The majestic mountains of the north were gradually fading behind me as I resolutely continued my quest towards new horizons. Driven by a deep conviction, I firmly believed that each people played an essential role in preserving the balance of the world. My next stop was the City of Enchantments, a mysterious land where magical beings and powerful sorcerers coexisted in harmony. Or so I thought.
The path to the City of Enchantments stretched out before me, difficult and arduous, but every step I took strengthened my determination. The landscape was constantly changing, with surprising rock formations that defied logic and gravity. Tumultuous waterfalls flowed from the peaks, creating natural melodies that mingled with the sound of the wind. I walked alone, my thoughts getting lost in the mysteries that awaited me in this legendary city.
As I made progress, I reflected with gratitude on the dwarves' feast and the warm hospitality they had extended to me. Gromaron, their wise and benevolent leader, had deeply touched my heart with his words of trust and respect. But among all the dwarves, it was the charismatic Borin, who had left the strongest impression on me, speaking of the City of Enchantments and the quest that awaited me.
Lost in my thoughts, I realized that I had not taken the time to check my bag since leaving the feast. I stopped, taking a short pause to rummage through it, ensuring that I had all the necessary equipment to face the dangers that would arise.
While searching through my bag, my fingers slid over a smooth and cold surface. Intrigued, I delicately pulled the object out of my bag and discovered with wonder a sparkling sword. Its blade emitted a golden glow, while its finely crafted hilt seemed to exude a magical aura. I carefully pulled it out, admiring its captivating beauty and wondering what story lay behind it.
As I contemplated the magical sword, my eyes landed on a small scroll of parchment wrapped around the hilt. Intrigued, I carefully unrolled the parchment, revealing neatly written words. It was a message from Gromaron himself.
The message read:
"𝔇𝔢𝔞𝔯 ℜ𝔦𝔨𝔬,
𝔐𝔞𝔶 𝔱𝔥𝔦𝔰 𝔪𝔞𝔤𝔦𝔠𝔞𝔩 𝔰𝔴𝔬𝔯𝔡 𝔰𝔢𝔯𝔳𝔢 𝔞𝔰 𝔶𝔬𝔲𝔯 𝔤𝔲𝔦𝔡𝔢 𝔞𝔫𝔡 𝔭𝔯𝔬𝔱𝔢𝔠𝔱𝔬𝔯 𝔬𝔫 𝔶𝔬𝔲𝔯 𝔮𝔲𝔢𝔰𝔱 𝔱𝔬 𝔱𝔥𝔢 ℭ𝔦𝔱𝔶 𝔬𝔣 𝔈𝔫𝔠𝔥𝔞𝔫𝔱𝔪𝔢𝔫𝔱𝔰. ℑ𝔱 𝔥𝔬𝔩𝔡𝔰 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔭𝔬𝔴𝔢𝔯 𝔬𝔣 𝔬𝔲𝔯 𝔞𝔫𝔠𝔢𝔰𝔱𝔬𝔯𝔰 𝔞𝔫𝔡 𝔦𝔰 𝔦𝔪𝔟𝔲𝔢𝔡 𝔴𝔦𝔱𝔥 𝔱𝔥𝔢𝔦𝔯 𝔴𝔦𝔰𝔡𝔬𝔪. 𝔘𝔰𝔢 𝔦𝔱 𝔴𝔦𝔱𝔥 𝔥𝔬𝔫𝔬𝔯 𝔞𝔫𝔡 𝔡𝔦𝔰𝔠𝔢𝔯𝔫𝔪𝔢𝔫𝔱.
𝔎𝔫𝔬𝔴 𝔱𝔥𝔞𝔱 𝔴𝔢 𝔟𝔢𝔩𝔦𝔢𝔳𝔢 𝔦𝔫 𝔶𝔬𝔲 𝔞𝔫𝔡 𝔶𝔬𝔲𝔯 𝔞𝔟𝔦𝔩𝔦𝔱𝔶 𝔱𝔬 𝔞𝔠𝔠𝔬𝔪𝔭𝔩𝔦𝔰𝔥 𝔱𝔥𝔦𝔰 𝔤𝔯𝔢𝔞𝔱 𝔪𝔦𝔰𝔰𝔦𝔬𝔫. 𝔗𝔥𝔢 ℭ𝔦𝔱𝔶 𝔬𝔣 𝔈𝔫𝔠𝔥𝔞𝔫𝔱𝔪𝔢𝔫𝔱𝔰 𝔦𝔰 𝔞 𝔪𝔶𝔰𝔱𝔢𝔯𝔦𝔬𝔲𝔰 𝔞𝔫𝔡 𝔡𝔞𝔫𝔤𝔢𝔯𝔬𝔲𝔰 𝔭𝔩𝔞𝔠𝔢, 𝔟𝔲𝔱 𝔴𝔢 𝔞𝔯𝔢 𝔠𝔬𝔫𝔳𝔦𝔫𝔠𝔢𝔡 𝔱𝔥𝔞𝔱 𝔶𝔬𝔲 𝔥𝔞𝔳𝔢 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔰𝔱𝔯𝔢𝔫𝔤𝔱𝔥 𝔞𝔫𝔡 𝔠𝔬𝔲𝔯𝔞𝔤𝔢 𝔫𝔢𝔠𝔢𝔰𝔰𝔞𝔯𝔶 𝔱𝔬 𝔱𝔯𝔦𝔲𝔪𝔭𝔥.
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𝔑𝔢𝔳𝔢𝔯 𝔣𝔬𝔯𝔤𝔢𝔱 𝔱𝔥𝔞𝔱 𝔶𝔬𝔲 𝔠𝔞𝔯𝔯𝔶 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔣𝔯𝔦𝔢𝔫𝔡𝔰𝔥𝔦𝔭 𝔞𝔫𝔡 𝔤𝔯𝔞𝔱𝔦𝔱𝔲𝔡𝔢 𝔬𝔣 𝔬𝔲𝔯 𝔭𝔢𝔬𝔭𝔩𝔢 𝔴𝔦𝔱𝔥𝔦𝔫 𝔶𝔬𝔲. 𝔜𝔬𝔲 𝔞𝔯𝔢 𝔫𝔬𝔱 𝔞𝔩𝔬𝔫𝔢 𝔦𝔫 𝔱𝔥𝔦𝔰 𝔮𝔲𝔢𝔰𝔱. 𝔗𝔥𝔢 𝔡𝔴𝔞𝔯𝔳𝔢𝔰 𝔴𝔦𝔩𝔩 𝔞𝔩𝔴𝔞𝔶𝔰 𝔟𝔢 𝔱𝔥𝔢𝔯𝔢, 𝔦𝔫 𝔶𝔬𝔲𝔯 𝔥𝔢𝔞𝔯𝔱, 𝔰𝔲𝔭𝔭𝔬𝔯𝔱𝔦𝔫𝔤 𝔞𝔫𝔡 𝔢𝔫𝔠𝔬𝔲𝔯𝔞𝔤𝔦𝔫𝔤 𝔶𝔬𝔲 𝔞𝔱 𝔢𝔳𝔢𝔯𝔶 𝔰𝔱𝔢𝔭 𝔬𝔣 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔴𝔞𝔶.
𝔐𝔞𝔶 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔰𝔭𝔦𝔯𝔦𝔱𝔰 𝔬𝔣 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔪𝔬𝔲𝔫𝔱𝔞𝔦𝔫𝔰 𝔤𝔲𝔦𝔡𝔢 𝔞𝔫𝔡 𝔭𝔯𝔬𝔱𝔢𝔠𝔱 𝔶𝔬𝔲.
𝔚𝔦𝔱𝔥 𝔯𝔢𝔰𝔭𝔢𝔠𝔱 𝔞𝔫𝔡 𝔣𝔯𝔦𝔢𝔫𝔡𝔰𝔥𝔦𝔭,
𝔊𝔯𝔬𝔪𝔞𝔯𝔬𝔫"
The words of the dwarven leader deeply touched me; they resonated within me like a soothing breeze. I carefully stowed the parchment near my heart, knowing it would give me strength and comfort when I needed it most. Armed with the magical sword and carrying Gromaron's benevolent words with me, I continued my march towards the City of Enchantments, ready to face all the challenges that lay in my path.
After an exhausting week, traversing dark mountain peaks and sinister sunken valleys, I finally found myself facing the intimidating gates of the City of Enchantments. Carved from ancient stone, the gates were adorned with intricate patterns and seemed to shimmer with a mysterious glow. Guards, dressed in robes adorned with magical symbols, stood on either side, scrutinizing anyone seeking entry.
Advancing with confidence, I brandished the magical sword entrusted to me by Gromaron. However, as soon as the guards caught sight of my goblin silhouette, expressions of hostility appeared on their faces. The guard on the left fixed me with a suspicious gaze, while the one on the right crossed his arms disdainfully, as if my mere presence bothered them.
"What is a goblin doing here?" spat the guard on the left, his voice filled with disdain. "This city is not a place for monsters like you."
A pang of disappointment and injustice gripped me, but I refused to be discouraged. I knew I had to prove my worth and sincere intention to protect the city. Lifting my head, I met their gaze with determination.
"I am Riko, and I am not here to cause trouble," I replied calmly but resolutely. "I have been chosen to answer the city's call and to fight against the threat looming over this kingdom. I am ready to fight alongside the inhabitants of the City of Enchantments, regardless of their origins."
The guards exchanged a brief glance, their faces clearly expressing their mistrust. One of them stepped forward, evidently seeking to learn more about me.
"In this city, we don't let just anyone in," he declared in a grave voice. "To prove your worth, you must solve this riddle. If you fail, you will not have a place among us."
Raising an eyebrow, I prepared to rise to the challenge laid before me. The guards shared a knowing smile, seemingly relishing this opportunity to test my wit.
"Here is the riddle: I am captured in the morning, released in the evening, and I disappear throughout the night. Who am I?" one of the guards pronounced with an enigmatic voice.
I took a moment to analyze the riddle, scrutinizing each word. My mind sprang into action, trying to find the answer hidden behind these mysterious words.
Suddenly, a flash of understanding illuminated my mind. I raised my head and confidently replied, "The sunlight."
The guards nodded, showing their approval. "Well done, goblin. You have solved the riddle brilliantly," one of them said.
Finally, the guard on the right, sighed and waved his hand. The doors opened slowly, revealing a fascinating interior filled with majestic towers, streets paved with magical runes, and an aura of mystical power.
"Enter, but remember that you have much to prove here," declared the left guard in a cold voice.
to be continued...