It’s so bright out. The sun looks wonderful. I have never seen a more beautiful sky in my life before. The clouds are picturesque. I don’t know where I am though. I’m lying on my back, staring up. I sit up and look around, seeing frozen railings around me, like I’m on some sort of balcony. Next to me is a little girl I’ve never seen before in my life, but I feel a deep familiarity from her. She’s got blue skin and blue eyes like me, so she must be from the kingdom too. She’s on her knees and has tears running down her face, but she has a relieved smile. I can’t hear what she’s saying. I can’t hear anything, actually. On the other side of me I finally notice someone else, standing proudly with his back towards me. It’s a boy about as old as I am, wearing a desert patterned trench coat and black pants, but the sunlight blocks his head from my view. Even my own words are inaudible to me as I say something to him. The boy turns around and walks up to me, taking a knee and placing his hand on my shoulder. He says something, and in less than a second the little girl next to me wraps her arms around me in utter joy. Whatever he said puts a grin on my face, as my eyes grow watery. 

 

That’s when I wake up.

 

Hypo’s eyes open once more to him staring up at the ceiling of his room, as the birds chirp outside melodically as the sun casts its rays upon the world. It took the boy a second to realize there were tears in his eyes as he wiped them clean, then sat up. 

 

“That…was a good dream. I can’t remember the last time I had one like that.” He uttered to himself quietly, the smile from the dream making itself real. He jumped out of bed and threw open his window, a rush of wind running past him. Taking a deep breath of air and taking in the view of the sun-kissed land outside, his smile grew larger as he turned back to his owl. 

 

“Iggy! Let’s get the day moving!” He exclaimed as he grabbed his weapons and pendant. His owl hooted and pointed out a new change of clothes for him already waiting on his bed. He wasted no time swapping out his pajamas for his new outfit. It consisted of a slightly more slimmed down version of his typical coat, along with a change to arctic pattern cargo shorts with black compression pants underneath and some white running shoes to compliment them. 

 

Lighter stuff than before. Oughta make running for my life easier. I hope. At least it’s comfy. Now then, let’s see what happens when I try to get Shiver out of the first real bed she’s slept in after a whole decade.

 

With some pep in his step, he marched down to her room and knocked on her door. Then knocked again. Then once more, with some force, still to no response. Feeling reminded of last night’s trouble waking her, he realized that perhaps a more direct approach was needed. Grabbing the handle, he opened the door slowly and stepped inside.

 

Wait! Why am I even taking this so carefully and quietly? The first time I woke her up was probably annoying, but sneaking in like this is just gonna look weird, maybe creepy. But…do I really want to be annoying and loud twice in a row? I gotta try something else…ah. A joke entrance…no. I don’t think she would laugh. Actually, can she laugh?

 

“Uh, ahem…good morning, Shiv-AGH!” 

 

Before he could even finish his greeting, Hypo made the unfortunate mistake of not watching his step as he tripped over one of her shoes, falling forward and smacking his forehead on a side table that was coincidentally also in front of him. After a few seconds of quiet swearing and groaning, he stood back up, now just downright irritated. He surveyed the floor and grabbed both of Shiver’s gloves, and stomped over to the still sleeping demon and chucked one of them at her face. It bounced off harmlessly to no effect, but for whatever reason the boy found it quite hilarious as he stifled back his laughter and forgot his pain. After a moment he threw the other one at her and found it equally funny, this time falling to his knees and covering his mouth with both his hands as he tried to hold back giggling out loud. When he finally recovered enough to stand back up he found Shiver now awake, and looking at him in slight confusion. This was his breaking point as he burst out loud in a fit of uncontrollable cackling, grabbing onto the side of the bed for support as he slammed his fist on the mattress to cope with how funny he found it all. Shiver on the other hand began looking around in more confusion, though after a bit he calmed down and caught his breath. 

 

“What was so funny?” She asked, suspicion in her voice. 

 

“Hee…I uh, heh heh, I chucked one of your shoes at Iggy. We were playing catch and, I just, I just felt like going full send and I didn’t even hit him or nothing, it just slammed into the wall as hard as possible and it was just so funny to me cause you woke up right after…” 

 

Shiver looked somewhat exasperated and annoyed at the explanation. 

 

Ah. I think she bought it. 

 

“Uh, anyways! Good morning! I think we better get a move on! Early bird gets the worm and all!” 

 

“I suppose.” She said standing up and taking in her surroundings. 

 

“Oh shit, Shiver. Your, uh, suit. It’s all messed up.” Hypo pointed out, finally noticing all the bullet holes in her clothes.

 

“...Ok.”  

 

“I mean…shouldn’t we get it fixed or changed?” 

 

“I don’t really care about how I appear.” 

 

“Shiver…you can’t just go around wearing torn up stuff. I get that you just got out of prison, but at some point you have to care how others see you. Even I get that, and I hate dressing up.” 

 

“Why would I ever care about the opinions of people who hate me?” 

 

Ah man. I gotta spin this in a way she cares about. She’s already got a bad enough rep as it is. It gets any worse and things are gonna start going south for me too.

 

“Ok. Think about it like this. Let’s say we walk into that court filled with nothing but old farts and hags, and they see you. Now, they already know that you don’t like them, and that you’re a straight up killer, but if you show up like this, they’ll think you don’t care. Now the first two things are scary enough, but you throw that third piece in there and suddenly the story goes that if you so much as look at Shiver funny, she’ll give the nation a new day to mourn and that the kid next to her is gonna let it happen.” 

 

She didn’t make a comment, but her eyes tightened to show she was understanding. 

 

“Ah…see. I think you know what’s gonna happen next. Three days tops are gonna pass before every snob in the building melts the damn Queen’s ear off talking about how she shouldn’t let a maniac like you walk freely like you own the place. You know what happens then, don’t you? Demon general or not, the Queen needs all the support she can get from her little cash cow club, so if they say you gotta go, you gotta go.” 

 

“...And what happens to you after I’m gone?” 

 

“Who cares what happens to me? Sure, I might be one of the most capable medics in the kingdom, but at the end of the day, I’m just some kid they took in and gave a gun. I’ll get shuffled around and sent off to some other mission or whatever, and that’ll be the end of it.” 

 

Shiver remained silent, thinking on his words for a moment before she spoke. 

 

“...You’re more aware of your position than I thought.” 

 

“Yeah…I guess I am. So…will you just put on some normal clothes? Please?” 

 

“Fine. Tell me, can your owl fly to locations given to it?” 

 

“Mhm. Why? You planning on sending him to a store or something?” 

 

“There was a base near here, one that I was stationed for a brief time near the end of the war. I left some of my gear there but never bothered to retrieve it on the account that it was essentially abandoned and we had lost the war. I’m going to send your bird to get it for me.”

 

“Iggy, think you’re up for it?” 

 

*hoot* *hoot hoot*

 

“Really? Ain’t that lucky!” 

 

“What did he say?” 

 

“He says he spotted the base a real long time ago, when he was riding with Eli. Apparently they investigated it by themselves and already knows where your locker is.” 

 

“...What for?” 

 

*hoot* 

 

“Huh. Never mentioned why.”

 

*hoot hoot* 

 

“Oh really now? Really? Under ten minutes? Ok, ok, we’ll see, we’ll see!” The boy said, with an almost competitive look in his eyes. “Shiver! This self-proclaimed speedster here says he can get there, grab your stuff, and be back in under ten minutes! You stay here, I gotta head down to the truck and get it prepped!” 

 

With that, the kid ran off downstairs while his owl launched out of the window, leaving her alone once again. 

 

…There it is again. The Saint was looking into my past. First with the Frozen Rage, now with the base I last stopped at. What was he after? …Better yet, what did he learn? That owl belonged to him and remembered the exact location of not only the base, but my locker as well. He and it must have known something. What was he planning? From what I saw, he filled up that book halfway up with information on my blade. It couldn’t have just been all for the boy to inherit, since I was assigned to him on a whim from the Queen. There was some other goal he had. I need to know what, though. I’m sure my opportunity will come eventually. 

 

A short time later, and Iggy flew back inside the room with a gust of air following after him as he skidded to a stop on a nearby table. He then materialized the gear she had been waiting for, then flew downstairs with only a single hoot as goodbye. Shiver was left in silence as she stared intently at the pieces before her. A small deal of time had passed while Hypo was in his seat discussing the matters of timing and speed in which Iggy finished his delivery when he noticed Shiver walking out to meet them. He stopped talking to pay better attention to realize she was indeed in her old gear, and that it was a sight to behold. 

 

No longer dressed in her shot up bodysuit, she now wore dark blue pants and a sweater to match. However, that was mere underwear to the armor that she now wore, steely blue with white trimming. It consisted of a number of pieces, including knee high boots with metal guards on them, a waist belt to hold her weapons, long reaching glaives, decently sized pauldrons, and a shiny chestplate. Design wise, the whole set was rather simple, the armor bearing no sort of unique crafting or intricate engravings, save for a single crude carving of the demonic eye on the chestpiece, the same one that could be found all over Shiver’s other clothes. It looked like it was etched in with a knife of some sort, then painted a glowing white to stand out better. Curiously, she also held a helmet in her hands as she walked as she apparently declined the chance to equip it, instead keeping her normal hat on with her hair down instead. 

 

Hypo opened the door and stepped out to greet her, looking on slightly awestruck as she approached. 

 

“Wow…so that’s what you looked like before. The demon knight herself. Kinda cool.” He continued, nodding to himself in agreement with crossed arms. 

 

Shiver looked like she was about to say something when a call came through his earpiece, which he then transferred over to Iggy with a single look. 

 

“Hypo, hypo are you there?” The voice asked, revealing it to Wasp on the line. 

 

“Yeah, I’m here. We’re about to head out to the court to meet Eirgan” 

 

“Yeah about that- he wants you here now. We just received word that one of the villages he had his mercenaries guarding got hit. Hard. Only two survivors apparently.” 

 

“What? How long ago did this happen?” 

 

“About an hour ago.” 

 

“They cleared out an entire village in less than an hour…?” Hypo asked, now looking shaken. 

 

“Yeah. From what we heard from the guys who made it, the attack was mostly led by the Ice Legion, key word being ‘mostly’. Turns out, there were a couple of big shots from local insurgency forces who were in charge of the assault. Neither of the survivors saw much before bailing out, but I got a feeling I know who it is. A real killing machine who’s reminded the old man that death can come for everyone, no matter how much he’s willing to pay.” 

 

“Oh man…so, then, what now?” 

 

“First you’re gonna haul ass down here and get familiar with new directions, then I’ll enlighten you a little more on just who we’re dealing with.” 

 

“Gotcha, we’re on the move.”  

 

With that, they both hurried into the truck and drove off to the center of the kingdom to meet their contact. They remained unaware of the fact that a little further away from where the truck was stationed stood a Sneaky Snowman that had been watching them this whole time, an unknown figure hidden within.

 

Thirty minutes later, the duo arrived in front of the court and quickly entered inside, passing by a number of rather wealthy looking individuals who gasped and stepped aside in fear upon seeing Shiver. They took not more than five steps inside before they could hear enraged shouting echoing throughout the courts.

 

“THIS IS MADNESS. I WAS PROMISED THE FINEST MERCENARIES MONEY COULD BUY AND THESE WORTHLESS DOGS CAN’T EVEN HOLD ONE VILLAGE FOR AN HOUR. DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH I’VE LOST FROM JUST THIS ALONE? DO YOU? I NEED ACCESS TO ALL OF THE ELITES AVAILABLE OR ELSE I STAND TO LOSE EVERYTHING.” 

 

Hypo finally laid eyes on the man who had contracted them for help. Bloated and growing old, standing a little more than a head taller than hypo, and dressed in what looked like the finest money could buy was Lord Eirgan. He was shouting directly into the face of none other than Gransel, who managed to make it ahead of the pair, and his reward was being the target of Eirgan’s rage. Gransel seemed to pay no mind however, his face as inexpressive as Shiver’s was, simply waiting for the old man to tire himself out. And tire himself out he did. Panting heavily and falling to his knees, he began blubbering to himself out loud with most of the court watching, while Gransel stared directly ahead of himself to ignore the situation, though he soon took notice of the boy and gave him a nod of acknowledgement. At the same time, Eirgan’s spatial awareness finally kicked in as he realized the other members within the room grew uncomfortable with fear rather than pity, and he too looked around. 

 

“Why me…why do I have to suffer like-Ah! It’s you!” He exclaimed, jumping to feet as fast as his pudgy body could manage. He waddle-ran up to the pair, but the truth is he was aiming to meet Shiver, pushing past Hypo and running up to the unamused woman. He immediately took her hand and began profusely shaking it, her face hinting at the slightest feeling of disgust that she seemed to conceal as he spoke. 

 

“It’s really you!! Ah, my prayers have been answered! My one true valkyrie has arrived to save me from this nightmare of incompetence! You’re as beautiful as the rumors said you were, and I can tell you’re as strong too!” 

 

While he spent the better half of five minutes laying it on thick for her, Hypo took the chance to talk to his friend. 

 

“Gransel, what’s going down?” 

 

“Lord Eirgan requested a full mobilization of any and all high end mercenaries to his estate, which successfully went through the courts and has been put into effect, likely due to his influence here.”

 

“Oh…so he just paid a ton of cash for us to protect his base cause we’re the best?” 

 

“Well said, Hypo. Now that you’re here, all we’re waiting for is Wasp to arrive.” 

 

“Oh right, he said he would tell me more about the guy-” Hypo began to explain but quickly stopped and lowered his volume as Gransel put his finger to his lips to silently signal for him to hush. He then leaned in closer to talk. 

 

“Careful. The court members currently present are under some serious tension. With Eirgan making a scene and Shiver appearing here at the same time, it’s a miracle we aren’t dealing with mass panic right now. The last thing we need is for them to overhear that insurgents have some sort of elite killer ranking among them who can’t be stopped by the finest soldiers Eirgan’s money could buy.” 

 

“...Are they really that sensitive?” Hypo asked, taking a look at the people around him.

 

“Living the luxurious life often leads one to forget that, as Wasp said, death can come for anyone…and from anywhere.” He added that last part as his gaze shifted coldly to Shiver, who was slowly, but surely, growing more irritated by the second. 

 

“I have to go get her before he blows that guy’s head off.” 

 

“A wise choice.” 

 

“Uhh, Lord Eirgan, what should we do now that we’re here?” Hypo interrupted, putting an abrupt end to the old man’s praise. He was visibly irked by the boy’s sudden interjection as he slowly turned around with a scowl on his face. 

 

“Clearly courtesy isn’t your strong suit. Originally, I intended for us to wait here until the all of the reinforcements I was granted had arrived, but now that I’ve had a chance to bask in the presence of such a wonderful warrior as the esteemed Shiver, I now know I need not wait for the rabble when she can handle everything on her own just fine!” 

 

“So…are we leaving then?” 

 

“Amazing, you seemed to understand what I said in one try. At least whoever brought you up put in a modicum of effort. I’ll be waiting outside in my armored carriage, you all shall escort me to my castle. However, I will have Shiver accompany me personally, since it appears these terrorists are after my life. The rest of you can make do with whatever you brought along.” He informed Hypo, then walked off in a somewhat haughty fashion.

 

“...I can see why someone wants to kill this guy. Fat, old, ugly, and annoying.” Hypo said under his breath. 

 

“...Hypo.”  

 

The boy was slightly startled by the quiet call out, turning around to see Shiver standing behind him. 

 

“Yes?” 

 

“Thank you.” She said, before leaving as well. 

 

“...I guess she really was getting mad.” Hypo thought out loud, before turning his attention to someone else. “Gransel! What should we do if we’re leaving here without Wasp?” 

 

“We’ll just have to settle for keeping him on the radio for the time being. You’ll have to leave your truck back here to keep pace with the rest of the convoy, so you can talk to him while you ride with me.” 

 

“Alright, lead the way then.” 

 

The two walked outside together, and this time Hypo found himself actually taking in the view of the city around him. It was a rather elegantly designed environment, with buildings no taller than three stories high all around him built out of intricately carved ice blocks supported by sturdy wooden pillars. The roads that snaked throughout the area were made of neatly laid and well maintained frozen bricks, with all sorts of carriages and a trolley moving along. The sidewalks were the same as well, with the addition of ornate handrails and street lights. Well dressed passer-bys looked on in mild concern of the mobilization of so many armed guards near the court, seemingly picking up their pace to avoid any trouble, though a curious few did look on. 

 

Hypo could see Eirgan was inside his carriage, which was a rather impressive looking vehicle that looked like a white limousine on four snow treads that had luggage of some sort strapped to the roof. Four trucks carrying six or so guards were on escort duty, with two in the front and in the back. More interesting was the squadron of knights mounted upon beasts that stood guard nearby as well, which seemed to take notice of Gransel’s appearance as they waved to him. With a single, short whistle, a larger, armored beast came around the corner and right up to the boy, before looking to the captain next to him. Hypo knew of this creature, which the troops of the Ice Kingdom made extensive use of. It was a Theriglach, the knights who rode them were known as Theritames.

 

Reptile-like in appearance, this four legged beast was incredibly muscular with a white-grey hide made of impressively tough scales that greatly decreased the effect of standard firearms. It stood nearly twice the size of Gransel, and was even with a standard truck in terms of length, not including their typically long tail. Its head was particularly predatorial in shape, with violent looking rows of large teeth nestled within its powerful jaws. The top of their heads came with a dense and bony crown that, albeit unintentionally, provided their riders with slightly more protection from projectiles. Adorning its body were various pieces of heavy armor along with a few banners to further enhance its excellent durability as well as accentuate its position as proper steed of a Theritame. However, their most intimidating of all had to do with their eyes, which displayed a clear intelligence. Not enough to communicate directly, but just enough that it was aware of its relation to the people around it. It was able to understand directions, rather than following drilled in commands. It was civilized enough to move around quietly without disturbing the folks walking by, without destroying any of the frail and minute infrastructure in its way.

 

It was sentient. 

 

This creature belonged to the soldiers that took to calling themselves the Lagerhaide Legion, naming themselves after one of the greatest knights who had passed away in recent times. They decorated themselves in traditional armor that matched quite closely to that of which Shiver wore. Always riding first into battle with banners raised high, they seemed to strive to emulate the chivalrous and inspiring nature of cavaliers from ages long gone. Even in modern day warfare, the sheer power these monsters possessed combined with the inherent iceborn skills of their riders made them fearsome opponents on the battlefield. 

 

However, neither the jagged claws nor gleaming fangs could invoke the split-second of fear Hypo felt as the Theriglach before him silently sized him up for a few seconds with intense side eye before turning its attention to its master. 

 

“Gorebad, what do you make of him?” Gransel asked, now looking at the boy as well. 

 

The Theriglach, apparently named Gorebad, offered a low, monotone hum-growl with a short blast of air from its nose. 

 

“Hmm, I suppose you’ve never seen him in action before, so I’m inclined to agree.” Gransel added, crossing his arms. 

 

“Huh? What’d he say?” Hypo asked. 

 

“Believe it or not, I don’t know what he said exactly. We’ve just been partners for so long that I can simply get it right most of the time. You can probably do the same too, because he’s a lot like me, believe it or not.” 

 

“Oh…I get it. It’s a guessing game, and that’s my hint, huh?” Hypo asked, looking less than thrilled. “Ok…I’m guessing…he wants to see me in action, if the fun-sized snack next to his captain is worth lugging around. How’s that?” 

 

Gorebad gave a short, simple growl with a nod, which left Hypo surprised that the beast most definitely understood him. 

 

“‘Fun-sized snack’. I don't believe I’ve heard you describe yourself like that before.” 

 

“Well that’s because I thought he was thinking about eatin’ me.”

 

“Then you would do well not to get on his bad side.”

 

“That doesn’t make me feel any better, y’know!”

 

“Think about it this way, you wouldn’t want anyone feeling like they’re better than you, like they can comfortably relax around you because you aren’t a threat, right? The same goes for Gorebad.”

 

“Not really! Well, I mean…kinda. Ok, whatever! We need to get going so I can tell Wasp to hurry up!”

 

“Then step aboard, we ride together!” He exclaimed, using Gorebad’s tail as a ramp onto the beast’s back, where he took a seat on the saddle. Hypo followed suit, though he nearly lost his footing as the Theriglach shifted his tail suddenly midway through, perhaps to the beast’s entertainment. As he settled into his saddle, he took notice of Shiver who was standing outside of Eirgan’s vehicle, talking through the window for a minute or so. The window then rolled up, and she walked around to the back of the vehicle, and-much to the boy’s surprise-climbed on top of it. She strolled over to where the luggage was secured, and sat down to rest, laying back with her arms crossed and with her rifle in her lap.

 

“Shiver?? What happened? Whaddya doin up there?” Hypo contacted her. He watched as she did nothing for a moment before pressing her earpiece as well. 

 

“Eirgan was very insistent on me riding inside with him. I told him that cramped spaces are uncomfortable and make it difficult to keep watch, and that I would wait up here instead so I can provide him with the best protection. He had no objections beyond some grumbling about scratching his car.” 

 

“...Huh. Ok. Guess that works. Uh…let me know if you need anything. And…try not to go berserk, please?” 

 

With that, the convoy began moving along at a brisk pace as they left the city in a matter of minutes, quickly ending up on an open snowy road surrounded by wide open frost covered fields in no time, with sparse litterings of trees and the occasional solitary house. 

 

He wasn’t kidding, these things DO move fast. No way my truck would have been able to keep up. Hypo thought. Then again, my truck isn’t galloping so hard that I nearly lose my grip on Iggy while I’m calling someone. Pros and cons, I guess. Still, with how wild these monsters run, I have to ask…

 

“Hey Gransel, how can you even fight when you’re riding these things?! Isn’t it hard to aim?!” Hypo shouted over the wind whipping in his face. 

 

“Indeed! A challenge that happens to wash out many newcomers each year! Being able to accurately fire a rifle while riding a constantly moving Theriglach is one of the first skills learned, and last skills mastered. As a captain, I believe that it comes down to how well you can bond with your partner! For example, I know exactly how Gorebad runs, and he knows how I shoot, so we work in tandem to line up the best shots we can!”

 

“So if you’re a good shot then you’re basically guaranteed to make it into the legion?!” 

 

“If that were the case, then we would be no different from the sellswords and freelancers that Eirgan is employing right now! The very nature of the legion revolves around us fighting as one! Killing the enemy isn’t our only job! Far from it, in fact! In truth, we are the beginning volley that MUST tip the scales in our favor! Reconnaissance, disruption, demoralization, navigation, and combined assault! All of these things require us to have the utmost faith in not only our partners, but the members of our legion as well! That’s what makes us so effective!” 

 

Hypo took his words into consideration, looking around at the rest of Gransel’s squadron. One carried with them a number of rifles and ammo boxes located near their legs on a sling attached to their mount, with a grenade launcher of some sort hung around their chest.

 

Another carried a pair of Falcon Scouts that belonged to the same owl model as Iggy, a satchel almost overflowing with physical maps, flare guns, and a radar set of some kind sat on his back

 

A third unit of the squad seemed to have no particularly specialized role aside from the fact that it was a team of two riding one mount. The passenger of the two was armed with a Storm Scout rifle, an unscoped MK-7 rifle, and a proximity launcher. The leader of the two came equipped with a Burst SMG, a Ranger shotgun, and a Guardian Shield. 

 

The last unit of the team also happened to be the most notable. What looked to be a girl in armor, judging by the short pair of white pigtails hanging out of her helmet, carried in her arms a large and hefty looking tome, a spellbook of sorts that had a dim glow around its closed covers. Carried on the back of her mount was a rather large metal keg, with a long tube straw that snaked all the way onto the girl herself, and into her helmet. Located around her legs and sheathed in a sling was short staff carved from wood, with a dark blue crystal orb attached to its tip. The armor on her Theriglach was particularly unique in that it featured a number of magic circle-like engravings that were painted white against the steely blue metal that covered the creature. 

 

Unlike all of them though, Gransel was the only one to carry with him a lance. In fact, he was only one to carry a melee weapon of any kind. Its appearance was best described as an heirloom of nobility. As tall as the man who wielded it was, it had a sturdy and simple body made of black metal. It came with a tip that looked like a double sided axe with a prominent spearhead, in which all three parts converged upwards but just barely remained separate to form a unique trident-esque weapon. Each of the heads was painted white, with a blue shield engraved onto each of them. Tied just beneath the spearpoint of the lance was a long thin banner colored a brilliant blue that featured elegant bold letters that read ‘Legionmaster’ in white. This was the personal spear of the captain of the Lagerhaide Legion. 

 

I get it now. Each member has a different function. Like an answer for every problem, jack of all trades kind of thing. I was thinking it was a little odd to have a scout on the front lines and a…demolitionist? He has a lot of guns for a guy who’s supposed to blow things up, but I mean, he’s also got a grenade launcher. And that girl with the book…she’s a wizard, I think. She looks like she works with magic. I can’t imagine what she’s capable of doing if she doesn’t have a gun to-Ah? Oh, she’s looking this way. Wait. She’s coming this way too!

 

A flustered look overcame the boy as he realized he must have piqued the interest of the girl enough to goad her into interacting with him. He could do nothing but keep his eyes locked with the slanted eye holes of her helmet until she finally got within speaking range, at which point she made a simple flick with her wrist which caused a small spark at her fingertips. 

 

“So you must be the boy the whole army is buzzing about!” She said. Hypo was surprised to hear how clearly her voice came through to him, to a point where she wasn’t even raising her voice much. 

 

Oh wait! That thing she did with her hand! She must have cast a spell! No wonder I can hear her so well! Crappy environment or not, she doesn’t even have to yell now…wish I could do that. 

 

“Yeah! My name’s Hy-” He began to shout back at her, only for her to wince and put a hand up. 

 

“Ooh! Not so loud, please! I can hear you just fine! The spell goes both ways!” 

 

“Sorry, sorry! Um, yeah, my name’s Hypo.” 

 

“Hypo…hmm, is that your actual name? Or just your codename?” 

 

“Codename, I guess. I just treat it more like a nickname at this point.” 

 

“Hm, hmm…I see! So then, do you know what my codename is?” 

 

“Not really…” He said, a little sheepish. 

 

“What?!” She asked, surprised and hurt. “Do you know any of our names?” 

 

Hypo simply shook his head.

 

“You mean to tell me that my captain, the one right in front of us, didn’t bother introducing us to you?! The awful captain who made sure we all heard about how you took on a whole enemy base alone with THE Shiver all by yourself, didn’t even tell you he even had a team?! He’s horrible! He’s a villain! He’s so cruel!” 

 

“Hypo, this is the bothersome one of my squadron. Her name slips my mind. I took her in out of pure pity. Please feel sorry for her.” 

 

Oh, the spell was applied to him too. Cool.

 

“I HATE YOU! You’re always all so mean to me!! Maybe one day I’ll die from a broken heart from being bullied so much!” She cried. 

 

“That would be awful, indeed.” 

 

“That’s it! I’m ignoring you! At least Hypo knows how to treat a lady right!” She claimed, pointing at the boy, before turning to him. “Now then, you may call me Hex.”

 

“Hi, Hex.” 

 

“Good! Now then, I know you're striving to be a medic, but do you know what I am?” 

 

“...A Theritame?” 

 

“Close, I’m a Therimage, or in simpler terms, just a magic knight. You, as I’ve learned from the captain, are a prodigy with healing magic, seeing as you’re a part of the Saint’s family, correct?” 

 

“Prodigy…? Well, I guess. I know I was born with this ability, but really It’s more like I practice everyday, so I’ve just grown into the role my brother had as best as I could. If you’re asking, I’m guessing it’s because you want to know a little about my skills too, right?” 

 

“Exactly! I’ve always been curious about what spells you deploy on the field! Though I’m fairly certain I won’t ever be able to use them, just learning about them would be interesting!” 

 

“Careful now, Hypo.” Gransel interjected. “Once that bookworm gets her hooks into you, she’ll suck the life out of you with endless study sessions.” 

 

“Captain! Stop making me seem like some annoying creep! Is it so wrong for me to want to learn!?” 

 

“Just offering him a word of caution, you should be aware he actually enjoys his free time.” 

 

“Arrgh! Listen Hypo…” She began, turning back to him, only to see a look of displeased vigilance on his face.

 

“...Endless studying…no way. Not a chance.”

 

“Oh, now look at what you’ve done!” She exclaimed, balling her fists up in frustration. Her shouts became just barely audible for the other Theritames to take notice, looking her way and watching as the antics continued. Equally keeping an eye on them, and more specifically Hypo, was Shiver. 

 

She watched him closely. The way he talked. The way he smiled. The way he held his rifle close to him, regardless of the light hearted events occurring. 

 

It’s still so strange to think he's a capable soldier. He looks no different from the children I once saw playing around all those years ago. Even now…I can imagine him in a classroom. He was right. He doesn’t belong here. But still…I can’t but wonder…did I look like this? It’s been nearly a century since then, and it’s all so foggy…but yet…it just feels…familiar. A good kind of familiar. I think…maybe one day…I’d like to talk like that again, too. 

 

As she simmered in her own thoughts, she subconsciously detected a threat of some sort within the area, and began frantically looking around. 

 

“Hypo.” She contacted him. “Something’s off here. I think we’re walking into an ambush. I don’t know where the attack will come from, but I can feel it.” 

 

She watched as Hypo informed Gransel what she said, in which he took almost no convincing whatsoever before he gave a signal for his team to break into combat formation. As Shiver was in the process of contacting the other teams to alert them, something far above her in the clouds caught her eye. 

 

A fast moving shadow far ahead of them, moving fast and coming straight towards them above the clouds. 

 

At the same time, from the snowy hill opposite of where the Theritames were at, a flare flew into the air and went off with a bright explosion, alerting everyone. This must have sent a signal to the shadow above, Shiver’s eyes locked on as it finally dipped down further, breaking through the clouds and revealing itself. Her eyes widened in realization of what the flying object was, something she encountered many times in her past.

 

A wyvern and its mounted knight, a duo known throughout the Ice Kingdom as a Frostwing, a fearsome icon of the Ice Queen’s air force. 

 

Most of the wyverns within the Ice Kingdom’s region were remarkably similar in appearance to the Theriglachs that roamed about, as they were both tough reptilian creatures accustomed to the frigid environment. More importantly, they were both intelligent enough to form loyal bonds to not only their riders, but to the kingdom itself. The only difference was that encountering a Theritame was dangerous, but encountering a Frostwing was lethal. 

 

One truck in both the front and back had no time to react as the Frostwing made its first pass, releasing missiles of flaming blue energy from its mouth, blanketing the vehicles in an explosive inferno. The opening of the ambush hadn’t ended with just that however, as soldiers from the Ice Legion burst out from the snow on the nearby hills, and opened fire. Shiver’s early warning paid off in full, as before the bullets could hit her, a bubble shield was deployed right on top of Eirgan’s carriage. She took a look around to see the knight who had been carrying a full cache of ammo and weapons riding by, giving a thumbs up. 

 

“Shiver. This is Legionmaster Gransel.” He radioed to her. “My squadron will handle routing the enemy. You focus only on protecting Eirgan. Hex will provide you a wall of ice to hide behind once the shield is depleted for you and the other mercenaries. That is all.” 

 

With that, the transmission ended, and as promised, a thick wall rose from the ground to about chest height around only Eirgan’s carriage. She grabbed her rifle and hopped down off the roof, then opened the door to check inside after hearing a muffled voice coming from within. 

 

“FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, SOMEONE DO SOMETHING! I CAN’T DIE HERE! WHERE ARE THE REST MY SOLDIERS? PROTECT ME, DAMN YOU!” Eirgan shouted, holding what looked like a walkie-talkie in his hands.

 

Still alive. Still loud. She thought, exasperated. At the very least, that radio of his isn’t working. He’d be the first one I kill if I had to hear that while fighting. 

 

“Oh, thank goodness! Shiver, I just knew I could rely on you to be my angel when the rest of the rubbish failed!” 

 

“Lay down and stop shouting. They can’t hit you as easily.” She ordered him. She then looked at the security detail who were also in the carriage with him. “Lower the windows, we need to put some pressure back on them to slow down this ambush.” 

 

They listened, grabbing their weapons and opening fire in unison from the car just as the shield bubble shut down, yet as quick as they had begun their counterattack, they were silenced. Shiver could only turn back around in time to see piercing rounds rip clean through the armor of the carriage and hit the mercenaries dead on. Through the same windows they had been firing from, she could see far in the distance two distinct shining glints. She reacted quick enough to dodge the next set of shots that were aiming for her, laying down in the snow just outside of the vehicle. 

 

Snipers. Heavy snipers, at that. Armor is useless against them. We need them dead. 

 

“Gransel. Ahead of me on that hill are two snipers. Kill them or our defense is done for. I’ll try and handle any of the ones coming directly at me.” 

 

“Understood!” 

 

With his new target in mind, he turned to Hypo for assistance. 

 

“Hypo, it’s time you truly put your skills to the test! There are snipers on that hill over there! We must silence them in one fell swing! My scout has already marked them, but it’ll be up to you to land your shots!” 

 

“Yeah…you can count on me!” Hypo assured with a nod, though his jitters could be seen through the way he tightly held his rifle in front of himself. As Gransel redirected his steed, Hypo began to question his own skills. 

 

Oh God. I’ve never actually tested myself on firing from a moving position. Especially not something as crazy as this. I don’t know how well I can even guide my shots from this far. Those targets are so small too, it’s hard to see them, even with the scout’s spotting. Damn. Damn, damn. How the hell do Theritames even master something like this! 

 

“HYPO! NOW!”

 

The boy snapped back to reality and raised his rifle, taking aim through an incredibly shaking stance, barely able to line the barrel up.

 

Ok. Ok, ok. Like Wasp said. Focus. Think. Breath…

 

“...Shoot! SHIT!” 

 

A trigger pull unleashed a speeding dart of ice that was angled far above where he was aiming by way of an unfortunately timed gallop. However, Hypo wouldn’t let such a shot go so easily. His eyes were laser-focused on the bullet, his breath held entirely steady, with sweat beginning to form at his furrowed brows. That one bullet alone filled every corner of his mind as he made minor changes every second, the window closing rapidly before the dart met the sniper. 

 

Closer. Closer. Focus. Don’t breathe. Don’t blink. Don’t think. Just guide. Closer. Just…just…hit!

 

The time had come, and Hypo’s unmoving eyes watched as one of the red silhouettes disappeared without contest. In that second, he let out a massive sigh of relief and took deep breaths to steady himself as a smile broke across his face. 

 

“I…I…I did it! I got him! Gransel! I got him! HAH! I’m the-” A lightning fast round flew just past the boy’s head and cut his celebration short as it exploded in the snow behind him. The Legionmaster quickly turned around to check on Hypo, but to his surprise the boy was still smiling and breathing heavily. In no time at all he had lined his rifle up once again with the other sniper in his sights, his hands so steady and calm, they may as well have been made of metal. No longer did he need to concentrate on aiming, worry about staying focused, or recite anything Wasp had told him. 

 

He simply took a deep breath, and shot. 

 

The bullet flew straight as could be and faster than before, with virtually no trouble this time. Hypo had calmed down some as he watched his shot meet its mark, yet he provided no visible reaction like before. Not in the sense he was disappointed or unimpressed with his work, but rather he looked somewhat pleased with another kill done right, almost like a farmer overlooking another year’s worth of crops well grown.  

 

“...You think that was Theritame material?” Hypo asked, a smirk on his face.

 

“I’d be proud to have you ride along with my squadron any day. Of course, you’d still need to learn how to ride in the first place.” 

 

“Ooh. On second thought, we better go find our next targets.” 

 

“In that case, they’re dead ahead and focused on the other mercenary trucks. Leave them to me, catch your breath.” 

 

“Haaah…gladly.”  

 

I think I’m starting to feel the fatigue from those shots. I don’t like feeling like a bum next to Gransel, but I can’t go too hard unless I want a repeat of last time.

 

While the boy drank slowly from one of his vials, Gransel raised his shield and then flourished his lance. A shining blue glow began to surround the spearhead as he aimed it directly at the enemy squadron pinning down the mercenaries. At this point, Gorebad sped up from a gallop to a full on charge, leaving powdered snow clouds in his wake. Hypo then noticed that behind them, just out of the way of the clouds, trailed the dual rider Theritame team with their guns at the ready. No more than seconds later did the enemy finally take notice of them, though perhaps it was the sheer intimidation of being set upon by cavalry that caused half of them to scatter while the rest held their ground and began shooting at the knights. This was where the shields they were holding came into effect, the energized barriers surprisingly generating in front of their steeds to negate the incoming attack. The shield the duo knights were wielding was more notable, in that one of the sides of the barrier was shorter than the other, and it was from that side that the passenger knight began firing around, taking out some of the fleeing insurgents.

 

Hold on. Gransel doesn’t even have a gun, and there’s like ten of these guys still holding down. How’s he going to kill them with just a lance? 

 

Hypo’s question was answered almost immediately as from his spear did the light grow stronger, and forming in the air one after another were spikes of ice that were similar in appearance to Shiver’s own creations. With a single, powerful thrust towards the foes before him, he launched five icicles that flew through the air, homing in on the soldiers. It became apparent they were less accurate than Shiver’s, as only two met their mark, with the rest landing close to the enemy. Yet, Gransel’s icicles made up for their poor tracking with another unique ability: exploding after impact. Frozen shrapnel was sent flying everywhere after they landed, shredding anyone unlucky enough to be within range. This attack left the few soldiers still standing in a daze, unable to react as the Legionmaster completed his charge, running through one hapless trooper with his lance. The dual riders followed up quickly, having their beast pounce upon one of the soldiers while they picked off the rest with their guns. 

 

All three of them raised their weapons in triumph of another successful attack, and the dual riders were once more sent back into the fray as Gransel ordered them to assist with dealing with the rest of the attackers. Hypo looked around to see that most of the mercenaries had converged upon Eirgan’s position, defending the area as best as they could, though they were still taking losses as the insurgents slowly pushed towards them. Losses the boy knew he could save. 

 

“Gransel, can you get me down there? Those guys need my help.”

 

“Legacy calls, does it? Of course. Just be ready to jump off, stopping in the middle of a battle is no way for a Theritame to survive!”

 

With that, Gorebad was quickly redirected and made a beeline straight for where Shiver and the rest were, Hypo grabbing his gear and preparing for the signal to get off. However, the little medic had been under the assumption that Gransel would make a turn to avoid running directly into the mercenaries, so one could imagine his surprise as Gorebad displayed a feat of physical prowess and leapt clean over them all. Hypo had to cut his amazement short as he realized this was cue, throwing himself off of the beast and tumbling through the snow and bumping into a wall. 

 

Wordlessly and without even glancing at Shiver, he dusted himself off, remaining on his knees to avoid the flying bullets. He then opened up his pouch, pulling out a stream of glowing water that snaked around him as he surveyed the casualties. 

 

Lot of injured. Only a few dead. It could be worse. I’ve got my energy back, but I don’t wanna waste it all at once. Eli once told me that to assume battles will drag on a lot longer than you expect, and to be conservative with the restoration, otherwise I’ll be too worn out when the time comes to save someone. He told me so many times, it started to annoy me. But I get it now, with so many guys hit. He didn’t want me to learn the hard way. Not like him. Prioritize the worst, consider as I go. The faster I move, the less likely I get sniped, and the less likely someone dies. 

 

Shiver was taking cover from an incoming barrage when she noticed a growing haze within her vicinity, almost instantly looking to Hypo as she knew he was blowing a plume of smoke through his hands to fill the area. He moved from man to man amongst the fog, doling out calculated amounts of his liquid as fast as he could, keeping his head down. The men he healed all ended up in just about the same state: more or less hurt still, but not enough to stop them from fighting. In a matter of minutes, Hypo had just about restored their ranks back to their original count, allowing them to push back against the encroaching legion. It was as she watched as both sides struggled against each other once more that something crossed her mind. 

 

…There’s something strange about this attack. They can’t possibly be here to kill the man, they haven’t even shot his car aside from those snipers killing his guards. It can’t be that they’re here to capture him either. I’ve never seen such a sloppy and disoriented follow up to an ambush I barely had time to detect, and they haven’t made any pushes to get to us either. They’re just killing off mercenaries for the sake of it. What’s going on here?

 

Shiver was deep into her analysis when she felt a tug at her arm. She looked down to see Hypo laying against the wall, out of the way of any bullets. 

 

“You’re gonna get shot if you just sit there!” 

 

She considered his words for a moment, then quietly sat against the wall as well. She then leaned over to him to talk. 

 

“Hypo. There’s something off about this attack. I don’t believe killing or capturing Eirgan is their goal.”

 

“Huh? Whaddya mean? What else could they be after?” 

 

“I don’t know, but we need to end this quickly.” 

 

“Hrm…just maybe…” Hypo pondered to himself before touching his earpiece. “Gransel, do we have any back up coming to help us? They might get us out of here if we all work together.” 

 

“We do, they'll arrive in just a moment down the same road we took.” 

 

“Oh wow! Did you hear that? They're almost here!" He informed her, peeking over the over wall and past the wrecked vehicles, where he saw two more trucks of reinforcements closing in. However, it was at that moment that the Frostwing struck again. In the blink of an eye, the incoming mercenaries were burnt to ashes by another swooping missile attack, crushing the boy's hope on the spot. Though instead of disappearing into the clouds after its run like the first time, the wyvern and its rider pulled around to make another pass. It streaked through the air heading straight towards where all of them were stationed, the wyvern's mouth wide open. Hypo had been expecting the worst as he ducked to the ground with Iggy activating his personal shield around just the medic, when to everyone's surprise there was no attack at all. 

 

It was a signal flare that was fired. 

 

Far above them it shined, then fizzled out unceremoniously. With that, the attack had ceased entirely and the Ice Legion disappeared into the snowy lands once more. The remaining mercenaries all stood up slowly, disjointed in their timing and unsure of what to do as they looked at each other and then to their surroundings. The battle had ended, but certainly not in their victory. It wasn’t until Gransel arrived at their position that he discovered the captain of the mercenaries had been taken out, leaving him in charge of them all. He saw in the distance that more reinforcements were on the way, so simply ordered them to return to their vehicles and continue as planned.

 

“Hold on just a moment! Is that all you’re going to do!? Why don’t we wait for a full wave of reinforcements to arrive!?” 

 

“Because we don’t have the time to spare. The enemy only left because of limits they set upon themselves, not because of anything we did. There’s no guarantee they won’t be back to finish their assault. There isn’t much distance between here and your castle, so if we move now we can safely regroup with the main forces of your army.” 

 

“I suppose…but I want your entire squadron surrounding my carriage! I need the best defenses possible with everyone on high alert! I won’t survive another surprise attack like this, I know good and well it’s my life they’re after!”

 

“...Of course, sir. We’ll be ready for anything that may come.” 

 

“Excellent! It’s time you fulfilled your duty as a knightly lord!” 

 

With that, the convoy moved once again, with Shiver retaking her position on top of the limousine and Hypo riding along with Gransel. However, Shiver was left still pondering to herself about the attack. 

 

It still doesn’t seem right. Nothing like anything I saw during the war. They weren’t moving in to capture or kill Eirgan, definitely not. From what I’ve seen and heard, they aren’t an incompetent force. They most certainly had the means to wipe us all out if they really wished to. That Frostwing was skilled in a way I haven’t seen since two decades ago, on a level high enough that I know none of us could have retaliated if it really wanted to kill us all. So the real question is…what were they after? It couldn’t have been just to kill a few mercenaries, not to mention entirely unimportant ones. I don’t think they were targeting me or the boy…or any of the riders for that matter. There’s something they’re planning…I’ll just have to wait and see as it goes. Hmph. Look at me now, thinking about the battles to come now. Feels just like I’m back home all over again.  

 

With that, she quieted her mind but kept her eyes open, awaiting their destination.