Chapter 279 Uzred: Son of Sura
Northern and Raven were brought to the plaza, nestled at the center of the settlement. It was a vast open space dominated by the ice palace.
This architectural wonder, with its soaring spires and glittering turrets, stood as the seat of leadership and a beacon of communal life.
The plaza buzzed with activity: trades and other miscellaneous things happening here and there. Stalls crafted from ice blocks lined the edges, offering goods and provisions vital for survival.
Every White Walker around threw glances at the two strangers walking between the guards.
They entered the palace and reached the center room where a large throne nestled, then lowered their knees and heads.
When they saw that Raven and Northern weren't doing the same, they immediately forced them down.
The seat was so large and tall that nothing could be seen on it. Northern wasn't even sure if someone was there.
He had thought the leader of the cohort that took him and Raven was probably the leader of the White Walkers based on his attire.
But it seemed he was wrong.
Now, he could only wait in anticipation… just who was their fearsome leader.
A moment of tense silence ensued for a short while.
Then something streaked forward, others barely even noticed, but Northern saw the thing move and softly land on the ground.
Northern slowly raised his head to look at the figure.
His presence was a blend of ethereal beauty and tender strength.
His skin, an unearthly shade of icy blue, shimmered under the pale light of the aurora that seeped through the glassy roof.
Intricate tattoos spiraled across his lean, muscular frame, the dark blue ink a stark contrast against his cold-toned flesh.
These markings seemed ancient and arcane, something that none other apart from him had.
Dark, tousled hair framed his face, falling in uneven strands that occasionally obscured his intense, ice-blue eyes.
His pointed ears were adorned with simple, bone-crafted earrings, peeking out from beneath his hair, adding to his ethereal beauty.
Around his neck hung a necklace made from teeth and feathers.
He wore a garment woven from thick, black fur, its edges frayed and adorned with white, downy feathers that fluttered gently.
A leather belt, heavy with pouches and charms, cinched his waist, each item meticulously placed for both function and protection.
His arms and legs were wrapped in dark, sinewy leather, interspersed with more feathers and small, polished bones.
The bindings left his feet bare, their toughened soles accustomed to the icy terrain, each step taken with silent grace.
Northern muttered, "Young..."
Contrary to the White Walkers, he was lean and small, young in every corner of his stature.
But still, there was something about him, something that seemed to command the very elements around him.
The boy leaned forward, taking an intense, curiosity-coated look at Northern, then he moved sharply—like a blur—was in front of Raven, intricately observing her too.
Then he retracted his head and took two steps back, was silent for a while.
Then he swung his hand to Northern and said:
"Man, me like. Woman, me not like."
Even for monster tongue, his words were quite rough around the edges and seemed like they needed more work.
All of them, actually, seemed the same way.
But that was not the problem right now.
'What did he mean by woman me not like… does he have some kind of prejudice against Raven?'
Raven leaned a little to him and whispered:
"What's wrong?"
"Apparently, the kid doesn't like you..." Northern whispered back.
"Yeah, I figured."
If they were fifteen, the boy looked like he was a little over eleven, quite young but with a fierce and strong presence.
And moreover, he was the leader of this entire settlement.
Northern was beyond impressed.
"Great one," Northern started, of course in monster tongue.
However, the moment Northern spoke, the kid's eyes paled, he staggered back with a 'masaka' look on his face.
Something drove a pale shock into his bones.
And even Northern too was surprised.
'What's wrong? Did I say something wrong?' He thought.
Worried, Northern inquired:
"I'm sorry, did I say something wrong?"
Instead, the boy only got more pale, taking another staggering step back.
After a few seconds, he shakily spoke.
"Mouth. Speak. Language. Good. Very. Good," he commented with a thumbs up to Northern.
"Eh?"
Northern was dumbfounded.
'Was he shocked because I can speak their language or because I can speak it more fluently than they can?'
Northern suspected that it was the latter, but he didn't quite get it because the White Walkers didn't have the same reaction.
Curious, he decided to [See] the boy.
[Monster Profile]
Name: Ice Walker
True Name: Dust Of Snow
Soul Rank: [Hellion]
Danger Level: [Hazard]
Attributes: [Snow-bound], [Snow-born], [Child Of Ice]
Abilities: [Frozen Touch], [Touch Of Sura], [Steps Of Snow], [Sura's Panoply], [Frost Breath], [Glacial Movement]
Northern froze.
'Eh? Just how many abilities?'
This was beyond awe-striking.
Hellion rank, Hazard danger level. Which meant that all of the guards gathered around here bowing to him were probably stronger than him.
But the fact that he had so many abilities made no absolute sense.
The only thing Northern could link it to was… his true name.
Would it be safe to say that the strength of the true name shows in how many abilities they have?
Then where exactly does one find the talent of a monster?
The True Name was a name imprinted on the soul, which meant that they reside in the same place with talents themselves.
However, how can one find talents without destroying them into talent fragments?
Northern didn't know why this thought was popping into his head at this particular time.
But he felt like he should be able to extract talents as a whole from monsters with true names.
Although he also suspected that if such monsters died, there would be no talent fragments for him.
But who cared about that… if he can copy the talents of monsters, that would be a big step up game for him.
He wouldn't be so limited after all.
Northern smiled internally as this idea sparkled brightly within his mind.
He was going to work more on it much later, but for now, he had to deal with the boy.
Who stared at him, blinking then slowly said.
"Man. Teach. Me. Language. Me. Teach. Man. Our. Way."
"Urgh?"
All the guards looked up with a dazed expression.