Jack Frost glanced up at Indienee with a mischievous grin, his icy voice echoing, "Wheee, whaaat areee weee looooking fooor nooow?"
She remained focused, her gaze sharp as she scanned the rugged landscape around them. "Just stay close to me," she said, her voice firm. There was an urgency to her steps now, the weight of her mission pressing against her with each stride. Jack Frost giggled and skipped ahead slightly, but he stayed near, sensing the seriousness in her tone.
“I can’t tell what this town used to be like with all the snow covering everything…” Indienee muttered, surveying the snow-laden ruins. “Maybe I should use that tracer powder Ilma gave me to check for any magic traces.”
She reached into her pouch and pulled out a small bag of powder, holding it in front of her. "If I remember the incantation correctly..." she murmured, concentrating.
“Type: Magic. Particle Level: Two and above. Trace On.”
The powder inside the pouch responded immediately, swirling upward in a light spiral before forming into an arrow. For a moment, the arrow wavered, then suddenly split into multiple directions, darting around like confused fireflies before retreating back into the pouch.
"Of course..." Indienee sighed, shaking her head. “The hailstorm must have been summoned by magic, too. No wonder it’s throwing off the reading.”
“Whaaaat waaaasss thaaattt?!” Jack Frost chimed in, eyes wide and sparkling with excitement as he stared at the pouch. “It looooooks fuuuuuun!”
Indienee gave him a patient smile, amused by his childlike enthusiasm. “It’s a magic tool Ilma developed to detect magical traces or artifacts. But, like I said, it’s still a prototype... and it’s clearly not equipped to handle areas this saturated with magic.”
She tucked the pouch back into her belt, her eyes scanning the snow-covered streets, now fully aware she’d have to rely on old-fashioned methods to search the town. “Looks like we’ll have to do this the hard way.”
With a sigh, she set off again, trudging through the thick snow, the quiet crunch of her footsteps the only sound in the desolate village. Jack Frost bounced along beside her, his cheerful demeanor in stark contrast to the eerie silence around them.
Jack Frost pestered Indienee relentlessly until she finally gave in, reluctantly allowing it to use the tracer powder. With a gleeful grin, the mischievous spirit began tossing the powder in the air as though it were a toy.
Indienee carefully moved through the quiet village, the eerie silence broken only by the crunch of snow under her feet. She entered one of the darkened houses and was met with an unsettling sight—villagers frozen in their sleep, completely encased in ice. Most lay peacefully in their beds, blankets half-drawn, unaware of the creeping cold that overtook them in the night. Their faces, undisturbed by fear, appeared calm, as though they never realized they were being frozen. The stillness of the scene, with the villagers locked in slumber, only deepened the eerie atmosphere of the abandoned village.
As she examined the scene, Jack Frost danced around her, chanting and swirling the tracer powder without a care in the world. “Traaaaaceeeeee Oooooooon!” it sang, oblivious to the grim atmosphere.
“Somebody skilled in Ice Magic must have fought here,” Indienee thought, her eyes scanning the frozen figures with a growing sense of unease. "But who were they fighting against?"
Just as she pondered this, Jack Frost's playful chanting took a sudden turn. This time, when the powder scattered, a portion of it didn’t float aimlessly but instead gathered and pointed to a spot on the ground.
Indienee’s attention snapped to the glowing trace. “Wait, what’s this?” She crouched down, brushing the snow away. The powder had formed a faint arrow, indicating something hidden beneath the surface.
Jack Frost bounced excitedly. “Whaaat diiiid we fiiiiiind?”
Indienee knelt down, brushing aside the snow to reveal a small, torn piece of cloth half-buried in the frozen ground. She held it up, frowning as she inspected the fabric.
"A piece of clothing?" she muttered to herself, eyes narrowing in thought. "Was it from the enemy of the Ice Magic user? Or... was it the ice magic user who was defeated?"
As she tried to piece together the mystery, Jack Frost leaned over her shoulder, poking at the cloth with a mischievous grin. "Ooooh, a clueeeee! Whooooo doooo yoooou think it beloooongs toooo?"
Indienee shook her head, her mind racing. "I'm not sure yet, but this might be important."
Suddenly, a low, familiar growl reached her ears, and she snapped her head up just in time to see a group of Snaegulvars appearing. Her instincts kicked in, and she immediately got ready to defend herself.
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But instead of attacking, the Snaegulvars rushed past her, completely ignoring her presence. They bolted with incredible speed, heading in the direction of the Almany camp.
"What the...?" Indienee muttered, eyes wide in surprise.
Jack Frost tilted its head, watching the wolves with curiosity. "Whereeee areeee theeey goooooing? Areeee weee goooonna follooow theeeem?"
Indienee stood up, her mind shifting gears quickly. "They’re not after us... they’re heading for the Almany camp. If the Snaegulvars are that focused on something there, it could be tied to all of this."
She stuffed the torn cloth into her pouch, her gaze following the disappearing Snaegulvars. "I need to figure out what’s going on, and fast. Jack, stay close."
"Ayyeeee!" Jack Frost chirped, bouncing along beside her as they hurried in the direction of the camp, tension thickening in the air.
As Indienee and Jack Frost made their way toward the camp, something caught her eye in the distance. A faint but unmistakable flash of light emanated from one of the tents.
“There’s light coming from the tents! We have to hurry!” Indienee shouted, her eyes narrowing as she focused on the brief glow.
Jack Frost, struggling to keep up, groaned, "Yoooou goooo ahead fiiirssst. I am tiiiireeed!" The mischievous spirit’s usual energy had fizzled, replaced by weariness.
Indienee cast a quick glance over her shoulder but didn’t slow down. "Alright, catch up when you can!" she called back, before quickening her pace. Her metal boots crunched through the thick snow as she charged toward the Almany camp.
Her prosthetic arm hummed with energy, a familiar pulse of power flowing through it. She didn’t need a conventional weapon; the lightning and fire she could channel from her prosthetic were more than enough. As she approached, Indienee prepared herself for whatever was waiting at the camp, ready to unleash the storm if necessary.
After a while, Indienee finally reached the camp. She sprinted toward a tent that was surrounded by soldiers. The men, too bewildered by what they had witnessed, didn’t stop her as she pushed her way through.
Inside the tent, an unconscious girl lay on a cot, her breathing shallow. A man who appeared to be the commander stood nearby, his expression tense and guarded.
The soldier narrowed his eyes at Indienee as she entered. “Who are you, and what are you doing here in our camp?”
“I’m Indienee, an adventurer," she answered calmly, though her gaze quickly shifted to the girl. "I’m searching for someone, and I saw a flash of light from this direction. I came to investigate.”
The commander’s brow furrowed, clearly uneasy with the sudden intrusion. "And what does an adventurer hope to gain by interfering in military matters?"
“This girl may be the one I’m searching for,” Indienee replied, her tone steady but cautious.
The soldier regarded her for a moment, then introduced himself. “I am Second Lieutenant Falkmar, the commander of this exploration platoon.” His gaze shifted briefly to the unconscious girl. “Who is she, and why are you looking for her?”
Indienee hesitated, knowing she couldn’t reveal everything. “I can’t give you all the details, but she’s important to me—potentially more important than either of us realizes.”
Falkmar’s eyes narrowed, scrutinizing her from head to toe, clearly assessing whether she was a threat. “You need this girl, yet you refuse to explain why,” he said, his voice dropping to a more dangerous tone. “Barging into my camp is an offense under Almany’s law. I could have you arrested, or worse.”
Indienee met his gaze, unfazed. "I understand the stakes, Lieutenant, but believe me when I say that if she’s who I think she is, this situation involves more than just Almany’s laws."
“S-sir, this girl is a platinum-ranked adventurer, though she may not look like one,” one of the soldiers nervously interjected.
Falkmar’s eyebrow raised slightly, but his demeanor remained stern. “Oh? And why should we care if she’s platinum-ranked? She’s not a citizen of Almany, and that doesn’t exempt her from our laws.”
“A-apologies, sir!” the soldier stammered, standing back hurriedly, clearly regretting speaking out of turn.
Indienee held her ground, sensing the tension but choosing not to escalate it. “Rank or not, Lieutenant, I’m not here to cause trouble. But this girl’s well-being is crucial, more than you realize.” She gestured toward the unconscious girl. "And time may be running out."
After a tense moment of silence, a long, drawn-out sneeze echoed through the air. “ACHOOOOO~!”
A snowball came rolling lazily toward the camp.
“Enemy attack!” a soldier outside shouted, hastily aiming his weapon at the snowball and firing, shattering it into harmless bits of ice and snow.
Falkmar’s eyes narrowed. “Men, prepare your weapons!” he commanded sharply. The camp erupted into a frenzy as soldiers scrambled to arm themselves.
Turning back to Indienee, Falkmar added, “We’ll leave this matter for later.” His tone was firm, indicating their conversation was far from over.
Indienee sighed internally. "Hah… thank you, Jack Frost, for escalating this situation..." she muttered sarcastically under her breath, trying to suppress her frustration as she braced herself for whatever came next.
“Please, hold on... that Jack Frost is harmless!” Indienee quickly interjected, her voice urgent as she stepped forward.
Falkmar squinted, his eyes narrowing with suspicion. “Do you know this monster?” he asked, his tone sharp as he studied her.
Indienee hesitated for a moment, then nodded. “He is, uh... my partner on this journey,” she explained, hoping her answer would suffice.
At that moment, Jack Frost bounced happily toward her, chanting in its usual drawn-out manner, “Huuuuummaaaaaaan deeee—”
Indienee’s eyes widened in panic, remembering the ridiculous nickname it often gave her. Without missing a beat, she rushed over and clamped a hand over its mouth before it could finish.
“Stop creating trouble for me, or I won’t play with you anymore!” she whispered harshly, giving Jack Frost a light, playful tap on the head to redirect the soldiers’ attention.
“Ayeee…” Jack Frost replied in a sad, exaggerated tone, its icy shoulders slumping in mock defeat.
The soldiers exchanged uncertain glances, still on edge but slightly more at ease. Falkmar raised an eyebrow, clearly not entirely convinced, but for the moment, he seemed willing to let the matter slide.
"Very well," he said coolly, "but keep it in line. We don't need any more chaos here."
“Back to the topic,” Falkmar said, his voice steady but firm. “We’ll discuss what you came for in my tent.” He cast a glance at the soldiers outside. “Men, be on guard for any further monster attacks and continue packing. We're moving out soon.”
“Yes, sir!” the soldiers responded in unison, immediately dispersing to gather their gear and prepare for departure.
Just before they entered, Falkmar shot a glance at Jack Frost. “This monster will have to wait outside.”
“Awww, noooo fuuuunnn...” Jack Frost sulked, its usually playful energy deflated.
Indienee knelt down slightly, trying to cheer it up. “Please wait outside for a while. We’ll be done soon, I promise.”
“Oooookaaay...” Jack Frost replied reluctantly, shuffling away to sit in a corner, its icy form slouching in exaggerated disappointment.
With that, Falkmar held the tent flap open for Indienee, ushering her inside for the conversation that awaited.
The air inside was tense, the only sound the quiet rustling of maps and papers on a small table near the center. As Falkmar moved behind the table, he motioned for Indienee to sit. She remained standing, her eyes scanning the room, noting the meticulous organization of military equipment and documents scattered around.
"Now," Falkmar began, his voice low but commanding, "I need to know exactly why you're so interested in this girl. What is your real purpose here?" Without preamble, he pressed for the truth, determined to uncover the reason behind Indienee's arrival.