly cabin. She had gone to the site of its appearance and disappearance several times since, but Farryn saw no trace of its existence or any sign that it had been there in the first place. The weather on the desolate mountain had stayed perfectly calm since the tempest passed.
Despite her cursed state, the clear mountain air somehow felt colder than usual against her face. Farryn hardly noticed it; her mind was distant, abuzz with memories of the recent encounter as she walked through the snow. It was all she could do to focus on the task at hand.
Farryn returned to the present once her destination came into view after she rounded a large rocky outcropping. One of the Wizard’s many research outposts lay ahead. She had discovered a map in the Wizard’s lab which marked out the locations of all the outposts. Lacking a better plan, Farryn had decided to travel to each one in search of information that might lead to breaking the curse.
One of these crumbling buildings had to have a clue! This curse couldn’t have emerged from nothing! Her years of searching had uncovered little so far, though. However, many other research outposts were scattered about the mountain, and she had yet to search them all. What was the significance of this peak? For what reason was the single lab not sufficient?
Her mind again strayed back to her brief visit with Erick and the conversation they were able to have. It was all so unreal. Perhaps it was naught but a dream? Or was his visit and sudden departure just another cruel trick of the curse?
Farryn shook her head, trying to clear the ache that had settled behind her eyes. Seeing another person after so many years of isolation was truly a relief, even if the time was short. Erick’s presence seemed to confirm her own existence in some way. Perhaps she was on the verge of losing herself. Farryn used this increase in morale to bolster her investigation. Dusty would not have the last laugh!
As she approached the outpost, her keen Elvaehen eyes scanned the exterior. The structure was not as well designed or as large as the Wizard’s primary laboratory, it appeared these outposts were built as quickly as possible. As expected, there were no signs of recent activity, and there were no frost wolf footprints in the snow. Good. She pressed her ear against the door to confirm the structure’s emptiness, silence greeted her. Farryn unlatched the heavy wooden door without difficulty before slowly pushing it open. The Wizard was apparently unconcerned with visitors and hadn’t bothered to put locks on any of the outposts.
Farryn quickly stepped inside and pushed the door closed behind her. She wrinkled her nose at the musty smell and the cloud of dust that she stirred up from her entry. The building consisted of two levels and contained several desks and tables. Books, charts and all manner of strange relics were scattered about, covered thickly in the aforementioned dust.
Farryn started her investigation, checking the relics and some of the ancient charts that lay on the closest desk. She feared the paper would disintegrate if she laid a hand on it, so she merely looked over it. They were covered in faint diagrams that were barely legible. Some machinery, perhaps, but nothing about the curse. Farryn pursed her lips in frustration until a leather-bound grimoire caught her attention. The tome was lying on a small shelf in the corner of the room, and Farryn quickly walked over and scooped it up.
She leafed through the first several pages, her hopes high as she scanned the unfamiliar text. Could this be a breakthrough? While she did not immediately recognize the script, it somehow sent a chill through her already frigid body. It was a deeply unsettling feeling and Farryn nearly threw the grimoire to the floor. However, she pressed on and continued turning the pages while leaning into her knowledge, remembering her many lessons in history. Her position as the child of the Realm Tree priests required her to go through an extensive education and to be familiar with many languages. Her mind turned to her many adventures with Dusty and their party.
That was it! They had encountered a small cult attempting to summon and bargain with vile creatures from the Infernal Deep. The unsettling text of the book Farryn held was very similar to the writings from that time.
“Just what were you trying to accomplish, Dusty?” she said aloud.
As much as she would have preferred to burn the tome, Farryn packed it into her bag and continued her search of the outpost.
She briefly examined more of the artifacts and flipped through other books and scrolls. Somewhere in here was, hopefully, a clue; she just had to find it. She wanted to break this curse and be freed from this mountain at last, to feel warmth again. Her thoughts flitted back to Erick’s touch, the unexpected, small relief from the constant frigidness of the curse.
Finishing her investigation of the main area of the floor, Farryn headed up to the next level. The room was mostly empty except for some arcane machinery that emitted a constant, mild hum. She stared at it curiously before approaching for a closer look. Farryn wasn’t completely surprised to see it. This machinery had been present in the outposts she previously investigated as well. What were these devices? Were they tied to the curse somehow? Farryn considered what might happen if she tried to break them but decided against it for now. The machinery looked very solid, and that hum might be some magical barrier or protection that could be dangerous to breach.
After completely searching the outpost, Farryn had found little more. She sighed heavily and made her way back down to the main floor, taking whatever small books of notes she could carry. With her pouches and belongings secured on her battle harness and one final glance around the lab, she opened the door and prepared to step out into the snow. She decided to move on and search the next outpost. According to the Wizard’s notes, it was somewhat nearby.
Farryn steeled herself and prepared to move on. She would search every part of this forsaken mountain if she had to, no matter how long it took. Her desire to break this curse, to feel warmth again, burned within her, a renewed flame that would not be easily extinguished.
As Farryn stepped back outside, she noticed a sudden change in the weather. The skies had darkened, and the faintest whispers of snow danced around her. Within moments, those whispers turned into a distant, aggressive wail as the blizzard made its return in full force.
“By the Realm Tree!” Farryn muttered under her breath.
The return of the tempest sent her mind racing. Was this the return of the wind that brought Erick to the mountain? The blizzard certainly had the same otherworldly twinge about it as the roaring winds battered the snowy mountain peak.
“Could it be?” she wondered to herself.
Farryn squinted through the swirling snow, her heart racing with a mix of fear and anticipation. Her mind contended with possibilities, urgent thoughts racing through her head, but standing and pondering it was a dangerous waste of time. She needed to move.
She raised her protective fur scarf to cover her face before securing her knives and the items she took from the outpost to her battle harness. Even with her curse, she could feel the sting of the snow on her skin as the wind aggressively cast it about.
Within the harsh conditions, Farryn set out, determined to see if the site of Erick’s cabin remained empty. If this blizzard was indeed a harbinger of his return, then she needed to move quickly. Her investigation over the last several days had taken her far from the place where the cabin had appeared. She knew there was a long trek ahead of her. Farryn stepped into the maelstrom of snow and wind, knowing she would have to travel as fast as possible. Who could say how long this storm would last?
With each step, the snow piled higher, and the wind grew stronger, yet Farryn’s resolve held as she pressed on. She moved as quickly as she could, the possibility of the storm ending before she arrived at the site driving her forward.
Her limbs burned as she pushed through drifts that reached up to her knees, but she ignored the discomfort. All that mattered was reaching her destination. She had to see if the mysterious cabin had returned. Farryn tried to temper her expectations, but hope and anticipation welled up within her chest.
The wind whipped at her, lashing her body with sharp icy particles. Farryn strained her eyes and ears trying to be alert for the frost wolves, but the roar and wind of the blizzard again overwhelmed all of her senses. Farryn counted on the same happening to the frost wolves.
As the storm intensified and the skies got even darker, navigating the terrain grew more difficult. But she had travelled this path many times before. She knew every rock and crevice, even if the blowing snow now obscured them.
As Farryn continued to trudge through the blizzard, her thoughts circled around Erick. Would he be glad to see her or blame her for the Frost Wolves’ attack on his cabin? She knew she had to prepare herself for either reaction, but hoped that he wouldn’t turn her away. The previous encounter suggested he wouldn’t; however, doubt still gnawed at her.
Then, through the howling wind, came a familiar growling sound. Farryn’s heart skipped a beat – the frost wolves were nearby. Panic threatened to take hold, but she pushed it aside and focused on finding a safer path. The nearby, treacherous cliffside route was her best choice to avoid the wolves. It would be a dangerous play in the midst of the storm, yet highly preferable to facing the beasts.
Farryn made her way toward the alternate path as hastily as she could. Her eyes darted around, scanning as best she could for signs of the enemy. Her ears strained for the sounds over the wind that might indicate the presence of the wolves.
She almost gasped when a hulking silhouette of a frost wolf emerged a few steps away from her. Farryn dropped to a crouch at the base of a large tree, sinking into the snow that had piled up around it. The beast was moving slowly and sniffing the ground as it shuffled about. She held back a sigh of relief, the wolf had not detected her.
Farryn decided it best not to linger; she chose a path around the frost wolf that allowed her to move from tree to tree in an attempt to stay concealed. Once the wolf turned away, she made her move and darted in a wide circle around it. Farryn concealed herself as much as she could behind the trees and snowdrifts. It became difficult once the wolf faded from her sight, and she couldn’t see where it was looking. Though if she couldn’t see or hear the creature, most likely it wouldn’t be able to pinpoint her either.
The blizzard disoriented Farryn more than she thought as the ground suddenly disappeared in front of her. If she had finished her current step, she would have plunged over the sheer drop. She had noticed at the last possible moment before regaining her footing.
Farryn had arrived at the cliffside path she was seeking; she knew this because it required a death-defying leap across the chasm that lay before her. She squinted her eyes into the pounding winds and swirling snow, trying to catch a glimpse of the rocky face ahead. While she knew the area, Farryn wanted to diminish the risk as much as possible.
She began whispering the chant to cast physical enhancement magic on herself so that she’d be able to successfully leap over the chasm. The familiar tendrils of strength coursed through her body, although, for some time now, Farryn noticed that the enhancement spells seemed to be slowly waning in effectiveness. It required more and more focus and concentration to enhance as much as was needed. It was likely a part of the Wizard’s curse all along. However, she noticed lately that the effect was getting worse.
Perhaps it was due to the magic’s effect, but Farryn’s intuition screamed at her and she quickly dropped to a crouch as a large paw took a mighty swipe through the air above her head. The frost wolf she had just evaded had crept up right behind her. It was now or never. Farryn’s legs were already coiled like powerful springs. She launched herself with a mighty leap off the edge of the crevasse. Her magic-enhanced jump carried her across until she slammed into the rock wall on the other side.
It was not an ideal jump. Farryn had hoped to pick out a suitable landing point. Nonetheless, she managed to grab hold and quickly scramble up to the ledge that served as a path around the cliffside.
Her hands shook as she clung onto the rocky outcrops while snow and ice made her footing precarious. The wind threatened to wrench her from the cliff and hurl her into the abyss below. But Farryn refused to let go; she couldn’t fail now, not when she was so close to discovering whether Erick had returned.
With her heart pounding, she managed to navigate the narrow path, relieved when she felt solid ground beneath her feet. Exhausted yet determined, she continued towards the site where Erick’s cabin had previously appeared.
Strong winds continued to buffet her as Farryn drew closer to the cabin site. Her pace quickened, and she strained her eyes, trying to catch a glimpse of the welcoming glow from the cabin’s lanterns. Her anticipation grew with each step. Had he returned? Would Farryn have a brief respite from the crushing loneliness?
Her pace was at a near run, and she stumbled down the last slope, almost losing her footing several times.
Farryn arrived at the site, gasping and panting in exhaustion from the arduous trek through the storm. Her legs ached, and her chest burned, yet she was smiling between gulps of the frigid air. Her efforts had been rewarded, for the cabin had indeed returned. The glow of the lights seemed to beckon to her in welcome, and she could not imagine a more inviting sight in the midst of the raging snowstorm.
She stopped a short distance from the cabin. Trepidation gripped her, pushing out the hopeful anticipation that had accompanied her on the journey.
The last time she was here, Farryn had held a knife to Erick’s neck and led the frost wolves right to his doorstep. His life was threatened because of Farryn’s presence. Truly, he was a kind and generous host despite the danger she brought, but would he desire her company a second time?
Doubts swirled about her mind as she stood alone in the storm, and Farryn found herself unable to take another step.
“Farryn?”
The familiar voice reached across the snowy field to her. She lifted her eyes.
