Reborned Top Gamer: Spell-Swordman Rule the World

10 Echo Corridor

The next morning, they got up early and wore the winter clothes and carried the equipment they had bought. They paid the hotel cashier and headed northeast again. Jenny and Walt were now warm and comfortable in the furs and leather they had bought and Ailsa was still bouncing around half-dressed, showing off her strength and resistance.

“Oh my, it’s snow!” Ailsa said as they reached a part of the path where it was snowing. Ahead of them, white carpets of snow covered the land and trees. The sun was high and the crystals of the fallen snow caught its light and sparkled. The sight was awe-inspiring and made them stop in their steps.

“Wow,” Jenny said and Ailsa laughed.

“It’s really nice but let’s not get sidetracked and-” Walt was cut midsentence when a ball of snow hit him. He turned and saw Ailsa giggling and molding another snowball in her hand. She threw it at him and this time he dodged it. Then another hit him, this time from Jenny. The two women laughed.

Walt quickly bent to gather snow in his hand and shaped it then threw it at Ailsa who dodged it. They were all laughing and throwing snowballs until they fell to the ground.

“That was so much fun,” Ailsa said laughing.

“Yeah,” Jenny said, she was also laughing but they were all out of breath and took a minute to relax.

“Okay,” Walt said and got to his feet “That was fun, let’s try and find some magical objects or treasure.”

They all spread out and looked around the snowy forest, looking for some form of tradeable objects. Walt found a cave and called the others who swiftly came to meet him at the entrance.

“There should be some kind of treasure in there,” he said.

“I don’t want to go there, it’s dark,” Ailsa said.

“Come on, I’ll be there,” Walt said to try and encourage her but she shook her head vehemently and refused to move. Walt was sympathetic because elves drew their strength from environments with sunlight or moonlight. If they were away from either one for too long, they lost their strength. So he felt that her elf instincts were kicking in and that was why she did not want to go into the cave.

“Alright, you stay out here and call out to us if there’s a problem,” he said and she nodded.

Walt and Jenny then made their way into the cave. They used one of their lighting equipment to brighten up the cave so they could see where they were going. Despite the cold outside, the inside of the cave was warm and clammy and both Walt and Jenny started to sweat because of their thick clothes.

“Walt, I think I see something,” Jenny said and shined the light of her torch on something that looked like a box. Walt moved towards the object and saw that it was a treasure chest but it was buried under some rubble.

“Bingo,” he said “help me lift it,” Jenny placed her torch on the ground and grabbed one side of the chest. Walt grabbed the other side and they lifted it out of the rubble and placed it on the clearer ground.

“It’s locked,” Jenny said. Walt pulled out a dagger from his boot and used it to pry open the box. After a few attempts, the cover came loose and revealed rare gems inside. Walt whooped and Jenny laughed. Walt took a sack out of a bag they carried and started to pack the gems inside it.

“Stop,” Walt said and held his hand up.

“What? What is it?” Jenny said, alarmed. Walt did not reply and walked slowly to the torch Jenny had placed on the ground. He grabbed it and held it in front of him, looking around suspiciously.

“Walt? What’s wrong?” Jenny’s voice had grown more panicked. Walt finally turned to her and smiled; she sagged her shoulders in relief. He started to walk back to her when a loud hiss penetrated the walls of the cave, causing Jenny to scream. Walt turned again and the light of torch highlighted the face of a huge serpent with red-rimmed eyes. Jenny unsheathed her sword and ran over to Walt’s side but the snake swatted its tail against her, slamming her against the wall of the cave. Walt darted to grab his dagger from the floor but the snake was too fast. It coiled its body around Walt and squeezed him.

The serpent hissed loudly and bared its fangs at Walt. He widened his eyes as he stared down the throat of the beast. As he squirmed, the serpent’s hold seemed to grow stronger. He closed his eyes as the snake was about to strike and all of a sudden, he was released from the death grip and he fell to the ground.

He opened his eyes and saw the serpent of the floor with an arrow in the middle of its head. He could hear his heart thumping in his chest as he looked up to see Ailsa standing on an elevated surface of the cave. She was still holding the bow in her hand and her eyes were wide. After what felt like ages, she lowered the bow and smiled nervously.

“Looks like you couldn’t survive without me,” she said. Walt turned his attention back to serpent that now laid dead on the ground, realizing that he almost died. He could not move from the ground until Ailsa came to his side.

“Hey, it’s okay. I’m here,” she said and held his face. He grabbed her and hugged her tightly. It was scary to think that if she had not come in at the right time, he would be in the belly of the beast right now.

“Jenny, she’s hurt,” Walt said after he let go of her. Ailsa stood and quickly walked to where Jenny laid, unconscious. She held her hands over Jenny’s body and closed her eyes to conjure her healing abilities. A few seconds later, Jenny opened her eyes and looked up at Ailsa. She had felt real pain when the serpent hit her but Ailsa’s healing made her feel better.

The three of them quickly gathered the gems in the sack and Walt carried it. He also said that the serpent’s scales could fetch a good sum, so they used shrinking equipment on it and stuffed it in another sack. They made their way out of the cave and continued their journey northwest without saying a word. After walking for an hour, Ailsa suddenly said,

“No more looking for treasures in caves,”

“Agreed,” Walt and Jenny said so quickly that Ailsa laughed causing them to laugh as well.

“Let’s see just how much our treasure is worth,” Walt said when they got to another NPC hotel. They stepped into the hotel and were directed to a store that was like a pawn shop. The three of them stepped into the store. Jenny and Ailsa browed around while Walt haggled with the store owner.

Jenny and Ailsa were trying on skull hats when Walt walked up to them and told them he had acquired two thousand gold pieces and five hundred silver pieces with their treasure. They had enough money now to help them make it to Echo Corridor with needing to search for more treasure.

“If we find anything on the road though, it would only make sense to take it,” Walt added as they left the store and the other two grudgingly agreed. They decided to spend the night in the hotel and relax after the super scary experience with the snake, they all needed it.

“This is much more exciting than my real life,” Ailsa said as she and Walt laid on the feather bed. Her head was on his chest and she felt his chest rumble as he laughed.

“Ouch, I’m part of your real-life yunno?” he said, she laughed this time and smacked his chest.

“Well, you’re here with me silly, that’s why it’s so perfect,” she said and he smiled. He understood what she meant, it was why he was so addicted to it in his past life and did not care about anything else. They talked some more and eventually fell asleep.

The next day, they hit the road again and were in better spirits after the previous day’s scare. They did not walk for a long time again and by midday, they had reached the Echo Corridor. Walt smiled at the familiar view but Ailsa and Jenny just stared because they had not expected anything like it.

Echo Corridor had a narrow entrance and from the front, it seemed to be like some type of maze with many parts. It seemed like a barely frozen wasteland but according to Walt, it was teeming with adventures just waiting to be discovered. He said that you really had to look to see the many opportunities and treasures that were there.

“Shall we?” he said and glanced at his teammates with a smile on his face. Ailsa smiled back and held his hand as they walked through the entrance. Jenny was a little weary of his smile but shrugged and followed them.