Blizzard

"Forward! Let's keep going!"
"Boss, we can't! This is too tough! Lunaris do something!"
"What the hell can I do here?!"
She turns to Eris and says.
"Do some magic! Quick! Before we freeze!"
"Okay! Stay close!"
The next moment a glow starts surrounding us as a shield appears around us, protecting us from the elements outside.

We had landed on these icy plains and began exploring, with None suddenly going off to play in the snow, when a sudden blizzard appeared right on us, blocking out vision, and making us lose her as we desperately searched for her.

I sat with my face in my knees, enclosed by the shield with the rest of us, when Lina came and sat beside me.
"You okay dragon lady?"
"..."
"Well... It's going be okay right?"
"..."
Lina is struggling to come up with what more to say, when Sasaki walks up to us.
"There's nothing we can do in this storm. Even you, despite being fine, would not be able to see well out there. It's better to wait it out and search afterwards."
I look up, revealing tears and snot running down my face, shocking Sasaki completely.
"But I don't wanna!"
"Eh? Calm down, I'm sure she'll be fine!"
While Sasaki tries to calm me down, Makito approaches with a question.
"I've been thinking for a while. With the way you react... Are we your hoard?"
We all turn towards him and he continues.
"You know, in stories told to me there's always a hoard of gold or something... So I was curious. Is your hoard one of friends? Is that why you're so upset about losing one of us like this?"
'A hoard... Of friends?'
I wipe away the mess in my face as I slowly say.
"I... I don't think dragons have had hoards in ages... Not any I know at least."
Makito blushes and sits back down.
"Oh... Sorry..."
A moment later I give him a tiny smile and say.
"Though... I like that. So I'll say yes. You are all my hoard. Thanks Makito, somehow that cheered me up."
They turn towards me as I continue, now with a serious face.
"Which is why I can't let one of you get lost in the snow!"

I stand up and turn around, ready to go out again when I notice a silhouette in the distance.
"Hm? What's that...?"
Everyone else stands up and comes to check what it is. As the silhouette gets closer I can finally get a better look, which is when I notice it was None slumped over someone's shoulders.
'...!'
Without hesitation I break through the shield, shattering it and causing the blizzard to immediately come over us again, relentless, as we all rush towards the one carrying her.
As soon as we get close enough, I see that it was an orc walking towards us. With thick clothing and green skin, equipped with a sword at his waist.
Lunaris once again grabs Eris, asking her for another shield, which she quickly creates, saving us once again from the blizzard.

The moment he sees the shield surrounding him, he throws None on the ground and says.
"Is this girl one of yours?"
"AH! Be gentle with her!"
I rush to her side and Eris quickly kneels beside me as she starts to heal her. While she does that, I look up at him and bow.
"Thank you for helping her."
He looks away slightly.
"I saw her on the ground getting covered in snow, it was nothing."
Lina approaches him with a grin and ask.
"So, what were you doing out there?"
"...Trying to find someone... I guess."
Sasaki approaches and says.
"You guess? Did you lose someone? Here I was, about to reluctantly challenge you to battle, but I guess I shouldn't."
He looks at her, slightly confused.
"What...? Doesn't matter even if you did. I will not fight you. I'm saving my blade for when I find it."
"Find what?"
"The source of this blizzard that caused so much harm to my village."
'A journey... Of revenge?'

...

Finally after a long time in silence the blizzard stops, and Eris drops the shield as None says while shivering.
"Bad cold... Gone? Good."
The orc looks back and bows slightly.
"Thank you, I'll go now."
"Wait."
I walk over to him and ask.
"How are you going to find whoever it is anyway?"
"The blizzard was strong, it's always strongest around the source. I'm getting closer, I know I am."
Lunaris approaches, asking.
"Are you sure it's a person?"
He looks down slightly.
"Maybe. I saw with my own eyes as something passed by the village, bringing the blizzard with it. I'm not sure how it looked, but it was alive, or at least moving. Which means it's out here somewhere."
He turns back around.
"I will not rest until it is taken out."
"Very well. I'll help you."
I turn around to see Sasaki inspect her blade with a smile.
"You'll help him?"
She sheathes her katana and nods.
"Of course, why wouldn't I? I guess I'll say goodbye here huh?"
'...'
"It was a fun journey. May we mee-"
"Wait!"
Suddenly Makito yells out as he rushes forward towards Sasaki.
"I'll help out too! We all will, right boss?!"
"Eh?"
I think for a moment before nodding.
"Help... Y-Yeah! We will!"
We turn towards the orc, who just keeps facing away from us, as he then starts walking.
"I don't care what you do."

...

We continue walking with him through the ice plains, looking for the source of the blizzards, when we encounter something quite rare.
"Look! A snow elemental!"
It looked like a floating chunk of ice surrounded by many ice shards floating around it, some extending slightly to the sky. It kept looking off into the distance as we approached it, with the orc asking.
"Snow elemental? What is it?"
I look at him.
"Yeah! I've heard of them. They're-"
We reach the snow elemental, causing it to turn towards us, when the orc suddenly cuts me off, saying.
"Hold on... Ask the elemental if it's been in an orc village."
"Eh? Are you thinking-"
"Well, what did it say?"
"HOW SHOULD I KNOW?! I didn't even ask yet! How fast do you think I talk?! Besides..."
I look at the elemental, as it floated in silence.
"I don't know if elementals can talk. Or if I could even understand one..."

While we talked, more and more ice shards formed above it, towards the sky, until suddenly some of them launches upwards, darkening the sky as a blizzard quickly falls on us.
"IT REALLY WAS THE ELEMENTAL?!"
The orc takes out his sword and steps forward, pointing it at it.
"Finally, you will pay for what you did."
I look at the orc.
"What?! How can you fight it?! It's an elemental! Surely it's way strong-"
Before I can even finish the sentence, the orc quickly slashes at the core, splitting it in two, causing all the ice shards to fall to the ground and the blizzard to suddenly stop.
"My revenge... Finally complete at last."
I stared at him with my jaw wide open.
"It was actually easy...?!"
'Should we even have done that...? I don't think elementals even know what they're doing. I'm guessing it just happened to pass by his village...'
Lunaris approaches and places her hand on my shoulder as she says.
"New elementals aren't that resilient in the first place, their core is exposed after all. What you have to be careful about are ones that have lived for a long time, those might kills us quite easily."
"You know about them...? Thanks for the information."
She nods at me with a smile, though I remain shocked.

The orc turns around and begins walking away, when Sasaki stops him.
"Going back already?"
He turns and looks at her.
"I must return to my village."
She nods.
"Very well. But unfortunately I must still ask you for a challenge, now that you have completed your revenge."
"Why?"
"A personal goal of mine like how revenge was yours. Like I said, unfortunately I have to challenge you, because I have to challenge everyone I can. At least those that look strong."
With that, the orc takes out his sword once more, pointing it at her.
"Ok. You seem strong."
She lets out a chuckle.
"Trust me, I am. I will NOT let this be an easy fight. I will make sure I win."
"Is that so?"
"YES! I will NOT lose. I can't."
From the sides I can only look on, feeling awkward.
'...She definitely doesn't want to lose against the orc... I guess I don't blame her. Though he looks so confused by her determination too...'

Without warning, she dashes forward ready to slash, only for him to block the attack at the last second.
"Heh, you were able to block that huh?"
He swings his sword to launch her away, but she gracefully lands.
"You are definitely strong, but not as fast."
"Tsk. Is this a duel or a conversation?"
She lets out a laugh.
"I was just having fun with it, but very well I'll be quiet. If I focus it shouldn't take long to defeat you."
They both stare at each other, then suddenly she does another dash forward, but this time the orc is ready with a swing. Just as he attempts to connect with it, Sasaki blocks it with her katana and smiles, surprising the orc as a second later she kicks him into the air, with him landing on the snow moments later, defeated, his sword laying next to Sasaki.

"A short fight... But it was fun."
She walks over to him and helps him up, handing him his sword.
"Sorry about that! You can go to your village now."
"Y-Yeah... You are strong... I still have a lot to learn. Thank you for the challenge."
He bows, sheathes his sword, and walks away.

"Green guy... Gone?"
Lunaris pats None on the head, before she climbs onto her as she waves at him.
"He's going home. Let's keep going ourselves."
I nod at Lunaris.
"I agree, let's go. We still have to get past these ice plains."