"Come on."
Caleb's body moved through the wall like a ghost. Whenever the skill went on cooldown, he hammered in a huge spike to hang himself from the bare mountain rock. This time, Sejuani had not come along, and neither had Olaf. The former had to look after Bristle, and while she was at it, she could receive Ashe if she returned at any moment. As for Olaf, he thought Ornn was not interesting. In the legends, Ornn only liked forging, and that did not sound very similar to the glorious death Olaf was seeking.
After Caleb's body swayed for a while in the fierce wind near the mountaintop, he turned into shadow again and moved upward. Behind Caleb, the rope kept uncoiling, but even that was still not enough.
"Look here."
Udyr's gaze fell upon a stretch of ruins. They were ancient, but they were also truly desolate.
"So this is Hearth-Home?" Sejuani's eyes were also filled with shock. In the ancient legends, this place was supposed to be the finest place for forging weapons. So why was it a ruin instead? In Sejuani's impression, the sound of hammering should have been ringing from this place without end. The forge fires should never have gone out, and thousands upon thousands of exquisite, imposing weapons and tools should have come from here.
"Hah…"
Caleb let out a long breath. Fortunately, he had eaten something that morning. Otherwise, Caleb was afraid he might not even be able to make it back down to the ground.
"Do you think that demigod is really up there?"
Caleb turned his head and saw that at some point, Yuumi had started circling around him.
"Why did you follow me up here? This is dangerous."
Caleb was rather helpless, but this yordle cat had followed him because she wanted to broaden her horizons.
"Forget it. Since you're here, you're here."
Caleb continued climbing upward. It seemed that lava had once rolled down this place before cooling, creating the smooth state it was in now.
"I wonder which one would be harder to climb compared to Mount Targon."
Although he was in the north, Caleb thought of Mount Targon far to the south.
"When we have time, maybe we can go try that place you mentioned too."
Yordles were not very concerned with matters in the material realm, unless they involved the existence of Bandle City itself.
"Caleb, do you think that god will actually come to see us?"
Yuumi asked in confusion. But then, whether it was everyone below the mountain or Caleb climbing halfway up it, all of them witnessed an astonishing sight.
"What is this?"
Looking at the mountain splitting open, Caleb was stunned. Did every demigod make such a grand entrance? He watched the majestic figure walking out from between the mountains, even thoughtfully creating a place for him to stand, and Caleb went a little blank. This guy was really too...
Impressive?
As expected of the earliest demigod born in the Freljord.
"I like being alone. So why have you come seeking me, mortal?"
Ornn's two great horns shone with a lava-like red glow. His powerful muscles and imposing voice left even Caleb dazed for a moment. He had seen Volibear before, and with Udyr's help, Sejuani had also seen him. But afterward, Udyr had gone far away to Ionia, and the alliance between the Winter's Claw and the Ursine had also collapsed during this operation to seize the cauldron.
According to Sejuani's recollection, Volibear's appearance should have been the strange kind. Half his face had no flesh left, only bone, while blades were embedded in his shoulders and back. Fresh blood still lingered in his mouth, and above his chest, four ancient eyes stared with bloodlust and icy indifference. Yet what Caleb had seen was a snow-white Volibear, with his long fur braided and hanging down over his chest. He was not that terrifying, just an overwhelmingly oppressive... polar bear?
"You may come in as well."
Ornn's voice was rather cold. Then he turned and walked into the mountain.
Caleb landed from midair and rubbed his cheeks hard.
"Then what exactly was the point of me climbing all this way…"
Udyr, on the other hand, was somewhat excited, his whole body trembling. This was the first time he had asked the ram's beast spirit for Ornn's location. Before this, it had been the bear spirit that told him the Ursine and Volibear were willing to ally with the Winter's Claw.
"So this is where you live?"
Caleb looked around. Aside from a dazzling array of weapons, there was only one forge that burned without end. Although Caleb stood at the very front, he did not dare speak rashly. There was no other reason, this place was simply too vast, too awe-inspiring.
Ornn picked up the rough blank he was still forging and breathed a mouthful of flame over it. The bright blade was hammered again and again in Ornn's hands before finally being placed into bone-chilling water. Quenching, generally speaking, only masters with mature craftsmanship could obtain the best blade condition under such circumstances. Of course, Ornn was undoubtedly the best master among them.
Caleb thought for a moment, discarded two openings that sounded extremely stupid, and switched to another way of saying it.
"The Freljord is in imminent danger. I'm afraid the people here, and even the demigods, are facing a threat that may bring destruction upon them."
Caleb's words did not sound alarmist. On the contrary, they were extremely sincere.
Ornn's large hand, which had been sharpening the blade, froze.
"Are you serious?"
Ornn paused slightly, then laughed.
"You should know I can tell you are not from the Freljord."
"Of course. But the news I bring will definitely interest you."
Caleb liked this blacksmith mainly because before the rework, he could build a Sapphire Crystal in lane and get back quite a bit of mana. Ornn could soak pressure, deal damage, start fights, and even help his teammates upgrade their weapons. Because of that, Caleb had also learned quite a bit about Ornn's lore.
"Kai'Sa."
Caleb beckoned gently, then whispered a few words beside Kai'Sa.
"Is that all right?"
After getting Kai'Sa's consent, Caleb quietly watched as Void skin surged over her entire body.
"Do you still remember when the three Iceborn sisters all came looking for you?"
Caleb's words instantly pulled Ornn's thoughts back to a very long time ago.
"At their request, you dug an extremely deep abyss and built a bridge over it."
Behind him, Sejuani stared at Caleb's back in disbelief. Where had he learned these things from?
"That did happen."
Ornn thought back briefly, then immediately remembered the three sisters who had ruled the Freljord for so long.
"Beneath it, countless creatures like this were sealed away. I believe you can also see that this is not something that should appear in the material realm at all."
Compared with the whole continent of Valoran, the Void was more like another plane entirely. Ornn smelled a trace of ill omen, something that had not happened for thousands of years.
"Impossible. Since it was an abyss I dug and a bridge I created, it could not have been damaged."
"Lissandra secretly used magic on the bridge, turning it into something similar to a bolt."
Caleb's words almost made Ornn's heart skip a beat. Not only did he know Lissandra, he even knew such hidden details.
"She used True Ice to seal the Void. But under the Void's constant corrosion, neither the bridge nor the corrupted black ice can hold for much longer."
For a demigod with an exceedingly long life, this could even be called imminent.
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