While Oruldr had been whispering before, as he soared towards the Yetis, he unleashed a roar so fierce and thunderous that even the snow falling around him seemed to rebound off the thick sound waves. The echoes of Yeti cries resonated in the distance.
"Here they come, lads! Do try to keep up!" Oruldr cried out, and with size-defying speed, he bolted ahead, cutting through an incredibly large wall of snow on both sides.
Menelik gripped Idris and Taharqa’s shoulders. "Get close here, and I'll be honest—my Lightning Magic ain’t for sharing, at least not without my staff. It really drains my mana to keep it going for long. But we'll be fast as fuck, boys." Blue static crackled around his knuckles as he tightened his grip. "Bend your knees, kids, and hold on to your bums." They all bent their knees, and Menelik began the countdown. "Three… two… one." The blue static erupted into full-on white lightning, enveloping all of them as they took off after Oruldr.
Oruldr burst from the blizzard with such speed that he seemingly materialized in front of the first Yeti. Catching them off guard, he swung his warhammer upward, turning their head into nothing with a single powerful stroke.
The other Yetis began to react, but lacking weapons, Oruldr realized they were mere Grunt Yetis, this was where it dawned on him why the Hehuyur Tribe had exponentially expanded their numbers; they were preparing for another assault on Nozzaroth.
A dozen Yetis charged forward, cries and snarls escaping their mouths as they lunged at him. Oruldr swung upward again, then downward at an angle, taking out two before being tackled by the others. They pushed him backward in the snow, but with another roar, he freed himself by dropping his warhammer and tearing them away with his hands. Tossing them like they weighed nothing, he faced more incoming Yetis. With fierce punches, he knocked one out of his way and, with one hand, grabbed his hammer, colliding it with two more.
Gripping his hammer with both hands, he surveyed the remaining Yetis. Realizing they lacked a strategic approach, Oruldr roared.
"Come at me, you scruffy bastards, come meet Big Bertha." He tossed the hammer up ever so slightly in his hand, then tightened his grip. "She’s itching for some more."
A few more Yetis screeched with a charge, but Oruldr knocked them down one after another with ease. However, during this moment the group caught up, colliding into his back, sending them sprawling into the snow and breaking Menelik’s spell.
"Heyo, thought we were running." Menelik said, rubbing his head as he stood up.
"Yeah, I almost lost my spell." Taharqa exclaimed. "They would have died, Oruldr."
Oruldr didn’t look toward them; his eyes were fixed ahead. He simply tightened his grip on his warhammer and waited. In the distance, the cries of more Yetis echoed, so numerous that the ground began to shake.
"Uh, Oruldr." Taharqa muttered. "That’s a lot of Yetis."
"I know," he replied.
"More than I think we can take without our weapons," Taharqa stated.
"I know."
"Then what are we going to do?"
"Worry not, little Prince. I will keep you safe." Oruldr looked back at the group with a heartfelt smile and closed eyes. "And let me show you three why the Yeti King, Dohon, is missing his left arm."
Oruldr dropped his warhammer and stood up, straightening his posture. Gripping his fists at his side, he took a deep breath, eyes still shut. He held it for a moment, then slowly exhaled. "Okay." His eyes shot open. "Ymir Breathing." A wicked blue aura engulfed Oruldr, blasting the snow from around him and moving the group back with the incredibly strong wind. Kneeling down a bit, he raised his fist. "Frost Giant’s Rage." As the word "rage" left his lips, Oruldr disappeared in another gust of wind. He was gone for a full four seconds before the path he took became visible and the snow kicked up into the air.
"Gawd-dayum." Menelik called out. "The fuck was that?"
"He just told you, Frost Giant’s Rage." Idris replied.
"Yeah, you know, Ymir Breathing." Taharqa added.
Menelik glanced at them both and shook his head. "Don’t act like that, y’all just as confused."
"Nah, I ain’t confused, I’m impressed." Idris stated. "And kinda sad we ain’t gonna be able to see it." He looked at Menelik with an eager expression; raised eyebrows and a small smirk.
"What? You want me to waste all my mana making sure we see him kill some Yetis?"
"Kinda, yes, actually." Idris replied.
"You a bum, you know that?" Menelik stated as he placed his hand on the both of their shoulders and Taharqa smirked alongside Idris. "You a bum too, Taharqa, the biggest of bums because you the reason we having to do this." Menelik let out a sigh, and the lightning began to crackle. "Ight, here we go, three… two… one."
Oruldr moved with such sheer speed that when his fists collided with a Yeti, their entire body would explode into a frozen paste. One by one, two by two, three by three, and soon ten by ten by ten, the Yetis became nothing but scraps of fur and frozen goo along the snow.
Oruldr cut through their forces with such ease for nearly five minutes straight. Just as he advanced forward, he came to an abrupt stop, the aura around him tightening for a moment as he sniffed the air. "Mmm, an Elite, no two Elites, and…" He sniffed more intently. "…ahhh…" A smile played on his lips. "…a Brute."
He turned his head back and held out his hand, stopping the trio from going forward. But again, they ran right into him.
"Will you stop that!" Menelik yelled as he stood up. "I’ve already got a throbbing ache in my head, big guy. What is it now?"
"I will come back for you, stay." Oruldr’s aura expanded, and he disappeared.
"Did he just tell us to stay?" Menelik asked. "Like we a pet wolf?"
"He didn’t look back at us this time," Idris noted. "It must be serious."
"It’s probably not more Grunts," Taharqa stated. He turned to the two of them. "The Hehuyur Tribe is King Dohon’s personal army…"
The Tribe has a hierarchy, starting at the bottom with Grunts and Jackal Yetis and making its way to the top with what Dohon calls The Nine Prophets, accompanied by Yeti Hunters—triplets paired with another set of Hunters; the six protect the Nine.
Brutes and Elites lie in the middle. While not as armored as Hunters or as protected as Dohon’s Prophets, they are incredibly fierce, especially the Brute Yetis who are beyond ruthless, while the Elite Yetis are more tactical.
Oruldr met with the Elite first, and unlike the Grunts, they wore light metal armor covering their chest, shoulders, and thighs. The Elite’s armor had a soft black, almost gray hue with thin white paneling on the inside and around the borders. Both Elites wielded two swords, crafted from the same metal as their armor. They walked slowly on their hind legs, arms hanging to the side as they dragged their swords through the snow, the thick metal blades leaving wide trails behind them.
The Brute lagging behind carried a warhammer of its own, with a head much larger than Oruldr’s. Unlike Oruldr's stone and ice warhammer, this one was made of red metal mixed with black stone.
"Ah, a Chieftain," Oruldr recognized, noting the braids, scars, and paint across the Brute Yeti’s chest.
"FROST GIANT!" The Brute Yeti bellowed. "YOU SHOULD TURN BACK WHILE YOU HAVE THE CHANCE!"
Oruldr smirked and leaned up a bit, pulling the aura back toward himself. "My name is Oruldr, and as I tell your kind again and again…you will be best to remember it!"
"When will your kind learn that the Yetis are the dominant species of this island?"
Oruldr laughed through his nose and shook his head. "Before I kill you, give me your name. It would be disrespectful to kill an unnamed warrior."
The three Yetis stopped, and the Brute scoffed. Lifting the warhammer to their shoulder, their massive frame towered over the two Elites. "You slaughter our kind but want to talk about respect."
Oruldr lifted his fists and expanded his aura once more. "If you will not tell me your name, then it can’t be helped." His massive frame disappeared, appearing in front of the Brute. The two Elites took a moment to notice he had passed them, and just as he was about to throw a punch, he stopped and dodged to his left as a purple beam of magic fired toward his head—a Jackal Yeti, a Mage of sorts.
Adjusting quickly, he created more distance, looking beyond the Brute to see where the spell originated. "You wish to use Magic, eh?" Oruldr asked. "Let us use Magic then!" Holding out his hand, his warhammer glided through the blizzard and into his grasp. "Tell your Jackal to come on out…" He looked at the Brute and Elites. "Or I can go find them myself when I am through with you." He moved forward, but another spell fired through the area, causing him to sidetrack himself. The Brute seized the opportunity to strike.
Knocking Oruldr with his warhammer, the enchantment around the head amplified the Brute’s strength, sending Oruldr off his feet and causing him to drop his warhammer.
He pulled himself up as the Elites rushed him. He knocked the first away, but the second thrusted their swords, a red aura painted both sides and the tip. The blade made contact with Oruldr, sparking in yellow and leaving a black splotch on his skin. He wretched in agony, pulling away with his speed enhancement. Examining the wound, water dripped out but didn’t freeze. He placed his hand back over it, perplexed by the unusual pain. Frost Giants don't melt; they shatter, even in fire.
"What’s wrong, Giant, little wet?" The Brute growled. "Bet you’re starting to wonder why Frost Giants ain’t been coming to Nazzaroth, well now you know." He took a step forward. "Dohon’s got himself a new friend, and they be teaching us all kinds of things." Lifting his hammer with one hand, he pointed it at Oruldr. "Now let’s see what happens first. You kill us and break your little curse there, or that hole of yours melts you from the inside out. Either way, you're gonna be sore for the rest of your shitass Frost Giant life because that hole ain’t ever gonna close."
Oruldr looked down at the wound before taking hold of his warhammer with both hands. "Once I turn your insides into your outsides, it looks like I will be a little more holy than I already was."
The Brute Yeti cried out, running forward and leaping into the air, lifting its hammer for a downward swing. However, instead of swinging, it smirked. Oruldr looked up with a smile of his own.
"You think me a fool three times?" He boasted.
Oruldr dropped his hammer, grabbed the approaching Elites, and yanked them toward him, shielding himself from the spell fired in the distance. It pierced the metal armor of one Elite, killing them instantly. The remaining Elite was used to shield him from the next swing of the Brute Yeti, their corpse flying into the snow and disappearing.
Oruldr put space between him and the Brute Yeti once more, holding out his hand to pull his warhammer back. "Looks like it’s just you and I." He examined the wound. "And look at that, no more melting. Looks like you just have to kill the curse inflicter, not the caster. How ‘bout that, eh?"
The Brute Yeti hung its head low, growling and breathing heavily until it took a deep breath and let out a loud howl. This was Oruldr's chance. His aura expanded, and in a swift swing, he removed the Brute Yeti’s head.
But the howl had already done its job, and the ground shook from the thundering clap of Yetis running in his direction. Oruldr took a deep breath and hoisted his hammer back into his hand. "Alright, brothers, you best be done breaking down camp and be on your way. My mana is starting to run low here."
While Oruldr had been whispering before, as he soared towards the Yetis, he unleashed a roar so fierce and thunderous that even the snow falling around him seemed to rebound off the thick sound waves. The echoes of Yeti cries resonated in the distance.
"Here they come, lads! Do try to keep up!" Oruldr cried out, and with size-defying speed, he bolted ahead, cutting through an incredibly large wall of snow on both sides.
Menelik gripped Idris and Taharqa’s shoulders. "Get close here, and I'll be honest—my Lightning Magic ain’t for sharing, at least not without my staff. It really drains my mana to keep it going for long. But we'll be fast as fuck, boys." Blue static crackled around his knuckles as he tightened his grip. "Bend your knees, kids, and hold on to your bums." They all bent their knees, and Menelik began the countdown. "Three… two… one." The blue static erupted into full-on white lightning, enveloping all of them as they took off after Oruldr.
Oruldr burst from the blizzard with such speed that he seemingly materialized in front of the first Yeti. Catching them off guard, he swung his warhammer upward, turning their head into nothing with a single powerful stroke.
The other Yetis began to react, but lacking weapons, Oruldr realized they were mere Grunt Yetis, this was where it dawned on him why the Hehuyur Tribe had exponentially expanded their numbers; they were preparing for another assault on Nozzaroth.
A dozen Yetis charged forward, cries and snarls escaping their mouths as they lunged at him. Oruldr swung upward again, then downward at an angle, taking out two before being tackled by the others. They pushed him backward in the snow, but with another roar, he freed himself by dropping his warhammer and tearing them away with his hands. Tossing them like they weighed nothing, he faced more incoming Yetis. With fierce punches, he knocked one out of his way and, with one hand, grabbed his hammer, colliding it with two more.
Gripping his hammer with both hands, he surveyed the remaining Yetis. Realizing they lacked a strategic approach, Oruldr roared.
"Come at me, you scruffy bastards, come meet Big Bertha." He tossed the hammer up ever so slightly in his hand, then tightened his grip. "She’s itching for some more."
A few more Yetis screeched with a charge, but Oruldr knocked them down one after another with ease. However, during this moment the group caught up, colliding into his back, sending them sprawling into the snow and breaking Menelik’s spell.
"Heyo, thought we were running." Menelik said, rubbing his head as he stood up.
"Yeah, I almost lost my spell." Taharqa exclaimed. "They would have died, Oruldr."
Oruldr didn’t look toward them; his eyes were fixed ahead. He simply tightened his grip on his warhammer and waited. In the distance, the cries of more Yetis echoed, so numerous that the ground began to shake.
"Uh, Oruldr." Taharqa muttered. "That’s a lot of Yetis."
"I know," he replied.
"More than I think we can take without our weapons," Taharqa stated.
"I know."
"Then what are we going to do?"
"Worry not, little Prince. I will keep you safe." Oruldr looked back at the group with a heartfelt smile and closed eyes. "And let me show you three why the Yeti King, Dohon, is missing his left arm."
Oruldr dropped his warhammer and stood up, straightening his posture. Gripping his fists at his side, he took a deep breath, eyes still shut. He held it for a moment, then slowly exhaled. "Okay." His eyes shot open. "Ymir Breathing." A wicked blue aura engulfed Oruldr, blasting the snow from around him and moving the group back with the incredibly strong wind. Kneeling down a bit, he raised his fist. "Frost Giant’s Rage." As the word "rage" left his lips, Oruldr disappeared in another gust of wind. He was gone for a full four seconds before the path he took became visible and the snow kicked up into the air.
"Gawd-dayum." Menelik called out. "The fuck was that?"
"He just told you, Frost Giant’s Rage." Idris replied.
"Yeah, you know, Ymir Breathing." Taharqa added.
Menelik glanced at them both and shook his head. "Don’t act like that, y’all just as confused."
"Nah, I ain’t confused, I’m impressed." Idris stated. "And kinda sad we ain’t gonna be able to see it." He looked at Menelik with an eager expression; raised eyebrows and a small smirk.
"What? You want me to waste all my mana making sure we see him kill some Yetis?"
"Kinda, yes, actually." Idris replied.
"You a bum, you know that?" Menelik stated as he placed his hand on the both of their shoulders and Taharqa smirked alongside Idris. "You a bum too, Taharqa, the biggest of bums because you the reason we having to do this." Menelik let out a sigh, and the lightning began to crackle. "Ight, here we go, three… two… one."
Oruldr moved with such sheer speed that when his fists collided with a Yeti, their entire body would explode into a frozen paste. One by one, two by two, three by three, and soon ten by ten by ten, the Yetis became nothing but scraps of fur and frozen goo along the snow.
Oruldr cut through their forces with such ease for nearly five minutes straight. Just as he advanced forward, he came to an abrupt stop, the aura around him tightening for a moment as he sniffed the air. "Mmm, an Elite, no two Elites, and…" He sniffed more intently. "…ahhh…" A smile played on his lips. "…a Brute."
He turned his head back and held out his hand, stopping the trio from going forward. But again, they ran right into him.
"Will you stop that!" Menelik yelled as he stood up. "I’ve already got a throbbing ache in my head, big guy. What is it now?"
"I will come back for you, stay." Oruldr’s aura expanded, and he disappeared.
"Did he just tell us to stay?" Menelik asked. "Like we a pet wolf?"
"He didn’t look back at us this time," Idris noted. "It must be serious."
"It’s probably not more Grunts," Taharqa stated. He turned to the two of them. "The Hehuyur Tribe is King Dohon’s personal army…"
The Tribe has a hierarchy, starting at the bottom with Grunts and Jackal Yetis and making its way to the top with what Dohon calls The Nine Prophets, accompanied by Yeti Hunters—triplets paired with another set of Hunters; the six protect the Nine.
Brutes and Elites lie in the middle. While not as armored as Hunters or as protected as Dohon’s Prophets, they are incredibly fierce, especially the Brute Yetis who are beyond ruthless, while the Elite Yetis are more tactical.
Oruldr met with the Elite first, and unlike the Grunts, they wore light metal armor covering their chest, shoulders, and thighs. The Elite’s armor had a soft black, almost gray hue with thin white paneling on the inside and around the borders. Both Elites wielded two swords, crafted from the same metal as their armor. They walked slowly on their hind legs, arms hanging to the side as they dragged their swords through the snow, the thick metal blades leaving wide trails behind them.
The Brute lagging behind carried a warhammer of its own, with a head much larger than Oruldr’s. Unlike Oruldr's stone and ice warhammer, this one was made of red metal mixed with black stone.
"Ah, a Chieftain," Oruldr recognized, noting the braids, scars, and paint across the Brute Yeti’s chest.
"FROST GIANT!" The Brute Yeti bellowed. "YOU SHOULD TURN BACK WHILE YOU HAVE THE CHANCE!"
Oruldr smirked and leaned up a bit, pulling the aura back toward himself. "My name is Oruldr, and as I tell your kind again and again…you will be best to remember it!"
"When will your kind learn that the Yetis are the dominant species of this island?"
Oruldr laughed through his nose and shook his head. "Before I kill you, give me your name. It would be disrespectful to kill an unnamed warrior."
The three Yetis stopped, and the Brute scoffed. Lifting the warhammer to their shoulder, their massive frame towered over the two Elites. "You slaughter our kind but want to talk about respect."
Oruldr lifted his fists and expanded his aura once more. "If you will not tell me your name, then it can’t be helped." His massive frame disappeared, appearing in front of the Brute. The two Elites took a moment to notice he had passed them, and just as he was about to throw a punch, he stopped and dodged to his left as a purple beam of magic fired toward his head—a Jackal Yeti, a Mage of sorts.
Adjusting quickly, he created more distance, looking beyond the Brute to see where the spell originated. "You wish to use Magic, eh?" Oruldr asked. "Let us use Magic then!" Holding out his hand, his warhammer glided through the blizzard and into his grasp. "Tell your Jackal to come on out…" He looked at the Brute and Elites. "Or I can go find them myself when I am through with you." He moved forward, but another spell fired through the area, causing him to sidetrack himself. The Brute seized the opportunity to strike.
Knocking Oruldr with his warhammer, the enchantment around the head amplified the Brute’s strength, sending Oruldr off his feet and causing him to drop his warhammer.
He pulled himself up as the Elites rushed him. He knocked the first away, but the second thrusted their swords, a red aura painted both sides and the tip. The blade made contact with Oruldr, sparking in yellow and leaving a black splotch on his skin. He wretched in agony, pulling away with his speed enhancement. Examining the wound, water dripped out but didn’t freeze. He placed his hand back over it, perplexed by the unusual pain. Frost Giants don't melt; they shatter, even in fire.
"What’s wrong, Giant, little wet?" The Brute growled. "Bet you’re starting to wonder why Frost Giants ain’t been coming to Nazzaroth, well now you know." He took a step forward. "Dohon’s got himself a new friend, and they be teaching us all kinds of things." Lifting his hammer with one hand, he pointed it at Oruldr. "Now let’s see what happens first. You kill us and break your little curse there, or that hole of yours melts you from the inside out. Either way, you're gonna be sore for the rest of your shitass Frost Giant life because that hole ain’t ever gonna close."
Oruldr looked down at the wound before taking hold of his warhammer with both hands. "Once I turn your insides into your outsides, it looks like I will be a little more holy than I already was."
The Brute Yeti cried out, running forward and leaping into the air, lifting its hammer for a downward swing. However, instead of swinging, it smirked. Oruldr looked up with a smile of his own.
"You think me a fool three times?" He boasted.
Oruldr dropped his hammer, grabbed the approaching Elites, and yanked them toward him, shielding himself from the spell fired in the distance. It pierced the metal armor of one Elite, killing them instantly. The remaining Elite was used to shield him from the next swing of the Brute Yeti, their corpse flying into the snow and disappearing.
Oruldr put space between him and the Brute Yeti once more, holding out his hand to pull his warhammer back. "Looks like it’s just you and I." He examined the wound. "And look at that, no more melting. Looks like you just have to kill the curse inflicter, not the caster. How ‘bout that, eh?"
The Brute Yeti hung its head low, growling and breathing heavily until it took a deep breath and let out a loud howl. This was Oruldr's chance. His aura expanded, and in a swift swing, he removed the Brute Yeti’s head.
But the howl had already done its job, and the ground shook from the thundering clap of Yetis running in his direction. Oruldr took a deep breath and hoisted his hammer back into his hand. "Alright, brothers, you best be done breaking down camp and be on your way. My mana is starting to run low here."
