The Shadow Walkers mounted their Voidspawn again, and they charged through the gate. They continued forward, leaving the wreckage behind. Soon the ground began to rise, and they finally reached the top of the hill.

The top of the hill was level, and it overlooked a large snowy valley full of settlements. Some of the structures were fairly new, but other ones were abandoned and dilapidated.

"What is this place?" Raul asked.

Suddenly they heard several trumpets sound, alarming the inhabitants to their intrusion.

"Somebody’s here!" Raul shouted, "We have to turn around before they attack!"

"How could anyone possibly survive up here in this frozen wasteland, let alone build an entire city?!" Brittany exclaimed.

As she spoke, a vision formed in her mind. She saw the world as it was thousands of years ago. In her vision, there were ten tribes of people each with their own leaders and kingdoms who escaped Earth and found refuge in these Northern Lands. This was the city built by the Tribe of Dan.

"Wait! I know who they are." Brittany said, "The Leviathan just showed me some visions from the past. I don’t think we’re going to make it out of here without a fight."

"That's unfortunate." Raul shrugged, "Even though we're outnumbered, I'm confident we'll win."

"Yeah, me too." Brittany said, "These people look primitive, but they're still humans. And I know I can beat a human."

A group of powerful warriors were approaching from the north, and the group of Shadow Walkers held their positions as the warriors rode closer. As they drew near, they saw that the leader of the tribe was a man wearing animal pelts. He wielded an ax in one hand, and a spear in the other. His eyes were sharp as he scowled at them.

Threat Detected!

A contingent of warriors from the Tribe of Dan are descending upon you. Do you wish to fight, or retreat?

Fight | Retreat

Brittany selected the obvious answer, "Fight".

"Come thou forth!" the warrior commanded, "We shall slay thee. We hath no place for cowards in our tribe."

"Coward?" Raul scoffed, "Who are you calling a coward?"

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

"Thou art the cowardly one!" the warrior proclaimed, "Our tribe has lived here for generations, and ye come and desecrate our sacred lands!"

"Then let us settle this once and for all." Raul declared, "For you see, we are the champions of death. We aren't afraid of you or your puny village. Come forth and face us if you dare. For we will defeat you, and you shall bow to our power!"

The warrior snarled and screamed at Raul, "Ye shall pay for this insult! Ye shall die!"

The warriors aboard their mounts charged the group of Shadow Walkers. The Shadow Walkers quickly mounted their Voidspawn, and the battle commenced.

The warriors were quick to engage the Shadow Walkers. They threw spears as they rode, and the creatures ducked underneath the weapons with ease. Several of the spears lodged themselves deep into the land-bound squid's skin, but the creatures didn't seem to care.

Their bodies glowed red from within, and they were able to withstand the attacks of the warriors without taking much damage at all. Their hide was thick, allowing them to shrug off the strikes of the spear quite easily.

The warriors fought hard, but they were no match for the Shadow Walkers. The land-bound squid-creatures were unrelenting as they trampled over the warriors and their horses. One warrior was thrown off his horse when a giant squid slammed its body onto him, knocking his mount off balance.

"Die!" the warrior screamed, "Die ye beasts!"

The warriors turned their attention to Brittany, and they attacked her with everything they had. Spear thrusts, lances, and arrows flew wildly through the air, but none hit their mark.

Brittany summoned the Elements of Water and Air, sending a massive wall of water right at the heart of the charging warriors. When she unleashed it, the warriors were knocked backwards like bowling pins.

The warriors recovered almost instantly, and they got back up on their feet and charged again. This time, Brittany didn't waste any time. She summoned her Voidspawn to form a circle around her and Raul.

The warriors attacked again, and Brittany responded with another wall of water. She knocked down the entire formation of warriors with a single blow.

"Nice work." Raul praised.

"Thanks." Brittany grinned, "Now let's get out of here."

The warriors mounted their horses and went after them, but the Shadow Walkers were faster than the warriors as they escaped back through the remains of the gate and headed eastward along the massive wall. The Voidspawn were far too fast, and the warriors couldn't catch up.

They kept riding until they finally reached a massive mountain range where the wall stopped at a corner and then resumed northward.

"So… what now?" Raul wondered aloud.

"We follow the wall. It will take us closer to our destination." Brittany replied.

The Shadow Walkers followed the wall for hours. At one point, the mountains started to grow tall and steep, and the path became narrower. Eventually, they came to a narrow pass through the mountains. It was only wide enough for one person to pass through at a time.

"Well, that's convenient." Raul remarked sarcastically.

"I guess we have no choice." Brittany sighed, "Keep going."

The pass was treacherous, and it was filled with sharp rocks. The terrain became increasingly rugged, forcing the land-bound squid to navigate carefully. After another hour, the pass opened up into a massive valley.

They stopped at the entrance of the valley and scanned their surroundings. It was desolate and barren, and the wall stopped again at another corner and now followed West. Before them was a massive river with icy flows that likely rivaled the great Mississippi.

"We need to get to the other side of this river.” Brittany instructed, “We are about halfway to our destination.”

"Agreed." Raul nodded.

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© Copyright 2022 R.M. Mulder. All rights reserved.