They took a breather and rested a while to gather their strength. Then they mounted their Voidspawn again, and they began to cross the frozen river. The current was extremely strong and cold, and several of the Voidspawn were unable to counter the current and got dragged under with the Shadow Walkers on their backs. When they re-emerged downstream, the Shadow Walkers were missing.

“That’s six more comrades we’ve lost on this journey!” Raul scolded, “We’ve nearly lost half of our expeditionary force already! And you say we’re only halfway there?!”

"I'm sorry." Brittany apologized, "But we can't stop now. Now that we've crossed this river, the last leg of our journey should be uneventful.”

"How could you possibly…” Raul began, but he was cut short when suddenly another group of warriors appeared from the north. Their apparel looks slightly different than the warriors they had fought earlier. These warriors wore heavy furs and carried axes, swords, and spears. They also rode polar bears instead of using horses like the first group had.

"You spoke too soon!" Raul shouted, "Another pack of warriors!"

This time, the warriors used both spears and lances to attack. The land-bound squid were swift, but they weren't able to dodge the attacks. Spears pierced deep into the soft squishy flesh, and the spears penetrated the armor as if it was paper.

Threat Detected!

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

Fight | Retreat

Brittany hesitated, but selected "Fight".

Without warning, the first volley of spears was launched at them. The spears bounced off the Voidspawn's shells and ricocheted off the canyon walls nearby.

Brittany summoned the Element of Light, and a massive ball of energy erupted from her left hand. The wall of light struck the volley of spears, and it disintegrated each one as it passed through.

"Nice job!" Raul cheered, "Now let's finish them!"

The remaining spears were deflected by the wall of energy, but not before two spears impacted with the front of the Voidspawn.

One spear punctured the shell, and the other penetrated deep into the creature's torso. Black goo began leaking from the wound, and it fell to its knees.

Raul immediately dismounted his wounded Voidspawn, but wasn’t fast enough. Suddenly the creature erupted into a puddle of black goo, covering Raul in the nasty substance from head to toe.

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"Oh, that stinks!" Raul moaned.

"It's okay," Brittany reassured him, "It will respawn in about ten minutes. Until then, let’s finish this!”

"Yeah! Let's do this!" Raul agreed.

The warriors continued to attack, and the Shadow Walkers were forced to defend themselves. The warriors threw spears and lances at them, but the spears bounced off the tough shell of the Voidspawn. Arrows were fired at the Shadow Walkers as well.

The warriors were persistent and relentless, and they attacked again and again. Soon, the Shadow Walkers were surrounded.

"Cover me!" Raul shouted, "I'm going in!"

He rushed forward and swung his sword at the nearest warrior, but the warrior parried the strike with his spear and threw a punch at Raul. The punch connected with Raul's cheek, and he staggered backwards.

The warrior grabbed Raul by the wrist, and he twisted it violently. Raul dropped his sword and fell to the ground.

"Lay down thy weapons and surrender!" the warrior commanded, "Or ye shall be put to death!"

Raul tried to stand up, but the warrior tightened his grip and pulled Raul back down. He looked around for help, but there was no one else close enough to lend aid. There were several warriors, and some of them were creeping closer to where Raul lay.

"If ye resist, we shall kill thee!" the warrior threatened.

"Look out!" Brittany warned as she struggle to reach him, "Two more coming!"

A second later, the warriors charged. They attacked Raul simultaneously, and they punched him repeatedly, kicked him, and even stomped on him. More punches landed in his stomach, and he doubled over in pain.

Suddenly, a new voice interjected, "Surrender or die!"

Brittany froze mid-strike when she heard the familiar voice. Lily emerged from the group of warriors, her dragon Tiamat not far behind her.

“Never!” Brittany yelled in contempt, “You will all surrender your souls to the Leviathan!”

“That’s not going to happen.” Lily seethed and turned to her dragon, “Attack!”

Tiamat sprang forward and attacked the Shadow Walkers from the front as the rest of the group rode on the Voidspawn. She dodged spears, arrows, and spears, and she sliced through lances with her razor sharp claws. She was the fastest thing alive, and it didn't take long for her to mow down the Shadow Walkers.

Suddenly Raul cried out in extreme pain. Brittany turned to see that one of the warriors who had pinned him down had stabbed a sword through his chest.

“No!” Brittany screamed, but it was too late.

She watched in horror as the remaining life left Raul’s eyes and his body fell limp. Blood pooled around the blade as it slowly slid out of his lifeless body.

“What did I just witness?" Brittany wondered, "Was it death by stabbing? Was that what happened to the others? I thought we were undead?”

Brittany made a quick assessment, and knew immediately that her fledgling remains of an expeditionary force were beyond outnumbered.

“Retreat!” she yelled, “Retreat!”

The remaining Shadow Walkers obeyed, and they all ran with Brittany westward away from the warriors.

After fleeing for a while, they eventually found a spot where they could safely rest and recover. After taking inventory, Brittany was shocked to learn that only 26 Shadow Walkers remained, indicating that they had lost more than two-thirds of their expeditionary force since they started.

Once they rested, they would proceed further north. If they traveled at night, they could avoid the worst of the cold wind that drove them back.

Brittany mourned the death of Raul. Although she barely knew him, he had quickly become a loyal friend and companion. She felt guilty about what happened, and she wished things could have been different.

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