Amanda wandered through the marketplace just outside the throne room in northguard. She was looking for a particular bear who knew where she could find the jotun brother for her quest and she was set on finding him.
"The raven said he frequently shops here.. but what's he look like.." she looked around at the busy market filled with bears buying and trading all sorts of items. The only difference she could distinguish between any of them were gender and clothing.
This was going to take a while, but she was always taught that patience was an ice wizards best friend. Though that didnt mean she'd enjoy it.
She walked up to a bear behind a table. His stand had a sign with a drawing of a ring signifying he was a jewelry merchant
"A human! It's not every day a human visits my stand, what can I do for you my hairless friend? Looking to buy some jewelry? I have the finest selection of jewels in all of grizzleheim! I think a sapphire necklace would fit you nicely!"
"Actually I'm looking for a bear, maybe you know him." She reached in her robe to pull out a piece of parchment, on it was writing written in Nordic which she couldn't understand
"I believe it's pronounced-"
"Beat it kid I'm trying to run a business, I'm no tourist guide!" The bear turned to greet another customer with the same introduction from before even boasting a sapphire necklace
Amanda was left with a dead stare on her face, clearly annoyed by the interaction
She decided to leave and try again at another stand.
Her interaction was with a slim looking wolf this time, and again when she asked for the name she was met with rude rejection. Obviously she'd have to try a new approach.
"Excuse me, miss.." She called out to a bear in a green dress, she turned to face amanda and quickly scurried to the desk separating them
"Oh helloooo dear! What a beautiful coat, it fits you so well!" Great, another salesman- er.. Bear. She decided to play along
"Oh, these old rags?" she sighed an unconvincing breath
"I'm so tired of this get up, I need something that looks more- expensive!" the bear seemed to light up immediately, yup this is definitely working
"Well do i have just the selection for you, come, come!" she beckoned for amanda to follow her into her hut.
"I'm sensing blue is your color, i have the most beautiful silk-"
"Oh that's strange, the bear i visited before this said your shop only had the cheapest material, but i think it looks great" amanda cut her off while she still had the chance
"What! Who would have the nerve! I assure you my clothes are the finest in grizzleheim, tell me who they were!" she growled, showing her teeth
"Well.. i can't remember how to pronounce his name but he gave me this to look him up" she handed her the piece of parchment to read
The bear took it pinching the piece of paper with her claws and squinting
"Grumlik? I thought you said it was a bear- this is the name of that grendel that hangs around the waterfall near the docks, is this some kind of prank?" She looked back up to see Amanda was already long gone.
...
I made my way over to the only dock I had seen before and wouldn't you know there was A hidden wooden path that led through the underside of a waterfall along the edge of a mountain. After making it through the mist of the falling water i could see a platform at the end of the path, it hosted 2 very large doors, they towered to a size bigger than the walls surrounding northguard, what was big enough to need doors this size?
There was no sign of any grendel so my only option was though the twin doors
She found that the doors were surprisingly easy to open, they seemed to carry no weight and moved with the slightest push. When she opened one of the doors a chilled wind escaped blowing past her.
Inside was a large cavern with a frozen ravine, Amanda walked through the halls and looked around at the grand statues of unknown warriors holding their weapons to their feet. The statues seemed to grow as she walked further into the cave, they also seemed to all be looking in one direction, behind her.
She turned and noticed it. letting out a gasp, she took a step back to take in the scale of it, the grand stone statue of a raging frost giant hung above the entrance.
"Ymir.. woah" she recalled her lesson on this giant in particular, one of the last titans left over from the titan wars, lulled into an endless slumber by bartleby. She missed ravenwood. She hoped one day she'd be able to go back and visit professor greyrose. She wanted to thank her, and say that she was sorry. For everything.
"Who are you? Why are you here!" a harsh but small voice echoed throughout the cave from behind her.
She turned to see a small grendel it had to be grumlik.
"Oh! You frightened me! I'm looking for jotun. Know where he is?" She's never come to know a friendly grendel so she kept her guard up, of course she could do this without seeming threatening.
"Ah! What are you, a wizard? Begone! Jotun will pick your flesh from his teeth with your bones! I swear it!" he hollered and hissed like a small dog who wouldn't stop barking.
She was getting tired of not getting answers, so she simply walked up to the grendel and picked him up by his elongated ear.
"Owowowow! HEEEEEELP! ULLIK, JOTUN!" he squirmed and kicked around trying to break free
Amanda walked him over to the cliff that overlooked the frozen ravine and held him over the edge
"My arms are getting tired, so maybe you should tell me where jotun is quick." she of course wasn't planning on dropping the poor, gross little thing, but even she gets low on patience sometimes.
"Okay, OKAY! Jotun is through that doorway!" he pointed to the large doors in the center of the furthest wall.
"Put me down, PUT ME DOWN!" amanda dropped the grendel safely away from the edge
"Scram!" she swung at the creature with her staff. He scurried away.
She felt a little bad bullying the small creature, but then again, he wasn't being very nice.
Finally, she found jotun after days of searching. If he has the storm shard he'll have even deadlier strikes, therefore she can't risk trying to rush this. Taking on his speed will require patience and a stubborn defense, maybe that's why Daniel assigned her to this shard.
She was ready to face them.
...
Amanda FrostCloud quickly Dodged the wild bolt aimed at her head cast by one of the many grendel though she knew she didn't need to.
"It's pointless!" she snickered at the group
The Grendel unable to understand simply snarled and growled back ready to pounce at any moment.
Smack dab in the middle of them were the oldest of the Grendel in grizzleheim, Jotun and his brothers ullik and grettir.
Amanda raised her mooshu styled battlestaff, Ashitaka's Staff of Intent, at the three with a severe look in her eyes
"Give up now and I'll spare your children, leave the bears of gizzleheim be!" She slammed the handle of her staff to the floor. She always did have a flare for the dramatic.
The Grendel's previous assortment of strange nasal snarling sounds suddenly silenced catching Amanda off guard
"That's more like I-" They immediately broke out in a roar of Grendel laughter
"Ahahaha how dare those cubs send this child! I'll take care of this here and now brothers, stand back!" Jotun announced as he grasped his club ready to attack
Hmm I wonder if he's going to cast or attack Amanda thought to herself preparing her storm defense
"RAAAAH" Jotun twirled his club above his head creating many dark storm clouds flooding the halls of valor
"Insane bolt huh" she relaxed and stood perfectly still holding her staff close and lowering her stance.
Jotun slammed his club to the ground initiating loud crackling thunder followed by an instantaneous lightning bolt aimed straight for Amanda.
She still did not budge allowing the full force of the lightning bolt to strike her head on.
The Grendel's cheered and applauded their elder for defeating the puny wizard.
However, Amanda stood perfectly still and seemed to be without a scratch. The Grendel's stopped cheering.
"I'll ask again.. give up now or-" she noticed the fearful look in the Grendels eyes, except they weren't directed at her. She then noticed Jotun was no longer standing in his initial spot
Strands of Amanda's hair began floating up from the static electricity in the air
"Wha-" she quickly turned around to find a supercharged jotun standing directly behind her, club raised in flurry of powerful electricity
"Die!" He smashed his club down with tremendous speed
Smoke from the impact of the strike filled the room and shrouded the two
Jotun was sure the wizard was dead, no one had ever survived a direct blow from his supercharged strike especially a surprise attack
Jotun cackled at his victory
"I will ask one more time" Amanda nearly whispered so that only jotun could hear her
She still stood blocking his giant club with her staff holding it at bay above her head, the ground was cracked around where she stood accompanied by sleet and snow billowing around her in a circular motion
"Give up. Now!" Her voice was stern and had more of a sense of urgency to it
"Grrr" Jotun was making a strenuous effort to withdraw his weapon but found his weapon was frozen against Amanda's she had used ice to connect his club to her staff
"You brat! Never!" He continued to struggle to pull his club free but to no avail
Amanda smiled "fine!"
Jotun had regained his full strength, already in a supercharged state again which should have taken twice as long. There was no question. He has it.
Before he could cast more storm clouds he came to a sudden stop. What was this? Why was he falling? Why won't his spell cast? Could it be? He was defeated. With a simple movement of her wrist Amanda had summoned large shards of ice directly under jotun impaling the beast straight through the chest
"That was a pretty simple trap." she said to herself releasing her staff
She widened her stance and kept her body lowered.
"So?" She questioned the Grendel army watching her. There was a slight pause, "who's next?" The grendels then disintegrated into a panic. The smaller ones at least. The two remaining brothers stood in awe and anger. Their eldest brother was struck down by a mere girl.
The two brothers shared a look for a moment, hesitating to make the first move.
Grettir was just about to utter his words of power when he felt the deepest chill run down his spine
"Enough of this! Brother, fight with me!" Ullik shouted out beckoning with his vine entangled club. He dashed forward swinging at Amanda
She simply shifted her stance, turning her shoulders and leaning back to dodge. That's when grettir joined in, also swinging his club. Amanda's movements were smooth and minimal, only shifting the appropriate amount to dodge their attacks without ever moving from her spot.
The brothers kept swinging and pounding, unable to land a hit.
"Stand still! Graaah!" Ullik placed his palm on the ground sprouting some vines. They burst out of the floor rippling like waves heading straight in her direction.
The entangle spell isn't one she can dodge easily. Amanda slammed her staff on the ground erecting a wall of pointed ice to counter the vines. The vines, now sprouting thorns, made impact with the wall of ice but couldn't make a scratch. They continued to grow just barely wrapping themselves around the wall as if they were strangling it.
Now's my chance!.
Amanda twirled to gain momentum in her swing as she smashed through her own wall with the jagged pointed end of her staff. Chunks of ice debris flew forward. As they were falling they seemed to slow, sharpen into thin shards and accelerate towards the Grendel brother
The shards, with their high velocity and needle sharp edges, pierced through the Grendel like bullets taking him down in one shot.
"Ullik! You bastard- I'll.." grettir was in an instant encased in a dome of solid ice. The battle was over. 2 of the Grendel brothers lay defeated on the floor, their blood a slimy green pooled around them, while the third lie dormant in the ice sphere, frozen.
Amanda eased her stance stepping away from the 3 Grendel lying at her feet. It was the first step she'd taken away from her original position since the battle started.
"I know your magic is all about patience and endurance but we are on a bit of a.. time crunch, if you will" the hooded figure was stood atop the staircase watching silently
"I knew I felt a sudden increase of mana in the room" Amanda kneeled by the body of jotun and retrieved a jewel shard from his deck. it was large, clumpy and big enough to fit her whole hand. She tossed it up towards the boy.
He swiftly caught it anticipating her throw.
"Yes. Do be more careful with them" he placed the shard within his cloak concealing it.
"You never told us these shards grant magical strength if it had been anyone besides me they would've died from that supercharged blast" Amanda was upset.
"And that's why it was you and only you who could retrieve this one. You should return home to Polaris now. I've already filled your coffers with the gold." he teleported away in a green leafy flurry.
"How the hell does he know where I live."
Thank you for reading! This was a character introduction for Amanda FrostCloud, a character from a story i'm working on and thinking of publishing. This story was initially only meant for my own entertainment but i decided to share it, i'm always open to criticism and hope you enjoy the upcoming character intros. Until then!