The Paladin in the Abyss

"Priest? A priest of Solheim?" Old Reap's voice sounded quite surprised, "I've never heard of a priest serving the god of the Frost Giants, how could..."

No one could answer his question, and at the same time, the situation below had changed. On the side closer to the group, some better-equipped Frost Giants had slain five enemies at the cost of two companions. Though still outnumbered, they had managed to encircle their opponents.

The minions of Kostcheqi were crowded together in a tight space, frequently injuring their comrades with their weapons due to the cramped conditions, not to mention they were at a clear disadvantage in terms of equipment. Accompanied by the priest Sikoude's suddenly urgent tone, both sides fought more fiercely, with Giants continually falling and the abundant blood even melting the snow on the ground.

Only after the full-scale melee began did the female Frost Giant priest reveal her true strength. Despite wearing no armor, no enemy could strike her, and her lightning-releasing battle axe always managed to send her opponents flying out, creating even more chaos.

When Sikoude, who was loyal to the Abyssal Lord, was felled by a giant rock, the battle ended with avalanche-like speed. Some Frost Giants attempted to surrender to their heretical kin, but what met them were fatal heavy blows. Once the dust had settled, seven Frost Giants still stood tall on the blood-red snowfield. They surrounded the blonde female Giant, pointing their weapons to the sky and uttering thunderous roars to celebrate the victory.

"What a splendid fight," Bruto seemed a bit overwhelmed by the roar, "Big brother, do you want to go up and meet them? These Giants are almost drained, launching a surprise attack now might have..."

"There are seven Giants down there, if I get slightly held up for a moment, some of you are surely going to suffer!" Lancelot glared at the Dwarf, "Besides, what good would killing them do? There's completely no need to engage in battle."

"A dead Giant is a good Giant, it's always been that way," Bruto shrugged, "But I was just saying. I'll listen to you, of course."

"Then stay quiet and wait until they've moved away before we leave," Lancelot slightly raised his voice, making sure everyone could hear him, "We're likely to encounter more fights like this, but our principle is to focus on our own tasks first and avoid getting caught up in the Frost Giants' battles."

"Understood!"

Everyone nodded in agreement, including the young Dwarf who always craved battle. Meanwhile, the surviving Frost Giants below had finished cleaning up the battlefield. They took weapons and armors from their fallen comrades' bodies and started moving in a direction away from the group.

But just then, the female Frost Giant at the front of the group suddenly turned her head, looking in Lancelot's direction. The other Giants also looked back in confusion but seemed to detect nothing and turned again toward the female, asking her something, to which she just shook her head and motioned for the group to continue moving forward.

As she walked, she looked back once more. Despite the great distance, Lancelot was sure, those deep blue eyes of hers were looking straight at him.

"Did that female Frost Giant spot us?" murmured Alamir, who also had exceptional vision, "Her gaze just now was so peculiar, full of hostility, yet it seemed like she had something to negotiate with us…"

"Did you see that wrong?" the Dwarf habitually questioned the Elves, "The snowflakes on your head are half an inch thick. From such a distance, that Giant couldn't have seen anything."

"I'm afraid that was not an illusion." Lancelot gently shook his head, "I have a premonition that we will see her again in the future."

"Well, if you say so, it's probably true." The Dwarf shrugged indifferently, "Her tricks may work well against other Frost Giants, but I'm not afraid of her. If she dares to come looking for trouble, I'd be more than happy to teach her a lesson."

"We'll see when the time comes." Lancelot said noncommittally, turning to old Reap, "How much further to the homeland of the Frost Giants?"

"At most another half hour, and we will have completely left the hills and entered the plains," old Reap replied with certainty while taking out a map and spreading it on the ground, "Which way should we go next? Continue moving forward until we reach Gjollgard Fortress, or turn right to the Gate of Stroddet?"

"My idea is to head to the Gate of Stroddet first and assess the situation at the Portal entrance to gauge the state of the Frost Giant guards on this plane," Lancelot's finger tapped on the whirlpool-shaped symbol on the map representing the Portal, then moved downward, "Then we will head south to Gjollgard Fortress to see what the situation is like at the fortress that holds the Solheim brothers, and whether we have a chance to tamper with it and release the prisoners inside."

"Don't count on him being grateful to us," Bruto frowned, "Giants are both selfish and arrogant. Even if you helped him regain his freedom, he'd probably think that was something you were supposed to do anyway and won't remember your kindness."

"I don't need a Frost Giant's gratitude," Lancelot shrugged indifferently, "but I guess he'll take the opportunity while Kostcheqi is not home to vent his long-imprisoned rage on those Frost Giants loyal to Kostcheqi, which will be helpful for us to complete our mission."

"Sounds like a good plan, but the Frost Giants who came from the higher plane never took over this place. Do we really stand a chance?"

"Androlina's Aira have been fighting the Mother of Demons for so many years and haven't even touched the door of Bone Castle. Won't we accomplish a great feat the moment we take action?" Lancelot said with a confident smile on his face, "There must be a way to breach that fortress, it's just a matter of whether we can find it. But even if we do find a way, there's no need to rush into action; let's get a clear picture of the rest of the locations first."

"Where do we go after that?" Kalalin asked curiously, "Do we turn northwest and keep going until we reach Kostcheqi's Glacial Fortress?"

"No, we will go west from Gjollgard Fortress to Volsdtad, the meeting place of the Frost Giant chiefs, and then enter the mountains to scout the den of the White Dragon Svafnir, to see what kind of guard it has left for its lair," Lancelot's finger traced a crescent arc on the map, "Afterwards, we'll turn northeast to the final destination of our journey—Glacial Fortress. What we're looking for is inside, amidst the treasure plundered by the Prince of Wrath over countless centuries."

The Frost Giants had already walked far away, Lancelot slapped the snowflakes off himself, stood up, and with a contemplative look from the others, he said aloud:

"We have already seen that White Dragon that's like a watchdog in the Temple of Moradin. There are countless Guards inside the fortress, and sneaking in will indeed be no easy task, but I believe in the capabilities of everyone here. As long as we're united, we'll definitely find a way to break through that damned fortress and retrieve Bruto's great-great-great-grandfather's armor!"