Chapter 2
"Icy Trip"
Cold. Cold. Cold.
This was Lidya's only thought. She was walking near a frozen river that split the woods in two parts. All the trees were covered by the snow: very beautiful to see…very difficult to stand.
"There should have been grass here…" she said walking in the snow and going towards the river.
She was dressed with simple clothes under a steel armor…not truly useful against cold. She was holding her sword in her hand, she knew that there were strange creatures in the woods, but she knew that there were also smugglers along the rivers…and she also knew that the strange creatures wandered near rivers to drink. Marvellous.
It was quite late and the sun was beginning to set. Castle Karstaag was further in the north.
She sat on a rock near the water and took out a map from her travelling purse. The purse contained some scrolls and potions in case of emergency.
"So…I'm here…the castle is there…" she was saying when she noticed a shadow running behind a tree nearby.
"What…?"
Suddenly a brown wolf jumped from the trees scattering the snow everywhere. She was pushed to the ground and the sword fell away. She cast a fire spell that made the animal draw back. The wolf snarled and prepared to attack again. Lidya ran to get the sword.
The wolf jumped to bite when she got the weapon. She turned back cutting the air…and also cutting the wolf's body. The beast growled and fled away loosing drops of blood.
Lidya took her things and walked away.
She knew that she had to go east when she saw a lake…but the lake didn't show. Instead she saw a group of three men talking near a fire. One of them was a woman. They were wearing a mix of different armors. The one who seemed the boss was a bald Imperial.
"They look gentle…" she thought waving her hand and shouting "Excuse me, could you help me? I'm lost and…"
The three rose up looking at her.
"I've been walking for hours and I come from Raven Rock, it's good to see other people in the wild!" she said with naivety.One of them, an elf carrying a pelt shield and a brown helmet drew an iron sword and ran towards her yelling strange words like You're going to end your life or something like that…
"Oh no! Smugglers!" she said preparing to face them.
The elf reached her and hit her with the rusty sword while the other two took out their respective weapons: a spear (the Imperial) and a dagger (the woman).
Lidya stroke back and began a duel with the elf. After all she was one of the best warriors of Raven Rock. Probably at first glance the elf hadn't thought that the redhead woman could cause problems and now he wasn't sure of having done the good choice.
"Take that!" she shouted hitting the elf who fell to the ground, he was bleeding, but he wasn't dead yet.
She saw the his companions coming closer and she looked in her purse for something that could damage three people in one shot. She found a scroll of Something Hellfire.
"Only in case of emergency…well, this is an emergency!"
She took out the scroll and read the words on it: an enormous ball of fire exploded investing the smugglers. The elf probably died and the woman fell to the ground.
"Now they'll be angrier with me…"
She decided to run in the woods pursued by the Imperial. Because of his spear it was difficult to slide between the tree and the branches but he was still chasing her.
She ran in the snow, stumbling in the rocks and stomping the plants.
"Fight back! Coward!" shouted the Imperial.
"Not now! Perhaps tomorrow!"
She arrived in a clearing. Everything was silent, there were only the soft sound of her boots in the snow.
"Ok, I'll fight!"
She reached the end of the clearing and waited for the Imperial. He arrived some seconds later pushing away the branches.
"Finally, dear. I won't hurt you…" he said.
"Really?"
"Really…I'm going to kill you!" and he said this casting a poison spell from his hands, where something sparkled.
"He has a magic ring!" she thought. The clearing was large enough to avoid the spell, but he cast another one and a green, bitter, painful and sour sensation pervaded her.
"Ah-ah! You're in trouble now!" he uttered coming closer.
"You too." she said smiling.
"What?"
He saw the scroll too late and a flash of electrical waves ended his life.
The poison disappeared and Lidya arranged her hair.
"I should thank the trader of Raven Rock when I'll come back…"
