King of the North - 2
There was no stopping the rampaging Cress. She smashed her elbow into the back of the Wendigo's head—it had been blissfully enjoying happy time with a female reindeer. With the beast knocked out cold in one blow, Cress loaded an ice pillar onto its back and hopped on. Then she beckoned me to join her.
"Get a little closer—hug tight! One slip and you could fall off."
"Isn't this close enough?"
"Nope. Grab my waist—nice and firm!"
"You're not just doing this to satisfy some ulterior motive, are you?"
"Hehe...!"
I ended up riding along almost by accident, and Cress took the reins by gripping the Wendigo's antlers. What had taken days to climb to the summit, we descended to the foothills in a mere thirty minutes. The poor thing had turned into a makeshift sled, its front all scraped up. Feeling a bit sorry, I sprinkled some elixir on it. No need to show mercy to monsters, but it tugged at my heartstrings, so I healed it anyway. Plus, the ride had been surprisingly comfy.
Once we reached the base of the mountain, what next? Infiltration.
Right on cue, the chiefs from various tribes had gathered nearby in the snowy mountains for a council. Cress whipped up a cold, transparent veil and draped it over our heads. We headed straight for the tent, and miraculously, the warriors guarding the entrance didn't spot us as we slipped right past.
Inside the tent, a familiar face and a bunch of warriors with overflowing personalities were locked in a heated argument.
"Rakshar, because of what you did, we're all in a bind! How do you plan to take responsibility?"
"I've said it over and over: I never mentioned the trial to any outsider."
"You've gotten awfully brazen since we last met, Rakshar."
"Then let me ask you all: Where's your proof that I told the outsider about the trial?"
"You're the last one he met. And there are witnesses who saw him declare he'd challenge the trial right in front of everyone. You gonna deny it?"
"You think I'd spill about the trial to some stranger I just met? That's a ridiculous leap."
Rakshar, chief of the Frost Fang tribe, was catching hell from the other tribes. They apparently thought he'd leaked the trial to me. Honestly, from his perspective, it must've felt like a raw deal. I'd learned about it through the game, not from anyone spilling the beans.
"Fine. Anyway, Krag of the Iron Wolf tribe already headed up the mountain to clean things up. When he gets back, he'll sort out where the blame lies—with you."
"Do whatever you want. My warriors' blood never bends, no matter the situation."
The two tribes Krag had subdued, plus the Ice Hawk tribe that had voluntarily bent the knee—they were all tearing into him relentlessly, no breaks. The Frost Bear tribe's chief alone stayed silent. Then she'd suddenly glare and drop a bombshell into the debate.
"More importantly, what if the outsider actually passes the trial?"
"Ridiculous question. No outsider's gonna pass a trial that even legendary great warriors failed."
"But the challenger's still alive up there. He might be steadily making his way through."
"He's obviously just hunkering down at the base."
"If that were the case, Krag would've wiped him out and come back ages ago."
The bear tribe chief shredded the other tribes' logic with cold reason. The only woman among these hulking, muscle-bound men, she still asserted her views like a fierce heroine. Her sharp intellect stood out, even for a barbarian.
"You haven't forgotten the tribal legend passed down through generations, have you? The one who passes the trial becomes the king who rules the North. That's why we've never unified—we stick to our tribal ways."
Historically, no one had ever passed the Donetoungk Trial. If someone had, they'd have become the North's king and ruled the barbarians. I recalled that even the king of the fallen Lunaria Kingdom had only been an ally to the barbarians, not their overlord. So the bear chief was asking if they'd accept the passer as their sovereign.
"The Frost Fang tribe will serve the one who passes the trial as our king, per tradition."
As Rakshar had said before, he'd follow me if I succeeded. That resolve seemed unchanged. But the other tribes gave vague, noncommittal reactions. Tradition or not, they'd already accepted Krag as their great chieftain. No way they'd bow to a king on top of that.
"The Ice Hawk tribe cannot accept a king's existence."
"Same here."
"Crowning an outsider king? You've lost your minds."
A sidelong glance at Cress showed her quietly smirking. Okay, three more bodies. Clueless about their impending doom, they kept yapping away.
"Looks like the Frost Fang tribe tossed their pride out long ago."
"Crowning someone who wasn't even born or raised in the snowplains?"
"Know your shame and die like true warriors."
The harsh criticism rained down on Rakshar. But he ignored it, turning instead to the bear chief.
"What about you?"
"Ignoring tradition denies our history. But he challenged the trial without our tribes' approval, on his own whim. Honestly, I don't know what to do. If I had good feelings about him, I'd back him... but..."
"By the way, I saw the challenger wearing a bear paw necklace."
Oh yeah, that thing. A trinket my grandfather, the previous family head, picked up on a visit to the North. Dad said he'd earned it helping out some barbarians up there. I'd totally forgotten, but Rakshar's words jogged my memory. Was it connected to the Frost Bear tribe? As that hope flickered, the bear chief—Bruna—shot to her feet with a fierce reaction.
"Is that true?!"
"Certain. The paw shape matched the species that lives in these snowplains."
"...If it's the item I think it is, then I'll crown the current challenger as king."
Judging by Bruna's reaction, the barbarian my grandfather had helped was from the Frost Bear tribe. I didn't know the exact connection yet, but I could ask her later. If he was a benefactor, she wouldn't treat me poorly, at least.
"What?!"
"Bruna, have you lost your mind?!"
"Rakshar! Swaying her with lies? That's not warrior-like!"
"Calm down. I'll see for myself if Rakshar's claim is true."
Despite Bruna's pleas, the chiefs kept barking like dogs, refusing to cool off. It was starting to grate on my ears, and I furrowed my brow—then suddenly, Cress flung off her veil.
The chiefs froze in shock at her sudden appearance. But it was only for a moment.
"Shut up!!"
Every chief except Rakshar and Bruna instantly turned to ice. A mystical power that froze humans solid with a mere gesture, no spell needed. Realizing she was no ordinary being, the two flattened themselves to the ground.
""We pay respects to the Great Spirit of the Snowplains!""
Their wording suggested they knew who Cress was. As I watched in fascination, she peeled off my veil too, flashing a mischievous grin.
"A hundred years ago, these barbarians threw a massive party on the snowy mountains and ruined my mood. I threw a fit over it, and ever since, whenever I flex my power, they all tremble in fear."
"What exactly did you do?"
"Froze 'em solid, like this. Took out half the barbarian population."
"Oh... oof."
So there was precedent. That's why she'd so casually talked about wrecking barbarians. I had no idea Cress had that kind of history—she was scarier than I thought.
"I ground up the frozen ones and scattered them across the mountains. The plants grew great after that, though?"
The two barbarians, heads bowed, started shivering as they listened. They were friendly enough—did she need to scare them like this? Deciding it'd gone far enough, I pressed a finger to Cress's lips. She smiled with her eyes and pulled me into a tight hug.
"If you'd plugged it with your lips instead of a finger, that would've been better!"
"Not here..."
"So you'll kiss me in private spots? Can't wait!"
I kept getting swept up in Cress's vibe. Shaking my head, I approached Bruna. As I drew near, she lifted her head and looked up at me.
"This thing's connected to your tribe, right?"
I shoved the bear paw necklace my father had given me in her face. Bruna took it carefully, examining it from every angle. After several checks, she nodded affirmatively.
"Looks like the barbarian my grandfather helped was from the bear tribe after all."
"Precisely—the Great Matriarch."
"Really?"
"And my grandmother too."
"Ho ho?"
"Nice to meet you, my half-brother."
"......What?"
What the hell does that mean?