Rise of Winter, Week 3, Day 6

Freddie didn’t think herself a good person. Not in the way some people were. She wasn’t selfless—didn’t go out of her way to be kind. And even when she jumped out of a window to run to aid someone injured in the snow, she didn’t think she was doing it for altruistic reasons.

No, she was doing it for the same reason she fought in elsewhere. It was what she knew how to do. And it was what she loved doing. Whether the figure in the snow was friend or foe, there was something hunting them. Something close to the manor. Something deadly.

Freddie’s grin persisted even as she arrived at the scene.

She slid to a stop, the heat of her knuckles brushing her thighs before she held up her fists and took a fighting stance.

The figure, dressed in all black, turned to face her. The swaths of blood surrounding him in the snow painting a grotesque picture.

“N–” they started before leaning too far forward and collapsing.

Freddie didn’t spare it a thought and instead began scanning the plains of snow and ice. She turned on her back heel, looking for movement. Circling the collapsed figure, Freddie was facing out. She could hear the labored breathing coming from the heap of dark cloth, but her focus was on what had attacked them.

It was just as Freddie was getting ready to lower her guard and help the figure to the manor—where there were healing potions and doctors and other people to deal with the consequences— that a giant mass of scales jumped forward, lunging straight for Freddie’s face.

[Quick Fight]

“[Inspect]”

Freddie was barely able to speak the command before she was forced to step back and duck down as a false memory showed the mass of scales striking her. It was a near thing, avoiding the hit.

[Winterdeep Grassroot Serpent, Tier 2 Level 2]

[A Grassroot Serpent that has absorbed excess nature mana during its hibernation. Its essence has been shifted to be cold. This is a mature specimen.]

As the serpent was suspended in mid-air, its mouth open to bare its fangs, Freddie jumped forward and knocked the serpent to the side. A sizzling sound resounded in the clearing, and a deep hisssss came from the serpent.

This is dangerous. I’m alone, with no one to pull me to safety.

Freddie’s thoughts were matter-of-fact, and when she struck again, she used [Fire Manipulation] to increase the heat of her flames as much as possible. Freddie felt the adrenaline pumping through her veins alongside the magma of her mana, and instead of letting it control her, she used it to dodge another lunge by the serpent. Launching from where she stood, Freddie wrapped her hand around the serpent's body. Its pale scales darkened as her flames licked them, and Freddie squeezed.

“Get back, you overgrown garden snake!” She yelled, a grin on her face.

The creature’s head whipped back around wildly, and though Freddie saw the bite coming, she was unable to dodge it fully. She sank her shoulder down, and the serpent’s fangs opened a wide cut across Freddie’s skin—but did not grasp onto her.

She counted that as a win.

Again, the snake went for a bite, but Freddie was prepared, and so she reached her hands out where the serpent was aiming and felt the beast bite into her flesh. A single hand. She gripped the creature’s mouth, dragging its head closer to her face, and she laughed.

“Oh, get roasted.” She growled.

Using her left hand, she pressed her palm against the side of the serpent’s head. Then, she maneuvered her fingers up just enough, as the wriggling serpent fought her, to press into its eye. It’s beautiful, vibrant green eye. Freddie dug her nails into the fleshy bits and pulled.

The serpent widened its mouth and hissed loudly, flailing out of Freddie’s grip. There was a horrible snap, and Freddie was holding a mound of quickly evaporating goop.

A wailing sound filled the air, and the serpent backed away from Freddie —not far, just enough for it to coil and prepare itself for another attack. Freddie didn’t give it the chance.

[Fire Step]

And Freddie ran, airborne above the serpent’s head. As she reached the apex of the snake’s body, she broke her Skill and felt a new round of magma flood her veins.

[Imbue Flame]

Fire erupted around her shoe, melting the leather, but Freddie was too preoccupied dropping downward to care. Her heel landed between the serpent’s eyes, burrowing deep into its skull and lighting the beast aflame. The edges of its scales erupted in flickering orange flames that seemed to sink underneath the outer layer, causing the beast’s head to glow.

As Freddie jumped off of the serpent’s head, she landed in the snow, back by the cloaked figure.

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Whoever it was was sitting up then.

“Hey–” Freddie started but was forced to cut herself off as a burning sensation began seeping through her. Gripping her shoulder, where the pain originated, Freddie whipped around to glare at the wounded serpent.

“Oh my Gods, the thing has poison,” she spat out.

Releasing her shoulder, she shook out her arms, fighting back the sensation of pain that was now radiating through the entirety of her arm. As she did so, the serpent seemed to turn away from Freddie.

“No,” Freddie said, a feral grin spreading across her face, “That just won’t do.”

And then she was on top of the beast again, washing it in fists and flames. Freddie took another bite from the serpent, this time on her calf, but in exchange, she ripped out the beast's other eye and slammed it into its own mouth. So she called it even as it wailed and flailed and finally collapsed.

[Regenerate]

Freddie felt the warmth of her mana radiate through her shoulder and calf, and while it knit the flesh back together, the pain from the serpent’s poison still remained. She needed to get back to the manor, where there was bound to be an antidote—or maybe she could sleep it off.

But first, she had to see about the bloodied figure.

Up close, Freddie could see underneath the hood—it was clearly a man. No, a boy. He couldn’t be much older than fifteen. He had vibrant green eyes that Freddie recognized from when she’d ripped them out of the serpent.

“Hello?” Freddie said, bending down to get closer to the dazed teenager, “You up again?”

As she spoke, a System notification tried to fill her vision —a [Combat Report], but she waved it away and focused on dismissing all her Skills. After snapping her fingers to try and get the boy to speak to her, she heaved a sigh and went about getting the boy’s arm over her shoulder. He was totally out of it, with his eyes unfocused. She would have to figure out what the coloring was about later.

“This was so much easier when Tiltham was here,” Freddie complained as she trekked through the snowy plains, dragging along the barely conscious teenager.

What had taken a minute to run had taken fifteen to traverse with the dead weight. Not to mention that she had to wrap around to the front of the manor.

Placing the bloodied boy down at the top of the steps as gently as she could, she pulled open the front door.

“Hey,” Freddie said harshly, looking at a knight hanging out by the grand staircase.

“My Lady!” They said, jumping up and rushing forward.

“I need your help —there’s someone passed out on our front steps.” She said simply, her nose scrunching as she looked over the gangly member of the Void. He didn’t look particularly strong, but looks weren’t always accurate, so she chose to ignore it.

“Of-of course,” he turned his head and hit the star emblazoned on his chest before following Freddie.

She rolled her eyes at the obvious call for backup but still led him out without commenting.

“I found him in the moors,” Freddie started. “A Winterdeep Grassroot Serpent had attacked him.”

The knight knelt down but was looking at Freddie as he spoke. “That’s odd, usually, it takes more than a month's worth of cold mana to mutate them. Did you fight it?”

Freddie snorted and gestured to her torn shoulder and pant leg —and the unfortunate melting of her shoe.

“No,” she said sarcastically.

“Right,” the knight said, his face going red. Avoiding Freddie’s gaze, he began propping up the teenager when he stilled.

A gasp escaped his lips, and then he was shaking the limp body, “Argon?! Argon, wake up!”

Freddie looked on quizzically and was just about to ask who exactly Argon was when three more knights appeared and rushed past. They all grew worried once they heard the fourth knight identify this Argon.

Freddie’s stomach grumbled in the midst of the chaos, and she promptly decided it really wasn’t her problem. She had a dinner to get to —after she changed. Again.

“Ugh, this sucks,” she complained as she climbed the stairs back to her room.

Quickly changing, she winced as she was forced to walk on her poisoned leg and lift with her poisoned arm.

At least it hasn’t spread anymore. Freddie acknowledged. Still hurts, though.

She tried another [Regenerate] only to find nothing changed. Freddie was in the midst of trying again when she got to the dining room.

Face to face with the entirety of her family, her pain fell to the back of her mind, and she smiled.

“I’m here, and I’m ready to devour this entire table!” She proclaimed as she shoved the door closed behind her.

At the head of the table, the Duke of Nemo laughed, “It’s all your favorites. Come, Freddie, enjoy.”

The table was full of dishes Freddie recognized—from Grag rinds to jumping Polax beans. The dessert wasn’t out yet but she expected it to be an enchanted tea and honey pistachio ice cream. Even if it wasn’t, she wouldn’t be disappointed. Freddie had been eating jerky and water for over three weeks and was ready to eat whatever was put in front of her.

Taking her seat next to her father, Freddie could feel her brothers’ eyes on her, and she shot them a smile. Hue, Les, and Gene all seemed to think she was specifically smiling at them individually and not the group of them as a whole —but Freddie wasn’t about to correct them.

“Fredddddd,” Hue whined from next to her. “We missed you. You haven’t played with us in so long!”

“Yeah! You even missed heading to the city. You never miss going out,” Les pouted.

Gene just looked up at her with watery eyes for a long moment before starting to cry.

Freddie’s smile dropped, and she started shushing Gene from her seat, “It’s okay, Genie! I’m here! We can play together tomorrow —I’ll ditch Marasha if I have to!”

Freddie was frantically trying to calm her brothers as another round of laughter came from her grandfather.

“Boys, boys, give your sister some grace —she’s been working hard. Or so I’ve heard.”

Freddie perked up at that, “Did Tilly tell you that?”

“Void Captain Tiltham did brief me on your progress.”

“Yes, yes,” one of Freddie’s uncles interrupted. “We know, you have some secret Class. Blah blah blah. Show us your Boon!”

After a brief moment of contemplation, the room quieted, and Freddie stood up again.

“Just for you, Uncle Charro,” Freddie said indulgently.

[Sparkler]

She held her hands out in a grand gesture as both suns formed in the palm of her hands. First came Dreya, the yellow sun, shining with her golden light. Second came Troya, the red sun, the smaller of the two but no less beautiful. Both suns sparked in their respective colors. They were much larger than the single Dreya had been when she gained the Skill, and Freddie could feel their gentle warmth.

The room was silent as Freddie’s family looked upon her Boon. Until everyone erupted into cheers, and Freddie broke out into a grin.