The Archwood Ridge 1-2

Her eyes fluttered then slowly opened, welcomed by the sight of a ceiling encased in ice. Her limbs were, her body heavy, but the worst thing was the blistering cold that made it difficult to move and hard to breathe.

Lucy did not know how long she had been unconscious, nor where she was. She only remembered fighting the wolves and then rolling off a snowy cliff.

Fortunately, her body, sustained by Mana, had healed most of her grievous injuries. She sat up and used Fire Magic to warm herself while she inspected her vicinity.

She wasn't alone inside this unknown place, two lifeless wolf corpses laid a couple of paces away. Both were frozen, which significantly slowed the rotting process.

Once she was in a fit condition to stand up and move around, Lucy did so.

Instead of recklessly venturing around, she first melted the frozen corpses and, with shallow skinning skills using a sharp icicle, she cut managed to procure a bit of food to ease her growling stomach.

The Archwood Ridge was one of the handfuls of places in all of the Militant Syndicate to receive fewer and fewer visitors every year. The harsh climate and series of snowy mountain-infested beasts made it uninhabitable and technically closed off the outside world. It was for that specific reason that Lucy opted to come here despite the known dangers.

Almost all the major settlements, especially in the Militant Syndicate and The Global Azakin Empire, had followers of the Holy Church. As one of the targets, her best option was to hide in secluded and rarely frequented places.

'Arman constructs?'

Lucy soon learned that it wasn't a simply frozen cave but an intricate labyrinth of some sort. Admittedly, she had limited knowledge about the Arman Empire, but she was able to recognize the familiar black and metallic humanoid constructs.

They stood at the entrance of each room; With a height of over 5 meters and a standard set of black armor in which there was the symbol of the long-lost nation.

Lucy explored the area for four days straight. She encountered no enemies as everything was frozen by the ice, which was a bit strange since Arman Constructs were said to be highly resistant to all Magic, including Ice.

She had the ability to melt them, but that would be suicidal and foolish. For a short period of time, the harsh and unfavorable environment notwithstanding, Lucy lived in relative peace.

On the 10th day, she had consumed most of the meat procured from the corpses. With the place lacking any resources, Lucy was forced to look for an exit.

Most of the time she was awake, she would wander around, mapping the ruins in search of an exit. However, it was taxing as she had to constantly warm herself to ward off the bitter cold of the freezing aura dominating the whole place.

Eventually, after a long, thorough, and arduous search, the Demon arrived at a gargantuan pair of doos guarded by four constructs instead of two.

Lucy hesitated for a while as she inspected the door, fearing that melting the ice encasing it would subsequently alert its guardians.

She snapped out of it when she heard rapid footsteps followed by a loud explosion. One of the walls behind her was destroyed and melted by a resplendent golden light, followed shortly after by the appearance of a handsome youth.

The Holy Knight, Rein Goldstar, was holding a tracking artifact in his right hand, his eyes narrowing dangerously as he instantly saw his target.

He put the artifact away and held his lightly glowing sword with both hands. Even though he managed to force his way through, he seemed to be more affected by this unsettling place than Lucy.

His golden hair was frozen at the tips and his face was slightly red due to the cold.

"It's over, Demon."

He didn't immediately spring into action, instead, looking back at the silver-haired woman. He also noticed the massive constructs behind her, which made him frown.

"This is as far as you go. You will be coming with me to Redfall Valley and await your judgment."

Lucy scoffed at his words, raising her hands and shooting massive fireballs, which were easily cut by a swing of the Holy Knight's sword.

"Resistance is futile. You will answer for your crimes!"

"What crimes?!"

She snorted and unleashed all of her magic, causing a wave of flames to burst from her body. She didn't aim it at Rein but at the doors behind her.

The ice melted on the spot and the doors shook violently, resulting in an intense tremor.

Rein gritted his teeth and dashed at the Demon as she backed near the opening doors. She hastily slipped through then fired more Fireballs, this time melting the constructs.

Her aim was accurate and the metallic machines sprung to life not a moment too soon. The long halberds in their hands automatically moved, criss-crossing in front of the entrance.

Rein tried to say something but his words were cut-off by the guardians. Two of them stomped on the ground, shattering it and sending a devastating shock wave that blew him all the way to the back.

Their retaliation, though indirect, nearly knocked him unconscious as the youth coughed blood and struggled to stand up.

Seeing them slowly march towards him, he closed his eyes and whispered a silent prayer. Within seconds, a brilliant light enveloped him, healing his injuries and boosting his strength.

Much to her surprise, the interior of the room was warm and wasn't frozen. Moreover, she saw a mountain of shiny treasures, those usually mentioned in fictional stories. However, what caught her eyes was what laid at the center of the circle-shaped room.

It was a silver bracelet with black and golden lines around it. There was a light blue gem embedded at its side, shining with an azure luster.

"This isn't a coincidence." Muttered Lucy as she lifted her hand and stared at a ring on her left index. It also had the same lines and there was a minuscule crimson gem, though hers did not pulsate with light.

Right there and then, Lucy knew that what happened to her wasn't a series of unfortunate events. They were the machination of someone or something.

She walked to the bracelet and carefully inspected it, hesitant on whether to touch it or not. Eventually, with a determined look, she snatched it and wore it around her left hand, thus causing a wave of chilling cold to travel across her body.

She felt momentary dizziness, followed thereafter by a surge of power not so different from the one granted by the ring.

Before she could test her new-found powers, she heard excited cries coming from the corner of the room.

That specific spot was assaulted by a light tremor then it shattered, revealing a muscular and scarred arm.

Alas, as soon as a head popped out, Lucy was struck by an uncomfortable and suffocating pressure emanating from the pressure. She let out a soft painful groan, desperately trying to stabilize her body, but it didn't work. In the end, she lost consciousness…

"This is torture, I tell ye!"

A man with a dirty face and a yellow row of pointy teeth licked his oily lips as he looked at the unconscious Lucy. She was only wearing an old short white dress; Her slim legs were revealed and her beauty further boosted the man's lust.

"Can't we get a small tast-"

"I told you to knock it off!"

The man was smacked in the head with so much force that he fell to the ground. The one who smacked him swept his gaze across everyone in the room,

"This isn't a show, ye all! Go clean the damn deck!"

"Aye aye!"

Once everyone was out, the man crossed his thick arms and snorted as he looked at the seemingly unconscious Demon.

"I know yer awake, lass!"

The moment he said those words, a burst of fire shot from Lucy's arms, but they were extinguished by the man's hands. He grunted in annoyance as she tried to jump to the side only for her ankle to be caught.

He slammed her back on the bed but didn't attack.

"I'm not trying to hurt ye! Calm down!"

Lucy tried to retaliate but she felt an invisible pressure envelop her body and render her unable to move.

"..."

Seeing her hostile glare, the man chuckled.

"Yer aboard my ship! I saved yer ass and here ye are trying to fry me."

He was a bald man with a tattoo on his forehead. He had a grizzly face, a thick but well-kept brown beard, and a large nose that ended with a blunt plane.

"I'm Captain Buckrow. What's yer name, lass?"

Lucy refused to reply, and though she didn't thrash around, it was clear that she was still feeling unsafe.

After hearing only silence as an answer, Captain Buckrow clicked his tongue and pointed to the side.

"Once ye've settled down, wear these and go outside for a fresh breath of the sea's salty air. It'll do ye good."

He took a couple of steps and issued a warning, "And don't go around burning my ship!"

****

"Ah! Daddy!"

A young girl let out a cry as she saw the bloodied bushes. Her father ran up to her side and cautiously checked the origin of the rustling coming from the side of the road.

Once he saw what it was, he motioned for his daughter to call the other villagers while he crouched near the bloodied young man.

"Lad! You alive?"

Rein Goldstar was laying on the ground, his broken sword in hand. He was gasping for air, a grievous wound was visible on his stomach. He managed to take down one of the four guardians but was forced to flee.

Unfortunately, escaping that place was easier said than done, especially after Lucy took the bracelet, which consequently melted all the ice. The whole underground labyrinth sprung to life, the ancient mechanisms were activated and deafening alarms reverberated everywhere.

Even with the power of the Blessing, the Holy Knight barely escaped with his life.