The Song of Sword and Magic - Chapter 64

Chapter 64: Snowstorm

[Translator — Asuka]

[Proofreader — Karane]

Fern and Niss hid behind a mound and ate some food. Upon finishing their meals, they continued heading North. The weather was getting colder, but fortunately, the coats Stan had found for them were able to keep them warm. Moreover, after days of trekking in the wild, they were getting used to the Northern climate.

In the afternoon, the sky was still gloomy as they walked across the snowfield. Apart from the mounds, nothing else came into their sight.

Niss was mechanically following Fern’s footsteps. All of a sudden, a high-pitched female voice sprang into her mind. It sounded like a whisper in her ear, but it also seemed to have entered her consciousness. She was shocked to learn that even though she didn’t understand the language, she knew what the woman was saying. “A snowstorm is coming. You’re walking towards danger. The snowstorm will engulf the two of you!”

Niss raised her head suddenly and looked around, but there was no one else in sight other than Fern, not even an animal. It’s just like the time I was crossing the Doylan border. What the heck is this? She was rooted to the spot.

Noticing her strange behavior, Fern turned around and asked, “What’s wrong, Niss? Is there anything?”

Niss came to her senses and looked puzzledly at him. “I heard a strange voice again. She warned me that a snowstorm is coming.”

“A snowstorm?” Fern looked up at the sky doubtfully. “I’m not familiar with the Northern climate, but if a snowstorm is coming, we’d better get ready.”

“Is a snowstorm that powerful? Can’t we just pull our cloaks closer?” Niss hadn’t seen a snowstorm before, so she didn’t understand how intimidating it was.

Although what she had said was funny, Fern wasn’t in the mood to laugh. “I’ve been to Doyle twice, and I’d encountered a snowstorm once. Fortunately, a hunter took us in, and the snowstorm lasted for two days. When we were able to get out, we realized that we couldn’t open the door as the entire house was covered in snow.”

Niss widened her eyes in disbelief. “So, unless we can find somewhere to hide we’ll be buried alive?”

“Yes, but there’s no sign of a snowstorm yet.” Fern shook his head. “Let’s keep walking. Even if we stay here, there’s nowhere we can hide around this place.”

Niss nodded and followed him as they continued going North.

***

Moments later, after they took a turn, the sky suddenly turned dark. The cold wind started gusting at them and raising the snow on the ground as well.

Fern looked up at the sky worriedly. “Damn it. The voice you heard was right. A snowstorm is coming, so we must look for shelter now.”

Looking at him anxiously, Niss replied, “There’s nothing else here other than snow and mounds.”

“I’m afraid you’re right.” Fern became flustered as well. The cold wind has grown stronger. It seems that a snowstorm is just around the corner. If we still can’t find somewhere to hide, the consequences will be dreadful.

Fear was rising within Niss as she couldn’t imagine being buried by snow. “What if I cast a magic shield around us? Can it protect us?”

Fern shook his head and kept looking around. “It can protect us for a short time, but no one knows how long the snowstorm will last. I don’t think you can even last half a day.”

Niss pouted dejectedly and gazed at him. “What should we do now? There’s no house in sight.”

Suddenly thinking of something, Fern pointed at the highest mound in the distance. “We’ll go there. Hurry up. Once the snowstorm comes, we won’t survive on the snowfield.” Upon finishing his words, he charged toward the mound at full speed.

Niss hurriedly followed him. The snow on the ground had grown higher than her shoes now, so every step she took would leave a deep footprint. The boots that were made of goatskin were cold-resistant, so even if her shoes were deep in the snow, her feet didn’t feel cold at all. Initially, Niss loved this feeling, but she soon became wary.

***

From the distance, the mound looked small, but it was already the largest in their sight. However, as they were getting closer to the mound, they realized that it could even be considered as a hill. Fern reckoned that the mound was fifty yards high and a hundred yards wide, so it took some effort to circle around it.

Niss panted as she followed Fern, who was examining the mound. Just then, snow started falling from the sky. With the strong wind, the snow was coming at their faces. “Fern, what are you doing? It’s snowing now!”

“A mound of such a scale must have a hole. If it isn’t covered with snow… If we can find it—” Fern couldn’t finish his words as the snowflake came into his mouth. He spat it out and hurriedly looked for the hole.

Niss also joined his search. As snowfall grew heavier, their cloaks were soon caked with snow, which caused her to feel terrified. If they couldn’t find any hole to hide, they would be buried in this snowfield. In an instant, her eyes welled up with tears.

Seeing that Fern had gone to the other side of the mound, Niss staggeringly ran after him and patted the snow on her cloak away. The snowflake on her hood dropped onto her reddened nose. Faced with the frigidity and snowstorm, she was in despair.

The snowstorm was now so severe that Niss could only see the mercenary’s back vaguely. If the distance between them grew wider, she wouldn’t be able to see him. At the thought of this, she was engulfed by fear and quickly followed him.

***

Through the snowstorm, she could see that Fern was trying to dig out the snow with his sword. Reaching him, she asked, “What’s wrong, Fern? Have you found something?” She was hoping that he would give her an assuring answer.

“Yes, as you can see, more snow has gathered here, which means that someone hid inside it before. When the person came out, they pushed the snow away.” Fern’s words were faintly audible in the snowstorm, and he would sometimes be disrupted by a snowflake that got into his mouth. Nevertheless, Niss understood what he was trying to say.

“I’ll have a try.” She shook the snow on her cloak away and raised her hands. As she spread her palms, she started reciting a spell, whereupon a fireball appeared between her hands. When she pushed out the fireball, the snow began melting at incredible speed.

Seeing that her magic was effective, Fern quickened his digging speed as the melted snow made his work easier. A moment later, they could see that there was hole behind the thick snow. Elated, they traded glances and continued excavating the remaining snow. Then, a hole that could accommodate three people came into their sight.

“That’s wonderful, Fern!” Niss almost jumped up in excitement.

“Let’s get in. I still have something to do.” Fern urged her to enter the hole. At the moment, he couldn’t see anything that was ten yards away. The snowflakes kept coming at his face, making him unable to open his eyes. For the time he spent digging out the snow, it grew to be as high as his knees.

Niss got into the hole first, followed by Fern. After that, he drew out his sword and jabbed it into the top of the entrance as the weapon clanged with the stone. Following that, he took off his cloak and placed it on the sword to act as a temporary curtain. Finally, they managed to escape from the claws of the snowstorm. Having a place to take a rest, Niss was relieved.

***