A Night With Corrin

Chapter XXI (Faith)

For hours upon hours, you've marched through the snow with twenty soldiers under your watch. The weather is beyond chilling; it borrows beneath the protection of your fur-lined earthy brown winter coat and gnaws at you. You can scarcely imagine how in the world Flora and Felicia survived in this climate as children. Your hometown was warm and agreeable in comparison - never too hot - but far from a frozen tundra like this ungodly place.

You stop for a moment to rub your hands together, "H-How are you not freezing to death out here, Flora?"

The maid turns on her heels. Arms behind her back, she smiles with a hint of pride. "When you're born in a place like this, you adjust quickly. It's in my blood; Felicia's too. Take the lake you fall into, for one. Felicia and I didn't feel a thing when we jumped in to rescue you."

You wave off Flora's claim dismissively, certain she's spinning tall tales. "You jest. Nobody could withstand something so extreme."

"No, I'm being quite honest with you. How else do you think we saved you like we did?"

"A fair point," you concede with a (literal) icy exhale. Your very breath mists before your eyes. "How much further to the Village?"

"We're getting close, very close," Flora informs you. For a good long while, she gazes headlong into the inhuman blizzard. Then she points off into the distance. "We're almost there. Stay close and keep up as best you can."

How the twin knows her left from her right out here astounds you. Especially when you can barely see more than a few feet in front of your face.

Although, a silver lining is still a silver lining regardless.

"Fine by me." You glance back to the soldiers following. "We're nearly there!" you call through snow. "Just a little further."

"Thank the Light Dragon," one of the lady samurai shouts back. "I'm freezing my arse off, Sir Keiji."

"I know it's desolate out here," you call back - an attempt to sympathize, "but just a bit further and we'll be in the clear."

No sooner than you say those words does the ground rumble beneath your feet. Howls whistle across the icy wind. Heart thumping in alarm, you draw your father's katana from its sheathe. The howls around you twist into a single blood-lusting scream from up directly ahead.

"Faceless!" Flora yells. You fall in at her side.

True to her warning, a towering beast of a creature stumbles into view. Its truly massive in size and musculature with veiny black skin - the likes of which pulsates unnaturally. A gruesome rectangular mask with three vertical pinprick eyeholes at either side obscures the unnatural monstrosities' face.

Enraged, the creature takes a swing at Flora. She thankfully leaps out of harm's way with but a second to spare, pulling a dagger from the polished scabbard at her hip. The rest of your comrades fall in around you and draw their weapons.

"Ready, Sir Keiji," one of them announces to the side of you, a samurai brandishing his katana.

"Me too," says another, a diviner with tarot card held between her index and forefinger.

It's time to prove you can lead.

"Okay everyone! Focus!" you command, turning your sword outward artfully. You flip strands of hair from your eyes next, so you might see a bit better. A fearsome roar from the inhuman foe ahead makes your ears ring for a moment.

"What's the plan, Sir Keiji?" the samurai standing right of you asks hurriedly. He grips his katana tighter. "I've never fought one of these things in the snow."