Ragnar trudged into the small shrine, shaking the snow off his shoulders.
Halfway through his journey down the mountain, it had started snowing again, and it still hadn't stopped.
And throughout the journey, he'd learned a few things.
Such as the fact that his speed, strength and endurance were roughly the same as before he'd climbed the mountain.
He now knew most of the speed and strength he'd used when he'd faced the Nightshade was from the momentary boost he'd gotten from ingesting the god blood.
He'd considered taking the dead Nightshade back with him, after all, it was precious meat.
But carrying the monster would double the time his journey would take.
Besides, the perpetual cold of the mountain would preserve it for them to retrieve the corpse.
But at least, the good news was that the energy in his blood was still there.
The half that had been depleted by using Extraction had slowly but surely replenished itself.
Now, his energy pool was full once again.
He looked up as he entered the shrine to see that it wasn't the same elder that had blessed him for his trial that was waiting for him.
This time, it was an elder he was familiar with.
"Elder Harald." A smile appeared on his face at the sight of the older man.
The elder opened his eyes from his meditation to look at Ragnar.
"Ragnar." He broke into a smile. "Welcome back."
The man had kind green eyes, and a weathered face.
His head was filled with gray hair.
Not the natural white of Ragnar's but the gray that signified age.
He was already 40 years old, an age that signified his days had been numbered.
Very rarely does a Forsaken ever live to see the age of 50.
Not only was the terrain of the Wastes brutal to them, but there were just so few resources that the old voluntarily eat less so that the younger generation could have more food.
"You have journeyed to the temple of the fallen god." Elder Harald said. "But you shall prove that your trial has indeed ended."
Ragnar nodded at the man's words.
"Tell me of your experience at the temple." Elder Harald intoned.
"Describe all that you saw. Prove to me under the sky of the eternal night that you indeed reached the temple."
A grin appeared on Ragnar's face. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."
Elder Harald chuckled. "Try me."
And so, Ragnar did.
He told of the initial attack by the Nightshade.
How he had his leg torn off trying to make it into the temple.
The way the altar had exploded.
Drinking the blood of the god.
Fighting and killing the monster.
And finally, the quest he had gotten to break the curse of the Forsaken.
Elder Harald had just stared at him in open mouthed shock.
The man looked like he didn't know whether to accept the story or that Ragnar had gone mad.
Not until Ragnar activated Cloak of Night.
The darkness oozed off him, obscuring him from view in the darkness of the night.
Elder Harald stared at the patch of darkness where Ragnar had been.
Tears began streaming down his face.
"I— If you had one chance…" the man's voice trembled.
"one opportunity,"
"to break the curse on our people in one moment,"
Ragnar deactivated the blessing, completing the saying. "Will you capture it or just let it slip?"
Elder Harald breathed in awe, tears flowing freely down his face. "At last."
"Our opportunity has arrived."
"This plane is no longer our prison."
"It's our staging ground."
[Quest Received: Return To Origin]
[Climb the chains of ascension and ascend to the next plane.]
[Rewards: +10 to Vitality, feel the sun on your face and experience daylight.]
***
Ragnar yawned as he woke up.
He sat up immediately, sleep disappearing from his eyes.
It had been three night cycles since he'd returned from the temple.
After Elder Harald had accepted the truth that was before him, they had exited out of the shrine and rushed straight into the city of the Forsaken.
The elder council had been convened and the news had spread fast.
One among their number had awakened his divinity.
The storied chance of the Forsaken had arrived.
Their Holy One had arrived.
They had quickly dispatched a team to the temple, which had returned with the corpse of the Nightshade.
None in their history had ever defeated a monster alone. Not the kind of monsters that were rarely seen in the Wastes.
Only in groups of at least four was that even possible.
He exhaled, getting up from the bed and looking around.
After becoming an adult, he had been given his own hut, as was the custom.
His parents were dead, and he had lived with the other orphans.
There was a knock on his door and he walked to it, stifling another yawn.
He opened it to see a man standing there.
"Holy One!" The man bowed. "The council requests your presence."
Ragnar gave the man a nod, before closing the door.
He headed to a section of the hut, dipping a cup inside the bowl there and drinking deeply from the water.
When that was done, he opened his door and stepped outside.
The man had been waiting patiently.
Together, they set off, passing through the rows of mostly empty huts.
There had once been a time when the Forsaken had been numerous.
They'd had a large city with plenty of people.
But over the centuries, the population had slowly decreased, until only a fraction remained, leaving behind lots of empty and dilapidated huts.
They walked towards the center of Alfgard, passing people who looked on, murmuring his name in awe.
Even after three night cycles of this, he still couldn't get used to it.
The next night cycle after the revelation, he'd tried using Extraction on the curse of his people.
Maybe he could take it away.
But Extraction didn't work on curses.
Just blessings only.
He looked out at the people on the streets as they adored him, feeling a twinge in his heart.
'Wait a little longer. I shall break the curse.'
And so, he ignored their adoration, following the man into the big house at the center of the city.
It was the dwelling of the elders.
Standing in the entry hall was a familiar figure.
Elder Harald.
"Ragnar!" The man greeted in joy. "Welcome."
"Elder." Ragnar nodded. "You summoned me."
"Yes."
"You will not climb the chains alone, Ragnar."
"Come. Meet the ones chosen to rise with you."