Fields of Ice

[Amaterasu]

It had been days now since Amaterasu and Urist were moving. The Fur-Selkie had proven to be a tireless mount, bringing them across the frozen plains under Urist's guidance with only a few minor incidents with ice breaking, which didn't result in any major issues for either of them. When there was a clear landmark like a mountain in the distance Amaterasu took the reins and let Urist have some rest, on other times it was the kami who laid down and slept on the Fur-Selkie's back. They never stopped as there was no need - taking turns at sleeping and Amaterasu summoning food and water for the both of them meant that they never had to dismount to set up camp or scavenge, and the Fur-Selkie never so much as slowed down. A tireless mount... miraculous indeed.

Urist's hands tugging on the reins coupled with him speaking woke Amaterasu from a half sleep-like state. "Hooh... easy, boy. We be gettin' close now."

"What is it? Are we getting close to a settlement?"

"Aye. It ain't big, but we can ask for a doc. Probably just gonna be 'nough to stitch me back up til we can get to Dwarvenholm, but I ain't picky."

"Alright. Need help coming down?" Amaterasu asked as she slid off the Fur-Selkie's back.

The dwarf eyed her grumpily. "I still got me pride as a warrior, Ama." He threw the reins over the Fur-Selkie's head so they could be held from the ground and started to climb his way down.

"Be careful though, your back is still far from healed!" She warned, and moments after Urist's loud howl of pain sounded through the plains

"OWW! Nayra's bol[censored]" the dwarf cursed and nearly fell backwards but Amaterasu placed her hands under his boot, letting him use them as steps to get to ground level. "Gmnph... thanks, Ama."

"You're welcome. Now hurry up before your ribs start poking through your stomach."

The dwarf seemed a little more palid than before - maybe it was just the snow on his face though - when he walked towards the gates on the hillside that opened up into the actual town. As with most dwarven settlements this one was built into the earth with a handful of guardsmen training their crossbows on the lone individual coming to the gates, but they allowed him in when he proved to be a dwarf. Amaterasu snuggled up against the Fur-Selkie with its reins in her hand and ate a pair of summoned apples while waiting and indeed, soon enough a dwarf wearing metal armor approached her and waved to her with a spear. Urist had convinced them that they were not hostile and that he was just looking for medical treatment, so Amaterasu was now allowed in. The Fur-Selkie was brought to a special stable underneath a fissure in the hill that allowed for cold air to come in, so that it would not be heat-stroked to death by its thick fur in the warmth of the underground structure that the dwarves had set up. As for Amaterasu herself, the dwarves trusted her enough to let her roam around the structure without restraint. It wasn't like they had anything to hide or worry about anyway - Amaterasu couldn't steal much from them. And the caverns weren't big enough for one to get lost anyway, Urist would find her just fine.

Hours passed and the medical caring for Urist proved to take longer than anticipated. Eventually one of the staffers of the infirmary approached the wandering kami and informed her that Urist would need to stay for two days as they operated him. They had done well to come to the settlement: the merchant dwarf might not have made it if they'd taken the much longer route to Dwarfholm or if they'd needed two or three more days to arrive. The internal damage was much more significant than either of them had believed, even with Amaterasu's treatment several injuries were life-threatening.

The kami sighed in relief as she heard that and got herself directions for the town's inn. The town may not be big but it certainly had everything required. She found her way quite quickly and, for lack of currency, paid the innkeeper for a room by "repairing" his broken door and the lock - namely by turning some of her Omnilium into a new one, with lock and everything, and creating a matching set of keys for the lock so it could be opened and closed smoothly. A few more "repair" jobs got her sufficient credit for food and drinks for the following days, and after borrowing a silver coin like they were used in the dwarven lands from the innkeeper she created a few of them for herself, to pay for Urist's treatment and later for goods and services in Dwarfholm.

Finally, the evening came around and Amaterasu sat at the counter of the otherwise empty inn, chattering with the innkeeper. Dwarves, as it turned out, weren't very talkative to strangers when sober. But a mug of good ale completely loosened their tongue. Amaterasu barely was able to contribute to the conversation in any meaningful way because the innkeeper only stopped to catch their breath. Not that it bothered her much - she learned a lot of what she wanted to know about dwarven society, the state of the Frozen Fields, Camelot, the Omniverse in general and of course enough gossip to keep a full retirement home talking for months. Neither noticed how fast the time was going by.

"... and then, I shit you not, SHE HIT JUST THE SPOT! The one place on the entire barrel that coulda broken it, and she hits it with the hammer! Tha barrel pretty much exploded... Ya can't imagine the tears we spilled over all that delicious wine when it got lost to the earth!" The innkeeper concluded his story with a mix of laughter and crying and sipped his mug whilst Amaterasu just twirled her nearly untouched mead in hers. "So anyway... that's how we forbid her from ever comin' near a barrel again."

"That must have been horrifying. But say..." She pointed at the white hide lying on the ground of the inn, on the side of the room opposite to the fire pit. "I'm curious about that story you mentioned. About that adventurer who brought you the hide."

"Ah, yes. Tha's a wampa hide, from one of the baddest beasties out there. Wampas have the best hides ya can find in the Fields, they're white an' perfect for hiding in the snow, an' they're warm enough to keep ya safe even in a snowstorm. A mature wampa's hide can be big enough to serve six dwarves. Problem is, they're vicious bastards, those wampas. Real predators... they make bears seem like teddies."

"So you're keeping the hide here as a trophy?"

"Nay. I been keeping it here for a lil' while... some two weeks maybe, waiting for the adventurer to come back an' get it. But he ain't shown his face again. Makes me think that he died out there. Pity, too... he woulda been a good aid against the trolls."

"Do you have to prove your worth by bringing a wampa hide to someone?"

"Aye. King Bruenor's decreed that those who prove their worth get admitted into the Mithral halls an' get to drink mead at his table. Tha's the dream of every last dwarf. Sitting at the King's table... only the Halls of Heroes in the afterlife are better. An' earning yer spot at the king's table means ya got that spot pretty much in the bag." The dwarf raised his hand, showing three fingers. "A chunk o' cobalt, a wampa hide, the tusk of a troll. Prove that ya can hunt the predators of the wild an' kill a troll, an' that ya can wield a pickaxe as good as a weapon. I think there's some other thing too that ya must do, but I ain't sure."

"So... these three items would prove to Dwarfholm that I am a friend and capable fighter?"

"Aye. It don't prove much to slay one troll, but if ya can kill a wampa ya ain't gonna want to give up its hide jus' like that."

Amaterasu hmmed and reached into her dress, pulling out the dagger which she had taken from the troll fighting Urist, that she had slain. "I already have this... took it from the corpse of a troll. Maybe it could be a substitute proof for that I slew him?"

"Lemme take a gander..." The innkeeper reached out and carefully took the dagger by the handle, then examined it with the eye of a professional. Even though he was tipsy his sense for metalworking was unparalleled. For a minute he examined the dagger, stabbed and slashed at the air, then handed it back. "Might be stolen. In any case it ain't troll craftsmanship. The way the metal was tempered and how the hilt's fashioned... it might be Camelot craft, maybe even dwarven. The weapon's made for smaller hands than troll ones - the one ya go it from probably took it from some dead opponent. Ye can get it appraised by a blacksmith in Dwarfholm, if that's where yer going, Urist and you. But it ain't enough to prove that ye slew a troll."

"I see. It was Cobalt, a Wampa hide and the tusk of a troll, right? I'll see if I can get a tusk first. If all trolls are as bad as the one that fought Urist they're no better than the oni that I slew back in Nippon. Attacking merchants from behind... it's despicable. But I want to meet another troll first, and see for myself."

"Aye... I can't tell ya cause I'm a dwarf, so obviously I say the trolls are the bad'uns. Trolls gonna tell you the opposite. But yer gonna see - they'll try to slit yer throat as soon as ya give them an opening."

Amaterasu sighed and nodded. "We'll see. I'm going to turn in for today though." She put down the mug and slid off the chair. "I thank you for all that info. You've helped me out a lot."

"Ye killed a troll an' saved one of us, that makes ya a friend in me eyes. An' I'm happy to help friends. 'sides, I just told ya some stories, nothing big."

"Still. Oh, by the way... what was that adventurer like? The one who brought the wampa hide."

"Oh. Eh... fairly tall, slightly taller than you I'd say. Wearin' strange clothes... blue an' pinkish red. Didn't look like anything I've ever seen before. Long black hair... Oh, and he wore a blue mask all the time... never got to see his face. And he had this... amulet round his neck. And a sword."

Amaterasu blinked. "A blue mask? Are you sure? One representing a wolf?"

"Yeah... could be..."

She chuckled and moved up the stairs. "I knew he was here." Leaving the innkeeper alone to wonder what she'd meant with that she found her room and almost fell onto her bed. The long day was taking its toll, the sun goddess fell asleep very soon... and she did so with a big smile on her face. She had known all along. She just needed to find him.