Standing at the mouth of the cave, a man in silvery armor covering most of his body slowly turned around. His single step echoed through the quiet cave. Behind him, the sun's rays started climbing over the horizon, tinting the white snow in a golden blaze.
Two men stood by his side; they glanced at each other and nodded in unison. "Everyone wake up! It's time to go!" they shouted.
One by one, people covered in dirty white robes and thick hide cloaks started gathering around.
"We will arrive at the sanctuary in a few hours. Until then, stick close," Sev announced with confidence, scanning over the few dozen people, seemingly looking for someone.
Then he felt a hand press against his back. He gazed down at Max, who stood just beside him.
"Where were you?"
Max wiped his eyes with a yawn. "Sleeping. Why?"
Sev angrily yanked his hand away and whispered, making sure no one could hear them. "There's a problem… The glove. It's gone."
Max frowned. "I knew it wouldn't work. Did you really think he wouldn't kill it?" He exhaled slowly, trying to calm down. "Do you have another plan?"
Sev thought for a moment. "I might have something, but I need your help."
Max stared at him intensely before slowly nodding. "I really hope you know what you're doing."
Sev smirked. "I always do."
The wind blew quietly, picking up snow and carrying it a short distance, leaving the sky clear. The sun shone brightly, illuminating the white terrain as the group began to walk, leaving behind a deep trail in the snow.
Walking by Sev's side, Max asked, "So, will you tell me about this plan, or is it another one of those things I shouldn't know?"
Sev sighed, shaking his head. "I plan to use his sister as bait."
Max almost tripped over his own feet. "His sister? Since when does he have a sister?"
Confused, Sev glanced at Max. "I never told you?"
Max shook his head.
"Doesn't matter. What matters is that he's looking for her."
Staring ahead, Max coughed. "And what does that have to do with us? We don't know where she is."
A small grin formed on Sev's face, sending a shiver down Max's spine. "We don't have to. He just has to think we know."
Max frowned, staying quiet for a few moments. "Wouldn't that alienate him from us even more?"
Sev glanced at Max without turning his head and answered calmly, "It would."
"Isn't that going against what you wanted?" Max said, his voice a little too loud.
Sev frowned, looking back to see if anyone had heard, his expression menacing. He turned his attention back to Max, who was glancing from side to side as if scared.
"Sorry, but why change your approach? Why now?"
Breathing slowly, Sev answered, "Simply said, I'm out of options."
Max raised an eyebrow.
"Plus, I don't need him to trust me. I just need him to fight for me."
"What if he doesn't?" Max asked, slightly worried.
"He will. I'm sure he and Astrid are going to come to an understanding."
Max stayed quiet, his attention drifting back to the snowy plains before them. He noticed something moving in the distance, and as soon as he did, he turned back to Sev to warn him.
Sev nodded. "We're getting close," he muttered under his breath, white smoke rising into the air.
The thing moving in the distance drew nearer, its outline becoming clearer. It looked like a wall lined with hundreds of thin legs, throwing up snow as it advanced.
Hundreds of horrifying spider-like creatures sped toward the group, gaining speed as they moved.
"Prepare for a fight!" Sev shouted, dropping into a fighting stance.
The two men, Julian and Terry, flanked Sev on both sides, making sure to stand slightly behind him. Reaching for their weapons Julian pulled out a stone hatchet while Terry raised a bone mace.
Behind them, most of the people cowered, unsure of what to do. Some, however, stood facing the approaching monsters, each holding a small bone knife made from different monsters Astel had slain during their travels.
Sev glanced behind him, becoming slightly disappointed.
'Useless.'
His attention returned to the spiders, now only a few hundred meters away. Behind him, he could hear Max attempting to motivate the lost souls, but it was to no avail.
The monsters were too close. Each one looked to be as big as a small adult.
As the first spider lunged toward Sev with its front legs, it was caught—its limbs skillfully broken with a single swift move. Blue blood sprayed onto the white snow as the fight officially began.
Sev moved with precision, as if this was normal for him. Whenever he couldn't react in time or made a mistake, Max would jump in and strike down the monsters with his bone weapons. Together, they seemed untouchable.
However, the swarm was too large.
The spider beasts slipped between Sev, Max and the two bodyguards, charging for the weaker targets behind them. Hearing loud screams erupt from the rear, Sev realized what was happening.
"Go help them! I'll be fine!" he shouted at Max.
Max stood still staring at him before turning around and rushing back.
Sev grit his teeth, shouting at the top of his lungs as he tore the head off a spider, its many eyes still watching him as blue blood splashed across his shining armor. He hurled the head at another spider, blinding it, before smashing its skull in with a heavy strike.
He huffed, nearly out of breath. Even after killing so many, their numbers didn't seem to thin.
Catching a brief moment after kicking a spider away, he scanned his surroundings. Julian was nearly buried beneath the creatures. On the other side, Terry was running out of breath, covered in blood and looking moments away from collapsing.
Behind them, the lost souls had just killed another spider. As the fight dragged on, more people joined the effort—but that also meant more of them died.
With each body that fell, the fear among the survivors deepened. Some shook and cried, repeating the same phrase under their breath, over and over.
"Help me, please."
The situation was dire. Thirteen people stood at the front, fighting desperately, stepping over the bodies of both comrades and enemies. If it weren't for Max's invaluable support, they might have all been dead already.
Amidst the chaos, one spider managed to slip through. One of its limbs had been severed, its body drenched in blood—both blue and red. It sprinted toward a small child lying alone in the snow, head buried deep in the powder, arms covering their skull.
As the spider raised its sharp, thin leg, a man on the edge of fleeing noticed it. He hesitated, his gaze darting around, hoping someone else would act.
No one did.
His eyes snapped back to the child.
He pushed himself forward, then stopped. His body froze.
The spider's leg came down in a blur, impaling the child's head with a loud crack.
A shiver ran down the man's spine as he fell down and the spider turned toward him.
Before it could take a single step, another figure appeared.
Max slid beneath the spider, severing two more legs, then rose on the other side and drove a small knife straight through its head.
The creatures body fell lifelessly.
"Are you alright?" Max asked.
The words melted into the air.
"Are you alright?" Max asked again, now standing directly in front of him.
The man snapped out of his daze and nodded quickly.
Just as Max turned to leave, the man asked, his voice shaky and barely audible, "What… what about Jane?"
He pointed toward the small body in the snow.
Max glanced over. "Forget about it. We need to survive first before we worry about the dead."
He left without another word moving onto the closest monster.
At the front, white sparks burst from Sev's body as his armor began to crack and fall apart in several places, the existing holes widening by the second. A spider leapt onto him, nearly knocking him to the ground, as he wearily grabbed its fangs.
The creature hissed and squealed as its face was torn in half, blue blood spraying across Sev's face.
The last of the spiders finally died, bringing silence back to the empty, bloody, snowy expanse.