The meager rays of sunlight that had graced the vast expanse of alabaster snow began to slowly recede as the few hours of daylight supplied to us began to transform into a hazy gold glow, signaling the night's appearance. We had been trudging through around two-inch thick snow for nearly three hours now, the few hours of Suncrest daylight available to us almost gone.
There were still no changes to our surroundings, No trees, rivers, or living creatures around for miles—just an endless white. Worst of all, the snow had started back up, heavily blocking our vision. I wondered if my uncle knew where he was even going. Lita often came down to Icewind village. But I doubt she made a nearly full-day journey for it every time.
Just as I was beginning to get impatient, Urila suddenly stopped before me.
“Ugh!” With next to no warning, I walked into his back, my nose smashing into something hard within his backpack. Twenty-four
“Quiet, Ice Wyrms,” he said, his voice still dispassionate.
Ice Wyrms!
Like wyverns, they were a distant descendant of the dragon lineage. Although individually weaker than the wyverns. They made up for it with their unpredictable nature by burying themselves underground and attacking travelers that got too close to their nesting grounds. Wyverns were the great lizards of the sky, while Wyrms were for the underground.
A soft rumbling sound filled the air as the ground began to tremble gently. Had he sensed their presence that early?
“Eight of them, I'll handle it,” Lita responded. Dropping three of our heavy bags from her back onto the snow. Then, she pulled out a short dagger from its sheath by her waste. A curved dagger now grasped firmly within her grip. A fiery orange glow emanated from its razor-sharp edge.
Analyse.
Item Name: Flame Dagger
Rank: HIGH
Mana: 4000/5000
Skill: Flaming blade
A Flame dagger crafted from the essence of fire. To craft this dagger, a Maester craftsman combined his best materials from a flame salamander's heart.
50% more effective against Ice oriented enemies.
It was a powerful dagger, just one rank below the special rank. I can see why she chose such a weapon for the journey. It was well suited for our current environment. Since it was only high grade, its uses were linked to how much mana it had stored. Basically, It would become useless at zero mana.
I'll finally have a chance to witness some of her actual abilities in action.
Just when I had thought the earthquake would reach a peak, the rumbling suddenly stopped. Silence filled the air for what felt like minutes. I could hear my breathing as I inhaled the cold, icy air.
Lita took up a dagger-holding battle stance, her knees crouched, and the dagger raised horizontally at chin level.
Suddenly, I felt a strong force tug on my shoulder as I was sucked in towards Urilas embrace. Picking up Litas dropped bags. Then, as if defying gravity, he Jumped nearly ten feet backwards, carrying me under his arm like furniture. He didn't even look down at me the entire time, as if watching over me was a chore.
Seconds later, the ground beneath Litas' feet began to shake before crumbling into pieces. Flipping through the air, Lita nimble escaped from the expanse of falling snow and earth. A Large hole, nearly ten feet in diameter, appeared where she once stood.
Something’s coming out. The sound of moving earth echoed out from the circular canal. Increasing in sound as whatever was escaping from the tunnel was shifting its way out.
“Stay still,” Urila warned. Yet there were no harsh tones of warning in his voice As if he was speaking to himself. It seems like he underestimated my knowledge. I had already memorized most of the natural monsters within Snowpeak's natural habitat. Wyrms were blind and reacted only to sound and movements from the earth. The slightest shift would alert them of your presence.
A high-pitched screeching sound filled the air as the wyrms head burst through the tunnel. Its worm-like, serpentine body advanced into the air, its lower body still attached to the tunnels below. I wondered how far down its body reached below the ground's surface. Its face was hideous. A mesh of splinter-like teeth arranged in a circular spiral seemed to make up the entirety of its face. A creature designed just for tunneling through the earth. Its scale-like armor looked as thick and hard as the wyvern armor I had encountered previously.
Analysis.
Name: Unnamed
Age: 10
Race: Ice Wyrm
Class: Arctic Wyrm[B]
This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.
An arctic wyrm descendant of the mighty dragon race.
Lives in the depths of the earth in large nests connected through interweaving tunnels—natural inhabitants of sub-zero regions.
Soon towering over us, it twisted its neck… no, body, around in every direction, looking for the prey it had sensed earlier. Similar rumbling noises echoed around in every direction, comparable holes beginning to open up around Lita.
With incredible speed and agility, Lita didn't hesitate to attack the Wyrm before her. Her dagger glowing with a burning amber light in the swirling snow. Then, in a split second, she lunged forward, her blade slicing through the air with deadly precision. The Wyrm, caught off guard, had no chance to react before Lita's strike landed true. The razor-sharp edge of her short dagger cut cleanly through the creature's body, leaving a deep, gaping wound that split it perfectly in half. Excessive wind force from her slash passed through the creature, creating a strong gust of wind behind it.
As Lita pulled back her dagger, the full extent of her victory became clear. The Wyrm's body was now marked by a vivid red line, and thick, crimson blood oozed out of the wound, staining the snow beneath it. As the Wyrm's body began to slide apart, everything above the line of Lita's strike began to slip down, revealing the inner workings of the creature's body.
[Your party has Defeated An Ice Wyrm]
SLAM. Its sizeable upper half fell down loudly against the snow.
Soon, more high-pitched screeching filled the air as several other wyrms appeared from their holes—all of the same appearance and similar size to the fallen wyrm.
Using analysis, with slight shifts in class, they were all still B rank or roughly tier three in strength.
Lita's earlier movements had markedly given away her location. Like a pack of wild bulls, seven massive, twisting serpentine bodies flew towards her direction from all angles. Each forefronted by a row of deadly earth-eating open maws.
Dashing towards the closest serpentine head rushing towards her, a pillar of ice formed at her feet, launching her above its advancing form. As she fell onto its body, like a dropping guillotine, she lunged her knife downwards, dissecting the wyrm by cutting through its body and reappearing on the other side, drenched in blood. There was enough force from her downward thrust for her planted feet to create large cracks in the earth beneath her.
[Your party has Defeated An Ice Wyrm]
It's probably safe to say she went easy on me.
Changing directions, several of the closest serpentine heads twisted their course, now aiming toward her direction. Surrounding her, just before they could make contact, a wall of ice seemed to materialize around her. Brittle and thin, I was sure it would shatter like glass from the wyrm's heavy forms.
“AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!” However, instead of smashing through the wall, all three wyrms screamed out in unison in pain as they bounced heavily back against the wall, like rocks thrown against a mountain. The wyrms twisted their bodies around in pain, writhing against the ground.
Jumping over the surrounding wall, Lita landed on the head of one such wyrm with her feet… stomping its head into mush. Its upper body exploded into fragments of blood, guts, and scale shards.
[Your party has Defeated An Ice Wyrm]
This isn't even a fight. Could a class make you that much more powerful? I didn't even want to know her strength stat number to be capable of such complete brutality.
Running towards the other two wyrms, She similarly dispatched them like the first. Dissecting them in half with her dagger, like they were nothing but fish on a chopping block.
[Your party has Defeated An Ice Wyrm]
[Your party has Defeated An Ice Wyrm]
The remaining three wyrms weren't stupid. They now instinctually knew they were not the hunters but the hunted. I couldn't tell if they expressed fear or not through their faces, but their following action of burrowing back into the dirt was enough to know they did. The earth shook for a few moments before silence returned.
Walking towards us, Lita was drenched in blood. She brought a change of clothes, though she couldn't exactly clean up naked here in the cold. She would probably have to walk to the village like that, drenched in blood.
Silencing my thoughts, a red mist rose from her body into the atmosphere. The blood had heated up to a high level without burning her, evaporating into the atmosphere. How had she done that?
She condensed ice from the air and evaporated blood from her clothes. Her magic was clearly a mixture of ice and fire, heating and cooling something. She had blended it seamlessly into her fighting skills too, making it look effortless.
Honestly, I was impressed. I doubt that was the extent of her abilities, either.
Urila, to my side, far from impressed, hadn't even watched the fight. Gazing absentmindedly into the horizon.
“Let's go, " he said finally, not even waiting for Lita to catch up.
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The only thing that signaled the village's appearance in the darkening night was the gentle Purple light from the moon of Nerja. The small village nestled in the snow at night was a tranquil sight, as the crisp air brought a sense of peace to the surroundings. The snow had coated every surface, making the roofs of the houses appear like fluffy pillows. The only sounds were the distant howl of the wind and the crunch of snow underfoot, most residents probably asleep. Smoke rose from the chimneys of the houses, curling upwards into the inky sky as if trying to touch the twinkling stars. It was a serene winter wonderland.
All three of us, finally at the gate, Urila spoke up. “We rest here for the night.”
Lita obediently nodded her head in response—as usual.
“You couldn't tell us all that before we got here, like how long it would take or where we would stay?” I said. I was honestly irritated. At first, I had thought that perhaps he was simply intentionally annoying through arrogance and selfishness. People like that, I honestly couldn't even bother to give two seconds of my time. Now, however, I knew he was just naturally like that—a pain in the butt.
Whether he was a man or woman, it didn't even matter. He would benefit greatly from a shift in attitude.
“Uncle, we would all benefit greatly from a simple shift in your attitude. I would recommend you at least treat us like companions for the remainder of the journey.” I remarked snidely, displeasure apparent in my voice. I never once admitted to being a patient person. What little I had was beginning to run out.
“Oh,” my uncle responded. Looking at me for what felt like the second time today.
“Companions are irrelevant in my mission. I don't want companions.” He continued, his tone unchanging.
“Then what would you call us then?” I asked. I was genuinely curious. In all fairness, I doubt I saw him as a companion, either. You cared about your companions. I simply saw him as a growing thorn in my side.
“Annoyances,” he replied.
Grabbing my stomach, I looked down hard at the floor, something rising from my gut.
“Hahahahahaha” Soft, childish laughter erupted from my mouth. Urila's expression shifted slightly to surprise, probably not expecting my reaction.
“Looks like we're the same, then,” I replied, my laughter dying. Then, standing back up straight, I looked him dead in the eyes. He no longer turned his gaze away from me.
Yes, it was far easier to deal with people when both sides had their intentions laid bare.
“Ok, Then how about a compromise?” I asked.
“...” He silently waited for me to continue. I could see Lita listening intently beside us, not wanting to butt in. Or maybe she did and just couldn't. Take notes Big Sis.
“I won't dig into your past, try to befriend or treat you like my uncle. We both dislike each other. I think that's pretty clear. But, in return, you won't treat me like an unwanted accessory anymore, either. It irks me.” I emphasized ‘Irk.’
“We can dislike each other all we want, But I assume your mission requires you to succeed in bringing me back alive. Therefore, everything we do will concern completing that goal as a priority. So don’t make things harder for me, and ill make things easier for you.” I finished. I wasn't asking him. I was telling him.
“...” Urila’s gaze, for the first time, seemed to analyze me from top to bottom. As if I just came into existence in his ‘world.’
“We sleep for the night, then ask the village chief to rent his prized mounts. Three days travel to snow peak cape, where we will stay until reinforcements.” He replied
“Better,” I snarkily replied.
I could feel an intense gaze piercing my back. Flashbacks from when I was a baby entered my mind as a shiver slowly crept up my spine.
Looking back, I caught Lita looking off at the distant village. The spine-chilling gaze, no more.
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