Finally, the storm has arrived, one so very cold and merciless, engulfing everything trapped by it in a world of pure, lifeless white. Yet, within this storm, there are those that would brave it, plunging into the bleak whiteness, continually moving onwards even while they cannot see the path forward, with all that they could rely upon is the rope tied upon their makeshift harnesses prepared by the fortress craftsmen, linking them to one another. Leading their way is a large white beast with razor sharps claws that can easily dig into stone and a full body of thick fur that protects it from the cold. Right behind that very beast, is yours truly, Aurelius.

At the moment, we're traversing the mountain range in order to get behind the enemy lines. Including myself, there are a total of six members on this mission, five of whom are soldiers from the fortress and one is Merida who's here to act as my bodyguard I suppose. Additionally, we have one more member, leading our path and without whom this endeavor would have been impossible, Timothy, the [Snow Liger].

When I first brought my strategy to the commander, he was quick to dismiss it as impossible, for the mountains around here are far too steep to be climbed. However, with the retrieval of one of my [contracts], the one allowing me to summon Timothy, everything easily fell into place and after explaining the abilities of Timothy and the rest of my plan in detail, I was finally able to convince to commander to allow me to execute this plan and lend me a few of his men to do so.

As mentioned, Timothy is a [Snow Liger], a creature found in the snowy mountain regions of Elysium Online and possesses the very useful [Climb] special skill that allows it to climb up essentially any surface. In game, this is explained as it using its sharp claws to latch onto walls and various surfaces to scale it. Timothy also possesses enough strength to pull not only the Summoner, but also his entire party up with it. On top of it all, it is also a creature with excellent speed, damage, and defense, making it one of the more popular choices of summoned creatures a Summoner may have in their arsenal. Above it all, the [Snow Ligers] have about the warmest, fluffiest, coat of fur around, easily making it one of my personal top ten summoned creature.

With Timothy's sharp claws digging into the surface of the steep, wall-like mountainside, Merida, myself, and four others steadily scaled to the top of the mountains and had begun to slowly make our way over towards the other side where the enemy encampment lies.

To protect everyone from the raging snow and the cold, in addition to the thick fur coats we have wrapped ourselves in, I also casted [Heat Ward] beforehand and have been refreshing it just before the buff starts to wear off. The [Ward] spells are about the earliest spells learned by an Enchanter, and they are one of the cheapest spells one can cast, so I'm not worried about running out of Mp for the most part.

For hours we trudged through the snow filled top of the mountains, completely blind in the torrent of snow, with the only thing guiding us being the mini-map displayed at the corner of my vision, courtesy to my [Insight] skill. However, there's only so much I can glean from the mini-map and I soon find myself having to rely on Timothy with his superior senses to detect dangers ahead. Not to mention, while I at least have an idea of which general direction I'm heading in, those behind me are following me blindly, and after doing so for an extended period of time, I can tell that they're starting to get anxious as they start asking me whether if I'm sure of where I'm going and even suggesting that this may be too dangerous and that we should head back. I best find a shelter soon, otherwise they might start mutinying, and that's would be most dangerous in our current situation.

Proceeding a little further, we eventually came across a sizable snowdrift, and on the spot, I decided that we've gotten far enough for the day and ordered a snow cave to be made. With Timothy's claws, a tunnel was easily dug into the drift, and the rest of the men began compressing the snow to form a studier foundation within. It seems that after having served in that fortress for a good length on time, they are all trained in constructing makeshift shelters out of snow. In about an hour, the shelter was completed with plenty of room for six plus a large beast.

Retiring into the snow cave, we gather around the fire pit dug into the shelter, warming ourselves without the need for the [Heat Ward], allowing me to rest and begin the slow recovery of my Mp. Meanwhile, Timothy lays about the entrance, keeping watch for what dangers that might come across us, there is after all, no guarantee that the [Demon] would not have the same idea we're having, however crazy this plan may sound. In fact, historically speaking, whoever is able to pull off crazy maneuvers such as this tends to be the one to win the battle. Hopefully, in this instance, ours would be one of those, and not the many failed attempts that surely had happened but forgotten by the rest of history.

"We've made good progress today, haven't we?"

"Indeed, we went further than I thought we would. Perhaps we'll make it after all."

Around the fire pit, the soldiers are beginning to make small talk and have begun to relax. That's good, if any of them starts to panic, then I may be in some big trouble. I need all of them to work with me after all. Then again, maybe I'm underestimating them. The commander have assured me that these are the best of the best, and sure, they do seem young, but in battles and harsh conditions, there is without a doubt that they're much more experienced than I am. As proof, I see that all of their Levels are at least 50, going all the way up to 70, which I believe are rather high for this world's standard, with the exception of Merida who is around Level 30, and another one whose Level is around 15.

I didn't say anything about it when we set off. After all, this world isn't like the game. Even if their Level is a little low, that just means they're not particularly strong in combat and may in fact have other skill sets a combatant might not have. However, after watching over the construction of the snow shelter, I quickly realized that this Level 15 is about as clueless as I am when it comes to such basic survival skill. I mean, I have the excuse of being a city dweller around a region where it never snows. But this one is supposed to be a soldier of that fortress, the one guarding the pass in between two ranges of snowy mountains that are known to have avalanches.

At the moment, the Level 15 is sitting away from the rest, and in fact, I think he's specifically sitting away from me. Something is up, but when I look above his head, all I see is the name, "Soldier(?)". From that, I finally figured out that apparently the names appearing atop their heads is how I label the people in my view, which is unfortunate, since it means that I'll have to put some work into truly knowing who anyone is.

"You there!"

"Y-yes!?"

The voice belongs to a young woman. In fact, I think she sounds a little familiar. For now, I'll probe for more information.

"What do you do back in the fortress?"

"I... I'm a healer, sir. I heal the comrades that have been injured in battle. I can also use protective magic to support them."

In Elysium Online terms, she's a Cleric subclassing as an Enchanter. This as well, sounds familiar. I'm starting to see now, from her demeanor, from her voice, from her abilities, I think I now know who this is.

"Princess Aurelia?"

"!!!"

Her expression gave it all away. So it is her after all!

"I can't believe this! What were you thinking!?"

"Sir Aurelius, let me explain."

Merida comes up to me and shields the princess. What foolishness! If she wants her protected then why did she let her be here?

"I suppose you knew this, Merida? And everyone here but me are party to this?"

"It's not their fault, Sir Aurelius, if there's anyone here to blame then it would be me. I was the one who made them keep quiet about me being here."

Standing up, the princess had Merida move behind her.

"But of all the people, you did not bother to tell me?"

"I fear that you would not allow me here, and against you, there would be nothing I could do."

"Of course I wouldn't, you're the princess! What will the kingdom do without you!?"

"I am inconsequential compared to you, Sir Aurelius. Without you, in time there will be no kingdom. However, so long as you are alive, there is still hope. That is why I am here. I can help you against the enemy Champion. You spells alone may not be effective enough against him, but together, we should be able to beat him, like before."

"What are you saying? Even if I die, you can just summon another Champion, can you not?"

Hearing my words, the princess begins to shake, her fists balling up.

"I... I do not wish to drag another innocent soul into our problems."

"And yet, my friends and I are perfectly fine to be dragged into this?"

The princess lowers her head, unable to face me.

"I did not know... I did not wish for this......"

Even without seeing it, I can tell, from just her voice I know that she's crying. What the hell am I doing? I thought I already understood how desperate she was, didn't I? Didn't I already know that the one she intended to summon was a savior, a hero, and not some random guy who plays a lot of games? The hell am I doing digging up that old wound!? Is the stress getting to me that badly?

"I'm... I am sorry, princess. I know it isn't your fault."

"But it is, Sir Aurelius, you and I both know that is the truth. That it was my reckless actions that have brought you here."

"That's... not true."

I say that, but my heart wasn't in it. I can't bring myself to deny that it was indeed her doing that have brought me here into this mess, and deep down, I know very well that no matter how one frames the situation, it will never be better. The situation is still the same, and I remained stuck here to deal with it, and god knows how many of my guildmates are in similar positions, or god have mercy, in a position worse than mine. How many were made to suffer for that mistake?

"That is enough. We're not here to talk about who is to blame for what. We're here to complete a mission are we not? Sir Aurelius, I apologize for hiding this from you, and I will accept any punishment you deem appropriate for me once we return. However, now, I believe we should focus on the mission, and solely on that."

In the end, Merida had to step in, and I'm glad that she did. I wasn't sure how it would all go down otherwise.

That night, we rested in utter silence, with only the sound of the wind blowing outside could be heard. As we all slept lightly, by the time morning came, we were all ready to set off, continuing our trek through the mountains.

***

End of Chapter 8