Chapter 135: Laying the Groundwork (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 135: Laying the Groundwork (2)
In the heart of a snowfield where the northern sky hung so heavy you couldn't see an inch ahead.
The Northguard hunters, clad in layers of fur and thick leather, walked silently over the snow.
The snow crumbled under their boots, leaving footprints that vanished without a trace under a fresh dusting.
At this rate, they would lose their way back. The veteran hunters planted flags at regular intervals, securing them firmly.
The flags, painted with a special dye, glowed faintly even in the blizzard. With this, they wouldn't have to worry about getting lost. The hunters pressed on.
Leading the hunters was the tribal chief, Jorn.
The role should have belonged to Tarkind, the scouting party leader, but Jorn had been forced to take his place.
Tarkind had gone missing after fending off an orc attack and tracking them back to their encampment. Despite several search parties, there was no sign of whether he was alive or dead.
He had been an exceptional warrior of Lake Fortress… A painful loss.
It couldn't be helped.
They had to forget the one who was gone and do their best with those who remained.
Chk.
Jorn raised a fist, and the party halted as one.
A line of reindeer was moving along the ridge.
Linvar’s lips curled into a smile.
“A good start, wouldn't you say?”
Reindeer meat had a unique flavor, and its high fat content made it an ideal source of energy. It was an opportunity they would regret missing.
Jorn glanced back and nodded. Linvar immediately gave a hand signal, and the hunters moved to their positions with perfect coordination.
Only Azyeth stood there blankly, looking around. The atmosphere suggested she should be doing something, too.
Linvar smiled and winked at her.
“I'll show you how the Northguard hunts, so just stand back and watch, young lady.”
Bwooooooo—
The hunt began with a small signal. At the sound of a distant horn, the reindeer herd lifted their heads.
The hunters who had been waiting in designated positions began shouting and running toward the reindeer all at once.
“Heya! Run! We'll eat you if you don't!”
Startled, the reindeer kicked up snow and fled. The hunters moved in an arc, funneling the herd into one spot like the mouth of a gourd.
At the end of the path the reindeer were being lured down, Linvar and the other hunters waited with their bows drawn.
The reindeer realized they had been trapped, but it was too late to change direction. They surged forward, hoping to break through at a single point.
The archers waited.
They were positioned upwind to avoid detection, which wasn't ideal for shooting arrows.
But they were the Northguard.
Warriors who protected the North.
Not even the harsh northern winds could stop them.
“Right between the eyes!”
At Linvar’s signal, the archers released their bowstrings. Mana-infused arrows flew against the biting wind.
Thwack!
An arrow struck a reindeer right between the eyes.
The reindeer that were hit collapsed, their faces plowing into the snow.
“Okay. Good~”
“A clean hunt!”
The scattered hunters gathered one by one, smiling in satisfaction at the game they had brought down.
“Linvar~ Have you gotten even better?”
“I was always this good. Are you saying I was worse before?”
“You’re so intense, I can’t even joke with you.”
The hunters laughed and joked, their spirits high from the bountiful result.
“What's the plan, Chief? Do we head back?”
“Hmm…”
Jorn considered it.
A haul this size meant they wouldn't have to worry about food for a while.
But this was only their first hunt. Overzealousness was to be avoided, but they still had plenty of time and energy. It was human nature to get greedy.
“A small group will take the reindeer back to the village. The rest of us will continue the hunt.”
No one objected, as they were all thinking the same thing. A few members loaded the reindeer onto the sleds they had brought and headed back to the village first.
“Let’s keep moving.”
The march continued.
Azyeth trotted along behind them.
The snowfall grew heavier, reaching a point where an ordinary person would struggle to take a single step, yet Azyeth walked with ease.
It was a strange sight.
The footsteps of the most delicate-looking woman were the lightest of all.
As if she were surrounded by an invisible barrier, the snow vanished the moment it came near her. Azyeth was perfectly serene.
It was as if the snowfield itself were embracing her.
“Chief, we're at a waypoint. There's a cave just ahead.”
They had found one of the flags they had planted during a previous exploration.
Sure enough, a cave soon appeared.
“We’ll rest here for a bit.”
They entered the cave, skillfully started a fire, and warmed their cold bodies. They began to pull out jerky from their packs and eat.
If they didn't warm themselves by a fire like this from time to time, their senses would dull. They could freeze to death without even realizing it.
Meanwhile, Azyeth, who radiated cold when she got near warmth, was exploring a corner of the cave by herself.
Linvar approached her.
“So, what did you think of our hunt, young lady? Pretty cool, huh?”
Azyeth nodded.
In truth, she felt nothing, but she remembered Karami's advice to nod if the other person seemed excited.
Though even recognizing excitement was a difficult task for Azyeth.
“I knew you were something special, but you're really amazing, young lady. Walking around Eisengar dressed like that.”
“…”
“They say it wasn't always this cold in the past. It’s all because of a wicked dragon named Skadia.”
Linvar suddenly began to tell an old tale, the kind one might find in a fairy tale book.
“It was hundreds of years ago, when Skadia appeared in the kingdom. That lizard demanded the king offer it gold, treasures, and beautiful women on a regular basis. The kingdom refused.”
“…”
“Furious that its command was denied, Skadia tried to destroy the kingdom, and the kingdom resisted with all its might. But it was no match for a dragon. In the end, the kingdom was defeated, and the dragon laid a curse upon it for its defiance.”
“A… curse?”
Linvar nodded.
“It froze the entire kingdom and its people solid, leaving only their consciousness intact so they would suffer for eternity.”
“…”
“They say that kingdom is still frozen somewhere in Eisengar to this day.”
It was a story passed down among the northerners for generations, a fairy tale adults often told their children. If you didn't listen to your parents, Skadia would come and freeze you solid.
“No one's ever actually seen it, but Old Lady Darka gets angry and insists it's real. Well, you know how that old woman is. A legend is just a legend, I guess.”
Linvar shrugged, speaking as if it were nothing.
But Azyeth felt a strange sensation. She placed a hand on her chest, feeling a faint pain. It was a sharp sting, as if she were being pricked by tiny, sharp icicles.
She couldn't tell what was causing it.
While their one-sided conversation continued, the group prepared to march again. They put out the fire and packed their things.
“Enough chatter. Let’s move.”
*
“Found it. Tracks.”
Jorn, who was walking at the head of the group, stopped midway up the snowy mountain.
He pointed to a massive footprint faintly visible in the snow. The print was so deep that even the heavy snowfall hadn't filled it in.
It was incomparably larger than that of any normal beast. The tracks, with clear imprints of toes, belonged not to an animal, but to a demonic beast.
“Looks like a yeti, Chief.”
A yeti, a creature only seen in the snowfields. Its meat was gamey and tasteless, but its materials, especially its fur, were first-rate.
It was tough, durable, and warm. It could be made into armor or worn as a coat. It sold for a high price to the wealthy, like nobles. They could also sell it to merchants to procure other food supplies.
Of course, it was just as difficult and dangerous to hunt, but it was a risk worth taking.
“We're going after it, right?”
“Yes. It's not far.”
Considering the amount of snow that had accumulated in the tracks, it hadn't passed by long ago. The hunters raised their guard and advanced again.
As expected, they found the yeti not far off. The creature’s protective coloration made it difficult to see clearly, but it was visible to the warriors’ sharp eyes.
It resembled a gorilla, but it was three times the size.
Its pure white fur seemed to merge with the surroundings, but its frosty breath and enormous silhouette could not be hidden.
Jorn drew his twin axes.
“I'll draw its attention.”
Trying to hunt a yeti like a common beast was a good way to get seriously hurt. A clumsy encirclement would be easily broken. The standard method was for one person to mark it exclusively, wearing down its stamina as much as possible before the kill.
“Let’s begin when you’re ready. Don't let your guard down.”
“Understood.”
The hunters waited in position.
Jorn approached the yeti, suppressing his presence as much as possible.
He planned a surprise attack.
He carefully closed the distance, trying not to be noticed. When he was finally in range, he crossed his twin tomahawks and shot forward.
Pak!
Like a sled gliding over snow, Jorn’s form shot forward smoothly.
He reached the yeti in an instant.
Krwuh?
Sensing his presence, the yeti reflexively swung its arm.
Swoosh!
Jorn slid nimbly.
The yeti’s arm passed over him.
As he slid past, Jorn swung his tomahawks at the yeti’s side, striking its leg.
Thunk!
An unpleasant sensation traveled up his arms. It was like cutting through rubber.
Only a few drops of blood splattered.
The yeti’s hide was so tough and durable that blades couldn't easily penetrate it. Its resistance to special abilities was also high, so even his mana-reinforced strikes were ineffective.
KWOOOAR!
Finally realizing what was happening, the yeti raised both fists to the sky.
It was preparing to slam them down.
Jorn quickly dodged backward.
The fists crashed down where he had been.
KRAAANG!
The snow exploded as if a landmine had been detonated.
Jorn landed lightly on his feet.
Grrrrr…
The yeti’s face flushed red.
It was furious at the sudden attack.
Its thigh muscles bulged for a moment, and it kicked off the ground.
THOOM!
With a single leap, the yeti’s massive body soared in an arc and reached Jorn in an instant. It launched an offensive, flailing its arms wildly. Each time, its thick, log-like arms created a heavy, tearing sound in the air.
A single hit would be fatal, but the beast hadn't learned martial arts. Each of its movements was large, so they were easy enough to dodge if one remained calm.
Swish! Swash!
Jorn dodged the attacks, landing blows with his axes whenever he found an opening. The number of cuts on the yeti increased, but…
Ssssss…
Smoke rose from the wounds. With the yeti's incredible natural healing, a cut like that recovered in an instant.
Unless he could land a critical hit, this would become a battle of attrition. It looked like it was going to be a long fight.
“…”
Azyeth, who had been watching quietly from a distance, recalled Karami’s words.
The words telling her to help the Northguard with their hunt.
Azyeth decided that now was the time.
She held out her hand.
“Huh? Young la—”
WHOOSH!
A spear of ice shot out.
The spear, flying at a ferocious speed, struck the yeti squarely in the head as it fought.
Crack.
Krwuh?
“…?”
But it didn't blow the yeti's head off. While the yeti had high physical resistance, its resistance to ice was even greater.
Azyeth, of course, had no way of knowing this. The same magic that had pierced a wyvern's scales shattered like shaved ice.
The yeti’s face contorted. Interrupted in battle, it changed its target. Ignoring Jorn, who was pestering it from the front, it charged toward the onlookers.
“What are you doing, young lady! Ice doesn't work on a yeti!”
“…Ah.”
“This is no time for ‘ah’!”
THUD! THUD! THUD! THUD!
The yeti charged recklessly toward them.
The impact shook the mountainside, triggering an avalanche.
“Shit. Everyone, run!”