Khione POV

Glancing back on the City I watched the Train of wagons and Soldiers marching out of the gates of the City the sunlight reflecting off their armor and weapons. It was as if the sun had descended to the earth and imbued them wit hits light. Turning back around I looked out at the icy canyon walls expanding out before me.

I heard Terror from behind me...

“my lady I have brought you a horse”

turning to face him as he spoke I looked at a magnificent white horse with glossy white hair and it stood at sixteen hands. (Terrors hands Khione's are rather small)

“thank you”

walking over to them he told me that her name was Frost. He then lifted me onto the smooth black leather sidesaddle a two pommel design. In which I hook my right leg over a top pommel and my left in a reversed one under the one that my right is hung over. My left foot is also in a single stirrup, and thus I am riding side saddle now fairly close to the front of the Vanguard obit surrounded by my Blood Knights (the 39 chosen) and Terror all of whom where riding great war horses this where in a verity of color however their size was massive as they had special coats of mail made of Mithril I spared no expense on my knights. Then they had to be able to charge ( sprint ) quickly and often and still be able to maneuver as well as carry their armored riders. They where a glorious sight to behold and a statement of power. ( she hasn't yet seen the Knights of Kallamore )

It would take a few hours to reach the end of the canyons and I had a vendetta against a tribe of trolls already. Call it what you will but they had stalked, surrounded and attempted to kill me. I had learned that they had been teaching the young troll prince how to survive outside of the city as a traditional Frost Troll when they had spotted me. Now I would have my revenge and it would be very fitting...

A While latter we emerged from the catacombs of the canyons and out into the frozen Frijord of the north

we rode out onto a very familiar icy plain; however this time I didn't have a veg idea of where I was going. No I had a very clear idea as the position of the Frost trolls I was looking for was only a few miles from the canyon entrance. Reaching over to the right side of my horse I pulled one of those amazing magical canteens that keep water liquid, and I proceeded to drip a small stream down to the ice freezing it and griping it with my left hand I connected with the Frijord and found the exact position of their camp as well as the fact that none of their guards where facing the City of ices canyon entrance.

I had the ice sweep up a nice blizzard around their camp obstructing their view. After this I ordered two hundred troops to equip and load crossbows and from into two line compromised of a hundred each. They would be the frontal army that the tribe would engage first. They would also have the siege weapons backing them with a crew of ten for each ballista and a crew of fifteen for the one catapult.

The ballista fired long razor sharp spears with wide blades. And the catapult fired a pot filled with oil which would be lit on fire and then catapulted into the enemy army. And then explode like a massive Molotov. I also had big canisters filled with small fist sized balls of iron which could be dumped into the catapult's bucket for a closer deadlier effect. The first two hundred had a simple tactic they would line up in their rows one crouched in front the other standing behind to fire over their heads. Now this left three hundred Soldiers. ( and her honor guard) I split these into two groups of one hundred and fifty

each. They where to move out instantly and flank on the right and left sides of the enemy camp.

They would not be using the massive double row instead they would split again into a three pronged defense line and form two lines within each fifty. Twenty five per line this would be their set up and as they would lack the heavy fire power of the ballista they would be putting the shovels to use and entrench in the necessary areas which would make them almost unseen in till they started shooting one row at a time for a continuous volley of bolts. I would stay with the main force and direct their push the

sides where our funnel in which to crush them. The Knights would go around behind the enemy and capture as many of the runners as possible forcing then to surrender the rest would die. With this planed out with each group I had them initiate their movements.

Terror helped me to dismount and then stayed by my side. As I linked with the ice once more to make sure that my troops went unnoticed by the enemy I could also form the ice in ways to give them directions and orders making communication simple and easy. Getting every thing into place as close as possible ( except the knights ) I waited a few hours for the Flanks to become entrenched. Then once this was complete I ordered the Siege engines to commence the bombardment of the camp and ordered the blizzard to make us visible to the enemy. ( front line of two hundred only flanks still clouded and snowy ) I watched the burning ball of fire (fire round for catapult) smash into their camp spraying liquid fire every where inciting panic and chaos. It spread quickly from the tents to the places of storage more than a few people (trolls) where ignited as well and ran screaming in pain (oil fires cant be put out by water) with a continuous barrage of fire pots the entire camp was quickly up in flames and those with weapons where advancing towards us with blacked arms and sot stained faces. Their pathetic clubs meaningless to my heavy armed and armored troops; and yet I felt no remorse or mercy

their actions had brought this on them. As they stormed toward us with about three thousand trolls the ballistae began to fire taking them down with a single shot some times catch two or three with a single bolt. The catapult had switched to Canisters and was raining death in great swaths of area killing around twenty to twenty five with each cast. The ice was quickly being stained red with the ruined bodies of the trolls impaled by ballistae bolts and others crushed smashed to shreds by the iron from the catapult. Then the crossbows fired and eighty for more trolls staggered back and dropped to the ground. Waves of bolts reoccurred every thirty seconds with the same devastating effect. However it didn't take long for it to become a melee, only about four waves of bolts where fired. After this I ordered my troops in to four rows fifty in each and into a great shield wall with the outer row crouched shields linked with the row standing over them then the third row braced the second with their shield and the fourth had their crossbows still out and fired trough slits in the second rows line. Terror and I had remounted our horses and the siege engines had be quickly reattached to their wagons and backed out to a safe distance.

The troll horde smashed into the Testudo pushing it back with their initial force how ever it quickly gained its grounds and with the crossbow men shooting off the trolls clambering onto it it became virtually an impregnable fortress of death. During this Terror and I had not been idle no I had formed a long sword of ice for my self and Terror had unsheathed his Mithril great sword. I knew from experience that blood Blade was much stronger however I didn't have a close source that wasn't already mixed, But this would work very well and so we commenced our own assault on the enemy horde I had dismounted for an obvious reason my house was completely unarmored. I had forgot this at first but realized it before I killed the horse. Terror however had already charged in and I watched his sword drop down cleaving a troll in half spraying its blood every were he stood in his stirrups sweeping his blade down right and left cutting through the clumsy blocks made by the frost trolls with their clubs. Not to be out done I strode into the fray killing the first troll that I meet by spinning under his swing and cutting through his knee and using the momentum to switch into a under handed grip which I plunged into his falling back into his heart. Diving forward and flicking the blade back into a overhand grip I slashed the throat of the next and slide between his legs as he fell. Rising to my feet I stabbed the blade into the ice and then walked forward flinging death from my finger tips ( ice bolts) the shards hit them in the neck and chest quickly spreading ice through their bodies worse than any poison. Death basked in my shadow blood flowed out as I walked. At one point I reached my hands out and forced the blood to reverse its flow in the bodies of a couple trolls forcing them into bloody convulsions and death soon after. With the ice linked with me I walked with my eyes closed the ice and blood of my opponents told me more than my eyes ever could every move the enemy made even the tightening of their muscles as they began their attacks. So simple to dodge weaving through them picking out the strongest and fastest. I found I could form crescent blades of ice and cast them like razors through the enemy cutting with precision. However they where slightly flawed which I noticed when a troll simply smacked it out of the air shattering it into a million pieces. Feeling rather pissed that he hadn't died I strode towards him flinging ice shards as quickly as possible. But he simply blocked these with his club.

After this I tried to change the ice to water under him and yet he sensed this somehow and jumped out of it and into me. The shock throw me to the ground. He picked me up and flung me into the ice like a rag-doll, however sadly for him this doesn't work well on me the frozen ground acted like a soft pillow which allowed me to spring back to my feet. Reaching out I placed my hands on a passing troll and dropped him to the ground frozen solid. Placing my hand on its neck I drew out its blood and formed it into a razor edged blade this one however was two handed and slightly longer than the one used in the keep. The troll steeped back slightly its face was covered in blood I realized and looked around ( with both ice and her eyes ) I was standing in what used to be part the Testudo the mangled bodies of my troops where littered around almost sixty dead of my troops. The troll standing before me had grabbed two morning stars one in each set of hands its club had been shredded by my ice assault. Stepping toward him I blocked the first attack and was ripped from my feet by the other which shaved off seven thousand in a hit. Shock covered my face as I crawled to my feet. To find him towering over me.

System message now in a critical condition

ability last of a dying race is now active.

Flipping to my feet I stepped quickly out of his reach. I transformed the blood into a band around my wrist and willed the ice to cover me in a protective layer which took a few seconds.

System message new ability learned

ignoring this I stepped forward and willed the ice to be thicker like trauma gel. ( gel used to absorb force)

reforming my sword I stepped forward and we began to circle one another waiting for an opening. I didn't place much trust in the ice although I new it would help but I was scared I was recovering health quickly from the wounded around us and my passive but if he simply hit me twice I was dead; and yet I didn't want to simply take the easy way out...