If Kaden hadn’t done the expedition to the Fire Mana Domain, he might never have considered entering the Domain Gate. Blue monsters with the [Frost] power spilled out, and for most adventurers, that was too much.
But something Sara had said stood out. How Domains and Trials predated dungeons. Kaden had been through the heart of a Fire Domain. Now he stood on an icy cliff overlooking an Ice Mana Domain that overflowed with power. The Ice Domain was a series of canyons amid peaks that stretched to the sky. A mountain wind hit him so hard it made standing near the entrance, which was a terrible mountain path with heavy rock walls.
Which left Kaden wondering if the domain beasts traversed this, or if their spawing was caused by an overflow of energy and they simply came into existence beyond the gate. And his notifications had filled.
You have entered the Ice Domain: Urkav Mountain Range.
Frost growth is stalled.
Ice Mana Surge!
All Ice skill cost reduced 50%.
All Ice skill damage reduced 50%.
Domains could be vast, and Kaden didn’t have time to spend traversing the entire domain, but surveying the valleys, Kaden quickly focused on a distant trail climbing up the far side of an opposing mountain. Every gate was probably a separate exit and any exit that wasn’t directly in front of the Fen village would do.
Frost wasn’t decreasing or increasing while he spent time in the Domain, which was a solution he hadn’t expected. With [Stealth Aura] engaged, Kaden began the journey. His previous experiences in a Domain told Kaden how to spot spawns at a distance. Frozen rivers, moving ice storms, and so many domain monsters Kaden lost count, Kaden avoided them.
Not that he was alone.
[Ulf] hunted the domain, brilliant white wolves who blended into the snow with a form of [Stealth]. Smaller than the Ulfen, they were without doubt the brethren of the ones outside the domain. They stalked [Razor Geese] in groups of five, driving the flock to separate and then converging.
Kaden couldn’t help holding his breath in amazement each time.
These were beasts in their prime—well, some of them were. Others were younger, hungry and less experienced. From this high up, watching the groups slink along through drifts, in and out of stealth made Kaden smile. When he wasn’t being hunted, watching hunters work was amazing.
He held position as a pack of ulf moved to encircle a wounded stag. A stag at least nine feet tall, with crystaline antlers that gleamed bright blue. It lay, hindquarters trapped in what must have been a snow-covered pond, scrabbling weakly with its hooves to break free.
Only the slightest puff of snow gave away the movement of the [ulf] who closed in. Maybe the crystal stag recognized their presence, but its antlers glowed, and lightning arced from them to strike an ice-covered pine.
Even wounded, it could fight back.
These [Ulf] were white as the snow they ran on, with pitch black eyes, and together they dropped their [Stealth] to appear around the stag, five points of white intended to startle the prey. Their arrangement wasn’t perfect, too far to one side left another almost alone, but it was a fantastic tactic.
The stag gave a panicked cry and struggled—and the lone wolf on the far side leaped onto its back, chomping down.
The others closed, snarling.
The frozen lake errupted in slabs and fragments of ice. The ‘stag’ was a shape-shifting lump of flesh on the tail of a creature like a scorpion, easily three times the size of the [ulf]. Spear-like spines launched from its face, stabbing the wolves ahead of it, while its tail whipped downward, smashing the one on its tail into the bank once, twice, and a third time before it slipped loose.
[Lurepion - Scorpinoid Boss]
The Lurepions are elders of their kind, able to sleep in environments that would kill most of their prey, exposing only a lure meant to attract victims, be it a chest of gold or a helpless maiden, they cry for help only until their food is close enough to strike. This one is deadly no matter how you face it, and once its prey are pinned, it will feed before returning to its rest.
You may not sense emotions from this creature.
Skills: Lure-Form, Tireless, Armored Essence, Claw-Grab, Tail Strike
Talents: Tireless, Armored
Its claws were unlike the crabs, small and agile, and with frightning speed, it lashed out to grasp one of the speared [Ulf], stuffing it into a chewing maw with no regard to their agony or fear.
It wasn’t so much a decision as a need where Kaden leaped from high above, plumeting toward the [Lurpion]. He just couldn’t watch as it fed. Just before impact, he drew Remembrance and slammed it down, striking in the middle of the [Lurpion’s] back.
The blade sparked, and the [Lurpion] shell split wide, exposing pink muscle and red nerves in a mesh beneath his boots. This was not where he wanted to be, the tail could easily arc over to bash him.
With a series of cracks, the [Lurpion] broke off the mouth-spears it had used to pin [Ulf] to the ground. It spun in circles, and the tail came whistling over, striking Kaden in the back as he fought to cling to his perch.
Bones broke in his shoulder, leaving Kaden clinging with his bad hand, which had never fully recovered from the mana burn. Without any other weapons, Kaden invoked Inventory to drop random items into the open shell.
Three empty potion flasks weren’t ideal. A bent sword fell into the split, an arm Kaden was sure he hadn’t picked up, followed by the owner of the arm, a froze Beserker. Daggers he’d taken from people who tried to stab, some arrows he woke up with in his chest, a handful of Trinity’s scales she’d lost while healing. [Split Second] activated as the tail swung back, and caught Kaden across his already wounded shoulder, breaking more ribs.
With boots he stomped the flasks, then banished Remembrance.
The shell snapped shut.
The [Lurpion] screamed and convulsed as its own armor forced shrapnel into areas that were shrapnel-free on more functional scorpion bosses. Scorpions were sturdy creatures even when small enough to be stomped with a boot, let alone large enough stand atop.
Agility let Kaden decide the time and place of his dismount, but not whether or not he’d get off. Thorn Caster was out of the question since he couldn’t draw the bow in his current state. Instead, he dropped to the shell, drew the [Levicon Blade] and began to carve, cutting a handhold. If he lay flat, the [Lurepion’s] lure-tail passed a blade-width over the back of its head.
Every twist grew slower. Every rise and stomp, the monster groaned as the interior damage grew. At last, Kaden was ready to take a risk, summoning Remembrance for a single-handed overhead smash to the black eyes near the front of its carapace. An eye exploded, and the tail reflexively whipped sideways, catching Kaden and hurling him off.
He rolled with the impact, letting the snow absorb most of it, and activated [Stealth Aura].
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Two feet away, the boss thrashed, desperate to kill the source of its pain and unable to comprehend that the source of the pain was deep inside and cutting deeper with every movement.
A low rumbling growl from ten feet away made Kaden split his attention. The [Ulf] who’d attacked first had survived, somewhat. It lay on its side, panting in pain and baring gleaming teeth at Kaden. He focused on [Beast Soul] “Now’s not the time to argue. Be quiet, or it’s going to kill us both.”
The [Lurepion] spun as Kaden spoke. It might be blind, it might be mortally wounded but it aimed to die the way it had lived: striking terror into everything within range, and proving once and for all that scorpions were better than spiders. Its mouth bubbled with pink goo where something deep inside had cut where lurpions weren’t meant to be cut. Its jaws opened, revealing fresh mouth-spears, as it scanned back and forth, waiting for a clue.
Kaden drew a dagger from Inventory and hurled it into the nearest tree.
Four mouth-spears followed the impact, each spraying ichor.
The [Ulf] whined and lay its head over.
[Moment of Speed] had Kaden on his feet and sprinting to intercept a smash from the tail-lure. The [Eldritch Shield] cracked as the lure slammed into it. Kaden was already wounded in one shoulder, and every breath came with fire from the ribs. The [Ulfen Armor] had blunted the impact and still left him with major wounds.
Kaden learned a critical [Lurpion] principle passed down from one generation of lurpions to the next: When wounded with shrapnel deep in your shell and blind, hit everything. It probably hadn’t been the most useful principle for lurpions up until now.
He ducked another blow, then scooped up snow and hurled a snowball to strike its underside. The monster reared up, scraping at its own underside with its claws. As it landed, one side crumpled and the other spasmed, throwing other side’s legs out straigth.
You have helped slay a [Lurpion].
You have gained XP.
You have gained a level.
Kaden gasped as healing rushed through him. The level had refilled his health and mana, though it would be a long time to his next talent. First things first. Kaden focused on the [Lurpion] and activated [Reap Materials]. Scorpion steak was delicious. The harvest tree required a hard choice. No matter what, he’d get scorpion steak—so much scorpion steak.
Essence, as well, the boss held twenty five.
But from there, he had to make a decision. One option gave him the basis of a minimum-rare spear, possibly legendary, depending on the skill of the craftsman. From the underplating came lightweight armor that would protect him against fire and make running the Fire Domain a breeze. Then there was the tip of the tail, which caused the crafting interface to fill with garbage as the System attempted to analyze it.
There was really only one choice, and that was to gamble on the tail. He might have to take it to Trunistan to have it evaluated, but as young as Kaden was, it was right to take risks on the highest rewards.
[Reap Materials] drained five hundred mana and delivered the essence, meat, and tail-lure into Inventory. Kaden looked back at the wounded ulf, which stood on three legs, one leg clearly broken, and limped over to lick the speared corpses of its claw-mates.
Which made Kaden regret what he felt was right. When in a Domain, take everything. Also dungeons. Also anywhere. When anywhere, take everything. Yes, that sounded right. As he approached, the [Ulf] growled again, but backed away, clearly hobbled by its front leg.
One by one, Kaden [Reaped] the hides, receiving a single essence each. And the spears. When everything was done, Kaden pulled a healing potion from Inventory. “It’s brutal in a Domain. This will heal you.”
The [Ulf] bared its teeth, which was reasonable since Kaden had just harvested the corpses of its claw-mates, receiving 4x ulf stalker hide. He took a lurpion steak out and offered it. Force-Binding an enlightened beast would make him a slaver, and the middle of a foreign domain was not the time to pick up pets.
Only when Kaden tossed the steak a few feet away did the ulf rush to choke it down.
Kaden repeated twice more. His leap had cost him, now the exit he’d spotted lay across the valley and up the opposing mountainside. When he looked back, the [Ulf] was gone. And yet, [Stealth Aura] wouldn’t engage, so it wasn’t gone far.
He began to move across the domain, ignoring the need to sleep, and the way his limbs felt heavy. The fastest route would take him through a village of heavy, furry with black fur and blue stripes all over. Kaden didn’t even get close enough for [Identify], skirting the village far away, and crossing the frozen river at the bottom of the valley. As he approached the far mountain, the weather, always clear, bitterly cold sun, shifted. Clouds gathered, and snow began to fall.
The [Frost] in his soul responded, and in it, Kaden felt a warning.
He climbed a steep grade through thick pines thirty feet up before hitting a rock face. This wouldn’t work. Kaden could probably climb for hours with his endurance, but with a storm moving in and ice, it wasn’t going to happen.
Instead, he headed deeper into the thicket of pine and pulled out his [Needful Cloak], which didn’t offer the same set bonuses. What it could do was become extremely long and very, very heavy. With the [Levicon Blade], he cut down saplings and leaned them against the cliff, then stacked them thicker and thicker. The final step was to wrap the cloak around the inside.
Snowflakes fell, twisting in the wind, while Kaden watched the skies—and then the beasts. From his vantage point, a giant golem made of ice had kneeled down. [Razor Geese] filled the trees, even lower branches where they wouldn’t be safe, but the [Ulf] weren’t hunting.
Fear radiated out in the beasts who lived here, and even the boss monsters held their breath. Snow fell heavier with each passing moment, piling up against Kaden’s makeshift shelter. Deep in his soul, the [Frost] shifted like a living creature recognizing its master.
Wind picked up, not just whistling, but screaming until it was all Kaden could hear, all he could feel—but not all he could sense. The storm wasn’t just clouds and cold. The power was that of a [Dragon], and for once, Kaden truly wanted to avoid the dragon. There would be chances to encounter it later, when he made it back.
He hunkered down in his tent, relieved when snow blanketed it so high the wind no longer struck it head-on. Then motion outside the tent had him drawing the [Levicon] blade. The leeward side of the tent hung open to let air in, and a shape moved in the blinding white.
Then pools of black opened in the storm outside.
The wounded [Ulf] limped in, so tall its shoulders brushed the roof. But the emotions rollling off of it were ones that told Kaden the truth. Pain was its world, every step agony since one leg was useless and another—yes, at least one paw was broken, and who knew how many ribs?
Kaden waited for it to turn in a circle three times and settle, filling the room with the stench of damp fur. He reached out with [Soul Binding], careful to watch for prompts. But this [Ulf] wasn’t enlightened. It settled into the bond.
You have bound an _ENTITY_ (Ulf)
Name Ulf? [Y/N]
Agony flowed across to Kaden through the soul bond. The beast wasn’t just hurt, it was maimed, but its nature was never to show weakness.
Now he could review its stats.
[Ulf Stalker]
The Ulf Stalkers are not as strong as the hunters, nor as fast as the scouts, but they are nimble and near impossible to spot when hunting. This one has found itself in death’s shadow. You do not have its respect, and its loyalty is earned.
*Agony.*
Level: 0
HP: 1400
Mana: 30
Skills: Tracking, Keen Hearing, Stealth, Maiming Bite
Talents: Pack Tactics, Ice Born
Status Effects: Frost (Immune)
Keen Hearing was an interesting skill, so Kaden borrowed it, then drew a healing potion and tried to coax the [Ulf] to drink it. With the Soul Bond in place, it wouldn’t bite, but it had standards and they didn’t involve drinking green potions from flasks. Now, lifeblood from a stag’s throat? Sure. Standards.
The problem was that with it in that much pain, Kaden couldn’t sleep, just from what it was sending over the soul bond. With no better choices, he dribbled potion on his fingers and put them in the [Ulf]’s mouth, which whined, licked, and then gagged.
A drip or two at a time, Kaden fed it healing until the Ulf stretched away, burying its nose in the snow outside to avoid him. After hours, the wind died down and a deathly quiet fell over the domain, the kind of quiet that made Kaden more nervous than a howling storm.
His skin felt heavy, like a presence weighed down on him, and at times Kaden felt sure he heard the swoop of vast wings. Trees cracked and ice crushed, the [Ulf] startled as something screamed—then lowered its head, tail tucked.
Kaden pulled down the edge of the [Needful Cloak] and carefully poked a hole through the snow. The valley air was filled with winged serpents who glided through the air, snatching [Razor Geese] from tree tops.
A dozen had latched onto the Ice Golem, though they didn’t seem to be doing tons of damage. If this is what happened when the domain reset, Kaden understood why the life here was so fierce. At last, he dozed, still immune to the cold thanks to borrowing [Ice Born].
When he woke it was to a challenge roared out by the Ice Golem. A pack of stags like the [Lurpion] had wandered too close to its spawn point. Razor Geese rooted through snow. Kaden pulled a scorpion steak from inventory and ate it raw, then offered one to the [Ulf], which ate it.
They were curious beasts. Kaden thought they’d behave like dogs, but this one didn’t trust him as much as fear everything else in the Domain. [Beast Soul] gave Kaden a presence he rarely thought to suppress.
Now, with it awake and staring, Kaden appreciated how precarious their relationship was. “I’m heading out of the domain. I have a packmate to help. You don’t have to come, but every minute you’re with me, you’re healing.”
It cocked its head and stared as Kaden took the [Needful Cloak] into Inventory and stepped out of the snow cave that had formed. His choice of hiding place, deep in the thick pines, had proven wise. Heavy tracks through the snow said other predators hunted here, but few would climb the steep incline to the cliffs.
The cliffs.
Kaden stared upwards, shocked and frustrated.
The storm had wrecked the domain mountainside. The trail he’d seen a Gate on was gone.