Every now and then, I could hear them below. I tried to place my feet as carefully as I could, I had no idea how my weight would translate below me.

"You have an outpost right by them?" I asked, incredulous.

"Remember, they've just started moving north. They had been camped in the bell tower ruins gathering strength before they left. I've been all over this area of the forest. I have small places to wait the night out scattered around here and there." John shrugged, rubbing his arm. "I had been forced to be on the move until finding a good spot where you found me. We can see what's up if I can find it."

"They looked a lot like orcs, don't you think? Tusks, large, green." I said aloud. "They fit the bill." Their appearance aligned with the description I found in my head of the fantasy race. Those nights reading fiction coming to usefulness.

"Where did they come from?" John pulled his furs closer, the wind up here was chilling.

"They must've swept up past your tunnels, then past the bell tower ruins. We would've run into them earlier if we hadn't been moving." I said. The initial section of our route moved us up north, our intention being to veer left and encircle the area John had explored. Before we could, we had been forced on the Northbounders' tail.

"Lucky we moved then." He said. "We could try turning back, holing up and hoping they pass. I wouldn't feel okay with that plan though."

"It might be better to see what they're capable of. The Northbounders will have equal numbers from what you've told me. I think I already killed a handful of the orcs though." I rubbed my arm, unwavering.

"A scouting mission then." John agreed. "We'll see if we can help them out. Safely. I have a feeling there might be more orcs than what we just saw."

I nodded. The idea was dangerous, but in the long term, we'd have to see what these people were capable of. They had outright attacked John and I. Observing them while they were distracted was as good a chance as I'd expect us to get. There was a part of me that wanted to see the other humans too; what they were capable of.

Leading us slowly and steadily, Gibber eventually pawed at a section of snow. The walk didn't seem long, but that might've been a side effect of the layer of snow on this level being so uniform. John, pink shovel in hand, dug up a section of the snow.

"It should be right here." He said grunting. "X marks the spot." He shoveled snow to the side. Gibber was pawing at the snow in all his effort to help.

We all paused as we heard people shouting below a little ways off. The fact that I understood some of the words meant humans like us. John looked at me and continued digging. 

The hole he made was a straight shot into a carved out room of snow, not unlike the one I had slept in. He wasted no time. We dropped down Gibber landing on my shoulder for a moment before finding the ground.

"Vak, with me. There're a few spots to view from." He looked at me, then at my cloak. "You have a hood right? Keep it on."

I blinked. "Yeah." I said, throwing it on. The white fur covered my head and shrouded my face.

"Good." He cupped his hand against the snowy tunnel as he moved, crouching low and scraping powder into his palm. He threw snow all over his head until he was covered in the white powder. 

I got it now. Camouflage. We hurried to a section of tunnel that had a carved opening looking down towards the forest floor below. Our heads were the only things visible from the outside.

My eyes traced figures moving in the woods. We were looking out into a small clearing. Temporary structures made of snow were arranged around a large bonfire, belching smoke into the air. Our vantage point was deeper in the forest, but our view was clear as day. A man in the center was shouting orders to everyone, but he turned and I followed suit.

I saw someone run quickly into the clearing, barely out of breath. Faster than I'd seen anyone run, especially considering the terrain. A [Power] probably. He looked to be just a regular guy, younger than me. I could just make out his voice as he spoke to a taller man.

"Something hit Henry!" He reported, pointing back into the forest. "Fatal wounds, they're retreating but they sent me ahead! The whole patrol is back there taking arrows! We're not ten minutes away at normal speed!"

The taller man waved people over. "Northbounders!" He called. "Anyone with combat or scouting [Powers] follow Danny here." He hurriedly gave orders, unease lining his face grimly.

Four or five people sorted themselves out and Danny turned, leading them.

I voiced my concerns. "Why are they throwing all their people to the problem? That's risking everything on an unknown." The thought was absurd.

"Those two." John pointed at a few people around the taller man. "They were on the patrol I met. Should be worth something in terms of protection."

"Who's the taller guy?" I asked.

He was wearing something like chainmail, except it looked more formfitting, and lighter. He had brown skin, sharp features, and dark hair. He didn't look armed, but neither did I. Or John. It wasn't the best indicator of capability, I conceded. 

"Must be the leader of the Northbounders." John's explanation was about as useful as a pile of yellow snow. "What? You found me crippled in a tree, remember? How am I supposed to know?"

"Damn it, John. Very helpful." I groaned. "You think they'll be okay?"

They had little in the way of defenses. The orcs at least had weapons, actual weapons, no one I saw left here had anything of the sort. No, that wasn't true, there were a few people that held makeshifts spears. Still, if I was a betting man, which I was, I'd put money on the fur-clad green people. The orcs as I'd been mentally referring to them.

"They've lived out here longer than you have." John said in way of answer. "Anything might happen. We don't know what those orcs are capable of. They came out of nowhere. "

"You see anything?" I peered the other way unable to get a view.

"Move down the tunnel. It'll turn and show you the forest in the other direction, facing partly at an angle away from the clearing." John gestured.

I followed his directions and crawled further. Here was actually just a dead end, but he was right. This section of tunnel abutted John's at a right angle. I should've been able to see him peering out of the small window but I couldn't find his features. 

He must've seen me looking because a hand went up briefly, further back from the window so as not to reveal himself from anyone below. I did the same. I didn't risk whispering to him at this short distance, it would've been audible from directly below us.

My gaze shifted to the deeper forest, finding the gaps between the trees to look through and sorting through all the white. I saw flashes of color in the distance, but they weren't green. It must've been the group of people that Danny led away. Did they run into trouble already?

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

A frantic waving caught my attention and I found John's hand vying for my attention. I somehow found his eyes through all the snow and he put a finger to his lips and pointed directly down.

A green-faced person crawled forward, silently, barely making a sound. Another followed quietly behind the first, then another, and another, and another. They moved in absolute silence. I hadn't even heard the crunch of snow below them.

Archers. A whole squad of them. They were right below my line of sight. Five of them, crawling right below a ridge of snow that formed from against large roots. They were all clad in brown fur, but smothered with white snow. Bows slung over their back, the leader signaled to his companions and they fanned out.

A gut feeling compelled me and I looked across the clearing. I spotted a similar group moving, just a small flash of what I thought was a face. The feeling was certain.  I signaled to John, and while he didn't see the group due to his line of sight, he got the idea. I spotted him looking across the other side of the clearing not visible to me.

We both grimaced.

Buff: [Tough Hair]

The hair on your head becomes akin to diamonds in hardness. The defensive capabilities and health of your hair are increased. The innate mana-conductivity of your hair is increased. Any hair cut off retains its properties after expiration.

Weapon: [Aniam Dagger]

An enchanted dagger that shifts into a variety of small, annoying magical beasts loyal to the wielder. With great dedication, these animals can be trained for combat or other tasks, in doing so, both improving the state of the sword and its utility.

Armor: [Grounded Boots]

Boots made of spark badger hide, any lightning attacks are immediately grounded, leaving you unaffected. Additionally, an enchantment rests on these boots that prevents you from being thrown off your feet.

The hair on my head became harder and fuller. A volume that I had never experienced in all my life. Before I could even marvel at the health of my hair though, the [Aniam Sword] in my hand became a little white furball with teeth. 

I put my fingers to my lips immediately as it started to open its mouth. Its teeth seemed as sharp as the sword's edge I witnessed before it transformed. It looked like a little monkey if the arms and legs were instead connected to a perfect fluffy sphere.

It hushed, and I almost regretted even thinking about my next action. "I'm your wielder, yes?" The little white monkey ball nodded. "I need you to try your best to kill the green people below, got it?" It jumped onto the window and peered down.

Then it jumped off the window. Just like that. I probably gaped in awe at how sudden the whole exchange was.

I heard it screech as it landed and I hazarded a look below. The white monkey was crawling all over one of the archers, moving across his body like a jungle gym. The thick fur the archer wore suffered long gouges, and I pulled my head back.

John was staring at me and I thought I could read his lips. "What the fuck was that?" I pretended I hadn't successfully translated. John stared below, he had knocked an arrow into a bow that appeared in his hands, but he was only holding it ready.

The archers all lunged after the [Aniam Sword] but their scuffle didn't go unnoticed. The leader of the Northbounders saw the snow being kicked up and realized there was an ambush in place. His eyes darted around and took no time at all to track the other group of archers.

"They're around us! Garth, Kevin!" He called two names, pointing. The two people John had pointed out started sprinting to opposite ends of the clearing. One to the group directly below us, and another to the group I had spotted across the clearing.

At the same time, the runner returned. "Hale! I think they're humanoid! They're not anything I've ever seen that's for sure! The rest are caught up with a dozen up ahead! The patrol and support have linked up." 

"Behind me, Danny! Some have snuck past!" He yelled, throwing him backward. "Everyone unable, into the huts!" A few people darted into the makeshift along with Danny.

Hale, the leader, only stood in the middle guarding the encampment. His stance wasn't particularly in preparation for anything, but he looked confident and he was constantly glancing around. He traced the paths of both Garth and Kevin.

One of the two arrived at the chaos below me, Garth or Kevin. The [Aniam Sword] had thus turned into some kind of slimy little slug, but it seemed to move only faster, diving through the snow like it was water. Its body was acidic and the smell of burnt fur filled the air as none of the archers could even land an attack on the swift little creature before it crawled all over them and shot off again like a dolphin through the snow.

The human that approached the orcs did so carefully. His fists were raised, too far a distance to really do anything with the stance. The orcs were too distracted by the [Aniam Sword] that they didn't see him approach. The leader did, however, and shouted at the group to change their focus.

Just then, the [Aniam Sword] dissipated. The leader, noticing, shouted for his men to target the human. And the man threw a rising uppercut from his position.

The leader's jaw clamped on his tongue and his head lolled back, blood coming from his mouth. He fell over. Then the man began to throw out a series of punches and jabs that he put his whole body into, despite being so far away. It looked ridiculous, but the bruised faces and blood pooling I saw below me remedied that notion. Every time one of them reached for a bow their hand would be knocked aside, and they'd receive an invisible punch to the face.

The whole squad had been wiped out.

In silence, John and I watched the man check the bodies, laying them out, but keeping an eye on his encampment in case they needed his help. I tilted my head as he removed the furs from one of the archers, opening up his clothes so he could get into the pockets. Only the man's face was green as if it were some kind of warpaint. The rest of his skin, neck down, was a normal beige.

The ranged fistfighter took all the bows and arrows in the end and placed them off to the side. Then turning back, he went around and viciously kicked each archer in the head, leaving a dent and spray of blood in some cases. Dead. 

He turned and began walking towards Hale and the rest, equipment in hand.

I suppressed my amazement and looked to the rest of the clearing. There were three or four of the club-wielding green faces approaching Hale. Two more wielding swords came from the side. He was surrounded.

"Who are you?" Hale spoke, he moved closer to the side, keeping himself from being surrounded as the two sword-wielders intended to get behind him.

The leading green face pointed his club at Hale. "Kill you!" He roared, surprising both me and Hale.

Then a visible field erupted from Hale. Suddenly, the orc and everything around him was pressed to the ground. Clubs, swords and knees fell to the ground as the green faces grunted against the force. "Garth." He called, concentrating.

The invisible fistfighter stepped forward and punched them from out of Hale's field. Suddenly, the struggling green faces went limp, sinking to the floor. 

Hale nodded to the other one; Kevin. The man in question didn't display any amazing [Power] other than walking through Hale's field unaffected. I saw him sink into the snow as he walked, but he eventually tied up every green face with twine. Judging from his confident knots, Kevin had much practice tying them.

Suddenly a fireball exploded in front of Hale. He yelled flying backward and colliding against one of their snow structures. Garth and Kevin yelled, diving to the side.

An orc, for lack of a better term, came from the treeline. He wore heavy robes and held a staff. Despite that, I could still see the muscles that the robes so desperately tried to obscure. His staff lit up with bright fire and a stream shot out towards both Garth and Kevin.

The snow around them melted but Kevin was already up and standing in the way. A shield of water bubbled around him, steaming up the entire clearing. Our vision went to nil as the cloud engulfed our view. The speed that he brought that water to bear was impressive. No doubt yet another [Power].

I moved around the tunnel finding John.

"You think they need our help?" He asked, looking over as I rounded the corner. We kept our voices low.

"Our help might go a long way." I answered. "But it doesn't look like they need it."

"That guy, Garth, he's got some kind of ranged [Power]. Kevin's got some water magic, and Hale's got a field." John listed. "Between them and whoever they sent out with additional [Powers], I think they're fine."

I nodded. Noticing the steam, rather than clearing, only accumulated more. The cloud even seemed to spread over to where John and I were viewing, albeit much thinner. 

"That little animal you dropped on them. What was that?" John asked curiously. He whistled lightly and Gibber crawled up his shoulder to stare at me. 

I pulled my hood up slightly. "It's my [Power]. " I said ruefully.

John had probably expected the answer. "Fair enough." He snorted, staring at his armguards.

I hadn't noticed it before but a part of me was demanding attention. It only took me a few seconds to figure out what it was. I summoned my Slate to my hand, a neat deck of transparent cards forming right in my palm. A single one of those cards glowed blue, demanding to be drawn.

I pulled it.

Group Tutorial Quest: [Against All Odds]

Quests are the main method in which the [System] bestows boons. A small armed force of tuskers threatens to wipe out your group, finishing the job that the environment couldn't. Survive their slaughter or slaughter them first.

Current Contribution: 9 Kills

Rewards: Nearest [System Shop] Location, [Points] based on contribution.

I looked at John and found him with much the same expression as mine.