It took about two hours to make it to the cave. It was also convenient for me because the cave was above the waterfall where the Ice Thorn plants rooted. I lead the man inside saying. “From what I have heard and from walking into the cave before, you will be safe as long as you do not step within the chamber. However, if you step within the chamber the elemental will attack and even follow you out of the chamber into the cave but not outside the cave.”

“Thanks, good to know.”

“You do know that the Elemental can change your respawn point to be the chamber right?”

“Yes, I have heard that.”

We stop just outside the chamber, which is a huge circular cave made of ice, about sixty feet across, with a fifteen-foot high roof covered in two to three foot long icy stalactites. I point to the far side of the room where a pillar of ice stood. “As you can see over there something is encased in the ice, but no one has gotten close enough to tell what it is.”

“It is good you know this, since I am not allowed to tell you much.”

I start to turn saying. “What…”

Then he pushed me into the room and I land sliding until I was against the sidewall forty feet from the entrance. I had just enough time to turn to the entrance to see ice seal it with no sign of the old man. I quickly got to my feet and saw the ice in the center of the room start to flow up into a misshapen mound. I tried to inspect the Ice Element, but just saw Ice Elemental: Level ???

I look at a notification flashing in my vision, which indicates exactly what I feared; my respawn point has been changed to this chamber, which means the Elemental can kill me until final death. Some level thirty adventures have tried to kill the Elemental and died in here. The Elemental is ten feet high and fifteen feet wide as it starts to move toward me. I notice I can see rock around it. It looks like it is not creating ice, just using the ice in the room to make up its body. The rocky floor is exposed around it as it moves toward me. The area in front of it is two feet lower indicating it is pulling two feet of ice from the floor around it to make up its body. I wonder if I can get it near the entrance would it pull in the ice that covers the door. Giant whip like tentacles form all over its body as it sweeps one at me. I jump and land on the wall to avoid the tentacle, which is not very fast, but there are a lot of them. As I land on the wall the Elemental stops with the tentacles gentle waving around it.

I watch it for a minute and then run along the wall to where the entrance was and pull out my spear and strike the ice as hard as I can, but it just chips a small piece of ice off. The Elemental is still not moving. I place my foot back on the floor and the Elemental suddenly turns and starts to head for me. I step back on the wall and it stops again. I look around the room, but don’t see anything else to rest on. I have about eight more minutes before I dip below 50% mana and pass out. I look at the pillar near the back wall and run along the wall to it. As I get closer, I see the pillar is ten feet from the wall standing seven feet high and is three feet thick with something dark inside standing vertical. I run onto the floor and up the pillar to rest there. The Elemental turned toward the pillar while I was on the floor but stopped when I climbed on the pillar. I tried driving my spear into the pillar, but unlike the entrance, I don’t even chip it. Looking at the Elemental I think the pillar is far enough from the wall that I could stand by the wall ready to climb it keeping the pillar in between to see what happens when the Elemental approaches it.

Jumping down to the ice I walk over to the wall keeping the pillar in front of me as the Elemental advances. As the Elemental approaches, I start to see rock around the pillar and then slowly the pillar starts to dissolve revealing a black crystal sticking out of the pillar. I move to the right, so the Elemental will go beside the pillar. About two feet of the crystal is revealed as I climb the wall. I try to inspect it but get nothing. I climb above the pillar and can just reach the crystal with my spear. I am not sure this is a smart thing to do but can’t think of anything else. I release my ability and fall on the pillar taking ten points of damage, but my ability prevents me from falling off. Grasping the crystal I am greeted with a prompt.

You have claimed the Elemental Crystal of Ice. Do you wish to claim its power? Accept: Yes or No?

I don’t think I have a choice. I select Yes and the crystal changes to a dark vapor that hits me in the chest knocking the breath out of me. My body feels like it was plunged into ice water before numbness sets in. The Ice Elemental slumps and starts to flow back into the floor and I have a new notification.

Congratulation you have claimed the power of the Elemental Crystal of Ice. You are now 50% resistant to cold damage and natural freezing conditions will not affect you. All damage you now inflict will cause an extra 20% in frost damage. One out of four hits will slow your opponent by 50% for one minute. All Ice related spells cost 50% less mana. Awarded 2000 XP, 100 fame.

Level up!! Level Up!! You have two unallocated stat points. You completed the hidden quest Defeat the Elemental Guardian. This was a level forty-quest line for a group of four to eight adventurers. For completing it solo while 35 levels below the recommended level you are awarded +10 attribute points in the two primary stats used during the battle. You are awarded +12 Intelligence, +1 wisdom, +12 constitution, +1 agility and the skill Jump. The Jump skill increases both the height and distance you can jump by 10% per skill Tier. The Jump skill also allows the user to fall ten feet per skill Tier without receiving damage.

Wow, the System must be considering my mana use and stamina use while wall walking to represent my primary stats. It is nice, but I don’t consider myself out of this yet as I watch the Elemental settle into the floor. As the floor smooths out, I see the Entrance begin to open. After it is fully open, I jump down and run along the wall until I get to the Entrance and exit. There is no sign of the old man in the cave, but I keep my spear out, which has a faint blue glow on its tip now. As I leave the cave, I carefully look around, but don’t see anyone and since the wind blows all the snow off this area there are no tracks to show were the old man went.

I sigh as I put my spear back in my inventory as I hear his voice behind me. “You did very well in there, but I would not assume just because you did not find any enemy that there is none.”

I pull my spear back out and look at him as he leaned against the edge of the cave wall. “Why did you push me into the chamber?”

“Because I knew you could handle it.” That was not the response I expected. “You remind me a lot of your great-great grandfather Jason.”

“Who are you?”

He laughed. “Haven’t you guessed?”

“Barbaros?” I whispered as I saw my inspect of him suddenly update. I stand there stunned just looking at him.

He laughs gently. “You pray to me and didn’t think I would ever answer your prayers?”

“No. No I didn’t.”

“Well I don’t usually, but this is a special case. You saved a life and as you said your family and I have have a special relationship.”

“My Dad could never tell me why our family had a special relationship with you.”

Barbaros smiled and said. “Jason found a cursed magical item and helped me destroy it.”

“To get back to you pushing me into the chamber there must be more than ‘I could handle it’ and how was that a level forty quest?”

“Very well I can tell you a little. The Frost Cave has been responsible for killing many people and it required either a very strong group of adventurers or someone like yourself that could work around the constraints of the chamber. In addition, you have been devoted in your worship and generous in your offerings, which gave me the opportunity to help you at the same time. As to the level of the quest if you had remained on the floor and attacked the guardian, it had 5000 HP with a defense of 50. Then every 10% reduction in hit points would increase its speed. When it hit 50% health it would reach tentacles to the ceiling and pull more ice into its body until its main body touched the ceiling increasing its hit points by another 5000. When it was reduced to 25% health it would summon four more elemental and they would fight even if the guardian was killed. If any survived they would merge to form a new guardian. Now the Ice Thorns are waiting for you.” He said pointing at the waterfall.

I couldn’t help glancing where he pointed hearing. “Have good life Frank.”

When I looked back, he was gone. Sighing I stood there for a bit before shaking myself and walked over to the cliff edge. The wind was blowing the spray from the waterfall over to the other side of the falls. After lowered myself over the edge I quickly walked down to the first plant. It was easy to step between the thorn covered vines and reach in to pluck the two fruits. I carefully pick from three other plants before climbing back to the top of the cliff to rest and regain my mana and stamina. I continue to do this until I picked all twenty-three plants, which yields fifty-seven fruits. I may be greedy, but I want one hundred fruit, so I spend an hour going up stream to the narrow rope bridge that spans the river and back. I then start with the highest plants furthest from the waterfall spray on this side of the river. I only pick two plants before climbing back up to rest. These plants have three or four fruit each. I must only pick ten plants out of the thirty-seven to get to one hundred fruits. I stop at that point as it is getting harder to pick the ice encrusted fruit without either damaging the plant or touching it while plucking the fruit.

I rest up on the cliff before going back up stream to the bridge and then back. Then I walk directly down the cliff face rather than taking the trail to save some time as it is getting late. I stop at the quest stone and contemplate the Shrine before walking up to touch the stone and select quest completion on the Ice Thorn Harvest. When it asks for the harvested fruit I give it all one hundred and a new prompt appears.

Congratulations. You have completed the Ice Thorn Harvest Quest. You exceeded the quest requirements tenfold. Select your reward: Gold or Soul Bound Weapon?

I select Soul Bound Weapon and get a prompt for weapon type: Sword, Axe, Dagger, Bow, or Spear? After I select spear there is a chime and I get a trade request from the stone and a beautifully engraved Ironwood Spear with a long tapered dark steel tip appears in the trade window. As I accept I see the following.

Masterwork Ironwood Spear

Durability: 200/200

Damage: 90 (+10) = 100

This decorative Ironwood spear was made by a master craftsman and is soul bound to Frank Weaver. The spear tip is made of dark steel and does +10 darkness damage. This spear is treated as a magical weapon and can hit any creature that can only be struck by a magical weapon. Durability will regenerate at the rate of one point per day unless reduced to zero.

This is truly a worthy weapon and as I equip it I see it now does twenty points of elemental ice damage on hit with a one in four chance of slowing the creature struck. With a spring in my step I put the spear back in my inventory and walk back to my home to have dinner with my parents and practice my Wall Walking some more before I go to sleep. I also give ten silvers to my parents after explaining were it came from. I am glad to finally be able to contribute more than just carding and sorting the fur. Money is tight as we try to save as much as we can for the harsh winters. All in all, it has been a great day. Tomorrow after my chores I plan on doing some hunting among the cliffs and caves to the North side of the village were my ability should come in handy.