It was a cold, snowy day, yet the town was bustling with activity. Percival, Simon, and Paramour's party found themselves in the midst of town, engaging in a spar. Sparring in the cold was an effective method to quickly acclimate to the chilly weather.

As Paramour breathed the frigid hair his heart raised trying to activate the heat from the fuel from his body, they could use magic but it would defeat the purpose. The party of the three was already defeated once by targeting the core of their party who was Paramour. The snow was just too effective as a for Simon and Percival.

“Simon!! Are you deliberately targeting only me?” Paramour's voice echoed through the snow as he searched for their two opponents.

“Paramii!!! Simon's not from the north, is he?” Raphael chimed in, equally perplexed by the situation.

“The detection parameter is shaking... but I can't determine the direction... the snow is interfering with it…” The figure cloaked in a black hood was diligently at work, manipulating the Detection Parameter magic, fondly referred to as “Paramber.” This magic created a thin barrier that reacted to any touch, proving particularly useful in navigating environments with limited visibility.

“That's helpful... that Blur magic from that burly northerner is quite vexing…” Paramour grumbled, a rare occurrence, much like him attracting the attention of a girl, which had never happened before.

“The boy isn't even using magic,” Percival's voice echoed through the air, its source unknown to the others.

Silence followed, punctuated only by the whistling of the wind through the snow. Paramour sensed it, his instincts alerting him to impending danger.

“Above, Paramii!!” Raphael's sudden scream shattered the quiet as Simon's sword descended from the sky, its blade enveloped in water. The water seemed to maintain its form by drawing moisture from the air, creating a mist around the weapon.

Paramour and his companions leaped away, but Simon landed amidst them, swiftly utilizing his sword to generate mist, Simon spun around to spread the mist of his sword, the cold made it so effective. “Ouch!!!!” Raphael's cry rang out as snow stung his eyes.

Percival seized the opportunity to launch a low attack out of nowhere, forcing Paramour to evade once more. “We've got you…” Percival declared, plunging into the mist created by Simon. “Paramour!!! They're trying to divide us again!!!” the black hood shouted a warning.

Struggling to locate his opponents through the mist, Paramour moved toward the source of the warning, but Simon emerged from the haze before him. “It must be this way, Mr. Hero,” Simon grinned, and Paramour returned the smile. Although it was just a mock battle, he felt honored to be treated with such respect.

“Did you get better… hmm… is that a Magic Edge Level 2?” Paramour inquired, observing Simon's sword emitting a mist.

“No… I don't even know how to use Magic Edge,” Simon replied.

A brief silence followed. Paramour cast a Magic Edge spell on his spear. Simon smiled, and the two began exchanging blows, parrying and dodging.

“I see… it's not Magic Edge…” Paramour concluded, certain of his assessment. Magic Edge was a distinct type of magic that enhanced the effectiveness of weapons or equipment when properly utilized.

But what Simon wielded was different… magic indeed had numerous applications... or perhaps it was the sword itself? In just one exchange, Paramour immediately noticed the difference.

“Hmm… in just a month or so… you've evolved… you're so different,” Paramour remarked with a smile. “But I've got something for you too!!” With a change in stance, Paramour signaled a new tactic. Simon smiled—there was always a new lesson to learn.

The two resumed their exchange, but instead of thrusts and sweeps, Paramour began spinning his spear. It was akin to a dance, yet Simon struggled to properly parry the attacks, hindered by the absence of Magic Edge.

“Annoying…” Simon muttered, limited to dodging and deflecting. “Have you heard of the academy in the central?” Paramour initiated a conversation amidst their exchanges.

“What about it?” Simon inquired.

“After the siege, you should come there. I'll vouch for you,” Paramour suggested.

“Hmm… I'll think about it… but if I beat you, I won't even consider it,” Simon replied, taunting once more. Deep inside his mind some memories about the old man tried to resurface, the old man told him of this academy once… but the spar was just too entertaining.

“I see… then I will beat you eagerly,” Paramour responded, a hint of annoyance evident in his tone. The taunt had stirred him, causing him to abandon the restraint that he had planned. He enveloped his entire body in magic enchantment, adopting the same approach he used in dungeon battles.

“That's more like it,” Simon smirked. He was aware that Paramour had been holding back. In their previous sparring sessions, whenever Simon sensed an opportunity to gain the upper hand, Paramour would suddenly renew his strength, nullifying Simon's physical advantage. It was likely magic at play, a fact Simon confirmed with his own eyes.

<--->

From the gates of the wall, down a slope was a large white dessert called the Desolated Lands, this deserted lands was populated by Ice Trees, the larger Ice Trees borders this land... Continuing north past the Desolated Land was the Kern Valley. It's usually thriving all year except in winter; this was as far as the scouts have reached, going farther from the end of the valley was the unknown.

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

On the edge of the Kern Valley, two white camouflaged scouts were working. It was Andy and his childhood friend Bibs.

After a few days of vacation, Andy was back in the field, this time he was partnered with Bibs which the two welcomed very well. It was snowing but the wind was not too strong, making it tolerable.

“Andy… your aura is different… what happened back in town?” Bibs observed Andy as he worked, plunging the wooden mark into the snow to ensure it reached the ground. They were currently planting some marks, far off from the wall. As elite scouts, it was their job to mark places far from the charted fields.

“I'm going to get married when I come back home next time,” Andy replied. The two exchanged a silent look before shaking hands. Bibs was almost moved to tears for Andy.

“My sister would be heartbroken; she had a crush on you when we were little,” Bibs mentioned as they hugged each other, and they both laughed. As scouts they were accustomed in with the cold weather and with just a few change they could forecast the weather.

“The wind is getting heavier; let’s go back to the shelter,” Andy said to Bibs. They stood in an open field near the edge of the valley's northern side so it was discernible.

The two nodded in an agreement. There was a hill just a five-hour walk from where they were, and atop it stood a small igloo that the two of them had built. They would use it to rest for a while. Positioned on the hill, the igloo offered a view of the large field downhill, which served as the entrance to the Valley and where they had left their latest mark.

A rope was tied to the mark, leading to other markers. They used this rope to navigate even when it was dark, although they didn’t risk it during the night; emergencies were always a surprise. Following the rope back, they made their way through the snow and wind, which had started to limit their visibility.

As soon as they entered the igloo, Andy began clearing the small hole on the top for an exhaust. Meanwhile, Bibs started making a fire; they were going to have a small meal for the night.

The two chattered lively and Andy remembered something that he brought.

“Oh… this is from the noble kid in the wall; it’s a wine from their territory,” Andy announced as he opened a bottle of wine.

“Hmm… smells good,” Bibs remarked. The two really enjoyed the company of each other, the dried pieces of wood started crackling. “The fire is ready; let's have it!!” Bibs exclaimed excitedly.

As Andy previously predicted, the enemies would be coming in two weeks. There was no need to worry about everything when one couldn't do anything about it; the scouts were trained to think like this. Scouts didn't have fixed schedules; as long as they fulfilled their mission, they were on their own.

The wine really helped the two sleep in the cold snow.

<--->

Andy suddenly woke up to tremors in the ground. It was strange; Bibs was peacefully sleeping, and seeing his calm face eased Andy's tension.

“Bibs… wake up… hey… hey!!!” Andy exclaimed, sprinkling some snow on Bibs's face to rouse him.

“What the hell, Andy!!! It's not morning yet?!! The fire is still burning!” Bibs complained.

“The ground… it's shaking. The tremors are a bad sign,” Andy explained. Though still groggy, they knew they had to act. They began packing up their belongings and extinguishing the fire. Crawling out of the igloo, they were met with darkness, the snow reducing visibility.

“Where do we go now?” Bibs asked, his lips stiff from the cold.

“Let’s head back to the mark earlier… follow me; it's dark,” Andy replied, leading the way. The night was especially dark during this time. “Let’s follow the lines forward,” Andy suggested, and they both started pulling on the rope.

…

Walking in the dark and snow was like trudging blindly through mud. The rope that guided them to different destinations was incredibly convenient. However, as the two continued following the rope's path, they suddenly felt the tension disappear.

“It's too loose…” Andy remarked.

Bibs, also holding onto the rope, noticed the same. They had yet to see the end of the rope.

“Let’s go back... to higher ground,” Bibs suggested.

The two started retracing their steps along the line toward the igloo, where they could choose to head to another marker or ascend to higher ground. They needed to move faster.

Finally, back at the igloo, instead of going inside they continued their plan to reach the higher grounds—a safer haven, especially in sunny weather but merely a refuge during darker times.

“The ground is still shaking,” Andy noted.

“Ah… I hate it when you say that; it's too foreboding!!!” his placed on of his hands on his waist nodding his head up.

The three-hour walk was a battle against the wind and cold snow. Eventually, they arrived at the next igloo, a bit larger one, greeted by the familiar smell of cooking food.

“Looks like someone’s already inside,” Bibs observed as they crawled in. “It's Andy and Bibs!!!” Two more scouts inside waved at them.

“We've got some hot food ready!” another two said, also greeting them.

The igloo was larger than the last one, able to accommodate more scouts.

“Let’s dig in!!!” Bibs exclaimed, rubbing his hands eagerly, while Andy still harbored worries.

“There are still vibrations!!!” Andy expressed.

“That’s not good… Can we just rest for the night?” suggested another scout. Despite Andy's concerns, the weather and darkness hindered them from confirming or taking any action.

<--->

It was morning, and Bibs woke up feeling well-rested from the previous night. “Hey guys! Andy is gone!” he exclaimed, noticing Andy's absence from his bed. The other scouts began waking up upon hearing his voice.

Bibs crawled outside, feeling the cold air but seeing the promised sunny day. “Hey, Andy! You're up early!… What the...?” Bibs trailed off as he noticed Andy staring into the distance. On the horizon, there was steam... and it was moving.

“It's spikes... spikes down the valley, lots of them,” Andy said, his tone grave.

“Andy, what are you staring at!? Let’s send some birds!!!” Bibs suggested urgently.

“We won’t survive... see that?” Andy pointed to something closer, about 8 to 10 clicks from the mark they had placed yesterday. It was a wave of giant spikes they called wall crushers.

“Damn it!!! I'll wake them up!!! Let’s get out of here!!!” Bibs exclaimed, pulling Andy's arms. “Crap… okay,” Andy reluctantly agreed, though he felt hopeless.

Andy was one of the few survivors of the outpost town that had been destroyed by the spikes.

<--->

Hours after receiving the message from the bird, Paramour, and his party were preparing to depart.

“I don’t know how you accurately guessed it, but you're damn right... well, we don’t need to slay them all; we just have to make time for the scouts to come back into the walls,” Paramour said to Simon as they rode on magically powered snowboards. This was a new prototype developed by Gallo during his break.

“I understand…” Simon replied. He was accompanying Paramour's party of three, four warriors, and four adventurers, along with Gallo's developed 15 snowboards, though Paramour insisted that 12 were enough.

“Be careful, guys! Sir, please open the gates!!!” It was Gallo, using some kind of funnel to amplify his voice without magic. The warriors atop the walls heard it and confirmed using drums, signaling the warriors below to open the gates.

“I will make the preparations; we will be ready when you get back,” Gallo assured the departing team.

“Let’s go!!!” Paramour screamed, rallying the team.