Although Harvadonia is nominally treated as a single topography, it was easier to think of it as just one continent, considering the biological and geographical diversity and scale of the land.
After traveling for a month and a half, we arrived at Frostbork Gorge and hurriedly unpacked.
It is said that Frostbite was originally the home of the Germia tribe, but now the canyon was lonely and empty, as if they had moved south to join Grypion.
As the night grew dark, the tribe quickly set up tents and built bonfires in all directions. This is because the dead, who are led by the smell of life and raid the village, are afraid of fire.
“This is where we are right now, in Frostbork Gorge.”
Since it was a land of extreme cold, where paper could not be made, the map that the chief Beduel opened in front of a bonfire was a large stone slab.
The geographic characteristics of Harvadonia were recorded in detail by digging out the surface of the rock with a knife.
“Turn to the right like this, and go down the branch of Roborun to LavenFell (Winter Harbor).”
Ravenfell was a port city built on the eastern side of the Silver Horn Bay in the southernmost part of Harvadonia, yes, the only one built on the North Pole.
Until around the 8th century, it is said that the city prospered greatly as people from various classes passed through the North Sea before the White Rangdae and the beastmen disappeared.
Merchants for walrus or seal oil and leather, adventurers for fame, wizards and witches for research.
“You’re very close to the Wall.”
“It’s not just close, it’s about three days from the barrier. If you hurry, you can reach it in a day.”
It can be said that it is a geographical attraction that has no shortage of gathering all the tribes. So, a little bit of anxiety arose.
“Can I arrive on time?”
Perhaps it was because of the movement of the tribe, the speed of their descent southward was several times slower than Lane thought.
Because the geography of Harvadonia has never been kind to the elderly and young children. And if a blizzard raged or the sun went down, they could not move further because of the threat of the dead.
If it’s too late… … If the war had already begun, it was clear to anyone that everything would go to waste.
“Here, can’t we go all the way across here?”
Cassena, who wanted to doze off next to her, pointed her finger at the map.
To be precise, I ran my index finger through the straight line from this Frostbite Gorge through central Harvadonia to Ravenfell to the south.
Immediately after that, Varzen shook his head.
“I can’t go here.”
“why?”
“It’s Shen Plateau.”
“Shen Plateau?”
“Have you not heard? This is why they are hairless guys. This is the land of nightmares.”
Shen Plateau was a plateau formed by the mountain range of madness extending southward and gradually widening and lowering.
This also meant that the ancient beings who inhabited the Mountains of Madness could climb down the mountain, so the Shen Plateau was considered a taboo land by the Beasts from ancient times.
It was a topic that I wanted to end so simply because of Barlzen’s objection, but the chief Bethuel looked down at the map with a worried gaze.
“Yes, it must be such a land, but… … .”
Feeling a bit uneasy in that gaze, Barlzen slapped the floor as if to come to his senses.
“Chief, if you are thinking strange things, stop. Are you sure you don’t intend to go there?”
“The blizzards are becoming unusually frequent. If we keep going like this, we’ll run out of food before we even get to Ravenfell.”
“that… … Anyway, this isn’t Shen Plateau!”
“Yes, it is a plateau. There is no land as good as this to move.”
If there was one advantage of the Shen Plateau, it was that the unstable topography unique to Harvadonia did not apply there.
Since the wide and flat fields spread out vastly, there would be no better land than here for large-scale movement.
In fact, it is said that at the end of the war, Enuel and his stormtroopers also marched north along the Shen Plateau.
“You know? What have become of all the tribes that went here for a brief convenience!”
“know. And that those tribes didn’t have companions like us.”
Bethuel, who was arguing with Varzen, suddenly turned to us.
That gaze was asking… … our will and will.
He hesitated at the thought that he would become a nuisance, then nodded his head while breathing white in tension.
“I wouldn’t have made this decision if my goal was just to move fast. But Varzen, isn’t that the only purpose now?”
“… … !”
“We have to get these kids to meet Griffion. Isn’t that right, Lord Arakish?”
Arakish, who had been silently watching the conversation with his arms crossed, nodded.
“This Arakish has passed through the Shen Plateau several times. It’s definitely a dangerous land, but if you can pass through it with savvy, it’ll be the safest way.”
“It’s safe, how can it be here… … .”
“Don’t you know? There is no truly safe road in Harbadonia now. Something is strange. The cold wind is getting too rough.”
It was a problem that Barlzen knew well as he had lived his whole life on this land.
It’s strange, something I can’t explain… … The abyss, mixed with the cold wind, has become so dense that it makes you feel uncomfortable.
And the dark clouds that once covered the heart of the Mountains of Madness were enough to fan the vague fear even more.
“Something must have happened to the seal. Hurry up and get these children to the wall, and this Arakish should go investigate it.”
Arakish’s words were like a tentative conclusion to the meeting.
The eyes of everyone gathered at the table lingered for a long time on the letter [Säén] carved ominously deep into the slate.
Even Lane had to swallow dry saliva from the vague fear that permeated the land, which must be made up of great mysteries.
Finally, Chief Beduel let out a tense breath and decided the future of the tribe.
“Varzen, head southeast tomorrow. We are going to Shen Plateau.”
* * *
“Look, there’s no one here either.”
The white wolf frowned and blew annoyedly at his frozen hands.
“This patrol is a f*cking waste of time. Where are the prisoners who didn’t go to join Griffion now?”
They are called wolves, but they are not wolves.
The name “white wolves” comes from the pure white wolf fur cloak worn by warriors who guarded ＜Seolryeongjangseong＞ during the Age of Origin.
In addition to the wolf cape, it is said that their costumes were pure white for protection. Woolen clothes, leather vests, and leather boots… … .
As such an impression was passed down from generation to generation, the name was also inherited, and those who are now here were also called white wolves.
“No, something is different this time.”
Another wolf, who was carefully watching the desolate abandoned village, reported.
“There are bloodstains here and there and sparks strewn about.”
From noble mtl dot com
His name was Seanwell, and as a limited (2-star) wizard who had just graduated from the magic college ＜Winterhold＞ this year, he was treated better than other wolves even though he was a newcomer.
The senior wolf Gut, who wasn’t worth it, narrowed his eyes and replied.
“It’s bloodstains, it’s because those bastards eat raw food like animals.”
“And it is strange that the tent is still there. When the beastmen move in tribal units, they move with all their tents.”
“Heng! It’s a tent, I must have made a new one and took it. I will abandon my country even though it is so old.”
The old wolf, Jared, who had been listening to the bizarre reports of his men who returned one by one, finally nodded.
“It is as Shawnwell said. Something is strange here… … I’ll need to investigate further. Returning to the original is next.”
“Yes?”
“Gut, we will camp here. The tent is equipped, so you can complain. Oh, and put a stake around the entrance.”
“You want to sleep in the tents used by beasts? Hi, I will just freeze to death in the snow.”
“You spoke well. If you don’t start preparing for camp right away, I’ll bury you personally in a snow pit so you can freeze to death tonight.”
In the end, Gut got off his horse while grumbling and led the crew to prepare for camp.
The wind… … It was a time when the wind that blew through the dense branches of the pine forest felt as if it had sighed.
Primal fear, goose bumps run.
The hounds brought by the wolves started barking at their voices, and the horses tied to the barn ran wild and snorted.
“What, what?”
Suddenly something cold and wet landed on the wolves’ foreheads and heads.
Before he knew what it was, a blizzard, a furious blizzard he had never seen before, swept in, extinguishing all the flames that had risen in all directions.
Is it because of the blizzard, or… … The cold that penetrated his body was so sharp that he could not even move his body for a moment.
“… … ?”
And into that blizzard, an ancient existence that transcends human imagination entered without a sound.
The ageless handsome boy who appeared wearing a dark blue coat with long sleeves fluttering, looked like he was around 7 or 8 years old, just looking at his body.
“Kid, kid… … ?”
“What the hell… … ?”
However, under the blue-black hair, the skin was as white as a ghost, and strangely, there was something indescribable dignity in every movement of the body.
「Doon oe piaris.」
At that moment, the primal fear that engulfed the brain of the wizard Seanwell… … .
The moment he said “kneel” in a primitive language, the limbs of the sixteen wolves around the boy were torn apart and scattered around.
The head and torso were caught by something like a spider’s web and hung in the air, and the boy inserted his hand into each head in turn.
After each bizarre and sinister ritual, the wolves become terribly withered and their heads hang down, as if deprived of nourishment.
‘Die, die, die die die… … .’
Only such overwhelming fear moved Shawnwell’s body.
In a panic, he made a handful and randomly threw 2-star magic ice wedges, but the boy’s body was pierced by the wedges… … did not penetrate
To be precise, whenever it was pierced, a spider web immediately sprouted and regenerated the pierced area. in the blink of an eye.
‘Ultra-fast playback?’
The only being in this world who can use ultra-high speed regeneration is… … Shawnwell dazedly turned and started running.
‘Let me know, I have to inform the main unit. That one, that one… … .’
But why is it that the more I run, the closer I get to the boy?
The answer lies in the boy’s outstretched finger and the spider’s web that came out of it.
As the boy’s face got closer and closer, primal fear exploded, and Shawnwell let out a desperate scream.
“Sa, save, save, please, Jebaaar——!”
Eventually, when the boy poked his fingertips deep into the brain of Shawnwell, who had been dragged to his feet, dark energy flowed from the victim’s body and was absorbed into the boy’s hand.
‘While the king was asleep, the lowly things were quite powerful… … .’
Shar’kath raised his eyebrows as he pulled the memory directly from Shawnwell’s brain.
Are humans still human?
I’m weak.
Shar’kath tossed Shawnwell’s horribly, disgustingly withered corpse into the snow, drained of all nutrients and vitality.
‘We need another host. Being strong enough to get more information… … .’
However, Shawnwell’s head, which had been thrown away, suddenly snapped in a grotesque direction, and he grinned at Shar’kath.
[Did you just read your memory? How do you like my work?]
Possession for a human subject… … .
Shar’kath snapped a finger, and in the twinkling of an eye, Seanwell’s head was brutally dissected by webs and sent flying through the air.
Even at the moment of flying through the air, vomiting blood from his throat, Shawnwell’s head laughed.
[As expected, you are amazing, just like the legend. Even I just barely saw the movement. Although it is in a state of being possessed, the ability is slightly reduced.]
They smiled mischievously and spoke friendly, but Shar’kath just trampled his head with his clogged foot, with an expression devoid of any emotion. until the eyeballs come out.
“Shut that mouth.”
[hahahaha, don’t be so cold… … I’m on Nari’s side.]
“side? You should consider it an honor just to mix a human with a horse.”
[hahahaha, by the way, how do you like my work? Beasts and humans are fighting. Aren’t they descendants of those who bothered Nari Baek Do-ryeong? you’re right! I planned everything. I think it took about 4,500 years.]
“Don’t speak up to three times. Don’t open your humble mouth until I give permission. You don’t think you know where your body is right now?”
Shar’kath points a finger in either direction, and the smile disappears from Shawnwell’s lips.
In the distance, a cold sweaty laugh flowed from the mouth of a young man who was sitting cross-legged in the center of the dark blue barrier covering the north, south, east and west.
Shar’kath’s life force was heading precisely towards the location of his body.
‘What a ridiculous monster. How did that hag take down these monsters?’
Meanwhile, Shar’kath narrowed his eyes as he looked down at the human corpses in silence.
Humans, you speak the language used by the God of Creation’s minions.
Shar’kath, who learned the Imperial language at once from Shawnwell’s memories, was very annoyed by this. How ruined is his kingdom in just four thousand years.
‘The image the king showed me before the seal was broken… … Does that mean the king is now being held there?’
information must be obtained.
I need information to find the king.
But humans are weak and can’t use it… … There are only a few days to live, and the total amount of knowledge that can be acquired is too small.
“It’s a host.”
Perhaps embarrassed that Shar’kath spoke first, Shawnwell’s reply came back a little late.
[What host do you mean?]
“We need hosts who can swallow our memories. Prove your usefulness with it. If you can’t, I’ll take your brain.”
Then, Shonwell sighed as if lost in thought for a moment, then rolled his tongue and created a mirage in the air with a short exclamation.
[There’s just one that fits. very close.]
What appeared in the mirage was a dragon crossing the snowy field with red hair fluttering like flames.
[This is the Jinryong sent here by the Fire Dragon. I know you’ve lived for over four thousand years. It’s very annoying.]
It’s a fire dragon… … It must have been the left head of the three-headed dragon Asura. According to this human’s memories, it seems to have split up now.
Is that his alter ego?
The corners of Shar’kath’s mouth, whose expression hadn’t changed since waking from a long slumber, lifted slightly in satisfaction at that moment.
“Heh, that wouldn’t be bad.”
As soon as the words are finished, quickly, quickly, quickly… … In the sound of bones twisting disgustingly… … One by one they started to stand up.
obviously dead… … white wolves.
With twenty-four ribs protruding grotesquely out of the body, crawling on the ground like a hideous spider.