Free Web NovelChapter 69: Winter Court
She could see that the total radius of the blizzard was actually nothing more than a small, localized area that closely surrounded Uhtred.
It moved constantly, shifting dynamically along with him whenever he changed his position.
The moment she stepped into the fray, she didn’t just rush in blindly. She charged straight for an area where she calculated the Frost Daemon would logically be hiding based on his positioning.
She couldn’t sense Uhtred through the thick mist either, but her brief observation from the sidelines had provided her with enough information to intuitively tell that Uhtred was somewhere around the center.
Which therefore meant the Frost Daemon had to be somewhere closer to the outer edges of his own domain to maintain the field without getting caught by Uhtred’s wide sweeps.
She didn’t step into the range of the Frost Daemon’s blinding sheet of white. Methodically, she began to attack the edges, striking at the perimeter and moving along with the domain as it shifted according to Uhtred’s movements.
Uhtred, on the inside, immediately felt the change.
He felt a sudden shift in the dense sheet of white surrounding his vision. For the briefest of moments, the external pressure from Zara’s disruption allowed his high perception attribute to pick up a trace of movement somewhere to his far right.
Without the slightest hesitation, he spun and charged straight at it, sweeping his star-metal battleaxe in a wide, vicious arc.
He felt the blade of his axe sink into something solid, tearing into it with the familiar, heavy resistance of cutting into flesh.
However, Uhtred frowned. There was something completely unsatisfying about the hit. The feedback he felt through the hilt was off and unnatural, lacking the deep impact of a true strike.
His eyes immediately widened in alarm. He twisted his torso just in the nick of time as a set of sharp, grey claws whizzed past his neck.
Uhtred’s left arm snapped out like a snake striking its prey. His hand clamped hard onto the Frost Daemon’s wrist, catching the arm just as the claws missed him.
The moment his heat-coated hand made direct contact with the Frost Daemon’s skin, a violent flash of contrasting temperatures burst out between them.
But in this clash between different temperatures, it was his heat that lost the battle.
Against the daemon’s superior frost magic, Uhtred’s simple heat magic was utterly dominated.
A rapid, crushing chill shot straight up his fingers. Severe frostbite spread up his exposed hand in an instant, freezing the tissue solid.
Uhtred sucked in a sharp breath of pain. He rushed to flood his exposed hand with raw heat magic to cut off the freezing element, but the severe damage was already done.
Even after the heat stabilized his hand back to a normal temperature, the flash-freeze had destroyed some of his nerves. His hand went stiff in an instant, feeling dead, and the tips of his fingers turned a blackened, bruised color.
The Frost Daemon’s menacing laughter resounded loudly through the white expanse surrounding him.
"So this is what fighting against Pathfinders feels like?!"
"I have to say, I am simply disappointed and underwhelmed. It seems I went all out for nothing!"
The daemon let out a mocking, booming laughter. The sound bounced off the damp air, making it seem as though his voice was coming from everywhere and nowhere at the same time.
Uhtred’s eyes flitted about. His head snapped from side to side, trying desperately to lock onto the daemon’s position as the disorienting voice echoed from different angles. freeweɓnovēl.coɱ
"You called for the help of your friend? You think I can’t handle two of you at the same time? You’re inside my winter court!" the daemon roared. "You cannot escape except I say so. No help from the outside is going to reach you. Your friend can’t even tell exactly where I am!"
"I could be right next to you," the daemon’s voice suddenly whispered right from Uhtred’s side.
Uhtred waved his battleaxe immediately, snarling as he cut through empty air.
"I could be behind you."
Uhtred whipped his battleaxe backward again, hitting nothing but the mist. Frustration was beginning to bleed heavily into his rapid movements.
"I could even be above you..."
"Beneath you..."
The daemon’s voice bombarded Uhtred from all angles. This time, he didn’t swing. He forced his body into a thoughtful, defensive posture, reining in his movements and cycling his heat essence around his body more violently to reinforce his shroud.
"What? You are not attacking this time?" the daemon guffawed, his tone dripping with haughty amusement.
"Ahh. I just can’t thank that last guy enough for retreating after seeing you guys. He has given me the opportunity to get something I never expected: the full control and benefits of a dungeon core, even though it’s earth attuned, and two cosmic essence cores belonging to Pathfinders! Two Unique grades!"
He cackled.
"Your cores will sell for a hefty sum on the black market for sure. And to top it off, I will also get a damn good title for killing you two!"
He yelled in triumph, then his voice suddenly turned playful as he yelped.
"Oh, that was so close! Your friend actually almost hit me just now," he laughed.
Uhtred’s eyes narrowed. He continued to maintain his defensive stance, silently cycling the heat essence across his skin. He stopped moving entirely, simply observing the white fog, his senses spread out wide for any physical attack the Frost Daemon was going to make.
"Haha. Your friend is trying really hard, but I hope you know she can never hit me."
The daemon let out a dramatic, drawn-out sigh.
"Ahh, now I feel like I’m bullying you guys. Your friend is trying her best out here. Meanwhile, you are here in my winter court.
You don’t know which direction is your left from your right and you’re burning cosmic essence dramatically, just to stay alive. It is only a matter of time before your reserves dry up and you succumb to my winter court’s frigid cold."
"This is what happens when over-ambitious talents who don’t know the breadth of the multiverse take on challenges way out of their league," he chuckled softly.
"What did you two expect? Taking on the last floor of a regional dungeon on your own?"
