The Ruined Death Knight

It wasn't to say that the fox people of those frozen lands were soft enough to freeze with just a look of a corpse.

On the contrary, they knew death well before they were enslaved by the ice trolls.

Death through starvation.

Succumbing to the cold temperature of those lands

A failed hunt resulting in the death of the hunter.

Or even a mere disease.

Although some of those deaths were less common than the other ones.

Inherently, for the better or the worse, this resulted in the fox people growing accustomed to the sight of corpses and death itself by a very young age.

And the four 3rd-tiers gathered around the corpse were no different. In fact, they were the ones that could be said to be more used to seeing death.

Despite that, they froze when they saw the corpse of a woman fox.

"Serrenes?" Sernatta mumbled as she slowly walked towards the corpses.

With her hand shaking, she touched the face of the now-dead woman.

"Do you know her?" Herlin said with a frown on his face.

"...Yes, we were born in the same village. I knew her as a friend, but got separated once they arrived..." Sernatta said, moving her hands gently towards the ice stuck in the body of the corpse.

"Does it matter who she was when she is dead now? There is something more concerning in front of us." Gilgamash said, pointing his finger toward the corpse's wounds.

"The wounds of the dead hunters and hers are the same..." Herlin said, his frown deepening.

"Right on the meat, Herlin." Gilgamash nodded.

"Now tell me, such large clean cuts and this blackened flesh. Doesn't someone come to mind who is capable of such a feat? Someone that we all know?" Gilgamash said, making the others flinch as an image started to form in their mind.

Standing among corpses, a tall figure wearing black steel colder than the winter itself. His body lacked any flesh and the blade he held was stained in blood.

Both an entity of death and the savior of their lives.

They couldn't help but be reminded of Danzel, as every swing of his sword left decayed flesh together with an unnatural clean cut.

While as the strongest of their people, they respected, awed, and feared the power he showed against the ice trolls.

Yet, now that they looked that such power was aimed towards one of their own kind, they felt uneasy.

"..."

As the silence remained, with only the sound of wind growing louder, Herlin's eyes went towards the ice that the corpses had as if it was fused with her body.

The longer he inspected the eyes, the more his eyes narrowed from the feint, yet still moving mana trapped inside the ice.

"Sernatta's, you delve yourself mainly with magic, right?"

"...H-Huh? I...yes, that's right." Sernatta said somewhat thrown off by his question.

"Mhm, could you then inspect-"

Before he could finish his sentence, the sound of wind that was present grew louder and louder to the point it was unnatural.

*Sweeeeeeheeeeeehhhhhh~!!!

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All of their eyes moved instantly towards the sound, Sernatta's body letting out mana while the other three tensed their muscles as they witnessed huge metal rod-like spears flying towards their way faster than one out of a ballista.

The three quicked the ground, leaving small craters to the ground, but Sernatta was different.

With her eyes glowing with mana and holding her now-dead friend in her hands. She stared at the metal spear as it approached her head.

"Sernatta's!" Herlin yelled, but before he and the other could see anything else. A huge shock wave appeared at Sernatta's location like a man-made bomb, throwing the nearby show and dirt up in the air.

But before the other three could make out Sernatta well well-being, other similar cases happend all around where they were. Metal spears flying, blowing up the ground and snow.

And while they reacted fast enough to dodge, that wasn't the same with the undead Draugr's spread through the area.

While the other metal spears didn't pack the same power as the one aimed at them, holding at least half the power of it.

They were enough to devastate the field of the ruined settlement, resulting in the demise of a few unlucky Draugrs.

Among the Draugrs, the one holding the halberd quickly assessed the situation and yelled with his cold voice to the other undead.

"Spread out! We still have our master's will to follow!"

And follow they will.

Having figured out the general direction of where the attack came from and no longer under surprise, the undead dodged any upcoming metal spears

The volley of spears lasted a few seconds longer before finally stopping.

Yet before the silence of the wind could reign over, an echoing sound sounded like the call of an old moose followed.

The three fox people froze upon hearing the all-so-familiar sound.

"This sound! It can't be...!" Gilgamash said swinging his head toward the direction of the sound.

And they there were, jumping from a small hill a few hundred meters away from their locations, large figures numbering dozens started emerging from the hill and rushing towards them with frenzy that vibrated the ground that they stood.

"The hunt is on!"

"Catch them!"

"And kill all the prey!

The sprinting figures yelled, with murderous grins on their face.

Though those surpassing their killing intent were none other than the undead.

With their eyes flaring up intensely, the Draugr with the halberd pointed at them with death mana.

"Kill the unworthy! As this is his will!"

"Death upon his will!" The Draugrs chanted, death mana rising from their bodies and covering their respective weapons. Charging towards the ice trolls.

"The hunters...this place was a trap." Kuroshi cursed, flexing her muscles, readying to charge the undead, but a hand on her shoulder stopped her.

"What are you doing!? We got to get out of here before those bastards reach us!" Gilgamash yelled as he pulled Kuroshi.

"What are you talking about!? We got to help the creations of the primordial! That's why we have been sent here!" Kuroshi yelled back as she pushed his hand away.

"Are you crazy woman!? Now is the best chance while puppets are holding those bastards off to get out of here!"

"Are you defying his will Gilgamash!?" Kuroshi yelled, aiming her killing intent at him.

Gnashing his teeth and looking at her with disdain, Gilgamash turned to Herlin.

"That idiot...! Herlin! You have seen that they have at least a great hunter among them! We can't fight them without knowing how many of those great hunters are among them! The primordial can replace those puppets! We need to retreat first and gather information!

You understand right!?" Gilgamash yelled while ignoring the look Kuroshi was giving him.

"..."

Herling in turn stayed silent as he observed the numbers of the ice trolls.

If he count himself with the others and the undead, they would have the number advantage, alas, he knew the strength of the creations of the eldest primordial. He had seen them fight many times while liberation other fox people.

This was also the reason why he didn't rule off Gilgamash's suggestion, as he knew that the creations of the primordial god of death.

Were inferior compared to the hunter's.

Side-glancing at where the metal spears landed, he could observe a few aftermaths that were similar to the one that attacked them.

'They definitely have few great hunters among them. And if I am right, those guys are intended to hunt down the guardians of White Life...'

Though Herlin hated to admit it, Gilgamash's request was reasonable. If the shaman of the hunter tribe had sent out all those hunters to eliminate the guardians. The next decision he was going to make was to be a dangerous one, whether it was to flee or to fight.

'If the guardians were of the same strength as the lording shadows...'

Herling clenched his hand, his claws digging into his palm as he remembered the event that ruined his village.

There he was the chief and the greatest hunter in his village.

Simply put, he was the strongest, thus no equal.

Alas, when the ice troll hunters came to his village, he had to make a choice to make.

One similar to the one in front of him.

To fight.

or

To flee.

The choice that he had made back then was one that he will and still regrets to this day.

The decision to fight.

He alone fought off waves of the hunters, crashing their bones and shredding their flesh with his clash.

But despite that, in the end, he was enslaved and his people and his family were turned into playthings of those hunters.

He had bashed his own head countless times into the walls of the mine, cursing himself why he didn't decide to flee with his people.

He had wished that there was someone there.

Anyone, who could have told him what was the right decision back then and as of now.

He never wanted to be a chief or the leader of the people.

All he ever wanted was to be the greatest hunter.

Ironically, his own wish pushed him towards what he loathed.

As someone who had no equal, the strongest was meant to lead and guide the others.

Which made him consider Gilgamash's offer more.

"We are going to..."

*Trghhtghhh!!!

Before Herlin could voice out his decision though, a metal bending sound was to be heard.

Earning the three fox people's attention.

"I am amazed that you would suggest something stupid, I always suspected you to be damfool, but now I am certain, Gilgamash."

With the previous cloud of snow and dirt from the metal spear now fully disappearing, there was Sernatta still sitting on the ground and holding her now passed friend in her arms.

Her many tails extended and twisted in front of her, having a firm grip on the metal spear.

Not only was the grip firm, but it was so strong that the metal itself started to bend in ways that it wasn't supposed to be. Only finally to snap all together into many pieces.

*Ting Ting tign~

With the remains of the metal spear falling to the ground, Sernatta lay her passed friend to the ground while gazing towards the incoming ice trolls.

"Maybe those bastards wiped you enough to turn you into a docile coward, seeing how want to flee from those weaker than us." Sernatta said, her eyes glowing with mana.

"You!!!" Gilgamash yelled in enrage but was stopped as Herlin held a palm toward him.

"Hmm?" Sernatta turned and tilted her head at Herlin's approach towards her.

"Sernatta's...are you sure that that we can win?" Herlin said with a serious voice.

She frowned at his question and silently stared at him.

"No."

Her answer made Herlin close his eyes in disappointment, opening his fist in defeat.

'I guess we need to fle-'

"I am certain." Sernatta continued where she had left off.

Herlin's eyes shot wide up, staring at her in shock.

"I alone would have a decent chance in killing all those bastards with the help of the creations of the primordial. But if at least two of our group go with them, I am certain that we will win." She said, her voice full of confidence as she stared at the ice trolls.

Herlin's shocked expression only lasted a brief second before turning into a huge grin.

"Then what are we waiting for!?" He yelled as his mana intensified his aura.

His pupils stretched into a vertical slit while his grin turned more vicious.

His claws extended and became sharper than ever, but most notable was how his mana flowed outside his hands, creating a second layer of claws made out from his light blue mana.

"We won't run! We will spread their flesh and crash their bones. Offer their remains to the eldest primordial."

He gazed at Gilgamash.

Which made him feel as if Herlin was about to slit his throat with his claws.

"And those who don't, the primordial shall judge."

"You..."

Before Gilgamash could finish, Herlin dashed, followed by Kuroshi and Sernatta.

"Dammit!" Gilgamash yelled with frustration as he followed suit toward the battle.

As for Herlin who was charging towards the battle, he have come to the realization.

While in the past he had no equal to share the burden of leadership.

Now, it was different, as three others walked the same path as him.

Being the leaders of their respective tribes.

And holding the strength of an equal.