"It should be over by now" two Barbarian men stood at the foot of Ice Frost Mountain with three large tigers. Their half-naked bodies were entirely covered in snow, just like the tigers next to them. These men were the Barbarian warriors who had accompanied their Lord on his journey. Due to their superior physical abilities they were able to escape Ice Frost Mountain before the avalanche that had been caused by their Lord and the Ice Bear got to them. And they retreated with the Golden Eyed Tigers while they were at it. After all, although Golden Eyed Tigers were Fire Elemental Magical Beasts, they wouldn't be able to survive a snow avalanche. It was a disaster that even warriors at their level feared, much less Legendary Class Magical Beasts like Golden Eyed Tigers.
"It should," the other Barbarian nodded his head in response to his friend's earlier words. His name was Rasa, and he was a Pseudo Phenom just like Magma. His friend was Waska and he was also a Pseudo Phenom. They were the personal guards of the Barbarian Lord Magma. As Rasa spoke he scooped a handful of snow from his thick hair and dropped it onto the ground. Since the tremors from before had ceased both assumed that the duel between Barbarian and Beast was over.
"I wonder which of them came out on top this time," Waska violently pulled onto his hair to shake out the snow and ice that had gotten stuck in it. Since the fight was over, there should be a winner. And because both Magma and the Ice Bear had breakthroughs prior to their battle, neither Waska nor Rasa could confidently say that Magma or the Ice Bear was the winner.
"Maybe it was a draw again," Rasa stated, and Waska sighed. "Yes. That is very possible." Magma and the Ice Bear had fought a total of 499 times, excluding this most recent fight. Of those duels, Magma was leading with a record of 175 wins to the Ice Bear's 174. But there were also 150 times when there wasn't a clear winner and both sides had to settle for a draw. This was their 500th duel, and since both had achieved breakthroughs and neither didn't seem to have that much of an edge over the other, it was highly likely that a draw will be the most probable outcome.
"It seems that we are wanted," Rasa stated, and Waska nodded his head. "Indeed."
Before long the sound of hooves striking the ground was heard, and five figures riding large black horses appeared in the distance. Even from a distance one could tell that those mounts were no ordinary mounts. For the horses were about 0.5 times bigger than the average horse and their strong leg muscles carried the large and powerful bodies of the Barbarians mounted on them with no problem. Soon the Barbarians had reached Rasa and Waska's location. They quickly dismounted and approached Waska and Rasa.
Two of the five Barbarians were topless and only wore trunks. Each of them was strong and powerful, and the weakest of them was a Pseudo Nightmare! Both of them had heavy swords strapped to their shirtless backs, and their red eyes glowed within their eye sockets. The other three were Barbarian women. Unlike the men they weren't topless, but they didn't cover up that much. They only wore skimpy crop tops and trunks that were so short and tight that their fair legs were mostly exposed. They were all beautiful, but they powerful auras were the only things that mattered. Each of them was at least a Pseudo Nightmare!
When they reached Waska and Rasa all five of them immediately dropped to their knees and onto the snow covered ground. With their heads facing the ground they knelt on they addressed the men who were their Lord's personal aides. But it was only one of them who did the speaking. The woman who led the group was the one who spoke up.
"Night Patrol greets the Flames of Magma!"
"What is it?" Waska sighed and rubbed his temples with a tired look on his face. The team before him was called the Night Patrol. And they were a special team with a high position in Intersection. They were rarely deployed for missions outside Intersection itself because of their importance, but there were still some figures above them. It just so happened that Rasa and Waska were part of those who outranked this elite team.
Rasa and Waska were given the title 'Flames of Magma' due to their positions as the Lord's personal bodyguards. They were only inferior to Magma and the Ancestors and shared a similar position of power with the Barbarian Elders. So naturally, the Night Patrol had to be very cautious around them.
Honestly, Waska was already exhausted when he saw that it was the Night Patrol that was approaching. Since it was an elite team, they were hardly sent out for trivial matters. For them to be all the way here meant that they were here for the Lord. And they were most likely under orders from the only group of people that could order the Night Patrol around – the Barbarian Elders. And that could only mean that there was trouble.
"The Elders have summoned the Lord. They request to see him urgently." The Captain of Night Patrol replied immediately. All five members were still half kneeling on the ground, yet none of them had any complaints.
"Do you know what this is about?" Rasa asked, speaking to the Night Patrol Captain for the first time since her team arrived.
"Yes," the Captain responded. "It is because of the Princess."
"What happened to the Princess?" Waska's face became a bit sterner, and Rasa's eyes flashed dangerously. The Barbarian Princess was a special existence. She was the sister of the Barbarian Lord Magma, and she was highly talented. At an early age she portrayed talent that was not inferior to her brother's in any way, and she had already become a Captain of her own team before she was 30. That was a massive achievement. The only reason she didn't captain a team earlier was because Magma was reluctant to give her such a responsibility. The Barbarian Lord was unsurprisingly soft and doting towards his blood related sister. And he didn't want her to be in danger. But he relented eventually and allowed her to take missions outside Intersection.
The Princess had recently left on a mission of great importance, but the risks were minimal. She was expected to return soon. But the presence of the Night Patrol meant that there had been an unexpected development. For the Elders to summon the Lord was outside their authority. Only the Lord could summon them and not the other way round. They were only allowed to do so when there was an issue of great importance that required the Lord's attention.
"The Princess's life talisman is broken," the Night Patrol Captain stated calmly, but she wasn't able to remain calm for long.
*Boom*
For an oppressive aura pressed upon her ruthlessly, and she felt the wind around her being sucked into this powerful aura. A large hand reached for her neck and she was lifted into the air and forced to look her aggressor in the eye. Eyes that were just as blood soaked and cold as her own stared into her very soul.
"What did you say?" Waska, the one known as the Mad Flame of Magma held onto the Night Patrol Captain's neck as he slowly squeezed out the words from his lips. His hair fluttered wildly in the wind, and his turbulent aura pushed away all the snow within a ten meter radius! The other members of the Night Patrol were mercilessly sent flying several meters back. They were Pseudo Nightmares and Nightmares, but before the might of Waska the Mad Flame of Magma, they were but helpless weaklings!
"Calm down Waska," a hand reached onto Waska's shoulder and the aura that threatened the lives of every member of Night Patrol slowly disappeared.
"It could be a mistake," Rasa, the man who had his hand on Waska's shoulder said, and Waska released the flailing Night Patrol Captain from his iron grip. She fell with a thud, her face filled with sweat and a bit of fear. She was a Nightmare, but when Waska grabbed her she couldn't muster any strength to resist. She had never felt so helpless before. Her gaze flickered between the figures of Waska and Rasa.
Waska the Mad Flame!
He was indeed true to his name. One minute he was calmly speaking to her and in the next his rage switch had been flipped. His change was faster than a chameleon's!
Rasa the Wise Flame!
Unlike Waska, Rasa's wisdom was more famous than his strength. He was a man known for his ability to display terrifying calm and tranquility in situations where most would lose their heads. It was said that Waska and Rasa were always together because Rasa was the only one who could calm Waska when he grew mad. And from what she had just witnessed, he was true to his reputation.
"True," Waska didn't apologize for his actions. His eyes were still on the Night Patrol Captain's figure, but they showed a greater amount of calm now.
"Regardless, Magma must be told," Rasa added, and Waska nodded his head. Both men then turned away and walked towards the mountain, intending to scale it and inform their Lord of what they had been told. They ignored the members of the Night Patrol like they weren't there and left.