Frostbound
Chapter 321 - One and Only Warning

Hal

Frostheim

Today was not his day. Of all the things to have happened while Abigail was gone, why did it have to be this?

"And you're sure of this?" Hal asked, hoping that his Scout was messing with him.

"Yes sir, three separate scouts have reported the same thing," Gavin replied directly. It spoke well that the man wasn't nervous, but that didn't diminish the importance of what he was reporting.

"Thank you, Gavin. That will be all." Hal waved the man off, and he thankfully made himself scarce quickly, leaving only the two Captains in the room.

The building was the headquarters of both their Orders and just like the rest of the city, it was in need of some expanding. All the members of both Orders didn't fit inside one building anymore.

While having them together helped build connections and have them think as a whole, instead of separately, they'd have to split soon. There were just too many of them.

It'll only get worse with time. More will form. I can already see one for Mages being a thing.

All of that was for later, because Hal had a much more pressing issue. The one that had just been unceremoniously dropped in his lap.

What had once been a normal meeting between the Captains of the respective Orders had all of a sudden become much more. "And things were going so well..." Hal sighed.

"I'm glad I'm not the one that has to tell him," Elliot commented unhelpfully.

"You can run up there just the same as I can," Hal said.

"Yeah, but you can do it in half the time and the report came from your scouts." Elliot was smirking, as he knew that no matter what, Hal would make the trip. Not him.

"Oh, they're my scouts now. I seem to remember you saying our scouts not that long ago."

"They're yours when reporting bad news, obviously." The levity left his face after their back and forth and he turned serious, "How serious do you think this is?"

Hal considered the question, "Well, we don't know much about Lakeshore and it seems like their just scouting the mine for now, but that could very quickly turn into more."

It wasn't something Hal had considered from the Faction. If anyone was going to close in on the mine, he would have assumed it to be Ashton's work. Him and the new Faction behind him.

Not Lakeshore.

"Not only did they not help fight the Demons, they didn't even fight the Orcs," Elliot looked disgusted, "I don't know whether to call them cowards or scum. To make trouble now of all times. After we fought in their place."

Hal felt the same but that didn't change things. They were going to have to deal with this delicately. If they didn't, it would easily turn into something more. Especially if Chris reacted the way Hal expected him to react.

"And nothing from Ashton? You'd think he'd notice this sort of thing first. He's claimed the land surrounding the mine." Elliot asked.

Hal snorted, "Probably too busy carving through the forest to connect with his beloved Prime Minister."

"He's not as incompetent as you believe," Elliot commented, "I've seen what the man can do in a fight and while he may not be on Christopher's level, he's up there."

Hal didn't reply. Ever since Ashton left Chris out to dry, he had never liked him. Sure he did it to 'save lives', and 'I couldn't leave them', but that didn't excuse his actions.

At the time, Hal had wanted to press harder and ask for recompense, but no one else on the Council had agreed. They all wanted to ease tensions and calm things down afterward.

It didn't help that Chris had been in a bad state like he.

"We'll have to end the meeting here," Hal said, "I need to pack and prepare."

"I'd wear my armor," Elliot said.

Hal looked at the man, "Chris isn't like that."

"I know that," Elliot said, "Even so, I'd still wear my armor."

"Oh thanks, Elliot, how helpful." Hal snarked, "I'll see you when I see you. Hold down the fort while I'm gone."

"Good luck."

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

Packing proceeded quickly as this wasn't his first time preparing for an extended outing. He'd been a hiker and camper even Before, and the skill only became more proficient since.

It helped that the packs were much better than the cheap plastic ones outdoor stores used to sell. Hal had put a custom order in with Sam to get one just the way he wanted. Compartments dedicated for specific things, a quiver built in so he didn't have to wear both, a slot for his bow, and a waterproof section to hold his bowstring. It was perfect.

Without his mother here, he only bid goodbye to his dad before heading out. Everyone else already knew where he was going and he didn't see it necessary to go around to everyone.

Austin had mentioned the trip would take a week, but that was considering Christopher's top speed. Hal figured he could do it in four days. He had a much higher Agility than the walking tank and he was much better with getting the wind to aid him.

Chris relied on brute strength to stomp the ground into submission. Hal was more delicate. He also didn't leave a line of felled trees in his wake. Chris hadn't this time either, but the fact he had before was fun to bring up.

As he stepped out of the gate, he was off. [Hunter's Gait] and [Wind Step] got his top speed into respectable ranges, now all he had to do was keep it up for days on end.

The first day was uneventful. Most of the monsters in the area kept a wide birth of the city. They were probably running from the madman with a hammer in their minds, but it left a section around the walls clear of anything too difficult.

It was only after sprinting North for the second day that Hal began to encounter noteworthy creatures. Nothing that would hinder him, but he did note a few of them down for later if he decided to go for a hunt.

His third day into the wilds had him going around certain things rather than straight through. It would save time rather than getting into a pointless fight. He was already capped and the essence wouldn't do anything for him.

If only I could find a Wind treasure. Austin said he would keep an eye out, but I doubt he'll find anything. Denver is said to have had a powerful Wind Mage, but I don't want to have to go all the way there.

Hal was making efforts to circumvent needing a treasure, but it would take time. With Chris solely dedicated to the Seed, he'd have to wait to get the man's expertise on building something that would work.

At the end of the fourth day of his sprint, he was closing in on the area. Austin had marked it surprisingly clearly on the map which made it much easier to find. Does he have a cartography skill? It's not unexpected for an Explorer to have.

A few of his Scouts had picked them up, to make scouting and reporting back easier. Hal hadn't, as it didn't fit well with his Profession and it didn't seem necessary.

It was only when Hal began to feel the temperature start to drop that he knew he was close. It wasn't winter yet, and there was only one other thing that would cause such a disturbance.

And it was a disturbance.

Hal didn't have his mother's gift with mana, but his skill was still respectable. It didn't help that whenever she was home she made him train with her. He pushed his mana sense to the limit and he could barely grasp the extent of what was happening.

Sensing while remaining hidden was much harder than sensing alone, but he was getting better at it. Not that subtlety was required here. The amount of mana swirling and colliding was enough to be seen from space.

How many crystals did he take with him?

Most of the mana had the same Arctic flavor that Chris gave off, but there was also Frost and Ice mana building that didn't make any sense. Not unless you knew what was happening.

Stepping out onto the shoreline gave him a clear picture, even if his mind couldn't understand it.

Ice had taken over a sizable portion of the bay and was spreading even as he observed the scene. Not quickly, but still spreading. The portion already frozen had lines marked on the surface, groves in it that marred its otherwise perfect surface.

On the miniature glacier, Chris stood deep in concentration. Deep enough he hadn't sensed Hal coming.

He usually always keeps [Aura Detection] up.

Ice flowed like water, sometimes breaking apart into a flurry of snow to get blown away, other times gathering to freeze into a specific shape. It was a level of skill to be admired if one didn't consider the massive amount of mana being used to fuel it.

More mana didn't always translate to more control, but it was a common solution to the problem.

It felt like Chris was using his entire regeneration to smother the area into submission.

Leave it to him to brute force even mana. Mom would be disappointed.

Hal stood by and watched the man work as he didn't want to interrupt. Not when he was so focused.

The flow of mana continued apace and went on for nearly an hour before a point came to intercede. Hal took it, as he wasn't sure how long he would be left waiting if he didn't.

The Runes didn't mean anything to Hal, and he wasn't sure how far along the process was, but he could still spot a natural pause in the work.

"Chris," Hal called out. It didn't need to be loud, as they weren't standing that far apart.

Chris looked up confused, and then an annoyed expression flashed before going back to his usual expression. "I know you did not come up here with good news. What is it?"

"It's nothing urgent, but you need to know." Hal began. In lieu of beating around the bush, Hal came right out with it, "Lakeshore's scouts have been spotted poking around the mine. Three separate grey wolves noticed them and all say the same thing."

Chris took in the information for a second, "Are you sure it's not Ashton trying to point us at them? What has he said on the matter, it's technically his land."

I... hadn't thought of that. Why hadn't I thought of that?

"Nothing." Hal said, "The last communication we got from him was his acceptance of our help in clearing the woods. Other than that, nothing. There has been a noticeable uptick in his scouts in the area, though. We weren't sure what it was about until this."

"So he knows," Chris said softly.

I thought he would be angrier. Flying off the handle angry. Not... this.

Chris was silent for a long time afterward. There were times his aura flared and a pressure pushed on Hal, but he stood and let the man process.

"Send a messenger to Lakeshore." he said, "Tell them, in no uncertain terms, if they continue this course of action, they will regret it."

"Everyone we've sent has been turned away. What makes you think this one will get through?" Hal asked.

"Go personally. Make sure the words are heard. If you have to use force, so be it, as long as the message is delivered." Chris said.

Hal nodded. It was a similar response to what he would have done.

"And Hal," the pressure increased again, "Impress upon them this will be their on and only warning."

There's the anger. I don't know if it's worse or better that it's simmering rather than raging. I guess we'll find out.