Chapter 21 G.

 

      Body heat and waking, soft skin under each arm was the best part of waking up. Legs tangled with mine were an excellent way to wake up. The cold of the level was a distant dream held at bay by the tender forms of Ashley and Rachel. I was ready for them, acquiescence coursing through me. We had another task, however.

 

       The simmering rich earthy scent of cossa spilled throughout the cave. I watched the sleeping form of Ashley, auburn hair pulled in a tail behind her head. Nose twitching at the smell as her tongue licked her lips. ‘She really does love her morning cossa.’ I thought as her eyes began to flutter open. 

 

       Cracking one eye open, Ashley said, “Mmm…much better, no wolves?” Yawning widely.

 

       “No, at least I don’t think so.”

 

       Kneeling in front of Ashley, Brie kissed her deeply over the steaming mug of cossa. “Good morning, mistress.” 

 

       “You’re the best, Brie.”

 

       “Were getting up?” Came Rachels groggy voice from the other side of me, her lips pressing softly onto my chest.  

 

       “Looks like Ashley beat you to it this morning.”

 

       “Humph, someone woke me a few times last night being handsy in their sleep.” She said with a convulsive shudder clenching around me. 

 

       “Sorry, I am not responsible for what I do in my sleep.” 

 

       “It was nice. Okay, up.” Rachel said, ejecting the blankets from on top of us. The warm air spilled over us as the three of us sat up. 

 

       Cossa was poured and drank. Sasha had helped milk Milly, and the sweet addition to the morning beverage was wonderful. Jerky was chewed, and beds rolled up. Soon the cave was only filled with a dying fire and 12 armed and armored adventurers. 

 

       “Next is the black bridge; if there are two guards, that means the giant camp is occupied. One and will be in the clear until the next bridge.” Titus told the group before we ventured into the cold once more.

 

       “Do we want to go to the camp and look for a chest?” Lucius asked.

 

       “That’s up to Lord Eric?”

 

       “No, better to keep moving.”

 

       40KPH is just slow enough to be annoying, that is, when the outside temperature is magically held below minus frozen fuck all, and dear gods, get me out of here. We did not have far to travel on the freshly fallen snow. I used my 580 mana freely, kicking our speed up to 65 kph for short stents. Soon a tap on my shoulder from Titus let me know to stop. 

 

       The black bridge was just visible across the blank expanse. “Looks like there is just one guard, and it has a bow,” Titus said as we disembarked. We had to have been half a kilometer away.   

 

       “Why did we stop?” I asked as my question was answered by the sound of a whistling arrow. It landed a dozen meters away from us, plunging into the frozen ground. 

 

       “Outside its range.”

 

       “Ah, I see that now. How do you normally take it out?”  

 

       “Branwen can get close enough to kill it while we block with our shields. But with your power, do you want to kill it?” the group stood close, the sight of the cold making us huddle together more than the feeling itself. 

 

       “As Good a time as any to make a long-distance spell, I suppose.”

 

       I ran through the options I had in my head. I could accelerate a piece of ice to supersonic speeds and blow a hole in the giant. The fire was always an option, but an explosion of heat that would kill it was not efficient enough. I needed a way of causing mass death without a mess. A laser, perhaps if there was more light to work with on this level. 

 

       I reached out with my mana sending a feeler out to the mass of crushing muscle. It had no way of guarding against mana, natural or otherwise. I knew this would not work for anything that had even a slight mana resistance, but for this big guy, it was over. 

       Distance with most spells was governed by arcane mana manipulation; for me, that meant that I could cast my spells as far and wide as I wanted. 

 

       Stretching my hand out, I focused on the giant as a whole. Then the chest, then the head. I activated a combination of the [cut] and [butcher] spell. 

 

       You have learned the spell: 

Internal Severing: base cost .1 mana. .1 mana per centimeter of internal cut. .1 mana per meter distance. .1 mana increase per 1% mana resistance.

 

     You have killed:

           Protector Glaies giant. 60000 XP.

 

     You have leveled: level 36.

 

     Looking through an odd pair of binoculars, Rachel asked, “What did you do, Eric?” A tinge of fear creeping between her words.

 

       “What happened?” Ashley asked.

 

       “It’s dead. It just fell over.” Rachel answered, lowering her binoculars that merged back into her suit. 

 

       “What? Really? Death magic?” Snow flinging off Ashley as she whipped her head towards me. 

 

       “No, not death magic. I severed the nerves at the base of his skull.”

 

       “That’s… that’s.” Chariklia stammered.

 

       Titus lowered his head, “I’ve seen this before from the ninths special units. Never from this far away, though. Never.” Titus’s eyes moved rapidly, searching old memories and processing what I had just shown them all.

 

       Lifting his head, Titus spoke, “We should move. I am glad you are who you are, Eric. Very glad.”

 

       Silence lay over the group as we took the giant’s armor and weapons. We Stuffed them into Clymiphae’s bags. The massive bow and quiver. Thick plate armor with huge sections of chain mail. 

 

       The bridge was larger than the other in terms of width. The black stone was smooth and glistened like glass. No snow touched the surface of the black monolith that spanned the wide ice water river below. 

 

16:12

 

       Frozen mounds and hillocks fell from under us, the speed of the bobsled being kept above 60 kph as I varied the mana input. Another massive tree rose to the right-hand side of me while we traveled. The wind and cold making for poor conversation as we traveled. A few loping shapes padded in the distance, none coming close enough to warrant a fight. The steady glisten of moonlight on snow lulling my mind into meditation. 

 

       I focused on the steading pulse of mana. In and out, charging forward to higher speeds before gliding and repeating the process. I was now in it, the Titans’ Sheild knew about my power, but they would keep my secrete. With their help, I would be able to dive further into the dungeon. The S rank group was providing me with the perfect cover in the empire. ‘I still need to find out what that note was about from the dungeon.’

 

17:06

 

       Six hours or so of cold silent travel. Jerky was passed forward to me when the buff from the meat had worn off. Everyone deciding to not to interrupt our travels for a lunch break. Only muffled noise reached me over the sound of the wind. Titus’s taps on my shoulder were the only guide I had across the white expanse.

 

       The third ice river approached, along with the mass of dark iron. Steel cables plunging from two towers down to the bridge deck. It was massive and looked slightly more modern than anything else I had seen since coming to this world. I stopped half a kilometer away as I had before, unsure if there was a guard on the bridge or not. 

 

       “No worries, Eric, there is never a guard at this bridge. The next camp is towards the spine on the other side of a small mountain. Will head for the next shelter cave. Then tomorrow will see if the giant chief is at the forest’s edge location.”

 

17:24

 

       The cave at the base of the small mountain was much like the rest. Cold and dark until the white wood was set to light, a cozy den for rest when the bedrolls were lain out. Fire crackling and armor discarded pots and pans the chosen weapons for our evening meal.

 

       “How many are in the main camp?” I asked.

 

       “Depends really on the size and level of the group. For us, anywhere from 10 to 15. Though with your power, I wonder, but the dungeon has not seemed to hold it against you.” answered Titus as he swallowed his spoon full of soup. The warm meal was doing much to heal the minds of the party more than the body. 

 

       “Normally, it would be a tuff fight; you have to get one or two of them alone. Weed down the numbers before going after the chief.” Lucius added.

 

       “All we have to really do is decide how many kills you want your companions to get. You could kill them all your self Lord Eric.” Chariklia added with a shake of her head. 

 

       “Ashely, Rachel?” I asked.

 

       Braiding her hair black hair, food demolished in front of her, Rachel said, “Two each if there are enough, that is. The rest you can kill.” 

 

       Falling on her back, arms splayed to the side, Ashley said, “Rachels best with numbers, whatever she says.” A yawn escaping her at the end. 

 

       “Tomorrow then.” 

 

       “Tomorrow.” 

 

       Sleep was easy for the group, the Titans’ Shield standing watch.