After Vyke, the player went to see Bernahl again.
The player selected [...Vyke is dead.]
Bernahl fell silent for a while, then sighed at last. "...Ah..."
"Vyke... you were too stubborn... Did loving her mean doing as she wished? That throne holds nothing but compromises. You would have been better off choosing to serve, like the White Wolf. Lord Godfrey... we..."
Bernahl composed himself and grew serious. "Oh, sorry you had to see that. Vyke and I were colleagues, I suppose... We were both Knights of the Round Table. I ought to offer something to mark his death. Take this, a small token."
Obtained [Devourer's Scepter]... Holy crap, a legendary gold item! Bernahl, why were you so generous?
Leaving Bernahl, the player resolutely set foot on the path of flame.
The road built from flames extended from the summit of the Volcano all the way to the distant, snow-covered mountain.
The surface was formed from condensed flames, and every step burned the player.
The player's health bar kept dropping. They drank one Flask of Crimson Tears after another, but the damned damage over time kept interrupting the flask's healing.
Riding Little Bull-Goat let them receive the full healing, but reviving Little Bull-Goat cost a Flask of Crimson Tears too!
The player could only use healing incantations to barely keep their health up.
They pressed on, step by step, and finally found a portal halfway along the road-Xiao Gao, you finally acted like a human being for once!
They teleported to the Mountaintops of the Giants, with no time to explore anything. A golden fog gate stood right before them. Talk about getting straight to the mountain-er, straight to the gate.
On the snow before the gate, a golden rune glowed faintly. Yhorm's figure emerged from the light.
The player walked