They had been trekking for hours when they encountered their first mountain monster. It was a massive bear with shimmering white fur and claws that seemed to be made of ice, blending seamlessly with the snowy backdrop. Its eyes glowed a deep blue, betraying its mana-infused nature.
Sera spotted it first. She tapped Zayzal on the shoulder, nodding towards the beast.
"Looks like we're not alone up here," she murmured, gripping her axe tightly.
Zayzal nodded, his hand instinctively going to his spear. "Let's try to avoid it if we can. No need to waste energy fighting if we don't have to."
They attempted to skirt around the creature, but the ice bear was quick to notice their presence. With a guttural roar that echoed through the terrain, it charged at them, its massive paws leaving deep impressions in the snow.
“Tsk. Of course it’d notice us.” Zayzal clicked his tongue and got into position.
“That’s ‘cause you’re too damn loud!” Sera hopped in front while equipping her shield. This bear looked abnormally strong, and they didn’t have an environmental advantage like the last time they went up against a bear.
As the ice bear closed in on them, Zayzal and Sera sprang into action, moving in unison as they had done countless times before.
Zayzal thrust his spear forward, aiming for the creature's eyes, while Sera swung her axe in wide arcs, keeping the beast at bay. However, the bear just snorted and moved its face out of the way while disregarding Sera completely.
It charged through their attacks, chasing after them as they attacked and then retreated. Each blow they landed seemed to barely faze it. Its hide was too thick.
When it finally got within range, it swiped its claws. Sera formed a barrier around them, but the force of the impact cracked it and sent her sprawling. With her out of the way, it set its sights on Zayzal.
With another thunderous roar, it rushed after him.
‘Damn!’ Zayzal hurriedly looked around, but no matter where he looked, there was more snow, sharp edges, or steep slopes. ‘Fuck! Seems like I can only face it head-on.’
Dodging and weaving through the snow, Zayzal put his newfound agility to the test. Their breaths came in ragged gasps, visible in the cold air. The bear's swings were draining their energy, but they couldn't afford to let up.
In a moment of opportunity, Zayzal found an opening. He feinted with his spear, drawing the bear's attention, before swiftly changing direction and plunging the weapon into the creature's side. The ice bear let out a pained roar, but it only grew more agitated.
It smacked the spear with its giant paw, sending intense vibrations up its shaft. Zayzal felt his bones tremble and instinctively let go. The bear’s attention immediately locked onto him, but just as it was about to charge, it sensed something from above.
An axe head cleaved through the snowfall, falling onto its cranium and cracking its skull open before it could react.
“HAH!” Sera thrust her fist into the beast’s brain, finishing it off for good.
After the ice bear fell to the ground, Sera, still clutching her axe, looked over at Zayzal, who was retrieving his spear from the snow. Their eyes met with faint traces of fear still remaining within them.
“We need to be more careful,” Zayzal muttered, his breath forming clouds in the freezing air.
“Agreed,” Sera replied, wiping the blood off her axe onto the snow. “These mountains are no joke.”
As if to spite her words, they heard a deep rumbling come from above them, followed by faint vibrations in the ground. Both of them went pale as they knew exactly what that meant.
“Fuck! Another avalanche!” Zayzal yelled and hurriedly collected his belongings. “We have to move! NOW!”
“Already on it!” Sera shouted as she jumped ahead of Zayzal with her shield placed in front of her.
They trudged through the thick layer of snow as quickly as they could, but they could only go so fast. The trembling and rumbles grew louder with each passing second. They now understood that it was coming toward them.
The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
Suddenly, a loud bark came from behind them. Zayzal tensed, readying his spear once again. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a large, silver wolf emerging from the shadows of the trees. Its fur shimmered against the snow, and its piercing blue eyes locked onto Zayzal.
For a moment, Zayzal’s heart raced, thinking it was another enemy. However, the wolf’s demeanor was different; there was no aggression in its posture. Instead, it seemed... curious. Zayzal relaxed his grip slightly but remained on guard.
The wolf stepped closer, and then surprisingly, it turned and started to walk away, pausing to look back at them as if beckoning them to follow.
“What’s with this wolf?” Sera whispered, eyeing it suspiciously.
“I don’t know, but it doesn’t seem hostile. Maybe it wants us to follow?” Zayzal speculated, his curiosity piqued. There was something about the wolf, its demeanor, and the way it glided across the snow that caught his attention.
After a moment, a faint silver line pointed toward the wolf in his mind, but it was so fuzzy that he almost disregarded it. ‘Is it telling me that this is the way to survive the immediate future, but whether I can live beyond that was up to me?’
Zayzal couldn’t be sure, but for now, he chose to believe that. He didn’t want to be buried under several tons worth of snow, after all.
After a brief exchange of glances, they decided to trust their instincts. Sera clenched her shield harder, and they followed the wolf, which led them through the dense snow and rugged terrain.
Once the wolf realized that they were following, it sped up, now jogging across the snow. Zayzal gave Sera a look and picked up his pace as well. The avalanche was coming, and now wasn’t the time to sit here and dawdle.
As they drifted across the densely packed snow, the wolf bounced on top of a large rock and around a corner, barking to let them know where it was. Zayzal grunted but channeled mana into the bottom of his feet and hopped up before reaching down and helping Sera up.
The two rounded the corner, and to their surprise, they saw a large crack in the mountainside around 100 meters away. There were steps carved into the icy snow that showed this was a path the wolf frequented. However, their expressions changed as they felt the trembling beneath their feet intensify.
With no other choice, Sera and Zayzal shot across the slope within seconds before diving into the crack.
Not even a few seconds later, a roaring sound, like a dragon waking up from its slumber, swept past them, followed by a downpour of snow. They turned around to look outside the crack, only to see nothing but white.
“Hmm? Visitors?” A gruff, hoarse voice came from deeper in the cave. “Did Fenrir bring you here? Weird. He normally wouldn’t do that.”
Zayzal and Sera instantly turned around and saw a man sitting around a small fire. He had brown hair and blue eyes, with a lean but fit build. He appeared to be in his late twenties and wore simple but rugged clothing fitting for the mountainous terrain.
As they stepped closer, the man glanced up at them as well, his eyes widening in surprise at their strong appearance and unique aura.
“...I see. So that’s why Fenrir brought you back. You two are strong.” The man said with a slight smile. He chuckled at how tense they were and motioned for them to come closer. “No need to be on edge. We’re all stuck in this cave for a while. Might as well make ourselves comfortable.”
Zayzal peeked at the wolf that was walking toward the man and shrugged his shoulders. Walking closer to the fighter, he nodded his head toward Sera, who did the same. He still didn’t trust them completely, but it wouldn’t be wrong to say the wolf saved their lives.
‘It’d be for the best if we could all get along.’
Putting his spear to the side, he sat on a rock next to the fire and looked at the unknown man. “Thanks for saving us earlier. If your wolf, Fenrir, hadn’t come along at the last second, we’d probably be trapped under a few feet of snow by now.”
The man just waved it off. “You can thank me after we leave this place.” He said cryptically.
Zayzal squinted his eyes at the man’s words but put them to the back of his mind for now. “By the way, the name’s Zayzal, and-” he pointed at Sera, “-that’s Sera.”
“Marcus. Nice to meet you.” The man replied curtly.
“Likewise.”
After the introductions were over, Sera asked, “So, Marcus, what’re you doing camping all the way up here? Did you get trapped, or…?”
Marcus took a moment to think about his answer. “...Yes and no. I actually used to live here before that light appeared in the sky and messed everything up.”
“You used to live here?!” Zayzal exclaimed, wondering what sort of maniac would live in the Alps.
Marcus scratched his cheek but nodded. “It was basically my second home. I used to be a guide and would take people up these mountains year-round. So, while I still had my normal home after the tour was over, I was up here most days of the year.”
“Then why are you still-”
Marcus cut Sera off, “Here? Well, there are a few reasons, one of them being Fenrir.”
Zayzal and Sera nodded in understanding. They couldn’t imagine him trying to walk into town with a wolf by his side. He’d be lucky if he weren’t killed!
“Another is something that I could use your help with and is probably why Fenrir led you to our hideout.”
Zayzal already had an idea of what Marcus was going to say and wasn’t sure whether to be happy or annoyed.
“As thanks for Fenrir saving you, I’d like you to join me in finding out what’s on the other side of this cave.”