There was a great disturbance in Toporovich palace as Grand Prince Yaroslav fell unconscious and wasn’t responding at all and what was even worse that two designated heirs to the throne were outside of Malensk. Well, worse for everyone else except Dmitry Ryazanovich. He was in his chamber, drinking vine and daydreaming about his future prospects. Just a few days ago he won support from new High priest and the rest of the clergy, weakening his another rival Nikolai Batutin and now two other heirs were in the forest fighting against that yeti, according to the scouts who ran back to Malensk. Throne was so close and yet so far; all other noble families hated his guts and the military would never accept him and would probably overthrow him. If only Aleksandr and Kiril died, he could probably appoint someone more favorable to him in the military as he was currently the highest authority in Malensk. Well, he and Nikolai, but that intellectual was losing supporters quickly and could probably be convinced to abandon his position. A knocking on the door awakened him.

“Yes?”

-“It’s me sir, Velimir.”

-“Ah, yes. I’ve sent him to Levinsky estate to ask for their support. Come in!”

A tall, muscular men entered the chamber in black robes with sinister look on his face and bowed down to his master.

-“What’s with that look on your face? How did the meeting go?”

-“It’s nothing m’lord. On contrary, Josif Levinsky and merchants guild have agreed to support you. They only want less restrictions on their business.” Dmitri smiled and poured another glass of wine.

-“Well done! Now I only need man in the military and the throne will be mine. Here, drink with me, Velimir, you deserved it.”

-“Thank you m’lord.” Velimir took the glass somewhat reluctantly and took only a small sip from it.

-“Not a fan of wines? Too bad. I’ll go get myself another bottle and you can give me details about your conversations while I search for the bottle.”

Dmitri turned to his huge shelf that was overloaded with all kinds of wine in bottles of various size.

-“So, my boy. How did it go?”

-“It wasn’t easy at all, m’lord. He was demanding a new position for himself in your court and even an expedition to capture forts and cities that limit the money flow of Golden Road. But I managed to reduce it to only capturing a military expedition to secure The Road.

-“Ah, well done. We will celebrate this success with my finest wine.”

Dmitri carefully examined every bottle, trying to find a perfect one for this occasion, however on thought appeared in his mind.

-“Josif is interested in controlling the Golden Road? But didn’t that road actually help his competition and almost ruined his guild?”

He heard the sound of a sword being drawn from its scabbard from behind. Dmitri he felt he was in danger. Reacting quickly, he grabbed a knife on the table, turned around and threw it at Velimir who had raised his sword and was just a meter away from Dmitri. This instinctive defense took Velimir by surprise and was hit in the neck. He stumbled back, dropping his sword and slowly suffocating as he was unable to breathe. Dmitri leaned back to the wall, trying to calm himself.

“Damn, so close. If I was slower just by one second, he would’ve sliced me in half. Bastard.”

He straightened himself up and came closer to Velimir’s dead body. Floor around him was all red from blood and his eyes were still and filled with tears.

-“Bastard, after all I’ve done for you… why?” It really didn’t make much sense to him as Velimir was his trusted subordinate from a very young age. What made him do this? Dmitri got on his knees and started picking through the pockets of Velimir’s coat and pants. His pants pockets were empty, but in his coat there were some interesting stuff; a knife, a huge sack of gold coins and a letter with a familiar seal.

“No, no way. That’s seal of Prince. But Yaroslav, he is-”

The door suddenly opened up and a maiden rushed in with a joyful face which turned into expression of horror.

-“Close the door! Now!”

She immediately turned back and after checking the hall if anyone was near the chamber she closed the doors, shaking from fear and started crying.

“What is wrong with you, woman? Lock the door and stop crying.”

-“I- I did, sir. W-what happened?”

-“The bastard tried to kill me. I’ll tell Kazimir to pick his body later. Why did you barge in here so suddenly?”

-“Good news, sir. Our lord Yaroslav woke up just a few minutes ago. You should visit him soon, he asked for all five successors to visit him. Well, maybe first deal with that dead man-”

-“That would be all, Milka. Now leave and find Kazimir.”

-“Maiden bowed down and left the room in hurry. Dmitri opened the letter from Velimir’s coat, taking his reading glasses on the table and reading slowly each sentence. Handwriting, laconic sentences and a high-quality ink- it all confirmed that letter was from Yaroslav himself.

-“That bastard. We’ll have a long talk tonight.”

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***

Aleks stood in defensive stance with spear in his right and shield in his left hand, waiting for yeti to make his move. Yeti circled around him, waiting for any potential opening, but this human seemed more careful and dangerous than the rest he encountered. After all this was the one who made him retreat last time. Aleks tried to provoke it by yelling but the yeti didn’t budge at all. Suddenly it stopped circling and turned towards Viktor who was trying to crawl over to Kiril who was still lying beside the boulder.

-“Hey over here, I’m your enemy!”, yelled Aleks, frustrated by his opponent ignoring behavior. But instead yeti sprinted towards wounded Viktor who was looking for any kind of weapon near him to defend himself.

-“Sir Aleksandr please help!! Please!” Aleks rushed to help Viktor but still with his shield high as he wasn’t sure if yeti’s planning something with this sudden charge. He thought about throwing his spear at yeti’s back, but the beast was extremely agile and would probably dodge it. It came very close to Viktor, who crawled to a nearby pine tree with a knife in his hands waiting for what seemed like an inevitable death. Aleks ran as fast as he could and was close to yeti but it was obvious that yeti was just way more faster. Yeti jumped towards Viktor who closed his eyes in fear. But the yeti didn’t land on him, instead landing on a trunk of pine tree and holding himself on one large branch. Aleks stopped running, confused by yeti’s jump.

-“He’s… running away? Hiding on the tree?”

But before Aleks finished that sentence in his line in his mind, yeti launched himself with the trunk as a springboard towards Aleks who was caught up unguarded by this sudden leap. He raised his shield and spear just in time to defend himself from its deadly claws, but the mass and the sheer power of that jump were too overwhelming and he was thrown a few meters back. He quickly got up and raised his shield and pulled out his sword, waiting for the beast to get up. It got up slowly, with his right arm wounded by lance. It removed the lance tip from it’s arm and roared in rage, angered at its own recklessness.

-” Nice try, but that tricks won’t work on me. I’ve already seen your fighting style and I know what to expect. Show me something better.”

Yeti roared again, as if he understood his words. Aleks took again defensive stance, waiting for beasts attack. However, yeti still stood in his place and was slowly breathing as if he was trying to calm itself down. Aleks walked slowly towards it, seeing it had no intention to charge at him and to put some pressure on his opponent. Aleks looked at its face and its eyes, trying to read his opponent’s next move. But instead of an angry and menacing face he saw a smile on yeti’s face, a sinister smile.

-“Heh, I didn’t know your kind could actually smile.”

-“Puny… human…” said yeti in a deep voice, with a strange accent. Aleks stopped in his track, completely shocked.

-“Did that thing just speak to me?”

-“Do not… underestimate… me.”

Yeti lifted up a rotten trunk overhead, ready to throw it at this human that caused him so much pain. Aleks immediately backstepped and raised his shield, waiting for the impact. But it did not come. Instead, yeti charged at him with trunk as his bat and swung it at Aleks. Aleks gripped his shield tightly but the blow of this attack sent him to the ground and he dropped his sword. He quickly tried to get up, but yeti immediately threw another swing, again and again, pinning him to the ground. After fourth attack, the trunk completely broke apart and Aleks tried to run off, but yeti pinned him with his foot on Alekse’s back.

“Puny human! Weak! Weak!”

-“D-Dammit. Why did I challenge this monster alone in the first place?! What was I thinking?”

Yeti started putting his whole weight on his foot, intending to break Aleksandr’s body completely. Aleks shouted in agony as Viktor and Kiril watched this torture, unable to move at all.

He turned his head left. His sword was laying on the ground, just a few meters away, but yeti’s pressure was just too much.

-“Is, is this the end…?”

He closed his eyes, hoping that his agony will stop soon. Yeti was really taking his time with him, kicking him and then crushing his bones with his feet. Aleks turned to face yeti, his face twisted by pain and anger at his opponent’s sadistic torture.

-“Just finish me already, you furry piece of shit.”

Yeti stopped kicking him, smiling at his prey’s destroyed spirit. He raised his feet ready to crush his head. Kiril sat nearby, too much wounded to move and watching his rival get slowly crushed by yeti. He knew this was the end, but the thought of Aleks getting crushed somewhat eased his pain. It was a wicked thought, even for him, but he couldn’t help it.

-“ That bastard Dmitri will take our place. It makes sick just to think about it, but at least you’ll die with me Aleks.”

-“ Dear Guardians, you’ve got such an evil heart.”, an old, raspy voice whispered to Kiril. Beside him, stood a short, old bearded man in leather tunic and with staph in his right hand. “Please, close your eyes.”

-“Who the hell are y-” Kiril stopped speaking as he saw a blue dazzling light emanating from old man’s staff. It didn’t take him long to realize that he was a shaman. The shaman pointed his staph toward Aleks and the yeti and fired off a blast off energy shaped in ball. The projectile traveled at a speed equal of that of an shot arrow and hit the yeti in the back, spreading throughout its whole body. It fell on the ground, groveling in pain and desperately tried to get up, but its legs were shaky and he could barely stand. Aleks, who was on verge of losing consciousness, didn’t really understand what was happening, but without second thought crawled to his sword, intent on finishing the beast once and for all. Yeti saw what his prey was doing and started crawling after him. Aleks managed to take the sword but it felt so heavy and the world around him seemed so unstable and shaky. The yeti behind him seemed so huge even on his knees. He tried to raise his sword but the was no will behind it. Why? Why did he lost his will to fight?

-“No, the problem is… I don’t have will to live…”

If he manages to survive this fight, what next? He doesn’t want to fight for the throne of Malensk, nor does he want to live in exile again. Everything he worked for all these years was worthless. Does he just end it all now, right here? If there is nothing to give him a reason to live, should he just let that monster tear him apart?

-“ALEKS!!!”

-“Is… is that Nikita?” His vision became more clear.

-“Stay on defense, Sir, we’re coming!”

-“Just hold on, Sir!”

-“The whole squad… is here…” He managed to stand up on his shaky legs.

-“Are you really going to die here after everything we’ve done for you?”

-“VASILY…!?”

He gripped his sword tightly and turned around to face the yeti who in desperation lept forward with his right hand raised right. Aleks’ vision was still blurry but he could see yeti right in front of him and swung his sword with what little strength he got. It hit something, no it sliced it actually. His vision became all red and he could fell warm blood on his face and hands.

-“Mine… or his blood…?”

Something long and meaty fell on his right foot and a roar of pain from yeti pierced his ears. Everything was red in his eyes but he could clearly see tall black figurine of yeti stepping away from him. and his right arm seemed much shorter now.

-“I… I hit it…”

He took a step forward, raised his sword and swung at it again.

He hit something much harder now, but the sword clearly broke it. The black figure before him fell down. Aleks felt his whole body suddenly going numb and his vision was blackening.

-“I did it Vasily…”

He fell on the ground unconscious. with a proud smile on his face. The last thing he heard were footsteps that were coming to him. Skitarian shaman stood beside his lifeless body, impressed by young man’s strength and courage.

-“I don’t know what kind of plan Guardians have for you, my boy, but it will be an interesting sight to see.”