Cold winds sharply blew, sometimes making noises akin to soft whines and sometimes crashing into the rocks and forest unleashing powerful howls that echo throughout the mountains.
Nights in the mountains were especially cold and winds were especially violent, there was no moon or stars to be seen too, only clouds. Because there were no sources of light, night was extremely dark.
For now there was no snow but it would not be strange for the snow to fall now or even a snowstorm could be expected, it was mountains in the winter after all.
Even if it was not winter, weather in the mountains were already unstable, it would change from one form of weather to another in two to three hours or maybe less.
In the mists there were all kinds of beasts hidden inside the forest, from wolves to more powerful creatures. Wolf howls could be heard every ten seconds or so, it seemed like a pack of wolves were hunting.
At the edge of the forest a figure could be seen, it was a solitary figure of a man who was walking with seemingly great difficulty.
He was covered by a cloak of fur revealing nothing about him, but his walking suggested the man had a problem with his legs.
Tracks that he left upon snow were also extremely strange, but it revealed why man walked strangely: he had a wooden peg leg, which - of course - could not be like the leg one was born with.
Only things that one could see under his cloak was a pair of sharp blue eyes that made one shiver uncontrollably, for they were like two pair of swords, if looks could kill then the owner of this pair of eyes would be able to kill a man with a look.
The man stopped and turned around to look at the white tiger that had been eyeing him for some while and released a powerful killing intent from those cold sword-like eyes.
Tiger was actually bigger than the man, in fact it was about as big as two tigers combined. It was a huge beast with a majestic aura.
But the tiger immediately felt a shiver up his spine and got goosebumps, this man who had carried a lantern was dangerious. It was not capable of fighting or fleeing from this man.
It would not be wrong to say the man could slaughter it in an instant. No wonder he dared to walk like he had owned the forest.
Though it was the king of this area, in front of this man it was weaker than a newborn tiger in front of a fully grown tiger. It might as well be a kitten.
It was a smart beast, the fact that it had managed to survive in the mountains filled with many dangers was a proof of that, it immediately understood a fact:this man was stronger than him, perhaps unbelievably so.
It immediately showed a submissive posture to this abnormal man, slowly walking away from him. He then made a sharp turn toward the right and leapt into the darkness of the night.
It felt like it had almost died. No, it felt that it would have died if it had not shown the man it did not intended to fight.
The man-eating tiger had, for the first time had met a tiger-eating man. From now on he would not dare look down on humans.
He looked back in fear, afraid that the man would follow him.
But the man continued walking like nothing had happened, as if he had just shooed away a bothersome dog.
Tiger relaxed a little bit and quickly strode into the dephts of the forest, he would not dare come back here for a few days.
The man was walking with his lantern in front of him, though it could not really illuminate the area very well... Fire of the lantern was very small and limited after all.
If it was an another person it would be foolishness to have this lantern in the night, while it illuminated the surrounding area it also revealed himself to the beasts.
While it was true that the fire could illuminate the area but to use it in this circumstances would be foolishness, one might as well invite all beasts in the mountains for a feast, feast being himself...
Because fire of the lantern did illuminated some few meters, but it could be seen beyond some hundred meters with the sharp eyes of the beasts, drawing them to the light.
But the man was different, he was powerful enough to protect himself fully so he had no fear from beasts.
In fact besides the tiger no beast dared to get closer to him and even the tiger followed him out of curiousity, not because he had intended to attack him, fully confident in his abilities - overconfident one might say.
After all they could sense the strength of the man, even if it was hidden away. Like how someone could sense the sharpness and might of a divine sword even when it was sheathed.
Ahead of him was a stone building with a barely seen light radiating from its small holes covered with glass. Though the building actually did not have two floors it was built almost as tall as a building with two floors.
The door was also made higher, above a flight of stairs, each stair's surface covered by snow and a handrail of sorts made of rope and wood.
While snow itself was not very troublesome, for snow was not really slippery, beneath snow there might be ice and snow might be hiding it, so it was not exactly trustworthy enough to climb withot handrails.
Upon the stairs there was sign of a person's, a man's from the size of his feet, footprint. Along with faint traces of light from the small holes this showed that the building was inhabited by at least one man.
The man's eyes revealed a complicated feeling as they looked upon the stone building, then he released a faint sigh and he walked to the door, going up the half buried stairs.
He opened the door and stepped inside putting down his lantern on the table. The hut was extremely simple, there were merely some chairs, a normal - compared to size of the building quite small - table and about a dozen bunk beds for furniture.
It was wide enough to be home to several man for a while and could at least be home for more than fifty people, of course it would be cramped however.
It was a hunting lodge, extremely common around the mountain, built along the mountain paths by local powers to serve as a temporary camp for all kinds of people.
After all a snowstorm was something that would not allow people to come down the mountains and it also would become extremely dangerious since it limited sight of humans but beasts who had sharper senses of sight, smell and hearing could still see them.
Such weather simply favored the beasts over humans, allowing them to ambush unwitting adventurers and hunters and giving them the ability to beat humans they otherwise would be unable to.
The worst enemy that man had in the mountains was weather, protection from the weather was also a point where beasts were superior to man.
Lodge was often used by the adventurers or hunters who had to stay the night in the mountains, as such though it was simple, it was also extremely wide to be able to accomidate multiple groups of people.
Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author's preferred platform and support their work!
However it was now winter, harshest of seasons and the season during which most hunters migrated from the north to the places where winter was warmer or were with their family spending the winter, a vacation of sorts.
The reasons for that was obvious, because in winter there was no valuable plants and herbs to be found, more threat from animals that had lived there.
Normally a well armed group could pose deterrence to most animals except the most foolish and the most powerful, but in winter a new variable had effect on the animals - hunger.
Starving animals would not discriminate against food and would try to eat whatever they found regardless of what it would cost them.
Simply put risk had increased and rewards had decreased, thus it was not worth risking their lives.
For adventurers it was a different story however, because most of the people who hunted animals like hunters were lower ranked adventurers.
Most adventurers would remain in the place where they had their base, but they would not stay in the hunting lodges. There were inns of adventurers guild in most places where there were monsters and dungeons.
Thus it was completely expected that the hunting lodge would be empty, perhaps the best place for this secretive meeting...
The man turned his had towards the stairway that descended to the basement that was built below the room he was in and descended the stairs one by one in a calm fashion.
Though he was by no means calm, he could not be calm ever since he had received that letter that was sent with an arrow to him.
At first he was annoyed that someone shot an arrow towards him, catching an arrow in flight that had no power beyond that of the bows was easy for him and that person knew that.
Contents of the letter was not something he was able to ignore.
When he looked to the fireplace and saw a man who was holding something something wrapped in a fur blanket his eyes again showed a complex feeling.
"Old Master, you have arrived." spoke the man who was sifting through ashes in the fireplace with a twig in his hands and rose on his feet and greeting him with a bow of his head.
He had fair hair that reflected the flame and tanned skin, which was - needless to say - quite rare in the north.
He had blue eyes but his eyes lacked that deadly, sword-like sharpness. He had a crooked nose with a scar and almond eyes. His most notable feature was his huge rectrangular chin.
He looked weary and weathered from travelling, in his forehead was a single black line. He obviously had not cared about personal grooming given the state of beard. Overall he looked like man in his fourties, but the man knew that once the man had proper personal grooming he would look in his early twenties.
"Morgan. What you said in the letter... Is it true?" said the man closing his eyes to acknowledge his bow and reopening them.
The man he called Morgan was hit by a wave of nostalgia when he saw those eyes, those eagle like eyes with sword like sharpness that seemed to see straight through someone, they were one of a kind in the world without a doubt.
It reminded him of the past, when old master had questioned him and his master while they were caught by him.
Those eyes always seemed like they were able to see through any lie or excuse...
He remembered the past with a sad smile, old master catching master after he had done something mischievous - often dragging him and old madam's disciple along of course.
When caught old master had often looked to them this way, telling them to tell truth.
Of course Master would never tell truth and would get spanked until his butt "blossomed"...
While remembering the past, a deep sadness and anger gushed forth like rivers and oceans. A deep sense of loss and sorrow, it was like his heart was torn out of his chest.
"It is true old master, master... master is dead. He was murdered by angels as a result of the treachery of that person." said Morgan looking to the baby wrapped in the fur blanket inside his arms.
"Master and madam passed away, I could only save young master..." said Morgan he looked like he wanted to cry, but he simply could not...
Regardless of what I am now I was once a soldier, we soldiers would rather shed blood than tears!
"So it is true..." said the man and removed the hood of his cloak revealing his face fully.
His face was a face that would hush crying children, or perhaps would make them cry more - but it was definitely guaranteed that they would see nightmares.
He was born handsome, but in his case his enemies had decided change it. He had a claw scar over his right eye, a horrible scar from the temples down to jaws, covering half his face.
Beneath his right eye was also a burn scar that went down his neck, on other half of his face there were various small scars from weapons and a huge axe scar.
Though now covered by his cloak and robes all his body was filled with scars. Repeatedly injured in the wars and the battles he had fought by now he simply had more scars than skin.
He had long greying black hair and thick, dark brows expanded on the intimidation radiated by his sword-like blue eyes, his forehead had deep frown lines, he had chiseled features and he sported a mighty beard that was mostly grey with some black and white parts.
Right now the intimidating and awe-inspiring aura of a general who had fought thousands of battles could not be hidden away by his cloak.
His name was Erwin Stormbringer. He had many titles like the Steelwall, the Bulwark of the Kingdom, the victor of thousand battles...
He was sworn brothers with the King and had married a branch family of royal family, taking on the Stormbringer surname, he originally did not have any surname for he was a commoner.
From a common soldier he had risen to the rank of marshall, holding the nobility rank of a grand duke which was only below the royal family in terms of nobility rank.
There was only a few generals who would attain the rank of marshall because most generals could not be trusted with the military of the entire country for they either lacked loyalty to the sovereign or they lacked ability.
It was rare for both of it to be present in one general, in fact no one had been a marshall for two centuries until Erwin became a marshall.
If loyalty was concerned, Erwin would never rebel even if the king rebelled against himself, if ability was concerned Erwin had won thousands of battles winning enormous amount of merits.
"Is that child Loki's son?" said Erwin looking at the baby that was wrapped in fur blanket, and he opened his hands "Give him to me."
Morgan passed the sleeping baby to Erwin's arms and Erwin intently looked at baby's face, it looked like him rather than Loki. Loki looked more like his mother, was a "pretty boy" as his friends called him.
The moment he looked to his face he thought of Loki...
A little life was born, he was cute - except for looking like a monkey. When he tried to touch him, he had grasped his big finger from the hands filled with callouses and scars from wielding weapons, shields and fighting.
That touch had melted something, somewhere, he did not know what. He grew, he became sick sometimes, sometimes he hurt himself.
He had toured the room, he had bellowed and roared, raining down orders to servants until they finally wanted to multiply to fulfill his orders. His wife had laughed at him then.
He grew to be a fair haired, fair skinned and rose cheeked boy, he did not really have great physique, nor did he have any talents. He did not become disappointed like his wife and spoiled him so he would feel better.
When he grew to be a mischevious terror, he understood that like his wife said he had spoiled him too much and whenever he caught him red-handed he would spank his butt until his but was red too...
He grew to be rebellious, could not bear to be in the shadow of his talented family drinking away until he had discovered he had talent for dark arts and became a heretic.
At the time Erwin could not stop coughing for days and fell to bed from shock, coughing up blood from internal injuries.
Ever since that day he had awaited fearfully for this day and then a letter on an arrow came...
Loki had gone away...
"What is his name?" asked Erwin with a voice that was dampened with sadness and tears that were being wept inside Erwin's heart.
"Alexander" replied Morgam, giving him a curt answer.
"Alexander..." said Erwin and looked to Morgan "What will you do now?"
"I will take revenge for master and madam!" said Morgan without hesitation, determination in his voice.
"But I cannot rest easy... What about young master, would everyone accept him?" asked Morgan concerned about baby Alexander.
"Who dares not to?" suddenly flames blazed in Erwin's eyes and killing intent climbed to sky, making everything around them run for their lives in panic.
"Let us never meet again! Be it in the battlefield or in private." said Erwin climbing the stairs to the first floor and Morgan gave a salute to the Erwin behind his back before melding into the shadows.
"How come you are here?" said Erwin with surprise upon seeing a woman sitting on the chair in the first floor, with his eyes opened wide.
"No I should have guessed you would be here Elena..." said Erwin then sighing faintly looking again at that cold face.
"You old codger, you know that you cannot hide something from me, yet you still dare to do something behind my back." said the woman and got up.
Her long, platinium blonde hair fell down to her waist and she used her hands to put her hair behind her ears. With her bewitching green eyes, fair skin, soft features and curvy body, she was a rare beauty. She looked like she was in her early thirties.
"Loki has passed away." said Erwin closing his eyes, knowing what to expect from her.
"I know, I did not become sect leader because my ears were deaf and my eyes were blind." said Elena and rolled her eyes, added with a neutral voice "The moment he joined heretics he was dead to me."
"I see..." said Erwin and closed his eyes, before opening them since he had suddenly noticed that she had called him an old codger.
"You called me an old codger? Old codger your grandfather! You are even older than me and yet you still think you are young, you old bat!"
"What did you call me, you old codger?!" said Elena openeing her eyes wide with anger, smoke erupting from all of her seven orifices.
"I called you old bat, so what?" replied Erwin again spitting on the floor.
Damn what have I gotten into?
Alexander wanted to facepalm but could not...