FL - Chapter 24: Hunting the Frost Giants

Louis crouched behind a shelf of concealed rock, looking down at the open ground below the valley. Four Frost Giants were hurling boulders into the air and smashing them away with massive ice-rock clubs, clearly enjoying themselves.

"Are they playing baseball?" Louis muttered, though he didn't relax for a second.

These towering monstrosities averaged over sixteen feet in height, their bodies encased in natural armor woven from ice crystals and stone shards. The corded muscle beneath was enough to inspire visions of horrifying brute strength. The ice-rock clubs they swung casually measured nearly twenty feet long—a single blow could carve a trench through solid earth.

Worst of all was the pale blue mist coiling around them: their domain of extreme cold. Anyone who got too close would find their blood circulation slowing to a crawl, or worse, be frozen into a statue on the spot.

Thankfully, there were only four. If there'd been forty, Louis would've had to pack up the entire Crimson Tide Territory and flee overnight.

Nervous? Not really. He'd already confirmed their weaknesses and laid traps in advance. More importantly, he'd mobilized the bulk of the territory's knights plus over a hundred soldiers. Fifty-three knights against four Frost Giants. The odds were in their favor.

"Is everyone in position?" Louis asked quietly.

"Yes, my lord. All units are ready," the signal officer replied.

"Good." Louis inclined his head. "Execute the plan. Let these big bastards taste what Crimson Tide Territory can do." He raised his right hand and closed his fingers. "Go."

The signal officer swung his banner. Knights hidden in every position sprang into action simultaneously.

*Fweee—!* A signal arrow screamed through the sky, trailing a streak of fire that slammed into the Frost Giants' bodies. Jolted by the sudden attack, the four happily playing Giants froze in confusion, then let out earth-shaking roars of rage. Their enormous feet hammered the ground as they stormed toward the source of the flame.

"Split them up!" Lambert bellowed.

The knights divided into four squads, harassing the Giants from multiple directions, jabbing with lances. Every strike targeted the Giants' most vulnerable points—knees, faces, knuckles, armpits.

The Giants howled with fury, swinging their clubs in sweeping arcs, trying to crush these insect-like enemies. But the knights were prepared, pulling back swiftly, using terrain and speed to stall and lure each Giant toward its designated trap zone. Within minutes, the four had been separated and funneled into distinct kill boxes.

"Release!"

The trap teams, lying in wait, hurled their pre-rigged weighted rope nets. The heavy cords tangled around the Giants' legs with precision. The Giants lurched, struggling to tear themselves free.

Hidden knights on the flanks surged forward, driving their sharp spear-points and blades into the weak joints behind the Giants' knees—where the ice armor was thinnest.

*Shnk!* The spears punched through frigid flesh. Every thrust wrenched sky-rending howls from the Giants as they staggered backward in agony.

"Withdraw and reposition!" The fighters disengaged instantly, scattering in different directions, denying the Giants any chance to retaliate.

On the far side, soldiers hurled torches. Flames licked at the Giants' solid ice armor, and before long, their frigid aura began to waver. The outer shell cracked and split under the heat.

*Sss! Sss! Sss!* Archers loosed flaming shafts that carved through the night, slamming into faces and eyes. Fire seared flesh. *ROOOAAAR!* The Giants clutched at their faces, thrashing.

"Knights—ready! Targets: heart and throat!"

"CHARGE!"

The knights ignited their Battle Aura, crimson light blazing along swords and spears. They spurred their horses forward—a volley of red blades screaming toward the Giants' hearts and throats. Blood sprayed. The first Giant loosed a final, agonized wail and crashed to the ground.

Not every squad had it so clean, though.

One trap zone suddenly erupted with a monstrous roar. An especially frenzied Giant tore free of its net. Its massive legs stamped down, shattering the trapped ground and sending stone shrapnel flying.

"Shit! The trap can't hold it!" The lead knight's face changed color. Before he could reorganize, the Giant had gone berserk.

Its arms spread wide as it roared at the sky, and its frigid aura exploded outward. A wild blizzard of ice and frost detonated across the area.

*BOOM!* The gale, bristling with razor-sharp ice shards, engulfed everything. The frozen wind tore across the earth. Knights were hurled off their feet.

"AHH!" Two Apprentice Knights were sucked straight into the vortex, their armor instantly encased in thick ice. Frozen rigid, they were flung against the cliff face, out of the fight.

Another Formal Knight never even saw it coming—the Giant's club swept him like a broken kite, hurling him dozens of meters before he crashed to the ground, vomiting blood. Chaos engulfed the line.

But just as the Giant raised its club for another sweep, a streak of crimson Battle Aura tore through the blizzard and slashed straight for its wrist.

*Shnk!* The searing blade carved a long, narrow wound through the Giant's frozen muscle. Deep-blue blood sprayed across the snow and congealed instantly into crystals.

"Go for its legs!" Lambert roared, hoisting his greatsword high, Battle Aura blazing as he lunged for the Giant's knee. Two Elite Knights flanked him. The three formed a triangular assault formation and charged.

*HYAAAH!* Lambert's greatsword came crashing down, aimed precisely at the joint behind the knee. *CRACK!* The blade bit deep through ice armor and into tendon. The Giant's colossal frame shuddered violently, nearly buckling.

One Elite Knight seized the opening, leaping high and driving his flame-wreathed blade into the Giant's ribs. The third hacked at the ankle, trying to destroy its balance. Three blades struck home.

Agony drove the Giant to peak madness. It loosed a sky-splitting roar and raised its club to counterstrike.

"Block it!" Lambert slammed his foot into the ground and launched upward. Reversing his grip, he brought the greatsword around in a horizontal slash that bit precisely into the Giant's wrist joint.

*CRAAACK!* Bone splintered. The Giant's grip went slack, and the enormous ice-rock club slipped through its fingers and hammered into the ground, blasting a blizzard of debris into the air.

"NOW!" The knights behind him raised their lances, and with a unified battle cry, every weapon plunged into the Giant's vitals.

*Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!* Frozen blood gushed, staining the snow crimson. The berserk Giant convulsed once, then its massive body toppled and slammed into the earth, utterly still.

(End of Chapter)