Liam glanced at the lake bed. Here, the cold intensified, each movement requiring more effort than the last, but his control over his Dao seeds kept him moving. He did not have to walk for long. His eyes caught sight of the rock encased in a thick layer of translucent ice. It glowed subtly. This was it, the object of his arduous journey.
He did not even have to encase it in ice it seems. Liam's gaze shifted from the rock to look at the nearby region. Lo and behold, there was another rock and another rock and another.
Liam had to rub his eyes and confirm. The entire damn lake bed was filled with rocks. No wonder the sword palace was handing out information about this place left and right.
Liam grabbed a few of them, tossed them into his spatial artifact and then quickly began his ascent from the chilling depths. He was reaching his limits and he did not have more than a few seconds to spend here. As such he was already exhausting all his resources just to collect a few of the rocks.
The urgency to leave before his energies were completely sapped propelled him upwards with every ounce of strength he could muster. Breaking the surface, the harsh winds that greeted him seemed almost warm compared to the icy grave below. Liam only barely touched solid ground when suddenly an arrow whistled through the air, narrowly missing him. The sudden threat snapped him out of his exhaustion-induced haze. He spun around, scanning his surroundings.
In the distance, obscured by swirling snow and shadows, a figure stood with a bow poised for another shot. The figure was cloaked heavily against the biting wind, making it impossible for Liam to discern any distinctive features from this distance.
Liam didn't hesitate. He tapped into his dao seeds, the energies swirling within him, as he prepared for a confrontation.
"Whoa. Whoa. There is no need for that." Another figure stepped forward. A huge orc twice the size of Liam stood between him and the archer, raising a hand in a peaceful gesture. His voice boomed over the howling wind, carrying an accent thick as the snow surrounding them.
"I am Grakk," the orc said, his breath forming clouds of frost in the air. "This one here is Marla. We're not here to kill you, but we can't let you leave with the treasure so easily either."
"You want the rocks?" Liam let out a sigh. "There is plenty left down below. I only took a few."
Grakk's heavy brows furrowed. "What rocks are you talking about? Who wants rocks? Are you an idiot?" He then turned to his friend and added. "This guy is an idiot."
"Or he thinks we are idiots." Marla lowered her bow. "Why don't you stop this nonsense and hand over the spirit to us?"
Liam did not respond. Not that he knew what to say. What spirit was this person talking about?
"Listen fellow. You have almost cost us our lives by triggering those freaks of nature who are now roaming about as one big freak of nature somewhere nearby. We had to use three supreme treasures just to get out alive. Now don't make us fight anymore. You know who we are. Hand it over and leave in one piece."
"Hmmm?" Liam was once again tongue-tied. Were there guys famous? Was he supposed to know them?
As if reading his mind, Grakk raised a brow. "You don't know about us?"
Grakk. "Come on, son. Don't make me lose face. I am the senior disciple of Green mountain. Enough said?" A moment passed and it was clear that the name rang no bells for Liam. "You haven't heard of master? You have got to be shitting me!"
"Fine. Whatever. Hand over the spirit and get out of here or die." The orc's demeanor shifted abruptly, the amiable facade crumbling away. His eyes, previously open and somewhat friendly, narrowed into slits as he scrutinized Liam's every reaction.
"Look, I really don't have any 'spirit' you're talking about. I came here for these rocks, and I'm as surprised about this 'big freak of nature' as you are. There's been a misunderstanding." Liam shrugged.
Grakk was about to say something when Marla stopped him. "I don't think he is lying. It's been a couple minutes now and there is still no change in that lake whatsoever. The spirit is untouched."
Grakk glanced back toward the lake, his expression softening from aggression. Marla, still holding her bow, now fully lowered it and approached Liam. "If you're not here for the spirit, then leave."
The two of them have Liam another glance before plunging into the icy waters, leaving him to stand alone on the frozen shore. As they disappeared beneath the surface, Liam took a deep breath, and waited for a couple of minutes, moving to a new region, a bit farther from the previous location. He then dove right back in. Just like before he once again stood at the bottom of the lake, on the lakebed. He looked around only to see more rocks around him strewn across the icy floor. He thought about things for a moment when he suddenly felt a shockwave sweep past him.
Suddenly he realized something. He tapped gently on the ice beneath his feet. Was this the real lakebed? Liam concentrated his energy into a small, dense sphere and released it downwards. The energy ball struck the lakebed with a muted thud, sending a web of fine cracks across the surface. The cracks grew, spreading out like a spiderweb from the point of impact, revealing darker depths below.
Liam's eyes widened as he realized that the ice beneath him was far thicker than he had initially thought, possibly masking something beneath. The other two were breaking this exact barrier right about now. He could tell. The spirit they were looking for was probably underneath all this.
With a deep breath, he gathered his strength and then released a concentrated burst of energy directly at the ice underfoot. The ice shattered with a resounding crack, revealing a dark abyss below. Cold, darker water surged up through the breach, carrying with it an intense, deathly chill that even Liam's Dao control struggled against.