The setting sun cast a beautiful golden glow over the imposing peaks of the mountains of Les Anciennes and painted the snow in fiery hues.

I would've enjoyed this incredible sight if I weren't hopelessly lost in the woods with probably the worst guide in Asteris.

"Hm. That's funny.", Iris frowned, her eyes fixated on a peculiar rock.

"I'm pretty sure we saw this rock just a moment ago."

She turned to me, "Could it be that there are more of these weird-shaped rocks?"

With a deadpan stare, I replied, "No, Iris. We circled back after that right turn."

"Right turn?", Iris looked perplexed, "Wasn't that the left?"

Oh Incarni. This is worse than I thought.

"Miss Iris?", I called her.

"Just call me Iris. No need to be formal. What is it?", she asked.

"Are you bad with directions?", I asked bluntly.

Iris shifted her gaze and was immediately fascinated by a lone branch on the snow.

"Why ask?"

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe because we were trudging in this Incarni-forsaken tundra all day looking for a sleuth of Pookie bears whose location you are sure of?", I retorted sarcastically.

"So I ask again, Iris. Are you bad with directions?" I asked, eyeing her intently.

She shifted uncomfortably and gave me a sheepish grin, "Maybe?"

"How bad?" I pressed.

She pressed her lips and rubbed the back of her neck, "Remember our first meeting?"

"In the gym? Yeah.", I recalled, "You were quite bold back then."

"Yeah.", she grimaced, "I was craving a late-night snack at the 24-hour cafe but I took a left turn instead of a right and after a few more wrong turns I ended up in the gym."

"That café's on the ground floor, the gym's on the sixth. Didn't you notice the extra floors?" I asked incredulously.

She gave me the brightest smile I had ever seen, "I guess I am a bit directionally challenged."

"A bit?! You messed up left and right! How in the name of the Incarni do you even do that?!", I exclaimed in disbelief.

"Alright alright! I am bad at directions! You happy?!", Iris threw her hands in the air and exclaimed.

"You're downright awful!", I shook my head and sighed.

I looked at her in absolute wonder, "You said you went on hunts before. How did you not end up in a park in Sleveria?"

"I went with my Unit.", she answered, "Felix was our best tracker and made sure I didn't wander off."

Iris bit her lip, "This is my first solo hunt."

She sighed, "Well. I must say it's going swimmingly."

I sighed, "Good thing I asked Minerva to track us."

Iris looked offended, "What? You didn't trust me?"

"I trust your strength, Iris. I bore witness to it on the battlefield but Damien suggested I contact Minerva if lost.", I explained.

"You know, I still know where the hornbears are.", she protested.

I chuckled, "Sure you do, Lady Karsus."

I would've lost my head if it weren't for my instincts.

Detecting an insane amount of Bloodlust, I quickly ducked just as a bolt of pure darkness flashed right where my face was a second ago.

The next second, I heard a huge roar as the bolt hit the side of the mountain, decimating the area and raining small clumps of snow on me.

"Do not ever speak that name.", Iris warned in an icy tone, her previous casual demeanor replaced by a barely controlled rage.

Tendrils of darkness rose from her and an ominous chill associated with Tenebris washed over me.

I gulped and stepped back as another bolt of black lightning materialized in her hand and the power of Tenebris washed over me.

Out of the ten strands, Tenebris is unique.

Including its power over darkness, shadows, and death, Tenebris is also capable of mimicking other strands in the form of their dark counterparts.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Black flames, dark water, black lightning, and other dark forms of strands or sub-strands can be controlled by Tenebris warlocks.

The only strands Tenebris cannot mimic are Chronos, Locus, and Haema.

Even with that rather minor limitation, it is considered one of the strongest strands.

And I'm about to taste the very same bolt of black lightning that obliterated a daemon in one shot if I don't diffuse the situation.

"Okay! I'm sorry! Please put down the bolt before things get nasty.", I held out my hands and pleaded.

But my words seemed to be falling on deaf ears as Iris approached me, holding the black bolt with a dangerous glint in her eyes.

It is as if the name 'Karsus' triggered unpleasant memories in her, memories that would enrage her if surfaced.

Does she hate Duke Karsus so much that the mere mention of that name would make her spontaneously erupt with rage?

Great. Duke Karsus, you are the Father of The Year.

If it were any other person, they would either run or defend against Iris.

But I am no ordinary person. I'm Sir Mordred and I can keep my calm.

I guess.

But before I could say anything else, I heard a rumbling and sensed something approaching from behind, something huge and fast.

A rush of icy wind followed by random clumps of snow hit me in the back and the ground vibrated as if a gigantic beast was rushing down the mountain right at us.

Iris stopped in her tracks and her bolt fizzled out of existence as her eyes widened in alarm.

"Quick! We must escape!", she yelled and threw a tendril of darkness at me. It wrapped around my arm and she yanked me toward her.

I quickly turned around and saw a massive avalanche bearing down on us.

"Ah shit!", I swore as the roiling wall of snow slammed into my face.

*******

It was dark and suffocating.

A glacial chill enveloped my body from all sides and I felt hopelessly trapped.

A cold wetness slowly seeped into my clothes and touched my skin, tingling my spine.

Fortunately, I reinforced my body with ardor just before the avalanche hit me and my uniform's temperature control prevented my body from getting cold.

Images of a red sky with black stars, blood, entrails, and dismembered body parts flashed into my mind.

An incessant and distorted whispering, a dark chant filled the silence as I lay trapped under the snow.

Or was it snow?

Suddenly I could feel things attaching to my body and the taste of blood flowed into my tongue.

Panic gripped my heart and my breathing became rapid.

No no no.

It cannot be! Calm down Mordred!

I'm trapped under the snow. This is not my nightmare.

I'm just hallucinating.

But the more I tried to reassure myself, the more the blood, the stench, and the feeling of organs touching my body intensified.

I desperately tried to move my body, trying to claw myself out of this frigid prison. I am strong enough to break out of this.

But my movements are restrained, as if numerous dismembered hands had grabbed hold of me and were pulling me down.

I opened my mouth to scream only for blood to flow in along with some nasty clumps.

No! Please! It cannot be!

Suddenly I felt a tug on my wrist. The horrifying images flickered as another tug, this one stronger than the previous one.

Then, a tug strong enough to rip off my arm pulled me up and my body moved through the densely packed snow as if it were water.

Like a fisherman hauling a catch, I was pulled out of the snow and floated in the air for a minute before crashing into the snowy ground.

"You alive?", Iris's voice broke through the whispers that still lingered in my ears.

"Yeah," I managed weakly, seizing her hand.

I activated Haema and accelerated my blood to give me an energy boost.

"Whoa!", I gasped as the energy boost hit me like a blow from a daemon.

I quickly scanned my surroundings and realized it was night. The two moons in the night sky illuminated the surroundings.

I continued to observe. Looks like we ended up in some deep wood, the spot I am standing on must've had lots of trees before it was buried by the avalanche, judging by all the broken branches and trunks.

"Where are we?", I asked after making sense of my surroundings.

"The avalanche swept us further down the mountain into these woods.", Iris replied, warily looking around.

"Take out your weapon.", she urged, her eyes calmly sweeping the woods as if expecting an ambush.

Still confused, I took out my daggers.

"What is it?", I asked and looked around again.

"The woods of Les Anciennes at night? Not the best place to be lost in.", she took out her daggers and stood behind me.

Ah. That's what it is.

I gripped my daggers and sharpened my senses. My enhanced hearing was able to detect them.

Animalistic growls and soft paws trudging in the snow surrounded us.

A terrible howl pierced the stillness of the night and hunched silhouettes appeared under the pure moonlight.

"Wolves?", I asked, my eyes flitting from one monstrously hunched form to another.

"Worse.", Iris growled, "Frost Hounds."

"Oh, that's just wonderful."

I've read about them a while back with Felix.

Felix...

My heart ached at the thought of never seeing my friend again.

I shook my head. Focus!

From what I read, Frost Hounds are native to Les Anciennes and are quite adept at erasing their presence and also have adaptive camouflage like a chameleon.

That explains why we didn't sense them until they were close.

I don't know how they compare against a Glacial Hornbear but they are quite deadly, especially in a pack.

"So what do you call these guys? Icy Puppies?", I quipped nervously as the ground vibrated from the collective growling of the ardimals.

"That's actually a good name. I think we should consider it.", Iris admitted as the hounds shimmered into view.

And boy are they a sight to see!

"My. Aren't you guys just the cutest?"