Chapter (13):wrath of the north part 3
Somewhere in Freljord.....
There was, somewhere, a camp in the harsh lands of Freljord—a camp set up by a group of warriors. There were porters carrying loads, others chopping wood, and many tents scattered around. In the center stood a large tent, where a woman in her forties silently sharpened her axe, crafted from true ice. These were the men of the Winter's Claw tribe.
They had begun executing the plan they had agreed upon: building a camp here, waiting, and then moving to the rendezvous point. And somewhere in the camp, two individuals were on watch duty.
"Honestly, this is a stupid plan! Why don't we just go and kill them already?" Warrior #1 spoke angrily.
"Shut up! Someone might hear you—or worse, word might get back to Mother! If that happens, it won't end well," replied Warrior #2.
"Fine! Fine!" Warrior #1 snapped back.
"Ah, right—by the way, what did those idiots do to piss off all those tribes?" Warrior #1 asked.
"I heard they looted a ship full of resources and treasure," Warrior #2 said, scratching his beard.
"Wow! I wish I'd been with them! It's been ages since I last had any meat after that last storm," Warrior #1 said excitedly.
"Yeah, apparently she refused to share any of the spoils with them," Warrior #2 replied.
"Pfft, just for that? There are other, more miserable tribes out there who deserve to be robbed," Warrior #1 said mockingly.
"And because she killed one of the Winter's Fang emissaries, turning them all into her enemies," Warrior #2 continued.
"Oooh! Now that's just dumb! Even I'm not crazy enough to make all those war mothers my enemies. They didn't become leaders for no reason," Warrior #1 said.
"Yeah, it's completely idiotic. I wonder what that woman's grudge is about," Warrior #2 pondered.
"Ironically, we warriors fight to survive, while the war mothers fight for control... When you think about it, isn't that just absurd?" Warrior #1 asked.
"...Yeah, I completely agree..."
"What? Is there something on my face?"
"No, it's just surprising to hear you talk like that. The only two things you care about are your kill count and how much loot you've grabbed," Warrior #2 remarked.
"Yeah, but bringing up that mother who acts like some rebel just pisses me off. She reminds me of my son," Warrior #1 grumbled.
"Yeah... technically, she's just a kid. She became a war mother by cowardly killing her own mother," Warrior #2 said.
"That explains a lot..."
"So, how long do you think we should wait before attacking?" Warrior #1 asked.
"Hmm... In my opinion, we'll probably wait a few more days before deciding to move," Warrior #2 replied.
"That's gonna take forever. I'll die of boredom."
"Haha... Well, don't say that, or you might really die—"
When he turned to his friend, he saw an arrow lodged in his neck—dead, still sitting upright.
"What?! Enemy—"
Before he could finish his sentence, three arrows struck him—two in the stomach and one in the head.
"I told you I never miss the mark, girl," said a warrior following Steffen.
"Yes, I believe you now... Now, while we've killed the lookouts, it's our turn to use the element of surprise against them," replied Sejuani.
The warriors led by Sejuani and Scarthane Steffen stood in a blind spot between the snowy hills.
"Men, today is our day. On this day, we do not fight for glory... We do not fight for honor... We fight for survival!"
"Before us now stands the enemy who has taken everything from us—the enemy responsible for making us weak, pitiful!"
"They eat our food, drink from our cups, and we bow our heads. But now, I say, enough of this! Enough of weakness! Today, we will survive... We fight... because we have nothing left to lose!"
"So let us show them. Let us show those who think themselves above us what we are made of. And I will show them terror... the terror of the Winter's Claw!"
"To war!" shouted Sejuani.
"To war!" the warriors of the Winter's Claw roared enthusiastically after Sejuani's speech—except for Steffen's men, who remained silent and slightly shaken.
They all charged and rushed toward the camp. As they ran, they shook the earth, and the wind howled like a roar, screaming with them. Every member of the clan turned to look at them.
"What—"
"Grrrk!"
"Enemy attack!!"
"Retreat— Ack!"
What happened was a complete surprise—a massive horde of warriors rushed at them, and they couldn't react because they were under constant assault. They had been making preparations.
What happened to them was like a flock of sheep being attacked by a pack of wolves.
Anyone who stood their ground was stabbed or cut down, and anyone who tried to flee or retreat to grab a weapon was shot with an arrow. The shock attack Sejuani had unleashed was brutal—and this was the core of her plan.
Sejuani had thought, as she looked at their numbers, that the best strategy was a surprise attack—to minimize her losses as much as possible and avoid putting herself in a vulnerable position that Steffen and his men could exploit.
As they charged, Sejuani watched Steffen riding his massive wolf, thrusting his spear with terrifying force. He had impaled someone through the heart, lifted them on his spear, and flung them aside. His wolf moved as it pleased, chasing down a few men and mauling them while Steffen stabbed again. The wolf bit into someone's skull and crushed it like a melon.
Sejuani saw this and couldn't help but be awed by the terror. Had she not challenged him to hand-to-hand combat, she wouldn't have thought she stood a chance against him while he rode that wolf. It would be two against one—she would lose badly. She knew that better than anyone, for this warrior came from a distant land.
"Damn... Am I really that weak?" Sejuani thought as she continued charging without stopping.
While they rushed forward, Sejuani noticed something: they were beginning to recover.
Because appearing before her were warriors—men and women—gathered together, armed with their weapons. Among them stood a woman wearing a Viking helmet, wielding an axe made of real ice, pointing it directly at her.
"You!! Yooouuuu wretched coward! How dare you attack me!?" Zataya screamed.
"The same goes for you, aunties. You were the ones who planned to attack me in the first place. Did you really think I'd stay silent?"
"How could you?!" Zataya asked in shock.
"Who knows?" Sejuani replied coldly.
"Grrrrr... Kill her! My children!" Zataya shrieked.
"Come on, Winter's Claw! Show them our mettle!"
Haaaaaaa!
Both sides charged at each other. The clash of swords rang out, and arrows rained from the sky. Amidst all this, Sejuani engaged Zataya in combat.
Zataya lunged fiercely at Sejuani, swinging her axe with brute force. The axe came straight for her face, but Sejuani deflected it using the Chain of Falling and used the end of the chain like a dagger to counter Zataya, blocking the attack. The two exchanged blows before pushing each other back a few meters.
"Do you really think they'll let you go after this, you weakling?" Zataya threatened, pointing a finger at her. "Once they find out, everyone will come rushing to wipe out your entire tribe!"
"How will they find out?" Sejuani asked innocently.
"Huh? The people from my tribe will tell the others that we were attacked, and then—"
"But they're dead. The dead don't speak. You should know that better than anyone," Sejuani replied calmly.
"You— What are you... Oh no... No... You can't possibly be thinking of—" Zataya spoke in shock, realizing what Sejuani meant.
"At least you have a brain," Sejuani retorted arrogantly.
"You monster!!!! I'll kill you!" Raaaaaaahhhhhhh!
Zataya charged in rage like a wild beast toward Sigwani.
But the shock was that Sejuani took the hit without even attempting to dodge or block it. The tip of the Chain of Falling pierced Zataya's shoulder as she ran forward. Sigwani tried to pull it back, but she realized the chain was lodged in her shoulder.
"How?!" Sejuani asked in shock, clutching her wound.
"Surprised? This is why we're called Winter's Foot—we always march forward without stopping. That is our legacy!"
"That's why you're called Winter's Foot? That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard," Sejuani replied bluntly.
"Shut up! You're going to die now anyway!" Zataya screamed.
"Not on my watch!" Steffen shouted.
"What___
Suddenly, Steffen lunged and attacked her with his stone spear with all his might, but Zataya parried it with her icy axe. However, the force of the blow was so strong that it sent her flying a few meters and freed the obsidian whip from her body.
Steffen looked at her with a strange expression before speaking.
"Can you keep fighting, Sejuani?" Steffen asked.
"Yes, I can. And I have a question... why?" Sejuani asked.
"???? What exactly?" Steffen replied.
"Didn't you say you'd run if the situation was dangerous?" Sejuani asked as she steadied herself.
"Yes, I said that—if the battle was going badly, not if *you* were in bad shape," Steffen retorted sarcastically.
"Now's not the time for sarcasm," Sejuani snapped.
"This isn't sarcasm, it's just___
"Steffen, watch out!"
Zataya rushed toward him and struck his wolf with her icy axe. The wolf let out a high-pitched whine, staggered, and collapsed to the ground.
"Scaro!" Steffen cried as he fell from its back.
Steffen rolled through the snow and saw Zataya raising her axe high. He raised his armored spear in defense, but when she swung, the weapon split in two and fell from his hands.
"Damn it!" Steffen cursed.
Now unarmed, Steffen quickly drew the small axe from his pocket and swung it at Zataya, punching her with all his strength in the face. She staggered back, her head snapping to the side. Steffen exhaled in relief—but in that moment, Zataya yanked her arm back and swung at him, slashing a deep wound across his stomach.
"Gggghhh!"
Steffen screamed in pain as the true ice's effect seared through his body. He dropped to his knees, letting go of the axe, and clutched his stomach.
"I'm genuinely impressed by you... Most warriors who take a hit from my axe either pass out from the pain or die. But it seems you're tough. Unfortunately, this is where your story ends, boy," Zataya said in arrogance.
As she was about to split his head in two, the attack was blocked. Her arm froze mid-swing as chains wrapped around it. When she turned, she saw Sejuani—barely standing—using the last of her strength to hold her back.
"Now, Steffen!"
Steffen didn't waste a second. He lunged forward and drove the broken stone spear into Zataya's body with all his might. She coughed up blood but then jerked her head forward, headbutting Steffen hard enough to make his nose bleed. As he stumbled back, Zataya yanked the chain binding her arm, pulling Sejuani toward her.
She swung her axe, but Sejuani rolled away at the last second, barely dodging the strike. Now standing beside Steffen, the two locked eyes with Zataya, who pulled the spear fragment from her body and used the true ice in her axe to freeze the wound, stopping the bleeding. She glared at them menacingly.
Without a word, Steffen and Sejuani charged at her simultaneously.
Both were exhausted, injured, and ignoring the battle around them. Their sole focus was taking down their enemy—this time, they knew it would be their final clash.
Steffen attacked with his small axe, forcing Zataya to block and counter. Sejuani lashed out with her whip, but Zataya ducked and kicked Steffen square in his stomach wound.
She then turned to Sihwani, rushing to finish her off with a Sejuani scream.
"She managed to wound Sejuani three times, but unlike Steffen, she wasn't affected by the true ice's frostbite—being born of ice herself. Still, the cold gnawed at her, and she gritted her teeth before charging forward."
"Die!" Zataya shrieked, swinging her axe for the killing blow.
At the last second, Sejuani twisted her body, dodging the strike, and drove the whip's spike straight into Zataya's heart.
"Bwoooaaghh!"
Zataya coughed up blood, staring in shock.
"Damn... Winter's Claw... dying too soon..."
With those final words, Zataya collapsed—dead. The war mother of the Winter's Foot tribe was no more.
Sejuani turned to Steffen.
"Can you keep fighting?" she asked, extending a hand.
"Using my own words against me? Hah... (cough) (cough) Damn it!
Steffen grabbed her arm and pulled himself up. The two surveyed the battlefield—the battle was nearing its end, and it seemed the Winter's Claw and the raiders had dominated. Only a few Winter's Foot warriors remained.
Steffen looked at the carnage.
"So... what now?"
"I'll hunt down the rest. I won't rest until the last of these snakes is dead," Sejuani hissed venomously.
"Are you serious? We barely survived fighting one*
of them, and you want to kill them all? Even if you take out their war mothers, someone else will lead them. Not to mention, they'll find out we attacked them one way or another."
"They won't," Sejuani said coldly.
"How?" Steffen asked, curious.
"Like I said before... the dead don't talk," Sejuani replied calmly.
"Once the battle ends, tell your men to come with us. We'll wipe them all out."
"Are you planning... to slaughter the entire Winter's Foot tribe?"
"Yes," Sejuani answered.
"What you're about to do goes against all of Freljord's laws and traditions."
"No,you're wrong," Sejuani countered.
"Huh?" Steffen was stunned.
"The Freljord operates on one principle: survival of the strongest. Only the strong live to write their own rules and values."
"And I'm just writing mine—my rules for surviving in the Freljord."
With that, Sejuani walked toward her warriors and rejoined the battle. Steffen watched her silently amid the screams and clashes of the camp, wondering what he should do next...