I could hear it still as plain as day, the bitter howling winds that carried a sharp cold that lingered like a sour taste, rushed down my neck. Snow gently falling down from above as the gray skies greeted our every motion. Snow piled high, rose to meet our every step as it overtook the roads and climbed its way up our boots and legs.

  If it wasn’t for the thick furs draped over our backs like cheap heavy cloaks, the cold would’ve done more than slow us down. It would have claimed us.

  I watched as our carriage pressed on, the wheels get stuck ever so slightly as the horses tried to pull it forward. Judr, who usually was quiet and soft, shivered uncontrollably with every breath of wind slamming against him.

  Lucas, who sat beside Karlson up front, primed a crossbow, his hand wrapped but still able to aim as he rested it underneath the wooden body. His eyes sharply prowled the cold overpass, squinting sharply as snow rushed at him from every gust of wind.

  Jerard was freezing, his teeth tapping down against each other every second as he stared off through the back, looking at the trail we had left behind becoming covered up by the densely packed snow. Each step being hidden by the mountain itself. He rubbed his hands together, blowing a quick huff of hot air into them in a desperate try to keep them warm.

  Saundy was the only one that seemed unphased, his fur covering his whole body like a blanket while his armor kept holding that heat. His breath would be visible as he took deep steady breath, shaking lightly after each one.

  As Karlson spurred the horses onward we would get a glimpse of what was ahead, large tall trees that dropped leaves as sharp as needles lined the road, even at the overpass what laid below was a drop unable to be viewed. He gritted his teeth as he looked onward, his eyes never tearing from the road for a second. He looked on at what was up ahead, a foggy partly obscured shadow of the looming stone ahead. Mount Mogmun, which stared down at us as if we were invaders marching into its land.

  The cold chipped away at us, even I found myself with chattering teeth as I braved the cold that seeped in.

  When the horses stopped for a moment I felt the sharp cold drift inside as Karlson stepped in.

  “Saundy, you guide the horses.” Karlson said as he blew into his hands a quick hot but futile breath. “My damned hands feel like they’re going to shatter like ice,” he complained.

  “I did that a few hours ago, why not get Lucas or Judr to do it?” Saundy refused.

  “Because Judr doesn’t know how to handle horses. So far he’s been learning how to swing that axe.” I chimed, stopping the two before they would start. “And Lucas still has an injured arm. I’m only allowing him to fire that crossbow since it will help us elsewhere.”

  Saundy at first seemed ready to send back a reply, that or a scathing comment. The cold made him seem more than irritable and even back then it was different seeing him so ample and ready to bite back with sharp words. But he held himself back. Something that I thought I would never really see with him, even as long as I had known him for.

  As a long droning silence filled the back Saundy sighed and began to stand up. That is until the front of the carriage had opened up one more time, this time there was no sharp and sudden cold. Nothing rushed in from the small opening, instead Lucas would say:

  “It stopped.”

  We all looked at him with a mix of confusion and disbelief. I was staring mainly in bewilderment. A storm that had hounded us ever since we had crossed the Northern Lance Line, had now all of a sudden come to a halt.

  Karlson was the first, he stepped out quickly, not even exchanging a word only wanting to see it for himself. As he rushed out I could see Saundy trail behind him.

  “Impossible?” Karlson said.

  “No way! Hah ha!” Saundy laughed and even jumped, rocking the wagon.

  The rest of us peeled out, our heads all peeking through the canvas covers. We were expecting to see the trees continue their dance against the winds, cold snow pouring down and blowing into us with an aggressive push. Thin sharp nettles from the trees above to fall downward onto us. Yet instead, it was calm.

  Gentle winds moved and pushed onward carrying hardly any cold. Snow gently fell from the sky and the trees. The sky no longer obscured by the heavy blowing winds and thick snow, instead it showed the grand visage of the mountain and the thick grey clouds in the sky.

  It was a relief, for a moment a reprieve had finally been granted to us. And I wanted to take full advantage of it. I already had a plan in my mind to help us navigate these roads, but I also knew that we needed to rest and warm ourselves.

  “It's beautiful.” Judr uttered, a gentle and easy breath leaving him.

  “If you think this is beautiful, you should see the highlands to the west.” Jerard said with a cocky smile. “Best place to view a sunset, even better for its wine.”

  “Oh for Oriboris sake, shut up about wine!” Saundy turned and shouted.

  “If it annoys you, then I’ll talk even more about it.” Jearard sneered.

  As Saundy returned a glare back at him I decided now would be a better time to go about finding a place to camp.

  “Jerard,” I called him to attention, “I want you to find a place to set up camp now that the wind has died down.”

  Jerard gave a simple smile, it looked like I had finally given him a task he’d enjoy for once. Albeit I half expected to hear him question it but back then that was who he was.

  “That I can do without question, but not alone.” Jearard started as he reached back and grabbed his longbow. “I want Judr with me.”

  At first I was hesitant, him being our only acceptable and skilled medic. But when I looked at him I could see his eyes, it was as if he were begging to go with Jerard. Without a moment to hesitate I simply answered: “sure.”

  As Judr gave a wide smile, he grabbed his satchel and slid his axe into his belt loop before he and Jerard quickly leaped out. I could see that the two were more or less just waltzing forward down the road before eventually trailing off and to the sides of the road. While we continued to roll forward.

  For some time the travel was silent, no howling winds or heavy snow, only the simple sounds of leaves bristling against the light gusts that would come.

  Occasionally Saundy would complain or bitterly talk about the chilling cold, or Lucas would simply crack with a chuckle. But soon partway through a dense boreal and heavy pines we heard a light trudging from the side roads. As Saundy brought the wagon to a stop we all started to step out and look toward who or what was approaching.

  As we looked over the sudden steep hill I could hear the crunch and push of the heavy snow, steps too heavy to be Jerard. They were clumsy, hasty. I would’ve thought it to be anyone of us, human or not. Yet with what had happened in the forests. My suspicions were already high.

  Karlson matched my actions as we both reached down for our weapons, our hands tightly gripping them and ready to unsheathe our blades.

  Saundy seemed about ready and eager to rush ahead of us, but Lucas was there to hold him back, with one hand on his shoulder while the other stared down as he aimed his crossbow at the steep drop. A bolt loaded and his finger resting on the small trigger.

  Soon we waited to see what would march over the hill, soon snow had crept up with each step before a hand having a lightly woven glove covering it before a head crept up. The fuzzy almost unkempt hair of Judr had finally appeared. He climbed up, sucking down air just as quickly as he huffed it out.

  Instinctively I marched over, trudging through the thick snow and offering a hand to him, when he took it I pulled him up. I had thought something went wrong when it was just him but instead he still held his relaxed composure and smiled on.

  “Jerard said he found a clearing nearby. He told me to come back and lead you all there.” Judr explained.

  “And he sent you back, alone.” I growled, not with anger but more annoyance.

  Judr at first seemed confused but soon Karlson followed suit with an exacerbated sigh.

  “Dammit Jerard,” Karlson had grumbled.

  While I spent the moment pinching my brow and taking a deep sigh, I knew that him being alone would either spell trouble or would lead to it.

  “Move the wagon off the road and hide it somewhere close.” I ordered, stepping inside for a brief moment to retrieve a thick handful of Sapenzas, to hopefully mark where I had gone.

  “And what about you?” Karlson asked.

  “I’m going to go after Jerard, wherever he went it couldn’t be too far. And I doubt he went that far if Judr was able to find us.” I remarked before beginning to climb down, somewhat letting the steep hill take me as I occasionally slid and lost my footing.

  While I slid down the hill and started to begin my trek through the thick bundle of trees, I knew some of their eyes trailed down to me for a while. Lingering as I stepped forward, following Judr’s hasty steps. Every few steps I dug into the a tree with a Sapen, leaving a deep carving of an ‘X’ before continuing on. When I first traced it down I could feel their gazes leave me before the distant sound of turning wheels trailed off in the distance, and I was alone with nothing but the thick smell of pine and light gusts of wind.

  Six trees? No eight. I had marked eight and felt the cold chill aggressively pursue me, it was as if the cold had barred down onto me through this low laying place. Sweeping through as it continued spurring me on. This eight turned to ten, then twelve, then more. I had practically whittled down the sharp end of my first Sapen, then digging to the next. Soon I had found myself at a stop, a place where one trail of foot prints diverge in the opposite direction, while another pushes ahead. This snow gave me a trail, but knowing Jerard, he would take the time cover his tracks. So I followed them cautiously.

  As I continued on, the tracks were trickier to follow, snow had took them over, hiding their depth and somewhat their direction. Soon it became difficult to keep up with them, the snow itself seemingly being moved in a way to obscure and hide. Typical.

  As I followed them further and further, something strange happened. A warmth, unnatural but welcomed, had slowly begun to push down from my head to my fingers then my feet.

  I was confused as I kept up my pace, my fingers never tingled nor had a sharp touch from numbness. It was calm, steady like warmth from the sun. A forgotten sight especially here. Soon the heat grew stronger, gentler, it almost made me forget where I was until the cold snow had crept up my legs. It made me wonder what was happening.

  I took another moment, marking one more tree before I heard a new sound.

  A pair of light taps that knocked against the air. It was solid, against one of the trees. It took me a moment to fully understand it, until I turned and crouched down.

  Hidden behind one of the trees, behind a thick pine branch obscured with leaves, I saw a pair of sharp eyes that met mine before they glimmered with a strange relief. It was Jerard, he stepped out from the tree, he gave a sudden glance toward where I was heading before he turned back to me.

  “I think I found what we were looking for.” Jerard told me in a whisper.

  “Found what exactly?” I gave him a raised brow.

  “Well…I saw someone, two someones close by actually.” he explained, his eyes shifting.

  “A woman looked like a peasant. Simple garbs, a spear, but she was wearing a mask. Made of wood.” He seemed to emphasize this in particular.

  “A wooden mask?” I doubted, a sigh leaving me. “And, you said you saw two individuals? What was the other?” I inquired.

  Jerard gave a small glare, a bitter one mostly formed from annoyance.

  “It was man, bizarrely enough he didn’t quite look normal.” he answered, receiving a puzzling look from me as he continued on, “Frankly, he wore no coat or furs, not even leathers to keep him warm. He had his bare arms exposed and even had strange masts on them.”

  “Masts?” I looked at him, a slight bit confused.

  While it seemed as though he didn’t quite understand the words that had left him, I did notice that he didn’t hesitate with them. While I weighed them, mostly with caution. I also knew that whatever could be up here was never truly described, only heard and unseen. It was a risk I should’ve weighed more carefully, but one I didn’t want to let hide around us. For a moment a stiff silence stood between us before I made my choice.

  “Lead me to where you saw them.” I requested.

  Jerard, giving his small grin, seemed happy to oblige.

  “We can fucking finally go home.” he chuckled with delight. A celebration I guess, one early and definitely not earned.

  I followed Jerard as the two of us inched further into the forest, marking the trees quietly as I could as we went down. Soon it grew warmer, to the point where our furs felt too hot to wear. Until we had finally arrived someplace…unexpected.

  Peering past the trees ahead I could see a leaf gently drift down towards the snowy ground. They weren’t sharp like needles like the pines all around us. They were different, round. Filled with a strange color that glowed even in the light. A bright almost shining green that felt refreshing as it did reassuring. And ahead of the leaf was the tree it fell from. It was large, almost massive, with a large amalgam of branches and leaves that sprawled overhead like a ceiling. Snow drifted through somewhat covering the ground, but only so much as roots poked their heads from the field of white.

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  “What the hell is this?” I whispered.

  “Honestly, I wish I knew too.” Jerard remarked, “but I think it's the same as that mad tree we had fought some months back.”

  As he spoke a strange new scent had crept its way through, it was strong, pungent almost like our torches and the oil that coated them. But instead of being acrid it was fresh, it filled each breath I took with a swift touch. While my body kept trying to be at ease, my thoughts wandered far and distant. I remember thinking about that beast we had slayed, about the dangers it posed to us and now. Now this was in front of us, this mass almost twice as big as what we had slayed. Not only that but instead of a log, it had leaves, I felt was meant to lure us closer and closer.

  Too much had already been seen and dangers already witnessed. I had to make a choice…one that would be quickly interrupted.

  Stepping through the snow, over the dropping leaves that gently landed on the snowy ground. It was a figure I hadn’t seen before. It was almost like Jerard said.

  They were tall and lean, an almost strange poise following their every step. Their face were covered in a mask made of bark from a white tree. They wore robes, similar to a member of the priesthood, yet they held no ornaments. No symbols or even simple little trinkets that they would carry. Instead they replaced it with one simple weapon, a long staff with a sharp pointed end made from carved wood. An obvious embellishment from Jerard, yet one that had at least some ground to stand on.

  They walked towards the tree, the leaves strangely glowing in response to their presence. A light that glittered like inklings of gold yet never quite dissipated. They knelt down in front of the tree, both their knees deep into the snow as they rested back, leaning into their legs as if they were a seat. Their backs were turned to us. Either careless to the wilds around them, or confident that they could face its dangers. I couldn’t have guessed at the time what they were, but something about them never sat right with me.

  I was content, my observations fine.

  “We should go now, regroup with the others.” I told Jerard in a hushed tone.

  “But sir, it's only one of them right now.” Jerard raised a brow as he protested, his small curled mustache almost twitching in response. “Opportunities seldom come like this, especially with a back turned to its hunter.” he tried to reason.

  “I do agree but something isn’t right, especially here. I doubt you’ve not sensed it either.” I glared at the figure. “I think we need better numbers, especially if this one turns out not to be what we think.”

  I saw the eagerness from Jerard soften as he looked back at me, for a moment he hesitated, perhaps he was thinking of delivering a clean shot with his bow. Or even engaging with this lone figure as best he could before I came along. Yet his hunting instinct would grow cold before long.

  “Yes sir,” he sighed, “if I were in your position last time, I’d want more numbers in my favor too.” he added.

  As the two of us started to slink back further into the trees and snow I felt a sudden warmth on my shoulders. Peaking I saw a leaf, it glowed but then suddenly it let out a small and eerie crack as I brushed it off.

  The sound made my ears perk up and Jerard snapped to look. When I realized how loud it was, I had already begun to glance back at the figure whose head suddenly turned toward us.

  They stood back onto their feet with a quick change, we inched back worried that they would know where we were. They suddenly held their spear, crude and improvised but still sharp and deadly. We started to slip out from the tree we hid in. right when I took my eyes off of them, the second I did I felt the strangest urge to move quickly. I shot out trusting that instinct, pushing Jerard as he let out a sudden grunt before I heard the sound of something sharp and fragile slam into the tree.

  “Are you alright?” I asked him.

  “Look.” Jerard avoided the question, only pointing his hand to where we were.

  I turned back and saw a large, almost massive spike. It looked to be about the size of a small crown and just as sharp as a twin bladed knife. It pierced into the tree, digging deep with a solid smack before ice itself began to wrap around its body.

  “If you were beast you would not be so agile.” they spoke, a voice of cold but oddly placed grace. “No mortals reside here. So face me creature!” they demanded, taking a deep and solid stance.

  As we both slowly crawled back onto our feet, Jerard and I seemingly thought through our next actions carefully. We were unsure at first what to do, but I decided to try one thing.

  “Follow the trail I made. Or follow my lead.” I told him with a subtle growl as I walked towards them.

  I raised up my hands over my shoulders inching forward slowly and cautiously before stepping from the lightly foliaged treeline. As I stepped out I could see them tense up, their hands tightly wrapping around their spear.

  “I’m not a beast or creature…so whatever you believe I am. You may be wrong.” I said as I stood in front of them.

  I could feel their eyes glued to me, observing every part of me. They were rigid and unmoving, but not without an obvious sign of hesitation. While they hesitated I took a moment to study them.

  Their hands were wrapped in thick cloth-like bandages, fingers with old cuts and rough calloused tips. I saw nothing that would tell me where that sharp spike of ice would have come from. There was no pouch or even a bundle to hold knives, it was bare yet also defined. Looking at them closer, I could see that they were smaller than I had seen or expected, only a foot shorter but not as muscular or large as compared to someone like Jerard or even Judr.

  And while I watched them, I could partly see in the corner of my eye Jerard slinking around nearby. Creeping forward, potentially looking for an opening, or maybe even a path to retreat. Before I could really see where he was going, the spear tip was pressed up towards my throat.

  “You are not supposed to be here…” they trailed off, a wild thought thrown into their head or perhaps listening for even the slightest of disturbances.

  “And? I am here,” I replied, keeping my composure, taking a cautious step back only to be pressed back by their steps forward. “What is this place?”

  I could feel their glare, a glowering focus that seemed more on suspicion rather than rage. Silence loomed for a moment, the light gusting wind making more leaves drift down from above as their stance never weakened, never changed.

  “A sacred place, one that is also in peril.” they had finally broken the silence, “you must leave at once.”

  “No.” I simply replied.

  “This was not a request,” one of their hands had suddenly relaxed, the motion not being lost on me as they seemed poised to act. “for your safety and for your own good I will do what I must.”

  Then quickly, a whistle, a loosed arrow flew by and just barely grazed their spear. I felt the sharp cut of the pointed end cut my throat just barely piercing past the skin as I suddenly leapt back. Peaking to where the arrow came from it was Jerard, and he had already begun loading in a new arrow ready to loose the second.

  The figure was swift, just when the arrow was notched and fired I saw them stab their spear into the ground and a large blast of snow shot up from underneath them. It sent the arrow spinning up and into the air with a wild twirl. A sight that had both amazed me and found a way to strike me with a new feeling, a sinking pull that aimed for my gut.

  The biting cold wind had hit us as its strength waned before it went too far. With one quick turn they aimed their spear towards Jerard, but their vision never truly left me. When I climbed back up to my feet instinct had already taken over. Where words would fail, action would succeed. Or so I hoped.

  Without hesitation I charged at the figure, but they quickly sent a kick right into my chest, it met the armor with a loud clash as boot met steel. I was knocked back for another moment just as another arrow came flying at them. With one spin they turned to face the arrow and in one move they waved their hand, a powerful wave of force lashed out with a faint taste of metal in the wind. The arrow turned to dust mid air as they stepped back from Jerard. They took a defensive stance as I started to draw my weapon.

  Then I heard it.

  “Hey! They’re over here!” it was Lucas, his shout echoed through the cold air..

  A loud stomping of boots charging forward in a stampede of force.

  Soon they would be outnumbered, and whatever they are I was certain they could lead us to this threat. So when I saw Karlson, Saundy, Lucas and even Judr all closing in closer. I didn’t hesitate anymore. With the loud raspy pull of my blade I moved in.

  At first their attention was divided between me and Jerard, as they deflected each of my swings and evaded every one of his arrows. In one quick overhead strike my blade met the center of their spear’s shaft. A clash of strength and finesse, a hard and tough bite in a clinch.

  “Give up, we have you outnumbered!” I ordered, the first time in a long time since I had ever offered an enemy surrender.

  “You are one of his servants!” they grunted, their voice was strangely deep and melodic, “You all will be disposed of, and soon so will your master!” they shouted.

  I was confused, a master? Servants? Who did they think we were? All of these thoughts ran through my head, even when they broke the clinch and slammed the butt end of their spear against my head. It rattled me, making me stumble back before they twirled it once more. I was dazed, with my head ringing and my ears burning from the strike.

  Before another blow could come Karlson interrupted them, his longsword being swung right past their heads. Before long they fought back, parries and hard counters, not even a single blow could be landed to Karlson. Then a loud pluck.

  A bolt whizzed by, grazing them just above their shoulder before they snapped back in a wild and wicked turn. In mere moments I watched as their hands glowed a pulsing blue before suddenly and violently there was a loud crack and bang as a strong beam of light rushed away from their finger tips and out towards the trees.

  It was almost instantaneous, the ground and tree were brightly lit in this deep blue that screamed by as it blew into a nearby tree. Just barely missing Lucas as he ducked out of the way, landing on his injured arm and letting out a loud curse. It left a metallic taste in the air, one that seemed familiar to when my company would stage in the west.

  That was lightening and no doubts filled my mind about the sheer power and speed of this attack. Saundy charged in, his weapon raised over past his head as he was about to swing before they parried Karlson in one move and covered Saundy’s whole torso in ice the next.

  “Fuck!” he screamed “its fucking ice!” he shouted falling to the ground. His body was covered in a thick icey brace that locked his arms and body in place. He could only move his legs and barely turn his body as he rolled in the ice.

  Karlson kept up his attacks, persistent and focused, just barely avoiding the attacks from this strange foe. When I rushed in to assist him I tried to stab my sword into the figure’s leg. But when they parried the strike Karlson made another.

  He nailed them with a clean slice. It knocked into their mask, the loud and familiar sound of a wood meeting blade echoed as the mask flew from their face.

  I expected wooden features, even some strange and altered creatures underneath. But instead we were both taken by surprise.

  A woman’s face is what met us, she had soft features and rounded eyes. They looked young, nearly the same age as Judr by what I could’ve guessed back then. But their eyes held no sign of inexperience, not even a little show of green. Instead they were fierce, motivated and now with a glint of opportunity.

  I hadn’t noticed that the two of us stopped in confusion but when I had, it was already too late.

  The moment she regained her footing two large shards of ice appeared in between their fingers, two shards that were quickly thrown at the two of us. In one quick moment those ice shards slammed into our feet and immediately started to grow around them.

  Karlson and I were pinned in one flawless motion. All because of a distraction, seeing another young fighter thrown into these uncaring pits.

  We both tried to struggle, even when she approached us ready to plunge her spear into us. Yet once she closed the distance one more figure charged into view. Their steps were careless and so they were met with that same response. It was Judr, he charged in an axe raised and ready to slam into her but when she met him with the shaft of her spear it looked as if she had swept him off of his feet. One moment he was standing charging, the next he was in the air before being slammed onto his back and a spear head pressed into his chest.

  Karlson was the first to react, “No!” he cried.

  “I’ma break out of this shit, and when I do you’ll get that spear through your throat!” Saundy shouted.

  Jerard popped out from the trees.

  “Drop the spear!” he demanded.

  “If you hurt him I will shoot you dead!” Lucas chimed in.

  We all stood frozen, some of us actually encased in ice, others hovering their fingers and holding their tight bowstrings. While I couldn’t turn my head, I somehow knew that Jerard’s arms would get tired, or Lucas would hastily shoot on instinct. The warm air ran cold with this strange woman holding the three of us at her mercy. Yet also being at the mercy of our own deadly shot.

  Judr laid on the floor taking short shallow breaths, fear resting in his eyes as he stared at death seemingly for the second time.

  Even when the air blew by it had something trailing with it, steps. They were subtle and hard to pick up but looking back I knew there was another entering the frey.

  A twitch, a sudden almost accidental shift in her demeanor caused by Judr’s sudden spur made her quickly shift her weight back onto him. While Lucas still had his arrow, Jerard had let his loose.

  As the arrow spiraled towards the unsuspecting figure, a spiral that would have easily hit her in her throat. A light rumble came from beneath us before a large square rounded spike shot from the ground. It caught the arrow just as it was about to meet them before a voice echoed out.

  “Vareina! All of you! Stop!” they demanded.

  I turned my head as best I could and saw a man, his arms were bare and exposed to the cold. A thick, almost unrecognizable ink ran over the man’s body. It covered his arms and his face in unrecognizable symbols, all connected by a thick black stroke. It glowed faintly as he kept his hand raised, walking towards her from behind the tree.

  “These men are not servants. They seem to be free of any evils will.” he told her before his eyes met mine.

  A small subtle glare before he turned his head down to Judr, still shaking under them.

  “Release the boy, and I will explain everything while we break apart these ice shards,” he instructed.

  When she raised her foot from his chest Judr stumbled back, pushing the snow with his feet as he backed away.

  “And you with the other weapon that strikes from afar, please help your friend that is on the floor.” he said looking over to Saundy who rolled his eyes back at him.

  While Lucas and Jerard, begrudgingly stepped out from their shooting spaces the new face began to speak again. His tattoos return to a thick black.

  “My name is Azauran, of the Southern Steppes tribes.” he finally introduced himself.

  Jerard stepped past Saundy to break us free, while Lucas aimed to help Saundy.

  “And this place is of great importance, not just to my tribe but unknowingly to you as well.” he continued.

  Saundy started to move his now free arm, slowly propping himself up on it.

  “Now why would we care about some bloody damned tree in the middle of a frozen shithole.” he growled.

  The man seemed confused, raising a brow to Saundy before turning to the tree and quickly turning back to him.

  “This tree is not bloody, I seemed to have prevented that.” he said, his voice seemingly blank and relaxed even in this biting cold. “However, this tree is an ancient protector and a burial ground for sacred beings.”

  When Jerard had finally broken the ice that pinned my legs I listened to the man carefully, ready to swing the moment something seemed awry.

  “Elders from time passed say this tree housed the bodies of the cosmic creators, Tiafani and Oriboris.”

  “The gods? Both of them?” Karlson doubted letting out a small chuckle.

  “You expect us to believe that?” Lucas said as he finally cracked through the ice with his crossbow. “We aren’t exactly the religious type.” he added, an extra layer of skepticism.

  “That I can agree with, gods or no gods, we even disrespect nobles.” Jerard seemed to huff at that notion.

  “It doesn’t matter if you believe me or not, what does is that a beast preys on this tree.” he told us with an almost empty calm, it was still as stiff air. “They had already destroyed several villages, and nearly killed another innocent in their efforts to slaughter and destroy.”

  These words had piqued my ears and even made Karlson furrow his brow.

  “Always heard but never seen.” I muttered aloud.

  “Yes, a beast that prefers to never be known. Only heard through rumor and myth.” he said with reassuring confidence. “Tirannovish. The being of hate from before the world was born.” he finally explained before looking over all of us. It felt strange, like his eyes were pouring into our pasts, our present and even who we truly were.

  Even as a faint glow stayed with him in his arms and eyes, it was bizarre to see such a sight. But to truly experience fighting with it was beyond what I ever could have thought to happen to me.

  “If you intend to bring it down, then you must rest. For it lays closer than you think.”

  “Azauran,” Vareina chimed in, “the haven, I thought you said only mages and your kind were welcomed within it?” she questioned.

  “All are welcomed within it Vareina,” he said before turning ready to lead us onward. “It is however the forests will to deem whether or not people may stay. And I feel that it will deem them safe.” he added, taking his steps forward.

  While I doubted that I would truly be able to trust the two, this fragile alliance only aligned by one mere beast was doubtful at best. A trap at worst. Yet these two could easily kill us, they could have killed all of us, yet they didn’t. Even when they knew we acted without influence, at least from a creature. But something told me that things haven’t been quite solved yet, and I was walking into a world I truly wished I never stepped toward. So we followed, bruised and cold but still ready should deception and even animosity show its ugly head.