Chapter 128: Chapter 128: Inside The Walls
"Hmm?...what's that in his hands?" Aron murmured as he observed the young man called Leo carefully holding the cloth-wrapped object in his hands.
"Take it Lirael this will help you with the cold," Leo said as he handed the object to his Elven friend.
Lirael hesitated for a moment, seemingly reluctant to accept the object. "You should have it, Leo. I can manage—" he began, but his words were cut off abruptly by Leo's insistence.
"Would you just shut up and take it?" Leo interjected, his tone forceful as he pressed the object into Lirael's hands.
Defeated, Lirael shook his head once more before finally accepting the object from Leo. Despite his initial reluctance, he displayed a small smile, indicating a sense of gratitude or understanding.
As Lirael unwrapped the object, Aron could see from a distance that it resembled a glass vial similar to those used for health potions. However, instead of containing the typical red liquid, this vial held a neon-blue liquid that seemed to shimmer with an otherworldly glow.
"That's a strange potion?" the voice suddenly spoke, causing Leo and Lirael to tense up and raise their guard against the unexpected stranger. They were startled by his sudden appearance, especially since they hadn't sensed him approaching at all.
""Eh?"" The two turned abruptly to find a pale man clad in menacing black armor standing next to them, his gaze fixed intently on the potion in Lirael's hands. His presence felt ominous, both Leo and Lirael exchanged wary glances, unsure of what to make of this mysterious figure.
Leo instinctively positioned himself between Lirael and the man, obstructing his view of the potion.
"Who the fuck are you?" Leo demanded with hostility, his voice laced with suspicion and aggression.
'Not again' Lirael, standing behind him, couldn't help but facepalm at his friend's confrontational approach. Leo had been on edge ever since they arrived at this place, and it seemed like he was always ready for a fight.
The man in black armor remained unperturbed by Leo's hostility, his expression inscrutable as he titled his head and continued to regard the potion with keen interest. He seemed unfazed by Leo's aggressive demeanor as if he had encountered such reactions before and was accustomed to them.
"I'm just a traveler passing through," Aron replied calmly, his voice low and measured. "I couldn't help but notice that peculiar potion you have there. Mind if I take a closer look?"
Leo narrowed his eyes, observing the man more closely. 'Traveler my ass, there is no way a 'just traveler' would don such armor and possess this level of handsomeness…'
'...Damn, I hate him already' still wary of the stranger's intentions. "And why would I let you do that?" he retorted.
"Curiosity, perhaps," Aron replied cryptically, his voice low and enigmatic "What does it do?"
"It's none of your damn business," Leo spat, his voice laced with suspicion. His hand instinctively hovered near a dagger behind his back, ready to react at the slightest movement.
Lirael, ever the voice of reason, interjected. "Leo, calm down. He's just curious." He cast a pleading glance with his emerald eyes at their unwelcome guest, hoping to defuse the situation. "It's...a healing potion with...special properties," he added hesitantly, leaving the specifics vague.
Aron raised an eyebrow, a flicker of amusement playing on his lips. "Special properties, huh? Care to elaborate?" His tone was conversational, devoid of malice, yet his gaze remained keen.
Lirael sighed and revealed, "Some Elves are not adept with the cold, and this potion can provide resistance to it for a few days."
The tension eased slightly as Lirael revealed the potion's purpose. Leo, still wary but less on edge, lowered his hand from near his dagger.
Cold resistance, you say?" Aron murmured, stroking his chin thoughtfully. "Interesting. How effective is this resistance? Can it withstand a blizzard?"
Lirael hesitated. He didn't want to divulge too much, but withholding information could further fuel the stranger's curiosity. "It...provides a moderate level of resistance," he finally said, "enough to stave off the chill, but not enough to survive prolonged exposure to extreme conditions."
"Interesting," Aron nodded, pondering the new information, although he didn't need cold resistance since he was immune to fire and consequently the cold as well. The new information revealed to him the existence of other types of resistance like poison, disease, bleeding, and many more.
Satisfied with the information he gleaned, Aron nodded thoughtfully. "Thank you for sharing," he said, his tone genuine. "It seems like a valuable asset to have, especially in this harsh climate."
He extended a hand. "I'm Aron, by the way."
The Elf accepted it and shook his hand. "Lirael of the Silver Leaf"
Turning to the still irate young man with brown hair and black eyes, Lirael nudged him with his elbow.
Sighing, he introduced himself. "Leo," meeting Aron's gaze and reluctantly placing his hand in the offered one. The handshake was slightly prolonged as Leo tried to exert dominance.
Aron chuckled in amusement and squeezed a little hard causing Leo to wince in pain. But the young man held himself trying his best to seem unaffected.
With a grin, Aron released Leo's hand, noticing the young man's subtle discomfort. "You've got quite a firm grip."
Leo gritted his teeth, suppressing the urge to retaliate. He couldn't deny the slight sting from Aron's handshake, but he refused to show any weakness in front of this stranger. Instead, he forced a tight-lipped smile, his eyes betraying a hint of irritation.
"Right," Leo muttered, his voice clipped. "Well, a pleasure to meet you, Aron."
Aron's smile widened, unfazed by Leo's thinly veiled hostility. "Likewise, Leo,"
Lirael sighed deeply as he shook his head, clearly seeing that these two were like water on a boiling oil. He stepped in before any conflict could arise, especially from Leo.
"So are you new here?" he asked, scanning Aron from top to bottom.
Aron nodded "Yes, do you mind showing me around? I just arrived"
Leo's eyes narrowed suspiciously at the suggestion, but before he could voice any objections, Lirael intervened. "Sure, we can show you around," he offered, casting a meaningful glance at Leo, silently urging him to cooperate.
Leo hesitated for a moment, still wary of Aron's intentions, but ultimately relented with a reluctant nod. "Fine," he conceded, his tone begrudging. "But don't think for a second that I trust you."
"Yeah Yeah" Aron waved it off, turning to The elf with a polite nod "After you Mister Lirael"
Lirael chuckled before returning the gesture "This way Mister Aron"
'WHAT! Those little shi–...I need to calm down' Leo drew a heavy breath and decided to follow the duo.
…
The more Aron saw the place, the more his desire to leave grew. The situation was worse than he initially thought, especially the structures; most of them were in dire need of repair. Only the main wall, known as The Unmelting Heart or The Everfrost, still stands against the flow of time along with the original Keep.
Apparently, they were built simultaneously, and after hundreds or thousands of years, people slowly expanded upon them.
'Aahh! So that's why it's still called Frostguard Keep even though it's a fortress now.'
And to make matters even worse for Aron, almost 80% of the Frostguards were criminals from different kingdoms, and the remaining 20% were Avalorian soldiers or volunteers from the nearby villages and towns.
"You too?" Aron asked the two men next to him.
"Yes, we got captured by the knights and they sent us here," Lirael responded.
"Why didn't you flee? As far as I can see, there is nothing holding you back," Aron was curious to know. In truth, if all the criminals here united, they could easily overpower the soldiers, and as a bonus, the walls were in bad shape. Yet despite this, no one tried to escape.
"We can't," Leo answered, slowly lowering his shirt, revealing a black mark on his right shoulder similar to the letter C.
"The moment they branded us with this mark, our hopes for escape died.. It acts like a GPS they could find us no matter what"
Aron cocked his head, unfamiliar with the term. "GPS?" he repeated, his voice tinged with confusion.
"It means something close to a tracker from where I came from"
Aron nodded slowly, absorbing the information. "What a strange way to call a tracker"
"See, it's not just me," Lirael suddenly spoke, addressing Leo, then he turned to Aron. "He does this all the time, using strange words that I've never heard before."
Leo grunted in response, still wary but seemingly less hostile now that the tension had eased somewhat. He glanced between Aron and Lirael, his expression guarded but less confrontational than before.
'Of course, I'm from a different world, but I can't just say that.'
"So…" Aron slowly turned, gazing at the giant wall. "The Frostguard are a bunch of criminals serving their time."
Another thing Aron learned was the existence of two groups, or factions if you like to call them that. The Frostguards were named after the Keep and the Watchers.
At first, Aron had the impression that the Frostguard was just the name of the place and the people defending it were the Watchers; however, that was incorrect.
The Everfrost was being defended by both of them, while the Frostguard focused more on the defensive side and logistics. The watchers were on the offensive side organizing patrols and raids beyond the wall.
It was more like The Frostguard were the shield and the Watchers were the sword.
However, now that sword is broken, and the shield is rotten.
"HEY...LEO!" Suddenly, a shout came from the side, catching the trio's attention.
"Shit not again" Leo curse taking a step backward "Lirael hide the vial or drink it quickly"
Lirael opted to conceal the vial under his shirt; he still intended to give it to Leo.
Aron, on the other hand, observed the man who shouted coming from afar. He wore a full plate armor mixed with animal fur all over it to combat the cold. A helmet made from a beast resembling a bear adorned his head. Behind this man was the very same man whom Leo knocked out before.
"Oh, he went to get help," Aron remarked in amusement.
"LEO! Give me back the vial NOW!" The man shouted again, approaching with a furious look on his face.
Leo's expression darkened at the sight, his hand instinctively reaching for his dagger once more. "Looks like trouble," he muttered under his breath, his eyes narrowing as he assessed the situation.
Since Aron was a little ahead of the duo, the man attempted to push Aron to the side when he approached his sole focus was on Leo and Lirael. However, when he placed his hand on Aron's shoulder and pushed, he found himself unable to move him an inch. Aron turned his gaze towards the man, his expression calm but with an underlying hint of warning.
"Touch me again, and I'll feed you your own arm," Aron threatened with a calm and bone-chilling voice
The man, however, didn't take this threat seriously and tried to slap Aron in the face with the back of his hand.
Unfortunately for him….
BOOOM!
An explosion suddenly erupted, catching the people off guard. Turning to the source, they were stunned to see a figure flying in the air before crashing into the courtyard with a bang.
"AHHHH!!" the man howled in agony holding tightly to his chest.
Step. Step.
Aron approached with calm strides until he was above the man. He raised his foot, slamming hard on his chest.
Crack.
The sound of broken ribs echoed in the courtyard, mixed with the cries of the man. No one moved or attempted to help him; just with a quick glance, they could discern how dangerous the man in black armor truly was.
The courtyard fell silent, save for the pained cries of the man writhing beneath Aron's foot. Leo and Lirael watched in shock, their eyes wide with disbelief at the sudden turn of events.
Aron's expression remained impassive as he loomed over the man, his foot still pressed firmly against the man's chest. His gaze was cold and calculating, devoid of any hint of remorse or mercy.
"You made a grave mistake," Aron said quietly, his voice carrying a dangerous edge. He raised his right hand slowly, and visibly, black smoke emitted from it, gradually taking the shape of an ebony greatsword. "Say your last words to your arm."
The man whimpered in terror, realizing the dire situation he was in. He tried to plead for mercy, his voice shaky with fear, but Aron remained unmoved by his pleas.
Just when Aron was about to sever his arm and commanding tone was heard echoing in the courtyard.
"STOP!"
Everyone turned, seeing a middle-aged man in similar fur and plate armor approaching.
"Cough…L-Lieutenant…Help" The man cried for help when he recognized the approaching figure.
The middle-aged man, presumably the lieutenant, stood tall before Aron, glancing quickly at the soldier beneath his foot.
The people brace themselves for a potential conflict that could erupt at any moment, even Leo and Lirael prepared themselves to rush and aid Aron; after all, this situation was because of them.
However, an unexpected thing happened, shocking everyone present. The Lieutenant fell on one knee, placing a hand on his chest before Aron.
"Lieutenant Eamon of the Frostguard salutes his new Lord commander Aron"
"..."
"WHAT THE HEEEELL!"
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