Fields of Ice

[Amaterasu]

It was kind of difficult to tell how long she had slept, or what time of the day it even was - as the inn she resided in laid beneath the earth, even if her room had had windows there would not have been any daylight to see. But what was important is that she felt well rested. The kami of the sun got to her feet, stretched her limbs to warm up her muscles in preparation of the day to come, and put on her miko dress. Then she headed downstairs and, finding that no lights were lit and nobody was tending the bar, left the inn. Now where do I have to... over that way? Even though the caverns weren't all that big it took her several wrong turns before she found the Infirmary where Urist was staying over. Due to the nature of the place here there was always at least one person awake in case of emergency, but by the looks of the nurse currently tending the desk Amaterasu figured that it must be early in the morning. Regardless, she approached the desk.

"Good morning."

"Mmm? Oh, it's you. Wha's troubling ya at this horrible time?"

"Horrible? Is it this early?"

The woman eyed Amaterasu as if she silently questioned her mental capabilities, then snickered. "Ah, I forgot... ya can't tell time without the sun over yer head, can ya?"

Amaterasu nodded and laughed along. "Yes. I'm not too good at dwelling underground, unfortunately. Anyway... is Urist up by any chance? I wanted to speak with him."

"He should be up, tha poor lad can't sleep after the operation. Still hurtin' and such. Might not remember everything ya tell him though, so if ya want me to take a message..."

"That's fine. If he doesn't remember, just tell him that I have to leave for a few days but I will be back. Where can I find him, then?" After getting directions she walked through the hospital and knocked on the door before slipping into the room, and approaching the dwarf who was lying in his bed and reading a book. When he saw Amaterasu come in he looked up but she spoke first. "Urist. I wanted to let you know, I'll be leaving town for a few days."

"Aye, are ye now? An' why's that?"

"I'm going to go wampa hunting."

The dwarf's eyes widened. "Wampa huntin'? Bruenor's beard, are ya possessed by an evil spirit or somethin', girl? Why would ya want to hunt one o' those beasts?!"

"None of that. I'm going to bring the hide back to Dwarfholm."

"Why do ya want to... wait. Ohh no. No no no. Ama, yer gonna forget about that idea right now, an' -"

Amaterasu waved her hand, shutting him up. "Urist, I can handle myself just fine. Remember who I am. I'm not going to die out there."

"If the wampas don' get you, the darn trolls will! An' ya don' even know how to find Cobalt!"

"I've killed oni far more dangerous than the trolls, Urist. And I want to prove to your king that I am worthy of the dwarves' trust."

"Ya saved my life, Ama. I could put in a good word for ya, an'..."

"... and nothing. It goes without saying that I aid those who need it. Just having saved you is not enough to prove anything, Urist... I have taken my decision. But if you are so hell-bent on helping me I could ask a favor of you."

"I owe you me life, Ama. An' I take that very seriously. What is it you want?" Urist replied with a determined look in his face.

"I will hunt a wampa and a troll, then return here. When you are fully cured we will go out together and you can help me with foraging for some Cobalt. You're probably better at finding ores than me. And I don't even need much, just a chunk."

Urist gave a huff. "Ama, yer talkin' to a dwarf here! What d'you take us for? We're children of the earth! I tell ya; we're gonna find ya a deposit of Cobalt big 'nough to outfit ten dwarves with rust-resistant armor!"

"Splendid! That's settled then. Until then, focus on recovering your well-being and don't worry about me. If I'm not back after two weeks, you can take the Fur-Selkie and make your way back to Dwarfholm. I'll find my way there by myself."

"Nonsense! Yer gonna come back here and I'm gonna wait for ya, even if it means settling here 'n working a year or two!" He coughed as his little outrage sent a jolt of pain through his back and Amaterasu stepped closer, but he waved her off. "I'm a'right, I'm a'right. But, I'll be waiting for ya. It ain't like I have any home to return to."

"Just don't let me get in your way, Urist. We will meet again, some time or another. May the Sun watch over you." She slipped out of the room, barely hearing Urist's parting words. She wished the nurse a good day, headed out into the main area of the cave, found her way around to the entrance of the town and stopped at a distance. While she was still inside the warmth of the cave, she focused to summon another Fur-Selkie as she had left the other one in the stables for Urist, provided that he recovered before she came back. Then she mounted up and had the guardsmen open the gate enough for her and the Fur-Selkie to slip out into the cold outside. While they opened up she asked for rough directions to the Nexus Gate, which would allow her to orient herself. The wampa would be first. And with a little luck Oki will run into me as I hunt. If she didn't meet him then... no. She would find him one way or another, sooner or later. However long it may take her.