Aozaki Aoko Case File [507] (Patreon)

"I know it’s asking a lot, but I still want to help them," Edgin said sincerely, looking at the others, his usual levity gone. "I don’t want to see tragedy befall my friends and neighbors, especially when I can do something about it."

"Hmph, I’ve always known what kind of person you are," Holga slapped Edgin on the back, making him sit up straighter. "I’ll go with you. The Velryns are friends and neighbors of mine too."

"If I was going to refuse, I would’ve done it back when you asked me to help take down Forge," Simon grinned. "It’s just another mountain trek—not a big deal. Who knows, maybe we’ll discover something interesting."

"I can help too," Doric volunteered, raising her hand. "I’m bored to death lately. There’s barely been a chance to go out."

"I’ll help as well," Aoko nodded at Edgin. "But you should know, it’s not that I’m so kindhearted that I help every good person I see in trouble. It’s because you, as my teammate, need it—that’s why I decided to help."

"I understand," Edgin looked Aoko in the eyes seriously. "I won’t let this trust down!"

Having decided to look for Garrett Velryn, Edgin invited Keegan Velryn into his home to ask about all the details before setting out.

During their talk, the group learned more about Garrett’s background—he came from a wealthy family in Neverwinter but disliked city life and moved to the Ten-Towns to live.

Garrett Velryn enjoyed outdoor activities and made a living as a guide, taking people up the mountains. This time, he was hired by a group of adventurers to climb Kelvin’s Cairn.

They bought supplies together in Caer-Konig, the town at the foot of the mountain, and went up together. After that, there was no more news—only Garrett’s loyal sled dog, "Boy," returned alone.

Keegan Velryn was very confident in Garrett’s survival skills and firmly believed he was still alive—which is why she came to Edgin, a former Harper, for help.

"You can take ‘Boy’ with you," Keegan suggested. "He’s a loyal, intelligent sled dog. He’s always climbed with Garrett before—he’ll definitely help in the search!"

Boy sat quietly by their side, not barking at all, just wagging his tail and looking expectantly at Edgin’s party.

"I think he’s great," Doric squatted down, rubbing Boy’s furry ears. "He’s a good dog—I can feel it. I’ll take care of him."

As a druid and wilderness expert, Doric was the obvious choice. No one objected; in fact, having an animal companion with search ability was a great help.

Once the job was accepted, Keegan Velryn went home to wait for news, leaving Boy at Edgin’s house.

It didn’t take long for Doric to bond with Boy. The dog followed all her commands perfectly—obviously a well-trained, clever animal.

…

The next day, after Aoko redid the illusion, protection, and divination spells around the Edgin residence, the group quietly left Targos by dogsled.

To avoid alerting anyone, even the Targos gate guards were under Aoko’s Confusion spell and didn’t remember the sled passing by.

Normally, it would take about fourteen and a half hours of non-stop trekking to reach Caer-Konig on foot. But with all the snow, the sled was much faster.

Boy was already a sled dog, and with two more from Aoko’s sled, they now had three pulling together—making the trip even quicker.

Usually, to reach Caer-Konig at the foot of Kelvin’s Cairn, you’d need to pass through Bryn Shander and Caer-Dineval, then circle half of Lac Dinneshere before arriving.

But now that Lac Dinneshere was frozen solid, Aoko’s sled could go straight across, cutting the journey significantly.

With no mood to stop at towns along the way, it only took about seven hours to reach Caer-Konig.

Caer-Konig, though nestled under Kelvin’s Cairn, was built much like Targos—on a lakeshore with a sunken harbor.

It was founded by northern mountain folk from the Sea of the Moon. They first camped here, but as more people stayed, they built a wooden palisade for safety.

As more people settled, and as adventurers came to climb Kelvin’s Cairn, Caer-Konig became a multi-tiered settlement built in terraces up the hillside.

At the back of these terraces stood the ruins of a stone fort.

The fort had been built by early settlers to ward off raiders, but the palisade and fort couldn’t stop orc attacks. The orcs quickly seized it.

Though the orcs were later driven off, the townsfolk never rebuilt the fort, leaving its ruins as a warning: nothing here is truly indestructible.

The people of Caer-Konig mostly made their living from the lake and from trading with adventurers.

But under the Everlasting Rime, Lac Dinneshere was long frozen—there was nothing more to be had from the lake.

This left the townsfolk both miserable and angry, with nothing they could do.

Because the Everlasting Rime is not something they believed human effort could solve, all they could do was gather at the tavern and curse the damned weather.

When Aoko and the others entered Caer-Konig, they could immediately feel the oppressive atmosphere.

Compared to Targos and Bremen, which at least had some outside contact, Caer-Konig was much more desolate.

Even the town speaker, a dragonborn named Trovus, was found passed out drunk in the street by the docks.

A sense of unreliability crept over Aoko. She realized they probably couldn’t expect much help or information from this town—they would have to rely on themselves to complete the mission.

"Sigh, let’s go check the inn first," Edgin said helplessly. "At least we need to buy some equipment before climbing the mountain."