The Legends of Altera Vita

As the roar of the battle cry faded into the cold evening air, the Viperkin began to disperse with renewed purpose. Each movement was calculated, each soldier already mentally preparing for tomorrow's march.

Kira turned to Belisarius and his group. "Your party should rest. The Northern Passes show no mercy to the unprepared or exhausted."

Before Belisarius could respond, Zazz spoke, his hands still working on his mechanical device. "There is no time to rest, we must prepare. The strings of fate are shifting."

Targeld's deep voice rumbled in agreement. "The little one's right. We need to ready our equipment."

"And study these maps more thoroughly," Kael added, already pulling out his own charts to compare with the ones Roran had displayed.

Daeva remained silent, but his dagger sheath had resumed its perpetual spin between his fingers, faster now, more intense.

Corporal Horse simply grunted, moving to check their shared supplies with military precision. Belisarius still couldn't understand where Targeld had managed to find him. Too many things about his party were on his mind, too many questions to be answered, and not enough time to find them.

Ikit appeared suddenly beside them, his eyes gleaming with an almost feverish light. "North-north we go! Into ice-cold death! Exciting-thrilling!"

Kira observed their reactions with careful consideration. "You're not like our usual recruits," she said finally, her gaze settling on Belisarius. "Captain Roran chose well."

Throughout the camp, preparations were intensifying. Soldiers sharpened blades with rhythmic precision, checked and rechecked equipment, consulted maps and compared notes in hushed tones. The earlier battle fervor had transformed into focused determination.

"The Aspect of Karnath," Kael mused, spreading his map on a nearby crate. "The legends speak of Karnath's power over ice and frost, but there's more to it than that."

Belisarius moved closer to the map. "What do you mean?"

"The Aspects aren't just powerful beings," Kael explained, his finger tracing the area around Frostbane. "They're living embodiments of the Demon they represent. If Karnath has truly united the tribes..."

"Then we're facing more than just warriors," Daeva finished, his sheath finally stopping its spin. "We're facing winter itself."

The gravity of their mission settled over them like a heavy cloak. The Viperkin camp continued its preparations around them, but their small group remained still, each processing the magnitude of what lay ahead.

Suddenly, a shadow fell across their gathering. Captain Roran stood before them, his expression unreadable.

"Baron," he addressed Belisarius directly. "A word."

The others watched as Belisarius followed Roran to a more private corner of the camp. The captain's movements were measured, controlled, but there was an underlying tension that hadn't been there during the briefing.

"Your group," Roran began, his voice low. "They're different. Experienced in ways that don't match any normal military training."

It wasn't a question, but Belisarius could hear the implicit inquiry.

"We each have our stories," he replied carefully.

Roran nodded slowly. "Stories. Yes. We all have those." He paused, seeming to weigh his next words. "Your group," Roran began, his voice measured and precise. "You'll be attached to Kira's forward unit. She leads the first of our three reconnaissance teams." He paused, gauging Belisarius's reaction. "I want your people spread among hers—not as leaders, but as support. Extra eyes, extra instincts."

Belisarius nodded, understanding the implicit message. They were skilled, yes, but untested in Viperkin operations.

"Kira knows the Passes," Roran continued. "She knows how the Iceforged move, how they think. You'll follow her lead without question. Is that clear?"

"Perfectly," Belisarius replied.

Roran's expression softened slightly. "Good. Because Kira's unit will be taking point. First in, deepest reach. I need people I can trust watching her back. I'm trusting that Targeld wouldn't stick around people that he couldn't trust to watch his back. Dont betray that trust"

When Belisarius returned to his companions, their expressions ranged from curiosity to concern.

"Well?" Zazz asked, still fiddling with his device. "How has Aetherion twisted our fates?"

"We're with Kira's unit," Belisarius explained. "Forward reconnaissance. Supporting role."

Daeva's knife sheath stopped its spinning. "Supporting role?" His tone carried a hint of challenge.

"Yes," Belisarius met his gaze steadily. "We don't know these territories. We don't know the Iceforged. Kira does."

Targeld grunted, "Roran. What an idiot."

Belisarius looked back at the barbarian, "I know that you grew up here, and that you probably know more than anyone else, but we need to obey military command first and foremost. The last thing we need is being kicked out of this expedition."

"Watch-watch and learn-learn!" Ikit chittered excitedly. "Then strike-kill when time is right!"

Kael had already pulled out his maps again. "Kira's unit usually takes the higher approaches. Bigger risk, better vantage points."

Corporal Horse simply nodded, probably pretending like he knew what was going on.

Across the camp, Kira was briefing her own team, her movements sharp and precise. She caught Belisarius's eye and gave a slight nod—acknowledgment and warning combined. Tomorrow, they would need to prove their worth.

The night settled deeper around them, and the preparations continued. They weren't leading this mission, but that didn't make it any less dangerous. Perhaps, Belisarius reflected, it made it more so. They would need to learn quickly, adapt instantly, and above all, survive.

-----

The morning air bit with unusual sharpness as the Viperkin prepared to move out. The camp, which had buzzed with nervous energy the night before, now operated with silent efficiency. Every movement was purposeful, every sound muted.

Kira's forward unit assembled at the northern edge of the camp. Twenty of the Viperkin's best scouts, each equipped for silent movement through hostile territory. Among them, Belisarius and his companions stood out—not by choice, but by simple fact of their different training and equipment.

"Listen well," Kira addressed them, her voice barely above a whisper but carrying clearly. "We move in pairs. Each of your group will shadow one of my veterans." Her eyes met Belisarius's. "Watch, learn, and above all else, maintain silence. The Passes echo, and the Iceforged know every sound that belongs there—and every one that doesn't."

The pairing assignments came quickly: Belisarius with Kira herself. Kael matched with a wiry scout named Thenn. Daeva paired with a silent woman called Selene. Zazz assigned to a mechanical expert, Gearwind. Targeld matched with the unit's largest scout, Rockfist. Corporal Horse paired with a veteran named Stillwater. And Ikit... Ikit was just there. The other eight scouts were paired off between themselves.

As the sun began to peek over the eastern mountains, Roran appeared. He carried no formal banner, wore no distinct insignia. In the gray morning light, he could have been any other scout.

"Remember," he said, his voice carrying the weight of experience, "we are the eyes of the Crimson Blade. We don't seek glory. We don't seek battle. We seek knowledge, and that knowledge will buy victory with blood not our own."

The morning mist swirled around their feet as the units began to move out. Kira's group would be first, as always. The forward scouts, the first to risk, the first to die if things went wrong.

"Stay close," Kira murmured to Belisarius as they began their advance. "The Passes don't forgive mistakes."

Behind them, the rest of the Viperkin were preparing for their own departures. The other units would take different routes, different approaches. But Kira's unit had the most dangerous task—they would be the first to detect any Iceforged movement, the first to gauge the true extent of the Aspect's influence.

As they exited the gates of Arendale and left the magical barrier behind, moving into the shadows of the Northern Passes, Belisarius could feel the change in the air. The cold became something alive, something aware. And somewhere ahead, in the depths of the frozen wastes, Demonic powers were stirring.

Their mission had begun.

-----

The Northern Passes emerged from the morning mist like the spine of some ancient, slumbering beast. What had seemed like simple mountain paths from a distance revealed themselves as a complex network of narrow trails, treacherous cliffs, and deep ravines that wound their way through peaks that seemed to scrape the very sky.

The morning sun did little to warm them. Here, in the threshold between the known lands and the Wastelands, even light felt different—colder, more distant. The snow wasn't the soft blanket of southern winters, but rather a crystalline carpet that crunched beneath their feet with an almost metallic sound.

Massive ice formations jutted from the mountainsides, some natural, others—as Belisarius began to notice—bearing the telltale signs of Iceforged influence. These latter formations had an unsettling symmetry to them, patterns that seemed to shift when viewed from different angles.

"The Iceforged marks," Kira whispered, noting his attention to the formations. "They use them for navigation, communication... and magic." She gestured to a particularly intricate pattern. "That one's fresh. No more than two days old."

The path ahead split and wound between towering cliffs of dark stone veined with ice. Ancient pines, twisted and gnarled by centuries of harsh winds, clung to the rocky faces. Their branches, heavy with snow, created a canopy that filtered the already weak sunlight into ghostly patterns on the ground below.

The air grew thinner as they ascended, but it wasn't just the altitude that made breathing difficult. There was a weight to the atmosphere, a pressure that seemed to press against them from all sides. The kind of pressure that preceded great storms—or great magic.

Kael, walking beside Thenn, pointed out subtle markings in the rock faces—old runes, half-buried in ice and snow. "Pre-Iceforged," he murmured. "From before the Age of Frost."

The very geology of the Passes told a story of violent creation. Massive boulders, split by countless cycles of freezing and thawing, created natural barriers and chokepoints. Deep crevasses appeared suddenly, their depths lost in shadow and swirling snow. The wind, when it came, didn't howl so much as whisper—ancient secrets in a tongue long forgotten.

Belisarius noticed how the Viperkin scouts moved through this landscape—not fighting against it, but flowing with it. They used the natural shadows, the ice formations, even the wind itself to mask their movements. Their dark clothing, which had seemed simply practical in camp, now revealed itself to be carefully designed to match the patterns of shadow and snow.

Above them, the peaks of the Northern Passes rose like sentinels. Some bore names that dated back to the earliest maps: Frostspine, the Widow's Teeth, the Howling Crown. Others had newer names, earned in blood—the Butcher's Pass, Sorrow's Gate, the Dead Man's Watch.

As they moved deeper into the Passes, signs of the Iceforged became more frequent. Here, a camp site no more than days old, the ashes perfectly preserved by the cold. There, a series of marks carved into ice that seemed to pulse with a faint, blue-white energy. And everywhere, that sense of being watched—not by eyes, but by the very mountains themselves.

The cold was different here too. It wasn't the simple absence of heat, but something more active, more hungry. It sought out any weakness in their clothing, any exposed skin. Veterans among the Viperkin had warned them: in the Northern Passes, the cold was alive, and it fed on warmth like a predator.

-----

As they navigated deeper into the Passes, snow falling from above, Kira raised her fist—the signal to halt. The entire unit froze instantly, becoming one with the shadows and snow. Even Targeld, massive as he was, seemed to disappear against a rock face.

Kira pointed silently toward a narrow ledge above them. At first, Belisarius saw nothing but ice and shadow. Then, movement—subtle, almost imperceptible. A scout. Not Viperkin.

The figure moved with a fluid grace that spoke of intimate familiarity with the terrain. Their clothing, unlike the dark gear of the Viperkin, was a complex pattern of whites and brown, hides and furs from hunted animals.

"Iceforged," Kira breathed, her voice barely a whisper. "One of their pathfinders."

The Iceforged scout passed above them, unaware of their presence. But something was wrong. Pathfinders never traveled alone.

As if reading his thoughts, Kira signaled the unit to spread out. They needed to find the rest of the patrol before it found them.

Zazz, paired with Gearwind, carefully withdrew a small spyglass from his pack, modified with extra lenses for distance spotting. He showed it to his partner, who nodded in understanding. They began scanning the ridges above systematically.

Kael and Thenn had already begun mapping the possible patrol routes on a small, waterproof chart. The Iceforged weren't random in their movements—they followed patterns, if you knew how to read them.

Daeva and Shadow had vanished completely. They would track the pathfinder, learn what they could about their numbers and direction.

Minutes passed with excruciating slowness. The cold seemed to deepen, if that was possible. Then, from above, came a sound that made every Viperkin tense—the cry of a snow hawk. But not quite right. Too rhythmic. Too purposeful.

"Signals," Kira whispered. "They're coordinating something."

Another cry answered the first, this one from the east. Then another from the west. The Viperkin were surrounded.

Kira's hand tightened on her weapon, but she didn't draw it. Combat wasn't their mission. Discovery meant failure.

The snow began to fall more heavily now, reducing visibility. Through the thickening snowfall, Belisarius caught glimpses of more movement above—more scouts, all moving with that same practiced efficiency.

They weren't just dealing with a patrol. This was something larger. More organized.

The Iceforged moved with purpose, but not with suspicion. They weren't hunting—they were guiding. Moving with the confidence of those who believed they were alone in their own territory.

Kira's signal kept the Viperkin unit frozen in place as more figures appeared above them. Through the falling snow, they could make out details of the patrol's equipment. Heavy furs lined with strips of leather for silent movement. Weapons adapted for ice and cold—picks that could serve as both tools and arms, bows with strings treated to resist freezing, spears with serrated edges for breaking through ice.

"Count them," Kira breathed to Belisarius, her voice barely a whisper.

The numbers grew as they watched. Ten... fifteen... twenty warriors. More than a simple patrol. This was an escort group.

Then they saw why.

Behind the warriors came a train of supply sleds, each pulled by teams of massive snow hounds. The sleds were loaded with supplies—weapons, food, building materials. But most notably, mining equipment.

Zazz nudged Gearwind, pointing to specific items on the sleds. Picks, shovels, and what looked like sections of support beams. The kind used to reinforce tunnel walls.

Kael was already marking the details on his map, noting the direction and composition of the convoy. This wasn't a war party—or even a scouting group, this was a supply chain. The Iceforged were building something.

The convoy passed above them, taking nearly an hour to move through the upper pass. The Viperkin remained motionless, gathering intelligence with every passing moment. They noted the tribal markings, the hierarchy evident in the warriors' positions, the organization of the supply chain.

Only when the last echoes of the snow hounds had faded, and another hour had passed in silence, did Kira finally signal them to move.

"Nineteen warriors," she said softly as they regrouped in a sheltered alcove. "Three different tribal markings—Winterclaw, Frostfang, and something new."

"The equipment," Zazz added, his voice low. "Mining and tunneling gear. The Web tingles within me, it isn't normal. Different from what they should be."

Thenn nodded in agreement. "Specialized for ice work. Deep ice."

"They're expanding the ice caves," Kael concluded, reviewing his notes. "But this far south? The deep ice caves have always been their sacred spaces, kept close to their ancestral territories."

Kira's expression was grim. "Unless they're not expanding. Unless they're building something new."

The implications settled over the group. The Iceforged weren't just gathering for war—they were establishing infrastructure. Creating supply lines. Building permanent structures in territories they'd never before claimed.

"We need to follow them," Belisarius said, but Kira was already shaking her head.

"Our mission is reconnaissance only. We report what we've seen. Other units will track the convoy."

She was right, of course. The Viperkin's strength lay in gathering intelligence, not engaging. Even following too closely could risk exposure.

"We continue east," Kira ordered. "If they're building here, there will be more convoys. More supply lines. We need to map them all."

The unit moved out again, now even more cautious than before. The Iceforged presence was stronger than they'd anticipated, and the purpose behind their movements was becoming clearer—and more concerning.

They weren't just preparing for war. They were preparing to hold territory. To expand. To conquer.

And somewhere ahead, in the depths of the frozen north, more convoys would be moving. More supplies being transported. More pieces of a plan they were only beginning to understand.

The snow continued to fall, covering their tracks as they moved deeper into the Passes, seeking more pieces of the puzzle that would determine the coming war.