The signs of victory were grim but clear. The battle happened over a year ago, but it's grisly evidence was crystallized and preserved by frost, decorating the cave walls with freeze dried remains of wyldmen organs and innards. He could still see the decaying dark magics of the wild coursing through the necrotic icy veins and ventricles that weren't blasted to shreds.
"[You thinking what I'm thinking, mate?]"
"Yea. She was reborn." Claude said as they walked through the stone tunnels.
He'd seen the story— he'd read it, a dozen times over.
A child in a precarious position. On the brink of death— already showing signs of magical potential. All they need is a final push in the violent direction.
There wasn't a push much more direct for a little girl in the frosted tundra than a group of wyldmen looking to engage in child cannibalism.
It was sad to think she didn't prevail. She didn't come out as some success story that lived on to he a hero of legend in the northern wilds.
But…
"This isn't really adding up…." Claude said as they reached a fork in the cave path, splitting down two canals.
"[Do tell.]" Arne replied.
"Kobolds are reptilian. Reptiles are some of the easiest creatures to track because they leave both scent and skin. In the ice everything's preserved. This place— this whole journey has been a layup for us. But we haven't seen any evidence of kobolds. Did they not abduct her? Was she not stolen by the monstrous trickster lizards? No scales, no traps. Just…. Men."
"[I suppose that's true. There's an inconsistency here. I think the path you take here will determine why that is.]" Arne said.
"It sounds like your taking after the man who changed you." Claude said as Arne urged him deeper into the dark.
"[Maybe I am. That would be…. circular, wouldn't it?]"
"Not quite. I'm not alone." Claude crouched in the dark and laid a hand on the cold stone ground. Feint reverberations echoed and rumbled through the dirt.
Frosty stood before the leftmost entrance while the bear held the right.
He felt for the nature hidden between the rocky formations and nestled in the frozen dirt.
Evergreen mutate roots, blue-nettles with virulent poison edges and dense roots awakened at his elemental touch.
Forcing his mana felt like flexing a muscle disconnected from his body. Every flexion pushed forth another wave of energy carrying his wishes and mental imagery.
It came in waves from his hand like green heartbeats.
Vengeful and heavy to fit the mission theme.
In a burst of growth, nature bloomed in the frozen cave, knocking frozen viscera from the walls to shatter on the ground only to be swallowed by twisting roots bloomed frozen flowers.
The sudden movement sent rubble falling and flocks of faraway snow-wings flying in fear.
As they dashed in waves overhead, Claude borrowed their traits.
Bats of the north. There was an old stigma that any tangentborn bat-breed could turn a starving man into a vampire with its bite.
Claude almost understood the fear as he borrowed the traits of the bat and became undeniably….
Vampiric.
His doggish canines slimmed and extended into blood-sucking fangs. He lost his bear-like mass and bone thickness, becoming lighter and quicker. In tandem with his muscular transformation, his senses shifted as well. His smell faded as his nose shortened and recessed, trading places with his hearing that became so clear and crisp, he could see sound in echoing waves.
It was only then that he could hear it.
The very distant shuffle and pulse of movement. Over four miles ahead.
"I didn't know the cave was this long."
"[Naturally it shouldn't be….. but now that I look at it, it could be mined.]"
"I don't know that kind of stuff." Claude said.
"[The smoothness of the walls isn't the kind that comes from weathering. It's more akin to what I saw in mountain raider hideouts.]"
"More questions. More confusion." Claude said.
"[Well, let's line it all up. What have you learned by now?]"
"The girl… Crysta, was abducted by kobolds. Somehow along the way, she ended up in a cave living with a bear. Possible beast-tamer awakening signs. Eight miles north, she made it to another cave where she was attacked by wyldmen. There was a fight. In this cave— where she likely awakened in order to kill them all. It's not known if before or after this cave was mined but it was. Now I'm heading towards unnatural sound. Left side."
"[Lets do it.]" Arne said.
Claude turned to the bear, "Let's go."
Frosty and Claude headed down the path with the bear following after.
Despite the distance, Claude kept a slow gait, listening to the distant echo—
Something hissed and croaked— sounding dinosaurid in nature, followed by a boom of faraway commotion. In the midst of it all, he heard a feminine yelp. Young. Afraid.
Claude took off— made to run faster as the bear roared with alarm.
It was her. She was in the cave.
They ran for ten minutes. It felt like hours before the dark in the cave began to give way to light. The sound only grew louder in that time until Claude jumped out into an open glacial dome-colony of sorts filled with kobolds— the northern kind. Blue and white scales with ocean-colored eyes and glass-like armor. Large monstrous renditions of them held chains they used to restrain a giant—
"Scream-wing" Claude muttered. In other words, a giant magically evolved pterodactyl.
It was covered in white and glass-blue iridescent scales with emerald green eyes. It's physical wings were tied down, but another pair of frosted glass wings flapped hard generating ice-cold winds that cut Claude's armor as he watched in shock.
"Are they trying to tame it?"
One of the larger kobolds holding a chain restraint noticed him and yelled in a reptilian language he didn't know they spoke.
The others turned their gaze on him.
From above the ice colony walls behind him, a set of kobolds rappelled down shooting arrows and throwing spears.
Claude rolled out of the way as the bear stood up and roared with so much force that the projectiles shattered.
When Claude got to his feet, he had his spear out, just in time to defend against the overhead swing from a kobold wielding a steel scythe.
Claude brought up his spear and blocked the weapon before turning it aside and leg sweeping the lizard.
"[This is quite literally the worst scenario for a young lupine to be in!]" Arne said.
Another muscular kobold tackled him after abandoning its hold of the scream-wing.
Claude reached for the restrained creature, borrowing its traits. His skin went scaled and icy essence flowed in his veins.
He roared and sent an afterimage pulse wave of a wolfs head made of glassy ice into the kobolds face. Much like the scream-wings magical appendages.
The construct smashed into the kobolds face and knocked it off of him.
Claude stood up and prepared to throw his spear when he caught movement in front of the scream-wing.
The kobolds backed away as the shape charged forward with impressive speed.
She jumped and kicked Claude in the chest, causing him to collide with Frosty and slide across the ice until he came to a stop beside the bear.
He borrowed her traits as he got up only to find her….
"Sitting…?"
"What are you doing…. hero?"
Claude's mask fell off from the impact, exposing his half transformed bearish wolf-man face to the girl. He could read lips. She said hero. But he heard…..
Fenrir.
She didn't look too surprised.
Afterall, she looked like she was half kobold. Dark blue and white scales covered the back of her arms and neck where they were exposed. She had elven ears and obsidian colored horns coming out of her forehead. Her eyes were like that of a snake.
His nostrils flared.
"…..Crysta?" It's what he said. But what he heard come from his mouth was a different name.
Scylla.
Her aura bloomed at the name, taking the form of a six headed draconic beast that rose above the glaciers.
All of the kobolds bowed. Some even bowing to Claude and Frosty.
It was then that he realized his own aura had taken the shape of a massive wolf-creature.
One even taller than the dragon beast shrouding the girl.
"[Another chosen. Crysta wasn't stolen and killed. She was on a journey of self discovery and evolution.]"