"Incoming!" Someone shouted.


    Jeze didn''t know who shouted the warning as shadows dotted the area around her and dozens of Ice Boulders hurled at them. Mikal and Miss Heng gestured and Shaped the Water aspect to turn the Boulders into harmless mists. The frozen tundra shook and trembled as the Ice Giant army marched toward them. Jeze calculated that they were outnumbered nearly five to one! That was not counting if anything would come through the repurposed Floor Portal. Jeze worried that something big would come through, but for now, they had enough problems to deal with, which consisted of a small army of Ice Giants and Winter Wolves.


    "Hold steady!" Miss Heng cried.


    Her voice cracked the air like a whip. The teams formed a line, and they readied their weapons and Channeling tools. More ice boulders rained down upon them. Mikal, Miss Heng, and the other Rune casters were able to protect the teams by shaping the attacks into Mists. But boulders still crashed and shattered around them. In front, a howling storm brewed as the Winter Wolves prepared to attack.


    "Stay steady!" Miss Heng barked again.


    The storm of howling wolves came at them with terrifying speed. This was followed by another barrage of ice boulders. The battle had begun! Dunar and Rolfe stood in front and readied their shields. Helga was just behind Rolfe''s right shoulder, and Jeze stood just behind to Dunar''s left. Holding the rear in the middle was Mikal, who had the Life aspect readied for healing. The Spirit Walkers formed up on their left, with Ahanu holding the center with his kite shield. Paca unleashed her Moon aspect spell that knocked the Winter Wolves out of their phasing ability and made them solid. A swarm of gnashing fangs and claws crashed into the teams of adventurers, and the wolves were met with Rune magic and steel. The line held.


    "Advance!" Miss Heng ordered.


    This reminded Jeze of the monster waves, except, during the waves, they were on the defensive. Now, they were on the offensive as she and the other adventurers marched steadily forward through the storm of gnashing Winter Wolves. Jeze and Mikal hacked and stabbed at the Wolves that slipped past Rolfe and Dunar. Helga leaped forward and delivered devastating blows that took out swaths of the howling beasts. She attacked in sync with her team and demonstrated the perfect timing that could only be honed through thousands of hours of practice. Eventually, they passed through the blizzard of Winter wolves and were confronted with the hulking forms of the Ice Giants. Rolfe banged his shield.


    "For glory!" The Protector shouted.


    "Hurrah!" Jeze and her team chanted back as they engaged the misshapen brutes.


    The giants slammed their clubs down and tried to use their greater size and strength to crush the advancing adventurers. With skill, enchanted gear, and Rune magic, the line of adventurers held true against the onslaught. Jeze Summoned, Shaped, and Controlled walls of stone that broke up the Ice Giant''s formations. This allowed Dunar, Rolfe, and Helga to battle a few at a time. The three Adventurer-ranked fighters fought smoothly as they danced around the lumbering Ice Giant behemoths. Dunar and Rolfe held strong with their shields against the crashing clubs, as Helga circled around them to chop off the legs of the Giants. As the creatures fell, Mikal and Jeze hacked and stabbed them to death.


    Jeze''s stone walls gave away, and more Ice Giants surged forward. The Proven repeated the pattern again. Jeze created more walls to separate the Ice Giants, and her team fought and eliminated a few at a time. The chaos of battle kicked into full gear, and Jeze soon lost sight of the other teams. Visibility became obscured as the howling Winter Wolves churned up a blizzard of snow that engulfed them. The Proven could only see the immediate enemy before them, the large dark blue forms of their Ice Giant adversaries. The routine of battle settled in for them. Block, counter, attack, and heal. The team advanced forward. Rolfe and Dunar protected as Helga circled and delivered devastating attacks with her flame-enchanted Dane axe. Jeze created walls and launched boulders, and Mikal healed the team''s bruises and fractured bones. When it appeared that they would be overrun, Rolfe and Dunar would activate the Force enchantments on their shields to create space. Time became a blur, and the only thing that mattered was the next opponents in front of them.


    *****


    Fighting as part of a team was difficult for Swordslayer. He disliked staying in formation or in a battle line. His heart and soul wanted to rush into the mass of enemies before him and slaughter them all. Swordslayer slashed and sliced with his two swords the exact microsecond a pair of Winter Wolves materialized to pounce on him. Their broken bodies thudded to the ground.


    "Don''t do anything brash," Rainbow hissed from behind him.


    The multi-colored-haired Rune caster healed him and the Amber Guards'' minor wounds. Rainbow used the Nature aspect to erect a wall of thorny vines at the exact moment a howling pack of Winter Wolves became solid and entangled them. The team was able to make short work of the trapped beasts before Rainbow released the spell, and the vines disappeared into the ether.


    Swordslayer scowled at his long-time friend. "I feel trapped," he growled.


    Beside the two were their three teammates. Zabo wore a dark, thick hood that covered his bald head. He fought using his falchion in two hands and gracefully sliced apart the incoming Winter Wolves with the perfect timing that only an Adept-ranked fighter could have. Aaron and Tara swapped with ease between their crossbows and an assortment of melee weapons. Against the Winter Wolves, the two decided to use their swords. Rainbow had to admit, she enjoyed watching the three fight. It was beautiful, like a painting that was able to move. Swordslayer could care less. He wanted to wade into battle. The sword fighter''s eyes lit up when he saw the monstrous forms of the Ice Giants.


    "Stay steady, team!" Aaron''s deep voice pierced through the cacophony of battle.


    Swordslayer scowled and seethed. His entire body itched for combat. He craved to be tested and to experience the joys and pains of battle. Rainbow sighed and shook her head. She recognized when her friend experienced the Bloodlust. Their Amber Guard teammates noticed the seething energy that came from Swordslayer.


    "We win if we stick together," Aaron said.


    Tara and Zabo nodded in silent agreement.


    Rainbow agreed, "We know."


    Swordslayer howled into the air like a wolf gone mad. He charged ahead toward the advancing forms of the Ice Giants. The Amber Guard looked on with wide eyes filled with shock. Aaron shook his head.


    "We will not risk our lives for his carelessness," the man with piercing green eyes stated.


    Rainbow sighed and answered, "I know. We will link up after the battle."


    The multi-colored-haired Rune caster ran after her friend into the thick of danger.


    *****


    The Ironfist team was well-suited for battles. They had four heavily armed and armored warriors stand in front with Lady Kalina providing Rune magic support from the rear. Cris and Joff provided excellent protection with their shields in the center as Alcard and Mina skirmished from the sides. The team cut a swath of death through the howling storm of Winter Wolves. Lady Kalina barked orders and ensured that the team stayed close to the other adventurers. To her right were the Spirit Walkers. That team only had one Protector, so Kalina made sure to stay close to them so that their Rune casters could deflect the incoming boulders and return range attacks against the main body of the Ice Giant army.


    "We''ve lost sight of the other teams," Miss Heng stated.


    Lady Kalina bowed in greeting to her boss. It was true. Through the thick snowstorm that the Winter Wolves had kicked up, it was impossible to locate the other teams.


    "We stick together and keep advancing," Miss Heng ordered.


    Rainia nodded, and she informed her colleagues. Ahanu linked up with Cris and Joff and formed an impenetrable shield wall as the Ice Giants became visible ahead of them. The monstrous brutes bellowed rumbling challenges and curses as they lumbered toward the adventurers. Kalina, along with Miss Heng and the three Spirit Walker Rune casters, unleashed a deadly bombardment of ranged attacks that thinned down the mass of Ice Giants. The two sides met in a thunderous clash.


    The battle was pure chaos, and even the Rune casters needed to take up arms and engage in melee combat. Bodies churned, pushed, and pulled among them. Curses screams, and howls echoed all around. Yet, the Spirit Walkers and the Ironfist teams remained together. They fought with mace, spear, sword, and Rune magic. They fought and slayed Ice Giant after Ice Giant as they steadily trudged forward. Step by step, death by death, the teams advanced through the mass of monstrous brutes. But it was too much, even for them.


    Slowly, each one began to feel the stirrings of fatigue. It started as a spark of flame among the dry bush and caught on. Muscles began to strain, and soon they tired. They slowed and missed a block or dodge to take a glancing hit from an enormous club. Bones broke, and muscles strained. Injuries mounted. The Runecasters healed, and the fight continued, but it was like a dam with many holes where the water would eventually break through. Doubt appeared like a disease, but the adventurers'' resolve remained strong, and Rainia summoned the Vitality Spring that restored their bodies and minds. Despite the odds, they continued, for they knew in their hearts that this was it. No one else will replace them. If they failed, then the Darkness would win.


    They were eventually surrounded on all sides, and visibility was lost by the mass of towering monsters. The Protectors were spread thin as the Rune casters healed and unleashed ranged attacks. Cris was the first to fall. No healing magic would bring him back into the fight as he was too injured and too exhausted. Next was Joff and that left Ahanu and Alcard to hold a circle of protection. Ahanu had exhausted all of the charges to his shield. He was ready for death, for that final blow to land. It never came. In fact, the mass of Ice Giants dwindled!


    "Did we win?" He dared to ask. Dared to hope.


    Alcard''s voice rasped a response, "Not yet, lad."


    "But it seems the Elites have arrived," Miss Heng stated.


    This sparked hope within Ahanu''s chest. They had a moment to rest as Manfeld, the Elite from the Ironfist Kingdom, crashed among the Ice Giants like a meteor. Ahanu could not believe the Elite''s power!If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    "How does he do that?" The Spirit Walker Protector wondered.


    "He channels the power from the One Goddess," Lady Kalina replied.


    They watched Manfeld swing his two handed hammer that sent a shock wave of force that scattered the Ice Giants like they were leaves in the wind. Ahanu recognized the Force aspect, but could not comprehend how.


    Miss Heng explained, "An Elite''s magic is similar, but its source is different. As Lady Kalina stated, they are gifted with supernatural abilities that break the boundaries of what we know about Rune magic."


    "Incredible," Ahanu whispered in awe.


    This was the first time he saw anyone above the Adept rank fight. It was on a totally different category, how could he even compete? Ahanu wondered to himself.


    Miss Heng squeezed his arm and explained, "Do not worry. Even the Elites have their limits. Pay attention. Their power is not unlimited."


    Ahanu observed, and he saw what she meant. Initially, it appeared that the Elite had the strength of a hundred men, but in reality, Manfeld''s abilities came in bursts. There were moments when he fought like a normal person. Where he had to dodge an Ice Giant''s club, and he countered with a blow to the monster''s knee that was no harder than what Alcard could deliver. But Manfeld''s control over the Earth aspect was like nothing Ahanu had ever seen. The Elite weaved in Rune magic and hammer attacks as if they were one and the same. An Ice Giant slammed a club and Manfled didn''t even bother to block or dodge. The Club shattered on the Elite''s head, and Ahanu saw that Manfeld was covered in steel.


    "That is the Iron Body technique," Lady Kalina explained.


    "Only an Elite can do that," Alcard added in his raspy voice.


    Ahanu had seen Alcard and Lady Kalina form stone bodies that enhanced their durability. But, it was nothing to the level of what Manfeld achieved. To absorb a blow directly from an Ice Giant was on a whole different level. A different realm of power. Ahanu felt some despair that he would never achieve that level of power. Miss Heng squeezed his arm again.


    "If you believe you can achieve that power or that you can''t, in either case, you are right," she said into his ear.


    Ahanu''s jaw hardened and he nodded with a new type of resolve. Around them the storm abated somewhat and they could see further. They were still unable to locate the other teams but they did see something that raised their hopes. The Shimmering Floor portal!


    "Do not relax!" Miss Heng snapped and added, "You must always be prepared for the worst. For the worst has yet to come."


    *****


    Rainbow and Swordslayer were surrounded by Ice Giants. She Summoned, Shaped, and Controlled a circle of vines that snared and entangled the large brutes and kept them at bay while Swordslayer fought the ones that were free. The Swordfighter weaved and danced through the monsters like the wind. An Ice Giant slammed a club to the frozen tundra, and Swordslayer jumped off the weapon to slash two monsters across their throats. The giants gurgled and fell to the ground as Swordslayer weaved and slashed two more in the back of their legs. Rainbow formed glyphs with her body and caused her vines to sprout thorns and squeeze their enemies while injecting deadly toxins. But more Ice Giants kept coming, and it was only a matter of time. The two reconnected and stood back to back.


    "We need to fall back," Rainbow said.


    "No," Swordslayer replied before he rushed back into the throng of battle.


    Rainbow shook her head and gritted her teeth as she squeezed out more of her Will to Summon, Shape, and Control the Nature aspect. She was hitting her limit, but it appeared that Swordslayer was just getting warmed up. The sword fighter''s speed increased as his body took on a faint red aura. Rainbow blinked her eyes. Were they playing tricks on her? She wondered. She had seen this a few times with her colleague but could not explain how it happened. It defied all her logic on Rune magic. A snarling Ice Giant charged her, and that snapped her out of her thoughts as she dodged its clumsy attack. The monster was covered with welts from her thorns and it was slowed by her poison. Swordslayer appeared in a blur and was gone in a blink of an eye. The Giant stumbled and crashed to the ground, and its head rolled free.


    Still, more Giants came, and Rainbow''s vine wall was breached. She heard Swordslayer grunt as a giant landed a glancing blow that sent the sword fighter bouncing along the hard ice. Rainbow gritted her teeth and Summoned, and Shaped the Life aspect to heal her colleague.


    "Thanks," Swordslayer said through gritted teeth as he rose to his feet.


    The time Rainbow spent healing Swordslayer was precious, and it was time away from her Summoning the Nature aspect. More Ice Giants were able to break through her thorn barrier. Fear formed like a lump of stone in Rainbow''s chest. This was it, she thought. There were too many, and Swordslayer took another glancing hit. His armor was falling off in pieces and she would not be able to heal him as she needed to focus on the Nature aspect to keep the Giants away from her. Through the thick of battle and the snowstorm kicked up by the Winter Wolves, she could not see the other teams. They were alone. This was it, Rainbow grimly thought. She had followed Swordslayer for the last time and it finally resulted in their deaths.


    A blur and a flash of steel appeared briefly, and several Ice Giants fell to bloody pieces. Standing in the middle of the carnage was a warrior who wielded a large two-handed sword. Hope stirred in Rainbow''s chest until she saw who the newcomer was. Dread consumed the hope like a hungry flame. It was Prince Rodger, and his eyes locked on her and Swordslayer. A snarling grin appeared on his face. Rainbow looked around, and the final vestiges of hope died in her chest. No other Adventurer Teams were in sight. They were surrounded by Ice Giants and trapped with the Prince.


    "Yes!" Swordslayer cried.


    Prince Rodger and him stared at each other. The Ice Giants even sensed the tension and paused their assault.


    "We are on the same side," Rainbow said. It was her hope to create a positive outcome.


    "No, we are not," Rodger growled back.


    Swordslayer seethed, and a crazed look appeared in his dark eyes.


    Rainbow insisted, "If you attack us, you will be persecuted by the Guild." She saw that had no effect, and she added, "and by the other Elites."


    "Only if they find out. Death happens all the time in the heat of battle," the Prince replied.


    "Enough talking!" Swordslayer snapped.


    Rainbow''s heart broke as she watched the Prince and her friend attack each other.


    *****


    The Ice Giants were retreating.


    "Proven! They flee from our might! We crushed their bones, and now we march onwards toward Glory!" Dunar roared.


    "Hurrah!" The team shouted back.


    Rolfe banged his shield, and the Proven continued forward. Mikal had Summoned, Shaped, and Controlled the Vitality Spring. Jeze felt the energy infuse her Will and body. She waded into combat with sword, axe, and Rune magic. Jeze weaved all three seamlessly. This was a feeling she would never forget. Jeze felt that she had touched greatness, and it filled her heart with joy and meaning. It was fleeting and hard to maintain, but it encouraged her with the knowledge that she could achieve this. That one day, she could attain Elite rank or even higher. It was far off but within reach and barely visible, but it was there. A clash of steel could be heard, and that caused the Proven to pause.


    "What is that up ahead?" Helga asked, and she squinted through the howling snowstorm.


    Rolfe stabbed an Ice Giant through the throat, and the monster collapsed to the snow. Dunar dodged a club swing and chopped off the Giant''s hand at the wrist with his axe. The brute howled in pain and stumbled back. Dunar leaped and stabbed the monster through its skull with his sword.


    "Looks like adventurers," Jeze said and her eyes went wide. "And they are fighting each other!"


    "What? Maybe it''s the Cultists," Dunar stated.


    Jeze shrugged, "Should get closer?"


    Dunar paused to think.


    Mikal surveyed their surroundings and asked, "Why are the Giants retreating?"


    Helga stood tall and boasted, "Because they fear us!"


    "Form up! We will move ahead and stay alert!" Dunar barked.


    Rolfe banged his spear against his shield, and the team took up their positions. They marched through the blizzard, and the shimmering red portal came into view.


    "The Giants were falling back to guard the Floor Portal!" Jeze pointed out.


    "Very observant," Mikal muttered with a scowl.


    Dunar ordered the group to halt. Up ahead and closer, they could see Swordslayer and Rainbow fighting with Prince Rodger.


    "That treacherous bastard!" Jeze cursed the Prince and added, "We have to help them."


    Mikal''s eyes went wide. "Are you mad? Against an Elite?"


    Rolfe and Helga glanced at each other. Uncertainty was clear on their faces. On one hand, they were eager to test their skills against an Elite. On the other hand, Prince Rodger was a high-ranking guild member, and perhaps it would be best that they did not get involved.


    Prince Rodger and Swordslayer clashed steel and blurred around each other in a demonstration of incredible speed. Rainbow limped away, and was injured and she Summoned the Life aspect to heal herself. Swordslayer aggressively attacked with his dual sword strikes, which the Prince easily parried and dodged while countering viciously. They appeared evenly matched, Jeze thought until the Prince blurred with superhuman speed and slashed Swordslayer through his armor.


    "What is the meaning of this!" Dunar roared.


    This startled the combatants. Swordslayer limped back toward Rainbow, his blood leaving a trail on the white snow. Rodger glanced up and his eyes narrowed. Jeze saw that the prince was calculating.


    "Stay close," Dunar whispered. He also sensed the danger with the Prince.


    "We should not have gotten involved," Mikal said, but the Healer prepared his spear and Channeling tools.


    Jeze seethed with rage. Even though she now knew that the cause of all her problems rested solely on Drake. That the Empire did not have anything to do with his treachery. Jeze still felt that they were partly to blame. Besides, the Prince most likely attacked her friends, and now he was clearly considering attacking them. Dunar sheathed his weapons and held up his hands.


    "It appears to me that there was some confusion. The Winter Wolves created a storm that made it difficult to tell friend from foe. That is an honest mistake," the Proven Leader said.


    Rainbow treated Swordslayer''s wounds, and the Prince''s face relaxed somewhat. He had a sneer on his perfectly shaped face.


    "Yes, an honest mistake. I forgive Swordslayer for attacking me," Rodger said.


    "You lie!" Swordslayer roared, but Rainbow held him back.


    A thunderous screech took everyone''s attention. As one, they turned to look at where the loud sound came from. It was the Red Floor Portal.


    "Looks like we have bigger problems to worry about," Mikal said.


    An enormous wyrm emerged from the portal. The screech came from its wide round maw that was filled with row upon row of sharp teeth. The behemoth crawled out on jagged centipede-like legs that created deep fissures into the hard pack frozen earth. The Ice Giants parted to allow the huge monster through, and Jeze saw red Runes flare along its carapace-covered body. Ice Walls sprang out in all directions to separate the battlefield even more, and it trapped the Proven with Swordslayer, Rainbow, and the Prince.


    "My lord, you are the ranking member here. What are your orders?" Dunar asked the Prince.


    Jeze was shocked and then angered. Why would he ask him that? But rationality closed in on her. Dunar was making the best of a horrible situation. They needed the Prince as an alley if they ever hoped to defeat the giant monster. Prince Rodger smirked at them.


    "That is a Rimewyrm, a tiered eight beast from the higher levels. There is nothing you pathetic fools could do," he snarled.


    The Proven''s face hardened at the insult. Dunar took a deep breath but held back his retort. He was a wise leader, Jeze reflected.


    Prince Rodger had a swagger about him that annoyed Jeze. "I will handle it. You keep the Ice Giants away from me. If you can even manage that much."


    With that, the Prince crouched, and Jeze could feel his body gathering energy. The air shimmered around him as he launched upwards with so much force that the ground cracked underneath. The Prince soared toward the Rimewyrm and he looked tiny in comparison.


    "Proven form up!" Dunar barked.


    They moved into position as the Ice Giants gathered to attack them.


    "For glory!" Helga roared.


    "Hurrah!" The team shouted back.


    The horde of remaining Ice Giants surged toward them.