Chapter 19 — The Frostlands Shift
The wind carried more than snow today.
As the trio walked across the frost-covered plains north of Iceflake City, the air felt charged—thicker, heavier, buzzing faintly with the residue of too many beasts moving in one direction. Dozens of claw marks scarred the icy ground, crisscrossing over each other. Some prints were small and sharp, others wide and deep enough to swallow a boot whole.
Vaibhav crouched beside a particularly heavy track, brushing frost away with his gloved hand. The impression was fresh—still crisp, the edges not yet buried by the drifting snow.
"A pack passed through," he murmured. "Large."
"And fast," Alicia added, examining a broken ice ridge that still trembled faintly. "The direction hasn't changed. All trails lead north."
Shin cracked his knuckles. "Well, so are we."
"Not too far," Alicia warned. "We stay within the Iceflake region. If something stronger appears, we'll need the city's barrier close by."
Shin rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Safety first."
A distant howl cut through the frozen wind.
Not one voice.
Many.
Alicia stopped walking.
"Ordinary-class signatures incoming," she said quietly.
Vaibhav rose to his feet. "Let's handle them quickly."
The snow erupted.
Three Ice Fangs burst out, sprinting across the plains with sharpened frost clinging to their claws. Their silver eyes glowed hungrily as they lunged for the trio.
Vaibhav moved first.
His fist slammed into the first beast's chest, sending it flying backward. Steam rose from its body as it collapsed limply.
> [Beast Spirit Acquired: None]
> [+2 Ordinary Power Points Gained] — Vaibhav (life force absorbed)
The second rushed him from the side. Vaibhav twisted, dropping low, and swept its legs from beneath. As it hit the ground, he drove a punch into its ribs, cracking frozen bone.
> [Beast Spirit Acquired: None]
> [+3 Ordinary Power Points Gained] — Vaibhav
The third snarled and leapt directly at Alicia. She sidestepped gracefully, letting the beast's momentum pass her before slicing neatly through its spine with a backward thrust.
It fell without a sound.
> [Beast Spirit Acquired: None]
> [+2 Ordinary Power Points Gained] — Vaibhav
Alicia exhaled. "Three down."
But the ground trembled again.
Stronger this time.
Shin grinned. "Here come the spicy ones."
Two mutated signatures surged toward them—frost cracking violently as red-tinged bodies tore through the snow.
Mutated Ordinary Ice Fangs.
They moved unnaturally, their joints jerking like something was puppeteering them from the inside.
The first lunged at Shin—fast enough to blur.
Shin didn't move until the last moment.
Then—
He flicked its head.
Just a tap.
But the mutated beast flew several meters, skidding across ice and slamming into a frozen pillar.
> [Beast Spirit Acquired: None]
> [+4 Mutated Ordinary Power Points Gained] — Vaibhav
The second mutant circled Vaibhav, its breaths sharp and feral.
It lunged for his throat.
Vaibhav's aura flared faintly.
He caught the beast midair by the muzzle, twisted, and slammed it into the ground with enough force to crack the icy surface.
The creature went limp.
> [Beast Spirit Acquired: None]
> [+2 Mutated Ordinary Power Points Gained] — Vaibhav
Alicia turned toward the distant hills as frost winds swept past them. "Stronger signatures ahead. Exalted-class."
Shin grinned. "Finally."
They approached quietly. The frost around them grew denser, the air colder. Even the wind seemed to move more carefully.
Then a roar split the sky.
From the ridge to their right, a massive Exalted Ice Saber lunged down, its icy blades extending from its forearms, glowing with deep-blue light.
Vaibhav barely had time to react.
The beast swung a blade of condensed frost at him—sharp enough to tear through stone. He stepped back, but the force grazed his arm, slicing through cloth.
Alicia's voice snapped sharply. "Left!"
Vaibhav pivoted.
A second Exalted beast rushed him, jaws open.
He clenched his fist and slammed it into the creature's muzzle. The impact broke teeth and sent the beast stumbling sideways.
Alicia followed with a beam of concentrated energy, piercing straight through its chest.
It collapsed.
> [Beast Spirit Acquired: None]
> [+4 Exalted Power Points Gained] — Vaibhav
The first saber roared and leapt again.
Shin appeared behind it.
"Sit."
His heel dropped onto the beast's spine like a falling hammer.
The ice beneath them shattered.
The creature convulsed and fell silent.
> [Beast Spirit Acquired: None]
> [+1 Mutated Exalted Power Points Gained] — Vaibhav
Steam rose from the two corpses.
Alicia murmured, "Stronger beasts so close to the city… this is escalating too quickly."
Vaibhav nodded. "We haven't even gone far north."
But the tremors didn't stop.
A heavy presence rolled across the plains like a slow-moving avalanche.
A roar shook the sky.
Snow exploded outward—
As a massive Mutated Exalted beast launched toward them.
Red cracks pulsed across its fur, frost energy warping around it like a storm.
Vaibhav, Alicia, and Shin braced themselves.
Except—
Two more signatures appeared behind it.
Mythic ones.
Alicia's eyes widened. "Mythic-class incoming!"
Two immense Mythic Ice Beasts burst through the snow, roaring with cold so intense it made the air ripple.
One charged Vaibhav.
One rushed Alicia.
The mutated Exalted one sprinted toward Shin.
Shin's grin split wider. "Finally!"
The Mythic-Beast rushing Vaibhav slammed a massive paw down. Vaibhav barely dodged, the impact collapsing the entire ridge behind him.
He countered with a punch, hitting the beast's jaw—barely enough to make it flinch.
Alicia faced the second Mythic, her aura blazing emerald. She raised a triple-layered barrier just as the monster unleashed a wave of freezing mist. The barrier cracked but held long enough for her to slide under its body and slash its tendon.
The Mythic roared.
Shin, meanwhile, simply stepped forward and caught the mutated Exalted beast with one hand, stopping its full-charge attack.
The beast froze in confusion.
Shin tilted his head. "What was that supposed to be?"
He threw the beast back 20 meters—then vanished—reappeared above it—and dropped a fist onto its skull.
The snow cratered.
The mutated Exalted beast died instantly.
> [Beast Spirit Acquired: None]
> [+6 Mutated Exalted Power Points Gained] — Vaibhav
Vaibhav dodged another Mythic swipe, countering with two powerful strikes—one to the ribs, one to the neck. The beast staggered, but these monsters were far tougher.
Alicia drew its attention with a blast of emerald light.
"Now!"
Vaibhav launched upward and slammed his fist under the beast's jaw.
Alicia's blade flashed—
Together, they pierced its skull.
The Mythic fell.
> [Beast Spirit Acquired: None]
> [+2 Mythic Power Points Gained] — Vaibhav
The second Mythic leapt at them both.
Alicia's barrier slowed it.
Vaibhav's punch finished it—straight through the throat.
> [Beast Spirit Acquired: None]
> [+5 Mythic Power Points Gained] — Vaibhav
Shin yawned. "You two took long."
Alicia glared. "We are not Mythic-class monsters like you."
Shin shrugged. "Skill issue."
Alicia flicked a snowflake at him. "Annoying issue."
Vaibhav laughed softly.
But before they could rest—
The air changed.
A new aura swept across the plain, heavier than anything before.
A distant roar echoed…
Mutated.
Violent.
Massive.
Alicia whispered, "Mutated Mythic…"
Vaibhav clenched his fist.
Shin grinned wider than ever.
The sound that followed was not a roar — it was an earthquake wearing the skin of a beast.
The ground shook. Ice cracked. A cold wind spiraled outward, sharper than steel.
Then it emerged.
A towering creature stepped through the blizzard, frost steaming off its mutated form.
A Mutated Mythic Frostbeast.
Its body was a mountain of spiked ice plates. Red fissures pulsed across its hide like glowing scars. Each breath released waves of freezing mist that crystallized the air itself.
Alicia's pupils contracted. "A mutated Mythic… this close to the city… impossible."
Vaibhav steadied his breathing. His fists tightened. "We fight together."
Shin stepped forward, cracking his neck.
"Oh? Finally something that might actually entertain me."
The Frostbeast roared — the shockwave alone strong enough to push Vaibhav and Alicia back several steps.
Shin didn't move.
Its massive paw slammed down at Shin with force enough to shatter mountains.
Shin caught the paw.
With one hand.
Ice splintered beneath him as he pushed back, cracking the beast's stance.
Vaibhav used the opening. He dashed in from the side and slammed a punch into the beast's ribs. The impact sent a ripple through the beast's frost armor — but didn't break it.
Alicia leapt in behind him, firing a concentrated beam of emerald energy into the same spot.
Cracks formed.
The beast swiped wildly, its massive claws slicing through the air. Shin yanked its arm sideways, throwing the beast off balance.
"Stop bullying my teammates," he said casually.
The Frostbeast roared in his face.
Shin punched it in the nose.
The entire ridge behind the beast collapsed.
Vaibhav didn't waste the opening — he jumped, aura flaring, and struck its jaw with an uppercut that forced the creature's head back.
Alicia's blade shimmered with emerald energy as she slashed across the exposed neck — cutting deep into mutated flesh.
The Frostbeast thrashed violently.
Mutated aura surged around its body, pulsing hard enough to crack the ice under their feet.
Shin tightened his grip on the beast's arm, veins glowing faintly.
"Enough."
He twisted.
The limb tore free in an explosion of frost and red energy.
The beast screamed.
Alicia seized the opening, blasting the beast's injured side with a focused beam that carved through its ribs.
Vaibhav struck again.
His fist slammed into the creature's throat, shattering the frost plates.
The beast staggered, collapsing to one knee.
Shin appeared above it.
"Bedtime."
He dropped like a meteor — heel smashing into the Frostbeast's skull.
The mutated Mythic collapsed, the ground cracking beneath its massive weight.
Its eyes dimmed.
> [Beast Spirit Acquired: None]
> [+6 Mutated Mythic Power Points Gained] — Vaibhav (life force absorbed)
Steam drifted off the corpse as mutated energy evaporated into the cold air.
Alicia wiped her blade. "That… was too close to the city."
"Which means," Vaibhav said, breathing heavily, "these aren't random appearances."
Shin shrugged. "Before we panic — clean up first."
Alicia nodded. "Let's extract the shards."
They moved quickly.
Alicia retrieved the first shard from a fallen Ordinary beast — small, pale blue.
> [+3 Ordinary Power Points Gained] — Alicia (Shard 1)
Next, a smaller shard — a duller glow.
> [+1 Ordinary Power Points Gained] — Alicia (Shard 2)
The third shard pulsed brighter.
> [+5 Ordinary Power Points Gained] — Alicia (Shard 3)
From the Exalted kill — a deep cerulean shard.
> [+8 Exalted Power Points Gained] — Alicia (Shard 4)
From the first Mythic kill — icy-blue and heavy.
> [+2 Mythic Power Points Gained] — Alicia (Shard 5)
The second Mythic shard radiated dense energy.
> [+6 Mythic Power Points Gained] — Alicia (Shard 6)
Shin cracked open the mutated Ordinary beasts first.
A faint red shard.
> [+3 Mutated Ordinary Power Points Gained] — Shin (Shard 1)
Another — darker red.
> [+4 Mutated Ordinary Power Points Gained] — Shin (Shard 2)
Then the mutated Exalted beast — glowing crimson-blue.
> [+3 Mutated Exalted Power Points Gained] — Shin (Shard 3)
Another mutated Exalted shard — thicker aura.
> [+5 Exalted Power Points Gained] — Shin (Shard 4)
Finally, the mutated Mythic Frostbeast shard — burning like molten frost.
Shin grinned. "Beautiful."
He absorbed it.
> [+2 Mutated Mythic Power Points Gained] — Shin (Shard 5)
Alicia sheathed her blade. "No Beast Spirits this time."
"Fine with me," Shin said. "I got my red crystals."
Vaibhav looked toward the city.
Snow was moving.
Not wind.
Tracks.
Many.
The trio began walking back toward Iceflake City — only to find two armored guards waiting near the barrier's edge, faces pale under their helmets.
One stepped forward urgently.
"You three—stop."
Alicia raised an eyebrow. "What happened?"
The guard's breath fogged sharply as he spoke:
"Beasts are gathering unnaturally. Ordinary, Exalted, even Mythic… all heading north."
The second guard added, voice trembling:
"Something is pulling them."
Shin's smile faded.
Vaibhav felt a chill unrelated to the cold.
Alicia looked north — toward the storm building in the distance.
Something was changing in the Frostlands.
And whatever it was…
It wasn't small.