Chapter -128: The Thrill of the Chill

On the way back to Colrez's palace Sarajin and Justek had to push through the celebrating citizens. The soldiers were hoisted up on high seats on full display of the kids and women and showered with colorful ice flakes thrown from baskets.

Then there were many men feasting to their heart's content, plunging their hands deep into still-frozen carcesses of the land's giant, fur-covered wildlife.

It was gluttony at its finest, as the men consumed praise and glory from surviving their wintery battle against their enemy of warmth.

But what about the dead? How do they get to celebrate?

What disturbed Sarajin the most was that there were hardly any tears shed for the fallen. The women and children, deprived of paternal care, were dancing around glistening stalactites and laughing and cheering.

Maybe the cold rendered every teardrop pointless...That was the best Sarajin could do to assure himself that their hearts weren't as cold as their home.

Eventually they managed to push their way through to the fortress where the two armor-clad warriors stood guard, imposing their protection over their leader.

But it was obvious he was back because the gates were wide open and some playful sounds could be heard inside.

Sarajin rushed on up to the stairs only to be barred by their lances yet again. With a frustrated and somewhat urgent look on his face he stood on his toes and said, "I really need to see your leader! Can't you let me in?"

He pulled away with a quick pout and then backed up beside Justek, eyeing the top of the stairs.

"Do you have any ideas, Justek?" He whispered.

"You could try flying over them," Justek said, "But I don't think that'd work out in the end."

"No, it wouldn't," Sarajin sighed and rubbed the side of his head in deep thought, "Then what other options are there?"

"Still trying to speak with father, I see." The two were approached by Cecilia, who greeted them with a teasing smile and giggle.

Without pause to hesitate she then said, "If you wish to see him, I can let you in. I'm sure he would be very interested to speak with someone from Arc Hurricanos."

Sarajin and Justek flinched, looked at each other for a moment, then back to her so Sarajin could ask, "You know where I'm from?"

"We tend to keep an eye on the other Tribes for opportunities for supplies or potential military advantages in the future," Cecilia cut straight to the point and Sarajin let out a tense gulp in response, "Now then. Follow me."

Cecilia walked right on up to the two imposing soldiers and looked them square in the eyes. Whispering "Let the windwalker in" the two guards pulled back their lances slightly and allowed her to walk up the first step.

There she leaned her head back and appeared like she was eye-level with the two boys as she said, "Well? Are you coming or not?"

Sarajin was still shivering a bit from her blunt comment but made his way to the stairs, following her up the first couple of steps with Justek catching up.

However, Justek was barred at the bottom by the guards' lance, causing him to utter out a blunt but reasonable, "Excuse me, but I'm with him."

Justek pushed forward with one expectation, only for it to be denied as the guards shoved the blunt part of their lances into his chest to repel him.

Sarajin looked over his shoulder and Justek gave him a quick glance, before folding his arms and remarking, "Haaa, go on without me, Sarajin."

Sarajin quietly swallowed and then nodded, "Ok...I shouldn't be too long!"

He then followed Cecilia up the stairs. While it was getting a little colder there was also more light from the inside of the palace poking through.

It did feel like the palace was a huge waste of space though. This was the only spot with light and there were no other windows inside.

But this one room was probably bigger than most houses Sarajin had seen. At least a hundred people could fit inside it and it had a lot of open space that was filled by some icy-blue wooden drawers, a luxurious set of fur rugs, a cabinet filled with iced bottles, and a king-sized bed.

And this was definitely a room fit for a king. Thin ice paintings resembling stained glass littered the walls, depicting Colrez in different triumphant positions over his enemies, or being praised and adored by all.

The ceiling was made of the finest aquamarines that likely he or an ancestor had stolen from Oreore, with a few light-refracting gems inside to help illuminate the room.

But what truly exemplified his leadership wasn't something as simple as a few egotistical decorations but rather, where the man sat at the moment.

For him his throne was his bed, where he sat under the sheets deshelled of his military garment. And at his side, presenting themselves with the barest of legs and ample bosoms, laid a dozen or so women.

He had one under each arm, their bodies melting into the fabric of his blanket as they nestled up against his rigid chest and began to kiss it.

Another woman was at the foot of the bed, raising her bare leg and revealing...something. Sarajin did not know.

The others were filling his cup to overflow with olive wine or feeding him frozen grapes. His mustache rustled with cream splattered over his face, some of which had spread to the women's lips.

And all that playful laughter he heard before was coming from them, with Colrez getting in his fair share.

Sarajin's jaw dropped and his face turned bright red. Cecilia's smile wavered a little, but she kept her poise intact as she bowed her head and remarked, "Father?"

The laughter was silent and Colrez lifted his head up a little to remark, "What what? Did somebody call for me?"

Cecilia rose her head with a gesture towards Sarajin and remark of, "An emissary from Arc Hurricanos has come to see you."

She then stepped away and left Sarajin at the forefront of Colrez's attention. He turned to Cecilia then back to Colrez multiple times while letting out some gawks.

Colrez then raised his cup and carelessly spilled wine all over the hair of the woman below him, "Well heidi ho, you young chap! Come closer! Let me take a good look at you."

Sarajin didn't know if he should approach or just get the heck out of here. All the women crawling over Colrez left him feeling stiff in the legs but his heart, regardless of it's irregular pace, kept him on the path of his mission.

"S-So you're...the leader of Cryofloe?" Sarajin said, taking the first brave steps forward to peace.

"Indeed I am! Colrez Frost is the name!" The man smirked and chuckled at Sarajin struggling to maintain eye contact, "Oh don't be shy chap! You're more than welcome to take in the glory that is me so that one day...You will aspire to be somewhat as dashing and inspiring!

He then sealed his lips and ruffled his mustache, making a quiet if not obviously crude remark of, "Hmmm, not a very promising start for you though. Hardly a speck of muscle on that body..."

Only to quickly shout as he extended his glass towards him, "But regardless! Surely, you've come bearing great news! Have you windwalkers finally chosen to take a side with me against those devilish fire breathers?!"

Sarajin shook his head and insisted, "I-I'm just here by myself, sir. And I'm not-"

"By yourself eh?" Colrez shrugged, "Bah! Hardly makes a difference! Even one small gust of wind can topple an inferno, you know what I mean, boy?"

"I-"

"Of course you do, ho ho ho!" Colrez took a sip from his wine and then slapped the goblet between the chest of the woman on the left of his bed, "So then! Tomorrow I'll set you up with our finest instructor and whip that wimpy body into fighting shape in no time!"

Sarajin stepped forward and raised his voice, "I'm not here to take part in your war!"

Colrez's eyes bulged and he sputtered in surprise, "N-Not here for...! Balderdash! What else could you possibly be here for?!"

"Well-"

He flinched at the cold snap of Colrez's fingers, with the man proudly deducing with his absolutely superior intellect, "Ah I get it! You think it's all blood and death! Ho ho, well my boy there's a lot of privileges to partaking in war!"

Colrez's propaganda proceeded to fill the room, "You not only get to enjoy the fever of battle, but perform well and you'll have the whole populace catering to your every whim! Feast until your stomach bursts! Let the silky hands of a dozen maidens soothe your aches away! Why by the lord, son, are you not even the least bit enticed by all the bountiful women at my side?!"

Colrez wrapped his arms around two other women and pulled them in closer, giving each a brief glance, "Either one of these ripe one young ladies could be yours to bed if you give your all to battle!"

Sarajin's pupils shrink as he could see the ladies' chest bounce at the slightest gesture, barely contained in their paper thin dresses.

Colrez let them go only to slap one in the rear to motion them forward, "Go on! Give the boy a little taste of what he could have!"

The woman leaned over and hooked the front of her dress to reveal more of her ample cleavage, which she amplified further by pressing them together with her arms.

She made no other sound beyond a subtle moan, with Colrez providing a descriptive commentary over it, "Look at her boy! A body...nay, a monument of supple curves that even a goddess would envy! Feast upon it, let it burn into your mind and ignite your passion!"

Something was burning alright...If not from the blood rushing through his body, but from the discomfort inside of his gut.

Feeling like he was being pushed into a corner by this man's overpowering voice, he had to close his eyes and think back to what Justek had told him.

"There's something I've noticed about the way you speak, Sarajin."

"Huh? What?"

"You're too content to stay quiet when someone interrupts you. If you're ever going to get your point across, you can't be afraid to interrupt them back. And don't be afraid to raise your voice either."

Taking a breath to focus on his goals, Sarajin cut out all the temptations Colrez was slinging his way and then flared his eyes wide open with determination.

"I'm not here to fight in any war! I'm here to unite all the Tribes, and put an end to war!" He put it in as clear and concise a way as he could muster. His body didn't shake, except from the cold.

And for a few moments, Colrez's bolstrous nature was silenced...Only to be replaced by laughter.

He pulled his head back and laughed and laughed until his throat was hoarse, with the women all joining in as well, including Cecilia, albeit a little more quietly on her part.

Sarajin's shoulders rose and fell as he took heavy breaths, glaring Colrez in the face, waiting for him to lower his head and resume eye contact.

But he never did, instead doing everything he could to dismiss his presence, including waving the back of his fingers and mockingly saying, "Oh that's a good one my boy! Ho ho ho I almost busted my gut!"

"Ending war, ha ha ha! Oh that's so funny."

Sarajin's hands shook until they were fists clenched at his side. Justek's voice continued to echo in his head...

"One other thing...Don't ever look away from the person you're talking to. They'll know you aren't committed to your words then."

"I'm not joking," Sarajin said with a brief shake of his head, before leaning forward and gesturing his hand outward from his side, "Can't you see that if we keep fighting the Rot will be the only winner? But if we work together-"

Colrez closed his eyes and continued to brush the back of his fingers out, "Ok I've had quite enough of your peace and love dribble. If you aren't cut out for war then what good are you?"

He made two quick snaps of his fingers and shouted, "Guards, somebody! Deal with this wide-eyed idealist so I can get back to celebrating!"

Sarajin thrust his hand out and shouted "WAIT!" only to find a cold grip on his wrist as his arm was pulled down behind his back by none other than Cecilia.

She then grabbed hold of his other wrist and held it back tight, looking at him with a pitying gaze and saying, "Don't make this more difficult on yourself."

She was strong for her size, and that was enough to convince Sarajin that as of right now, he was in over his head trying to convince Colrez of anything.

So without any resistance he let Cecilia push him towards the door. Along the way she looked back and said, "Enjoy yourself, father."

"Ah yes, right-o uhhh," Colrez pinched the side of his mustache and after a quick rub muttered, "...Daughter?"

Cecilia smiled a little and then continued to push Sarajin out onto the stairs. Colrez raised a brow and murmured, "Hmmm, interesting..."

Sarajin went tumbling down the stairs and the guards finally dropped their guard to let him pass, where he fell face first into the snow.

He let out a groan and Justek bent down to extend his hand, remarking in a dry tone, "So, I assume it all went according to plan?"

Once Justek helped him up he spat the powdered snow out of his mouth and looked disappointed. He then turned around and looked up at the palace, where Cecilia was presently climbing down the stairs.

"He felt...impenetrable," Sarajin shook his head and then turned closer to Justek with his arms crossed, "Did I miss up somewhere?"

"You followed my advice, correct?" Justek received a nod from him in turn.

"It was hard to concentrate," Sarajin leaned his head back with a slight hint of red still in his cheeks, "He had a lot of women all over him..."

Justek blinked a few times and then dully muttered, "What."

"I don't know why you thought you could get away with that," Cecilia came up to them and bridged her fingers under her chin, "If you want to talk peace, I heard Tanglefae are in love with that idea."

"But here in Cryofloe? Don't bother, we don't care," Cecilia then turned and started to walk away, "Farewell, silly boy."

Sarajin slanted his brows and groaned internally. Justek put a hand on his shoulder to settle him down a little and then the two faced each other, Justek crossing his arms to think.

"It might not be worth our time to bother with these people." He said, being blunt but at the same time, taking care not to hurt Sarajin's feelings over it.

Sarajin hung his head a little and then gave it a shake, "I can't give up at the first obstacle, Justek."

He gestured his hand out and said, "There's got to be some way to get him to listen."

Justek tapped the side of his head with his fingers and looked off at his side.

"T-THERE YOU ARE!" From out of nowhere Temporis shouted at them, as if anyone else could be the owner of such a high-pitched blunt tone.

The two made a surprising turn around and found her running up to them, shivering, both arms braced around her chest, and her regular set of clothes on.

She was huffing up cold air like crazy and her ponytails seemed more like icicletails at this point.

"What's the b-b-b-big idea, going on without me?!" She stood a few feet in front of them all hunched over and barely able to keep her angry face on.

"S-Shit it's cold!" She muttered under her breath.

Sarajin waved his hand out and said, "S-Sorry, usually you're here before us, we thought you went on ahead of US."

Justek nudged his glasses up and remarked, almost pitying the girl's current state, "And why aren't you wearing cold protection?"

"Or shouldn't your aura be able to help?" Sarajin added.

Temporis' brows twitched as she squeezed her eyes shut and groaned, "Aura isn't very insular as it turns out..."

She then turned to Justek and grumbled, "A-And what was I supposed to do, smart-ass, give d-d-dear ol' dad a big neon sign telling me where I'll be going?!"

Justek did crack a small smile of superiority to enjoy the moment.

Sarajin, however, didn't hesitate to try and remedy her condition by taking off his sweater and extending it to her.

"H-H-Here, put this on," He said with a smile, "My mom made it, so it'll be able to keep you warm."

Temporis looked his way with a blank expression and then waved her hand up, "T-That's alright, I couldn't take that off your hands..."

She then forced herself to stand fully upright and began vigorously rubbing her arms up and down, "S-See if I keep doing this, I'll get warm eventually!"

Sarajin slowly blinked and then, upon putting the sweater back on, walked on up beside her and pressed himself against her body.

With a faint smile he remarked, "There. This should help keep you warm."

Temporis' eyes widened for a while, but then she closed them tight and remarked in a curt tone, "S-Sure, if it wasn't damp with snow."

Sarajin pulled away and honestly hadn't even noticed the snow had soaked in until now. She nevertheless winked at him and said, "T-T-Thanks anyways."

She then continued to brave the cold with heavy breaths, "S-So what did I miss...?"

Justek gestured his hand out and commented, "Just us trying and failing to convince the leader about peace talks."

Temporis grinned and chuckled, "N-Not surprised..."

"You're not?" Sarajin wondered.

Temporis focused solely on him and forewarned, "How bl-bl-blunt do you want me to be, Sarajin?"

"Well, if you have an answer I'd like to hear it." Sarajin said, giving her full reign to do what she does best: Be blunt.

She closed her eyes and began talking, "C-Colrez Frost is a very powerful and charismatic leader. H-He's been able to convince his men to fight dozens of battles despite all the losses he's had. Dad's records describe him as a 'difficult and savage man with an appetite for lust and a gluttony for blood'."

Sarajin closed his eyes and murmured despondently, "Y-Yeah, I can see that. He had a lot of women at his side."

"Wait, you met with him while he was fooling around with his hussies?" Temporis said with a raise of her brows.

Sarajin blushed and rubbed the back of his head.

"H-H-Heh!" Temporis proclaimed and then wiggled her brows a few times to tease him, "Did any of them catch your eye like my sister-"

"Get to the point, pixie." Justek muttered, pinching his forehead.

Temporis sighed and then brushed her hand up, giving Sarajin a few moments to settle down, "P-Point is, compared to him, you're a stick. A squishy, spineless stick that a light breeze could knock over."

Sarajin widened his eyes and then turned to Justek, who was hanging his head at the moment, "I-Is that true, Justek?"

Justek tossed his hand up with a long sigh and then begrudgingly remarked, "I'm with her on this one. When it comes to presence, Sarajin, you're sorely lacking on that front."

Sarajin was bothered hearing that, "...Really?"

"Four-eyes and me?" Temporis gestured her thumb at Justek, "We haven't gotten into many battles but any adult worth their salt could tell we're capable of fighting. So we're on the 'same level' as them."

"You, on the other hand, haven't." Justek added on.

"Yeah," Temporis nodded, "So it ain't gonna mean jack squat how good you can talk if you can't also walk."

Sarajin put his arms against his chest and looked up, wondering with a puzzled expression, "So...I-I have to hurt someone to get him to listen?"

Justek lingered on a mumble while Temporis closed her eyes and blurted out, "N-Not at all! You just have to show him that you're grown-up!"

"Do you have any ideas, Temporis?"

"O-Of course I do, first we...we..." Temporis started shivering really badly and grit her teeth, exclaiming from the bottom of her frozen lungs, "Oh my GOD, f-f-first things first I wanna do something about this cold!"

She kept rubbing her arms and muttering, "I'm starting to feel my nipples poking through my top...Ugh, gross."

She looked around and then started walking towards the mountain, looking over her shoulder to shout, "F-Follow me! I know where we need to go!"

Sarajin blushed a little and followed her alongside Justek. Along the way she resumed where she left off, "As I was saying...Cryofloe's soldiers are pretty hardened and it's not just because of all the fighting."

She nudged her head to the right and all of them looked out at the horizon to find a brighter, snowier environment past the outskirts of the village and closer to the base of the mountain.

"The soldiers were trained from childhood by surviving in The Hypothermic Wilds. There they hunt beasts in one of the planet's harshest environments."

"Hunt beasts?" Sarajin looked her in the eyes and asked with hesitation, "So they...find them and kill them?"

"Yep!"

The animals of Arc Hurricanos were killed for food, he wasn't a fool...But talking about killing animals here just felt off.

Temporis shook her head and gestured her hand up, "It's no different from catching fish."

"Y-Yeah, you're right." Sarajin looked forward and in the distance, saw a large hut. It had a cloth roof with a complicated pattern and some charms dangling off the wooden beams and around the door.

There was a mystical purple light inside inviting them in, and it felt like this was the one place that had any warmth.

"Ah, I knew it!" Temporis hurried over to the door with a vague explanation of, "So they DO have an Atelier here!"

She went in through the door and Sarajin and Justek just looked at each other blindly as they followed her in.

This "Atelier" was full of dangling ice crystals refracting light from the seals on the surrounding walls. Near the back was a light-blue cauldron with bubbling liquid and steam inside.

Two women, thankfully more conservatively dressed, were moving around with ingredients and books in their arms.

They had draping robes with a slight leather look to them and loose undershirts. They used a bunch of golden strings down the front of their body to hold the robe on them.

What got Sarajin's attention immediately was that they had seeds on their desk and what seemed to be a bag of aquamarines.

There was a slight feeling of anger inside of himself, but he put it away and murmured, "It's not worth making a fuss over it..."

He saw Temporis leaned over with her hands behind her back, looking at the shelves full of magic tools like beakers and vials full of liquid.

"Hmph, not as impressive as dad's..." She could be heard muttering to herself.

Sarajin approached her and asked, "What's up with this place?"

She turned around and stood up, stretching the stiffness out of her back, "Thiiiis is an Atelier! It's a place where people can practice alchemy."

"Alchemy?"

"There's too much to explain about it," Temporis hastily admitted, "All you need to know about alchemy is that you can transmute one object into another or transfer the properties something has into another."

Justek looked over from the other side of the building and said, "From what I understand the people of Cryofloe mostly use it to make stuff capable of surviving the cold."

Sarajin widened his eyes and gestured a finger out at Justek, "Oh yeah! Because aquamarines can act as conduits for Ice elemental energy!"

"That's right," Said one of the lady alchemists, "Is there anything in particular you've come here to create or transfer?"

Temporis waved her hand up to get their attention and said, "Yeah, I could use some cold protection. So you mind if I dip my clothes into your cauldron?"

"Go right ahead," They said in a soft and friendly tone, "Just make sure to put in an aquamarine first to kindle the liquid."

"Cool!" Temporis then turned to Sarajin and said, "You two need to leave, I'm going to get undressed."

Sarajin's eyes widened as Temporis wasted no time in grabbing the bottom of her shirt and pulling it up halfway. His expression wavered with a blush and he started to head for the door in a haste, only for her to pinch his poncho and start laughing.

"I-I'm just kidding, Sarajin!" She said, "You're so funny sometimes!"

He turned around and, still blushing, watched her untie her robe from her waist and dangle it in the air, "I should only need to change this."

"H-Ha ha...yeah, probably."

She then craned her head back at Justek and remarked, "Hey four-eyes, you and Sarajin might wanna dip your sweaters in the cauldron too to give yourselves some extra protection."

"I suppose it can't hurt." Justek commented.

The three of them took full advantage of the alchemist's generosity to give their clothes some protection from the cold.

They came out of the Atelier with their clothes' primary colors now icy blue. And there was no more shivering to speak of, even in their faces.

With Temporis, her robe had the added bonus of the pattern looking white. She was looking it over and seemed pretty happy with herself.

"This doesn't look half bad! I'll have to keep it like this!"

Sarajin looked at her and asked, "So...about hunting."

"Right!" Temporis turned to him and could finally put her hands behind her head again, "First things first, we're going to need to get you a knife. Something sharp, like what that Lulu woman uses."

She glanced to her left and started rubbing her hands before her face in a mischievous manner, "And I know just where to get it!"

She then tapped her bracelet down but before either of them could blink, she was already a few feet in front of them walking back. And in her right hand was a knife made of steel, wrapped in a leather hide sheath.

"Here you go! One knife, free of charge!" She lightly tossed that into Sarajin's open hands and then put her hands behind her head.

Sarajin stared bewildered at that while Justek provided the courage to say what needed to be said, "You stole that from someone."

Temporis was whistling and looking the other way, "No, it was lying on top of a barrel with someone standing next to it. Totally didn't steal nothing, nuh-uh!"

"Hmmm..." Justek continued to glare at her.

Sarajin pulled the knife from the sheath and could see his clean reflection inside of it. Holding the weapon tight, he felt his body shake as he slid it back in, then tucked it into his pocket.

"A-Alright...So now I just have to hunt an animal down?" Sarajin gave a brief nod and tried to steel his expression with determination, "Let's go the Wilds then."

Temporis nodded while Justek was a little more hesitant to do so. He kept an eye on Sarajin from behind as he and Temporis made their way towards the mountain, noticing that Sarajin was trembling at the knees.

"Mrrr..." Justek's gaze narrowed, and lifted his feet with a sluggish pace to his steps.

The Hypothermic Wilds, and their harsh cold air, was waiting to take their breath away...

Next Time: First Blood