Nethe was already cold and tired; not being able to breath very well just made it all the worst. Why the Major thought the elves were doing something up here was beyond him. The elves had kept the peace for years and even they couldn't operate at this high altitude, for any large length of time. The rumblings that had been reported up here had to be natural.
It would seem that he had carried his heavy pack all the way up here for nothing; but Nethe had learned long ago to always be prepared, and his pack, with all its custom weaponry and gadgets he had engineered himself, was his idea of being prepared. After all, being a magically trained gunsmith gave him a magical connection to the weapons that he made himself that only increased his abilities.
Resting against a rock he tapped the snow from his snowshoes and looked at the towering mountains. Even being just about as high as a human could go and still breath, the peaks of the Dividing Mountains Range still seemed to rise forever; making an impossible to cross barrier between human and elvish lands. Alixia Valley behind and below him being one of the few passable paths through the mountains connecting the two halves of the continent. Which was why both humans and elves kept a strong military presence in the valley.
It was most likely because of rumors of a new elvish commander that the Major felt the need to investigate rumblings coming from up on the higher mountains. Of course it was his luck that the Major picked him to lead a patrol up here to look around. Between the cold and altitude, bringing a bunch of people up here was just asking for someone to get killed, so Nethe decided it would be best just to come alone, he had always worked best when he didn’t have to worry about keeping others alive..
Turning to continue his search he only took a couple of steps when he heard a change in the wind. He stopped and clapped his hands together and then hugging himself he put both hands under his armpits as if trying to warm them. He grabbed the handle of the firearm he had poking out if his pack and then in one fluid motion turned around and raised his gun at the person that had snuck up behind him just as an arrow was pointed at his face. Knowing that only elves still used bows and arrows he started to pull the trigger and duck his head when suddenly he realized he recognized the elf.
"Regneps?"
The elf looked him up and down and replied, "You are too young for me to know you but you do seem familiar. Who are you?"
"Lt. Praeclass."
"Praeclass? The admiral's son?"
"Yes, now, can we put our weapons down, your fingers are looking tired."
Nethe lowered his gun and the elf did the same with his bow.
“How did you recognize me? I haven’t had contact with your family since before you were born,” Regneps wondered.
“My parents have that photo you all took together up on the fireplace. I grew up with you staring at me from that spot,” Nethe answered.
“I see. Now I would've thought the son of Admiral Praeclass would be working for Cutter Enterprises," Regneps stated.
"You guys haven't heard? Cutter Enterprises bought the Crafter's Guild. Forjad is now under the control of Cutter Enterprises as is the military," Nethe responded.
"That I had not heard. So now the two largest privately owned militaries are now owned exclusively by President Cutter?"
"Yep," Nethe responded as Regneps grew silent and thoughtful. After a moment of silence Nethe spoke again, "So... How have you been? My parents haven't heard from you since that incident with the super strong, ancient, rampaging, evil god."
"I'm commander of the garrison here at the north entrance to the valley. I came up here to investigate strange noises coming from the area," Regneps responded.
"You're the new commander? And you came up here yourself? Dang why couldn’t the major think of that? Would've saved me a lot of trouble," Nethe mumbled.
Regneps raised his eyebrows in a questioning look. So Nethe explained.
"I'm up here for the same reason. The major thought maybe you guys were up to something."
"No, I'm afraid we don't know what's happening up here either," the elf responded.
Nethe sighed, “That’s a real shame because I really don't want to be up here any longer. Now I’m stuck having to investigate this cold miserable place more."
To emphasize his point he gave the rock next to him a quick, hard kick. That's when he heard what sounded like a deep low growl from under them.
"Tell me elves have loud stomachs."
"Get back!"
The snow all around them exploded as something large rose from the ground. Both Nethe and Regneps took several hurried step back and watched as two large wings shook the snow off themselves and a large dragon arose.
"A frost wyrm!" Regneps said with awe.
The huge dragon was a bluish white color and it had the typical reptilian like head except for the beast's whiskers coming from an unusually flat snout giving it an almost feline look.
The frost wyrm opened its mouth and started to lunge at the pair but in a flash Nethe had guns in both hands and let loose several shots into its mouth causing the beast to turn its head away and shake its head from the sting of the bullets. Nethe fired a few more shots to no apparent effect except for the creature to emit a low growl.
"Snipies, even its eyes are bullet proof!" Nethe exclaimed as he quickly pushed one gun back into its holster in his pack just behind and under his armpit. He then quickly disassembled part of his other gun.
"It's frost breath!" Regneps warned.
The frost wyrm had turned back towards them and its throat bulged in preparation for its frost breath that Nethe knew would flash freeze both of them.
"I know! I got this!" Nethe responded as he reached his free hand behind him and pulled a hose from the side of his pack and clicked it right into the back of his newly modified gun.
"What are you-"
Regneps was interrupted by the dragon opening its mouth and expelling a mist that headed right for them. Nethe pointed his gun and upon pulling the trigger a stream of extremely hot flames shot out to meet the oncoming mist.
The mist and flames met and Nethe felt the shockwave of the two opposites meeting picked him up off the ground and threw him several yards away right to the edge of the mountain slope. For the first time that day, he was glad the snow was deep and soft.