I left the dwarf stronghold a few days later, they sent me off with well preserved traveling food, and fresh blankets. The day was much warmer than the day I arrived, and I was able to make progress working my way back east to see the other half of the land. I moved past many familiar land marks, and by the afternoon I had successfully re-traced my steps. As I continued onward, a thick fog rolled in, and soon I could barely see ten feet in front of me. The fog made the day seem darker, and without the warmth of the sun, the day began to grow colder. I kept moving on, but had no idea what time of day it was, as the sun was entirely concealed. The fog made the landscape seem even more barren. I could not tell the direction I was moving, or figure out what time it was. This sense of helplessness was frustrating, as I could tell that it was getting late, as the air grew colder and colder
I wouldn’t last long in this cold again, not on this flat land where the wind would freeze me in my sleep. I had to keep moving. I continued through the cold, and my motion warded off the cold a bit longer.
I saw tracks in the snow, large ones, perhaps from some large snow-dwelling creature. This hastened my steps. I reached a cliff soon after that, at least I think it was soon, time seemed to slip away with the bitter cold and monotonous nothingness. I made my way, but kept the cliff within sight. An arch lay in front of an ice-bridge, which crossed over the cliff, but I could not see the end. I chose to make my way across, as a bridge likely meant civilization of some sort.
I carefully made my way across the slippery bridge, taking each step with great caution, as I did not know if the bridge was stable. Step by step, I soon made it across, but only to another side nearly the same as the other.
I kept moving….
And moving…
the cold taking hold of me…
But then I saw it! a figure in the distance, I saw it move, and gave in to the cold…
.
