Chapter 14

Two months earlier...

Another beast finally went down as her blade removed its last leg. An open cut on her shoulder she would soon have to heal. ‘Just one more...’ she thought, as she walked on. “You’re wounded Selena, and it’s getting dark” the deep voice cleared her mind and she stopped in her tracks. “You’re right Selmar.” she sheathed her two swords and joined her companion, a huge man, armed with a greatsword and a wooden staff. They walked back to their camp, an old watchtower from the empire of Usir. “We’re getting closer.” the man remarked as he waved at the guard standing on top of the tower.

Another guard saluted as they entered the shelter. “The closer we get the more of those...things...we encounter.” she said, with a bitter tone in her voice. “And the more we encounter, the more we can kill.” a third voice joined their conversation as the burly woman sitting to their left exclaimed, drinking deep from a waters skin. “Fuck how I miss beer...” she said, with a longing look in her eyes. Selena ignored her, the scene having repeated itself more than she could count. ‘Nearly three years already...’ thinking back to the start of their expedition Selena couldn’t help but frown.

It was a fruitless expedition. Her friend thought it a grand idea to conquer the north but all they found was death and ice, the only thing driving them the dream of glory. And the shame upon themselves should they return without it. Her friend sighed as he approached the ice mage standing around a table with her companions, looking at a map on top of it. “Report.” he stated as he joined them.

Alice bowed her head, the silver hair covering the beautiful face beneath. “We scouted another five kilometer to the south, more villages and more...monsters.” she paused, looking at the ground “Another guard has died. Ron. He was pierced through the heart, no chance for healing or removing a limb. I’m sorry.” the man closed his eyes “Only twenty one remaining...” he murmured as he looked at the map on the table. “I’m sure you did your best Alice. You and your group’s contribution will be rewarded.” a promise he had made three years ago, the fulfillment of it becoming more and more doubtful as the days passed.

“We’re close now.” he stated, the map showing more and more marks. “Lucien.” his voice getting the attention of another man sitting a couple meters away, books and papers strewn around him. “Any new insights?” he finished, looking at the mage and scholar. “Ah yes...” Lucien got up and joined them at the table. “I have translated more, the language won’t be much of a problem in another one or two months. Sadly most of the books seem to be simple stories, military records or history would help me much more at understanding what we discovered.” he tapped his finger on the map, a part yet left blank “This is the direction we want to continue in. What I have gathered from the stories is that the people of Usir were a very religious bunch. They built their homes facing some sort of central spiritual place. I’m not sure how to translate the word but some sort of source is mentioned in several of the books, even in stories.” He connected the discovered villages that formed an angle. “If I’m right they would have settled around that source, trying to be as close as possible, with space needed they moved further away.” he got another piece of parchment from the ground as he started to draw.

“So like a big circle?” asked the biggest man in the room. “Yes Peter! Like a big circle, and at the center of it lies what we’ve been looking for all this time...” the hope in Lucien’s voice was apparent and the mood in the room barely lifted as they thought of the prospect. They had felt hope when they found a flag deep in the north, hung on a tree. It had taken them over a year to find the place it belonged to. And now it was filled with abominations. For months they had been fighting to explore as much as they had already, Lucien the only one remaining with somewhat of a high spirit.

He finished the drawing, a circle with numbers all over. “So if my calculations are right, and Josh correct me if I’m wrong...” he looked towards the healer of the adventurer group “...then the source, whatever it is, lies around ten kilometers farther north.” He placed a nearby rock in the middle of his drawing to solidify his point. The group thought about it before Josh scratched his beard and said “A goal then. A target we can focus on.” he looked at the group, their eyes fixed on his “We’ve been out here for three years, fighting and surviving without something as clear as this. I say it’s the best we have, the best we’ll ever have.”

Some nodded, most of the guards having joined them as well. “It’ll take ages to clear all those villages out though...” one of them exclaimed and getting some nods and murmurs of approval “Who says we have to?” Selena asked, getting their attention “Those beasts wait in the snow, they don’t move and seem to have no purpose. What if we ignore them and go straight to the center, who cared about some villages?” murmuring and discussions broke out in the tower, their next steps uncertain.

“What do you say?” Selmar looked at Alice who only nodded. “It’s decided then, let’s just hope they won’t fall in our backs.” he finished as he left the table. The atmosphere was lifted immediately as an old, nearly forgotten purpose filled the group. They weren’t wandering around aimlessly anymore, simply fighting for their survival.

They were ready and well rested the next day as the crippled mounted the few horses they still had. Not many had remained after being in the north for so long, the new enemies didn’t help, as they sliced the horses apart from their hideouts in the snow.

Traveling towards the supposed center of Usir the group of thirty made good time. They didn’t move too fast, always ready for an enemy to jump from the ground. After a couple hours Selmar stopped. “The storm is getting too thick. We need to take shelter, lest a single one of those things might spell disaster.” Alice nodded and sent two of her adventurers out to scout the immediate area. Their expertise in stealth would prevent too many of the monsters to see them. Four of the guards left the group as well, trained in scouting and stealth.

Selena was nervous, not liking the thought of those beasts in her back. Even though she knew they likely were mindless monsters only reacting to movement or sound she didn’t like it. After encountering the first of them they had talked only in whispers whenever they arrived in uncharted territory, more noise only drawing additional foes.

Walking up to Selmar she whispered “What are you thinking?” stopping next to him she looked into the white snow before them. “I don’t like this.” he said “You’ve been feeling it too haven’t you?” his head turning to her, his blue eyes sad yet firm. “Those things aren’t natural...and I don’t mean that they’re Demons or normal beasts. I can’t detect any magical energy from them...” Selena kept looking in front of her “They could be hiding their energy. I don’t disagree with you though, something here isn’t right. I’d rather be fighting Demons to be honest.” remembering the encounter she had with one of them nearly a decade ago she shook her head, trying to forget it again. “These things here are even worse...”

Selmar put a heavy hand on her shoulder and they kept silent until the scouts returned. “Nothing here” reported on of the guards, the rest of them also returning unsuccessful. Alice motioned for them to join her as her scouts returned too. “Linda found a cave nearby, it’s big enough to hold all of us.” whispering she motioned to the slim girl next to her with a bow strapped to her back. Selmar nodded towards her and motioned for her to lead the way “Let’s not waste anymore time out here then.”

The expedition group continued after a day in the cave, the storm too much to guarantee save traveling, even without monsters waiting under their boots.

“Cover me!” Linda shouted, Peter jumping in front of her, his huge form blocking the two beasts that were about to get to her. Loud bangs rang out as their claws rebounded on his massive tower shield as he was struggling to press against them. Two arrows were released from Linda’s bow, traveling only around ten meters as they entered a monster’s torso, distracting it as Matt cut two of its legs off in quick succession. Erica’s ax buried itself deeply into the maimed beast, killing it quickly.

“...into the cold of winter!” Alice finished her incantation as her spell reached its maximum power. Two ice lances flew downwards and pierced the two monsters still trying to get around Peter’s shield. They were stuck on the ground as Peter finished one off with a swing of his sword as an arrow pierced the other one. “Reform” Alice’s voice getting their attention as they ran towards her and continued running towards the group of guards fighting another two monsters, not faring as well as they had.

One guard was already dead on the ground, the poison already turning him into their enemy. The other two were trying their best to stay alive, relief on their faces as the Rising Moon came to their rescue. By no means were the guards weak, they were the best in their old lives but the north had changed their perception of strength. These beasts not being close to the strongest being they had encountered in the past three years. They were by far the fastest and most vicious though. If they had an advantage in numbers not even the Rising Moon would survive for very long, the famous adventurer group priding themselves in great teamwork.

The two beasts fell with their combined efforts. The turning guard dispatched and his dog tags removed they regrouped with Selmar and Selena. “Pierce.” Alice said as Selmars grip around his weapons tightened. ‘That makes it 29.’ he thought as he looked around to see his men and women exhausted from the fight of the past days.

The sun settled over the village as Selmar returned his gaze from the overgrown houses to the interior of their lodgings. The embers of a small fire still warmed the room as the group sat around it. “Lucien how does it look?” Josh asked the man sitting above his maps filled with scribbles. “Another week or two and we should reach it.” Lucien looked towards the group “...or...or a little longer...” he had told them it would only take two more weeks to reach the center over a month ago.

They hadn’t accounted for the increase in beast attacks. The closer they got the more of them lured in the snow and abandoned houses. More villages, streets and even a small city were found as they closed in on their target. Twenty five of them were remaining, their injured had died to an especially bad attack where they couldn’t be covered. “They wouldn’t have made it.” Selena told him and he knew she was right, but losing so many of his most trusted men and women so close to their goal. It was agonizing. The only thing he could do was to push on, and so they did.