With an actual window to view the outside with, we were able to set out early on, when the light of the day was still young. Stamping out the last of the burning embers, we set out of the cave, and instantly looped back on ourselves; heading behind the cave to the South over the snowy hill, we headed towards the first portal location of the day. From what I could remember, this portal was also located near snow and ice, so we would need to be careful. Actually, we were going to need to be incredibly careful as the small amount of ice that was to our South was also surrounded by water, which suggested thin ice, which may be melting. It didn't take long to find out; after reaching the top of the hill, snow-topped trees all around us, we looked down to the South and instantly spotted the location the map pointed us at. It was indeed an isolated island of ice surrounded by water and snow.
Happy that the coast was clear, UOPETA led the way down the hill towards the small ice island. There was no visible portal on the surface, and after looking at the map, I was beginning to wonder whether the portal indicated here was one we had already destroyed in the other cave system.
"It's possible... We did head South into the cave, but if that's the case then why was only one location indicated for multiple portals in there...?"
"There's definitely one here... Or more accurately... Down there..."
UOPETA motioned down towards the edge of the ice, where parts had begun to melt creating a pool; there was a small passage leading down, flanked on both sides by ice and sand.
"Now that doesn't look dangerous in the slightest...(!)"
"Looks like we're heading down, regardless of what you think."
"Then think again. That's a death trap waiting to happen! A slight movement of the top surface and that's a flooded chamber and three corpses!"
"Well I'll remain here then and ensure nothing happens. If the ice starts to melt rapidly, I call down to you(!)"
"No way. I draw the line at heading underneath ice!"
I was sick of the bickering; asking for the stone from THEROS, I began to head down the stairs. I decided against using torches, relying on the light from the entrance, and the length of the tunnel to ensure I knew where I was going. Thankfully I was right; the stairs twisted down only a few corners, and then ended by opening up and ending with an active secondary portal.
Placing the stone on the base of the portal, I watched and waited as the rift began to transmute into the sickly green, and the obsidian frame crumbling into dust before my eyes. After a few moments, the portal was gone, and I was plunged into darkness, until the stone began to glow weakly again. Scooping it up, I headed back for the surface. There. Done.
"Thank you Syeonyx. At least there's a sensible one amongst us..."
"Everyone has their limits. Mine happens to be going deep beneath ice, in a precarious position as that."
Enough! We were going to be together for a long time before heading back to AMPHIS, and we couldn't be bickering and arguing on the third day. We needed to remain strong as a unit, and get the job done. There was no room for fighting among us. I forced UOPETA and THEROS to apologise to each other, before THEROS aided UOPETA in heading in the right direction towards the next portal.
"To the North West then..."
----
UOPETA seemed intrigued to head towards the next portal; the layout of the map suggested an unnaturally flat edges to the land, which may suggest some form of mass excavation, or something. What was weirder was the portal was located on a small outcropping from the mainland, where something ominous may exist. I got the impression that UOPETA was expecting to find some form of HoN Co. construction, a tower maybe, or another... No, they wouldn't have another one...
"No, I doubt they would have another. The one we destroyed seemed pretty resource intensive to maintain. I don't think HoN Co. would throw resources around for two obsidian farms... Then again... This is HoN Co. we're talking about. From what COLUS says, we've got invisible soldiers to worry about as well..."
"I doubt they exist. The ability to bend light is a theory that has remained as such for years. Okay, being able to bend light on the microwave level is pretty impressive, but unless they're trying to avoid being cooked by a giant microwave, I really don't see how that would help."
"Maybe they found another method... When I was training with HoN Co., I was fascinated by all things technical, and heard about this system they were creating whereby a miniature camera is positioned on one side of an object, and a screen on another. The effect is to essentially make the viewer perceive the items behind the hidden object. But you'd need billions of these on each side of an object to hide it properly, and it wouldn't be very energy efficient..."
"Yeah, I heard about that as well, but it's unfounded. They reckon that if there was a suit version of this, the effect of many millions of receivers and transceivers would distort the shape of the hidden object, making it still plainly visible..."
Not wanting to interrupt the conversation going on, I pointed out that we had arrived; we had been slowly ascending to the West, going as far North as we could, and we could now see the little outcropping that was placed on the map.
"Look for an opening or any hidden areas."
I headed to the Northern edge of the cliff, looking around hoping the elevation would aid me in seeing what the other two couldn't. However, it was what I heard rather than what I saw that caught my attention; on the edge of the cliff, I could hear the echoing sounds of a portal, very close by! Calling the other two to my position, I told them to listen.
"It's close... Real close... Keep looking for an entrance. It has to be close by."
I headed South whilst THEROS headed left and UOPETA headed right. I was thinking that the portal was close to the edge of the cliff, but a few feet down, so a straight passage may lead to it, with a entrance slightly off to the South. It didn't take long to find out; calling UOPETA and THEROS across again, I pointed to an ominously dark hole that seemed to stretch quite far.
"Right, let's go. Let's just hope the portal is along this tunnel so we can head elsewhere. This cold weather is beginning get on my nerves!"
Making our way down past a small pool of water, we began to head deep into the passage. THEROS provided the light, and we soon hit a wall which deviated off to the right. After emerging from the corner, another passage to the left took us back in the direction we wanted to head in. At the end of the passage was the portal. A very very long passage!
We headed towards it, THEROS still placing torches at regular intervals to light our way. After reaching the portal, I noticed an odd discolouration to the rift of the portal, but THEROS placed the stone down before I was able to say anything. The colour changed to a paler sickly green, before crumbling and disappearing altogether. Then I realised why the rift had appeared different; the portal was located literally on the edge of the cliff, with no back to it, the actual rift was facing an open sky! It was oddly beautiful, yet incredibly dangerous; the ledge the portal was originally positioned on crumbling into the water below. It was a wonder that hadn't already happened.
Syeonyx signing off
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