Chapter 6: When Do the Dead Remain Cowards?

The second specter stealthily emerged from behind a tree, almost identical to the first, as if Aeg couldn't distinguish between them, much like some Westerners with facial recognition issues. Then came the third, the fourth... Aeg's heart sank swiftly into his stomach as he saw the fifth pale figure in his peripheral vision. "What's wrong here? Shouldn't there only be one?"

Wait, there should only be a chance for someone to kill Weimar, but why are there several of them now? There was no time to ponder if the story he had been transported into was deviating from the plot or if his memory was failing. He now had a more urgent choice before him. If there were only one or two specters, he might have mustered the courage to face them with the dragonglass dagger, but now, with the number of enemies outnumbering his own, how could he kill all those magical creatures with a simple dragonglass dagger? Impossible!

(Would he become a hero for a few seconds and then fall into this dark corner of the shadowy forest to be resurrected by the specters and become part of their army of the dead, or...?)

In less than half a second, Aeg made a decision. He halted his steps towards Weimar and, without hesitation, turned around and bolted, not only out of a sense of morality or to feel better about himself but also to warn Gary, who was watching over the horses not far away. The moment he turned, he yelled, "Don't come close, run!"

"Coward," the furious cry of the young noble resonated behind Aeg, mixed with the whistling of his sword slicing through the air. Royce was already too close to the strangers ahead, with no time, no space, and no intention of turning back and fleeing. Forged steel clashed against the semi-transparent weapon in the specter's hands, but instead of shattering as Weimar had imagined, it emitted a sharp sound approaching the limit of human hearing, high and thin, like the distressed wails of an animal.

The other specters did not intervene, remaining as spectators, unconcerned about the outcome of the battle. One of them glanced towards the figure retreating from Aeg and said something with a shrill voice that Aeg didn't understand but clearly had a specific meaning. Another nodded slightly and raised its weapon to pursue the fugitive.

...

Behind him, the sharp sound of collisions like crystal reverberated time and time again, causing the crows to take flight among the trees, and in a matter of seconds, into Royce's furious roar of "Long live King Robert!" turned into sharp bursts like bottles shattering, followed by the agonized screams of the young noble.

Aeg didn't turn back but quickened his pace.

The pounding of his blood echoed in his eardrums and soul, making it difficult to hear the sounds from outside. Whether before or after his journey, he had never been so close to death. These creatures behind him were more terrifying than the most ruthless assassins or the most brutal terrorists; their sole purpose was to kill him, to use his body to strengthen their growing army of the dead. It was a struggle between ice and fire, life and death for dominion over this world, with no room to maneuver, no respite.

The armor he wore, the animal skins over his shoulders, and the sword in his hand... everything felt so heavy as he ran desperately. He almost forced himself to drop the weapon. Escaping to survive was different from fleeing in terror with head in hands.

Running with all his might left his brain slightly deprived of oxygen, and the young noble's harrowing screams echoed in the night forest, blending with Aeg's heartbeat and breath, making him feel like everything around him was becoming blurry. Was he dreaming again? Perhaps, when he woke up, he would find himself still lying in his bed at the Black Crow Inn, sweat-soaked sheets.

There was a layer of snow on the ground, puddles of water beneath the snow, rocks... when he came, he could proceed carefully, but now, who had time for that? In his dizziness, he stepped on a round stone and lost balance instantly. The ground rushed towards him, growing rapidly in his eyes, and he crashed quite unpleasantly, hitting his face against the roots and the accumulated snow.

In an instant, his entire past unfolded before him like slides of a slideshow, from childhood games to school, work, finding a girlfriend, preparing to establish his own family, and right at this moment, he had been transported to this cursed world and, by chance or not, was patrolling with Weimar Royce, the fool, at this crucial moment, had stumbled and fallen. Was he destined to die today?

After becoming a night guard, would he once again be the first corpse pierced by a specter? What irony...

Boom! A loud noise snapped him out of his thoughts, and although he had quickly recalled his life, only a second had actually passed since his face hit the ground. The snow cushioned his fall but also dampened the impact of his face against the ground, so although his face hurt, he didn't suffer serious injuries.

Aeg felt he still had a chance at salvation; he struggled to get up and immediately located the source of the noise: in the direction he had been running, lodged in a pine tree, was an ice sword wrapped in a soft blue glow, reflecting the moonlight in a eerie and terrifying manner. The sword was embedded in the tree with such force that almost half a meter of it was buried in the trunk.

(If he hadn't stumbled, that beautiful magical weapon would have impaled me on the tree by now!)

A moment ago, Aeg had been crestfallen by his fall, but now he felt grateful as never before. Aeg thanked the Old Gods, the Seven, the Lord of Light, the Many-Faced God, or any other chaotic god that might exist... he swore that if he managed to return alive to the Wall, when he was well established, he would erect magnificent statues for each god in Westeros and across the world of Ice and Fire.

But for now, he had to seize the opportunity his accidental fall had given him. Aeg rose with determination and, without hesitation, seized the sword, ready to face his pursuer. However, instead of challenging the specter with the temptation of a counterattack, Aeg realized he didn't know if the specter had other tricks up its sleeve, and besides, even if he could kill that specter, there were more waiting on the hill after they finished with Weimar Royce.

Compared to the temptation to kill a specter, he valued his own life more.

He glanced at the tree where the ice sword was lodged and realized he didn't have the strength to pull it out. Instead, he held the steel sword before him for a moment, but ultimately suppressed the urge to "counterattack": he didn't know if the specter had other tricks up its sleeve, and besides, even if he could kill that specter, there were more waiting after they finished with Weimar Royce.

Compared to the temptation to kill a specter, he valued his own life more.

With a glance at the ice sword embedded in the tree and a sudden understanding that his current pursuer was unarmed,

 Aeg turned around and continued running in the direction from where he came with the four tethered horses.

...

"What's happening?" Gary asked aloud as he saw Aeg untying the horses. He had heard Weimar's screams and had untied the reins, ready to flee with the four horses. If Aeg had arrived just a few seconds later, the veteran would have fled with the four mounts: "Where are Weimar and Will?"

"Specters!" Aeg gasped as he ran towards the tree where the horses were tied, grabbing the reins of his own horse and mounting it on the run: "Run!"

"Specters?" Gary's eyes widened, staring into the distance where Aeg had been running: "Are... they chasing you?"

Aeg felt a chill and turned around. In the dark grove, the specters' shadows were hard to make out, but the moonlight reflected by the ice sword in the hands of his pursuer and the two bright eyes were too conspicuous... the figure raised its arm again, the blue light flickered.

"Aeg, get down!" Aeg yelled the moment he realized something was wrong, and at the same time, he threw himself to the ground from the horse.

The veteran didn't hesitate to follow the order, which saved his life. The ice sword narrowly missed Gary's fur cap, exploding Weimar's horse's head, and still had enough energy to strike the tree where Royce was tying his horse, making it shake and sending wood splinters flying everywhere. The snow on the tree canopy fell with a crunch, hitting both guards and the four horses.

What kind of power was this?