The Eternal Winter - Book 1 - Chapter 37 - A Fight of Obstacles (Patreon)

                                                                                           Alexander North

The large wolf lets out a loud howl before beginning to build up icy mist in between its jaws again.

I narrow my eyes at it before deciding why not try and tossing my remaining knife straight at its mouth, piercing straight through the icy fog that hadn’t built up much yet. The wolf lets out a loud yelp while falling to the ground.

Huh. That worked out better than I’d expe-

The wolf raises its head again and opens its mouth despite the knife piercing its tongue before shooting out the pulse of icy mist at me.

I quickly grab the rusty chains before swinging the plat form and myself back and forth for a second. But all this manages to do is make most of the icy mist hit the edge of the platform while the rest continues and hits me directly in the chest, pushing me back and almost off of the platform. But my grip on the chains is enough to keep me on, and my armor blocks a large portion of the attack. Before crumbling of course.

“They really need cold-proof armor…” I mutter to myself, only to notice that the skin over my chest has frozen over ever slightly. Not enough to hurt me, but just the fact that it was frozen by that breath at all confirms my thoughts from before.

It looks like if a frozen one or frost infused is hit by the ability or even just the claws or strike from another frozen one or frost infused, it affects them more than a regular weapon or attack would. Even know most frost infused and frozen ones have a pretty good immunity to ice and the cold, which should theoretically include their abilities..

I first noticed it when I was using my claws to fight against wendigos instead of a sword. Whenever I cut them with the sword, the wound healed almost the instant the sword left it, unless of course I cut through their heart or brain. But when I cut them with my claws, the wound wouldn’t heal. Or at least it wouldn’t heal at their supernatural speed.

Which means… I turn my attention towards the large wolf, who is currently breathing heavily and glaring up at me.

I might just have to go down there to fight it face to face in order to kill it.

After, of course, I drop a platform on top of it.

With that thought in mind, I glance down at the edge of the platform where the creature’s breath hit, only to find parts chipping off due to the breath attack. I then turn my gaze to the chains, which are still squeaking like crazy.

Okay, this might work.

I climb back to my feet since I had lost my footing due to the breath attack before tightening my grip on the chains and beginning to swing my weight forwards and backwards until the momentum feels like it’s enough. After that, I let go of one side to draw my sword while still keeping an eye on the large wolf, who seems to be catching its breath.

Then I pierce the sword straight into the links of the most worst-off portion of the chain, shattering it in the process before quickly spinning around and slicing through the other chain and jumping off of the platform at its highest point.

Please work. Please work. Please work.

As soon as my feet touch down on another platform, I turn back around at the sound of a crash and a yelp to find the platform having landed on the back side of the large wolf at an awkward angle.

It almost missed, but it got it.

Without wasting any time, I jump from the platform onto a neighboring pillar before using it to jump again down to the ground – which is absolutely not the way you’re supposed to get off of this obstacle course. I then sprint over to the large wolf, who is trying to get up while leaking pale blue blood everywhere and glaring at me with obvious hatred in its eyes.

I ignore that though to bring my sword up, just to end up jumping into a roll again when it first a much shorter and weaker beam of icy mist at me before I immediately get back up to my feet and closing the distance between us.

Right when I’m about to reach the wolf though, one of the smaller wolves – whom I had completely forgotten about – rushes over and tries to tackle me. But I manage to avoid it at the last second before kicking out at its back and using the momentum of the kick to press me forwards, closer towards the large wolf.

Where I finally manage to bring my sword down straight into its head, right between the eyes.

Only for it to not pierce all the way into its brain.

“Well shit,” I mutter directly into the pain-weary and glaring eyes of the large wolf.

Then I feel a large pain in my gut that sends me tumbling several meters away, followed by another pain from the back of my head when I hit a nearby pillar.

I don’t let it keep me down though, and immediately begin pushing myself to my feet as I feel my regeneration beginning to heal my wounds, which I find surprising considering that the ones on my torso should’ve been caused by the large wolf. But I don’t dwell on it and begin rushing back to the large wolf who is still trying to free itself from the platform.

Once I get close enough, I pull my fist back and let out a shout of exertion while bringing it down on the hilt of my sword, shattering the hilt in the process and pushing the blade through its brain, making the hateful eyes of the wolf go dark.

Then everything falls silent, with the only other remaining sound being that of the other two wolves trying to get up but failing.

But even those don’t last long, as after I finish healing, I stomp on their heads a few times to destroy their brains. Which works better than I’d expected, even know I already knew these wolves were weaker than myself by a fair chunk. Not including the large one, which was a decent chunk stronger.

I look around the area for a few seconds before eventually falling onto my back and letting out a sigh of relief.

That was tough.