Chapter 56 - Winter Thorns

Zemo pointed his spear at the other four approaching beasts and yelled "Construct barrage!"

The tip of the crystal blade glowed as he created a glowing circle with it before touching the center of its circumference as bullets in the form of light shot out of it, hitting the tigers and bringing them down.

And like that, the entire pack had been taken as Tize's fingers immediately propelled the blades to cut through the enemy's necks, ending them all.

"At least you should be able to find the ores for the tribe's use," Tize said before he jumped onto a nearby tree.

"As expected of members of the white thorns," Meiz's eyes blinked back again to normal.

"I shouldn't have doubted them for a sec,"

"Leader!" A voice called.

"Oh!" She remembered who it was and turned to face the duo.

"You're done harvesting, I see"

And with that, she jumped from the tree's branch and fell to the ground.

"Let's head back to the tribe, it's getting dark" She said before her eyes narrowed at a cluster of trees.

"Or else we might face something even greater than that tiger,"

A few minutes later, the thawns had all been rounded up by the members of the White Thorns.

Apart from Tize, Meiz and Zemo, two more figures showed themselves with the group that numbered thirty all carrying different items varying from wood to animal skin to green ores.

Zemo struck his spear on the ground and addressed them "It doesn't look like anyone is injured, good job surviving the dangers out there," he said.

He then looked at the other four figures and sighed "A pity that he wasn't here,"

Sensing the change in his expression, Meiz responded "Rest easy Zemo. I'm sure that even in his frozen sleep, he wishes nothing but good for us in our missions"

Zemo smiled at her response and looked at the sky "I hope,"

The thawns continued to travel across the heavy snowed lands before they reached the tall white square

walls of their settlement.

At the top of it were thawns holding spears and bows, some made of ice and others were made of wood.

Seeing the group that had approached, they hurriedly made a series of noises before the arched frozen gates began to open.

Of course, these gates had wooden beams stacked together and covered with a thick layer of snow and ice.

As for the wood rotting fear not, if the wood can survive the harsh weather, it is useful for a couple of years from just dying.

A crowd of thawns gathered at the gates as the group entered and cheered after seeing the five thawns that led.

A young thawns asked his mother "Mother, who are they?"

The Mother touted her son's lack of knowledge but nevertheless, provided with the information he wanted.

"They are the Winter thorns, the rarest type of thawns you could ever find. The ones whose aptitude in the mana we use were tweaked to have a portion of the weather we experience, sunlight, lightning, winds, snow, pressure and cloudiness."

"The one with the crystal spear is Zemo, leader of winter thorns and the one who uses sunlight. The one with the twin ice blades is Tize and he uses the storms. The one with the two blades spear is Mezi who utilizes the winds to her call.

The one with the ice bow is Ufi and snow is her forte. The last among them uses an ice axe is Zoize and his forte ks pressure"

"Mother you mentioned six powers but only five of the wielders. You skipped one" her child pointed out.

"That's because one of them fell a long time ago to frost bite from being buried in an avalanche,"

"Are we the only tribe to be blessed to have them?"

"No we aren't, but no other tribe has as many as we do,"

The winter thorns walked past the dome shaped houses to one in the center, with a tower head protruding from it like a house with a chimney.

The doors to the house were guarded by four thawns and opened when they approached.

They entered its insides, where a thawn with markings made of crystals that seemed to have been glued to her face sat on the ice surface.

In front of her was a pile of logs that burned brightly, quite ironic for a place with no wooden beam covering its inner shell.

The thawns all sat on the floor and waited for her to open her eyes and when she did, a glint appeared in her eyes.

"I trust that the hunt was a successful one." She said,

"Yes Voice of Ulkezi," said Zemo.

The female thawn closed her eyes and stretched her hand that had also been given crystal markings towards the fire her hands began to sieve together letting small specks of crystal dust into the fire.

"You have never disappointed in doing what you must do and protecting this tribe. May the weather bring bliss at this period of time" She said before waving them away.

Zemo and the remaining four felt a strange force enter their bodies as the pendant they wore and the crystal blade he held glowed for a while before dimming.

[All team members have been upgraded by two levels]

"We thank the Weather Lord for his reward," they chorused before raising their heads up and letting it touch the reflective floor before rising up and leaving.

The Priestess who was now called 'Voice of Ulhezi' smiled as they left before she faced the fire and stretched both her hands.

"As many are the priests and priestesses of the Weather Lord, I have worked hard with my loyalty to finally gain this opportunity," She said.

"At last my tribe will get to experience the light of the sun for a period of time and no more deciphering the weather will I choose to remain in,"

With her hands still facing the fire, she gently rose up and began to chant.

"The cold winds, the

dangerous snow. All capable of taking lives, now will they reduce and the sun's light will shine on our territory and give us relief for a while.

Let the clouds disperse and the sunlight shine!"

The foggy clouds above the tribe suddenly cleared away as the sunlight shone right on the snowy plains outside the tribe's walls.

Shawn who saw this remembered the conversation he had with Ulkezi.

"Master, I have studied mother nature like you asked me too,"

Shawn nodded at the thawn "Good,"

"And I have mastered some powers of mine as a higher being but I want to ask for your permission,"

"You mastered the ability to change the weather," he revealed.

"Yes but I would like to ask if I may…"

"Thaw the snow lands?"

Ulkezi kept mute for a while before answering

"Yes,"

"You mastered the weather but not the climate because I knew what you would do," he said.

"Your kind was made for the snow just like elves are made for the forests to ascertain their survival. If you want to relieve your people or your race then be sure that they earn it but changing their environment might be good but could be bad in the long run.

I was thinking that you could make it a bit selective,"

"So he let's the thawn priests and priestesses master their abilities before giving them access to control the weather but only once a year,"

"Nice to see how you handled things," he praised while staring at the screen.

And once again, the screen flashed and revealed the map of the southern continent still but shifted towards the hills at the center of it, home of the dwarves.

On the top of a hill where the large dwarven settlement of durgalir lied, a large crowd of short and stout fellows surrounded the arena that had been formed.

Seven dwarves lay within it, striking their hammers against the metals they laid on large stones trying to shape it into the form they desired.

"Be quick y'all, being the fastest is good but the best must come first!" An older dwarf with a grey beard said.

The dwarves continued to strike at the metals that had now been broadened and made in the shape they wanted.

Until one of them raised his arm up.

"Done"