章 51: Chapter 51

Far in the north to the lands that were covered by eternal snow and ice under the reign of the ancient dragon Jormag, winter incarnate as some also called him, lay a lake that was once upon a time only partially covered in ice. The lake was the main reason that the Norn that once inhabited the far north of the Shiverpeak mountains built a small settlement in its vicinity.

The settlement grew in size until it reached a point where the inhabitants of said settlement wouldn't have to worry any longer concerning the wild beasts of the north that may kidnap their youngest or for shortage of food due to the numerous hunters and farmers that lived inside the settlement.

But the peace that had saturated the settlement came to an abrupt end when Jormag awoke and chose the lake, now frozen in time and memory due to the corrupt magic Jormag had used upon it, as the lair of his champion who once was a Norn as well, now corrupted into one of the creatures of ice while its core still possessed the slowly beating heart of the Norn and with it had a well of Mana on its own, which made it the perfect construct through which Jormag could talk without having to reach out with his mind to everyone under his banner.

Inside said lake the former man, now crystalized draconic ice monster, slumbered in a semi state of meditation, only waiting for the moment his master would call upon him. And so it woke, answering to the summons of his master who called upon him, one of the dragon's champions, and Drakkar would make sure that his master's will would be carried out and crush anybody that dared defy him…

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The preparations to relocate the Norn from Hoelbrak into the south where Jormag could not reach yet had been a full success but it took a while for the hunters to stock up enough food to last everybody for when they would make the dangerous journey, with women, children and men amongst them who were defenceless, and so had to make many trips into the wilderness to hunt and gather enough supplies.

Unluckily or luckily, depending on the point of view, one evening on the way back from one of their trips a group of hunters saw something in the distance, through a mere coincidence really, that sent a shiver down their spines and caused panic to ignite in their guts.

Creeping closer to the small clearing the group of five hunters crouched down next to the bushes they were hidden behind to make sure what they saw was not an illusion and if it truly was real to gather as much intel as they could.

Before their eyes hundreds upon hundreds of Norn, creatures of ice, and a being that reminded the small group of a miniature dragon, were marching straight towards Hoelbrak, armed with weapons and magic alike.

Over the heads of the troops the banner of Jormag, show casing a light blue dragon, fluttered in the wind while a weather front that promised harsh snow and winds seemingly pushed the troops from behind further and further towards their destination, giving the impression that some kind of godlike being was holding its protective hand over them by watching their backs through natures dominating forces.

"W-we have to return immediately! Hoelbrak is completely unaware of what is coming!" One of the hunters said with a stutter out of fright, clearly audible in his voice.

"Ha-haha-ha… What can Hoelbrak possibly do against such a number? Look at them! They outnumber us 1 to 10 at the very least!" Another hunter replied which seemingly drained even the last bit of power out of the remaining group members, except one man who growled in barely surpressed fury instead after which he smashed his fist into the man's face who fell back onto his ass in shock at the impact and pain that began to course through his body immediately.

"Get a grip you pussy! We have a duty to fulfil and I'll rather die with my back straight than to cower before the damn dragon or I couldn't look my ancestors into their faces when I'll join them in the mists!" The man said after which he turned around and rushed of into the forests, not waiting for a second if one of the other members of the group would follow him.

Surprisingly though they all did as the man's words must have reawakened their spirits to some degree after which the group made a hasty retreat to Hoelbrak.

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After a long day of training under Sjorn Alvar was on his way back home when his ears perceived something that made him stop in his tracks for a second while focusing fully on the sound that came from the direction of the main gates…

Having grown curious and a little bit wary after all that had happened a few months ago, Alvar made a straight line for the gates of Hoelbrak where chaos was all that met his eyes.

Turning his head from left to right Alvar tried to understand what was going on but could not find out anything. Thus, he promptly marched over to one of the guards that had gate duty and made to ask the man his questions when the newly constructed alarm bell at the great hall tolled once, twice, three times, after which Alvar, with horror and urgency written in his eyes, rushed home.

After all, Sjorn had made sure Alvar knew every signal the bell would give like the back of his hand, not that anyone in Hoelbrak was an exception really as everyone had known the importance to know what those signals meant to them. Thus, Alvar rushed home to his grandparents, his sword in its sheath clutched tightly in his left hand while the foreshadows of adrenaline began to course through his body, all the while going through the bell signals again and again in his mind until no doubt remained in his head.

Cursing to the high heavens Alvar was sure now, an attack was coming and they weren't prepared one bit!

'At least this time I'm not as helpless… I'll make sure those fuckers will regret ever coming back to attack us!' Alvar thought while glancing down at his sword while a determined glint had come to life in his eyes.

All the while the forces of Jormag approached and it wouldn't be long anymore until they reached Hoelbrak and nobody knew what the coming night would bring with it…