Rise Online: Return of the Legendary Player

Despite his problems, Klaus Park's private life mostly ceased to matter the moment he entered Rise Online. He wanted to help Og'tharoz more than anything at the moment, and since he had no orders from Zylok or Charles Richards, he wanted to rescue Luna from hell as soon as possible.

So the other day, after his compulsory lessons, Klaus went to the private pod room and logged on to Rise Online.

The next challenge for them was to find Týr, and the first clue as to his whereabouts they already had. Coincidentally or not, the god Týr was exiled to Niflheim, an almost empty world abandoned by the other gods, also the only world that non-evolved players from Midgard could visit, thanks to the efforts of The Eye of Hermodr, an extremist cult now extinct.

Kaizen, bearer of the Key to the Gates of Niflheim, found the passage to the world of the Frost Giants by facing a labyrinth with a large and powerful minotaur. However, when he crossed the gateway between Niflheim and Midgard, he found a village of ice dwarves enslaved by a lord, and this village was the starting point for his quest.

"Bluurr! How cold!" Jayaa said as she rubbed her own arms in a hug. "This is worse than Montauk!"

"The cold is more extreme than I expected," said Andrew, taking a few steps forward. His feet soon sank into the fluffy snow.

Everyone had their backs to the large stone door that had closed behind them and then, with the glow of a magic circle, disguised itself as a large ordinary rock. Alina was the only one to notice and let out an impressed sigh.

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Og'tharoz looked around, with all that cold mist enveloping him, and asked:

"How the hell are we going to locate ourselves in this place?"

The demon was right to worry. A vast expanse of icy white terrain stretched as far as the eye could see, like an infinite field where ice and snow were the undisputed rulers.

Snow, in Niflheim, was more than just a white blanket; it was a blanket of silence that stretched across this entire world. The footsteps of intrepid adventurers echoed briefly through the void, each step marked by the soft sound of sinking snow. Towers composed of ice crystals were occasionally found along the way, punctuating the landscape like icy witnesses to ages past.

The groves of trees in the distance were like skeletons sculpted by the inclement cold, emerging like petrified sentinels. Frozen branches and leaves, covered in thick layers of ice, extended into the cloudy sky like twisted claws. The sunlight of this world, timid and pale, barely made it through the dense clouds in the sky.

On the horizon, sinister shadows walked between the icy valleys. These were the Frost Giants, creatures that should be ignored if they didn't want to attract attention.

The sky seemed to weigh down on the land, casting an atmosphere of despair and melancholy. Heavy, gray clouds moved like dark armies in different directions, facilitating not only the occlusion of the sun, but also the incessant snow.

The icy breeze, driven by the cutting wind, hissed between the gorges and valleys, as if it were the mournful breath of Niflheim. Each breath was a constant reminder that this world was unforgiving, a challenge for the bravest of hearts and a constant threat to the unwary.

However, although the difficulties were numerous, thanks to Kaizen's memory they managed to find the village of the ice dwarves after a few minutes of walking.

"Nothing's changed..." Xisrith muttered as he gazed at the village, with its small hut-like houses and hard-working laborers.

At that moment, Kaizen looked at Xisrith and remembered the last time they had been in this place. On that occasion, Kaizen was searching for a rare flower that only grew in Niflheim and which, if mixed with the right ingredients, could provide a potion to double the XP received by a player.

That day, Kaizen asked Xisrith and some other descendragons to help him, because they owed him a favor and Kaizen needed help exploring such a dangerous place. Some of the descendragons never returned from that trip, because of Ratatosk's challenge. And that made Kaizen wonder why Yggdrasil's guardian squirrel didn't interfere this time like the first, was he busy?

In any case, perhaps Kaizen should be grateful for that.

"I don't think we should go with a large group to look for information in the village. It'll attract too much attention because we're in a big group, like last time, so let's just pick two or three people," said Xisrith.

Og'tharoz suddenly raised a hand, offering himself, which surprised everyone. "What?" he asked, confused. "I've never seen an ice dwarf in person, I'm curious."

"Very well, I agree with Xisrith's proposed approach," Kaizen began, adjusting the hood of his cloak against the icy wind that cut through the landscape. "We need to be discreet and strategic. Xisrith, Jayaa, and Og'tharoz will approach the village to seek information. Andrew, Alina and I will be ready to act if necessary."

Everyone agreed to the plan, and the group in charge moved towards the ice dwarf village. The idea was to get information not about Týr now, after all, it was almost impossible for ice dwarves made of slaves to know anything. What they needed was a way to meet the lord of this place in person, and someone with so much power probably knew something.

The thinner, crunchier snow beneath their feet was nothing compared to the noise of forging coming from the houses of this village. As they got closer, the stone and ice houses became more detailed, revealing the dwarves' ability to build structures that withstood the rigors of the unforgiving climate.

Dwarves moved from one side to the other, busy with their daily tasks, carrying backpacks heavy with tools, and others carrying heavy loads of ore, while others hammered skillfully at their forges, shaping the metal with mastery.