The Spirit Walker team scrambled to defend the Safe Zone. It''s actually a poor defensive position and should be called the Unsafe Zone, Ahanu reflected to himself with an eyeroll. The monster Portal that his half-sister, Rainia, repurposed was located in a wide open space surrounded by frozen tundra. The lightly tanned Protector gritted his teeth as he deflected an incoming ice boulder with his large Kite shield. His arm rattled from the impact, and the boulder was directed harmlessly to the side. In his other hand he wielded a Frostsworn Spear that was gifted to him by the Proven. It was longer than the spears he was used to. But his strong body, forged through combat, was capable of using it one-handed. At his belt was a sword and a mace. Ahanu chose the spear for its longer reach because they were up against the taller Ice Giants.


    "Reinforcements are on the way," Zena, one of his teammates, shouted from beside the shimmering purple Portal.


    She had dark braided hair that was adorned with feathers from Ahanu''s mother''s homeland, the Plains of Liawpia. Zena had sunkissed skin, like the other Spirit Walkers, and wore padded armor. She was a Rune caster who specialized in the Spirit and Fire aspects, which she Shaped onto her arrows. Ahanu knew that Zena could fire exploding arrows of flame or Spirit arrows that ignored armor and attacked the target''s soul. The Protector blocked another boulder, his arm went numb, and he wondered if the cursed Ice Giants even had a soul.


    "We must hold out until they arrive. The Ice Giants can not claim this Safe Zone," Rainia proclaimed.


    Ahanu muttered, "Way to state the obvious, sis."


    Rainia stuck her tongue out at her brother and then Summoned the Life aspect to heal his bruised body. Ahanu has been blocking ice boulders for the past fifteen minutes. The Ice Giants took their time on their approach.


    A stocky woman with the sunkissed skin of the Spirit Walkers and a few years older than the others growled, "Maybe we should take the fight to them."


    "Aye!" Ahanu agreed with a snarling grin. He wanted to bring pain to the Ice Giants.


    Tallulah was the stocky woman''s name. She had silver hair and wore Rune-covered bracelets, rings, and necklaces that were made from wood, bone, and stones. Talluah''s jewelry rattled whenever she moved. Ahanu knew that she mastered the Totem aspect, a subset of the Spirit Aspect. Tallulah could summon Spirit Animals that could aid, fight, and defend.


    "That''s what they want. To draw us to them so that they could surround us," the fifth Spirit Walker, a petite woman named Paca, said.


    Paca was the smallest of the team with short dark hair. She wore padded tanned armor and held a wooden rune covered spear. She was the team''s scout and her sharp eyes caught the hidden forms of the Ice Giants that waited to ambush them.


    "Paca''s right, we need to draw them to us," Rainia stated.


    "And how do we do that?" Ahanu asked. At the moment, he was the one getting banged up. He was the team''s Protector and shielded them from the incoming boulders.


    "Ice Giants hate fire. Paca blind them, and Zena hit them with flame arrows," Rainia ordered.


    The two Spirit Walkers complied. Paca Summoned and Shaped the Sun aspect to cause a blinding light to blaze overhead. Ahanu saw the Ice Giants flinch from the glare. A moment later, a hail of flaming arrows rained down on them. They roared in rage, and the Giants lumbered toward them with thick knobby legs. Ahanu''s eyes went wide as they neared.


    "These are big boys," he said.


    Tallulah replied in her deep voice, "Nothing you can''t handle, Protector."


    "Easy for you to say," Ahanu muttered back.


    But a grin appeared on his face. This was an opportunity to test himself. Ahanu had lived in his father''s homeland of Pana, A place of knights and palaces, where he trained in Shield, spear, mace, and sword. Ahanu excelled in the combat arts and was quickly knighted. But that was not enough for him. When he heard that his half-sister was to become an adventurer, he returned home to the Plains of Liawpia. Prior to becoming an Initiate Ranked Guild member, Ahanu knew just enough Rune magic to activate basic magic tools such as magic torches and cold boxes. As an adventurer, Ahanu learned the slightly more difficult Rune magic to activate enchanted weapons and armor. Because he was traveling with a team full of Medicine Women, Ahanu started to learn more advanced Rune magic. By comparison to his teammates, he was considered less than a novice, but he was now able to Summon, Shape, and Control two aspects. Ahanu chose the Spirit aspect due to his mother''s people and the Force aspect that was common to the wizards in his father''s home of Pana. Ahanu did this so that not only could he activate his enchanted gear, but he could also charge it. Very few people could achieve this, and Ahanu was proud of himself. With a grin, he was eager to test his newfound skills against a Tier Four monster, the Ice Giants.


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    The deep blue-skinned creatures lumbered into view and towered over the Spirit Walkers. The giants were doubled the size of a human with thick muscular limbs and gnashing brown teeth within their large, deformed heads. Ahanu breathed to remain calm. The thing with Rune magic was that it was no harder to learn than the complexities of sword fighting and wrestling. What made it extremely difficult was that it required Will. This was something that Ahanu was weak in and since practicing Runes, he had improved tremendously.


    The Spirit Walker Protector focused his Will and completed the Glyphs to activate the Force enchantments on his Shield. An Ice Giant raised a thick, frozen club and clobbered downward. Ahanu timed the pulse of Force perfectly in line with the Giant''s attack. The huge club bounced off a shimmering field of energy, and it threw the Ice Giant off balance. Ahanu took advantage of the opening and thrust his spear forward. The Protector demonstrated perfect technique that utilized his strong leg muscles and hips in sync with his shoulder and arm as he plunged the spear into the Giant''s throat.


    "That was easy," Ahanu said to himself and immediately deflected a smashing club attack from a second Ice Giant.


    A single blow from the powerful monsters would be enough to flatten the Protector, even if he blocked with his Shield. Ahanu needed to catch and roll with the attack in order to survive. The Ice Giant he stabbed through the throat collapsed to its knees while gurgling, and more Giants lumbered into view.


    "One down, three more to go," Ahanu said as he rolled back to his feet and stabbed one Giant in the knee.


    The tip of his spear landed a deep gauge to the ice-hard skin of the Giant, and it stumbled back. It was a good blow but costly for the Spirit Walker Protector as two Ice Giants smashed downwards with their clubs. Ahanu activated his last Force enchantment to defend himself against the attacks. Despite the protective magic, the powerful blows smashed into his Shield, and his shoulder was dislocated and his ribs bruised. Ahanu limped in retreat.


    "I got you, brother," Rainia said, and he felt her healing magic wash over him.


    Ahanu grimaced as his shoulder popped back into place and his ribs mended. Talluah''s jewelry rattled like the sound of crashing pebbles as she completed a series of full-body gestures. A ball of spiritual energy shot out of her, and it materialized into the form of a charging bear. The spirit animal came to life as it crashed into one of the Ice Giants and mauled the monster to the ground. Zena bombarded the other Ice Giant with shimmering pale arrows that phased through the monster''s ice-hard skin to stab at its soul. The Giant howled in pain, and before it could recover, Ahanu stabbed it through the chest with his spear.


    "Good work team!" Rainia congratulated them. There was only one Ice Giant left and it was injured from Ahnau''s spear thrust to its knee.


    "No time for celebration," Paca warned.


    Ahanu looked up, and his heart sank. More Ice Giants emerged from the frozen tundra as if they materialized from the frozen ground.


    "Where did they come from?" Tallulah wondered.


    "There!" Paca pointed.


    A shimmering purple tear, in reality, could be seen in the distance from where more Ice Giants emerged.


    "It''s the Cultist. They want this Portal," Rainia stated.


    "We should consider retreat," Talluah growled.


    "Not yet, we have help and can still fight," Zena stated as dozens of adventurers arrived.


    Ahanu nodded, but he didn''t feel confident. By all appearances, the newcomers appeared to be Prospect or Initiate Rank. He heard that the Guild was strapped for resources, and this confirmed the rumors. They were in trouble unless stronger help arrived. Ahanu gritted his teeth and Summoned and Shaped the Spirit aspect to recharge the Force enchantments on his Shield. His Will was strained, but he felt the energies snap into place. Several of the adventurers were smashed into bloody pulp from flung ice boulders. The Ice Giants charged.


    "Paca weaken them! Zena burn them, and Talluah, give us some help!" Raina shouted her commands.


    Ahanu didn''t need his orders. He knew what to do and marched in front to intercept the lumbering blue-skinned giants. Paca unleashed the Moon aspect and washed the monsters in the pale light that sapped their Vitality and Will. The Ice Giants slowed somewhat and then were struck by a hail of flaming arrows. Tallulah summoned a pack of Spirit Wolves that swarmed the giants with howls and bites. Some of the Spirit animals were smashed into ether by the heavy ice clubs, and one Giant was dragged down by the pack before the wolves disappeared. FourIce Giants managed to smash their way into the Safe Zone. Ahnau used his Force charges to deflect dangerous blows and he fought until he took a hit from a club. His body was sent soaring to skid along the ice. He was battered and hurt but not broken. Rainia unleashed her Vitality Spring, and Ahanu felt his fractured bones mend and energy infused his limbs. But what gave him greater hope was the familiar chant he heard.


    "For Glory!"


    "Hurrah!" The Proven shouted from a ridge.


    "Yes!" Ahanu shouted back.


    The Frostsworn charged the Ice Giants.