Esmeria

Near the outer edge of the Almany Kingdom's territory lies Angurn Village, a settlement plagued by a relentless hailstorm that has persisted for months. At the village's outskirts, nestled among the harsh, frozen landscape, is a small cave formed entirely of snow.

Inside the cave, Indienee sat huddled around a flickering campfire, trying desperately to keep warm. Her metal dress armor, while providing some protection, did little to ward off the biting cold.

"Hoh~" Indienee exhaled, rubbing her hands together in a futile attempt to stave off the chill. "I can’t keep using my prosthetic limb to generate heat. My mana will deplete too quickly... This place is just too cold," she thought, her brow furrowing with concern.

She glanced at the scattered Snaegulvar corpses outside the cave, nearly buried beneath the snow from the relentless hailstorm. "If only I had a wagon, I could gather their corpses and sell them. Their fur is highly resistant to ice—what a waste..." She sighed, contemplating the missed opportunity.

"The Snaegulvars are such a hassle to deal with. Defeat one, and more just keep coming. I can't afford to waste my mana fighting them endlessly!" she thought, frustration evident in her mind.

Suddenly, a haunting howl echoed through the area, signaling the arrival of more Snaegulvars.

“Not again! How many of them are there?” Indienee frowned, her irritation growing.

Stepping out of the cozy cave, she faced a pack of Snaegulvars ready to attack. The creatures, resembling a horde of white wolves with glowing red eyes, had their claws reinforced with ice shards through dark magic, making them even more formidable.

With a determined expression, Indienee raised her prosthetic arm and summoned her Lightning Blade. A crackling blade of lightning materialized, its energy dancing in the frigid air. She charged forward, the lightning crackling as she swung at the nearest Snaegulvar. The wolf recoiled from the electrifying attack, but the pack quickly closed in, their coordinated movements amplifying their threat.

One of the Snaegulvars lunged at her with ice-clad claws aimed for her throat. Indienee sidestepped and unleashed a [Shock Blast] from her hand. The bolt of lightning surged through the air, striking the wolf and sending it sprawling. The other Snaegulvars hesitated momentarily, giving her a brief respite.

Realizing the need for a different approach, Indienee shifted her stance and activated her Fire Blade. The blade ignited with intense heat, cutting through the icy barriers of the Snaegulvars’ claws and leaving trails of fire. The wolves howled and snarled as the fire seared their ice-clad limbs, but their magical regeneration, aided by the persistent hailstorm, was swift.

The battle raged on, with Snaegulvars attacking in relentless waves. Indienee moved with precision, her elemental fury a blend of lightning and fire. Each swing of her blade and burst of lightning was meticulously timed to maximize damage and keep the pack at bay. She used her [Shock Blast] to disrupt their formations and her Fire Blade to breach their defenses and burn them back.

Despite their resilience and pack tactics, the Snaegulvars were no match for Indienee’s skill and determination. With each strike of her lightning and fire, the pack began to falter. Finally, with a decisive swing of her Lightning Blade, she cut down the last of the Snaegulvars, their bodies collapsing into the snow.

Breathing heavily, Indienee surveyed the aftermath of the battle. The once-menacing pack lay still, their icy claws rendered useless against her relentless assault. The hailstorm continued to fall, but she stood victorious, her prosthetic arm still crackling with the residual energy of her lightning attacks.

“Hah~,” Indienee sighed, looking over the aftermath. “I really dislike these Snaegulvars. And now, I still need to figure out how to get past this...”

She turned her attention to the imposing wall of hailstorm nearby. Its icy surface shimmered ominously, having created a nearly impenetrable barrier. She knew she had to find a way through or around it to continue her journey.

“ACHOOOOOO!!!” A loud sneeze echoed from nearby, catching Indienee off guard. The drawn-out sound revealed the presence of another before it even appeared.

“Why are you here?” Indienee asked, narrowing her eyes in suspicion.

“Leeeet’s plaaaay!” A mischievous Jack Frost leaped out from beneath the snow, grinning widely.

“Did you follow me all the way here from Frosthorn Mountain?” she asked, her tone a mix of annoyance and curiosity.

“Thaaaat’s riiiiiiiightt!” Jack Frost replied, its voice full of playful mischief.

“I’m surprised you didn’t get attacked by the Snaegulvars,” Indienee remarked, raising an eyebrow.

“I aaaaam gooooood at hiiiding! Heeeeheeee!” Jack Frost giggled, hopping around joyfully.

“Doesn’t seem that way, considering you gave yourself away with that sneeze,” Indienee thought, letting out a resigned sigh.

“Anyway, I can’t play with you now. I need to get through that wall of hailstorm,” Indienee said firmly.

“Leeeet’s goooo theeeeen!” Jack Frost chimed in, unfazed by her urgency.

“I can’t get past that. I’m not made of ice,” Indienee replied with a sigh, feeling the weight of the challenge ahead.

“It’s okaaaaay! Follooooow meeee!” Jack Frost giggled, hopping joyfully toward the wall of hailstorm.

As Jack Frost reached the edge of the hailstorm, it immediately began digging into the snow.

“Wait... don’t tell me you’re planning to dig an underground tunnel all the way past that wall of hailstorm...?” Indienee asked incredulously.

“Yoooooou beetchaaaa!” Jack Frost chirped, a mischievous grin on its face.

Indienee sighed, resigning herself to the situation. “I guess this is better than having no solution at all,” she thought.

“Let’s dig together, then. It’ll be faster,” she suggested.

“Okaaaaaay~ heeeeheeeee~” Jack Frost giggled, and together, they began digging into the ground, carving out a tunnel beneath the storm.

In the town of Angurn, encased by towering walls of hailstorms, the interior was eerily calm. Most houses were completely encased in ice, their exteriors gleaming softly in the muted light, while others were only partially frozen—a stark reminder of the relentless storm raging outside.

A young girl, clad in a woolen tunic and a fur-lined cloak designed for both warmth and durability, worked diligently in the frostbitten field. Her blonde hair fell loosely around her shoulders, partially covered by a snug woolen hat. Despite the simplicity of her attire, it was perfectly suited to the harsh climate, with its earthy tones blending seamlessly with the snow-covered landscape. The hat’s fabric, like the rest of her clothing, was both practical and protective.

Despite the solitude of her task, she labored with unwavering determination. A sudden wave of lightheadedness almost made her faint, but she pressed on, fueled by her resolve.

"I need to be stronger so I can take care of Mutti and Vatti!" she thought, her determination sharpening her focus.

After harvesting a modest portion of crops, she carefully gathered them and made her way back to her house, her steps steady but weary from the effort.

Entering the kitchen, she placed the freshly harvested crops on the counter before heading to one of the rooms in the house. Inside, two elderly figures lay encased in ice, their forms preserved in an unyielding frost. "I’m back, Mutti, Vatti!" she said softly, leaning in to kiss the cold surface of the ice that encased her parents.

With a heavy heart, she returned to the kitchen to prepare a simple meal for herself. As she slowly ate, her mind weighed heavily with thoughts of her dire situation.

"I need to find a way out of this village... to get help for Mutti and Vatti," she mused, the gravity of her predicament pressing down on her. "And I’m running out of food. What if I get stuck here forever and die? Mutti and Vatti would be trapped here too!" Panic began to seep into her thoughts, the harsh reality of her isolation sinking in. She sighed deeply and rested her head on the table in resignation.

After a moment of despondency, her gaze fell upon a corner of the room cluttered with broken pots and pans. She picked up the undamaged pieces and strapped them to her body, determined to try again.

"I’m going to attempt to breach the wall of hailstorm once more!" she declared with renewed resolve, lightly slapping her cheeks to fortify her spirit.

Approaching the edge of the village, she stood before the imposing wall of swirling ice and wind. Taking a deep breath and puffing out her chest, she steeled herself for the challenge ahead. With grim determination, she stepped into the storm’s icy embrace.

Immediately, a relentless barrage of ice shards pelted her. The pots and pans strapped to her body offered only minimal protection, barely deflecting the harsh assault. Some shards pierced through the metal, slicing into her skin.

"Ugh... I have to keep moving forward!" she grunted through gritted teeth, battling the wind and the relentless ice shards that battered her from all directions. Each step was a struggle against the storm’s overwhelming force. Despite her best efforts, the storm’s fury proved too great, and she was eventually hurled back into the village, landing heavily on the ground.

"Sigh, another failed attempt..." she muttered with frustration, still lying in the snow. She slammed her fist into the ground, venting her anger at her repeated failures to breach the hailstorm.

"Mutti... Vatti..." she whispered, tears streaming down her cheeks as she mourned her parents. The weight of her helplessness settled heavily on her—if she couldn’t escape the village, she would never save them or embrace them again.

Feeling lightheaded once more, she slowly rose and wobbled back to her house, exhaustion pulling at her every step. Inside, she untied the strings of the broken pots and pans, letting them fall into a corner of the room. Without another word, she collapsed onto her bed, drifting into a restless, troubled sleep.

On the opposite side of the hailstorm, directly across from where Indienee was, lay a temporary camp established by the Almany soldiers. Inside one of the camp's tents, a man in his twenties with neatly pulled-back hair was seated at a desk, diligently working on paperwork.

"Lieutenant Falkmar, the suits designed for crossing the hailstorm are complete!" a soldier reported, standing at attention and saluting the Second Lieutenant of the Almany Kingdom and the commanding officer of this exploration platoon.

The soldiers wore light blue military attire tailored for cold-climate warfare. While their uniforms offered some degree of warmth, they were largely inadequate against the harsh conditions of the relentless hailstorm. The constant barrage of icy elements rendered their specialized gear nearly ineffective at keeping them warm.

Despite their discomfort, the soldiers did not complain. They were trained to be disciplined and to prioritize the well-being of their kingdom above all else, even their own lives.

"Finally. It's about time we uncover what this hailstorm is hiding," Falkmar replied, his voice brimming with anticipation. "We'll attempt to cross the wall as soon as it weakens. Stay vigilant—the timing is unpredictable."

Stepping out of his tent at the base near Angurn, Falkmar surveyed the ominous wall of swirling ice that loomed before him, its icy tendrils stretching high into the sky. "What are the latest updates on the Snaegulvars' behavior? They seem unusually drawn to whatever lies within that storm."

"Lieutenant Falkmar, the Snaegulvars are still intermittently trying to breach the hailstorm and have been launching attacks against our forces. However, they’re no match for our current weaponry," the soldier responded with confidence.

His expression grew serious as he added, "However, our supplies are dwindling, and the supply convoy is significantly delayed. At this rate, we only have enough provisions to last two weeks at most, even if we strictly ration our food."

"We have a week to uncover what’s inside the hailstorm," Falkmar said resolutely. "We must conserve enough rations for the return journey to the capital. In the worst-case scenario, if we have to abandon this mission, it will reflect poorly on us, and the entire platoon could face severe consequences."

"I hope it doesn’t come to that. You’re dismissed," Falkmar concluded, turning and striding back to his tent.

"Yes, sir!" the soldier replied, nodding sharply before quickly hurrying off to begin the preparations for crossing the perilous hailstorm.