Heart Over Sword
Chapter 225: Loraven (2)

Chapter 225: Loraven (2)

[ 29 Years Ago ]

Sprinting across a large frozen lake, one known for monsters breaking through the ice and clutching at their prey from below, Loraven laughed, fearless of them and the winter trolls chasing her. What was the first day of winter without a little action from the wild beasts? Feeling the crisp wind against her face, the flurry of snow kissing her flushed cheeks, she slid on her thigh across the ice, narrowly avoiding one of the three trolls who tried to snatch her.

The trio were tall and not fat like those in the south, their rock-hard skin and muscles beneath wiry white fur. Their hands and feet were large and wide, arms falling down to their feet, making them slouch and sometimes run on all fours instead of two. Their ugly faces had small protruding tusks from their bottom lips, surrounded by what looked like a white beard, whereas the rest of its face was stone, like the skin beneath their fur.

Small spikes dotted above their eyes and head like a small crown. Three slitted black eyes adorned its face, but those used to fighting off the creatures knew of the two extra eyes on their chest. Hidden behind the fur but was a weakness most used against them.

Loraven lithely jumped up and sprinted further along the lake, only to stop at the first sound of ice splintering. She turned around, hazel eyes wide as she clicked her tongue at the stupidity of these creatures. Stupidity or desperation. The trolls also stepped onto the lake, stopping as they seemed to assess the situation and how far their prey was to them.

The she-elf was only halfway, but her plan was to get to the other side where she could hide in the trees. She knew now, with their crushing weight, it would be a race against the monsters they just awoke below their feet and nature to sink her beneath the icy surface. She backed away slowly as the trolls dispersed from each other and started running towards her in that slow way of theirs.

Loraven watched the icy floor beginning to crack more, getting closer to her boots but something beneath the surface made her inhale sharply. A large blue tentacle swam past her and dove out of the water, with four others grabbing the troll that roared as it was dragged underneath the lake, leaving sloshing water and broken ice in its wake.

More of those tentacles came, but they raced past Loraven. She was the smaller prey, after all, and there was more meat on the trolls. The creature backed away. One towards the edge of the lake and the other still charging for Loraven, jumping and dodging tentacles, a few smacked away by its large hand.

Loraven smirked and continued sprinting, glancing at the icy lake and the tentacle now following her. Maybe the monster thought she would be easier. Her smirk broadened into a stunning smile as her hands reached for her swords on the right side of her waist. The ice beneath her feet started to rumble, breaking and uplifting.

"*Come on then! You ugly underwater worm!*" Loraven laughed as the ground erupted, and she was thrown into the air, the tentacle wrapping around her waist. She stabbed it with a sword, and the other swiped down, cutting the tentacle clean off. Dropping down, another two tentacles came for her, catching her and yanking her under.

The icy water hit her body, freezing her for a moment as her mind went blank. But the tightening of the tentacles on her legs slowly wrapping around her waist and torso snapped her out of it. Loraven cut through them swiftly, but she knew more would come.

The elf could not see much in the icy depths, but she remained there, body tense, ready to be attacked. The moment she let her guard down or turned her back to swim to the surface, it would be all over. Even as her lips turned numb, she smirked, eyes challenging the creature to come to her.

Instead, a growing light came towards them at full speed. Loraven didn’t wait to see what it was and started swimming to the surface, each movement of her arms and legs prickling with the cold. The tentacles shot out towards the light, but instead of reaching it, the light smashed into it, and like lightning bolts, it kept zapping the tentacles, causing spasms until a great fish with fangs and glowing light in front of its face swam to its prey.

Loraven reached the opening in the ice and gasped. Her eyes flickered across the snowy surroundings and trees across from her for any other trolls. Her body shivered from her drenched, growing, icy clothes.

But the slight crack in the ice told her not all the shivers were because of the cold. Before Loraven could react, she was pulled out of the water and thrown across the ice. Her swords skittered along with her, one she held onto and the other out of reach.

"*Aww, Come on! Why not on the snow, you big, stupid buffoon!*" She groaned loudly, annoyed from the slight ice burn on her cheek, and because the troll wasn’t believed, the beasts in the water were no longer a threat.

There were more than those two deadly creatures she saw in there. Many lurked in the shadows waiting for pickings.

The troll’s thundering feet made the ice groan under its weight, and a few more cracks started to form around her. Loraven looked up, realising she only needed to take a few more steps to be back on dry land. The pine trees were not far from her. She began to push herself up, then paused at the ice cracking underneath her hands.

Slowly, Loraven slid her legs beneath her, sticking her bum in the air in an odd triangle pose, refusing to stand tall just yet. But the impact of the approaching troll forced her upright, sword in hand, as it swiped at her with its large hands. She rolled to the side, the cracks in the ice following her and leapt, pushed off the troll’s outstretched hands and stabbed it from above in the eye.

The troll roared, making final attempts to swipe at her, but the moment its head hit the ice, its arms flopped out to the side. Loraven landed atop the troll, sinking into the water, but before it reached her boots again, she leapt off, landing on the thick snow-covered grass, her bloodied sword stabbed into as she knelt, catching her breath. Her breathing was slightly ragged from the cold, her dark locks drenched and sticking to her face, rosy red lips and cherry-blossomed cheeks against her smooth, snow-white skin.

Loraven’s smile faltered when she heard a clapping sound echoing. She stood up abruptly, her sword readied as she assessed the newcomers coming out from behind the trees. A grin split across her lips, eyes twinkling at the rare sight before her.

An elf with snow-white hair, sharp blue eyes, a cold, calculating persona and a thorny crown upon his brow.

"Thalinal!" Her sword lowered at the sight of her old friend, the king of the Flori.

"*You missed one,*" His deep voice was low as he tilted his head to the side with a smirk.

Loraven rolled her eyes and stabbed the tentacle behind her without looking. "*I never miss.*" She thrust her sword out of the creature, grabbed her other sword and started approaching Thalinal and his guard.