A grizzled man pillaged his way up a rocky area.

He was the opposite of well groomed. Only his chin stuck out from under his pale blue cloak. His short beard was tangled and filled with sediment.

“That damned bastard!”

Spit flew from his mouth as he cursed his master. His muddy boots deliberately stamped onto the hard surface of a rock.

“Why would he send someone of my caliber? It's pointless and he knows it! The old geezer is just punishing me for something, but what? I haven’t done anything wrong, besides the usual stuff…”

He lifted up a wooden staff he was carrying.

“I should snap this over my knee just to piss him off. Ha! …… Well, I bet it would explode or some shit if I did that. Who knows, magic doesn’t make sense… or at least his doesn’t. It just seems like he can do whatever the hell he wants without limits.”

The staff was his master’s. It was made of a dark brown wood that was almost black. He had never seen something like it before. It was quite magnificent looking. Carvings covered the side as it came to a large head where the holder placed their hand.

It was rough. The slightest slip of one’s hands would cause a plethora of nasty splinters. He had made sure to bring gloves just for carrying it, along with the dropping temperatures as he traveled north.

“That old cuck! Has he lost some screws over the past couple years? Why couldn’t I just teleport there?”

The man thought back to when his master gave him this quest.

The man was clean shaved before he left, showing more of his youth, but he still had his unprofessional demeanor, even with his master present.

“This is so stupid. Why would you have me miss the crowning? Am I not going to be the kingdom’s next protector? Why would I purposely miss the inauguration of the queen that I’ll spend the rest of my life serving?”

A stoic old man looked back at him unfazed. His great wisdom seemed to be sewn into his large white beard.

“You phrase that as if I won’t be here for her protection. Do you know how many generations of rulers I have served? There is no greater security than I.”

The man snagged the staff that the old man was holding and started to wave it in his face.

“Well, if this is just a dumb delivery errand, why do I have to be the one to do it?”

“Are you doubting your abilities, my successor, the ‘Great Cispel’.” The old man said with a slight mocking tone.

“You’re the only one who has ever had ‘Great’ preceding their name. But that’s exactly my point! This job is way below my pay grade. Why not make Phillip do it. Being an errand boy suits him much better.”

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“Phillip is exactly where he needs to be. Staying here and protecting the princesses.”

“None of this answers why I can’t just teleport there, hand them the stupid staff and T.P. back. It turns a year long journey into a single day.”

“That’s the first good question you’ve asked.”

“Shut up old bastard…” Cispel murmured.

“And that question has a good answer. Simply put, the dwarves dislike magic very much. It's a mystery as to why they took a liking to me.” the old man chuckled, “Plus, it’ll be a good training exercise. The northern mountains are no joke.”

“Transitions of power are no joke!”

Cispel threw the staff to the ground and grabbed his master's shoulders.

“Is this not what you’ve trained me for? My entire life has been dedicated to be the empire's next great protector and it seems like when it's my time to rise to the occasion, you’re casting me to the side.”

The old man seemed unfazed, just faintly smiling at his apprentice.

“Are you even listening to me? Did you lose some brain function in the last five minutes? You’ve probably got dementia from the way you’ve been acting.”

“Yes, I’m listening. I was just wondering where all this passion for your duties came from. Doesn’t seem much like you.” he teased.

Cispel sighed.

“What if the worst happens? What if there’s an attack that not even you, the Great Klahn, can stop? You need me here for the safety of the kingdom.”

Klahn’s demeanor completely changed. His next words felt as chilling as the tops of the great northern mountains.

“If the worst were to truly happen, then you will be exactly where you need to be.”

A spear of ice shot through Cispel’s spine, completely freezing over his entire body.

Ah…

So that’s why…

When concocting the worst case scenario, he had forgotten about what laid dormant in the mountains to the north.

That had happened almost a full year ago. He was now freezing in the northern mountains, climbing them on foot.

“‘iT wIlL aLsO mAkE fOr gOOd trAiNinG’ you senile kook. This is definitely just some random ass punishment. You always favored Phillip even though he has no magic. Why the hell am I even doing this? I don’t owe him anything.”

His hand instinctively went to his hip, touching something that was beneath his cloak.

“Ok well, maybe that last part is a lie. Still, I’ll beat his ass when I get back. He’s a dead man that’s way past his expiration date.”

As the cold wind chipped at his exposed face, a large dire wolf came out from the brush in front of him. It menacingly stared him down.

“Ugh, I was kind of hoping you wouldn’t come out until I reached that ridge up there. It would make for a better spot to set up camp for the night. Well, this’ll do. The rest of you can come out now as well.”

As if they could understand his words, three more dire wolves came out. He was now surrounded, but didn’t show any signs of panic.

The wolves’ shoulders were as tall as him, each with muscles that seemed that they were about to burst out from beneath the skin. They snarled and began to circle him.

“Well, it's probably better sooner than later. I’ve got a lot of pent up rage I need to get rid of. Don’t worry, I’ll make good use of your corpses.”

He had a confident smirk unfitting for a man surrounded by four large beasts. The situation he was in was the worst nightmare of most people.

“Don’t be shy. Come here little doggies…”

He taunted them as he slightly lifted his cloak.

A serpent- No. A rope slithered out from his side. It swam through the air effortlessly. The way it moved was mesmerizing, flowing, twirling and dancing through the air.

The sheer carnage left after that rope’s beautiful dance was merely an afterthought.