"Are you ready?"
"Yes. You'll go with Oliver and Henry."
"Finally — I'm tired of staying here. A mission at last."
"Why me? Oliver, couldn't you be a bit more excited? I'm telling you — it's time."
"Make those muscles work. You'll head to Bear Village."
"Bear Village? That's weird — they usually sleep at this hour."
"I'm surprised too. I'll send Julian with you."
"Henry will be your leader. Don't act on a whim."
"Don't worry — as long as I'm here, everything will be solved."
"Overconfidence."
"André, what about you? This is your first mission; if you're not ready—"
"No, I'm ready." He grips his sword. "Listen, André: if your strength is a weakness, turn it into a strength."
"How?"
"Make her know she saved a life — that she's alive because of it."
"Now Sora will transport you there."
"Sora? Who's that?"
"He's the eagle of the Ice Squad. His image is on your cloak — doesn't it symbolize freedom?"
"It does."
"We went out and found a huge eagle with blue feathers and some white."
"That's him?"
"Yes. Amazing."
"Mount up, Oliver and Henry."
But when it was André's turn, the bird flew off and left him. André ran after it.
"Hey, stop — you forgot me! Wait — you two, stop him!"
"Sorry, André — once the bird decides something, it does it. Either catch up or keep running."
"How do I reach him? He's at a dizzying height."
"Wait — use the skill you learned from Volak."
"I need to gather mana in my feet first, even a little. Focus — it's working. Now I need something to jump higher… luckily, there are many mountains."
"Henry, where is André heading?"
"He's heading for that mountain, but he has no magic."
"I'll climb fast."
"I don't know — let's just watch."
André ran to the mountain, then used the stored power to push himself upward step by step. The force increased until he reached the ridge. He leapt — hidden by clouds. Oliver and Henry looked up and kept searching for him until he reappeared.
He was a meter higher than the eagle. He kept closing the gap until half a meter separated them — then, with a sudden motion, the eagle soared higher and André began to fall. He didn't give up. Calmly, he tried to gather as much power as he could in the shortest time, and indeed he climbed until he neared the eagle's talon — but again, the eagle pushed its foot away.
While André fell, he tried to gather force, but it was weak. Only a few meters remained between him and the ground when the eagle suddenly descended and — fortunately — caught him.
"Well done, André."
"You've gained the eagle's respect. An eagle has a pride that won't be broken. It loves to own the sky and land, and follows those who can own them — not the hesitant or the fearful. It is our squad's emblem."
"I understand — I've certainly earned his respect. Now let's go to the village."
When they arrived, the village leader welcomed them. "Welcome, heroes. I'm Mark, the leader. I'm glad you're here."
"Greetings, Chief. I'm Julian, deputy of the Ice. I'm Henry, and I'm Oliver — André. Nice to meet you."
"We're glad you came. Ghouls are besieging our village every night. They break into houses, destroy things, and eat the supplies we buy from merchants."
"Has anyone been hurt?"
"No — in fact, they only eat food and damage houses. That's strange — usually ghouls destroy everything in their path and don't care. It seems there's a plan being hatched here, and we'll discover it. For now, lift the siege."
"Sora, fly and tell us what you see from above."
"Sora? Can he speak?"
"No, but he can draw faster than anyone."
"Strange, but you'll get used to it. For now, we'll wait for news."
"In the meantime, secure the area and prepare for anything."
"Lucky me — I was looking forward to a fight, Henry."
"You're always eager to fight. Be patient and follow the leader's orders."
"You're right — I'll wait."
From a high vantage, one of the ghouls watched, then began to vanish into the ice.
"Did you find anything?"
"No trace of the ghouls anywhere."
"Good — stay on alert. Since you're with us, it's our duty to host you. Come with me to eat."
"No, thanks — we're—" Henry grabbed Oliver's shoulder. "Of course we're hungry." Oliver whispered low, "Henry, have some manners. We came on a mission."
"I can't fight on an empty stomach. I must eat."
"Very well, Oliver, let's eat and then continue. Your order, Deputy Commander."
In a place near Bear Village, a giant entered a cave.
"Shall I go?"
"Yes, sir. Good."
"We've completed our part. Now it's your turn to do yours."
"Of course — but I need just one person, the host of the demon."
"I don't care who you need — just keep your promise that we'll take the village and live there."
"Of course, that's my promise and I won't break it. When will we attack?"
"We'll attack on a dark night. I'll give the order: 'Ghouls, attack in the dark night upon the village; we will defeat the heroes and the village will be ours!'"
"Yes!"
In the darkness of night, the ghouls snuck into the village quietly — but suddenly a blood-arrow shot into a ghoul's head and pierced it. Then André, Henry, and Oliver appeared.
"Finally— a fight. Wait — Henry, let me tie my hair — I'm a professional at fighting."
"Isn't your friend Henry reluctant to fight?"
"What you don't know about Henry is that he has two sides: one calm and the other a battle-mad fury."
Oliver wielded two medium-sized swords, moving and thrusting at every ghoul. "What speed — he darts from place to place."
"The call of battle!"
Henry clenched his hands and they turned into stone. He charged, grabbed a ghoul's head, and smashed it. He continued pounding the ghouls. A ghoul attacked Henry — André cut it in half. "If you learned to use your sword, thank Volak," someone said.
The battle continued until the ghouls were defeated. The villagers rejoiced — but from among the crowd, someone was enjoying the victory for another reason. "I haven't started my plan yet — I needed something to draw you out. Now the plan begins." Suddenly a large magic circle appeared and took André, Henry, and Oliver to another place. "Now the second pawn will begin to move."
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