Cold wind scread through Ice Wretch Mountain like the ghastly howl of a scorned demon. Sleet and snow slashed through the mountain pass in thick sheets. The storm swallowed the sky itself, leaving behind nothing but a thick, stinging wall of white where the moon and stars should have been.
Countless bodies littered the pass that ran through Ice Wretch Mountain. Not a single one of them was visible. The mountains consud all that dared die within their domain, either under the ever-present snow and ice or to the fangs of the starving wyrms that called the unforgiving peaks of Ice Wretch their ho.
It was generally common knowledge to avoid staying within Ice Wretch for any longer than one absolutely had to. No caravan bold enough to travail the mountains was foolish enough to ever set up camp within the eternal storm.
Pressing through day and night and getting to Frostlake quickly was — without a doubt — always the smartest choice. It was the only choice liable to give a passing caravan a chance of making it through the pass without giving up the lives of their n as an offering to the great mountains.
To most, Ice Wretch spelled death. There was only one reason a sane trader would ever travel through it — and that was because it was the fastest way to get from The Stormhold, one of the main outposts of the Coral Empire, to Frostlake, the southernmost major city in the Coral Empire.
Frostlake was ho to a great number of unique monsters. Many of them had adapted perfectly for the cold. That tended to an marvelously beautiful scales and furs softer and warr than anything else anywhere in the empire.
In short — money.
The only reason anyone would ever subject themselves to the brutal trip to Frostlake was because there was a hell of a lot of money to be made within the frozen wasteland. There was no reason for most other people to ever travail this path.
Mordred was not most people.
He raised a gauntleted hand clenched into a fist, the beautiful golden fur trimming his armor rippling hypnotically in the harsh gales curling around him and his team. Excitent burned in his stomach like a lit furnace.
Despite the freezing cold around him, he wasn’t even close to cold. That was only partially due to the thick furs woven into his armor in a complex patchwork that had taken him over ten years to create.
It was simply impossible for him to feel cold when he was on the hunt.
And the cave before him, a tiny tunnel of pitch black only large enough for normal n to squeeze into in a single-file line, marked exactly what he had been looking for.
He could sll it.
That was why he had been chosen as the leader of Extermination Squad Oga.
Mordred’s lips twisted into an anticipatory grin behind the padded mouthguard of his helm. Then he brought his fist down.
He didn’t need to say a word. Ace and Fist fell in behind him, and Extermination Squad Oga started into the cave to find their prey.
This one was crafty. Craftier than anything Mordred had ever chased before. It had run him in circles for nearly a month now, giving him only the briefest glimpses of its humanoid form through the howling storms.
They were playing a ga, the two of them. Mordred hunted, and the shadowy monster ran.
And as much as he hated to admit it… Mordred was pretty sure he was losing. His team had already destroyed a few caravans while trying to catch up with his prey. It had been an accident, of course.
The first caravan hadn’t been his fault. Fist had gotten a little overeager when they’d caught a glimpse of their target. She’d started an avalanche. One thing had led to another and — well, there hadn’t been a caravan anymore.
Fortunately, the prey had escaped.
It would have been a sha if such a fascinating monster was killed in such a mundane way. Mordred had taken a more active role after that. He took full bla for the second caravan. He’d been trying to scare the prey out with a small explosion.
There was no way he could have known that the caravan would have been so flammable. People too, for that matter. As it turned out, when the fire was hot enough, flesh could still burn even when it was freezing outside.
Mordred felt a little bad about that. But they had only been humans, and there were more than enough of those. Sacrifices were natural in the pursuit of progress. He’d deliver a full report of their various slip-ups when he was done here.
And that wasn’t going to be much longer.
The prey was in the cave. Mordred was certain of it.
He crouched, nearly pushed all the way down to his knees as he squeezed himself into the tight tunnel. The sound of the howling storm behind almost instantly grew muted as he crept into the darkness.
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He heard his team shuffling into the cave behind him. They were too loud, but Ace had already confird that this cave didn’t have another exit. The past weeks of work were finally about to pay out.
His chase was over.
The tunnel widened as Mordred continued deeper into the heart of the mountain. He ran his hands along the wall to his side, letting it follow the grooves within it. The rough gouges in the stone made it evident that this had once been the burrow of so large beast.
Not a Frost Wyrm — the claw marks didn’t match. Mordred was pretty sure this must have been made by a unique monster. The claw marks were too thick to attribute to anything that resided in this region. They didn’t belong to his current prey, either. These marks were far too large for it.
That sparked his interest. Unique monsters were always fascinating. Monsters as a whole were fascinating. They had so many similarities to humans… and yet, they were completely different. The unique ones stood out as the most interesting among their kind. Monsters that had beco more than their average compatriots.
But Mordred was here on a job. He had a task to accomplish — and his team had a mission. Everything in life was a ga of push and pull. One had to give in order to take. The Coral Empire funded his research. In turn, he dealt with reports of abnormalities.
Whatever monster had originally created this den would have to wait for the current job to be wrapped up. Rushing ahead was never a good idea. It took all the enjoynt out of life. Jobs like this… they were ant to be savored.
Mordred drew in a slow breath. He let his domain crawl out as he continued down the tunnel. There were no branches. No alternate paths to hide in. Just a single path that led deeper into the mountain.
And then he felt his prey.
His domain prickled as it made contact. Even though he couldn’t make the monster’s form out in the darkness surrounding him, there was no doubt about it. This monster was strong.
Their form was even more humanoid than he had initially thought. Mordred’s eyes narrowed instantly as a dozen different potential species shot through his mind. There were quite a few different kinds of humanoid monsters.
Not a body-stealer. Not any manner of dragon either. It lacks a domain. Could it be a demon? She has horns… but it’s unlikely. The rune signature feels wrong.
Delight prickled behind Mordred’s eyes. It only took him an instant, but he crossed every single species he knew off his ntal list.
His prey… whatever this monster was, it was different. Sothing he’d never seen before.
“Engage,” Mordred ordered. There was no point making hand signals at this point. The monster knew they were coming. His domain told him that it was staring right at them.
A flash of light exploded behind him as Ace activated his runes, bathing the dark cave with a wave of golden energy.
Mordred’s eyes widened. Standing before him was a short woman.
She was dressed in clothes far better suited for a training match than the freezing cold of the mountain, and a pair of sharp horns jutted out from her forehead. Mordred was considerably more surprised by the clothes.
It has enough intelligence to mimic human customs! Or… could I be lucky enough to have found a truly intelligent monster? They’re rare, but it’s very possible. Given how long I was run in circles… do I dare hope?
“My prey,” Mordred breathed, unable to contain himself any longer. “I have finally found you.”
“That’s… weird,” the woman replied. “Why are you saying it like that?”
Mordred’s eyes went wide.
“You speak! Blessed be this day. The Prophet has smiled up on !” A booming laugh slipped from Mordred’s lips. “I never could have imagined I would be so fortunate! The long hunt was worth it! Tell , monster, what are you? Do you have a na for yourself?”
“I’m Lee. And you’re the weirdo whose been blowing up the caravans I keep trying to sneak into.”
“A Lee, is it? And what is a Lee?” Mordred asked. “A cousin to demons, perhaps? An offshoot? Was one of your parents a demon and the other a human? What is your genetic makeup? Show !”
“That’s really weird. No way. I’m just a demon.”
Just? Now that’s a lie.
“I think not,” Mordred said. His lips split into a grin behind his helm. The monster had nad itself. Self-awareness. Not just speech, but full consciousness. That was one of the highest levels of intelligence that a monster could obtain. If one asked Mordred, there were a number of humans that hadn’t quite reached that threshold. “Lee, is it? I simply must know more. I’ve never seen a demon like you before. Absolutely fascinating. What of your other attributes? You seem more humanoid than a demon of your strength should be. Do you have scales beneath your clothes? So other advancents? Show ! What manner of progress have you made from that of a base demon?”
Lee’s eyes narrowed. “I’m not taking my clothes off. Noah bought them for .”
She shares human sentints toward being clothed as more than protection from the elents! Absolutely fascinating! That ans she’s either lived with others of her kind who have a human worldview or has spent ti around humans for long enough to pick up their traits.
Mordred’s eyes narrowed. “I must know more. You are a rare discovery, Lee. The fire that burns within will not allow for such knowledge to go un-studied.”
“Boss?” Ace asked. “We’re supposed to kill—”
“Hush,” Mordred snapped. “Forget our orders. We seek progress! Knowledge! The Coral Empire had no idea what lurked within these mountains.”
“Here we go,” Fist muttered under her breath. “He’s done it again. Fucking weirdo. Don’t bother, Ace. Just let him do his thing. You rember what happened last ti, don’t you?”
“Don’t remind ,” Ace grumbled.
Mordred ignored them. The two were capable warriors, but they lacked appreciation of the purpose of life. To learn. To discover.
This was what he lived for.
“Our ga has run for long enough,” Mordred said. He cracked his neck. Excitent raced through his entire body. He could barely contain himself. “It’s ti for us to play a new one, little demon-variant.”
Lee’s eyes narrowed. She lowered her stance.
Mordred slowly reached back into his bag. Ace and Fist both groaned. The two of them stepped back.
Then, with a flourish, Mordred pulled a thin deck of cards free.
“Twenty questions~” Mordred crowed, fanning the cards out before himself and holding them out face-down to Lee. “The best way to get to know another intelligent being! Each one of these has a special question made for us to get to know each other better. They’ve been designed by psychologists around the kingdom to help establish a good friendship that will allow us to exchange the customs of our people and expand our knowledge to help generations to co! Pick a card, Lee!”
Lee stared at him, confusion twisting her features.
“…what?”
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