"It's freezing out here." Isolde rubbed her arms around her to keep herself warm. "This is the first time that I have experienced something this cold."
She sneezed and shivered before shaking her head, hoping to get the cold out.
"You okay?" Ren asked.
Isolde rubbed her nose. "Y-yeah. If I knew that we were going to venture in here, I should have brought warmer clothes."
The air was frigid, biting through their armor and leaving a frosty chill in their bones. Isolde's breath turned to mist as she struggled to keep warm, her arms wrapped tightly around herself.
She let out a sneeze, the coldness causing her to shiver uncontrollably. Ren looked at her with concern, his own body barely visible under his thick cloak, the only sign of life the wisps of fog escaping his hood.
"Aren't you cold, Ren?" Isolde asked.
"A little," Ren lied so as not to appear weird. The weather seemed normal to him, to be honest, or was it because of his evolution that influenced even the game?
Ren didn't know anymore. Reality and the game were blurring to him. He thought he knew everything about COVENANT, but this was something that was out of his expectations and totally blew off his mind.
At the side, Elena was secretly taking note of Ren and Isolde's conversation, and she was quick to appear at Ren's side and offered him the finest blanket in the Elven Realm.
"Ren, you can have this if you're cold," Elena said and shoved the blanket onto Ren's hand.
[ACQUIRED!
Frostborne Mantle (Very Rare)
A mantle woven from enchanted threads of ice and infused with ancient elven magic. Its effects are said to be both protective and invigorating.
When wrapped in the Frostborne Mantle, the wearer is shielded from the biting cold and harsh weather conditions. The cloak acts as a barrier, preserving body heat and providing insulation against extreme temperatures. It also has the unique ability to regulate the wearer's body temperature, ensuring they remain comfortably warm even in the most frigid environments.]
Ren was happy that he received a gift from Elena because it was another item to add to his collection of things to sell.
"Can I borrow one too, Princess?" Isolde questioned with a wide smile, innocent and all hoping.
Elena's face turned serious. "No."
The way she interacts with Ren compared to Isolde was very apparent. Elena didn't hate Isolde. It was that . . . ever since she appeared, she was sticking to Ren and talking to him, leaving her no room to interact with him.
Isolde's smile wavered, and she could only scratch her head. "Is that so?"
"Thank you, Elena," Ren said earnestly, which made Elena blush, but the next word he said made her heart spiral downward.
"But I'm fine." He then gave the mantle to Isolde. "You can wear this first."
"Eh? Really? Thank you!" Oblivious to her surroundings, especially to the Princess's feelings, Isolde was grateful to Ren.
When she wore the mantle, Isolde could finally breathe easy as the warmth enveloped her. "Ahh . . . Warm at last."
"You can give it back to me after this quest," Ren said. After all, he would still sell it.
As Ren and the others trudged through the icy forest, their breaths visible in the frigid air, they suddenly came across a peculiar sight — a fleeting satyr with wild, goat-like features, darting between the trees with agility and desperation.
Prince Zeroth called out, "Hey, wait! We need to talk to you!"
The Satyr halted, eyeing them warily. "What do you want, Elves?"
Prince Zeroth approached cautiously. "What's happening inside there?"
The Satyr's eyes darted around as if wary of being overheard. "The Queen of Air and Darkness, she's behind it all. She's merging her realm with ours, turning these forests into her domain. She's raising an army of fey creatures, both Seelie and Unseelie. And even adventurers! No one is safe!"
Elena chimed in, her voice filled with concern. "An army? What does she hope to achieve?"
The Satyr shrugged. "Who can know the mind of the Queen? Power, dominance, and perhaps revenge. All I can tell you is that the balance is shifting, and I must run away! I don't want to be implicated in this!"
"An army?" Isolde wondered.
Prince Zeroth's expression hardened. "We have to hurry and put a stop to her."
The Satyr shook his head, his voice filled with doubt. "Stop her? The Queen? How would you do that when no one has been able to pass the barrier to her castle?"
"A barrier?" Elena's voice was thick with worry.
The Satyr nodded. "Yes. No one can enter the castle of the Queen. Some even went and were lost in the forest and turned to ice. The only way to enter is by joining the Queen's army."
A prompt appeared on Ren's screen.
[The Queen, despite claiming innocence for incidents on the material and fey plane, actively seeks to recruit talented mortals into her service. She entices them with promises of power, wealth, true love, and all their desires fulfilled.
However, these wishes come at a dreadful cost. The Queen selectively chooses only the strong, dispatching twisted fey groups to test their strength. Those who prove themselves capable are considered potential recruits.]
Hmm . . . Ren didn't like the sound of that.
He thought of the players that came with him. Most of Black Lion and Sleeping Dragon's members were still alive. And he was so sure that they had noticed the appearance of the crystal castle.
There was no way that they wouldn't be lured by it – one way or another.
"If you're truly determined, then I wish you luck. But be cautious. The Queen's power is unlike anything I've seen before," the Satyr said when they didn't speak.
With those parting words, the Satyr swiftly darted away, disappearing into the depths of the forest. Ren and the others exchanged worried glances, silently thinking of the best course of action.
"We need to find a way to confront the Queen and put an end to her plans," Elena said.
"But how?" Isolde asked. "The Satyr said that the only way is to join her army.
"We could break the barrier," the Prince suggested.
"Can you?" Ren questioned.
Prince Zeroth looked at Ren, determined. "I can try."
