March 3rd, 1846.

  We watched the inhumans scale the mountain. We assumed they would go around it, but they climbed it. It shocked me, but I assumed the elves had intended to catch us off guard.

  My team had gone around as ordered. We found the large military camp of the 11th and 19th regiments. Once there, we were given a way to climb Marqu. It was a treacherous path.

  And now I find myself here, scaling this mountain. The wind threatened to blow my cap clean off my head. The snow was deep and cold. My feet were numb and wet. We were sore.

  "Kasey! Kasey!" yelled Robert before he looked back at Ramon, still marching. His face was red yet stern. His steps were wobbly yet determined.

  "What!?" I asked over the sound of wind and snow.

  "Ramon! He's fucking drunk again!" Robert answered.

  "It doesn't matter!" I yelled and kept marching as the snowstorm worsened. It was cold. So cold my hair was frozen, yet the coats did little to really protect us.

  Each step was painful and wet. The narrow goatpaths didn't help my anxiety, and I felt myself losing breath with each yard I moved up.

  A rock came crashing down from the sky, landing with a dull thud as the snow completely engulfed it. I looked back at Robert, who was looking up warily.

  Ramon stumbled toward me, his beard frozen, his fingertips now pure white, yet never letting go of a new whisky bottle. The snow under him, soon gave up, sliding down. Ramon began to scramble up. Before Jason grabbed his shoulders, hauling him up, as Ramon nodded to him and continued the march.

  My fingers were freezing even under the gloves, and the wind was howling like a beast in my ears. I might as well walked blindfolded, the storm was so dense I couldn't see anything but white and darkness.

  And we marched. And we marched even as our lips parted and bled into frozen crystals and our feet became numb.

  Jason was stumbling, holding onto Ramon for support. Clint was smoking his pipe, curling his hands around the smoke for warmth.

  And then we heard the sound. Echoes of gunshots, screams, and shouting. I looked back at Robert, who met my gaze and exclaimed.

  "Has the battle begun!?"

  "It doesn't sound like enough bullets!" I shouted and looked back at Ramon, who was cackling.

  We marched up the steep hill, stumbling and sometimes even slipping, but luckily never falling.

  I stopped and looked toward the cave. It was large and dark inside, still somewhat filled with snow. Ramon stumbled behind me with a drunken smile before saying smugly.

  "Cold, Lance Corporal?"

  I looked back at him and watched as he took another swig of his bottle before stumbling backward. I grabbed his arm and snatched the bottle out of his hand.

  "That's enough!"

  Ramon chuckled and nodded before he raised his hands in mock surrender.

  "Yes. Yes. Harass the old man."

  I felt Robert push me forward. Sighing, I continued my march before the ground itself grew life and the mountain trembled.

  We were shaken; it felt like the ground was bouncing. My heart sank to my stomach. My legs became wobbly as I turned around and yelled.

  "EARTHQUAKE!"

  The team was already running back as snow slammed to the ground, followed by rocks and boulders that threw snow into the air. I stumbled through the snow, and then a rock slammed into my head. My vision faded as I held my head, groaning and panting as I tried to push my way through the snow.

  My foot slipped. I fell on my stomach and began to slide down, my nails raking across the frozen ground. Before Ramon grabbed my arm and dragged me to the cave.

  The rumbling continued for what felt like an hour before it ceased. But even then, the snow continued to fall.

  This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  Collapsing onto the ground, Ramon's smirk never faltered as he extended his hand to me.

  "suicidal saved you..eh. What was your name again?"

  "Kasey," I answered.

  "Kaseyy! May I have my drink back for my actions?" He said and leaned forward.

  "One sip! Only one!" I ordered and handed him the bottle reluctantly.

  "Kasey..your head" Jason warned, reaching up to touch my head.

  I recoiled at the sting as he pulled an icicle of blood from my head, holding it up to my eyes.

  I touched the crack on my head, still faintly bleeding, although now it was almost entirely frozen.

  Ramon leaned over pouring whiskey on my head before leaning back.

  I looked over to Clint. Silent. He's been silent for days now. About the same time, Ramon began to kill himself with whiskey.

  Then a low growl echoed throughout the cave. Clint raised his head cocking the hammer of his rifle.

  "What the fuck." Jason muttered reaching for his bayonet.

  Ramon's face went pale and it seemed he went sober in a matter of seconds.

  And then an arm extended. Skinned and slimy.

  And it pulled itself forward and a skinned giant showed itself. One eye. Yet hostile.

  It let out a guttural growl once more before grabbing a large stone and lobbing it toward us we all scattered stumbling around before Clint Fired followed by Jason and Robert.

  The giant recoiled in pain yelling and screaming but still alive. Its long third arm wrapped around Jason's leg slamming him to the floor as he desperately jabbed his bayonet into it.

  "Aren't these things extinct!? Why won't it die?!" Robert yelled firing another shot at the giant who didn't even flinch this time.

  My hands fumbled into my pouch rummaging through various bullets before I pulled out our only hope.

  With shaky hands, I slid the bullet into the breech of my rifle watching as the giant wrapped its other arm around Jason's neck Robert desperately stabbed its side only to be pushed down by the giant's arm.

  I aimed right at its head, steadying my breath before squeezing the trigger. Hearing the unique steel ping of the silver bullet as it went through the giant's brain.

  The giant immediately collapsed on the floor. I lowered my rifle, dashing over to Jason who was still in the giant's grip. Finger by finger I loosened the giant's grip

  Jason let out a wheeze and began gasping for air crawling backward and groaning he reached to his back flinching as he touched his wounds.

  Then he attempted to stumble up falling onto the ground and whimpering Ramon sprinted over and holstered his revolver as he turned Jason on his back lifting his shirt where we saw the large purple spot.

  "He's hurt bad..who knows how he's still breathing?" Ramon muttered and turned Jason over putting the whisky bottle to his lip and forcing him to take a sip. Jason's eyes widened as he recoiled and pushed himself back coughing as he looked at me before slumping back on the ground.

  "There's more coming dammit!" Robert said as another growl echoed. This one lower and more animal-like. Clint dashed to the cave opening taking his spade and bashing it on the snow. Robert followed and then Ramon. I slid my hands under Jason's shoulders and began to drag him out as the snow crumbled.

  Then the large scaly dragon came crawling out its mouth agape as it hissed at us.

  "A DRAKE!?" Clint yelled for the first time in days and desperately ran out. Ramon looked at the drake before grabbing Jason and helping me drag him out.

  The drake gave haste chasing us I desperately loaded my rifle looking at Ramon who took out a red piece of cloth.

  He held it afar from his body and the drake charged toward it and with too much precision for someone so drunk he evaded the drake sending it off the cliff.

  "Since when could you do that!?" Clint exclaimed and rubbed his head. Ramon only let out an amused chuckle.

  I looked down at Jason his eyes were glassy but still alive as he looked up at me. He raised his hand and I grabbed it hauling him up.

  He shifted all his weight onto me with a deep groan before nodding. I wrapped his arm around my shoulder Ramon taking the other arm as we began to help him up the frozen hell.

  The snow only increased now also filled with rocks. My teeth began to chatter my hands numb in a matter of seconds. The howling wind and the white snow and the dark sky make us blind. Yet we persisted. For who knows how long we presisted even when the soles of my feet began to burn.

  It was our time to sleep. We knew only by the time.

  10:40 PM. My watch reflected.

  "Here!" Robert exclaimed pointing to a large pine tree that offered us some cover.

  We all huddled under it setting our tents. I lay Jason down on a blanket and watched him immediately fall asleep.

  "Ramon..Robert. Take first watch. Clint and I after." I ordered through a yawn before I slid under my tent closing my eyes.

  And then I slowly woke up to the sound of hooves stomping. My eyes slowly opened gazing up where I saw Robert standing opposed to a man on his mount. His rifle slung on his neck his revolver on his hip. Ramon's hand was twitching near his holster his back hunched.

  "We don't want trouble." The man said and tipped his hat to Robert. Behind the rider were what seemed like a platoon of men.

  "You're bandits aren't you?" Robert accused. His finger trembling as they wrapped around the trigger.

  "Whatever you wanna call us but we're humans aren't we?" The rider dismounted his horse his an oval gap in between his legs as he approached us and sat down pulling out a pipe and tobacco.

  His eyes landed on mine before he gazed at my rank. Then at Clint and Robert's. Finally at Jason.

  "Lance Corporal?" He asked.

  Behind him, all the bandits dismounted. Some sang others ate. Some did a simple exercise in the snow.

  "I am," I said and sat up rubbing my eyes before looking at Clint. He stood rigid yet devoid of fear his hands settled atop his rifle.

  The bandit nodded. He was an older man his beard pure white. He then lifted his chin to Ramon and said.

  "And this man. A first Lieutenant?"

  "Volunteer," Robert answered.

  The bandit nodded and took a drag of his pipe before coughing and saying.

  "I was a Sergeant during my time. Served in the same unit as you Ramon."

  Ramón's eyes widened he stumbled forward looking straight into the bandit's eyes before smiling.

  "Myers. I thought you had died!"

  "I wish I had," Myers responded before looking back at the riders behind him.

  "Me and my gang here..we saw what happened in that town. You see we may be killers, robbers, whatever insult you call us but I!" He exclaimed lifting his pipe pointing at himself and his gang.

  "We. Never touched a child. Not once. The Guard asked me to attack the rear guard of those savages." He took another deep drag of his pipe coughing out the smoke before he hit his chest and looked at me.

  "We folk did it with excellence. We destroyed their food carts and took anything valuable. But I lost two. Young boys I had recruited recently. Shame isn't it Ramon?"

  Ramon nodded his head and sat down as he took the pipe from Myers and took a drag of his own.

  "Well." Said Myers pushing himself to his feet as he took the pipe back from Ramon.

  "It's my time to leave. The government has called for a truce. For able-bodied men like me to join the war effort."

  "And are you?" Asked Ramon.

  "Perhaps. I'll go see what they offer." Myers said and smiled with those yellow crooked teeth. Then he mounted the horse and with a sharp "hyeah!" And the whip of his reins he and his gang began their descent down the hill.

  Ramon groaned as he looked down, holding his head before looking at me and whispering.

  "Carter, was it?" He asked.

  "Carter," I affirmed.

  "The worst part of getting sober isn't the hangover. It's remembering my whole family is slaughtered. I wear this uniform to trick myself. Say I'm back in twenty-three fighting while my wife and newborn son wait at home. But..but they're dead. Do you understand that, Carter?" Ramon said, tears welled in his eyes as he looked down at his cold frozen hands before up at me.

  "It'll be avenged," I responded. And stood up.

  "And then what after?" Ramon said.

  I didn't have any words to tell him. I was barely twenty-three, and Ramon was a man already fifty. What could I say?

  "Rest Ramon. You too, Robert. Clint. With me." I ordered and watched Robert slip into his tent and Clint sighed as we both looked into the ever-frozen abyss of darkness and snow listening to the faint sound of horse neighing and the whip of reins.

  "And what comes after?" Clint whispered more to himself than to me.

  I glanced at him before looking down at my worn frozen boots, taking a deep breath. I lifted my head and said.

  "Then we deal with what happened or find a new way to drown the pain."