Scarlet Snow

"AWW!" Lucas screamed.

"Stay still." Rowan coldly said.

"Could you do it a bit--- AW! God, Why does it hurt so mu--- OW!" Lucas groaned.

Rowan's fingers dug deeper into Lucas' shoulderblades as he pulled on his arm.

"Stay still." Rowan repeated, a faint tinge of happines in his voice could be heard as he tormented Lucas.

"Sadistic f--- OW!" Lucas groaned once again.

"Rowan really is a merciless fiend..." Milly mumbled nearby as she dug snow and made a snow cave where she piled their equipment on.

"Done. Your strength should return soon." Rowan finally released Lucas.

"The hell kind of massage was that?" Lucas had felt all of his strength leave his body.

"It was painful since your body is stiff all over from the cold and lying in bed for the most of the four months." Rowan said as he strapped up his gear, consisting of multiple knives, a number of wooden spears, a few ropes and a bow with a few arrows.

"Leave me be dammit." Lucas clutched his aching back. "You off to hunt?"

"Yes, after I secure the area." Rowan spoke as he picked up more stuff, like a few torches and firewood.

Rowan then set off into the further wilderness with a trail of footprints following him.

Lucas had no intention to follow him and instead helped Peter, the village carpenter, in creating a makeshift staircase from the underground village towards the surface.

"It's good you survived, Lucas." Peter said with a gruff, his humid breath creating puffs of steam in the cold air.

"Yes..." Lucas rubbed his neck. "Pretty damn lucky indeed."

The snow that fell on top of him had been a good 13 feet or so thick, Lucas was lucky that the snow broke down as it fell on him making it less clumped and allowing him to climb up instead of crushing him underneath.

"Old man Grey would have lost his only apprentice and would probably sulk in a corner the rest of spring if you died." Peter said as his gray hairs glistened like snow. "We're not young anymore, lad. We can't have our sucessors dying on us."

"What do you mean not young anymore, master?" A young man came to the staircase to bring wood chimed in. "I would like to remind you that you are still 36, master."

"Shut up, Jack. Let me have my moment." Peter's eye twitched at the mention of his apprentice carpenter.

"You two get along well as usual." Lucas said, remembering his old mentor Grey who was strugging with the cold. Hopefully he could recover so that he can teach Lucas more to blacksmithing.

After the staircase was finished, Lucas grabbed a shovel and began walking towards the snow covered forests.

He noticed a figure in the horizon dragging a sled carrying a number of creatures.

'Dang, Rowan has been doing some work.' Lucas thought.

Luke made his way to Rowan to offer some help, the rackets on his feet thudding against the snow, sinking a few inches.

"Need some help?" Lucas asked.

Lucas glanced at the creatures Rowan had already caught.

A number of snow worms, a dozen of Winter bugs, a basket of hazy-shrooms and a handful of Frosty herbs.

"Wanna help?" Rowan chuckled. "Dig the snow till you reach the bottom."

Rowan then proceeded to pick up a torch and a meaty snow worm half his size, slung it behind him and walked across the massive plain.

Luke did not object anymore and just started shovelling snow.

Soon, Jack and Milly came to help in digging snow.

Although Rowan's instruction seemed quite pointless, they all knew what was at the bottom of the snow in this particular spot.

There was a frozen lake beneath all the snow and in this spot in particular, exists a small geysyer spewing out hot water.

The water around would then maintain normal temperature as if there was never a four month blizzard and fishes and other creatures could survive.

"Damn, this is really tiring..." Milly wiped her forehead as she panted, her red cheeks and nose a stark contrast to her pale skin.

"You had barely dug out anything." Jack pointed out. "If Rowan was here he would be on you with a number of mean comments."

"Rowan's just an asshat in general." Milly rolled her eyes. "Just because he was the first one to finish his apprenticeship he's being all arrogant and cocky."

"Indeed. After I finish our apprenticeship then I would not build him a house." Jack nodded, satisfied with himself.

"Shall we take a break for now?" Lucas asked the two.

"Yes... Please, I'm dying..." Milly sank to the ground wheezing.

"Milly, do not push yourself." Jack pat her in the back. "We all know your body is wea-"

"I'm fine. I'm not weak... I'm not..weak." Milly mumbled more to herself than to others.

"Sure, sure..." Jack sighed.

"I'll go fetch some water. I'm sure there's some freshly boiled snow in the mess hall." Lucas said as he made his exit from the pit they dug.

Lucas made his way over to the mess hall and was greeted by the sight of more than 30 villagers having their meals, the hall was warm because of all the people gathered and the small braiziers lined at the middle provided warmth for everyone.

Lucas walked towards the kitchen and asked for a few cups of warm water.

Lucas drank the warm water from the melted snow and enjoyed the warmth. It might have been snow but it had been boiled already and was enough to warm him up.

"Lucas!" A woman called out to him. "How are you holding up?"

A young woman with auburn red hair approached Lucas from the crowd of villagers. She was obviously not native to the village as she was rather well dressed compared to the tattered clothes of the village women.

"Betty?" Lucas asked, surprised. "Why are you here? Aren't you supposed to be in Dwenson stronghold?"

"I wanted to leave as soon as I could." Betty shrugged. "Knights over there pay good coin for a night but they treat us like pieces of meat. Look..."

Betty raised her skirt a bit and showed the countless bruises on her legs, which looked like bruises from hands rather than a blunt weapon or a whip.

"Betty..." Lucas gazed at her with a complicated look.

Betty was also a childhood friend of Lucas together with Rowan. Betty's parents were merchants and Betty grew up in Lucas' parents' house. Rowan was basically that kid in the neighborhood that was practically everywhere and nowhere at the same time but he occasionally brought back some game in Lucas' house in exchange for small coin.

However, Betty's parents died in a fire during the Wrath of the Sun god, which occured very rarely but left the land scorched and riddled with ash and coal. Since then, a group of people came by and said that Betty had to pay her parents' debt and was sold to a brothel when she was still 8.

"It's fine Lucas." Betty wore a sad smile on her face. "I mean, I already paid the debt but..."

Betty had spent 3 years training in the brothel and the next 5 years paying off her debt. However, even if she had already paid her debt, as a woman that had slept with many men, she could not marry.

In Wyndfall Kingdom, women were not able to work unless they were, optimistically speaking, nuns. All else were slaves or prostitutes. Because of such, women had to rely on their husbands to earn a living.

"Then how about going to Medde and sailing to Alrift Kingdom?" Lucas proposed. "Rowan and I can help you get coi---"

"Wyndfall has been at war with Alrift since the last two years. Wyndfall has siezed all ports and the border has been strengthened." Betty laughed at her hopelessness. "I guess I'll just be a filthy woman the rest of my life..."

"Don't be like that." Lucas gave her a hug. "You're practically a sister to Rowan and me. We'll take care of you."

"Thats good to hear but I won't be staying for long." Betty sighed. "I'm here to tell you that 'll be heading to Wyndshire City."

"What?! What will you do in the capital?" Lucas gasped.

"I'm going to try to be a concubine." Betty said with downcast eyes. "I don't want to be a burden to you or Rowan."

"Betty, think about this clearly!" Lucas begged her. "Please reconsider! Rowan and I do not mind supporting you! Besides, who knows what those nobles will do to you!"

"I..." Betty looked away. "I- I'll think about it."

Lucas breathed a sigh of relief.

After Betty had left, Lucas downed another mug of warm water.

He still can't believe betty would not stay with them and would rather risk her life for such a bleak future of being some noble's convenient woman. Lucas would of course not allow it, Betty was a precious member of his family and he would rather tie her up than to watch her go.

He grabbed two more wooden mugs of the steaming liquid and took it with him outside.

"Here you go." Lucas handed out the mugs to the still wheezing Milly and Jack who was continuing to dig.

"Thank you." Jack said as he recieved his mug.

"What took you so long damnit." Milly wheezed.

Lucas sighed as he watched the two enjoy the warm water.

He gazed into the horizon trying to find Rowan but soon saw a massive sled being drawn by two Winter Bison.

Lucas knew that Winter Bisons were exclusively used by nobles and military only, as they were a massive source of labor for the war effort and were luxurious mounts.

He immediately beckoned Milly and Jack to come out of the pit and headed to the underground village to bring them news.

The village immediately stirred, this was the first time that Winter Bisons ever came to their village in the outskirts and thus they did not know what to do.

Soon, the village Chief arrived to control the scene and told everyone to assemble outside and figure out what the approaching caravan wanted from them.

Lucas went out, Milly and Jack were behind him but he could not get a glimpse of Rowan or Betty anywhere.

There were 38 of them that formed a line outside their underground village. There was supposed to be 49 villagers in the line but Lucas figured out that they were probably the sick and the hunters and woodcutters that were missing.

The sled carrige arrived together with the six pairs of thumping feet from the two massive Winter Bison that was dragging the carrige.

The carrige came to a halt when the reins connected to the rings that were pierced into the two Winter Bisons' nose were drawn taut.

The carrige beared an insignia of a gold and a white bird crossing each other in front of the shield with a sun on top, which was the insignia of the Wyndfall Kingdom. Lucas therefore assumed that this was the military that came here, making him worry.

The nobles of Dwenson stronghold occasionally came by in fall to capture the pretty village women to use them as maids and convenient women in winter. In which case the women of the village would set off to Medde to seek asylum in the Church of the Sun God, of course, only after paying a hefty 'Donation' to the Church.

However, the military never came here ever since the village was built 9 years ago.

Lucas forced his nervousness down his throat as the carrige opened, revealing a heavily clad knight with all kinds of fur coats. The knight descended and out came five armed soldiers with him.

The Knight then spoke in a loud clear voice.

"I am Sir Koelhar von Reveris of Dwenson Stronghold! Captain of the 3rd regiment under the name of Duke Rimmenwolfe von Claris IV."

"With the power vested upon me by his Lordship, the Royal family and the Holy and Merciful Church of the Sun God, I come to spread the good news of redemption!"

"As you all may know, the Wrath of the Sun God had befallen us last year, which was caused by the Kingdom of heretics, the Alrift Kingdom!"

"In order to avoid the Wrath of the Sun God, we must bring purge by Holy Fire to the heretics in Alrift to bring joy and appease the Great Sun God!"

Lucas did not like where this is going and glanced at the other five soldiers who were slowly encircling them. One of the soldiers stood at the entrance of the underground village, most likely to block them from entering their underground stronghold.

'Crap. This isn't good...'

"Thus! The Great Sun God has given us the oppurtunity to redeem ourselves by fighting against the heretics of the Alrift Kingdom!"

The Knight was still speaking.

"NOW!" The Knight pointed at all the villagers. "Which one of you volunteer to fight against the kingdom of heretics?!"

'He's here to conscript soldiers huh...'

"Step forth! All you faithful children of the Sun God!" The Knight raised his hand.

Nobody stepped up. In fact, everyone wanted to step back.

"Perhaps these children need more persuation." The knight's hand fell from the air and rested to the sword on his hip.

Suddenly the five guards stabbed the closest villager and beheaded them mercilessly. The villagers immediately tried to scatter but were caught between the guards.

"If no one shall 'Volunteer' then all you shall be seen as heretics in the eyes of the Great Sun God!" The Knight declared as he drew his sword.

"P-Please! No!"

"Mercy!"

"M-Milord I have a child!"

The villagers started to kneel and beg but were still beheaded by the knight.

In the confusion, everyone was split apart, screams and cries of the villagers and children only added up to the carnage.

"LUCAS!" Someone called out.

Lucas turned around to see Jack and Milly heading into the entrance of the Underground village.

"COME ON!" Milly called out to him.

Lucas remembered the guard that stayed at the entrance and paled.

"JACK! MILLY! STOP!" Lucas screamed at the top of his lungs but was too late.

As Jack was about to climb down the staircase to the village, a spearhead pierced his chest, blood oozed down his clothes and red snow appeared beneath him.

The soldier pushed him away and drew his sword, advancing towards Milly.

Milly was still in shock and fell down, trying to wriggle back but the rackets in her feet only dug deeper into the thick snow.

The soldier raised his sword in the air and aimed at Milly, who closed her eyes in fright.

Lucas could almost see the blade swing down and chop off Milly's head when he realized the soldier wasn't moving anymore.

Instead, the soldier fell to the side, with an arrow lodged to the socket of his eye, piercing through his head.

Lucas only realized that the soldier was dead when the snow turned red beneath the body.

The other soldiers immediately noticed this and looked around for the attacker.

Just as Lucas saw him, Rowan was already aiming his second arrow.

The soldiers rushed towards Rowan's position and temporarily abandoned their manslaughter.

Rowan shot another guard, knocking him down. The arrow had unfortunately not pierced the guard's iron armor.

As the other three guards approached him, Rowan started to throw spears, each one landing with deadly accuracy into the soldiers' chests, unfortunately, the wooden spears cannot pierce the wrought Iron armor and simply knocked the soldiers down, slowing their advance.

Lucas finally realized Rowan's intention to hold off the guards and called out to the surviving villagers.

"Retreat to the Village!" Lucas called out.

Upon hearing Lucas' call, the villagers had noticed that they were not surrounded anymore and went off to hide in the village.

When everyone was inside, Lucas was headed back out.

"Are you insane?!" Peter stopped him. "Come back here so we can close the door!"

"Close the door and don't wait for me." Lucas replied as he picked up the fallen soldier's spear. "I can't leave Rowan alone."

When Lucas ran back to the scene, he saw the Knight grasp the air in front of him.

Tongues of flame swirled at the Knight's fingertips and slowly converged to become a swirling flame.

Magic.

Lucas had never seen it before but he had heard infinite tales of it's power.

Lucas immediately called out.

"ROWAN!" Lucas warned.

The fire then shot off the palm of the knight and headed towards Rowan. A swirling arrow of fire whizzed through the air as it travelled the distance in less than a second. The arrow of fire flew straight, the tongues of fire lashing out to the sides behind it.

Rowan nimbly stepped to the side and used his cloak to deflect the flames, causing everyone to raise their eyebrows in surprise.

Rowan had dealt against magic with extreme calmness as if it was normal.

"Interesting." The Knight grinned. "Bring him alive!"

Lucas heard this and charged at the Knight, he would simply sit by and watch them beat up Rowan.

"OVER MY DEAD BODY!" Lucas cried out as he charged at the Knight with a raised spear.

The knight stepped to the side and grabbed the spear with his left hand before pulling Lucas in and smashing his face with the hilt of his sword.

Lucas grit his teeth and grabbed the knight's hand, letting go of the spear and twisting his body to the side allowing his back to press against the knight's chest while grabbing his sword hand.

He bent his body forwards, causing the knight to be thrown to the ground in a perfectly executed overhead throw.

'Never thought all those days Brawling with Rowan could help me...'

The knight, however, grabbed his hand and pulled him down with him. Lucas was about to fall on top of the knight when a huge gauntleted fist smashed him in the abdomen, knocking the air out of his lungs.

Lucas wheezed, trying to gasp for air but his diaphragm had gone stiff from pain and wasn't cooperating.

The Knight slowly got up and kicked him in the face, causing Lucas to lurch to the side.

Lucas' vision was getting darker, his conciousness threatening to leave him.

He saw from the corner of his eyes how Rowan fought against three fully armed soldiers with an iron knife but was overpowered in the end and the back of his head was smacked with the shaft of a spear.

Lucas wanted to crawl to Rowan and see if he was alright but his hand was stepped on by an armored boot with a bloody, broken racket beneath it.

Lucas' vision finally went dark, the last of his conciousness had left him and the cold had crept over his body.

The last thing he saw was the snow beneath his head.

"Scarlet.... Snow..." He mumbled before fading into silence.