It wasn’t completely dark but with no real lights out here, it wasn’t a great feeling to run around in the wilderness.

They didn’t keep a torch out of fear of accidentally igniting themselves in case any maggots jumped on top of them. Apparently, those things and their gooey innards were highly flammable.

Jane did have good sleep last night, so she wasn’t as sleepy as usual. Even so, just walking around proved to be a chore. And she had to fight monsters in this situation?

But boy was she glad there weren’t any.

“Why are these things here?” Jane asked. She’d been walking right behind the man.

Monsters were running away. Trying to get out of the maggots’ way.

“Remember how I meant they didn’t want anything to live inside them?”

“Yes?”

“Well, they might have wanted it to stay that way but we got away.”

“But a lot of other people get away too, right?”

“Yeah, but not quite.” He shrugged. “But if we can cross the river of Ulee, we should be fine. Those things are scared of ice.”

“Right!”

But the river was at least two days away.

And to get to the river, they had to ditch the next village and just head for the river instead.

“What happens if we go to the village?”

“It gets overrun. These things usually don’t harm typical people and monsters of this place though, so the people will probably be fine. The grass and greenery around the place, not so much.”

“Right…”

“Remember how the people of the settlement were so nice and welcoming?”

“Yeah?”

“Well, they were going to get a lot of free food when the damn things cross their place. You see, when cooked right, these maggots are really delicious. And some people can stomach the idea of eating them without any issues, so-”

“I don’t get people…” Jane groaned. “But I do get hunger…” She cleared her throat, walked faster. “Let’s just go.”

And going- they’d been doing all day. And now, even during the night. At some point, Jane wondered, why couldn’t they just have taken a horse or a carriage or something. But then she quickly dismissed the idea because horses were a great target for goblin ambushes and carriages were a liability out here.

There were no roads in this route and that only made things way- way worse for horses and carriages. She still didn’t want to walk and run all the time though. These last few days had wrecked not only her lungs but her body was hurting in places she didn’t know could even hurt.

“Can’t we just like burn them from the distance?”

The man stopped and sighed. “Are you a pyromaniac or something? Let’s say we start a fire out here, who’s going to stop that from spreading? There are way more trees around these parts and this could very well spell the doom of everything around here.”

“I know, I know… I was just whining…” she sighed.

“Oh, you know you’re whining… odd.”

“The maggots,” Jane said. “They’re getting bigger…”

“We’re too late I suppose.” He sighed. “Alright, change of plans, start chanting an ice spell.”

“Didn’t you say you didn’t want to risk crossing ice?”

“We don’t have a choice.”

***

“Frost of the Nire, come before me, trap the very moisture of air in your grasp, freeze the dancing palms…” Jane started dancing along with the incantations. Staff flailing, she swayed and danced like she was drunk or something.

The man found it a little odd. Since when did using ice magic require intricate dances and such superficial incantations? Did her grandmother-?

He snickered silently, just thinking about it. He didn’t bother correcting her though.

“Through truth and despair, the world shall be born anew- and through fire and ice- a soul renew… ICE AGE!”

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

“Wait what?” the man paused, eyes going really wide. “You were chanting ancient magic you dolt!”

Jane’s staff glowed white, really bright and something encapsulated the two in warm light while the rest of the place suffered the engulfment of heinous blizzards.

“Ancient magic?” Jane stared back, breath erratic, sweating buckets in this blistering cold. The spell consumed a fair share of her mana.

Everything was frozen. The grass, the bugs, everything. Everything apart from just the footing near Jane and the man and them. It as though the warm light had protected them and the Fluff.

Steam came out of his mouth with each breath. “Yeah. And that staff…” A breath out. So, I wasn’t wrong…. He cleared his throat. “Alright, with that settled, let’s carefully get out of here and-” He paused, eyes going wide again. “You got to be fucking kidding me…” he sighed.

Mist covered the place.

“What’s wrong?”

The warm light disappeared and came seething cold.

But through that cold something else came towards them. A person?

No. It had the shape of a person but it had needles all over its body; colored white and green, almost like the maggots. Needles leaking green stuff. It didn’t have any clothes. Appeared to be female in nature but without any sort of holes; just one massive eye on its chest where there should have been her mammary glands instead. No mouth, ears or nose; bald.

“What the hell is that?” Jane mumbled. In all her life, Jane had neither read nor heard about something like this, ever.

And the thing didn’t appear to be bothered in the least by the cold.

“An old beast. I thought it was dead…” the man mumbled.

“Clearly, you thought wrong,” Jane managed. “Do we run?”

They’d already frozen the whole place and although it was going to be tough to run, they could still try it at least. If push came to shove, Jane didn’t mind crawling out of there.

“I’m afraid, that was no longer an option the moment we decided to stand and fight.”

Jane knew this was serious. He’d seen the man fight. He’d seen how casual he was. And yet that man was sweating even in this cold weather. That man was staring without blinking and that man… was shaking even.

This WAS serious.

“Greetings Destroyer of Cities,” the words came out but a whisper. Hushed whispers.

Where was the voice coming from? Jane couldn’t tell but it was almost as though the words were being played in her mind.

And wait, destroyer of cities? Jane stared at the man. The man’s gaze was purely set on the humanoid beast.

“Greetings, Maggot,” the man said, seething. “Been a while.” He took off, swooshing through the mist.

ClANGH!

The man’s dagger fell on the beast but it blocked with its knuckles. Hardened knuckles.

“Oh? Guest I see,” The thing cocked its head right, grinning at the girl.

Gritting his teeth, the man jumped back. “I cannot both fight and protect you; leave.”

“Spee!” The Fluffball agreed. Jane nodded, and tried getting on the ice, barely keeping her balance. It was slipperly, really slippery. Clear like glass, and definitely not melting.

Meanwhile- “Oh but you should know, I will hunt you down to the end of the earth,” the whisper came.

“Not if you’re dead,” said the man, a firm grin.

“Are you sure? I’m immortal, just like-” Its head went flying.

“Really? Are you sure about that?”

A hand grabbed the man’s feet. A hand formed straight out of the thing’s kneecaps. “Yes.” The hand pulled and knocked him down on the ground. The thing started falling, needles pointing- “Goodbye.”

Slam!

“Likewise,” he used his other feet slamming it down on the torso, shoving it away. But that’s when he realized- a lot of needles had penetrated both his feet. But they weren’t stinging… just a little numb. Paralyzed?

“I’ve improved since the last time. And I’ll keep on improving. You however, have not changed. Yet again proving, we are superior.” It picked up its head, rejoining.

“You talk too much,” he slammed his feet again on the thing, this time on its head, squishing the whole thing down on the floor.

He couldn’t feel his feet anymore, so he didn’t care about the pain that would come later….

“Hmm…” yet, yet the thing put a finger on its squished face, and struck a thoughtful pose. “I suppose I should kill the girl first and break your spirit. It’ll be much easier.”

“Thanks for letting me know your plan as usual,” the man slammed the thing on the ground, pinning it down with his dagger. “Sadly, she’s not going to be killed by the likes of you.”

“Oh please, the likes of me? Are you forgetting how much it took to take me down the last time? Are you forgetting why I even bothered to wake up 10 years earlier than usual just to meet you again…” laughter- laughter came from the whispers. It started melting. “Time to find the girl…” the laughter continued.

“NO need. I’m right here!” Staff pointed, fire at the ready. “OUT OF THE WAY,” she yelled-

The man’s eyes lit up and he immediately jumped to his side.

“Flame spear-”

A fiery spear impaled the thing- immediately lighting the whole thing on fire.

Just like with the maggots, it was also pretty flammable.

“Didn’t I tell you to run?”

“I just did.”

“And didn’t I tell you to not use fire?”

“Sorry.” She snorted.

The man chuckled, and let out a sigh of relief. Yet- when he stared at Jane, his eyes grew wide, and without a second of doubt he jumped forward with his dagger firmly grasped. “Duck.”

Jane ducked and he cut the newly formed maggot body in two.

“ARGHH!!!”

But not just in two, the man sliced, and diced over and over again. To pieces, very small pieces, hundreds of pieces; green viscous liquid leaked. “Set it on fire again.”

“Flame…”

Swoosh! It caught fire, burning fiercely.

This time, it did not regenerate.

“I will be back.”

“And I will be ready,” the man said.

“ARGHGHSSHHHH!!!!” It shrieked, a sound penetrating their very ears.

Shiver inducing yet neither blocked their ears. They just stared, they stared at the thing as it disappeared. And it… died.

“It’s dead though, right?” Jane’s knees gave out. It was cold as hell, but she couldn’t stand up anymore.

“For now. Yes.”

“How long will it stay dead?”

“Half a century maybe?”

“But it knew you.”

“Yeah. I fought it when I was younger. Back then we were under different circumstances and with very different results. Thank you, Jane, for making this easier.”

Jane opened her mouth, unable to conjure any words. Dumbfounded. She didn’t think the man would ever thank her. ever. “Yo-yo-you’re welcome!” Forcing the words out, she turned around, face flushed.

Jane wanted to ask about the destroyer part, she wanted to ask about the red eyes part, and she wanted to ask why the man knew how much he knew. But she didn’t. Just like every other question, she kept them locked up in her heart. Right now, getting the hell out of here and reaching her destination took priority. She didn’t have time or the guts to risk that.

The man chuckled loud. “A little late but- let’s go get some rest.”

“Right!!”

“Let’s first get out of here though.”