The moon was bright against the dark sky, and shone down on the water. A light breeze rippled the surface, causing the reflection of the moon to waver. There was no sound in the night sky, and the moon looked down on the silent, peaceful scene.
The air was cold, and cut through the many layers of armor and leather of the three orcs. Icebergs floated silently past, and occasionally bumped against the side of the boat, creating a grinding sound as they slid past. A lone lantern, although it was utterly useless in the bright light cast by the moon, flickered and wavered in the cool night air
The trio of orcs did not speak. They lay quietly in the front of the boat, while their three mounts shifted restlessly in the back. They had been sent by Utgar on a mission of secrecy, a quest to find the mighty leader of the Swog, Nerak. They had almost reached their destination, the icy region of the Thaelink Tundra, and were even now nearing its frigid boarders.
The three orcs had been scouring the tundra for four hours now. They had found plenty: frozen beasts, frozen warriors, frozen grass, frozen water. And now they had finally found the frozen tracks of one of their mounts.
One of the swogs, Grek, leapt down from his saddle to have a closer look. He was not used to the cold and the snow, and the icy wind, which had by now picked up, stung his face. Shielding his eyes, he peered at the tracks, trying to discern how long ago they had been made. His expert hunter’s eyes quickly picked out details too intricate for a human to observe. He rose, but kept his back bent because of the wind. “It’s Nerak,” he shouted to the other two swogs. “He was here only two hours ago.”
The leader of the Swog band, Krell, nodded his head and motioned forward. Grek had one leg over the side of his mount, when he heard a crunch. Then he heard it again. He unhooked his lantern and leapt back down into the snow to have a look. As his feet touched the puffy white flakes, they made the same crunching sound, only smaller.
The crunch came again, this time much closer. Grek thought he could see a face through the small flakes that were beginning to float down through the blackness, but he couldn’t be sure. It looked just like another wall of ice. He came closer, reached out his hand, and touched it. It
was ice. Yet, with a little imagination, he could almost see a face in that ice…
A high pitched scream broke the night air. Krell held up his gloved hand and looked back. Grek was not behind them. He turned his mount about, and headed into the swirling snow. Before he had gone five feet, the form of Grek, his arms flailing with panic, careened past him. Krell saw him slip and fall, heard a crack, and then a splash followed by a high-pitched gasp only an orc could make. He turned back to face the direction that Grek had come from, and saw a hideous head staring at him. It seemed to be carved from ice, but then it moved. First a massive chest appeared, and then long spiky arms, followed by two legs that almost as thick as pillars.
Krell had never seen such a creature, but he assumed it to be an enemy, and signaled his companion to charge. Together they drew out their swords and prepared to rush the beast. Krell, just as he came within striking distance of the creature, felt a sharp point of ice pierce his armor, lift him off his mount, and then throw him on the ground. His companion was luckier, and dodged the icy spikes, but was soon felled by a mighty blow to the head. Krell leapt up and lashed out at the creature with his sword. He got lucky and managed to strike the beast, but it soon delivered such a blow to his stomach that his legs gave way beneath him and he toppled like a pile of bricks.
Grek meanwhile, had climbed out of the water, and now charged the beast, his sword encrusted with ice. He ducked under the massive arms and dealt the creature such a blow that it fell over backwards and landed in the snow. He leapt on top of it to finish it, but was thrown back by what seemed to be the air.
Indeed, a small form glided through the air and smote Grek in the ribs. Its touch was like that of a blast of air, and it flew through the snow as if it were part of the air that surrounded it. Grek took a swipe at it as it flew past, but his blade went straight through it without harming it in the least. He leapt up so that he could try again, but was reminded of the giant ice creature behind him as it sliced open his back with a shard of ice. Grek fell to the snowy ground. As his mind clouded over, his last thought was that Utgar would need to send more than three to this accursed place to find Nerak.
?) but in the end I'll write because I like to and that's it. Can't wait to start my next story.
.
