Chapter 38 - Blizzard.

In the Rabastines' arctic region, the entire area was covered in snow.

The sounds of swords clashing were audible.

Lamperogue shouted at the top of his voice, "On your right!" Archibald responded, "Watch your back!"

Lamperogue threw his shortsword at an ice golem, destroying its head and shattering it.

The two then backed each other up, protecting each other's rears.

Lamperogue was dressed in his usual attire despite the frigid temperature in Rabastines.

In contrast, Archibald wore a thick coat with a hood to keep himself warm.

The entire area was blanketed with snow, making visibility difficult.

"This blizzard!"

Rumia, frustrated by the situation, held her magic stave, the <> in an offensive manner.

Lutessa, on the other hand, was in a state of prayer.

The group found themselves surrounded by numerous ice golems.

Purely of mana, Rumia projected a stream of wind from her artifact, the <>, which successfully blew away one of the many ice golems.

Archibald and Lamperogue, on the other hand, engaged the golems in close combat.

Archibald utilized his skill, [Burst of Sound], to approach two ice golems and sliced them in two clean halves.

Meanwhile, Lamperogue manifested tiny orbs of lightning on each of his fingers and performed his signature move, [Lightning Threads of Intersection].

These threads of pure lightning wrapped around six golems and squeezed them until the threads exploded into a surge of lightning that shattered them.

The combination of their skills proved to be effective a number of the ice golems.

Archibald encountered a frustrating situation where more ice golems kept appearing.

Despite his efforts to destroy them, they regenerated.

"They're regenerating?!"

"It's due to the low temperatures here, they're infused with Kroslogia's mana," Lamperogue replied Archibald.

"That's a bummer," said Archibald.

When another ice golem ambushed him, he used his weapon, <>, to block its attack.

However, the ice golems' strength was amplified by the environmental revamp they received.

"Lutessa? A little help here?"

Archibald said before overpowering and decapitating the ice golem.

She was ready.

While still in her prayer stance, Lutessa summoned a bright light by praying to the great Magic Emperor, Augustus Vayetra.

"I pray to the great lord that he might grant us mercy and show us light where there is none. I call forth here, a water that washes away the all that stands before it, [Grand Water Convergence]!"

She beseeched the lord.

Her magic stave, <> radiated a bright blue light, then she struck upon the ground.

Then, a blue magic seal manifested upon where she stood.

The water moved in all directions, pushing away all the ice golems.

They were all safe again.

"Woah! I didn't know you could use high-class water magic. Lutessa," Archibald commented.

"Well not really, it's just my artifact. It helps a lot by increasing my mana output, just like Miss Rumia's..."

"Still cool though," he placed <> back into its scabbard.

"And since this environment is rich in mana that supports ice and water magic, my spells exponentially improve."

"Wow, so you really can be useful in combat," he didn't mean it that way.

"What? Is that really what you think, Sir Knight?" She looked like she'd cry.

"Eh, all you ever do is pray and support," he smiled.

All of them were in thick coats suiting their physique and cold-resistant charms, while Lamperogue was without either.

"Well, we should get going... The land crawler is at least lucky we got a cold-resistant charm for it. Arctic regions like these aren't the best for its kind."

Rumia addressed the situation of their reptile friend with concern.

Then, she adjusted her coat and hood.

"We should give the land crawler a name though," said Archibald.

"But we rented it." Rumia didn't see the need in doing so.

"Still, it's a pain to have to call it land crawler all the time."

"Okay, what name do you suggest?"

"Eleanor?" Lamperogue suggested.

"Wait, we don't know if it's a he or a she.." Archibald looked at the land crawler.

Upon sighting a pack of ice golems, a white wolf was seen fleeing from them, growling in distress.

As it approached Archibald, the wolf leapt towards him, pushing him to the ground while embracing him.

Archibald faced a barrage of ice shards from three golems.

He swiftly dodged most of them and deflected the rest with his sword.

The white wolf hid behind him for protection.

The battle with the ice golems on the cliff continued.

"Archibald! Be careful!"

Rumia warned Archibald to be cautious as he approached the edge.

"Don't worry! I got this!"

Despite her warning, Archibald assured her that he was capable of handling the situation.

While deflecting ice shards with his weapon, <>, Archibald was unexpectedly pulled off the cliff by the white wolf that had lost its footing.

"Crap!"

He exclaimed as he fell.

"Archibald!"

Lamperogue attempted to rescue him, but both fell off the cliff.

--------Some minutes later.

Rumia and Lutessa were currently attempting to rescue Archibald and Lamperogue, who had fallen into a deep valley.

The two women retreated and hid from the ice golems, and were now searching for a way to save their companions.

The snow in the area was thick, and visibility was poor.

"It's really hard to see here, but it's even harder for them down there," Rumia noted.

"My water spell must've weakened the snow, causing them to slip and fall... I'm sorry, it's my fault."

Lutessa apologized for her part in the accident.

"What? No it isn't your fault," the elven girl sighed. "And besides, I warned him... He's an idiot," she slapped her forehead in frustration.

"So do we go look for them?" Lutessa inquired of Rumia.

"We're almost at Rivelune... But we can't leave them, although that'd be the smartest choice."

"How, Miss Rumia?"

"Well, the people of Rivelune should be familiar with the mountains, but we don't know how long convincing them might take."

"Meaning another plan is in order, right?"

"Indeed.."

Ruminating, the elven girl rubbed her chin. Strapped to her back was her magic staff, <>.

A long stare at the dark reaches of the valley.

Rumia was troubled. 'Archibald... Be safe,' she could only say such words in her thoughts.

----------

In the lower regions between mountains, the temperature was significantly colder than other areas.

Despite the limited visibility, Archibald was able to navigate the terrain with Lamperogue's assistance.

The snow-covered environment was blanketed in white.

"Hey, are you okay?"

Archibald inquired about the wolf's well-being.

BARK!

The white wolf walked beside Archibald. He had grown attached to him.

"That's a Vecroboan Lupus."

Lamperogue identified it as a Vecroboan Lupus.

"A wha?" Archibald was visibly confused.

"A Vecroboan Lupus... A superior subspecies of the Canis Lupus that can thrive in colder climates."

"That's pretty cool."

"It possesses unique abilities, although not all are known."

They laboriously walked as they talked.

("Great, this world has their own Biology and its scientific names. Just great.")

"Hey, but it's not dangerous right?" Archibald asked.

"Not really, it's safe to keep for now I guess."

"Well," Archibald looked at the wolf, "We're in this mess because of you. So behave yourself... Lobo."

Then, Archibald pat the head of the creature.

He didn't notice it at the time, but a crest manifested on the back of his left hand and on Lobo's forehead.

Surely, this was because he named the creature.

"You're naming it Lobo?" Lamperogue inquired, ambivalently.

"Yeah, it shouldn't not have a name, so I decided to give it one."

"Which means you plan to keep it?"

"Nah, definitely not."

"Well, you shouldn't name magic beasts randomly, you might inadvertently form a contract with them."

"Crap! No one told me that!"

"It's fine, Vecroboanʼs don't have any magical properties."

They actually did. But, Lamperogue didn't know everything, he wasn't at fault either.

Still walking with every ounce of strength per step, Lamperogue said:

"Also, I'm not sure the wolf plans on leaving you so easily."

"You sure?"

"Just a guess."

As a result of the blizzard, Archibald couldn't see the puppy dog eyes the wolf gazed at him with.

Lobo had made up its mind to stay with him.

They were now in a contract after all.