Chapter 8

The pale sunlight of the frost wasteland cast long shadows as the newly formed team set their sights on the village to the north. Their footsteps crunched in the snow as they made their way through the frozen landscape, discussing their strategy.

"The map marks the village, but it doesn't tell us anything about the beast we're supposed to hunt," Cerrise mused, his blue eyes thoughtful.

"True," Asnir agreed, adjusting his grip on his weapon probably still shaken. "But considering the monsters we just faced, we should be prepared for anything."

As they walked, the snow around them seemed to deepen, and the air grew colder. In the distance, a dark silhouette began to take shape against the whiteness. The silhouette grew larger and clearer as they approached, revealing a village encased in ice. The buildings were battered and covered in frost, evidence of a struggle that had taken place there.

The team entered the village cautiously, stepping over the frozen remains of what had once been a bustling community. The silence was eerie, broken only by the distant howling of the wind. The villagers seemed to have abandoned the place in a hurry, leaving behind signs of chaos and destruction.

"What could have happened here?" Elor whispered, his eyes scanning the frozen streets.

"Look there," Rode pointed to a central building, noticeably larger and more ornate than the others. "That looks like it was the village's main hall."

As they approached the building, they noticed a series of deep gouges in the ground, as if something massive had dragged its claws through the snow and earth. Cerrise knelt to examine the marks, his fingers tracing the edges of the grooves.

"These marks are recent," he observed

And if on cue they heard a branch snap from behind them.

Something was watching them.

They had to be careful, around them was an unfamiliar village and surrounding it was all barren snow filled land, a huge shadow passed from above them making them look up. A moment later, a loud creepy sound was heard from above them. İt was a bird, a very huge bird. Then suddenly more of the same huge birds passed them flying to the direction of the mountain.

İt was quite again but they were not stupid enough to believe that they were alone.

In the shadows of the trees, several creatures with red eyes appeared and started to walk towards them. About thirty green-skinned creatures twice their size with giant canines protruding out of their mouths were seen, they just had their lower bodies covered with leather attire and on their hands were big stone weapons.

"Oh come on," Asnir said pulling a dagger from his waist belt. And the rest followed suit picking theirs, only Cerrise stood still, cause one; he didn't have anything on him and two even if he did he knew that his companions were not strong enough to beat the orcs.

Cerrise lifted his hand and the snow around him moved, he directed it to the direction of the orcs and gave a command...

"Run!"

Deep into the forest they ran. They could hear the sound of the orcs behind them. They were fast.

Cerrise heard a thud and turned around spotting youngest of all of them, Elor, on the ground he sighed went back and tried to pick him up it wasn't working, " Get up! Do you wanna to die?"

Elor tried getting up but his legs gave up on him and Cerrise noticed he was shaking. He was scared.

"Well this is a problem," he said and the others stopped.

İce orcs, he'd read about them they rarely hunt people and in the case where they do they hunt the weakest by applying cohesion and slowing them then capturing them and putting their heads near their forest to warn intruders.

They hadn't seen a warning skull before entering the village. İt was probably hunting season. There is no way the king would not have known that, yet he sent them on the same direction.

"Get up Elor," one of the boys shouted.

"it won't work he's in shock," Cerrise told them.

"But there orcs after us and carrying him will slow us down, what will we do,"

"I guess we'll have to fight," he told them picking a broken branch on the ground.

"You. Want us. To fight head to head with an orc?"

"Yes well have to face them either way in order to know what's going on in the village, so why not now," he told them as they started to appear from the trees.

"I guess you are right," Rode stated as they took out their weapons and headed towards one orc and Cerrise almost face palmed ' do they even know how to beat an orc?'

He sighed then fortified his stick with ice, he looked up and was was about to attack when he notice something.

They were tense the orcs also looked… scared?

Something wasn't right.

Just as the orcs were ready to attack a large booming sound which every one heard as a screech but Cerrise heard as a very clear.

[STOP!]

He had to double check If he was hearing things. He wasn't.

Behind the orcs was a huge orc, probably the chief looking down at them. Elor who was already down directly fainted due to the corehesion.

[MY QUEEN THEY WANT TO INVADE OUR HOME]

[AND YOU WANT TO ATTACK THEM DO YOU THINK YOU CAN DEFEAT THEM YOU ARE ALREADY INJURED DO YOU THINK YOU CAN DEFEAT THEM, THEY WIPED OUT OUR SOLDIERS WITH ONLY BLOCKS OF ICE.]

[WE APOLOGISE]

Ah so that's what happened, they have been in the orcs territory ever since they arrived.

[WHAT DO YOU WANT HUMANS]

The others heard a growl and prepared for an attack but they posed when they heard Cerrise speak.

"We just want to go to the other side of the forest,"

They looked at him as if he was crazy.

[YOU CAN UNDERSTAND ME?]

"I wouldn't be speaking to you if I couldn't and why would you as a question without knowing if we could understand you,"

[YOU ARE RIGHT.]

"…"

"Any way we noticed something wrong with the area around and wanted to check, we didn't expect an attack with no warning,"

[I APOLOGISE ON THEIR BEHALF. MY CHILDREN CAN BE RUSH SOMETIMES.AS FOR THE SIGN WE CAN NOT PUT ANYTHING THAT CAN ATTRACT THE ENEMY TO US. AS YOU CAN SEE WE HAVE NOT BEEN DOING VERY WELL LATELY.]