I reincarnated in game

24 Back to the Abyss

“Maybe the innkeeper will know where they went … let’s go ask!” suggested Judi.

They found the owner near the back of the inn.  “Do you know where Matthew and Kenneth are?  Are they OK?” Hugh and Judi asked in unison.

“They just left yesterday afternoon after they spent several days gathering supplies.  They seemed fine … they said they had to do some sort of research down near the abyss.  If you ask me, I would say that is the last place anyone would want to go …” came the reply.

Judi and Hugh didn’t wait for the man to finish speaking.  They turned and raced back to the steam wagon and headed for the abyss. 

“The man said that Matthew and Kenneth were fine up until they left yesterday … that means that Bob’s men hadn’t gotten to them up to that point; unless maybe Bob was lying about the planned attack ... ” said Hugh.

Judi thought a minute, then shook her head, saying, “I kind of don’t think that Bob was lying … he knew he was fatally wounded and dying men generally have no reason to lie.”

“Yes, but I think Bob wouldn’t hesitate to lie to us … firstly, it would fit his personality of being a d**k and, secondly, he would know that telling us Matthew and Kenneth were in danger would make us crazy with worry!” replied Hugh.  He continued, “In spite of that, I still think we have to treat this as a serious threat.  We need to get back to Halea and make sure that our friends are safe.”

“Agreed!” said Judi.

It took almost three hours to get to the edge of the abyss.  The stark nature of the land was even more pronounced than what Hugh had expected; the ground was cracked and dry; the terrain was dark as soot and craggy, with multiple fissures leading back to the edge of the precipice; the void was ominous.  The winds which blew up from the depths of the chasm seemed to penetrate to their very core.  The whole place seemed evil and foreboding.

As they jumped down from the wagon, Hugh shivered involuntarily.  “This place gives me the creeps.  Let’s see if we can find Matthew and Kenneth; hopefully, safe and sound.”

“OK.  It is logical that they would have entered the area from this point on the road so I will scout around to see if I can pick up any tracks,” replied Judi.  “It will be difficult because the ground is so rocky, but there are a few patches of softer ground which may hold some footprints.  That is unless the wind has blown them away.”

Judi carefully walked a semi-circle pattern from the edge of the road, doubling back and forth as she ranged outward.  “Ha … found some … but it doesn’t look good,” she said in a worried tone.  “There are several points here which appear to be really fresh.”  She paused and looked up at Hugh.  “They are far too large to belong to Matthew or Kenneth.  I think there is good reason to worry!”  Judi studied the footprints. “I think there may be up to a dozen people in this group … I suspect that these might be Bob’s men because there would be no other reason for such a large group to be down here this close to the crevasse.  I think we should follow this trail because of the threat they pose to our friends.  If they have already met up with the dwarves, then we will be able to do a surprise, flank attack, pinning them between us.  If they have not yet found the pair, we can dispense with them and then go look for Matthew and Kenneth.”

“Sounds good,” said Hugh.

Now that she had found the trail, Judi was able to follow it quite quickly.  They came upon a site where a camp appeared to have been set up.  Judi dismissed it, telling Hugh that it was several weeks old; maybe from when Matthew and Kenneth were first here.  They continued on.

The trail of footprints seemed to be following a rough grid pattern.  This fit the scenario which Judi had painted of Bob’s men hunting for their intended victims.  Judi had a bad feeling about what she expected would be the outcome of their search.  She stole a look at Hugh; he had a worried look on his face as well.  She suspected that he was also expecting the situation to be dire.  Neither of them wanted to voice their concerns and give credence to each other's doubts.  They increased their pace due to the renewed urgency of the situation.

The trail seemed to straighten.  They looked up and saw a rocky outcropping with what appeared to be a cave entrance.  “The footprints seem to be heading toward that cave,” observed Judi.  “Since we don’t know what to expect, we had a better circle around and approach cautiously from each side.  I’ll take the left side; you take the right.”

Keeping a low profile, the partners separated and circled to the left and right sides of the opening.  They had to slow their pace and step softly so as not to make their presence known; they didn’t want to lose the element of surprise.  Carefully they made their way along the cliff walls.  As they got closer, they noticed a definite drop in temperature; their breath was now misting in front of them.  The footing became more treacherous because of a coating of ice that covered the ground and crept up the rocky walls.  Individually, they wondered why this area appeared to be the only one cold enough to sustain ice. 

As they reached the cave entrance, Hugh and Judi encountered a eight-foot wall of bluish, white ice, with a jagged ridge at the top, barring their way.  Nothing could be seen through the opaque surface.  They paused to listen but could hear no sounds of combat; there did appear to be a softer sound, almost like whimpering.  The two looked at each other, readied themselves to do battle, if necessary, then pounded on the icy wall and called out to their companions.

“Matthew!  Are you in there?” Hugh yelled out.

“Kenneth!  Are you alright?” shouted Judi.

Their calls were met with nothing but the echoes of their own voices reverberating back to them; that and the persistent sobbing that continued from behind the wall. 

In desperation, Judi and Hugh pummeled the ice wall with the handles of their weapons, and then yelled in unison, “MATTHEW … KENNETH … ARE YOU IN THERE?”

Silence followed.

As they stood there, the ice in the opening began to get more transparent and appeared to be melting.  Gradually, they could see distorted shadows through the thinning ice wall.  Moments later, a small aperture appeared in the centre, and gradually widened and lengthened until it stretched from the ground to the top of the wall; just wide enough for a person to walk through.

Cautiously, Hugh and Judi stepped through the doorway.  Once their eyes adjusted to the dim light, they stood, frozen in shock, at the scene before them!